Dancing with Swords and Dragons (Part 1)

Starry Country, Sword Flower University. As night draped over the campus and the stars twinkled, the school's grand athletic field was ablaze with festive lanterns and colored banners. Light streamed like glittering crushed diamonds over bursts of colorful blossoms. On the main stage, a masked song maiden sang with profound emotion, accompanied by music sorcerers. The open clearing in the center became a dance floor overflowing with starlight, while the surrounding grounds turned into open-air wine cafes and buffet tables. Dressed in lavish finery and wearing masks, students threaded through the crowd—dancing, chatting, playing, or feasting heartily. A vivacious, youthful vibrancy bathed the entire campus along with the flowing musical notes. July and August were summer study breaks for the universities, and also the prime season for cross-campus recreational festivities. Events meant to let students truly unwind were packed into these two months: Locus University's Dream Summer Frenzy Festival, Ark University's Crimson Theater, Truth University's Great Debate, Phantom Sound University's Campus Singing King, and more. Among them, none was more eagerly anticipated than Sword Flower University's "Dancing with Swords and Dragons" masquerade ball! All of these events were cross-campus gatherings open to every university student. Sword Flower University was famous across Jialesi for having the best-looking student body, wealthy and noble backgrounds, and an intensely romantic atmosphere. Thus, every year during the masquerade ball, countless students from outside schools flooded into Sword Flower University to see if they might turn a new page in their youthful romance. Even Truth University students were no exception—in fact, the proportion of cross-campus couples between Truth University and Sword Flower University was far higher than within Truth University itself. Although plenty of students had sworn, "I'm here to do practice problems, not fall in love," July and August had no demanding classes, inevitably leading students to slack off. With the masquerade ball approaching, amorous impulses ran high among university students across all of Jialesi. Even if you were a hard-core grinder capable of casually knocking out several math exams, it was still easy for spring fever to stir in your heart. Many Truth students from strict families, dedicated wholeheartedly to studying sorcery, had ended up utterly played for fools by outsiders simply from attending a single masquerade ball, muddleheadedly pledging their lives to someone—regardless of whether they were boys or girls. According to entirely unreliable statistics, the number of successful couples matched at each masquerade ball reached four digits. Even if seventy percent of them broke up within a month, it was still more than enough to keep yearning, lovesick youths brimming with anticipation. Still, even though Sword Flower students had anticipated how popular the masquerade ball would be, they never imagined so many people would show up tonight. It was as if half the university students in Jialesi had squeezed into the field. As for why there were so many people this year, everyone knew the reason in their hearts. "Why are there so many redheads?" Outside the dance floor, a youth dressed as a werewolf stood completely bewildered behind his mask. Out of every three girls walking past him, at least one had dyed red hair. Even with variations like pink, burgundy, and crimson, or styles ranging from short cuts to mid-length hair, choppy layers, and ponytails, weren't there far too many redheads?! "Bro, that's completely normal." Behind the bar counter, a female bartender was mixing drinks with flamboyant flair. Grinning, she said, "Back when *Flawed Blade of Chronos* aired, at least eight out of every ten young women you saw walking down the street in Jialesi had the exact same hairstyle as Daidalos. Now that the Red-Haired Sword Princess has shone so brilliantly in the Meteor Tribulation, what's so weird about everyone jumping on the bandwagon and dyeing their hair red?" The youth in the wolf outfit glanced over and realized the female bartender had even dyed a streak of red into her own hair. Helplessly taking the cocktail, he said, "But with so many redheaded girls around, even if Miss Sword Princess appeared right before my eyes, I wouldn't be able to tell her apart... "Ugh!" Taking a sip of the cocktail, he found it so overwhelmingly sour and astringent that it nearly killed him. He wanted to curse, but seeing that the bartender was quite pretty and cute, he swallowed his anger and said, "I asked for a Holiday Storm. What on earth is this?" "Ah, sorry, sorry!" The bartender pulled out a notebook and checked it. "Let me see... Ah, no wonder! I remembered wrong and accidentally poured in bitter vinegar. I'll check my notes and mix you the right one right away!" "You're learning this on the spot?!" "There are too many people tonight. I was just pulled in at the last minute as part-time help," the female bartender grumbled. "Who told me to fail my final exam..." The wolf-clad youth blinked, suddenly finding this bartender quite endearing. Her round, chubby cheeks were flushed red like ripe apples, hitting his strike zone dead center. Clearing his throat, he adopted a deep, magnetic voice. "Well then, lovely lady, may I invite you for a dance later?" "Thank you!" the bartender answered crisply. "But no can do. I have a fiancé." "Does having a fiancé mean you can't dance? It's just enjoying the fun of dancing," the youth coaxed patiently. "If it's just about dancing, I could dance with my roommates. Why would I have to dance with a guy?" The bartender giggled. "Besides, you're not my type." "Then what's your type?" "My fiancé's type." "Why are all the girls I like already taken?!" The youth in the wolf costume threw his head back and wailed to the heavens. "If I failed in wooing them, fine, but why does every single one of them already have someone they love! Am I destined to be the kind of guy who seduces married women?!" "I have two roommates who are single and very pretty, though not quite as pretty as me. When they come over later, want me to introduce you?" "No." The wolf-clad youth firmly refused. "I don't like setups that feel so contrived. I'm chasing that feeling of an unexpected spark of attraction." The bartender hit the nail right on the head. "Aren't you here for the Red-Haired Sword Princess, though?" "Yeah. Watching the Meteor Tribulation finals, I was moved by the Sword Princess's unyielding resolve." The wolf-clad youth turned his head toward the grand field. "I was thinking maybe I could run into her by chance at the masquerade ball, then win her heart with my charm—or at the very least, become friends with her first... But who could possibly recognize her like this?! Even the singer on stage has red hair!" "I thought you were just here to play around." The bartender looked at the youth with a bizarre expression. "Isn't that wild costume of yours meant to disqualify yourself from the mating pool?" "I heard the person the Sword Princess likes isn't a Sword Flower student. I figured she might dislike Sword Flower University's lavish, extravagant style, so I deliberately dressed as a werewolf swordsman." The wolf-clad youth cupped his chin, striking a somber pose. "Look into my eyes. Don't they hold a lion within?" He still hadn't given up on flirting with the bartender. "To be honest, I think you're pretty cute," the bartender said, stifling a laugh as she wiped a glass. "Like a big, fluffy dog. The Sword Princess might actually like that." "Give it up." Beside the counter, another youth wearing a golden mask chimed in. "Didn't you know Lelouch confessed his love to the Sword Princess a few days ago?" "Lelouch? Lelouch Waldo?" the wolf-clad youth said in surprise. "The eldest son of the Count of Virtual Star? The swordsmanship genius at Truth University second only to Dimi?" Among the royal guard nobles, the five dukes known as the 'Five Pillars of Starry' undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle of nobility, but that did not mean no one could approach their status. In recent years, five counts who had risen with the technological revolution were referred to as the 'Lesser Five Pillars,' describing how their power and influence faintly rivaled the Five Pillars. Among them was Count of Virtual Star Waldo. Under his family's banner were five major virtual gaming chambers of commerce, capturing eighty percent of the nationwide game market share. Constantly expanding and recruiting talent, almost every young person had played their family's games. Whether in social influence, job creation, or annual revenue, the Count of Virtual Star fell short in no way to the established dukes; 'Virtual Star Games' had formed the childhood of countless youths. As the eldest son of the Count of Virtual Star, Lelouch's background went without saying. On top of that, he was a swordsmanship genius who had achieved full Two Wings in his third year at Truth University, previously regarded as a rival to Dimi—though, of course, no one said that anymore. Regardless, Lelouch was a top-tier young noble. If he pursued the Red-Haired Sword Princess publicly, everyone else would basically have to step aside in dejection. "Lelouch confessing to the Sword Princess has been the hottest topic these past few days, and you didn't know?" the golden mask chuckled. "He didn't confess quietly, either. He put on a grand spectacle right in the swordsmanship club—roses carpeted the ground, fireworks lit the sky... By the way, Lelouch met the Sword Princess in that very club." During the summer break, combat sorcerers rarely trained behind closed doors. Instead, they joined various clubs for competitive sparring. Lower-tier clubs might just involve a few students renting a classroom, but high-tier clubs were mostly founded under the leadership of professors. A club that both the Sword Princess and Lelouch attended had to be of the absolute highest tier—so prestigious it didn't even need a name. Only the weak took pride in saying 'I'm a member of X Club' or 'I'm in the same club as So-and-so.' To genius sorcerers like them, a club was merely an ordinary venue for sparring and training. "I had no idea! For the past two weeks, my old man dragged me out to the easternmost countryside, claiming it was to broaden my horizons. In the end, I just fed mosquitoes for half a month! I only got back yesterday, so I know nothing about what happened in Jialesi!" The wolf-clad youth wailed, "Don't tell me the Sword Princess said yes?! Sword Princess, my Sword Princess!" "She didn't." "Whew, thank goodness." "But then Lelouch said: 'I know your heart already belongs to someone. Even if we can't be lovers, we can still be friends. I might not be your first close friend, but I hope to become your most important, most helpful one. The path of swordsmanship is long and lonely; we can compete and exchange insights. Although I'm not Dimi's match right now, I'll catch up soon enough.'" "That punk had rotten intentions all along! He's trying to use ordinary friendship as an excuse to slowly seduce the Sword Princess!" the wolf-clad youth said indignantly. "With those lines and tactics, you can tell he's a veteran player. The Sword Princess should've cut ties with him on the spot! How did she respond?" The bartender raised an eyebrow—*Who was it that just said if he couldn't win her over, he'd settle for being friends first...?* "The Sword Princess's reply might sound a bit familiar to you." "Huh?" "She said: 'If I need rivals, Senior Leonie and Sister Trozan already give me enough pressure. Why would I ever need to socialize with the opposite sex? Lelouch, it isn't that I look down on you for not being in the Sanctuary realm. In truth, no matter who it is, even if Dimi asked to associate with me privately, I wouldn't agree. You don't need to put yourself down.'" At this point, the golden mask sighed. "One confessed and the other rejected him. Why did they have to drag Dimi into it to take a beating?" "Awesome!" The wolf-clad youth slammed the counter and cheered. "As expected of the Sword Princess! She saw through Lelouch's scummy plot in an instant and answered with grace and propriety! Wait a second, that really does sound familiar..." He turned to look at the bartender. "It sounds almost identical to how you turned me down just now!" The bartender blinked innocently. "That just proves I have the same discerning eye for people as the Sword Princess." "Besides, didn't you look into the Sword Princess's personality at all?" the golden mask added. "She's obsessed with swordsmanship cultivation. Aside from acting and recording music, she doesn't take part in any social activities whatsoever. Rumor has it that plenty of noble banquets invited her, and she turned every single one down. Why would she ever show up at a time-wasting social event like a masquerade ball? For all we know, she might already be exploring the Void Realm right now." "I didn't look into it," the wolf-clad youth scratched his head. "I thought as long as I was sincere enough, I could move anyone's heart." "Just as the rumors say," the golden mask chuckled. "Lan Shile, you truly are a pure and sincere soul." "Since you put it so nicely, I'll pretend you didn't just call me an idiot... Wait." The wolf-clad youth suddenly caught on. "I never mentioned my name, did I? Who are you? An admirer of mine? Or... a secret lover?" "Over the past two weeks, only your father went on an inspection tour to the east," the golden mask said, shrugging. "I only happened to know about it, so I deduced who you were." The wolf-clad youth grimaced. "You're actually keeping tabs on my old man? That's so creepy. You aren't a prophecy sorcerer, are you? How else could you know about Lelouch's confession in such vivid detail?" "Because I was right there in the crowd watching," the golden mask replied. "I can vouch for that," the bartender teased. "I was the roses on the ground." The wolf-clad youth took a sip of his newly mixed cocktail. Even though it still wasn't particularly good, he endured it. Before his eyes, varied men and women hunted for partners on the dance floor; in his ears, gentle, lingering song notes drifted. After a long moment of contemplation, he turned to them and asked, "What would it take to make the Sword Princess like me?" The bartender countered solemnly, "If I knew the answer, what price could I sell it for?" The golden mask pondered for a moment. "Probably a fortune equivalent to a Four-Wing sorcery spirit." "That much?!" The bartender looked at the wolf-clad youth. "Could you pay a deposit first?" "I'm not joking!" the wolf-clad youth said earnestly. "At least give me a direction to work toward, right?" "At the very least, don't pave the floor with roses when you confess," the bartender said. "According to grapevine gossip, what the Sword Princess likes is tulips." "Also, the person she likes should be a sword sorcerer," the golden mask said. "Lan Shile, you don't major in the swordsmanship faction, do you?" "It's not a job application! How can love have sorcery faction restrictions? I refuse to accept that!" the wolf-clad youth protested. "Is there any news about who the Sword Princess's sweetheart is? I want to know what type she actually likes!" The golden mask chuckled. "'Who does the Sword Princess like?' is probably going to remain an unsolved mystery throughout countless people's university days." "I think even if strength isn't the deciding factor, it's certainly a major one," the bartender finally offered an earnest suggestion. "After all, the Sword Princess will definitely push toward the Legendary realm in the future. Her partner should at least be able to keep up with her pace—" "Push for the Legendary realm? Does she even deserve to?" Everyone turned around to see two figures walking past the bar. A tall, burly man wore a black tiger mask, while a petite, dainty woman wore a butterfly mask. The speaker was none other than the butterfly mask. The golden mask wore a faint, mocking smile. "You seem to be questioning the caliber of a 'Half-Year Sanctuary'?" "It's precisely *because* she reached Sanctuary in half a year," the butterfly mask stated bluntly. "Combat experience, sorcery foundation—she has none of it. She's nothing more than a vase who happens to have the rank. "She might have relied on cheating to climb into the Distant Sky Realm, but could she possibly step foot onto the Ruby Mountain?"