The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 90: The Youth Beneath the Sunset

After returning to the Asra District, Sylutia once again visited her former instructor and caught up with her classmates over a meal. The dress she would wear for the Silver Bell Festival was also nearly finished.

These past two days had suddenly become quite leisurely. Sylutia stood atop a sightseeing tower in the Asra District, gazing down at the city from afar.

There was no rush for academic work, and the Hidden Grove's mission was still far off. She had been diligently taking care of everything she needed to do in her daily life.

Thanks to two consecutive clear days, much of the snow in the Asra District had melted. Against the blue sky, the various buildings revealed bright, vivid colors, adding a touch of comforting vibrancy to this winter.

She leaned lightly against the rough, grainy stone wall, her eyes slightly closed, feeling the wind brush through her hair and past her ears. Her heart was at peace.

And so, Sylutia spent the entire afternoon on that tower, watching the scenery until the evening clouds painted the sky. Only then did she press one hand against the brim of her sun hat, lift the hem of her skirt with the other, and descend the stairs with light steps.

But as she stepped down from the tower, standing on the land bathed in the sunset's glow, there was a youth who had been waiting for her for some time. He had healthy, wheat-colored skin, and short hair as coarse and stubborn as the wheat in the fields.

"You're Hedra, right?" He raised an unsharpened wooden sword, pointing it at the girl. His arm was stretched out perfectly straight, as if tempered through a thousand trials.

"I am."

Sylutia removed her sun hat and gently shook her hair. The flowing strands spread out in the wind, reflecting a hazy, light chestnut halo in the twilight glow."Are you Luke?" she asked, placing the hat down in front of her.

"That's right, it's yours truly!" The young man opposite her admitted with pride. In his eyes, looking at the girl, there was no admiration, only the burning passion of a challenger facing a strong opponent.

"Fight me! 'The Maiden of the Black Griffin,' Hedra!"

Gripping the hilt with both hands, he slowly drew the blade back to his shoulder, like a bow pulled taut, poised to strike.

The girl looked into those bright eyes, filled with fighting spirit. After a few seconds, she nodded.

"Alright."

She set down her hat. Her right forefinger lightly spun the brim, and then, as if brushing aside the hair by her ear, the hat was tossed up and flew away in the evening breeze.

At the same time, her hands naturally dropped and opened. Strand by strand, threads appeared at her fingertips, transforming into wildly dancing black lines in the wind, surging toward the standing youth.

In an instant, he leaped, dodging the incoming threads. With his back to the afterglow of the setting sun, he raised his sword high and then brought it down in a fierce slash.

As if to blot out the sunlight, Sylutia raised her hand. The wildly dancing threads also swept upward, crashing toward Luke, who was now airborne and unable to dodge.

*One Flash of the Sword!*

The wooden sword in his hand burst with a dazzling white light, severing the incoming threads in an instant before continuing its momentum toward Sylutia without losing any force.

The girl lifted her left heel, the tip of her foot lightly turning. Her form twisted like a kite in a gale, letting the sword blade graze past her. With Luke's back now exposed, Sylutia spread her hands again, sending out streams of threads. But at that moment, another dazzling sword light came from her right, while Luke's figure, which she had been about to attack, quickly dissipated into a phantom.

*So this was the real killing move, huh?* Sylutia's eyes sharpened. Her body tilted backward rapidly, her hair and long dress twirling in the air as she sidestepped, narrowly evading this second lethal strike.

But the matter wasn't over. Just as she hadn't yet stabilized herself, from her right side—not the direction of the initial attack—a brilliant third sword light flashed.

Even Sylutia, at that moment, had no more strength left to alter her form and dodge again.

Facing this unavoidable sword light, her eyes lifted slightly. Her hands gently came together behind her back. Countless silver threads danced wildly and converged. As the sword light struck, they caught it. Then, like a thousand tentacles, they surged toward the Luke who was holding the sword.

"Whoa!"

The youth leaped back, dodging the surging silver threads. He swung his sword backhand, cutting through all the pursuing threads, before landing again and steadying himself.

At that moment, the silver threads beside Sylutia did not stop growing and dissipating. Instead, they dissolved into four spherical shapes. Seconds later, pairs of wings unfolded from each sphere. Four silver-winged birds circled around her, like guardian satellites.

She once again held her sword at her side, Luke's gaze fixed tightly on the circling birds. Sylutia made no move to attack, simply standing there in the twilight and the wind, waiting for him to make a move.

After more than twenty seconds, Luke shook his head and slowly sheathed his sword.

"I lost." He made no further attempts at a pointless battle.

At this, Sylutia also dismissed the woven birds, leaving only one, which perched on her wrist.

She walked over slowly. By then, Luke had already tied his sword back to his waist and put it away.

Seeing Sylutia approach, Luke seemed a bit displeased. "You're here to mock me, aren't you? Well, go ahead and say it." He turned his gaze to the side.

"No, I'm not here to mock you." Sylutia clarified before continuing. "You don't seem like a student from the Mage Alliance, do you?"

"Of course not. I'm from a place further west of the Mage Alliance." He turned sideways, looking at the distant scenery as he replied.

"There's a war going on there right now, isn't there?" Sylutia recalled recent news.

"There is a war, but it has nothing to do with me." The other kicked a stone on the ground, then explained briefly.

"The ones fighting the Mage Alliance are beastmen, barbarians, and some strange other races from the mountains in the west. I come from a small human town on the border. Those beastmen and barbarians are hardly friendly to us on a normal day."

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." As if he found the girl to be a sheltered young lady from an ivory tower, ignorant of commoners' hardships, he shook his head and prepared to leave.

"I lost this time, but I'll challenge you again. You're at Tetis College, right? I'll remember that."

"Challenges and such, no problem in the future." The girl lightly shook her hair.

"Actually, I'm not from the Mage Alliance either. I'm from a remote village in the southern grove."

Hearing this, Luke stopped in his tracks, turning back with a look of amused disbelief.

"You're kidding, right? With your looks, and, uh, the way you walk and talk, your posture—how are you a village girl?"

"Don't rush to deny it. Open your hands and let me see. If they have calluses, scratches, and scars, then you have the right to argue with me."

"Well..." Sylutia knew, even without opening her hands, that they indeed had no calluses, scratches, or scars.

"There are many reasons for things." This was the first time she had made such a weak defense.

Skipping that topic, Sylutia asked again, "Why did you come here to study? I feel you're more suited for the path of a warrior."

"That's right. It's not just you saying that. Every teacher who's seen me has said the same." He whistled, then walked over to a bench in the square and sat down.

"The reason is simple. Warriors are too poor. What's better than being a mage?"

"..." This sharp, sudden contrast left Sylutia slightly stumped for a moment.

"The swordsmanship I use, how many techniques can you discern?" Luke suddenly decided to test the girl.

"It probably uses the techniques of the *Mist Shadow·Aspect* to change positions and switch between real and fake moves, making it hard to distinguish."

"If I'm not mistaken, you also learned the *Flickering Form* from the *Phantom Light School* and incorporated its techniques into your swordsmanship." Sylutia paused to think and analyze.

Hearing this, Luke turned around in surprise, looking at the girl.

"As expected of the famous 'prodigy girl' Hedra. You could even tell that. This is the first time you've seen me, and I've never told anyone else about the origin of this swordsmanship."

"This is the advantage of knowing your craft. Those ignorant people before even said I was using assassin techniques. Obviously, this is orthodox mage technique. How could magic be so inconvenient?" He complained while hugging his sword.

"Everyone just thinks you're too arrogant. They can't stand it." The girl shook her head slightly.

"Heh, those guys are all insufferably arrogant. If you don't follow their ways, you're a heretic. So boring."

"Alright, I'm done chatting. I have to go back." With that, he stood up. His unsharpened sword hung loosely at his waist, and his hands cradled the back of his head, as if he hadn't quite finished his stretch.

"Wait a moment," Sylutia called out.

"What is it? Oh, right, there is something." He thought for a moment, then pulled a sapphire gem from his pocket and tossed it to Sylutia.

"You won. This gem is yours. Well, that's what I always say to everyone."

The bird on Sylutia's wrist took flight, caught the tossed gem in its beak, then descended and dropped it into Sylutia's palm.

[Sapphire] (Third Tier · Excellent)

Though the quality was good, Sylutia had set a plan for herself to use a Third Tier · Rare quality gem as material for the Guanyin Bell.

She put the gem away and replied, "If you ever want a well-suited, fine weapon in the future, you can come find me."

The other didn't look back, merely waving his hand before disappearing into the distance down the road.

*He's a bit arrogant, but he doesn't seem like a bad person at heart,* the girl mused to herself. Then, she had the bird beside her take flight again to retrieve her drifting sun hat from a distant tree branch and place it back on her head.

It was getting late. It was time for her to return as well.