Mage Manual-Chapter 1450 - 1056: Smoke (Part 2)

"From the current situation, it cannot be determined as an influence of personality shift," Weiser lifted her glass and said, "If this is a personality shift, then it would mean that Death Mad and the Sword Maiden have very similar personalities. It’s not that they’re alike, but that the Sword Maiden would naturally develop into such a personality like Death Mad. Their personality models are a direct lineage, so we can’t find any trace of external influences."

"If it’s not a personality shift..." Her voice was very light, as if afraid to break some secret, "...it would mean that the Sword Maiden really can’t control her emotions anymore."

The reason this demigod team could hold together till now was primarily that they could control their emotions. Not just the Sword Maiden—didn’t the Witch also want to take Ash back to her hometown? Didn’t the Silver Lamp want to perform a disappearing Ash magic trick for everyone?

Of course, they wanted to, but they could all control their emotions; everyone was waiting.

Waiting for someone to start a war.

Waiting for someone who couldn’t endure any longer.

Waiting for someone to leave on their own accord.

"There’s no reason..." Diya, who still had feelings for the Sword Maiden, said despondently, "Ash just took her out on a date today; it should have been a happy day for her. Why suddenly... Did something happen during the date?"

They all exchanged glances, then looked at the only third person present at the date. Felix shivered, moving closer to Vishi as though trying to hide behind the maid like a small animal.

Vishi patted Felix’s head, glanced at the Witch and Silver Lamp, and said quietly, "Aside from any mishaps during the date, it’s possible that when the joyful Sword Maiden returned, she discovered her dear friends had prepared a ’surprise’ for her?"

Diya immediately turned her head as if she hadn’t heard anything. Weiser, looking at Vishi, suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, why did the Sword Maiden get angry enough to want to slap you?"

Vishi’s eyebrows twitched violently.

Diya opened the Gospel Book, "Let me check the scene..."

Smack!

Vishi struck the glass coffee table firmly with a slap, asking seriously, "So what do you all think... will happen next?"

"That’s not for us to decide," Weiser said, "It’s not even for the Sword Maiden to decide."

"It’s about what Ash will choose."

...

...

On the rooftop, Ash took the extinguished cigarette from Sonia’s mouth, but in the next second, Sonia tightly seized his wrist, gripping it as if it were shackles.

Sonia moved his hand to her face, looking at the faint burn mark in Ash’s palm. She extended her tongue and gently licked it. Her moist saliva warmed the scar, and her tender tongue eased the pain.

Actually, the matters involving the Witch, Silver Lamp, and Vishi weren’t that severe in her heart, at least not more severe than other things. After all, each had shared intimate moments with Ash, and even if the memories in dreams faded, those feelings lingered on the skin. If Sonia truly wanted to throw a tantrum, Starry Land would have altered geography due to their war long ago.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Sonia wasn’t angry. She had sincerely thought about it, whether she should lower her standards to adapt to this life of sharing a lover. After all, other than perfect love, she had already gained so much from Ash.

A year ago, she wasn’t even a mage—just a female college student daily contemplating how to marry into a rich family to achieve class ascension. Now she’s a demigod mage with a heavenly temple. If Ash could become the Supreme of Magic in the future, she would at least be the Six-winged God Lord. If she traveled back to a year ago and told her past self that she might become a Six-winged God Lord, her past self would surely think she was crazy.

As for Ash being defeated by Dazzling Star, Sonia hadn’t even considered it. No one believed in Ash more than she did... She had accompanied Ash from the Sea of Knowledge to today, witnessing as he crossed hurdles and grew. If Ash couldn’t become the Supreme of Magic, it would mean the world was truly doomed.

So now, there are only two outcomes: the world ends, and she ought to seize the pleasure for as long as she can with Ash; or Ash becomes the Supreme of Magic, making her position just under one person and above all others. Compared to power and status, is perfect love really that significant?

She knew Ash favored her the most and had her ways to control Ash. The only thing she had to sacrifice was accepting she wasn’t Ash’s one and only, accepting she wasn’t the only string holding Ash’s balloon, and accepting she was merely one of his lovers.

She couldn’t do it.

Because she genuinely loved.

The greedy and insatiable Sword Saint was just unreasonably demanding. Despite having received so much already, she still wanted the best and most perfect. She wouldn’t share Ash with those little horns... He’s hers! She gave Ash 100% of her love, so Ash must repay her 1000%!

Is being a demigod enough? Is being a God Lord enough? ... It will never be enough!

So she gets angry time and again, at Felix, Diya, Weiser, and Vishi... She’s actually grievously aggrieved, but the person making her feel aggrieved is her most beloved.

Yet she has to stifle her grievances, afraid she might lose control of her emotions. Although one day, all glaciers will collapse, all cages will open, and the demon tortured by resentment for countless years will rise, causing a vast upheaval, dragging countless beautiful things into despair and decay... She still hopes to be the perfect lover for one more day, to extend the days of their love by just one more, to delay the mutually tormented days from arriving a little longer, to keep this dream bubble shadow from bursting a bit later.

Until the red mark in the palm vanished, Sonia asked, "Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn’t hurt," Ash shook his head, "Not at all."

He looked at the cigarette in his hand and suddenly put it in his mouth, drawing closer to Sonia, "Can I borrow some fire?"

Sonia blinked, and a flicker of flame emerged from her fingers to light his cigarette. Ash took a deep drag and then coughed twice, choked, "So spicy."

The greedy Sword Saint chuckled, "Seeing how skilled you are, I thought you smoked."

"It’s not a skill to be proud of..." Ash muttered a couple of words, reaching out his hand.

Sonia took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket for him. Ash opened it and looked, "Is this your first cigarette? Never smoked before?"

"Yeah."

"Did you give it a try just now?"

"I was just about to try when you snuffed it out," Sonia said, "It’s weird for you to put it out with your palm; even if you’re a soul body, you’re not immune to pain."

"It’s alright," Ash gazed at the curling white smoke rising from the cigarette, "It serves me right."

Sonia paused, watching Ash take a couple more drags, finally adjusting to the taste of Dazzling Star tobacco with his demigod’s robust constitution.

He spun the cigarette pack in his hand, handing it back to his lover.

"I thought you didn’t like me smoking..." Sonia took the cigarette pack, and just as she was about to pull one out, Ash stopped her.

He lifted Sonia’s chin gently, moving closer to her lips, suspiciously asking, "How come you seem to have a hint of the smoke scent?"

"Maybe it’s the perfume." Sonia tilted her head, "I told you I haven’t tried it yet."

Ash asked, "Do you want to give it a try?"

Sonia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She had always been curious about what smoking felt like, but since Dedarose never smoked in any theater play, and she played a character who detested smoking, as a young girl, Sonia naturally "elevated the character’s actions to the person," thinking that a successful beauty wouldn’t touch tobacco.

Incidentally, Dedarose played a drinking female lead, which is why Sonia would go drinking at the Secret Garden with her dorm mates.

"Then stick out your tongue," Ash said.

Sonia, a bit bewildered, obediently stuck out her tongue, looking red and dainty, cutely alluring.

Ash took a deep drag of the cigarette, without exhaling the smoke, then wrapped his arm around Sonia’s waist, bowed his head, and kissed her.

(That’s it!)