Chapter 269

Chapter 269: The Rose Bow

—

With the cold currents from the north fully invading, the temperature began to drop significantly. Fortunately, being within the mountain valley, the cold winds of Emanas were not too severe.

“The window is frozen.”

After the sun rose in the morning, several young ladies tried to open the windows but found them covered with ice and the glass windows unmovable.

“Let me handle it.” Letis carried her alchemical copper box, aimed the opening at the window, placed it on the table, and continuously blew hot air.

By the time the young ladies had finished their morning routines, water started dripping down the window sill, and the glass window became loose.

“It does seem quite useful,” Alena admitted quickly this time. Though Letis didn’t say much, a hint of pride could be seen on her face.

“But why is it called a ‘recirculating radiator’?” Nia asked curiously, looking at the copper alchemical device.

“Perhaps it was originally used to dissipate heat from a mana furnace,” Alena said, tapping the copper box lightly with her finger.

“Never thought Alena would guess right sometimes,” Letis admitted straightforwardly.

“Letis is so arrogant. At least I am a student of the Magic Sequence, and I do have some understanding of alchemy-related things,” Alena shook her head, raising her index finger to indicate her knowledge.

At that moment, Lolan Hill walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair that was emitting steam.

“I’ll go first, everyone. Today, I need to visit the library.”

“Lolan isn’t attending classes?”

“Mm, I’ve already informed my teacher,” Lolan Hill nodded. Due to her consistently good grades and the headmistress Night Mistress’s arrangements, her leave and course adjustment applications were always easily approved.

“How nice,” Alena sighed enviously.

—

Once her roommates left, Lolan Hill opened the door of her wardrobe, gently pushing aside several white dresses hanging there, revealing a full-length mirror attached to the inside of the wardrobe.

She pressed her hand against the mirror, and the surface rippled like water, revealing another scene. It was a cozy stone cottage, with light-colored bedding and curtains, and bookshelves and a dressing table near the wall.

As if through a shift in light and shadow, the silhouette of a young lady suddenly vanished from the room and appeared on the other side of the mirror. Lolan Hill then removed her hand from the mirror, and her hair returned to its natural silver color.

I haven’t properly greeted my classmates yet this semester. The young lady thought to herself, then changed into a black dress from Lohil’s wardrobe, picked up the books she had borrowed recently which were about the chaos disaster, hesitated slightly before placing a small bear from the chair into her bag, and finally opened the door to head to today’s study location.

First, she presented the proof given by Night Mistress, reported on her holiday tasks, and after the combat instructor marked it off on the form, she let Lohil take a temporary rest.

The sky was a bit gloomy, with white light shining through the dark clouds.

Practicing combat techniques within the fighting courtyard, the training courses shifted from initial swordsmanship and physical exercises to practical combat scenarios. For instance, how to counter cavalry charges, how to dodge and block arrows and crossbow bolts, how to engage large demonic beasts, and how to administer first aid to oneself and one’s teammates.

The lessons generally consisted of three parts: the first part taught by the teacher, the second part for students to practice, and the third part for the teacher to correct and adjust their techniques.

Thick snowflakes piled up in the courtyard, and the students’ footsteps made a squeaking sound as they trod on them, compacting the snow and leaving deep footprints. Moving through the snow that buried their calves was not convenient, but the teacher still had them practice in the snow to adapt to various environments, as you couldn’t guarantee that you wouldn’t have to fight in snowy regions in the Northern area.

Swords and spears swung, snowflakes scattered, and the students’ figures leaped and breathed out white mist amidst the snow.

Florasia stood in front of Lohil, holding a delicate white wooden sword. She stepped over the snowflakes with her toes, her agile and graceful form rushing towards Lohil. Her golden hair paired with her white winter dress looked both elegant and beautiful.

Lohil calmly faced her in a black dress, her pale yellow wooden sword covered with a layer of pure white magic, making it more resilient as she continuously blocked Florasia’s attacks.

Observing Lohil’s composure, Florasia gradually increased her speed and changed the angle of her swordplay. As the daughter of the Landsworth family, her abilities were top-notch among her peers in terms of appearance, manners, knowledge, eloquence, swordsmanship, horsemanship, extraordinary strength, and more. This was the result of the top-tier education provided by the Empire’s nobility.

Her white shoes left only faint marks on the snow as she flipped and leaped like a graceful bird. The white wooden sword flashed with a pale green glint, carving lines in the air. Florasia’s swordsmanship was as elegant and swift as a dance, with only occasionally a few green glimmers struck by Lohil hitting the edge of the arena, shattering some hard rock walls. Only then did her classmates realize the danger, setting up barriers to continue watching the two young ladies, one dressed in black and the other in white, engage in a sword dance in the snow.

Lohil rapidly spun in the snow, her silver hair fluttering like a black butterfly, constantly changing directions to evade her friend’s attacks.

“Truly surprising, Lohil.”

Floriasia’s figure slowly descended from the air, as if transparent wings trailed behind her, stirring up tiny snowflakes. Her azure eyes revealed a hint of surprise; Lohil usually gave off a fragile impression, and her frequent absences led many classmates to believe she was unwell.

But now, it seemed that while her strength might not be formidable, her flexibility and agility were frightening.

“Since that’s the case, let me see your true strength,” Florasia said with a smile, holding the white wooden sword at her forehead. Then, green buds began to grow on the sword, extending and bending upward, eventually forming a white wooden bow adorned with several emerald roses.

She plucked a green rose, kissed it lightly, and the rose crumbled away with the wind.

Petals fluttered and reformed into emerald arrows. Florasia placed an arrow on her bow, and a series of white circles materialized in the air, aligning themselves along the middle of the bow, serving as a substitute for the bowstring.

The arrow was fixed at the center of six concentric white circles. As Florasia gripped and pulled back the arrow, the bow trembled slightly, and the circles began to separate, resembling the recoil of a spring.

When she released her grip, ripples spread out, and the arrow vanished, transforming into emerald light that streaked towards Lohil.

Watching this bold attack from her former friend, Lohil felt somewhat troubled. Fortunately, she had recently taken the Golden Moon Potion, and her Angel Sequence 3 was about to advance. She wasn’t entirely defenseless. While Florasia prepared her arrow, Lohil had already begun chanting with closed eyes.

The purpose of the chant was to communicate with the surrounding mana at a specific frequency, temporarily harness unrefined magic power, and amplify the effects of her skills and abilities. In a sense, the song of an Extraordinary Songstress was also a kind of spell, used to organize and mobilize the ambient magic power.

Her wooden sword had long fallen and was now embedded in the ground at an angle. With both hands crossed over her chest, fingers touching to form a triangle, she quickly chanted the incantation. Silver strands of hair danced, and droplets of pure water appeared in the air, gathering into the triangular hollow.

“Seven Rings of the Water Angel.”

Although this skill differed significantly from what she remembered, the similar manifestation led Lohil to name it thus, as a way to reminisce about past times.

The water droplets merged and then separated again, forming seven circular membranes of increasing size. Under the dim sky, these rings glimmered with a transparent white light.

The emerald arrow surged forward, and in an instant, the circular water membranes burst, and the arrow disappeared.

Onlookers were unaware of what had transpired. If there were a high-speed camera, one would see that each time the arrow pierced through a membrane, its radiance diminished and its size shrank, until finally, it vanished like a gentle breeze before the last membrane.

Only Lohil could perform such precise maneuvers, requiring incredibly sharp perception and delicate control. Any misstep would result in the arrow passing through her body. Of course, Florasia had a backup plan; she didn’t want to truly injure her friend.

Thankfully, the new potion she had brewed during the break allowed her to avoid displaying other Sequences this time. Lohil silently sighed in relief, relaxing slightly as she watched Florasia descend slowly. Before she could speak, a faint glow appeared, and arms wrapped around her.

White sleeves adorned with light rose patterns, a warm wrist pressing against Lohil’s arm, her head leaning close to Lohil’s shoulder, golden strands visible at the corner of her eye.

“Did I scare you, Lohil? Hehe,” Florasia’s voice whispered in her ear.

— Special thanks to Tangmen Infantry, Qiufeng Luoye, Shi Mie Rizi, Qidian, and five other readers for their support.

— End of Chapter —