The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 85: Can’t Be Bothered to Write

”Ah! I forgot to do my laundry!”

Adele hurriedly opened her wardrobe. The next moment, her face fell in despair. ”I forgot to wash my clothes a few days ago, and now I don’t have anything clean to wear. Lou—”

”Don’t come to me. That’s on you for being lazy,” Louisa said, tugging at the corner of her mouth. ”All my clothes are custom-made. Wear them even once, and they lose their shape, especially around the chest. Your body stretches the fabric... Try Sonya.”

Angelica, fresh out of the shower, dried her hair as she spoke. ”I have some loose clothes, but I’m taller than you. The sleeves might not fit.”

Adele blinked helplessly at Sonya. ”Sonya...”

Sonya was the only one in the dorm with a similar build, but she had no intention of lending her clothes. With no way to avoid it, she quickly came up with an excuse. ”No. I don’t like wearing other people’s clothes, and I don’t want anyone wearing mine.”

Louisa and Angelica exchanged a glance, both looking a bit startled.

Adele blinked again and reluctantly borrowed Angelica’s clothes, but with Angelica being a head taller, the top practically became a dress on her.

That morning was a core lecture, and all four of them were heading there together. On the way to the cafeteria, a male voice called out, ”Sonya!”

They looked up and saw a strikingly handsome blond young man approaching. Louisa’s face immediately darkened.

It was Melroive, a student who had previously pursued Louisa. Since he was both handsome and from a noble family, Louisa had allowed him to court her. However, things went badly for Louisa when Sonya sent him a few flirtatious glances. He shifted his attention entirely to her, leaving Louisa to lose face in front of her friends.

Sonya greeted, ”Good morning, Melroive.”

Melroive replied warmly, ”Good morning, Sonya. What a coincidence running into you today! Ever since you transferred to the Swordsmanship Department, I’ve rarely had the chance to see you. How about dinner tonight? It’s seafood season. Would you like to go to Golden Coast or Unagi Delight?”

Loise sneered inwardly. Sonya isn’t interested in Felix. What makes you think she would even look at you?

His sudden eagerness likely stemmed from family expectations. After all, Sonya was Professor Trosan’s apprentice, and with her victory over Leona, she was practically destined to become a Sacred Realm Sword Saint.

For middle and minor nobles, having a Three-Winged sorcerer like her in the family was a tremendous advantage. If Melroive had been motivated by attraction before, he now clearly saw the profit in it.

Louisa knew Sonya would refuse, but wasn’t sure how she would do it. They weren’t close, and Sonya might take the opportunity to throw a few sarcastic jabs her way...

While she was still lost in thought, Sonya responded, ”I can’t. I have training and no time.”

”You’re really diligent, but taking time to relax helps you train better. If seafood isn’t your thing, we could—”

”I don’t think eating with you would count as relaxing.”

Melroive’s face stiffened. ”Sorry to bother you,” he muttered, and quickly walked away.

Sonya took a few steps forward and noticed the other three hadn’t followed. Instead, they lingered behind and exchanged glances. She asked curiously, ”What’s going on?”

”Nothing,” Louisa said, quickly masking the strange look on her face.

The four of them arrived at the classroom, where passing students greeted them enthusiastically. Even before Sonya’s recent exploits, she and Louisa had always been one of the more striking pairs at the university. It was common for them to draw attention wherever they went. Louisa responded cheerfully to each greeting, while Sonya merely nodded and said nothing. The three others couldn’t help feeling a growing sense of unease.

As soon as they sat down, Adele’s face went pale. ”Oh no, I forgot to write the short essay! It’s due this class!”

Angelica couldn’t help but smirk. ”You’re done for.”

The class was Modern History of the Stars. Professor Wessley, already in his sixties, had a reputation for being notoriously strict. Surprise attendance checks and sudden essay inspections were routine, and any student without a finished essay could expect to retake the class next year.

Sure enough, the moment the white-haired, straight-backed professor entered the room, he barked the command that struck fear into every student, ”Place your essays on the podium for on-the-spot inspection!”

With a flick of his hand, a One-Winged scholar spirit floated to the podium. Small as it looked, the Inspection spirit was a nightmare for countless students. Once properly set, it could instantly determine if an essay met the requirements. It could even link to the school archive to check for plagiarism on the spot.

One by one, students handed in their essays. The spirit lightly touched each paper, displaying green for pass, yellow for a high similarity rate, and red for serious suspicion of plagiarism. Wessley said nothing and simply watched. He only let out a cold grunt when someone failed to submit.

When it was Adele’s turn, she stepped forward empty-handed. She looked at the professor, her wide eyes shining with sincerity. ”Professor Wessley, I accidentally fell asleep last night and didn’t finish my essay. May I submit it next week?”

Wessley glanced at her. ”If your essay exceeds a 10% similarity rate next week, your participation grade will automatically fail.”

”Okay!”

With that, Adele bounced back to her seat, looking completely unconcerned.

When Sonya’s turn came, she also approached empty-handed. But Wessley’s expression softened slightly. ”You didn’t write it?”

”Yes.”

”Why not? Too much training? I’ve heard Trosan often gives you extra lessons. While training is important, you can’t neglect cultural literacy.”

The other students were filled with envy and frustration. While everyone else was unprepared and certain to lose points, Sonya enjoyed the backing of Professor Trosan. Wessley was practically handing her an excuse.

If Sonya had just played along and said a few polite words, the professor might even let her skip the assignment entirely. Instead, she said, ”I can’t be bothered to write it.”

Silence fell over the classroom.

After a moment, Wessley’s face showed a mix of disbelief and shock. ”What did you just say?”

Feeling all eyes on her, Sonya instinctively prepared to repeat herself when it hit her. Wait... shouldn’t I be praising Wessley in Trosan’s name so he excuses my essay?

”I... I can’t be bothered to waste time on this pointless, useless assignment.”

Looking at Wessley’s face, almost ready to erupt like molten rock, and at the other students’ expressions, half wanting to laugh and half secretly impressed, Sonya finally understood the true power of the Sincerity summoning ritual. Watcher, meeting you has truly been the unluckiest moment of my life!