Prima finished her evening training schedule, feeling a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. After a quick bath, she dried her hair and her prosthetic limb, then grabbed her gym bag to head back to the dormitory.
The air was biting cold, and since it was late at night, the academy streets were deserted.
As she stepped into the small square that served as the mandatory path back to the dorms, she suddenly spotted a lonely figure waiting by the fountain.
It was Lilith.
The blonde girl didn’t shout at her aggressively as she usually did. Instead, she sat quietly. Her thick, wine-red gown concealed her slender waist and long legs, revealing only her ankles clad in black stockings and a pair of red, square-toed leather shoes.
Her thin, pale arms braced against the smoke-grey stones of the fountain’s edge. Her eyelashes were lowered, and a cold, world-weary gaze peered through her lashes, staring intensely at a single spot on the ground. Her aura was a world apart from her usual self.
To Prima, however, the blonde girl’s long-standing intimidation still held weight. Waves of palpable pressure washed over her.
Prima’s face turned pale. It felt as if she had been transported back two months, to the days when she was ruthlessly bullied.
First things first… get ready to run.
Prima turned halfway, hesitating before she asked, “Classmate Lilith… um, did you need something from me?”
The blonde girl kept her head down, remaining silent as if she were still wrestling with a decision.
Under the glow of the streetlamp, light and shadow carved her features. The contours of her eyes and nose were blurred, but her thin lips caught the light, shimmering with a faint moisture.
After what felt like an eternity, her lips finally moved. She spoke with great difficulty.
“I’m sorry, Prima.”
This belated apology felt stiff and came out of nowhere. Prima grew even more flustered. She took a deep breath and looked away, as if unwilling to recall those early days. “That… those things are in the past now… But, but thank you… for apologizing to me…”
“Help me,” the blonde girl whispered, her voice so soft it was barely audible.
Prima was slightly taken aback. She found it hard to imagine Lilith ever whispering a plea. This Lilith had, at the very least, discarded a portion of her pride… What on earth had happened?
Is it because of Wang Yue? she wondered. Lilith didn’t seem to care about anyone except Wang Yue.
“I can,” Prima said, nodding vigorously. She summoned her courage to respond. “Your personality… it’s much better than before, Classmate Lilith. We can be friends. How can I help?”
Lilith explained the matter regarding the Acting Method.
Upon hearing that she was to be treated as a demon to be worshipped—acting as a conduit for mana—Prima’s cheeks twitched. She felt like she was being roasted over a fire. Given Lilith’s eccentric personality, would she “slay the god” or “profane the divine” once she was done using her? The thought terrified her.
“Why me…?” Prima asked with a long face.
“Prosthetic limbs made from relics are hard to control, aren’t they?” Lilith said softly. “I watched you learn to walk. I saw you fall over and over again until your nose was bruised, your lips were torn, and your face was covered in blood. Yet, every time, you struggled back to your feet. Then you started running, leading to even more falls and injuries…
“Later, to train your precision, you practiced placing chess pieces within a grid. You maintained that posture for so long you nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Every time you finished, your training uniform was soaked through… And then you moved on to high-difficulty maneuvers and weight training, leaving you covered in scars far worse than those from your falls. Your shoulders and back were always covered in medicated patches…”
As she listened to Lilith’s detailed account, a shy blush crept onto Prima’s cheeks. A small spark of joy at being praised flickered in her heart, and her eyes brightened. Still, she said bashfully, “That’s only what I should have done…”
“You are the only person in this school I respect—even if it’s just a tiny bit,” Lilith said. “Using you for the Acting Method might actually work. Anyone else would surely fail.”
“Then… what about her?” Prima asked cautiously.
“How could I possibly go back to her?” Lilith let out a self-deprecating laugh. “That would be far too pathetic.”
I shouldn’t have asked that. How reckless of me. Prima exhaled slowly and changed the subject. “What do I need to do, Classmate Lilith?”
“Follow me.”
Lilith leaned over and picked up a heavy sledgehammer she had prepared. Dragging it with one hand, she walked to the edge of the square, where a man-sized Demon Statue stood.
“Classmate Lilith… that’s public property…” Prima whispered a reminder.
“Hmph.”
The blonde girl gave a disdainful snort. She gripped the handle of the hammer. Suddenly, her left leg kicked off the ground, her waist twisted, and her skirt fluttered with a rustling sound. In an instant, her power exploded!
Thump!
The sledgehammer swung in a perfectly round, forceful arc, striking the statue directly in the head!
Stone dust filled the air as the demon’s horned head snapped off at the neck and tumbled to the ground.
“Ehh—?!” Prima screamed.
Lilith glanced at her and said, “Stand behind it.”
Prima stood nervously behind the pedestal, cautiously peeking her head out from where the head had been broken off. She shrank back slightly, terrified that Lilith might swing the hammer again.
The “head replacement” was a success.
“Looks much better now,” Lilith muttered.
She first clasped her fingers tightly against her chest. Then, she held the corners of her skirt and danced for a while, performing several strange ritualistic movements… all to provide herself with the psychological suggestion that she was truly worshipping a deity.
Fifteen minutes later, Lilith exhaled softly. Her aura began to rise, resembling a sharpened blade unsheathed, radiating a cold and bewitching light.
It worked. The feeling of power had returned!
However, her access was limited to the original mana within her body and the mana she received from Prima.
To solve the problem of mana transmission, there was a type of Mana-Storage Rune that could be engraved onto Transcendent Materials. Prima would inject her mana into the rune first, and Lilith would then replenish herself from it.
With her mana usable again, the issue of her makeup exams was solved. She wouldn’t be held back a year.
With the most pressing matter resolved, Lilith relaxed. She thought for a moment, then turned to her “battery.” Leaning on her sledgehammer with both hands, she asked, “I heard you received an invitation to the Tea Party?”
“Yes,” Prima nodded.
“Partner with me for the Extracurricular Practice. Without you, I can’t replenish my mana,” Lilith said in a tone that brooked no argument.
Prima gave a wry smile. Classmate Lilith had returned to her domineering self; some things truly never changed.
Originally, her plan was to wait for her younger sister, Mapeel, to get a Tea Party invitation so they could partner up. However, plans change. Lilith had beaten her to the punch.
Prima considered it. It would still be a while before Mapeel got her invitation—certainly not within the next month or two.
So, she agreed. In the current climate, she desperately wanted to go out and gain combat experience so she could become a witch capable of standing on her own and protecting her family and friends.
A week later.
Wang Yue sat on the porch of a newly built villa within the Silver Moon Phantasm.
In front of her was a freshly transplanted grove of plum trees. For now, the branches were pruned back; they wouldn’t bloom or bear fruit normally until next year.
Medeili sat beside her, her small legs dangling off the porch, swinging gently.
“Your Mystic Art is more effective in water. Do you want me to build a floating training ground in the Hot Springs area?” Wang Yue asked.
“No need. I’ve already overcome my psychological barrier regarding the fish lice. I plan to practice in the wild rivers and The Sewers,” Medeili replied, shaking her head.
“I see.”
Wang Yue stole a glance at Plum, secretly plotting a way to hold her hand or something similar.
Suddenly, her brow furrowed. Her gaze lost focus and she sat bolt upright, the romantic atmosphere vanishing instantly.
Medeili knew she was checking the situation at the academy through the Crow Raiment*, so she remained silent.
“Something’s happened.”
Wang Yue pushed open a Mist Door and stepped through. Medeili hurriedly put on her shoes and followed close behind.
At the academy gate, the shadow of Professor Sabrina’s pointed hat and black robes cast a conical silhouette under the lamplight.
In her arms, she cradled a small, mangled mass of flesh that barely resembled a human form.
Her expression was grim, her steps heavy.
Behind her followed Lilith, who reeked of thick, pungent blood.
Lilith dragged her feet, limping along with her head hanging low, as if her neck were broken.
It was clear she had been through a horrific battle. Her clothes were shredded, the fabric soaked in blood that had dried into hard, black crusts.
Her once pale, smooth skin was covered in filth and dust. Wounds gaped open, their edges beginning to harden—evident signs that they hadn’t been treated in time.
The stockings on her calves were torn, and a hideous gash slashed diagonally across her leg. She had even lost her shoes.
Soon, a crowd of students gathered at the school gate, casting looks of shock and suspicion at the scene.
