Chapter 80: Your Highness, I Have Become an Extraordinary!
At noon, sunlight passed through the glass into the room, casting a large shadow.
Isabella sat inside the greenhouse, wearing a white dress, “randomly” playing a piano.
She had once learned the most basic way of playing but had not practiced much because her body could not support her sitting for long periods.
But now, as her slender, fair fingers leapt across the keys, a melody that was still somewhat pleasing to the ear echoed in the room.
Only, why did this tune seem somewhat familiar?
Sylvia, who had emerged from the River of the Dead, did not make a single sound. She simply watched the other person, the corners of her lips slowly lifting.
Comparing the other’s current state with that previous frail, decadent appearance, Sylvia could not help but feel a surge of accomplishment.
And just then, Isabella seemed to sense the gaze behind her. She suddenly turned her head, just in time to meet the grey-haired puppet’s eyes.
“Your Highness!”
Her voice was filled with delight, especially when she saw the suitcase in the other’s hand.
“This… are these the ritual materials needed for the Swordmaster?”
She quickly stood up and trotted over to Sylvia, then curiously examined the box in her hand.
“Grace, you must be graceful.”
Sylvia’s lips twitched slightly as she repeated Maria’s catchphrase while walking toward the nearest table.
After placing the box on the table and opening it, she revealed the bottles, jars, and an irregularly shaped crystal within.
“Hmm? I remember that the main spiritual materials of the Swordmaster were three kinds, weren’t they?”
Isabella looked at the contents of the box with some doubt, tilting her head.
“That’s right.”
“But because of your uniqueness, we can use a simpler method.”
“For example, an extraordinary trait left behind by a certain Swordmaster.”
“Extraordinary… trait?”
Hearing this term, Isabella was visibly stunned.
She and Divoman were entirely different. After being immersed in those occult books in the family library, she already had a clear and precise understanding of the extraordinary world.
“If one uses an extraordinary trait to complete a metamorphosis, the probability of failure is astonishingly high, and even if successful, the control over one’s own power would be terribly poor.”
She voiced her doubts based on her memories, and her doubts were also the reason why extraordinary beings rarely used extraordinary traits to advance.
Moreover, if it weren’t for this drawback, this piece of knowledge about the extraordinary world could never have become ‘common sense.’
“That’s correct.”
Sylvia nodded but then smiled.
“But who said we were going to use it to let you ascend directly?”
“Ah?”
Isabella was visibly stunned.
“The essence of a ritual is convergence. The purpose of using spiritual materials is to achieve a more precise, more efficient convergence.”
“Then wouldn’t the convergence effect brought by a portion of extraordinary power that has already completed convergence be even better?”
At this moment, the smile on the grey-haired puppet’s face grew brighter, while Isabella nodded thoughtfully.
“All right. You don’t need me to instruct you further. Prepare your ritual according to the necessary steps.”
“Mm.”
Isabella nodded heavily, then excitedly picked up the four jars—
Two types of powders and two plant extracts, the standard set for the First Metamorphosis.
Isabella solemnly mixed the powder ground from gold and lead with the juices extracted from the golden rose and black rose, then used the long-handled brush from the suitcase to draw occult sigils on the floor, symbols of reason and life.
However, a moment later, a hint of confusion appeared on Isabella’s face. She turned back in puzzlement to look at the grey-haired puppet and asked,
“Your Highness, where should this be placed?”
At that moment, she was holding that extraordinary trait of the Swordmaster.
“Just pick any one of the original three nodes.”
Sylvia offered a simple explanation.
After nodding thoughtfully, Isabella set the extraordinary trait in place and then closed her eyes.
The prerequisites were the same as Divoman’s warrior ritual, except that the way she stirred her spirituality to make it boil had changed—
She pictured in her mind the image of her conviction.
At this moment, Sylvia, who had found a spot to sit, watched Isabella’s serious expression, and there was gradually a trace of curiosity in her gaze.
What exactly was this young lady’s conviction?
She began recalling every moment she had shared with the other, as well as her words.
To survive?
That was possible.
Even though she had already escaped the fate of “dying at sixteen,” those memories would be etched in her mind forever.
To protect her family?
Although this seemed somewhat similar to the Radiant Knight, protection was itself a form of conviction.
From Isabella’s past words, it was not hard to see how much she loved her family.
Through her descriptions, one could almost feel a kind father and a mother who, though strict, still loved her deeply.
But judging from the clues at hand, everything she knew might only be an illusion.
Yet this did not affect her subjective thoughts in the slightest.
Hm… there seemed to be another possibility.
Thinking of this, she suddenly froze a little.
Because this final possibility perhaps had something to do with her.
After all, the words Isabella had once spoken to her still echoed in her mind.
At this moment, her expression grew increasingly strange, until she saw the ritual circle begin to radiate yellow and black light.
Upon seeing this, Sylvia stood up, a glint of starlight flashing through her eyes.
At the same time, a trace of starlight rippled within Isabella’s soul as well, as if responding to her call.
Normally, it was impossible to use an extraordinary trait as a component of the ritual, because doing so would result in absorption, not convergence.
But Isabella was exceptional enough—
Within her body resided Sylvia’s divinity.
Amid the stirring starlight, it gradually overflowed from the golden-haired girl’s body. The instant it came into contact with that extraordinary trait, it shone with a pure brilliance unlike any other.
In that moment, yellow and black light erupted, and the ritual entered its next stage.
Seeing the first signs of success, the spirituality surging at Sylvia’s fingertips solidified into spiritual material, which she cast into the ritual base at the instant Isabella completed her metamorphosis.
Just like with Divoman before, except this time there was no need for the other to recite her honorific name, because she could directly locate the other’s spiritual star.
Everything was finished. The soul returned to reality.
The moment she opened her eyes, a trace of delight instantly flashed across Isabella’s gaze and expression.
Then, she looked at Sylvia and spoke in an excited voice:
“Your Highness, I succeeded!”
“I… I’ve become an extraordinary!”
She subconsciously waved her arm, feeling as though something was still missing.
Seeing this, Sylvia nodded, then said:
“Although you are now a Swordmaster, you are by no means a competent Swordmaster.”
“What you have gained is only the most basic swordsmanship skills. If you wish to truly become a qualified Swordmaster, you will still need long periods of practice and training.”
“Mm… this can also help you strengthen your conviction.”
“……”
In an instant, Isabella’s face collapsed.
Seeing this, Sylvia suppressed a laugh and pointed to the dried ritual base on the floor, saying:
“How will you handle that?”