Chapter 182 – Blessings and Curses

This put Anna and Annie even more at ease—as long as they weren’t separated, they had boundless courage.

The sisters walked hand in hand to the 《Witch Clan Book》.

Under Lady Amisha’s guidance, Anna placed her hand on the page.

Strange writing appeared on the page, the same kind as on that letter—she had never seen it before, yet she could understand it.

Amisha glanced at it. “Not bad! Outstanding talent in Blessing Magic and Culinary Magic, with all other magic types at the Beginner level.”

“Magic?”

That word held an extraordinary allure for the two sisters.

“Is it the same kind of magic that mage lords use?”

“It’s not mage magic—it’s witch magic! Your souls are pure, and you’ve already awakened as witches.”

The sisters felt a slight twinge of disappointment.

In their understanding, mages equaled formidable power and status—even ordinary nobles wouldn’t dare cross them. Witches, on the other hand, were the eternal villains of bedtime stories, never meeting a good end.

“Witch magic is several times stronger than mage magic! One witch can take on three mages!” Amisha added.

Anna and Annie’s eyes instantly lit up.

Stronger than mages? Did that mean they could defeat the duke?

“Will the Academy teach us magic?” Annie asked.

Her face was identical to her sister’s, but her voice was slightly different—a touch huskier.

“Of course,” said Amisha. “The Witch Academy is a place that teaches young witches survival skills and magical knowledge.”

The sisters suddenly felt that becoming witches was quite wonderful after all.

So what if witches were the villains? In bedtime stories, justice always triumphed over evil! But what about reality? If bedtime stories told the truth, the two of them would never have suffered through those things.

Being strong was all that mattered!

“Annie, it’s your turn.”

Amisha gestured for Annie to place her hand on the Chapter of Talents.

“Outstanding talent in Curse Magic and Sewing Magic, with all other magic types at the Beginner level.”

“Keep your talent test results safe. They’ll serve as excellent references when you choose your direction of magical study later on.”

The sisters took their test results and left the stage, settling into a corner among the new students.

The Headmistress had begun calling the next new student for testing, and still, no harm had come to them.

It was as if… as if they had truly arrived at a normal magic academy, where the teachers were simply testing students’ talents to facilitate future instruction.

Annie squeezed her sister’s hand. “Sister, this place makes me feel comfortable.”

Anna’s heart lurched. When they had entered the duke’s manor, her sister had said something similar—only that time, it was: “This place makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Could this really be a normal magic academy?

“No, impossible. How could fate be so kind to us? I mustn’t let my guard down!” Anna reminded herself silently. “The most terrible evil always hides behind friendly smiles!”

Just as this thought crossed her mind, a beaming face burst into their field of vision.

“Anna, Annie, hello! My name is Bertha. Congratulations! Blessing Magic and Curse Magic talents are super cool! You’ll definitely achieve your wishes someday—I guarantee it on my hair!”

Bertha said this while stroking her sleek, silky silver hair.

It was clear she treasured her hair dearly and took excellent care of it.

The other young witches were also discussing Anna and Annie’s talents.

“Curse Magic has tremendous destructive power, and Blessing Magic is very popular. It’s been many years since a young witch had either of those as an outstanding talent.” said an upperclassman.

Mo Lan had also come across a similar claim in a book. It was said that during the Divine Descent Era, more than half of all witches excelled in Curse Magic. But after the Witch Academy was established, the number of witches with outstanding Curse Magic talent gradually became as rare as those with outstanding spatial or psychic talents, and they appeared mostly among naturally awakened witches.

Conversely, witches talented in Light Magic, Healing Magic, and Blessing Magic had gradually increased in number.

That book had used this observation to propose the theory that a witch’s living environment and experiences during childhood might influence the inclination of her magical talents.

Whether this was true remained inconclusive, but the relative scarcity of witches with outstanding Curse Magic talent in the present day appeared to be a fact.

“Number five—Bertha!”

“Outstanding talent in Prophecy Magic…”

The first young witch who had taken the initiative to chat with Anna and Annie turned out to have outstanding Prophecy Magic talent!

If Blessing and Curse Magic talents were relatively rare, then Prophecy Magic talent was exceedingly rare.

Throughout history, the number of prophecy witches barely exceeded the number of Sorceresses.

“We’ve only tested five, and we already have Blessing, Curse, and even Prophecy! Could this year’s class produce a Sorceress too?!” Iris exclaimed.

The other young witches couldn’t help but feel hopeful.

Two consecutive years had produced Sorceresses, and the previous year had even seen three Sorceresses emerge at once. Perhaps this was a sign that the number of Sorceresses was about to explode!

“Outstanding talent in Lightning Magic…”

“Outstanding talent in Plant-type Magic…”

“Outstanding talent in Water Magic…”

“Outstanding talent in Healing Magic…”

…

The new students were tested one after another, but even when the last student’s results were announced, the outcome the young witches had been hoping for did not appear.

This year, there was no Sorceress.

Disappointed, yet they also felt it was only natural: “If Sorceresses kept appearing one after another, the other Races would probably start losing sleep!”

After the talent tests concluded, an awkward lull settled over the Great Hall.

The young witches who would normally rush forward eagerly to greet and get to know the newcomers hesitated. They had all noticed how uneasy Anna and Annie were and didn’t know how to approach them.

The new students, for their part, had no idea what they were supposed to do now.

Mo Lan tugged at Vasida’s sleeve, then hooked her finger around Sylph’s, and poked Lilith in the side. “What are you all waiting for? What a perfect opportunity!”

She took the lead, pulling a stack of flyers from her shoulder bag and walking toward the group of new students.

“Hello, Lucia! Welcome to the Academy. I’m Moira, second year. This is for you—make sure you read it carefully! There’ll be a tasting of new cards later. You won’t be disappointed!”

“Bertha, hello! I’m Moira. I’ve heard that those with exceptionally outstanding Prophecy talent occasionally receive revelations from fate—a privilege that not even Sorceresses enjoy. Is that true? Oh, right, this is for you. Be sure to give it a good read!”

…

Mo Lan greeted each new student individually, handing out a flyer to every one of them.

Thanks to her extraordinary memory, she could accurately call each new student by name, cite their test results, and engage in a few words of conversation.

Lilith, Vasida, and Sylph couldn’t help but feel outclassed. All they could do was hold their own flyers and introduce their magic to the new students.