That’s right. Jiang Cha was the one with the most problems out of the three.

Don’t let her vital role on the team fool you. She handled both command and damage control, and looked incredibly capable—but that also made her the team’s biggest weak point.

Whether in a competition or on a real battlefield, they couldn’t count on always having three people to gang up on one opponent.

If Lina and He Qin got tied up, Jiang Cha’s own lack of combat ability would be laid bare.

“Poor command, no grasp of tactics, a weak spell library, no decent offensive options, and your close-quarters combat is a complete mess. You haven’t even trained your magical power, and you’ve gone completely off track with developing your innate magic. If you hadn’t only started school three days ago and been a naturally Awakened Witch, I’d be asking your parents what kind of job they did raising you...”

By the twenty-first century, the entire population of Earth had been transformed into Witches.

But before that, from the discovery of unstable interdimensional passages in the eighteenth century to the creation of stable space gates that led directly to other worlds in the twenty-first, who knew how many humans had accidentally fallen into the Rift—a place full of magic that only Sage Class Witches could safely explore.

It was called the Rift, but the space within it was practically infinite. Or rather, the very concept of space didn’t apply there.

The Rift itself connected to the worlds of Infinite Dimensions, and who knew how many strange things could be found inside?

People who’d crossed over from another world?

The Sages fished out plenty of them every year.

Ruins and knowledge from other worlds?

They’d explored so much they were sick of it. It was like spotting an ordinary chest while exploring in Genshin Impact—they couldn’t even be bothered to give it a second glance.

All sorts of magical creatures, monsters, ruins, books, and fragments of worlds could be found there. If you looked carefully, finding a few humans wasn’t anything special, either.

It was just that most of them were ‘dead things,’ killed by the Rift’s chaotic laws—so far gone that not even the most powerful resurrection spell could bring them back.

Jiang Cha had been fairly lucky. She’d lost her memories for some unknown reason, but at least she was still alive.

Still, the Rift was something of a taboo in Witch society. Only Grand Witches who’d properly passed the examinations were allowed to learn anything about it.

“Developing innate magic?”

Jiang Cha knew her own shortcomings all too well, but Carol had just mentioned a term she’d never heard before.

“That’s usually third-year material, but...”

Carol pointed at Lina, then glanced at He Qin. The meaning was clear.

Any Little Witch with a bit of talent would be ahead of the academy’s curriculum. After all, the lessons had to accommodate the students who were falling behind.

“Take this book home and study it yourself. Come ask me if you run into any problems with development.”

“Now, for your individual training.”

In a three-on-one match, Cha Bao and the others could at least pull off a kamikaze strategy while Carol was holding back and limiting her power. But one-on-one... well.

By the end of the day, Lina had been beaten so badly she was barely in her right mind.

Huh? Why was Lina the only one getting beaten up?

He Qin didn’t have enough magical puppets in stock, so after two rounds she sat out and watched. And Jiang Cha...

That girl had no emotions whatsoever in Full Power Mode. There was no way she’d feel like she was getting beaten up.

In fact, she was the one who took the most hits. During breaks, she even went out of her way to ask He Qin for extra lessons in Witch combat techniques. She was the definition of a try-hard.

“I’m never fighting Mentor Carol again... She’s just too strong.”

Lying on the sofa, Lina blew bubbles and complained.

The thing was, Lina trained in both Transformation and Evocation, while Carol specialized in Evocation. Fighting her was like a mom beating up her daughter. Carol had been using every trick Blondie had up her sleeve for years.

There was no chance of winning.

“It’s okay. I’ll get even with her for you next time.”

The black-haired, red-eyed girl gently wrapped her arms around Lina’s neck and rested her head on her shoulder. Her hair brushed against Lina, ticklish but strangely comforting.

“Cha Bao, wahhh! My Cha Bao! You really are the best!”

Lina’s cheeks turned faintly red for a moment, but she immediately buried her face against Jiang Cha’s chest, hiding that flicker of bashfulness.

Watching from the side, He Qin felt like a third wheel.

She knew Lina was just a coward who only dared to talk a big game. She was always going on about things like 【thigh-highs】【child brides】【dark skin】, acting like she had tons of experience, but in reality, she wouldn’t dare cross the line. Compared with the shameless older girls in the upper grades, Lina was practically a good girl.

But Jiang Cha...

He Qin couldn’t figure out what made this girl tick.

Recalling what had happened earlier in the Great Library, the Yamato Nadeshiko-like young woman thought it over for a second, then decided she’d rather not see it. She headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

.....

They had a month to improve.

As a trump-card Witch, Mentor Carol was very busy. Without the Battle Club’s benefits, Jiang Cha could sell herself and still not make enough to cover one day of Carol’s instruction.

So their next match was scheduled for a month later. Until then, each of the three girls had her own way of improving.

Lina was easy. Until she officially became a Grand Witch and could build her own traits, all she had to do was follow her family’s training regimen. Potions, her spell library, equipment—she didn’t have to worry about any of it herself.

As for He Qin, she mainly needed to use materials reimbursed by the Battle Club, along with whatever she already had on hand, to keep studying and upgrading and improving her magical puppets.

She only needed to make a few minor upgrades to her spell library, too.

And Jiang Cha...

She borrowed a hundred books from the Great Library.

Three were guides to training magical power, ten were introductory textbooks on potion-making, forty were low-level spellbooks, and the rest were guides to developing innate magic.

Innate magic was highly personal. Even with the same Fireball spell, an Evocation Fireball and a Mysticism Fireball were completely different things, with entirely different paths of development.

Even when they used the same spell, every Witch developed it in a different direction.

There were all kinds of bizarre variations.

Cha Bao’s innate magic, 【Information Gathering】, had never appeared before. The version in the Witches’ existing spell library had been derived from magical theory by a Sage, who’d only made it as a toy to amuse a child and never developed it any further.

Principal Aislen’s own attempt to develop and upgrade the spell was still an immature, unfinished product. So if Jiang Cha wanted to develop her innate magic, she’d have to study and research it herself.

“Aaaaaah!”

At ten at night, the girls were in the living room in their pajamas, each doing her own thing.

Lina was meditating to train her magical power, and He Qin was reading a textbook about machinery. Jiang Cha’s sudden scream startled them both, and they turned to look.

“These books aren’t enough. I need to borrow some more.”

The girl didn’t explain further. Still in her pajamas, she rushed out the door in a flurry.

“Cha Bao really does have the makings of a Research Witch.”

Lina stared after her for a good while, then shrugged and teased her with a smile.

“I’m a little worried.”

He Qin frowned. “She seems to be putting too much pressure on herself.”

“I think she’s just too curious. You know how it is, Qin Bao. When Witches get into research, it’s totally normal for them to forget to eat and sleep...”

“Estelle’s like that, too, isn’t she? I just hope Cha Bao doesn’t turn into a shut-in like her.”

“All right, Lina-chan.”

“Yes, yes~”

......

It wasn’t until Jiang Cha properly learned how innate magic was developed that she realized how foolish she’d been before.

Strictly speaking, both 【Information Gathering: Full Power Mode】 and 【Focus Mode】 were just different ways of using the same spell. No matter how fancy you made a Fireball, it was still a Fireball. You could only call it a new spell once you’d modified its spell model.

Developing innate magic was a little more complicated. You had to make your magical power resonate with your innate magic, giving that power the properties of the magic itself. That was also why the first trait most Witches built for themselves was usually related to their innate magic.

On top of that, you needed solid theoretical guidance, precise control, and enough magical power. When necessary, you also had to use external materials to help yourself evolve.

That’s right. For Witches, developing innate magic was, at its core, a process of self-evolution.

Aside from how much they still had to learn, this was one of the reasons Little Witches like Cha Bao, who were born with over ten thousand units of magical power, couldn’t be called Grand Witches.

A Witch who hadn’t built a trait couldn’t be called a Grand Witch. Building her first trait related to her innate magic marked the beginning of the second stage of innate magic development.

But that was for later.

The books the girl had hurried out to get were rather specialized.

“Theory of Magical Development, An Analysis of the Roots of Mysticism Magic, A Complete Guide to Spell Model Construction, An Analysis and Summary of Magical Properties... Hmm, I’d also recommend adding Master Camilla’s The Origin of Magic. The title makes it sound like a history book, but Camilla—the genius Master who created magic—discusses a great many theories and ideas in it. It’s very useful for creating magic.”

“Sister Mo’er?”

The girl turned around in surprise and saw a familiar purple-haired beauty wearing a black lace nightgown. Beneath the library’s magical lights, the soft, pale curves of her skin were just visible through the fabric.

Her slender fingers picked up a book, but her eyes met the girl’s. That gaze was like a pool of spring water—seductive, almost inviting.

In the quiet, deserted Great Library in the middle of the night, Jiang Cha could hear even the rustle of the black lace. It sounded especially... captivating and new.

“It’s me. Honestly, Little Jiang Cha, coming here so late... You’re not just here to read, are you?”

The Witch leaned her hip lightly against the bookshelf and yawned as if to cover it up, but her words were full of teasing.

She really was a woman of irresistible charm. Every move she made was steeped in mature allure.

The young girl watched her and couldn’t help swallowing.

“Of course I came because I missed you, Sister Mo’er.”

Jiang Cha lifted her chin slightly, her smile turning pure and innocent in an instant. The adorable bunny pajamas looked especially cute on her, and the slim, pale legs peeking out from beneath her nightdress added a touch of youthful beauty.

The girl’s youthful energy meant she wasn’t intimidated by a mature woman’s charm.

“You really know what to say~ Go on now. The Great Library’s about to close.”

Mo’er covered her mouth as she giggled, and the girl suddenly widened her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in disbelief.

“Huh! Sister Mo’er, are you really kicking me out already?”

“Well, does Little Jiang Cha want to stay and keep me company tonight? I could give you a private lesson.”

The purple-haired Witch was a little surprised by the girl’s bold teasing. Still, she only raised an eyebrow, her suggestive words making the flirtation even more obvious.

But the pretty girl in her bunny pajamas really did hop away like a little rabbit. Before leaving, she winked mischievously and waved goodbye.

“He Qin’s waiting for me to come home~ Maybe next time!”

Once again, their little battle ended in a draw.