Sorcerer’s Handbook

Seeing that her elder sister was about to end the conversation, Qenna quickly said, “How about I set a limit then? A thousand times… five hundred times, just five hundred times! I’ve already compromised half! If we hurry, we can get it done in three months!”

“Are you crazy, Qenna!?” Nona exclaimed, “You just can’t—”

“Can’t.”

Qenna put down her spoon and said, “I’m a bit tired of this cake, I won’t eat it anymore.”

“To me, many things in this world are like this cake. Most things don’t even qualify to interest me, and the things that do interest me quickly become tiresome. Over the years, the only consistent sources of enjoyment for me have been you and Annan.”

“It’s rare to find someone I’m interested in, so of course, I have to indulge myself before I let go,” Qenna said. “But besides that, there’s a more important reason.”

Nona was taken aback and then realized, “The future of the family?”

“Since Gospel likes me being with Ashe so much, I’ll just be with him,” the Elf patriarch said, resting her chin on her hand. “If this can help Senhaeser get through the upcoming chaotic times, I don’t mind sacrificing a bit for Annan.”

Whether it was the formal Family Ranking or the somewhat chaotic Happiness Ranking, Gospel tightly bound Senhaeser, Qenna, Nona, and Ashe together. Now, with the future so uncertain, Ashe was indeed the lifeline designated by Gospel. Nona had no way to refute Qenna’s excuse—compared to Senhaeser, Annan did weigh a bit less in her heart.

“Wait,” Nona suddenly realized something. “I’m also part of the future that Gospel weaved!”

“So when I heard you say you wanted to take Annan and Ashe away, I thought you wanted it all for yourself.”

“Get lost, I’m not like you!” Nona’s pointed ears turned red with anger.

After all the effort, not only did she fail to persuade her elder sister, but she also ended up convincing herself.

“Speaking of which, are you really not planning to experience love at least once?” Qenna said, “If things do develop as the top three rankings predict, our peaceful days are numbered. I actually wanted to give you some annual leave—you’ve done so much for Senhaeser. Before Doomsday arrives, you should go out and explore, enjoy the scenery you’ve overlooked, savor the pleasures of perfect harmony. Who knows, you might break through the Sanctuary threshold faster.”

“I’m not like you.”

“I’m not chastising your celibacy, just concerned for you as family,” Qenna laughed. “You’ve sailed across the waves of the Sea of Knowledge, wandered the ends of the Time Continent, but you haven’t truly enjoyed life.”

Nona remained silent for a moment. “I’m not actually celibate. It’s just… do you remember the story mother used to tell?”

Qenna replied, “She never told me any stories.”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Interestingly, their mother wasn’t an Elf but a human; they inherited their Elf blood from their father. Since childhood, Qenna wasn’t close to their mother—not only because she was the first child and didn’t know how to interact, but also because Qenna was simply ‘not interested’ in an ordinary mother.

In contrast, Nona was very attached to their mother. When their mother’s white mist threshold reached its limit and she was sent to the Beauty Houttuynia Farm to peacefully end her days, the grown-up Nona uncharacteristically sought comfort from her elder sister, while Qenna remained calm.

“Mother wasn’t from Vamora. When she met Father, he was working as a thief…”

“A thief?”

Nona decided to ignore her elder sister’s question, as more were sure to follow.

“She was a young lady from a big Family, attending a gathering at another family’s estate when she unexpectedly caught Father sneaking in to gather information. But Mother wasn’t completely innocent either; she had been looking for a chance to bring down this rival Family. She and Father quickly teamed up. To ensure Father would do the job and as the price for sparing him, Mother had him sign a Pact: Father would do everything to bring down the rival Family, and she would assist him.”

Nona continued, “Father readily agreed: ‘Do your best, and I will give it my all.’”

Qenna was engrossed. “And then?”

“And then they ended up together,” Nona said. “They eventually stopped caring about the rival Family.”

“…What exactly are you trying to say with this story?” Qenna asked. “Do you long for a love-at-first-sight romance?”

“No, I wish I were the rival Family in the story,” Nona replied. “Love is just love, it’s not like I can’t live well without it.”

As they approached the Royal Palace gates, the Court butler was already waiting for them.

“Miss Qenna, Miss Nona, your private dressing room is ready. Inside, you’ll find various evening gowns tailored for you. Would you like to change and freshen up?”

Qenna and Nona were both in their Red Hat uniforms and had no intention of changing. “Not necessary.”

“Please follow me.”

Passing through numerous palace buildings, they hadn’t yet had the chance to admire the Royal Palace’s internal scenery before being guided by the butler to a lavishly decorated hall: “This is the venue for the banquet. Feel free to explore. If you have any needs, nearby butlers will promptly respond.”

Hearing the commotion, people in the hall turned to look at them. Qenna recognized many familiar faces: Mercury, Kaesrei, Roland, Laplakin… Representatives from the ruling classes of various cities governed by the Gospel were all present, with Qenna representing Vamora.

Such social gatherings were natural hubs for exchanging intelligence, and Qenna was eager to discuss the future development of the cities with some of the Family representatives.

In the midst of polite and graceful toasts, two solitary figures stood out: a blue-haired young girl and a red-haired young woman, the Belldate sisters.

Although it was later revealed to be one of Igor’s schemes, the Families, including Mercury’s, had ultimately fallen under Belldate’s domination at the Belldate manor. Naturally, the representatives harbored resentment toward Belldate. Furthermore, dealing with Belldate required extreme caution—without a mental sorcerer to oversee, no one dared to privately engage with Belldate.

Qenna herself had been a victim that night, and she had used that incident as leverage to extract significant compensation.

Although she was eager to dive into gathering intelligence, Qenna’s gaze was irresistibly drawn to the giant cake at the banquet, shaped like a volcanic eruption.

An attendant stood beside the cake, wearing a mask—likely to prevent any droplets from landing on it. It was evident that no one had dared to try the cake, as it remained untouched and pristine so far.

When Qenna approached, the attendant hesitated for a moment before carefully slicing a piece of the volcanic cake and placing it on a plate. The sweetness made Qenna’s eyes squint with pleasure as she took a few bites. She soon felt cream on her face and used her tongue to try to reach it. When that failed, she looked at the attendant.

The attendant hesitated for a while, finally realizing that he should bring out a napkin. He awkwardly raised it to wipe the cream off Qenna’s face. She didn’t resist, allowing him to clean her cheeks before she lowered her head and continued eating the cake. Once she finished, she handed the plate back, and the attendant took it with a sigh of relief—

At that moment, Qenna suddenly stuck out her tongue. The attendant instinctively jerked back, but the Elf patriarch wasn’t about to lick his face; she was merely licking the cream off her own lips.

Seeing the gleam of amusement in Qenna’s eyes, Ashe knew he had been caught.

Σ(っ°Д°;)っ Damn, how did she see through my disguise when I did it so well!?