The Sorcerer's Handbook

After explaining the question, Dia returned to her normal state and spoke before the others could even ask. ”I have absolutely no memory of the other speaker.”

”Not even a little?” Sonya asked curiously. ”Based on the dialogue, you two were once very close, but for some reason, you split apart. She and her master were trying to capture you, but something went wrong with their plan, causing all of you to end up surrounded... and you even wanted to ask her for a hug.”

Dia tilted her head, her face a mask of complete bewilderment. ”What confuses me most is exactly that. I don’t have any female friends that close to me.”

If the voice had belonged to a man, there would be no need to ask. It could only be Ashe.

However, the speaker’s voice had been clear as a wind chime, charming and emotionally piercing. Dia did not know any woman in reality with a voice like that. The closest match would be Aunt Perskin, but he was male. That left Annan as the most likely candidate, but even Annan’s voice didn’t sound that sweet. Furthermore, Lys and Annan were not particularly close either; their intimacy level was even lower than with Aunt Perskin. Neither Lys nor Dia would ever desire a hug from Annan.

Yet, among all the women she knew in real life, there simply was no one else.

The only person who actually fit the criteria of closeness was Ashe, but again, he was male. Drawing on her reading of hundreds of fairy tales, Dia could only construct one possible explanation, which was that Ashe had been controlled by Iger and transformed into a woman. If that were true, everything fit perfectly. The ”master” and ”demon” in the dialogue would be Iger, and the ”she” in the conversation would be Ashe... or rather, ”Ashley.” That would explain why Dia felt so indignant about Ashley’s situation.

However, the assumption was far too absurd. It was the kind of logic that only made sense in fairy tales. Realizing this, Dia looked toward Sonya instead. Since it wasn’t someone she knew in reality, it had to be a friend she would meet in the Virtual World.

Sonya quickly shook her head. ”I wouldn’t call anyone master, and that kind of obsessive love doesn’t match my personality at all.”

Dia agreed. In the Amnesia Cabin, Sonya had already made it clear that the person she valued most was herself. Neither family nor romance could ever override her own will. More importantly, the ”she” in the dialogue sounded foolishly innocent, like a sweet, naïve girl, which was the exact polar opposite of the elegant, sharp-minded Sonya.

Sonya went on, ”Besides, I also feel that the Witch in that dialogue is very different from you and your sisters. Do any of them have that... circus-like personality?”

Dia shook her head repeatedly. She also felt that the version of the Witch in the dialogue didn’t resemble her at all. That version was mad, dark, and unstable. If she and her sisters were distinct, vibrant colors, then the witch in the dialogue was a murky, filthy gray-black.

Still, the voice was undeniably hers, and the speaker had explicitly used the title Witch. If neither of them matched the roles in the dialogue, why was she even involved in this question?

Ashe spoke up, ”Is it possible that your questions are connected? For example, the Swordswoman’s revenge target might be the very same demon or master mentioned in the Witch’s question?”

Sonya thought the logic held ground. Turning to him, she asked, ”Then, Watcher, do you have anyone who loves you so deeply that they would call you master?”

Ashe shook his head vehemently. ”No! I barely interact with women in real life. I’m surrounded by men! How could anyone love me that much, let alone call me master?”

Sonya narrowed her eyes, catching his phrasing. ”Then what about a man calling you master?”

Ashe completely ignored her question, shifting the subject. ”I have another guess. What if World is actually a person’s name? Or a nickname?”

Sonya hesitated. ”If that’s the case, wouldn’t the difficulty of this test be way too high?”

Ashe said casually, ”Maybe as we go deeper into the Virtual World, the difficulty of the Destiny Quiz increases. By the third layer, they might start asking us about our future children. But if World is a person, everything becomes explainable. A demon named World has a female follower. In the future, the Witch encounters World and this follower, which leads to a conflict.”

It sounded far-fetched, but they had no better explanation. More importantly, since the Witch insisted she had no female acquaintance matching the dialogue, the only logical conclusion was that she simply hadn’t met the other speaker yet.

Dia suddenly thought of something. Ashe and the others already had a notorious reputation in the Gospel. After the Woven Festival, they likely wouldn’t be able to stay in the kingdom anyway and would have to travel abroad, which wouldn’t be their first time leaving a world behind. Neither she nor her sisters had any real attachment to the Gospel. Once their bodies returned to normal, they would definitely stay by Ashe’s side and follow him wherever he went.

Therefore, the ”she” and the ”master” referred to in the audio were likely new people they were destined to meet in another kingdom.

”Then how should I choose the answer for my question?” Dia asked.

Ashe advised, ”Honestly, the first three options are almost identical in context. I recommend choosing all of the above. Based on our experience in the previous Destiny Quiz, you should always pick the all-inclusive option when it’s available. But for the Swordswoman’s question, the first three choices are completely distinct. There’s no way she’s simultaneously seeking revenge on the world, me, and the Divine Lord.”

Sonya and Dia both nodded in agreement. They put their headphones back on and keyed in their respective choices.

Moments later, the voice of the Virtual World echoed in their ears.

[Congratulations! You answered one question correctly. Would you like to continue?]

[Incorrect. Destiny Quiz ended.]

Dia cheered happily, ”I got it right!”

Sonya snapped angrily. ”I told you it couldn’t possibly be something as ridiculous as the world! The answer was obviously meant to be Divine Lord!”

”You never said that—”

”I definitely did!” Sonya glared fiercely at Ashe, her cheeks puffing with indignation. ”It’s all your fault for throwing out such random suggestions... hmph!”

Underneath the table, Ashe felt a sudden kick. A spark of irritation flared within him. As the team leader, he had an authority to maintain, and he couldn’t just let his operators behave so recklessly. Wait. Why did the Swordswoman take off her shoes?

The force of the kick was incredibly light, barely stronger than a cat kneading its paws. Looking down, he saw a small, black-stockinged foot curling its toes, lightly scratching at his calf.

Ashe had no choice but to swallow his anger, using his eyes to signal her to stop being so bold. However, the Claw-Stretching Club President merely raised her chin in defiance and doubled down on her antics.

While the two engaged in their silent battle of wills, Dia turned her attention to the second question.

「You stupid woman! A lust-driven, loyal dog whose every nutrient went straight to her chest and hips! A feral female who thinks of nothing but crawling into that man’s bed...」

「I’m not... stu...pid...」

「I’ve insulted you a dozen different ways, and that’s the only thing you’re going to refute? You just proved exactly how stupid you are! Why did you save me?! I must have caught your stupidity just by carrying you while we escaped!」

「Because... Master... needs you. He needs your talent...」

「If I hear you say Master one more time, I’m throwing you out right here.」

「When I saw you in danger... before I could even think... I was already standing in front of you. Witch, come back with me to see Master... I’ll protect you. Master told me he wouldn’t hurt you... That’s why I came. I’m sorry... Ever since that day, I’ve wanted to apologize to you. I’m sorry... I’m so sorry...」

「Stop apologizing! J-Just stop! He’s the one at fault. You were just being used. It has nothing to do with you!」

「No. I acted knowing full well what the consequences would be, all for Master’s benefit. Even if I could start over, I would do it all again...」

「What is so good about him?! You’ve spent all your nights gazing at him, but he hasn’t looked up at the moon even once!」

「We still have plenty of time... we will end up together eventually...」

「I’m done arguing with you, you absolute fool... Alright, they shouldn’t be able to find us here for now. Let me treat your injuries.」

「Witch...」

「Mm?」

「Your hair is messy. Let me help you tie it back into a braid.」

[Multiple Choice Question: What was the stupid woman’s true objective?]

① To violently abduct the Witch

② To persuade the Witch to return willingly

③ To spring a trap and capture the Witch

④ To pay the Witch a visit