Chapter 6: Sonya Selby

Outside the Swords and Roses Sorcerer University in Cailleach, the capital of the Starry Kingdom.

As summer approached, the number of luminaries increased from two in spring to two and a half. With careful observation, one could discern faint, tiny lights in the sky. The air in Cailleach warmed, and the gentle radiance was just enough that taking a few steps would bring a light sweat.

Sonya took small steps forward and spotted her mother, Masha, standing under the bright sun, drenched in sweat. She quickly pulled her into the shade of a nearby tree. "Mom, why are you standing out here like this? Don't you know you can take shelter in the wooded paths inside the school?"

Masha laughed foolishly. "Linda... I was afraid I wouldn't see you..."

Sonya lost her temper at the mention of the name. "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Sonya, not Linda!"

Masha nodded repeatedly, looking apologetic. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot again.

Oh

, and I brought your favorite egg custard tarts..."

Seeing her mother's eager, appeasing expression, Sonya felt a pang of self-reproach. She took her mother's hand and led her outside. "I won't eat them. I've been trying to lose weight recently. I can't have something this sweet."

"You're already so skinny! Why would you want to lose more? Do you want to become as thin as a sheet of paper? Remember Uncle Elmer? His son's been sick for so long and hasn't gotten better. He's as light as a scarecrow in the fields, and you're even thinner than him..."

Masha had already noticed Sonya’s slender figure from afar. Seeing her barely thicker than a tree branch, she felt a deep ache in her heart. Having been a rural woman in an agricultural town her entire life, she could not appreciate the fashionable thinness prized in the big city. All she wished was for her daughter to be healthier and stronger.

Sonya didn't interrupt her mother's chatter. When Masha finally paused, she said, "Since you rarely come to Cailleach, let me show you around the capital..."

Masha waved her hands quickly. "No need for that! Don't waste money. I saw a park on my walk over..."

Sonya's voice rose an octave. "You walked here!? Didn't I tell you to take the tram after getting off the train? The station is so far from school—"

"It's fine, really. I came early, so I had plenty of time. Walking counts as exercise, and it's good for my health. I'm not that old yet. I can handle it."

It was then that Sonya saw the sweat on Masha's neck.

The weather was warm, and students on campus were dressed lightly for summer. Meanwhile, Masha had taken the night train from her rural hometown, where there were already cool autumn winds. She'd worn several layers, and just a short walk had made her forehead glisten with sweat. She looked like she had just been fished out of water.

She wanted to tell her mother not to skimp on that bit of money, but in the end, she settled for saying, "Let me buy you some clothes."

Masha shook her head reflexively. "There are plenty of clothes at home..."

"Listen to me today!"

Sonya Selby was from an impoverished village in the Starry Kingdom, so small it didn't even have a name on the map. For her to take a train to the capital, Cailleach, she first had to walk a full day on mountain roads to reach the nearest town with a train station.

Among the village children of the past twenty years, Sonya was the only one who had completed the basic education courses thanks to the free Miracle Bracelet the kingdom provided. Before the age limit, she took the unified national higher education entrance exam online and successfully enrolled in Cailleach's Swords and Roses Sorcerer University, known as the Sword and Roses University for short.

Her father had drunk himself to death when she was very young. In her memories, he was just a useless drunk who threw fits of temper after drinking. She had been fully raised by Masha, her mother.

It was precisely because of this that she managed to temporarily free herself from labor and concentrate on studying. Other children her age went to factories during the day and watched the only Meteor Channel they could receive in the village at night, muddling through life in that small town.

On her first day in Cailleach, the first things that came into her sight were the clean streets, the towering buildings, the stream of luxury cars, the polite and refined citizens, and the giant screens playing propaganda shorts day and night. At that moment, she told herself that even if she died, she had to die in this city, and that the hometown she had lived in for over ten years didn't even have the qualifications to be her graveyard.

It didn't take long for her to master makeup and clothing coordination. Within a month of enrollment, she had even corrected her accent.

She landed numerous part-time jobs relying on her striking looks, while making sure she didn't fall behind in her studies. Using her scholarships and earnings, she expanded her social circle and joined a variety of activities. Having hosted school events multiple times last year and gained wide exposure, many already privately regarded her as the Rose of the 67th batch[1].

There are so many people in this world who get to be happy. Surely I can be one of them!

This thought had driven Sonya to relentlessly pursue her goals.

Sonya spent the entire afternoon taking Masha around Cailleach. Under Sonya's insistence, Masha reluctantly followed her into an apparel store that looked very expensive to try on clothes.

If not for Sonya, just the female clerk's secretly disdainful smile would have been enough to make Masha shrink away.

Having already spent money on clothes, Sonya didn't spend a thing that afternoon.

Masha had even prepared water in advance in a small flask. "This is clean water from the train station. I can just drink this. Don't buy those colorful drinks; I'm not used to them."

Even for dinner, Masha insisted she still had leftover bread she had brought, and it would be wasteful not to eat it. Sonya knew taking her mother to those upper-class restaurants would only make her uncomfortable, so they sat together in the park, eating bread.

Before six in the evening, Sonya sent Masha off to the train station.

The return ticket had already been purchased and bound to Masha's bracelet. She only needed to scan it at the checkpoint.

Just before the checkpoint, Sonya suddenly asked, "Why don't you stay one more night? I don't have classes tomorrow. I can keep you company another day."

Masha stared blankly at her. She seemed as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she shook her head, squinting her eyes into slits. "No need. Refunding the ticket would cost money, and I wouldn't get used to staying here anyway. I can't understand what others are saying, and I need to go back to feed the chickens...

Goodness!

I almost forgot..."

She reached into a small bag securely tucked into her clothes and, without opening it, pressed it into Sonya's hands. "There are three silver coins inside..."

"Mom, I—"

"I know you don't lack money, but I can't spend this at home either," Masha said, gripping Sonya's hand tightly. "I'm no good as a mother for not being able to help you with anything. But Linda... don't worry. I won't hold you back. Live freely in the capital. I'm doing fine at home, and the neighbors will help me with anything. Just remember to write home, but never send money. Spend it on yourself. The post office might steal it anyway..."

This time, Sonya didn't correct her mother for addressing her by her childhood nickname, "Linda."

She listened quietly to Masha's rambling and suddenly understood why her mother hadn't come to the school to wait for her.

When Masha finished, Sonya calmly said, "I will bring you to live in Cailleach one day and enjoy the life of the wealthy."

Masha smiled and nodded. "I believe in you. But remember, no matter what happens, there will always be a meal waiting for you back home. Big cities are too complicated. Living quietly at home isn't so bad either..."

Sonya watched her slightly hunched mother walk farther and farther away until she disappeared into the crowd.

She slipped sharply to the right, dodging a pickpocket’s hand reaching into her pocket. His eyes widened in surprise, and he mumbled something before quickly walking away.

"Big cities are indeed complicated," Sonya murmured. "But I just happen to be exactly that kind of complicated person."

She turned away from the train station and walked with her head held high back into the bright, bustling, sleepless city of Cailleach.

1. In the original text, the term appears as 剑花 (jiàn huā), referring to a standout, exceptionally talented and attractive student. Given that the university is called Swords and Roses, I took a slightly creative approach and rendered it as "Rose of the 67th batch." ☜