“Currently, the Academy factions control the Faith Source. Those unaffiliated Hush-Name Witches remain hidden in the desolate wilderness. Though they possess power on the Hush-Name level, they lack the permissions to access the magic bandwidth. They effectively have only one shot; once their mana is depleted, it isn’t replenished immediately. With the restricted recharge rate, it might take a year or two to fill back up,” Headmaster Gwendolyn explained in detail.
“Ah, being throttled like that sounds miserable…” Wang Yue muttered.
The Academy factions held a monopoly on mana, possessing the administrative rights to the Beacons of Faith. Their Hush-Names could utilize mana at the maximum recharge rate. Compared to them, Wang Yue’s infinite mana was like the difference between a leaky faucet and a roaring river.
“Our attitude toward other witch sects is generally quite moderate. Though our philosophies differ—ranging from the mild to the radical, the eccentric to the austere, or even the whimsical—as long as they don’t stray from the realm of normalcy, they are acceptable. However, you must be wary of the ‘Restorationists.'”
“Restorationists?” Wang Yue recalled hearing the name before.
“The Restorationists are a group of absolute fanatics. They want to turn demons into true deities rather than keeping them as unconscious clean energy,” Gwendolyn told her calmly.
This…
Wang Yue drew a sharp breath. If the demons were to gain self-awareness, the witch sects would transform into religious cults, becoming true organized religions that carried out the will of the demons rather than their own. From that moment on, they would lose all freedom.
“The Restorationists want to achieve a terrifying, twisted goal, and they have no chance of doing so openly. Their most likely path is to infiltrate the student body. This is what I need your help with. I want you to keep a close eye on any secret societies among the students that display unusual behavior… Of course, this task doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. I’ve recruited more than one student to help. That’s the deal. If you agree, I will allow you to bring your Demon Realm onto campus,” Gwendolyn concluded.
Wang Yue readily agreed.
Firstly, she needed the Demon Realm to resist the summons from the Blue Lake. Secondly, the Restorationists’ movements made her feel deeply uneasy. If the demons gained self-awareness, would the little witches become their pawns? That didn’t sound good at all.
Lilith gasped, feeling a sharp pang in her heart.
She clenched her small fists tightly, then suddenly released them, her fingers turning white from the pressure. She sat in a daze for a long time, unsure of what to do. Life felt as though it had lost its direction.
Right, the make-up exam…
Unless there was a special reason, make-up exams had to be completed within two weeks; otherwise, the student would be held back a year. This wasn’t just Gwendolyn’s personal whim; it was a strict school regulation.
If she was held back and became a ‘junior’ to her former classmates, it would be a devastating blow to her dignity. She had to restore her faith as quickly as possible, or she would be in serious trouble.
Once she recovered, the first thing she would do was give Wang Yue a piece of her mind.
Lilith ground her teeth and paced back and forth in her dormitory, racking her brain for a solution, sitting down only to stand up again. She pulled out her deck of cards and fanned them out, only for Wang Yue’s demonic image to catch her eye.
Seeing that hateful person, Lilith was so angry she nearly threw the cards away.
That path was a dead end. There might have been a sliver of hope before, but now? It would only have the opposite effect. Adding something she hated to another thing she hated only made her hate it more. The image of the demon in her heart grew increasingly hideous.
Wait!
Lilith suddenly realized something. The Karuta Club knew the secret of the Fetal Monstrosities. How did those people restore their faith?
It seemed she needed to pay a visit to the Karuta Club.
She wiped the back of her hand across her face, her eyes stinging from the friction. I’m not going to cry just because I was dumped! I’ll never shed another tear as long as I live!
Lilith bolstered her spirits, placing one hand on her hip and pointing the other at the dormitory door. She announced loudly, “I’m heading out!”
Her roommates cast contemptuous glances her way, whether intentionally or not.
Rumors had been circulating for days that Lilith had lost her faith and could no longer use magic. At first, no one believed it. However, as she repeatedly refused to complete practical exercises in class with all sorts of bizarre excuses, the rumors were gradually confirmed.
Those she had bullied in the past, or those who simply disliked her, didn’t dare retaliate openly due to her lingering reputation, but they didn’t hold back on the rolling eyes and whispered mockery.
Faced with her roommates’ increasingly undisguised disdain, Lilith’s face remained ice-cold. She held her head high and stared back, marching out of the dormitory with her pride intact.
The Karuta Club.
Past the corridor was a quiet room, open on three sides to the moonlight. Gymnopedie and Hatsuyuki Karuta were kneeling on the tatami mats playing cards, while Mirabelle held a cup of pomelo dew, sipping through a straw with a slurp-slurp sound as she watched.
“Lilith, you’re just in time. We’re short one person for bridge!” Gymnopedie suggested.
Karuta tilted her chin slightly and glanced at her.
“The President wants to finish this round first, then. We’ll wait until it’s over,” Gymnopedie corrected herself.
“I’m not here to play cards! Tell me right now, how do I restore my faith?” Lilith said bluntly.
“Eh?”
“Stop playing dumb! I already know everything! The Hush-Names are raising demons beneath the Academy! The eight unformed Fetal Monstrosities in the Blue Lake are the demons we believe in! My faith collapsed once I found out. You guys…”
Halfway through, Lilith’s voice suddenly faltered. Her eyebrows knit into a frown as she asked strangely, “What’s with those reactions? Speak up! How exactly did you restore your faith?”
Gymnopedie looked stunned, remaining frozen for a long while.
Karuta’s emerald pupils dilated slightly, her lips parted in disbelief. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a wand, waving it, but nothing happened. The young girl let out a shocked gasp, her body trembling slightly.
Mirabelle’s hand went limp, and her cup fell onto the tatami with a thud. The drink soaked into the mat; that wouldn’t be easy to clean. She also pulled out her wand, attempting to cast a spell, yet she couldn’t channel even a flicker of mana.
Lilith stood with her hands at her sides, fists clenched, her expression complicated.
As it turned out, these idiots hadn’t actually known the truth about the demons. As soon as she spoke, the entire group’s faith had been wiped out.
Hmph.
She had known they were unreliable. That so-called Transcendent Melody that supposedly controlled the body was useless against powerful witches; it was only good for tricking lower-year students with poor magical foundations.
Tsk.
And they acted so mysterious, building up all that suspense, yet they couldn’t even compare to one of Wang Yue’s toes.
“Hey, Gymnopedie, what exactly was that ‘underground secret’ you were always talking about?!” Lilith demanded.
Gymnopedie stood up and whispered a few words into her ear.
Lilith’s face suddenly flushed red. Her body trembled with rage as she yelled, “The Naked Dance Troupe?! How could it be something so stupid?! Do you have any idea what I’ve lost?!”
“Lilith, dear junior, that’s hardly our fault,” Gymnopedie said helplessly. “You just happen to have a natural talent for ruining everything you touch!”
***
Having received the mission and the permit from the Headmaster, Wang Yue set about moving her Demon Realm into the Academy.
She would live inside the realm and only come out for classes; this way, she wouldn’t be subjected to any mysterious summons.
On the way back to school, Wang Yue had already finished repairing the Clockwork Heart. It mostly involved gathering the parts Medeili had punctured and re-manufacturing the damaged components. Since she had the original blueprints, it wasn’t difficult.
The next step was to transfer the loyalty of the Lesser Lord’s retainers. She made them swear fealty to her and appointed them as staff for the Demon Realm.
Sperose was put in charge of the Theater, Fueuduo oversaw the gardens, the Head Chef and a purchaser ran the Kitchen, and the Sonic Manta was tasked with the Hot Springs.
Now, Wang Yue no longer relied on a manual workshop mode. The Clockwork Heart functioned like a super-factory. Aside from a few high-precision core components that required her to use Mystic Arts, the rest could be handled directly by the Clockwork Heart.
The repairs for the retainers were also left to the Clockwork Heart. The Sonic Manta’s sonic reeds were modified to be retractable; they would remain closed during non-combat states. This way, soaking in the Hot Springs wouldn’t be interrupted by a Transcendent Melody.
