SDIWD - Chapter 62
Chapter 62
It seemed that a temporary mental bond was completely out of the question. After several attempts, Bai Zhen finally gave up in frustration.
Hua Mu's resistance was far more intense than she had imagined, forcing her to consider just how much the Young Lady disliked her.
Because the Miss had always been blunt with her, she had a certain degree of self-awareness. What saddened her wasn't that the Miss disliked her, but that the Miss, despite her dislike, was willing to make such a sacrifice for her.
Perhaps this was the magnanimity befitting a future monarch.
Others might not know, but she had always seen it. The Miss was a person of great insight, possessing not only a clear sense of right and wrong but also the ability to handle matters without being swayed by her personal preferences.
She knew that Hua Mu was not free in many situations, playing the role admired by the public and only letting down her guard in front of those she was close to.
She certainly didn't count as someone the Miss was close to, but because she was near enough, she had come to know a more genuine version of her.
Bai Zhen was glad that she had once made that effort.
The real Miss might seem a little willful to others, but she knew that even this "willfulness" was calculated in advance.
When it came to the royal family's image and matters of interest, she never made a misstep.
So, to be honest, Hua Mu running away from home this time had been outside of Bai Zhen's expectations.
She had originally thought it was just a typical father-daughter argument. It wasn't until the night Hua Mu left that she learned the breaking point was the selection of a partner.
As a father renowned for doting on his daughter, no one would doubt the strictness with which Hua Jian would choose a partner for Hua Mu—Bai Zhen, of course, had thought the same.
She trusted the Grand Duke, believing he would select an exceptionally noble Sentinel for the Miss, one in a million.
Out of her duty as a guard, her first instinct was, of course, to persuade Hua Mu to return.
However, when Hua Mu uttered the words "I don't like it," Bai Zhen followed her out of the ducal manor without a second thought.
In her mind, Hua Mu's "like" was the top priority.
But now, Hua Mu was willing to disregard her own preferences for her sake, which left Bai Zhen deeply tormented.
"…So if I get skilled enough, I can command Luna without speaking?"
For the past few days, Bai Zhen had been helping Hua Mu catch up on her theoretical lessons, and the two of them had spoken more than ever before.
Hua Mu discovered that while Bai Zhen seemed quiet and uncommunicative on a daily basis, she had a real knack for teaching. Not only did her voice have a pleasant cadence that made it hard to get distracted, but she also explained the key concepts in a way that was both profound and simple, making them easy to understand.
"That's right. Whether it's imagining the barrier as a sphere or speaking commands aloud, these are merely training methods. Because abstract concepts are difficult to grasp at the beginning, you must use more concrete things as substitutes. After a long period of training, it becomes a conditioned reflex, and you can use your abilities naturally."
"But sometimes Luna doesn't understand what I mean at all, and I occasionally can't figure out what she's thinking. Aren't spirit animals supposed to be telepathically linked with their masters, a manifestation of the host's will?"
"That's a normal phenomenon, especially when the ability has only recently awakened. Hmm… let me give you an example. You know how old-fashioned movies were shown, right?"
"You mean projected onto a screen?"
"Yes. Let's assume you are the projector, and your spirit animal is the projected image. A misinterpretation of your will can be understood as the light path being blocked or the screen being distorted, preventing your will from being accurately transmitted to your spirit animal."
Hua Mu understood, but there was still something she was confused about.
"Then why don't I understand what she means?"
"Let me give you an example for that as well. Miss, when you look in a mirror, no matter what you do, the person in the mirror will always react in the same way, correct?"
"Isn't that a given? This isn't a horror movie!"
For some reason, Hua Mu really enjoyed this kind of interaction with Bai Zhen, so sometimes, even if she understood immediately, she would deliberately follow the topic to keep the conversation going.
When Bai Zhen was teaching her, her way of speaking changed noticeably. There was less humility and caution, which made her feel like they were on equal footing.
"But what if you were facing a very special mirror, and the image it reflected was a triangle, and every move you made caused the triangle to change accordingly?"
That's just too bizarre, isn't it?
"A triangle doesn't have hands or feet. What kind of reaction could it possibly have?"
"That's the point. Because the image is different, you can't understand its reaction even if it makes one. For example, if you raise your hand, the triangle changes from equilateral to right-angled. It has responded to you raising your hand, but you can't understand it. Because you don't understand, your will naturally becomes confused, and the spirit animal's behavior becomes even more unpredictable."
This time, Hua Mu understood completely.
"After all that, doesn't it just mean there's a funhouse mirror between me and Luna? She doesn't get my meaning and I don't get hers because neither of us is familiar with this mirror. We don't know where it's concave and where it's convex, so we can't interpret each other's commands and responses."
"Exactly. You're so clever, Miss!"
Oh, a compliment!
"Of course. Don't you know who I am? There hasn't been a single teacher who hasn't praised me."
Except for the one who taught her Guide theory!
"So what's the method? How can I become as skilled as you?"
"Uh, diligent practice… I suppose."
No matter how gifted, no Sentinel or Guide could escape practice. It was the only way to become familiar with one's spirit animal.
That was as good as saying nothing at all!
Hua Mu pouted.
Putting aside the fact that she was starting six years later than most people, just the fact that releasing Luna now would lead to an explosive reaction meant she couldn't practice at all!
The Sentinel had evidently realized this as well and looked at her somewhat awkwardly.
"How about… I go a little farther away, and you can practice here."
Bai Zhen was recovering well. After her period had passed, she was already able to perform normal daily activities. Thanks to ample rest and the use of natural Guide-hormone instead of artificial ones, nearly ten days had passed without another mental fugue.
"I don't mind… The question is, how are you? It's been over a week. Are… are you okay?"
Didn't this Sentinel need to take a Little White Pill every five or six days before? How could she endure for so long this time?
Bai Zhen seemed to be in good spirits. "Don't worry, I'm still fine. Your… your Guide-hormone is very effective, so…"
"Oh…" It was impossible for Hua Mu not to feel apprehensive, but she had finally made up her mind, and dragging it out like this was also agonizing.
It would be better to just get it over with quickly and avoid any further complications. Because of this matter, she hadn't even dared to ask Bai Zhen to hold her while she slept—it would seem too forward. Her body had been aching from poor sleep these past few days.
She missed her human mattress, but the human mattress seemed completely oblivious.
"I'll go check the traps I set earlier. You can remove your inhibitor and practice here."
"Are you really okay?" Hua Mu asked, still not giving up.
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
Watching the Sentinel's steady, if not particularly agile, footsteps, Hua Mu let out a soft huff.
Big oafs recover fast.
Grumbling to herself, she undid the inhibitor. The unicorn popped out of her mental landscape almost the instant the necklace was removed.
"Wuwuwu…" The moment Luna appeared, she started whining and spinning in circles like a headless fly.
"Stop!"
Her master's command still had some effect. Luna stopped her little hooves, but her head was still restlessly turning, her pair of dark eyes darting all around.
"You useless thing, why don't you have any self-restraint?" Hua Mu knew at a glance that she was looking for the white wolf and shot her a look of disdain.
"Yiya~" Luna looked at her pitifully, as if asking where the big white wolf had gone.
"What 'yiya'? You need to study hard now, you know? You silly thing, all you know is how to lick, lick, lick."
"Wuwuwu…" The unicorn clearly disagreed with her master's assessment of her and whined repeatedly in protest.
Hua Mu took a closer look and realized that Luna had somehow grown a bit bigger again; she was now almost as tall as Hua Mu herself.
"You're growing way too fast, aren't you? I've been wearing the inhibitor."
"Awooo~" Luna pouted as if trying to howl at the sky, but she couldn't quite imitate a wolf's howl, and the last sound came out like a snore caught in her throat.
Hua Mu stared at her, speechless. She never expected this little fool to be assimilated so quickly. Maybe she was actually Bai Zhen's spirit animal, and the handsome, clever Hati was hers.
Hua Mu always felt that bringing Bai Zhen back was all thanks to that big white wolf. Not only had he licked Luna into submission, but he had also helped her grow a little.
"Alright, stop whining… If you're good, you'll be able to see Hati soon enough."
Then you two can lick each other as much as you want!
Luna's eyes lit up, and she stomped her hooves joyfully, as if asking: Really? Really?
"Of course it's true. Now, listen to my commands!"
The unicorn straightened her body, assuming a ready stance.
A Sentinel's abilities focused on enhancing the physical body, while a Guide's abilities were more centered on mental control. In terms of application, Sentinels often had their spirit animal possess their body, whereas Guides more commonly used their consciousness to possess their spirit animal.
For the current Hua Mu, releasing her consciousness was too dangerous, so she could only start with some coordination training. During a spirit animal's infancy, playing with them was the best way to build rapport. Many of a Sentinel's and Guide's abilities were discovered and developed during this period.
But "playing" with a spirit animal was no easy task; for the host, it often consumed more than double the energy. Unlike her previous haphazard commands, this time Hua Mu followed the training method Bai Zhen had described and quickly began to feel fatigued.
Accurately conveying commands, giving rewards—a pat or a hug, repeatedly practicing the same action, observing the spirit animal's response to commands, and so on—all required intense mental concentration.
The first thing Hua Mu needed to learn was how to summon her spirit animal at will.
Under normal circumstances, unless the master's life was threatened or there was a strong external hormonal stimulus, a spirit animal would generally not leave the mental landscape without being summoned by its master.
But Luna clearly didn't fit this description. For her, popping out of the mental landscape was easier than popping out of her own tree hollow.
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