“Class is in session.”

The history teacher was Alivia.

A middle-aged Witch who wore glasses and dressed in European aristocratic clothes even when she came to teach.

Her voice was authoritative but not harsh. Still, the unmistakable presence of a teacher was enough to quiet all the Little Witches at once.

“Last class, we covered a brief biography of Sage Norton Erin... Jiang Cha, stand up.”

“Yes.”

He Qin had already warned her that she was the most likely to be called on, so the girl had prepared herself.

“You joined the class late, so I need to test whether you’ve caught up on what you missed.”

To Jiang Cha’s surprise, though it made sense in hindsight, Teacher Alivia’s tone wasn’t especially stern, despite her seemingly rigid, unfeeling demeanor.

It couldn’t exactly be called kind, but there was still a certain warmth to it.

“Understood, teacher. Please go ahead.”

Jiang Cha’s calm response earned her a little more of Alivia’s respect. At least she wasn’t like the battle-crazed little runt of a Blondie beside her, who needed He Qin’s help every time she answered a question.

The teacher’s position gave her a clear view of every little thing happening below. And she was a veteran Grand Witch who’d survived all the way from the Middle Ages. It’d be ridiculous if she couldn’t see through these kids’ antics.

Whatever Jiang Cha’s abilities were like, Alivia was at least pleased with her attitude.

“What do you think of this first Sage? Remember to base your judgment on the historical context.”

“From the perspective of Witch society’s development, Sage Norton’s contributions were groundbreaking and immensely important. Organizing and teaching Little Witches subjects like potion-making, magic, and alchemy was undoubtedly a great achievement. But as for my personal opinion, I think she was still limited by the era she lived in.”

“Oh?”

Alivia raised an eyebrow.

“Witches’ classes are built on debate. You and I are both explorers on the path to truth, so speak freely, Jiang Cha.”

“All right. First, I think Sage Norton organized and passed down knowledge because it was the natural thing to do. She herself must have been a fairly typical academic Witch, hungry for knowledge and truth.”

“History shows us that the first Sage Norton was simply a wanderer who traveled around, visiting different Witches to discuss knowledge. There’s no fundamental difference between that and how we look up papers and visit renowned teachers today.”

“It wasn’t until war broke out and she was forced to stay in the Land of Origin, the place of her birth, that she truly began her life as a Sage.”

Jiang Cha had read about this period of history before. She didn’t know whether the “historical materialism” she’d learned as common knowledge could be applied to Witch society, but this was clearly a fairly novel take.

“So you think the times shaped all of this?”

“Yes. I think that without that war, Sage Norton might never have become a Sage or organized and passed on the knowledge she’d gathered. And even if she had, it would’ve happened much later.”

Jiang Cha nodded and answered calmly.

“That’s a very good point. You clearly think carefully about what you read. That’s excellent.”

Alivia clapped her hands, looking pleased. “You may sit.”

“Jiang Cha’s answer reflects a popular view in the twenty-first century: follow the patterns of history, take the era into account, and analyze history by considering both the times and individual actions. It’s not wrong, but it isn’t entirely right either.”

“Magic is omnipotent, students. Before the Fourth Sage Council discovered and captured the threads of Fate, Jiang Cha’s way of analyzing history was proactive and in keeping with the natural order—but it was also dangerous.”

“Because it meant our enemies could travel through time to wipe out our entire race in the fourteenth century—or even find the original people from an earlier age.”

“The threads of Fate aren’t part of history as a subject, but they’re important. He Qin, stand up.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why they’re important?”

“Because by organizing and arranging the threads of Fate, we completely fixed the history of the Witch race in place, making the past impossible to change.”

He Qin clearly knew far more than Lina, who looked tense and kept muttering under her breath, “Don’t call on me, don’t call on me.”

But Jiang Cha no longer had the heart to admire the Blondie’s cute expression.

She was thinking about something much deeper.

‘Just how terrifying are Witches, anyway...?’

A race that could even manipulate Fate and lock history in place to stop time travelers from changing it was beyond her comprehension.

......

“Don’t be so surprised, my Cha Bao~ I thought it sounded a little ridiculous at first, too. But the Grand Sages just don’t play by the rules, and the Sage Council is a bunch of monsters who transcend common sense. There’s so much they can do. Like I said, magic is omnipotent.”

After the two-hour class ended, He Qin was rubbing her temples, trying to work through the pain caused by the knowledge seepage. Lina took the chance to sidle up to the girl with a cheeky grin and speak in a low voice.

“You didn’t know about this before?”

“Oh, it’s because of knowledge seepage. Most Witches start learning when they’re eight. Before that, all we can do is read the children’s fairy tales written by humans to learn about the world.”

Lina shrugged and said with a hint of helplessness.

She knew Jiang Cha had lost her memories, so the question didn’t surprise her.

By then, He Qin’s headache from the seepage had eased too. She looked at Jiang Cha, who hadn’t shown the slightest discomfort from the start, with a hint of envy. “It must be nice to have a high Mentalism score. The thing Teacher Alivia gets criticized for most is how tightly she packs her lessons. Every class with her is a test of your mental strength.”

“But Lina’s fine, isn’t she?”

“I didn’t listen at all!”

The blond little girl thrust out her chest—flat as a board at a perfect 90-degree angle—and sounded utterly confident despite having no reason to be.

“If I don’t listen, the knowledge can’t seep into me.”

“...That’s impressive.”

Jiang Cha glanced at He Qin, and they both sighed in unison.

Because of knowledge seepage, classes at the Witch Academy usually began with a ninety-minute lecture, followed by an hour’s break and then another class. After that came lunch break.

In other words, Jiang Cha and the others had a whole hour of free time.

“What should we do next? Play a game? Or have a match to unwind?”

“And then sleep through the next Magic Theory class?”

He Qin called Lina out.

The blond little girl was a typical Combat Witch. She had no interest in anything unrelated to fighting, and she was very particular about which classes she applied herself in. She could scrape by in the others, but she had to get high marks in magic and practical combat.

The Witch Academy’s commitment to tailoring education to each student was more than enough to support her extremely lopsided study habits.

He Qin was more academically inclined. Her practical combat scores weren’t bad, but since she had no interest in fighting, they were only decent for now.

Once they reached the higher grades, she’d start falling behind the real Combat Witches.

“What’s the point of theory? I’d rather save my mental energy and memorize a few more spell models.”

“Sigh.”

“Do I need to bring anything for Magic Theory?”

Jiang Cha was actually more curious about why her other roommate still hadn’t shown up. She’d missed class altogether. But given the situation, it seemed better to ask about something less sensitive.

Lina didn’t seem to like that mysterious roommate very much.

“There’s nothing you really need... If I had to name something, a wand?”

“But it’s fine if you don’t have one. It’s a theory class, after all.”

He Qin remembered halfway through what she was saying that Jiang Cha didn’t have a single silver coin in her pocket, so she quickly added that last part.

“You don’t even have a wand?”

Lina frowned and asked in surprise.

A wand was essential. She wanted to drag Jiang Cha along to battle matches later.

“The Academy doesn’t give them out. There’s nothing I can do.”

The girl spread her hands and joked helplessly.

“All right, all right... Let me think, let me think.”

Lina rubbed her smooth chin as if deep in thought, then suddenly clapped her hands. “I’ve got it!”

“If you don’t mind, Cha Bao, I can get one for you. It won’t cost anything, but you’ll have to fill out a form.”

“Would my spare wand work? You can give it back once you’ve bought your own.”

He Qin looked like she could already tell another hassle was coming. She spoke quickly, winking at Jiang Cha again and again.

‘It’s not every day you see Yamato Nadeshiko looking this conflicted.’

Jiang Cha secretly enjoyed the sight, but she still didn’t want to accept money from her roommate if she could avoid it. She shook her head gently. “I wouldn’t feel right about that. What’s Lina’s idea?”

“If you pass the Battle Club’s tryout, you can get a standard-issue Combat Wand for free. It’s a lousy basic model, but it’ll do the job.”

“Jiang Cha hasn’t learned magic yet.”

He Qin hurriedly objected. She’d known Lina would try to drag them to the Battle Club. She didn’t like that place. Blood and fire always made her physically queasy.

“She can fight hand-to-hand. And what about her innate magic? The Battle Club looks at potential, not strength.”

Lina stuck to her opinion. The two didn’t argue or raise their voices; they simply and calmly challenged each other’s views.

That alone was rare.

In Witch society, even a debate over whether some little gadget was interesting could turn into an academic argument. If no one could prove their point, they’d just roll up their sleeves and fight. A peaceful disagreement like this only happened when people were still getting to know one another, but weren’t complete strangers either.

For a more concrete example, just look at scientists testing theories. When neither side can convince the other, the result is sure to be a good old fistfight.

And compared to old men eagerly beating each other up, a magic duel between pretty girls was obviously much more fun to watch.

‘All right, maybe I am a bit of a troll.’

Jiang Cha reflected on herself, then cut off the two still debating. “Can I go take a look? If I can get one for free, why spend money... He Qin, you don’t have to come with me if you don’t like it.”

“I’m your guide.”

He Qin sighed.

“You’ll have a hard time dealing with the Battle Club’s delinquents, too. They’re not all as easy to get along with as Lina.”

“Hehe~”

The blond little girl stuck out her tongue and raised a hand, flashing a little V for victory.

She’d known Jiang Cha would agree to go to the Battle Club. Why?

Well...

The same aura of poverty that clung to her had pointed the way!