Inside the carriage, the girls huddled around a small tea table, chatting as they ate. They quickly warmed up to one another.
“You can really eat! Dorothy, is your stomach a bottomless abyss?” Matcha spoke rapidly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“I’m super hungry! I lived in Spore Town, and my family was very poor. Seven days a week, I was starving every single day. The worst part was the slime mold infestation at home. Those things are worse than cockroaches; they hide in the cracks of the walls and pour out when you’re not looking to steal the last bit of food! I couldn’t take the hunger, so I’d drink well water until my belly was bloated like a water buffalo. I could hear it sloshing when I walked!”
“That’s so pitiful, Dotty-kins.”
“Then how did you get the money for school?”
“My Master took me in and paid for my education. She’s a very good person, even if she likes to lick—”
Dorothy’s neck was suddenly seized by a small, fair hand. Her eyes bulged, and she couldn’t squeeze out another word.
“Ice cream. I like to lick ice cream,” Wang Yue said calmly. “Sometimes I just crave something cold.”
“Me too! My favorite is wasabi-flavored ice cream,” Matcha chimed in.
“I like chocolate,” Dina said, raising her hand.
“Cream and raisins,” Cerceybe whispered, her lips moving so slightly that only she could hear herself.
Matcha suddenly lowered her voice and asked, “Did you hear? Something terrifying happened last night.”
The girls leaned in, their faces filled with curiosity. The atmosphere grew tense, as if they were about to share ghost stories.
“I haven’t heard anything. Tell us!”
“A few thugs who were harassing the new students were killed. Their bodies were left in the street, and they looked… strange.”
“Strange? How so?”
“Their bodies were curled into balls, shaped like jars. It was like they were forcibly stuffed into bottles to set their form. Also, they were soaking wet—they all drowned.”
“Like canned fruit?”
“Heavens, that’s horrifying!”
“Some say a new student did it. She has beautiful orange hair, slightly curly, shaped like orchid leaves. The witness was too far away to see clearly, so no one knows exactly who it was or how she did it. They only heard a strange gurgling sound.”
“Like a pigeon?”
“No. Like the sound of a hand reaching into a jar and swirling it around to wash it.”
“There are several new students with orange hair.”
“Who knows if it’s even true?”
Wang Yue offered no comment. There were far too many bizarre occurrences in this world to keep track of. In the places where sunlight never reached, there was no telling how many demons and ghosts lurked in the shadows.
After talking for a while, she realized her roommates had decent personalities, which allowed her to relax.
Before she had crossed over to this world, she had read a news story about a student who, out of resentment for being discriminated against by their roommates, murdered them all with a hammer and stuffed them into lockers—one box per person.
She hoped nothing like that would happen at a witch academy.
The only thing that struck her as odd about her roommates was the octopus on top of Veronica’s head.
The flabby octopus never left the girl’s head. It sat there, damp and heavy. Doesn’t she get a heat rash? Wang Yue wondered.
There was an indescribable sense of dissonance about her. Veronica’s gaze wasn’t right either; her eyes were vacant, as if she were staring at a non-existent point in the void, and she barely spoke.
Wang Yue kept a mental note of it and stopped staring, turning her gaze out the window instead.
The carriage had already left Crowsnest Town and was speeding along a flat highway.
Outside, the darkness was so thick it felt tangible. In the distance, the shadows of trees swayed amidst a creeping fog. She couldn’t tell if it was an illusion, but she felt as though eyes were watching them—cold, malicious eyes that made her skin break out in goosebumps.
Dorothy had fallen asleep beside her, curled into a small ball on the velvet cushion. Her pink hair was a mess and her cheeks were slightly flushed as she breathed softly in a peaceful slumber.
What a dull-witted girl. The situation is clearly eerie right now, Wang Yue thought. Still, she didn’t wake Dorothy; instead, she took a coat and draped it over her.
The wind carried a scream, seemingly coming from the carriage ahead.
Drip.
Wang Yue glanced sideways and saw several drops of dark green liquid splashed against the window pane. It smelled putrid.
The professors must have stepped in to clear out a few bold creatures. She could vaguely sense the monsters lurking deep in the fog retreat slightly.
A few hours later, the convoy rounded a long sandbar covered in mangroves and entered a river valley. Emerging from the valley, they entered an ancient, desolate rocky landscape.
Moonlight illuminated stretches of glacial moraine hills. No plants grew here except for lichen, leaving the land looking bleak and mottled.
Suddenly, the view opened up. The vast sky covered a deep, sprawling wilderness. It felt as if one’s chest had been thrust open, expanding infinitely along the horizon.
Perched upon a sloping crag, countless Gothic buildings rose with the terrain. Spires, tall towers, castles, and sky bridges were interconnected, all guarding a magnificent Great Hall at the center.
Bright light radiated from street lamps, windows, and corridors, shining like a sea of stars set against the deep, soft velvet curtain of the night.
“Don’t sleep anymore. We’re at the school.”
Wang Yue shook Dorothy awake. Seeing the girl was still groggy, she opened the carriage door to let the cold wind gust in. Dorothy shivered and snapped wide awake.
“Wow… is this Balor Academy? It’s like an ancient castle!” Dorothy craned her neck, staring at the buildings above with obsession in her eyes.
“Let’s go. The torches ahead are moving.”
Wang Yue looked around and counted her roommates. Everyone was there. She waved her hand, urging them to follow.
The freshmen followed the teachers up the mountain, climbing a long set of stairs that stretched back for a hundred meters.
Half an hour later, they finally reached the entrance of the lowest plaza—the gates of Balor Academy.
In the center of the plaza stood a statue of the academy’s founder, Boya Enrique. She was a spirited old woman with very short hair.
The plaza was surrounded by red brick buildings.
Once inside, Wang Yue realized that not all the buildings were grand and towering. Most were European-style red brick houses, small and exquisite, suitable for living.
The freshmen were led to the dormitory building. Living supplies had already been prepared, rolled up in bath towels and placed on each bed.
Room 202 was the first room on the right on the second floor.
The dormitory was large, featuring a communal sleeping area with six beds lined up together. A partition separated the sleeping quarters from a study area in a 6:4 ratio. There was no private bathroom.
Wang Yue took a walk around. At the other end of the hallway was a large public washroom. Half of the second floor was for seniors (Rooms 207 to 220), while the other half was for freshmen (Rooms 201 to 206). The first floor was entirely freshmen.
