Sword Maiden Mama

"What do you take me for? A call girl who comes when summoned and leaves when dismissed?"

Sword Maiden folded her arms, thrust out her chest, and raised her chin. "Do I need to report to you wherever I go? Do I have to write you an application every time I use the bathroom?"

"I wouldn't mind, but do you need to use the bathroom too? Do you prefer squatting toilets or sitting toilets?"

"I wasn't talking about the bathroom!"

Sword Maiden suddenly stood and approached Ash. Her sharp gaze forced him back until his back hit the wall. Sword Maiden stared at him intensely and pressed a finger against his collarbone.

"Although you promised before to respect me, that doesn't seem to be what you truly think. You still see me as nothing more than an illusion made of data streams, a two-dimensional character born because of you, someone who should naturally serve you... Even though we've talked for so long, even though we've explored the Void together, you still haven't changed the way you... look down on me."

Ash did not argue. Nor could he.

Sword Maiden was not asking. She was stating a fact.

When Sword Maiden could hear his thoughts, all lies were meaningless.

"I can't change what you think. I only need you to remember one thing—I'm a person too."

Sword Maiden said each word distinctly. "I have my own life, my own hobbies, my own pursuits, and my own world to live in... You are not my whole life. You're merely an accident in my life. Even without you, I can still live perfectly well somewhere you know nothing about. Understand?"

"If I help you, you should be grateful. If I don't help you, you can't blame me. Understand?"

"Understood. Thank you, Sword Maiden Mama, for all your help!"

"Don't call me that!" Sword Maiden viciously jabbed Ash in the forehead. "Who wants to be called Mama at such a young age?!"

"Who says? I wouldn't mind if you called me Dad—"

Ash sensed Sword Maiden was about to poke him again and hurriedly changed the subject. "Then, Sword Maiden, can you tell me what interesting things happened to you today?"

Sword Maiden sat back down on the bed and stared at the cup on the table beside her, falling silent for a long while.

Just as Ash thought she did not want to reveal her whereabouts to a stinky man, she spoke again.

"This morning, I showed off the Torrent Spell Spirit at the entrance to the Meditation Building. By the afternoon, the whole school knew I'd obtained one from the Void. Hah, even my roommate, who usually looks down her nose at everyone, shamelessly asked whether I was selling it..."

"So you had a great day?"

"Boring!" Sword Maiden rolled her eyes at him. "What is there to be happy about over such shallow vanity? Why should I care about the praise and jealousy of strangers? Only Little Girls in their teens would be pleased with themselves over that."

But I remember you are a Little Girl in your teens... The thought had barely surfaced in Ash's mind before Sword Maiden shot him a vicious glare.

Unbelievable. I can't even say you're young? Sword Maiden really is strict.

"The air in a single man's Dormitory is truly murky and foul. I'm leaving."

"Apologize to the Air Purifier hanging from the ceiling! Right now! Immediately!" Ash nearly roared. "And I haven't done anything these past two days. Every night, I've been doing Void Realm Exploration with you. Where did this murky foul smell come from?"

"Maybe it's because you're breathing. Or perhaps your heartbeat is too strong."

Ash decided not to lower himself to her level. "Then are we continuing Void Realm Exploration tonight?"

"Of course." Sword Maiden paused. "Unless it's a special situation, I won't normally appear either. If there's something you want to discuss with me, wait until we're in the Void. The nights in the Void are our shared leisure time."

Naturally, Ash had no objection. Or rather, when Sword Maiden had just reaffirmed her Human Rights and freedom, he had vaguely expected that she would no longer provide round-the-clock personal service.

"Then if something happens to me and I urgently need you, will you appear?"

"Didn't I say it? You are not my whole life."

Ash nodded, indicating that he understood, then turned his head to look elsewhere.

"But you are an accident in my life." Sword Maiden glanced at him. "If something really happens to you, I'll appear as soon as possible—then rush to the scene and mock you."

"So don't expect me to show up and chat with you whenever you're unbearably Lonely. I don't provide that kind of service."

"I'm a mature member of society. I won't get Lonely."

Ash patted his chest as he retorted, though the delight in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal.

Heh, how ridiculous...

At this time, the Doomsday Watcher was actually afraid of Loneliness, afraid of an unfamiliar Prison. He even treated me as a lifeline. If he didn't see me for a day, panic would rise in his heart, like a child...

So he had not been born so...

Still, it was fortunate that his mind was not working too well right now. I thought hiding it from him would be difficult...

Many thoughts flashed through Sword Maiden's mind. Then she vanished from the Dormitory and returned to where she ought to be.

Star Country, Training Hall.

"Sonia, can you still walk?"

Ingrid looked at Sonia, who was practically melting into the ground. Even after exhausting all her strength, she could not lift her up—she herself was worn out from increasing the intensity of their training.

"No, my legs have no strength left. Let's rest first, rest..."

The two girls plopped down directly onto the grass by the roadside, clutching their Sword Bags and panting heavily.

"Achoo!"

"What's wrong?"

"My Underwear is soaked through." Sonia tugged at her collar to cool herself down. "The wind makes it a little chilly..."

"Hehe, I recommend Fista sports Underwear. It dries quickly and breathes well."

"Really? Let me take a look."

After discussing how to buy Underwear for a while, Ingrid exhaled hotly and unscrewed the water bottle she had brought, only to discover that it was empty. She turned to Sonia. "Sonia, where's your water bottle?"

"What water bottle?"

"You don't bring water when you come train?"

"I... I just brought my Sword Bag over. I forgot I needed water too."

At Ingrid's mention of it, Sonia could not help swallowing. Her lips felt terribly dry. "Do you have any water left?"

"No!... Maybe one or two drops?"

Ingrid tilted her head back. After several seconds, a single drop of liquid fell from the bottle. She licked her lips and sighed. "Why is this water so sweet?"

"Let me have some too!"

Sonia imitated Ingrid and poured a drop of water into her mouth, letting out a long sigh. "This isn't water at all. It's practically a rare brew that even imperial banquet wine can't compare to!"

"Have you ever had imperial banquet wine?"

"No, but doesn't saying it make me sound impressive?"

"I have!" Ingrid giggled. "My father has a bottle in the basement that he never opens. He said it was fine wine the Empress had bestowed upon him when he attended an imperial banquet... When I was little, I was so curious that I secretly went down to the basement and took a sip. To keep my father from noticing, I added water to the bottle, but he still found out. That was the worst beating my father ever gave me."

"How did he find out?"

"My footprints were too small. The moment Father entered the basement, he saw my footprints leading all the way to the wine bottle."

"What did it taste like?"

"I forgot, but it was probably awful. If it had tasted good, I wouldn't have added water. The entire bottle would have turned into water instead."

"Hahaha, you were so naughty as a child."

"Of course. When I was little, I beat every boy in town." Ingrid proudly raised her chin and touched her Sword Bag. "I still can."

Above them shone the Starry Sky, beneath them stretched green grass, and before them students came and went from the Training Ground. Yet the two girls simply sat there hugging their knees, resting and chatting. Whenever they got excited, they laughed without a care for anyone else as the sweat from their training ran down their faces and dripped into the soil.

The roar of an engine came from nearby. A Silver Luxury Car slowly drove through the campus road and stopped in front of them.

"Want a ride?" Felix leaned out and asked calmly. "It's no trouble for me."

Ingrid shook her head. "No need. Walking back can effectively ease leg fatigue, and we're covered in sweat. I'd feel bad dirtying your car."

"Didn't Senior Silia come pick you up tonight?" Sonia asked instead.

"We broke up."

"Oh~" Neither of them knew how to react, so they could only say oh.

Felix said nothing and drove away.

Watching the Silver Sedan gradually disappear, Ingrid patted her butt and stood up. "Rested enough? We should head back. The bathroom's water pressure has been poor after ten lately. If we get back too late, there won't be any water for a shower."

"You go back. I'm going straight to the Meditation Building."

Ingrid was not particularly surprised. "Trying to avoid Lois? You still haven't decided what to do with the Torrent Spell Spirit?"

"Yeah." Sonia sighed as well. "It's not that I haven't decided... I just want to exchange it for a Sword Art Spell Spirit more.

Once word got out that Sonia had a Torrent Spell Spirit, her roommate Lois immediately came to ask whether she could buy it. Lois had no intention of taking advantage of her and even offered 120% of the market price. Sonia could not sell it for that price on the school Trading Platform, so she certainly would not lose out by selling it to Lois.

If it had been the old Sonia, she would have sold it without hesitation, then hidden under her blankets that night, counting money until she laughed aloud and fantasizing about how to make this "fortune" grow.

But under Professor Tello Zan's guidance, Sonia's horizons had broadened. She deeply understood that Spell Spirits were the foundation of a Spellcaster's strength, while money was merely a secondary resource that added icing to the cake.

Thus, she hoped even more to conduct a Spell Spirit Exchange, trading the Torrent Spell Spirit for the Sword Art Spell Spirit she wanted, increasing her own strength so she could explore the Void more effectively.

However, Spell Spirit Exchange opportunities did not come around at any time. Ordinary Spell Spirits were one thing, but a treasure like the Torrent Spell Spirit naturally had to be exchanged for a treasure among Sword Art Spell Spirits. Although Professor Tello Zan had promised to keep an eye out for Sonia, he could not find a buyer so quickly.

On one side was Lois, who could produce a large sum of money at any time. On the other was a seller who had yet to appear. Sonia was wavering too, planning to hide for a few days and think carefully about what choice to make.

"Actually, you have a third option. Use it yourself."

Sonia turned her head and found the Watcher sitting beside her.

She suppressed the faint joy rising in her heart and casually asked inwardly, "When did you come back?"

"While you were discussing Underwear."

"..."

"Don't buy Fista Underwear. Fista specifically caters to women with small to medium builds. For your size, I recommend Daoslin. It has excellent shaping effects."

"Enough. I don't intend to discuss this topic with you."