Inside a vast, empty valley, two uninvited guests entered, one after the other.
“This is far enough,” Sophia said as she stopped. Standing ahead, she slowly drew her Longsword and turned to point it at Cecilia.
“Senior Sophia! Why must you stand in the way of my pursuit of happiness?” Even now, Cecilia could not understand why Senior Sophia, who had been friendly not long ago, had suddenly changed into a completely different person.
She could only assume that Sophia was someone bound by secular constraints—someone who simply loathed the beautiful love between two girls and had therefore chosen to break her and Selim apart.
If that was all it was, Cecilia felt she could persuade Sophia.
“Aren’t we friends?” Cecilia reached out her hand toward Sophia.
“Friends?” With a *smack*, Cecilia’s hand was slapped away. “You have the nerve to say you are my friend?”
Hearing that word, Sophia could not help but grit her teeth. Not a shred of goodwill remained in her eyes as she looked at Cecilia.
“Idiot! I never once considered you my friend!”
“I have hated you since our school days, Cecilia!”
“You are even more annoying than you used to be. I am not your friend, I never was, and I never will be!”
Sophia panted, as if saying those words had cost her a great deal of effort. Subconsciously, she did not actually hate Cecilia, but things had already reached a breaking point. Even for someone like Sophia, she could not help but want to vent her frustrations.
Jealousy truly possessed such powerful Magic Power.
“Draw your weapon. Don’t let others think I am bullying you.”
“Fine. Since you want to fight, I shall oblige!” Cecilia pulled out her staff.
Sophia charged forward immediately.
Her Magic Power gradually transformed into Blue Flame, flowing along her blade as she slashed toward Cecilia.
A barrier of Magic Power flashed in front of Cecilia, delaying Sophia’s movement for a split second.
*Clang!*
Sparks flew from the weapons of the two women. Cecilia could not help but retreat several steps as they remained locked in a stalemate.
“Why did you have to show up here, Cecilia?” Sophia’s eyes, which usually looked like calm lake water, stared at Cecilia, swirling with intense emotion.
“Didn’t I already tell you? I only came to get a stamp for a Transit Permit.” The Frost on Sophia’s blade made Cecilia’s hands ache with cold, but she still held back. “I originally planned to leave and find Lady Selim as soon as the permit was signed.”
“I didn’t expect the first noble I encountered to be you, Senior Sophia.”
“I want to stay by Lady Selim’s side!”
“I am only pursuing my happiness. Is there anything wrong with that?” Flame erupted from Cecilia’s staff, creating a sudden blast.
Dust rose everywhere as Sophia was blown back by the explosion Cecilia created.
“So, the strange one is you, Senior Sophia, for standing in my way!”
“You clearly blessed our love today! Why are you now denying me and Lady Selim because of worldly reasons?”
Cecilia knew that this level of attack would not cause any substantial damage to Sophia. She shouted into the billowing smoke.
“Selim… Selim…”
“Every other word is Lady Selim…” Sophia swung her sword, and the drifting smoke was instantly frozen and shattered, falling to the ground. “It’s maddening!”
“You are not worthy of saying her name, nor are you worthy of hearing it!”
With a sudden stride, Sophia’s body flashed like a projectile, reappearing in front of Cecilia.
The initial slash was once again blocked by Cecilia, but the follow-up kick landed unerringly against Cecilia’s stomach.
Cecilia, sent flying, did not simply wait for death. Instead, she cast a Bursting Fireball beneath her, using the recoil of the explosion to adjust her posture. She landed on the ground in a somewhat disheveled manner.
*Cough!* Cecilia could not help but spit out a mouthful of bile.
“What’s wrong, Cecilia?” Sophia stood in the distance, her eyes full of satisfaction. “Is that all you’ve got?”
“With such pathetic skill, how do you have the audacity to say you’ll stay by Selim’s side?”
“We agreed to face countless enemies together in the future. Those things are far beyond your imagination. With your current miserable state…”
A more intense aura of Magic Power erupted from Sophia’s body.
Fire, water, ice, earth, wind, metal, and shadow.
The Seven Attributes of Magic that Sophia currently mastered surged out simultaneously, bringing a total of 231% Damage Amplification.
“You aren’t fit… to stay by Selim’s side!”
Cecilia’s clothes rustled loudly under the pressure of the surging Magic Power, but she showed no fear.
“If the requirement to stay by Lady Selim’s side is strength…”
Massive amounts of fire-attribute Magic Power swirled around Cecilia. This continuously gathering power raised the temperature of her surroundings by more than a single level, to the point where even the air began to distort.
“Then I will not lose, either!”
She hardened her will, treating Sophia as an opponent she had to defeat. Under the influence of her natural talent, she gained a 200% output bonus.
The Magic Power gathered by the two women seemed to condense into two tsunamis—one blue and one red—violently crashing into each other like two pythons.
As they clashed once more, Sophia ultimately gained the upper hand over Cecilia.
“It ends here!” Relying on her superior combat techniques and Profession advantage, she shattered Cecilia’s Magic Power.
“No, I’m not finished…” Shaking off the ice shards on her body, Cecilia stood up through gritted teeth.
“Cecilia, why did you have to appear by Selim’s side?” Ignoring Cecilia’s struggle, Sophia continued to speak.
“The first Friendship Gift exchanged with her…”
“The first time sharing desserts with each other…”
“The first time agreeing to sign the Decree of Magic User Confirmation together…”
“It was me. It was me first! I was clearly the one who came first!”
“Cecilia, what do you think you’re doing, suddenly popping out of nowhere?”
Sophia’s eyes could not help but turn bloodshot.
“Wait…” After a moment, Cecilia finally processed the information within Sophia’s words.
‘So… the person you were talking about signing the decree with was Lady Selim?’
Cecilia clenched her own fists. Surging Magic Power once again gathered on her body. This time, the look she gave Sophia was no longer filled with confusion; instead, it was full of deep-seated resentment.
The bonus from her talent jumped to 300%!
“That is too much!”
“I was clearly the first one to like Lady Selim!”
“All those first things to try—whether it’s exchanging gifts or sharing sweets…”
“It all should have been me!”
Pointing her staff at Sophia, Cecilia ground her teeth.
“Sophia, you early-runner thief!”