Chapter 53: The Swordmaster
"Swordmaster?"
Sylvia rubbed her chin thoughtfully and repeated the name, then revealed a look of puzzlement.
She had assumed the chosen extraordinary path would be of the spellcaster type, but to her surprise, it was a Swordmaster.
As one of the thirty-two extraordinary paths, Swordmaster clearly did not belong to the category of pure spellcasters.
Of course, this path differed significantly from that of the straightforward brute-like Warriors.
Extraordinary individuals on this path not only possessed extremely refined sword skills but also wielded a variety of spell abilities.
Moreover, according to the scriptures of various churches, the so-called "swordsmanship" did not represent the core of this path.
Logic, thought, and conviction—these three elements were what truly defined the path, while the "sword" merely symbolized the most external concept of "intimidation."
"Why did you choose this path?"
Sylvia, having slightly lifted her disguise, instinctively rubbed her chin and asked curiously:
"Hmm..."
Isabella first showed a thoughtful expression, then extended a fair and slender finger to point at the book placed to the side and said:
"The character I like most in this book isn’t the protagonist, not the witch."
"Oh?"
Sylvia leaned back in her chair, quite interested in what the girl would say next.
"Mm-hmm."
The blonde noble girl cleared her throat, then said solemnly:
"My favorite character is a Swordmaster the protagonist meets on her journey. She had her own philosophy and was also a traveler wandering the continent, just like the protagonist."
"Of course, the author of this book once admitted in a public event that the inspiration for the Swordmaster came from a legendary adventurer."
A legendary adventurer? A Swordmaster?
The moment these two terms appeared together, Sylvia immediately associated them with a name she had recently heard, one that matched the description very well—
"'Sword of Radiance', Andrika Solores?"
"Yes!"
"I admire her greatly! I've looked up to her ever since I finished reading this book long ago!"
At the mention of this name, Isabella's eyes curved with delight.
Seeing this, Sylvia nodded thoughtfully.
That legendary adventurer was, according to the intelligence of the Church of Radiance, indeed a Swordmaster—an extraordinary individual who had completed the third metamorphosis!
However, upon learning this, Sylvia couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled:
All signs suggested that the Southern Cross Constellation did not possess this extraordinary path.
At present, the complete Swordmaster chain resided in the hands of the Republic of Ulis in the southern part of the Old Continent, as well as with those families in the Western Alliance who were once aristocrats of the Koinsprache Empire.
"Hmm..."
Sylvia organized her thoughts and asked Isabella:
"Does your family hold the complete chain for this path?"
From what she knew, the Lancaster family had only about three hundred years of history—not particularly ancient.
Recently cramming family knowledge in the library, Isabella shook her head:
"I secretly asked Clade, and he said our family only holds the starting point and the second metamorphosis ritual of this path—"
"These were granted as a royal reward when the king conferred titles after the war three hundred years ago."
The royal family of the Kingdom of Savia, the Contenan family, was one of the former noble families of the Koinsprache Empire.
Sylvia nodded and then asked:
"Then what about when you need to advance in the future? How will you undergo the necessary rituals?"
"Trust me, your destination is at least Apostle. Hmm... in my plans, the true transformation into a pure Sinner should happen around the Apostle level."
"Of course, that might be aiming a bit high. I may make some adjustments later."
After saying this, Sylvia, who had completed the weaving of the first metamorphosis and even laid the framework for the subsequent ones, tapped the armrest of her chair with her finger.
Upon hearing the question, Isabella’s eyes lit up, then she stuck out her tongue.
"I’ll just collect more when the time comes."
"I believe I can do it."
"And besides, there’s still you, Your Highness."
The blonde girl beamed at Sylvia, prompting the gray-haired puppet girl to helplessly rub her forehead.
"Alright."
"Once Divoman’s side succeeds, I’ll begin preparing to conduct the ritual for you."
"I imagine by then your physical condition should roughly return to the level of an ordinary person."
"Grateful for Your Grace’s generosity."
Hearing Sylvia’s promise, Isabella playfully blinked, then mimicked her mother’s noble tone with a teasing voice.
At that moment, Sylvia couldn’t stop the corner of her mouth from twitching, nor did she try.
This girl—was she really getting too comfortable now?
But unfortunately, Sylvia had absolutely no way to deal with this kind of girl. All she could do was raise her hand and press her temples—which didn’t even exist.
In that moment, a few old habits from before her transmigration, which she had never shown in front of others, surfaced unconsciously.
But this only showed that Sylvia was currently in a relaxed state. She noticed it, but didn’t mind.
She then looked at Isabella, who now appeared a bit fatigued, and gently chuckled as she said:
"Go to sleep. In your current condition, staying up late isn’t good."
As her words fell, two chimes rang out from a distant bell tower, as if echoing her sentiment.
Already tucked beneath the blanket, Isabella nodded, then curiously asked Sylvia:
"Do Apostles not need to sleep?"
To this, the gray-haired girl smiled and nodded.
"Of course."
"But that’s not why I don’t sleep—"
"After all, I’m just a puppet."
As she finished speaking, she raised her hands and placed them on her cheeks.
In the next second, with a soft “pop,” her head came off just like that.
Seeing this, Isabella seemed to recall a not-so-pleasant memory. She suddenly shivered and then shot a deeply aggrieved look at the puppet girl holding her own head.
"Your Highness, you scared me like this the other day too."
"……"
"That was a pop quiz."
Sylvia replied with a completely straight face as she reattached her head.
"Alright, good night. See you in the morning—or, well, later this morning."
"Mm, good night, Your Highness."
As the words fell, the puppet girl snapped her fingers, and the gas ceiling lamp switched off instantly, plunging the room into darkness.
In the quiet atmosphere, only Isabella’s breathing could be heard—for as a puppet, Sylvia did not breathe.
Several minutes later, Isabella’s voice softly broke the silence:
"Your Highness, I don’t think I can fall asleep."
Sylvia, quietly flipping through *The Witch’s Journey* using her night vision and supernatural methods, let the corners of her lips curl up slightly.
"Maybe you’re just too excited."
"Mm… then maybe we can talk for a bit. That might help me doze off."
"Alright."
The blonde girl responded, but didn’t continue.
Seeing this, Sylvia took the initiative to begin the conversation.
"I’m curious—aside from the first few days after we met, you don’t seem all that afraid of me anymore?"
"Mm… I don’t mean anything by it. I’m just curious…"
However, before she could finish, her gaze suddenly shifted toward the window—even though there was a curtain in between.
Because there, something seemed to be lurking!