Chapter 7 – The Gluttonous Vasida

Chapter 7 – The Gluttonous Vasida

“All first-year students, come collect your 《Newcomer’s Guide》.”

“Second-years and above, remember to check your academic plan on your Grimoire.”

“As per tradition, there are no classes scheduled for the next three days. Everyone should carefully read through the 《Newcomer’s Guide》 or their academic plan. Classes for this academic year will officially begin in three days.”

Lady Amisha produced a stack of booklets, and each first-year little witch received one.

The senior students, meanwhile, had pulled out large books from somewhere and were flipping through them with their heads down.

The higher the year, the thicker the book in their hands.

After receiving their booklets, before they even had time to look through them, Lady Amisha had all the little witches step back against the wall.

Five long tables laden with delicacies appeared in the clearing in the center.

“Alright, let the feast begin! First-years especially—enjoy this meal well!”

Lady Amisha flashed a meaningful smile, then her figure gradually faded away, vanishing into the Great Hall.

The next moment, everyone found they could speak again.

However, the upperclassmen seemed to have no interest in talking. Every single one of them rushed toward the dining tables in unison.

Even Senior Lilith abandoned her group of junior witches.

Everyone was quite orderly about it—one table per year, no table-hopping, no fighting over seats.

The first-year little witches were left standing in place, looking utterly bewildered.

Only one newcomer had moved even faster than the seniors, shooting toward the dining table like a little cannonball and devouring everything in sight.

With her and the seniors setting the example, the confused newcomers followed suit and headed for the first-year table.

Mo Lan watched the newcomer who had been the first to dash out.

That tiny body was eating with the ferocity of a ravenous beast.

Who else could it be but the supposedly “socially anxious” Vasida?

Mo Lan felt her earlier assessment had probably been wrong.

Someone with social anxiety would never do something so bold as to be the first one charging ahead.

The girl looked as though she hadn’t eaten in a month.

And besides, Lady Amisha had just left like that? No instructions, no arrangements whatsoever. Apart from the 《Newcomer’s Guide》 in their hands, the newcomers had nothing at all—they didn’t even know where they would be sleeping tonight.

Wasn’t this a bit too hands-off?

“Moira, shall we go eat too?” Sylph hesitated for a moment before extending the invitation.

By now, they were the only two still standing and not moving.

“Sure!” Mo Lan snapped out of her thoughts and walked with Sylph toward the first-year table.

At this point, the only seats left were the ones on either side of Vasida.

She ate like a whirlwind demolishing everything in its path—frighteningly fast. And when she had greeted everyone earlier, she had seemed so withdrawn that the other little witches didn’t quite dare sit next to her.

Mo Lan and Sylph didn’t mind any of that and sat down beside Vasida.

“Moira, here! These little lamb chops are absolutely delicious!”

Iris came back carrying a plate piled high with roasted lamb chops. Seeing Mo Lan seated next to her, she happily shared.

The lamb chops were on the far end of the long table, quite a distance from them and difficult to reach.

The little lamb chops did look genuinely appetizing.

“Thanks!” Mo Lan didn’t stand on ceremony—she hadn’t eaten dinner and was genuinely a bit hungry.

She had a strong impression of Iris.

Iris had outstanding talent in fire-element and kitchen magic, though her aptitude for other branches of magic was unremarkable.

She was also the only little witch among this year’s newcomers who had any real knowledge of fine cuisine. Her mother was a culinary witch with deep family traditions in the craft. Iris had eaten countless delicacies growing up, and before she had even been introduced to magic, she had already learned some cooking techniques.

However, while Iris’s mother specialized in dessert preparation, Iris herself was particularly interested in meat cookery.

The pockets of her school robe were stuffed to bursting, packed with jerky bits she had made herself.

Each piece was perfectly square, neatly wrapped in wax paper, looking like little candies.

Even the seemingly aloof Vasida had been won over by Iris’s meat candies, her voice of thanks noticeably louder than the other little witches’.

Mo Lan had considerable trust in Iris’s taste.

She cut off a piece of lamb chop and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly. “Delicious!”

“Right? Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with this unique aroma. I wonder what spices they used!”

Iris savored each bite while puzzling over how the lamb chops were prepared.

Mo Lan thought the lamb chops seemed to have the fragrance of cumin.

Shana’s mother was also skilled in kitchen magic and had quite a complete collection of cooking implements and spices—she had basically everything common. But cumin had never appeared in her spice box.

This suggested that cumin was probably not a common spice in Valen.

In Valen, where powerful individuals frequently traveled to other worlds through the Well of the Sky, it wasn’t strange for new and unfamiliar things to show up.

Even if this really was cumin, it probably went by a different name in Valen.

So Mo Lan kept her guess to herself.

After finishing the lamb chops, Mo Lan declined Iris’s invitation for another piece—she wanted to try the other things on the table.

Though in Iris’s opinion, none of them compared to the roasted lamb chops.

Mo Lan noticed that whenever a dish on the table was eaten, a new one would appear in its place—the supply never seemed to diminish.

Vasida, seated beside her, had been eating honey buns one after another from the moment she sat down, yet the basket in front of her remained piled high.

After burying her head and devouring roughly a hundred little buns, Vasida finally stopped. She lifted her head and let out a long, deep breath of relief.

Her eyes happened to meet the gaze of the witch sitting across from her, and Vasida gave a friendly smile.

At that smile, the little witch across from her was so startled that the drumstick slipped right out of her hand.

Vasida: “…”

She knew her behavior just now had made her seem like quite the oddball, but she really couldn’t help it!

Fortunately, she still had two companions. “Moira! Sylph! In your daily lives before this, was there anything about you that was different from ordinary little witches?”

Her voice was strong and full of energy—not a trace of that earlier social anxiety remained.

It wasn’t just Mo Lan and Sylph; every little witch within earshot had their jaws dropping.

“Um… I really wasn’t doing it on purpose before. I was just so hungry—I’m just glad I didn’t faint during the enrollment ceremony… Please don’t misunderstand, I’m really, truly not antisocial at all. Under normal circumstances, I’m very easy to get along with—except when I’m starving…”

Vasida hastily explained.

“So earlier, when you greeted everyone so quietly—that was because you were too hungry to speak up?”

Though the answer seemed absurd, Mo Lan felt it was probably the truth.

She had been paying attention to the supposedly socially anxious Vasida. If extreme hunger was the explanation, it would account for why Vasida’s voice had been quieter than a mosquito’s before, yet was now so full and resonant.

She had probably finally eaten her fill.

The honey buns in the basket hadn’t diminished, but Vasida had already devoured an enormous number of them.

(End of Chapter)