The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 85: Enchantment Spell - Quicksilver Phantom Wings

—Morning · Tetis College Quest Hall—

"Mr. Simin, good morning."

Early in the morning, not long after the doors had opened, the receptionist saw a familiar face walk in. He wore a long black trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat, with a silver-engraved longsword strapped at his waist. The blade, judging by its wear and scratches, had clearly been used for a very long time.

"Good morning." He didn't look particularly old, but his face was full of weathered marks, as though wind and frost had carved deep ravines and scars into it.

Upon arriving, he glanced at the quest bulletin board above, then asked, "Has anyone taken on the blade forging commission I placed earlier?"

"One moment, let me check for you." The receptionist flipped through the ledger in her hands.

[Quest: Demon-Breaking Silver Blade Forging]; A secret mithril blade must be forged according to special esoteric methods. During the forging, five enchantments must be inscribed: 'Demon-Breaking · Wound-Sealing · Blood · Sharpness · High-Speed,' and it must achieve a quality rating of 'Superior.'

"I'm sorry, but no one has taken this quest yet."

The man's expression didn't change at this, though his voice was a bit hoarse. "In that case, I'll increase the reward." So saying, he pulled a gleaming piece of silver metal from his pocket and placed it on the counter. "This is a piece of mithril, about 12 grams. If someone can help me complete it, give it to them."

"This? Alright, I understand." The receptionist immediately took out a new form to fill in, then carefully placed the mithril into a box and sealed it with a strip.When he finished, he turned and left. The air still faintly carried the lingering chill of frost.

"That's extravagant, using mithril as a reward," a nearby staff member whispered as they passed by.

"He must really need it urgently. Mr. Simin's requirements are very high; ordinary apprentices can't handle it at all." The receptionist shook her head. "If the masters at the college took it on, they could certainly do it. But they all have their own experiments and research. Besides, they don't exactly lack the reward income, so it's hard to get them interested."

"Mithril itself is a Fourth Tier material. Most Third Tier mages have only just started learning enchantment crafting; they can't handle a material like that well. Even a Fourth Tier mage would need to specialize in the enchantment field. But those people are often the treasures of various workshops, or they run their own shops. They generally don't have time to take on outside commissions either."

"Then why doesn't he just find a suitable workshop to do it?" the person beside them asked.

"Who knows? Maybe there isn't a good fit. Workshops usually specialize in specific product lines—that way, they have high proficiency and efficiency. But for a commission like this, he'd need to start from scratch, researching rune combinations, figuring out the layout and circulation, and probably wasting some materials on practice before finally completing it."

"Putting in that kind of time and effort would be enough to finish four or five commissions of the same level. Why bother with all this trouble?"

"Even though his reward is three times what you'd get for a same-tier creation, very few people are willing to try."

"I heard Mr. Simin has been stuck at 'Fourth Tier' for a long time, fighting evil creatures in the Shadow World year-round. He's already completed his advancement trial—he just needs the right blade to finish the advancement ritual."

"Let's wait and see. Maybe an upperclassman will try taking on this quest."

In the afternoon, Sylutia finished her class and was about to leave the classroom, but Spencer blocked her way with a group of people.

"Is there something you need?"

Sylutia stopped in her tracks. Soon, the apprentices from her own group gathered behind her, facing off against the group led by Spencer.

"Spencer, the Silver Bell Festival is almost here." Hedra wore a white school uniform and trench coat, with a blue dragon-lily tucked into his collar. His features were quite handsome.

"At the annual Silver Bell Festival, the Chiefs from each grade all participate in a performance match. Has he thought about what style of combat he'll use in that match?" As he spoke, he lightly touched the blue dragon-lily at his collar.

"Probably enchantment spells." She'd been quite interested in those lately and had done a fair bit of research.

"Since you're prepared, that's fine. But even if it's just a performance match, we generally need to decide a winner. To avoid any embarrassing mishaps at such an important occasion, we'd better settle who wins and who loses beforehand." His tone was calm as he spoke.

"Oh, so you want to have a match today and decide the outcome, is that right?" Sylutia quickly caught his meaning.

"That's right. Today." Because if he dragged it out any longer, final exams would start. And Spencer had no confidence in beating this girl in grades, so he had to find a chance to settle it first.

"I understand. Then let's head to the arena." Sylutia didn't refuse, leading the students with her and heading straight for the arena.

Seeing her decision, a female student anxiously caught up and whispered in her ear. "Chief Hedra, this is really suspicious. Spencer came to challenge you today—he's definitely prepared for everything. Taking him on so hastily is a huge disadvantage."

"I know. Thank you, Peilin."

Sylutia had certainly guessed that Spencer suddenly demanding a match today meant he was prepared. But so what? She still had plenty of trump cards and hidden strength she'd never revealed.

Besides, even if she lost, it wouldn't be a big deal. She didn't really care about winning or losing a performance match like this during the Silver Bell Festival.

To the big shots watching, a first-year rookie performance match was probably just like kids playing house—nothing more than a few encouraging words and a little praise for the youngsters.

Right now, she was busy with her own advancement. She didn't want to be bothered multiple times by Spencer over such a trivial matter, so she planned to end this quickly.

Arriving at the arena, under the watchful eyes of the new students, the two walked onto the field and soon took their positions.

The resident arena instructor walked over, gave them a brief look, then announced the start.

"Hedra, this time I'll be going all out. I hope you don't mind." Even now, Spencer didn't forget to make a courteous remark.

"I understand. Let's begin then." Sylutia thought for a moment, then lightly spread her hands.

Since he said he'd go all out, she might as well take it seriously. Over the past three months, she'd learned quite a bit but never had a real practical test.

[Enchantment Spell · Quicksilver Phantom Wings] (Quicksilver · Wing · Wind Speed · Sharp Feathers · Weave)

A pair of silver wings unfurled behind the girl, spreading wide. Quicksilver patterns, like vines, spread and covered them, making them extraordinarily beautiful.

Then Sylutia's body floated slightly, and with a light tap of her toes, she shot straight into the air.

At that moment, Spencer had just pulled out a potion vial and opened it. The deep blue liquid inside formed into the shape of a spinning gyroscopic wheel in the air.

[Construct Spell · Wind-Screaming Flying Wheel]; A wheel that absorbs and shoots air blades, accelerating continuously in flight. The spinning blades around it deal damage to enemies.

Seconds later, the flying wheel absorbed the potion, and under its power, the spell—which had barely been at the Third Tier level—had its power and quality jump several grades, reaching the level of a full-force cast by an ordinary Third Tier mage.

With a *swoosh*, it shot out from in front of Spencer, chasing the girl in the sky.

Just as many students thought that was it, Spencer once again took the dragon-lily from his collar, smashed another potion vial, and began chanting under his breath.

"That's a curse-type spell, reinforced by a potion enchantment. Even a Third Tier mage probably couldn't withstand it."

"He's really pulling out all the stops this time. Those two high-quality potions alone probably cost around 200 gold coins together."

In the sky, Sylutia hovered silently, watching the howling wheel speeding toward her. She raised her wrist, and a sharp, ornate silver sword took shape. Then, aided by the wings at her back, she swung it lightly, cutting the wheel clean in half.

Finding it so easy to cut through, Sylutia blinked.

Huh, it wasn't that tough either. She'd thought the potion's enhancement would make it harder to handle.

She then waited for Spencer's next spell below. When he completed the curse, the dragon-lily's illusion surged toward her once more. But Sylutia folded her wings, letting the curse's illusions imprint onto the feathers, producing a faint bluish smoke.

Then she spread her wings again, and with a series of dazzling silver flashes, the curse below dissipated cleanly in no time.

This curse was too crude, Sylutia mused. Curse-type spells usually required a 'catalyst' to be effective, or else they were easily blocked or dodged.

Seeing that both of his trump cards had failed, Spencer grew anxious. Finally, gritting his teeth, he pulled a white chess piece from his chest pocket, clutched it in his hand, and a white magic array took shape before him.

What is this? Sylutia's eyes flickered, analyzing the array and the piece below.

[White Stone Chess Piece (Knight)] (Third Tier · Castle); A piece condensed from the Castle Aspect, used to confer knighthood and advancement.

Then Spencer tossed the piece into the array and chanted an incantation. Soon, a knight's projection clad in full armor slowly materialized within the array.

[Spirit Knight] (Third Tier · Castle); A knight's projection summoned through ritual. It is often the lingering echo of a historical figure left in this world, requiring a corresponding relic or pact to be summoned.

When the knight appeared, its form gradually sharpened, and the aura it radiated grew stronger and stronger.

[Spirit Knight · Nierko] (Third Tier · Castle); A champion knight who once served the Pander family. After death, he was buried in the Pander family cemetery, and his spirit ascended to rest in the celestial gardens. If summoned by someone with Pander bloodline, his projection can be summoned through ritual.

According to the rules of spirit summoning, an incomplete summoning produces a projection three tiers lower, while a complete summoning produces a projection two tiers lower. So that means this spirit knight was a Sixth Tier existence in life, Sylutia estimated.

A Sixth Tier being... She once again recalled that terrifying scene of fighting the Black Serpent in the Hidden Grove.

If it were the real thing descending, she might be worried about not being able to win. But against a Third Tier projection—even if she couldn't use her full abilities now—it wouldn't be too hard to handle. Even if this opponent was among the peak of the Third Tier.

Once the spirit knight appeared, it rode its spectral white horse into the sky. Sylutia spread her wings, spiraling in a nimble dive, easily dodging its attack.

Well, even if a spirit could fly, it was originally a knight built for ground combat. You couldn't expect much from its aerial prowess.

Unless it was riding a flying monster like a griffin.

If Sylutia dove down right now, she could probably finish off Spencer in one strike. But she didn't do that. Instead, she honestly engaged the spirit knight with her intricately patterned silver sword.

With the powerful momentum of her winged dive, her slashes were extraordinarily fierce. Even the knight, known for strength and defense, couldn't gain the upper hand in the exchange.

So a silver figure and a white one crossed paths in the sky. The white was slower, while the silver figure darted about with agility, not losing out in their blade collisions.

As the exchanges grew more frequent, Sylutia gradually grew familiar with the knight's swordsmanship, countering more nimbly and lightly.

After all, it was only the projection of a dead spirit. Its intelligence wasn't high, and it couldn't adapt to complex situations. After many exchanges, Sylutia spotted a flaw in its attack, swung her sword in a clean stroke, and cut off the spirit's head. Then she turned her blade and thrust it through its body from behind.

With a sound, the spirit's body shattered into flickering specks of light and dissipated. The girl above, cloaked in her wings, slowly descended. Her form was bathed in the fragments of light, like an angel descending to the mortal world from an ancient era.

This sight stunned many of the students present. Before the match, they'd guessed Sylutia might win. But they hadn't expected such a complete, crushing victory. Even after Spencer had thrown 200% of his abilities at her, he still couldn't gain any advantage.

Landing on her toes, Sylutia looked at Spencer, still stunned across from her, and asked, "So, I win, right?"