Sorcerer’s Handbook

Chapter 309: Danzel

At this point, Sonya’s Q&A session had concluded, yielding a Life Link blessing and Gold Tier status in the Time Faction, but at the cost of the Mind Faction.

Deya answered a question and received the Death Link Blessing;

Danzel answered a question, gaining 10,000 Soul Power.

Ashe didn’t answer any questions, but became Sonya’s Life Link health pack, as well as a random lucky audience candidate during Deya’s Death Link.

The Observer seemed to only appear to set the rules; once done, he quietly watched the proceedings. The Swordswoman also stepped back, leaving the stage to the Empress and the Witch.

“So…” the Empress began to speak, standing up, but was promptly pushed back down by the Witch.

The Witch sat on the Empress’s lap, lying in her arms like a little girl: “Let’s start with the Witch’s turn—You don’t mind, do you?”

Seeing a Phantom of the Witch that looked exactly like Deya so close, the Empress was momentarily stupefied, her pupils swirling with the tide of memories.

“…Of course, I wouldn’t mind. How could I refuse your request?”

“Thanks.” The Witch waved at Deya: “The second question is very simple, I believe my other self will definitely answer it easily—Who was the subject of your first question?”

“I’ll give you three options: your sister, your grandmother, your grandfather.”

“The treasure tied to this question is your most cherished spirit ‘Listening the Day,’ a spirit you obtained with great difficulty and even hesitate to use. Please consider your choice carefully.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, until Ashe spoke: “Um… could you repeat the options for that question?”

The Witch winked at Ashe: “Sister, grandmother, and grandfather.”

Sonya muttered under her breath.

“Why would there be a grandfather?” Deya asked in shock. “Wasn’t a woman sitting on the throne in the painting?”

“I almost blurted it out without thinking,” Sonya sighed.

The Witch shook her head with a smile, her gesture clearly not a denial but a refusal to discuss the content of the question.

“As a principle in quizzes like this, if a bizarre option suddenly appears, it’s highly likely to be the correct answer,” Ashe said. “Besides, since Danzel and I could transform, isn’t it possible that Deya’s grandfather could turn into a woman? After all, becoming a woman is a desire many men can’t fulfill.”

Everyone stared at Ashe in disbelief, including Danzel.

“Do you not wonder what it feels like to be the opposite gender?” Ashe continued. “Of course, I’m not talking about a permanent change but a temporary experience. Curiosity about the opposite sex is a natural instinct that leads to courtship and love. What’s so surprising about that?”

While Ashe made some logical points, they were irrelevant to the question at hand; they merely established the possibility of the “grandfather” option. After a brief discussion, Deya and the voice in her head agreed, “I think she is my sister.”

The Princess in the painting looked too young to be an elderly grandmother, and while it was possible the painting depicted the grandmother in her youth, the Knight mentioned something about Occam’s Razor—avoiding baseless speculation.

“Are you sure?”

“Sure.”

“No changes?”

“No changes.”

“Really no changes?”

“Really no changes.”

“Really, really—”

Seeing Deya’s impatient expression, the Witch finally nodded in satisfaction, “Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you—congratulations—”

Suddenly, fireworks crackled around the cabin as Deya watched in surprise, turning to joy under the shower of sparks. The Witch smiled and said, “You got it wrong.”

“What?”

A spirit appeared in the Witch’s hand, and with a sudden squeeze, it burst into countless sparkles and vanished.

“As a penalty for the wrong answer, you’ve lost your most beloved spirit, Listening the Day.”

Although Deya got the answer wrong, she wasn’t too regretful—there was no way to reason out the correct answer; it was purely a game of luck. She had been mentally prepared for this outcome.

However, this revelation made things strange since it implied that the Princess was not her sister but her grandmother (or grandfather) and was also the person she wished to die alongside.

Why would one want to die with their own grandmother?

Moreover, the resemblance between the grandmother and herself seemed to surpass mere genetic similarity. Wasn’t there supposed to be a generational difference that included their mother? How could there be no change at all?

When the voice in Deya’s mind realized these peculiarities, it unexpectedly did not start to argue but became eerily quiet, which frightened Deya a bit.

“Then, onto the final third question,” the Witch comforted. “It will be over soon, and the last question is very simple. Please relax and answer.”

“The question is still related to this painting.” Her fingertips lightly brushed over the Princess’s portrait, her ink-stained nails almost scraping the face in the painting: “What does this person in the painting want to do to you?”

“The first option,” the Witch smiled, “she wants to use you as a Sacrifice to achieve an unspeakable goal.”

“The second option,” the Witch sighed, “she wants you to inherit her title to continue her legacy for generations.”

“The third option,” the Witch expressionless, “she wants you to become a deity among mortals.”

With all three options being beyond ordinary, silence fell over the cabin, and even Ashe calmed down, remaining silent.

Deya waited a long time without any external clues, then turned to look at Ashe, biting his wrist and giving him a pitiful, pleading look.

“Do you really want me to analyze this?” Ashe asked in return.

Deya paused, then her expression suddenly changed as if she heard something, growing increasingly sad, almost to the point of crying: “They say, the second question indicates this person should be my grandmother, but the first question proves I wanted to die with my grandmother, which means she must be evil.”

“The answer to this question should be the first option… It fits that my grandmother wants to use me as a Sacrifice, which is why I despise her.”

Sonya sighed softly in her heart, taking Deya’s hand as if to share her sadness. Though memoryless, knowing that a loved one plotted against her, and that she herself wished to drag that loved one to hell with her… perhaps it was precisely the lack of memories that made this truth even more painful.

It meant that the lonely amnesiac truly had no family to rely on.

At that moment, Danzel was watching the Witch and suddenly leaned over to whisper to Ashe, “I’ve discovered some very important information.”

“What information?”

Danzel didn’t immediately answer, instead asking, “If I tell you, can you forgive me and continue to work with me?”

Ashe was momentarily confused, then quickly realized, “You’re suggesting that since you’ve lost the advantage provided by the Girl of Peeping, you want to rely on our analytical skills to help with answering? Was your arrogance earlier due to the confidence the Girl of Peeping gave you?”

Danzel’s expression remained unchanged, “Holding different cards means playing them with different strategies.”

You ignored us earlier, and now you’re the one who can’t reach us~

Though Ashe was tempted to tease her and then agree, he glanced at Sonya and Deya and shook his head—while he personally had no preference, he clearly saw during this brief period of amnesia that Sonya was a person driven significantly by hatred and loathing.

Danzel had dared to attack them earlier, and Sonya had undoubtedly already built a metaphorical grave for her in her heart, just waiting for the moment to bury Danzel. If it weren’t for his mediation, Sonya would have already started a fight with Danzel.

Being strangers now was already the best outcome. If Ashe dared suggest mending their relationship, he would definitely be caught between a rock and a hard place.

However, Ashe’s refusal was interpreted differently by Danzel. After a moment’s thought, she walked behind Ashe, hugged his head against her chest, and rested her chin on top of his head, speaking in a flat, unemotional tone, “Can you forgive me?”

Fanmula.

“Phew…”

Annan dispelled the Gospel, and the spiderweb eyepatch vanished along with it. Rubbing her eyes, she walked over to the window to overlook the city, shrouded in a hazy white mist.

Despite the rapid development around her, the Dolan lineage still rested on the laurels of their ancestors, barely surviving on the glory of the first Empress. It was as if the Empress had already accomplished their destined tasks, and they were merely born to enjoy the benefits.

But this could not continue. The history of Dolan was bound to take a turn in her generation—it would either decline further, becoming mere fodder for Senhaeser, or…

She would restore the glory of Dolan and follow in the grand achievements of Empress Danzel!

Annan’s resolve was unwavering; from a young age, she had learned about the origins of the Dolan lineage and held a deep admiration for the first Empress who unified the Gospel Kingdom. Unfortunately, with multiple changes in the dynasty, the deeds of the Empress had been completely submerged by time, leaving Annan with nothing but a name to remember her by.

However, Empress Danzel, who managed to unify the Gospel amidst chaos, must have been a stern, dignified, unapproachable, ruthless, and unyielding iron-willed sovereign!