Chapter 5 – Witch or Sorceress

On the previously blank pages, golden text began to appear.

【Moira】

【Age: 13】

【Elemental Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Alchemy Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Healing Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Blessing Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Curse Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Divination Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Summoning Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Spatial Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Psychic Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

【Necromancy Magic Aptitude: Limitless】

……

(Aptitude ceilings from lowest to highest: Apprentice, low, Intermediate, Advanced, Peak, Beyond Peak, Limitless)

Mo Lan stared at entry after entry of “Limitless,” and nearly forgot to breathe.

She was a genius!

【All-element magic aptitude is Limitless. Matches Sorceress characteristics. Confirmed as Sorceress.】

Mo Lan: “!!!”

The Sorceress was herself all along.

【Magic aptitude test terminated】

【Mana test in progress】

【Test successful】

【Mana: 998 mana】

【Summoning talent manifestation】

【Summoning successful】

Mo Lan felt something inside her body—or perhaps her soul—straining to break free.

The next moment, a strange, oversized book appeared in her hands, its cover bearing a blank rectangular indentation.

A gilded binding, intricate patterns.

Unfamiliar, yet carrying a strange sense of familiarity.

She instinctively knew that the indentation was meant to hold a deck of cards. This was a card book.

Further information lay hidden behind a veil of mist, requiring more inspiration to uncover.

“A Sorceress! A new Sorceress has appeared!”

“The fifth Sorceress since Lilith!”

“Moira! Her name is Moira, right?”

“Just like Lady Traci, her talent manifestation is a book?”

……

Her test results, so utterly different from the other young witches, sent the entire hall into an uproar.

Even Lady Amisha’s eyes revealed a glimmer of delight.

Mo Lan felt herself become the center of attention for the entire assembly.

Fortunately, there wasn’t the slightest trace of miris in the witches’ gazes—only surprise, anticipation, envy, and admiration.

After all, Sorceresses were born from among the witches. The more Sorceresses there were, the stronger the witch race became.

The Chapter of Talents materialized the test results onto a sheet of parchment.

After receiving her results, Mo Lan barely managed to keep her composure on the surface, but inside she was absolutely overjoyed.

She was a Sorceress!

Capable of punching angels and kicking demons, making dragons bow their heads—one of only three Sorceresses currently in existence!

“Moira, congratulations on becoming the fifth Sorceress!”

“The fifth?” Mo Lan looked at Lady Amisha in confusion.

Shouldn’t it be the fourth?

“By the grace of the Sorceresses, what fortune for our race—a Sorceress enrolled last year as well!” Amisha smiled and looked toward the returning students. “Lilith!”

Mo Lan followed her gaze, and to her surprise, it was the red-haired upperclassman who had given her that sense of danger earlier!

Though now she was smiling much more warmly. It seemed she had just been trying to scare her before.

So she was the fourth Sorceress!

Since she hadn’t graduated yet, it was only natural the outside world didn’t know.

Even a Sorceress was still weak before she had fully grown. Keeping the information sealed during this time was absolutely necessary.

Amisha quickly regained her composure and resumed presiding over the enrollment ceremony. Mo Lan finally got to see the contents of the enrollment contract.

【We are witches/Sorceresses who awakened through suffering, and we shall forever remember the past.

Under the witness of Sorceress Lady Carmela, I pledge:

To never willingly harm any human female, witch, or Sorceress for the rest of my life, except in self-defense;

To keep all information about the Witch Academy confidential; to keep all information about the Wilds confidential; to keep all information about underage Sorceresses confidential, and never divulge it.

Should any of the above clauses be violated, I voluntarily relinquish my witch bloodline, bear the Mark of Betrayal, and am forever barred from the Wilds.

Pledger: ……】

No wonder Shana’s mother had refused to tell her anything about the Witch Academy no matter what—she had signed the contract.

Mo Lan carefully read every clause. Aside from the part about not harming human females or other witches it was merely a confidentiality agreement. Nothing to hesitate over, as self-defense covered a lot of ground.

At the bottom, she wrote her own name.

“Junior Moira, come here!” Upperclassman Lilith had somehow already made her way over to the young witches’ side.

Mo Lan glanced at Lady Amisha, and only after seeing her nod did she walk over.

“Is your talent manifestation a book? Are there any words inside?” Lilith asked curiously.

Mo Lan shook her head. “To be precise, it’s a card book—a binder for holding cards. As for its exact function, I’m not entirely sure yet.”

“That’s normal. A Sorceress’s talent manifestation gradually reveals its true abilities as her mana grows! At the same time, the Sorceress herself needs to develop it.”

As Lilith spoke, an object appeared in her hand. “Look at my talent manifestation—it’s even more baffling to the witches than yours!”

“Isn’t that… a syringe?” Mo Lan said in surprise.

Though made of some unknown material with a distinctly metallic sheen and inlaid with gemstones, the needle, barrel, measurement markings, and plunger were all unmistakably present.

Shana’s mother had a magical medical kit, and inside it was a crystal syringe.

“Well… I call it the Bloodthirst Needle. It has a fondness for blood, so the name Bloodthirst Needle suits it better,” Lilith said, salvaging her dignity.

Mo Lan understood instantly.

Who would want to call their talent manifestation a syringe!

Whenever people mentioned a certain Sorceress in the future, the moment they heard her talent manifestation was a syringe, the prestige would plummet immediately.

She needed to come up with a good name for her own talent manifestation too. “Card book” was far too plain!

After all, a talent manifestation was a Sorceress’s calling card!

The Book Witch’s talent manifestation was called the Omniscient Book. The Sorceress’s talent manifestation was called the Pen of Oaths. The Fireworks Witch’s talent manifestation was called the Fireworks Wand.

So hers should be… Mo Lan’s eyes lit up as an idea struck her.

“Book of Cards! My talent manifestation is called the Book of Cards!”

A tome that held cards—Book of Cards was perfect!

Lilith grinned, flashing her adorable little fangs. “Great name!”

Before the two young witches could chat much longer, they heard cries of astonishment once again.

On the stage, the round-faced, black-haired young witch had pulled a flesh-colored, crescent-shaped pouch from her belly.

It looked somewhat familiar.

Mo Lan remembered her—she was the shortest of all the young witches in this year’s class. Her name was…

“Vasida! Congratulations on becoming the sixth Sorceress!”

Lady Amisha’s voice was practically trembling.

Two Sorceresses had appeared in a single class!

The attention that had been focused on Mo Lan was entirely drawn to Vasida on the stage, and her face turned visibly red as an apple.

Mo Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Being a Sorceress was wonderful, but attracting so much attention was exhausting. Having another young Sorceress to share the spotlight was absolutely perfect!

After Vasida signed the enrollment contract, Upperclassman Lilith called her over as well.

Lilith took Mo Lan’s hand in her left and Vasida’s in her right, grinning to flash her little fangs. “The three of us can form the second generation Sorceress trio!”

The first generation, naturally, consisted of the Book Witch, the Fireworks Witch, and the Sorceress.

The appearance of two Sorceresses had pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

Young witches who had never dared imagine they might be Sorceresses couldn’t help but feel a surge of anticipation for their own test results.

Unfortunately, all the way until the second-to-last young witch completed her test, no third lucky girl appeared.

……

“Number twenty-seven, Sylph!”

Only one young witch remained who hadn’t received her aptitude test results—a girl with dark green hair and a gentle disposition.

To the jaw-dropping astonishment of every young witch present, she had barely stood before the 《Witch Clan Book》 for a moment before a deep brown wooden box appeared in her hands.

Without a doubt, yet another Sorceress had appeared!

After confirming the test results, Lady Amisha’s voice was trembling ever so slightly:

“Sylph, congratulations on becoming the seventh Sorceress!”

They had thought having one Lilith last year was already astonishing enough, yet this year had produced three more Sorceresses.

Since Lady Carmela, not a single Sorceress had appeared in three hundred years!

(End of Chapter)