Mage Manual-Chapter 298 - 255: Not Talking About Love

Sonia let them fuss over her as she softly said, "Lois, you really went out of your way this time. I don’t even know how to thank you."

"Hmm?" Lois, while tweezing her eyebrow pencil to help her draw eyebrows, said, "Isn’t it because you knew my family makes War Dresses that you asked for my help?"

"Ah? I didn’t know that."

"Then you really are something, casually asking a roommate to find War Dresses—wait, did you actually just want me to go to ’Flower Space’ and rent a War Dress for you?"

Sonia didn’t answer, she just looked at Lois with her innocent and somewhat dry eyes.

Lois sighed, "Turns out I was just making a fuss over nothing..."

"No, you gave me a 120-point surprise," Sonia smiled. "I truly received your good intentions."

"Don’t flatter yourself." Lois held Sonia’s face, dripping eye wash liquid into her eyes: "I just wanted to use your renown to promote our family’s War Dresses—if you can secure a beautiful win tonight, maybe Sword Flower University will choose our family as a supplier. So, if you want to thank me, you know what to do?"

"I do." Sonia, unaccustomed to using eye wash, quickly shut her eyes, letting the liquid slowly seep in: "Then you better watch me—though you might be disappointed because everyone will be looking at me, and not your family’s War Dress."

"Humph." Lois chuckled, "Let’s see if you can still say that later."

The War Dresses they mentioned were a special kind of attire in the Kingdom of Stars. Since battles between Mages easily damaged clothing, participants in highly watched bouts needed to wear clothes that wouldn’t easily tear, as exposing oneself could be immensely embarrassing—especially as many Mages came from noble families, and losing face was tantamount to social suicide.

In the past, there were numerous cases of ’Earl Revealing’ and ’Marquis Buttock’ who committed suicide due to unbearable scandalous rumors.

Thus, more defensive and robust War Dresses had emerged. Initially, War Dresses were merely armor for Noble Mages but, as alchemy and materials science developed, cumbersome steel armors gradually left the historical stage, replaced by resilient fabrics with various Resistances.

Though the fabric still couldn’t withstand a Mage’s attack, at least it wouldn’t tear apart, damage was localized without creating holes that might lead to disrobing.

However, as times changed, War Dresses gradually became flamboyant and luxurious, even turning into a method for nobles to show off their fashion sense. Especially in high school competitions, it was essentially a grand showcase of fashionable War Dresses with a mix of ’battle strength’ factor—only the attire of the victors held the right to be admired, the aesthetic sense of the losers failed along with them.

Obviously, anything associated with Mages wouldn’t be cheap, not to mention that War Dresses were designed as high-end luxury goods, and Sonia, being a ’Village Girl,’ could hardly afford them—buying a War Dress that she wouldn’t normally wear was simply too extravagant.

Nonetheless, Sword Flower University had a facility called ’Flower Space’ for renting War Dresses; any student qualified for competitions could rent an appropriate War Dress at a low price, and any damages would be repaired for free.

In truth, Sonia had lied.

She knew Lois’s family made War Dresses; after all, the previous deep bite marks made Sonia surely know her adversary—just in case Lois was someone Sonia couldn’t afford to provoke, she would have cowered long ago.

However, she really didn’t expect Lois to urgently call for her family’s War Dress to be equipped on her. She just thought Lois had better taste and could help her pick a suitable War Dress, especially since Sonia had to finish her swordsmanship training earlier that afternoon—she had tested before, and if she finished the training project early, then she wouldn’t be forced to train at night—she didn’t have much time to prepare her own clothes for tonight, so she could only ask Lois for help.

"Alright."

It took a full half hour, but Lois finally finished Sonia’s makeup and used the "Sun Positioning Technique Spirit" to style it. Her seniors draped the War Dress on Sonia, buttoned it up, and attached every accessory.

Everyone tacitly stepped back, and Lois pulled Sonia up, turning her to face the only full-length mirror in the dorm room, "Tell me, which is more beautiful, you or my War Dress?"

Seeing the beauty in the mirror, Sonia instinctively held her breath.

She had once thought that she’d already fully explored her potential in beauty and couldn’t possibly become more attractive, but Lois made her realize that she was thinking too small—she had never worn expensive clothes before, those were the clothes that truly suited her, so there was still much room for improvement!

There are many things in this world that don’t make sense, but the expensive certainly have their reasons.

The base of the set was still the blue and white dress uniform from Sword Flower University, but it had been tailored to better accentuate Sonia’s slender waist; white-edged red velvet jackets were draped over her shoulders with double rows of buttons connected by cords, creating a visually rich impact with vibrant colors; gloves, ankle boots, and hemlines had silver accessories throughout, making the outfit highlight Sonia’s youthful liveliness and filling her with a dignified and elegant aura.

Sonia could only describe herself in this way—she felt that her beauty now rivalled that of Dedarose.

Lois let down her red hair, brushed it, then picked up the "Meteor Tears," and under the painful gaze of everyone, she sprayed Sonia’s outer arms, neck, and waist.

"All done." Lois looked at Sonia in the mirror, as if admiring a freshly created piece of art, and she shook her head with emotion, "It’s really such a waste for just a social gathering... It would be more fitting for a league championship final."

"There will be a chance," Sonia said, "Tonight is my first time competing against Mage students from other schools, and it’s also the first step towards my fame across the Starry Sky."

"Fame across the Starry Sky, I can’t believe you can say that," Lois said disapprovingly, "You better aim to be famous in Jiale City first."

"I think it’s close," said Ingrid, "As long as Sonia wins beautifully tonight, she’ll immediately become the top seed contestant in the league."

"I see." Adelle understood, "No wonder Sonia asked Lois to find a War Dress, she wanted to use the outfit to boost her aura and make a lasting impression on the audience..."

"No."

Sonia gently shook her head, looking at herself in the mirror, adjusting the details on her dress, "I just like wearing beautiful clothes."

"I actually also like swordsmanship, and I like a lot of things, like singing, acting, winning. And also, I like..."

She paused, "letting the townspeople of Jiale City watch, a country girl like me, living a life more legendary than the legends, shining brighter than the Star Cluster, happier than anyone else!"

The red-haired Sword Maiden very lightly turned around, facing the stunned crowd with a finger pressed to her lips, playfully winked and said, "Don’t tell anyone, okay?"

Yes, Sonia Sevi was such a hopeless, vulgar, vain girl.

She needed to feast on the praise of admirers, digest the envy of the incapable, and revel in the attention of countless beings to feel truly happy.

She wanted lots of money, to live in the best houses, eat the finest food, wear the most expensive clothes, and even hold the most prestigious noble titles. Only if she had everything better than others could she feel her life had meaning.

Therefore, Sonia could not miss the opportunity to be the star of a social event; on the contrary, she had to seize this chance to take the most important step towards her cliched and vain dreams.

Moreover, she knew that most events for mages were held in the evening, such as college competitions under a star cluster’s gaze. Thus, as long as she continued down this path, she would inevitably miss exploring the Void Realm.

Was the importance of the Observer in the Void Realm greater than the opportunities in reality?

This wasn’t a multiple-choice question; at least, Sonia would strive to make it one. She certainly hated it when her team changed without her knowledge, but she hated her weak, suspicious self even more!

The right choice was only one from the beginning to the end. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

And that was to trust the Observer, and...

to believe in herself.

Believe that even without the Observer, she could still proudly bloom!

She, Sonia Sevi, would only live for herself!

Her mother couldn’t dictate her life, and neither could the Observer affect her decisions!

Why had she worked so hard to leave that small town? Why had she diligently studied to secure a scholarship? Why had she learned makeup and even spent money on cosmetic adjustments?

She came to enjoy the finest things in the world, and nobody could stop her!

"Although there’s still time, you should head over early to gather," Lois said. "We aren’t qualified to participate in the social event, but there should be a Veil broadcast. You’re wearing my outfit now, remember to win beautifully for me."

"Okay," Sonia waved to everyone. "See you all tomorrow then, I’m off to use Trajectory University as my stepping stone."

"Go for it!"

"I’ve already written your victory announcement; I’ll post it on the campus forum as soon as you win!"

Amidst everyone’s blessings, the red-haired Sword Maiden promptly walked out the door, then suddenly turned back and approached Lois, "Oh right, almost forgot to answer your question."

"What?" Sonia’s face suddenly came close, making Lois instinctively step back.

"Your eyes are focused on my face," Sonia proudly lifted her chin. "See, even you admit I look better than the clothes."

"You suddenly came close of course I would look at your face!"

"Um, um, you’re right," Sonia obediently nodded. "Hehe, Lois, I like this about you, quite adorable."

"What did you say!" Lois became flustered, feeling as if the Sonia from a month ago had returned.

With joyful laughter, Sonia took the sword bag handed by Ingrid and glanced at the spot where the Observer first appeared.

"Hey, I’m taking the night off."

"Go for it."

Sonia paused, rubbed her eyes, and Lois slapped her hand away, "Don’t mess up my makeup!"

"I used the Sun Positioning Technique Spirit, it’s fine."

She looked seriously again, confirming there was no one in the corner, then snorted and strode confidently out of the dormitory.

But after a few steps, she suddenly dashed back, puzzling the onlookers, "What’s wrong? Did you forget something?"

"No..." Sonia’s gaze swept through every corner of the dorm room, puzzled, and this time, she truly left.

....

Listening to Sonia’s footsteps growing distant, the Observer lying on the bed yawned, "This was an unforeseen accident; do you think we need to interfere?"

"But it is a logical progression," another Sword Maiden sitting up in her bed said. "Leave them to handle it on their own; we’ll just take care of her leave formalities. Besides, we can’t interfere, Sonia has made up her mind, unless Ash appears right now in the Kingdom of Stars, no one can sway her rational choice."

"Not to mention, I’m actually pleased that Sonia made this choice, after all, it shows that Sonia and I still share the same attitude towards love."

"What attitude?"

"No love."

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