"Therefore, I want you to be able to cast spells even during close-quarters combat. Of course, melee fighting requires concentration, so whether you can multitask or not is up to you." Sellen's tone was very calm, as if it were a trivial matter, but Thorne Wright's eyes slowly widened as countless scenes flashed through his mind. Ashina Style decapitation, the enemy jumps back to dodge, and then he rushes in with a Carian Piercer; Ninja falling strike, before the blade even lands, a Comet bombards their face...
For Thorne, who had turned killing into an instinct, all sorts of wild maneuvers were second nature. If Sellen's research could succeed, it would be of extraordinary significance. This was taking the Ashina Style a step further, allowing sword and magic to fuse even more precisely. No, not just magic—the same method could be applied to incantations or other things as well. Admittedly, the difficulty of such multitasking was immense, but a path was exactly what Thorne wanted. "Thank you, Teacher." Sellen glanced at him and hummed lightly. "Don't think too much into it.
I would have conducted this research even without you, regardless of whether it could be used." The meaning of a sorcerer's existence is to explore the unknown. Even if the invention turned out to be useless, the exploration itself was a pleasure. Seeing Thorne relax slightly, she quietly curled the corners of her lips. "However, if you really want to thank me, that's fine too." "Please, tell me." "The carriage is too hard. It's giving me a sore neck."
Thorne then remembered that although Sellen wasn't exactly pampered, she couldn't be compared to his own tough hide; she had truly suffered a bit during this time. "I'll go buy you a pillow right away." "Where are you going to buy one in the middle of the night?" Sellen held back the rising Thorne and crooked her finger. "No need for such trouble. Sit down; I'll just take a nap." Thorne sat down immediately. Sellen rested her head directly on his thigh without the slightest shyness or ambiguity.
She simply turned her head and murmured comfortably:
"Hmm, much more comfortable than the hard wooden board." Moonlight spilled onto the sorceress's face, causing her already fair skin to emit a soft glow. Thorne tensed his muscles at first, then relaxed composedly. There was no longer any barrier between master and apprentice, and he wouldn't be restless like some naive youth. Since Teacher liked it, he would just let her be. The autumn breeze blew by, rolling up a few fallen leaves. The massive Erdtree still stood in the distance.
Thorne stared at the stream. Blankly.
"Am I making you uncomfortable lying on you?" Sellen asked, out of nowhere.
"It's fine. You aren't heavy."
"Oh. Then wait a moment." Sellen scrambled up. Walked to the carriage.
She returned. Shoved paper and pen into Thorne's hands.
"What is this?" Thorne was confused. A portrait? He couldn't.
"Sorcerers cherish every second. You're idle anyway," Sellen lectured, already reclining. "Write the sequel to that novel for me. Do not stop writing until you've reached twenty thousand words."
A devil. Was she a devil? Thorne was dumbfounded. Sellen wasn't simple. How could she let him drift, here, in this strange tranquility? He wanted to refuse. But she closed her eyes.
Seconds later, light breaths. She slept. So fast.
Thorne held the paper and pen. Speechless. But the thought of being lectured for not finishing her request... his head swelled. He had no choice. Opened the notebook. Biting the pen. Racking his brains.
That novel. Written for fun. Half-memoir.
The other half? A 'reasonable' adaptation. The Nameless Swordsman was invincible. A mere show of dominance, people would kowtow. A single blade had carved out Ashina's future. I wonder where that guy Sekiro has taken the Divine Heir. If he saw this, he'd probably jump up and fight me to the death.
Thorne laughed at himself. Then he wrote.
The swordsman defeats Genichiro. The Divine Heir joins his ranks with Sekiro.
The paper and pen rustled.
Thorne abandoned the sword. Embraced the pen. Wrote faster, enjoying it more. He'd suffered enough in Ashina. Now, in The Lands Between, he could spout nonsense. Vent all his grievances. Wrote ten thousand words in one breath. Then stretched, loosened his neck. Sellen slept. Soundly.
Hmm, for the next section, I'll write about how the Sword Saint Isshin favored him greatly, insisting on passing his techniques to the Nameless Swordsman, and then he gains thirty years of internal energy in one go, beating the depraved monks of Senpou Temple until they cry for their parents. Thorne thought.
He put down the pen. Paused. Sensed something. Turned his head. Instantly. Grasped his sword's hilt. A writer. Transformed into a bloodthirsty maniac.
Limgrave was scattered with ruins of all sizes. These ruins were hard in texture, some even larger than houses, and it was unknown where they had fallen from. Ten meters away, near a ruin that looked like a broken archway, some azure particles were gradually gathering. A sorcerer? Thorne crouched down, pulling Sellen's collar with his left hand. If he needed to, he could just toss his teacher aside and pounce, but just at that moment, his hand clutching the collar paused slightly. The particles coalesced into a person, but it wasn't a sorcerer; instead, she looked very familiar.
Azure skin, a wide witch's hat, and those four arms slowly raising. The other witch lifted her head slightly, staring at him quietly with one blue eye. Lady Ranni!? Thorne really hadn't expected the visitor to be her. He instinctively wanted to stand up and salute, but suddenly realized his leg felt heavy, remembering that Sellen was still sleeping. His buttocks had already left the seat by a few centimeters, and he froze in mid-air, just like a solidified sculpture. Clatter. The ink pen fell to the ground. Ranni's gaze turned to it instinctively, but quickly returned to Thorne's face.
"My knight, I am glad you were able to reach Limgrave safely." The Princess of the Moon's voice remained cool and aloof, betraying no emotion. She raised two hands to stop Thorne's awkward knight's salute, slowly bringing her fingertips together, appearing elegant and dignified. "Your relevant intelligence has been tightly sealed by Raya Lucaria Academy. I now want to know—" Her gaze turned to Sellen, whom Thorne was supporting, seemingly carrying a hint of a smile. "Who exactly is this lady?"
Wake up when you shouldn't, but you get up when you shouldn't. Thorne sat on the carriage, speechless. She had slept very soundly when he was pleading for her earlier, but just as he was reaching the most critical step of his work report, she happened to wake up. He glanced at Sellen, who had jumped off the carriage. One was his superior, the other was his teacher. With the two facing each other, he thought it best to remain silent.