Chapter 100 – Surrounded

After her gaze met Mo Lan’s, all four Amishas came over.

Before long, the number of people seated at the large desk went from two to six.

Mo Lan already knew the ones in blue and purple robes—one taught second-years, the other third-years.

As for the remaining two…

“I teach the fourth-years,” said the one in the green robe.

“I teach the fifth-years,” said the one in the red robe.

Being stared at by five Ladies who looked completely identical, differing only in the color of their robes, Mo Lan felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

It wasn’t that the Headmistresses were trying to scare her—they were all quite kind and amiable, really. It was just that certain horror movie scenes from her Earth memories had begun flashing through her mind unbidden, ambushing her.

She seriously suspected that behind each of those hundreds of small doors, there was an Amisha.

Although she’d had her suspicions before, being this close to the Amishas still frightened her a little.

“The workbooks—how’s your progress? Number 101 said you’ve already finished reading part of them?” asked the blue-robed Amisha.

“Number 101 is…” Mo Lan asked, puzzled.

Could it be that the Amishas actually had serial numbers?

“Number 101 is me,” said the black-robed Amisha.

Blue-robed Amisha: “I’m Number 102!”

Purple-robed Amisha: “I’m Number 103!”

Green-robed Amisha: “I’m Number 104!”

Red-robed Amisha: “105.”

Mo Lan: “…”

They really did have numbers!

“Then… what number is the one who usually watches over me?” Mo Lan couldn’t help asking out of curiosity.

“Number 69,” said the black-robed Amisha.

“That’s the same as my dormitory number!” Mo Lan committed the number to memory. From now on, she could call the invisible Headmistress “Headmistress Number 69”!

“That’s because the guardian Headmistresses assigned to third-years and below are numbered according to your dormitory assignments!” said the green-robed Amisha.

So the numbers were rotating assignments!

Mo Lan looked from one Amisha to another—they really were identical in every way, from the curve of their lips when they smiled, to the sound of their voices, to every expression on their faces.

These were definitely clones! One-to-one copies that perfectly inherited every trait of the original.

She took out her Grimoire. “I’ve finished reading through the second-year workbooks and made annotations, but how do I take the books out of the Grimoire?”

The contents of the Grimoire were invisible to everyone except the witch it belonged to.

“Just open the permissions, and we’ll transcribe them for you!” the Amishas said.

Mo Lan did as the Headmistresses instructed, and before long, a pile of workbooks had been transcribed.

Using these workbooks, Mo Lan discussed things with the Headmistresses for the better part of the day before they finally reached a clear consensus.

Facing five mouths all by herself was truly not a pleasant experience.

She now felt that the 3 Red Gold Coins she was being paid were well-earned.

“Wonderful! We’ll print thirty copies, and next Monday we can give the second-year little ones a nice surprise!” said the blue-robed Amisha.

“Moira, please pick up the pace on the third-year workbooks, especially the ones near the beginning. The fourth and fifth years basically don’t have theory classes anymore—those workbooks are meant as self-study guides for the young witches, so it’s fine to take your time with those!” said the purple-robed Amisha.

The red-robed Amisha, however, had other ideas. “Even taking it slow, the fifth-years are about to graduate! I’m planning to add a graduation exam for the fifth-years—a direct incentive for them to consolidate the five years of theoretical knowledge, so they don’t make foolish mistakes after they graduate!”

The green-robed Amisha chimed in: “The fourth-years are important too, you know…”

“Enough, enough! Stop pressuring her! You all know the situation with Number 69, don’t you? Moira will work as fast as she can!” said the black-robed Amisha.

Mo Lan watched the Amishas bickering among themselves, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Did this count as Amisha arguing with herself?

Sure enough, more people meant more disagreements—even when they were all the same person.

The moment the black-robed one said she could leave, Mo Lan shot to her feet and bolted.

“Did she just go out through the wrong door?”

“I think so!”

“The passages behind that door all lead to the west side of the Castle, don’t they?”

…

Mo Lan exited the Headmistress’s Lounge and found the passageway she’d come through earlier, then started walking.

How terrifying—the Amishas!

“Hm? I don’t remember there being such a steep uphill slope on the way here?”

As Mo Lan walked, she suddenly felt something was off.

Had she gone the wrong way?

She looked back and saw she’d already covered quite a distance.

“Oh well, any passage will lead to the Castle anyway. It shouldn’t be too far off!”

Mo Lan pressed on with her head down, walking through the long underground corridor, climbing the long staircase, until she finally saw light that was different from the wall sconces.

“I’m… out?” Mo Lan stared at Crescent Moon Lake, at the massive cylindrical building below the hill, and at the adjacent glazed structure shimmering with strange iridescence in the setting sun. “Isn’t that the Magic Training Grounds and the laboratory?”

She turned around and her heart sank. She’d come out from a stairway on the Castle’s westernmost wall. The West Tower was still a great distance from here!

And she was just a first-year little witch who didn’t even have a broomstick.

She hissed. Her feet were already starting to ache before she’d even begun walking.

“Headmistress? Headmistress Number 69?”

“What?”

“Is there really no shuttle service? I only came out here because of the workbook business!” Mo Lan said with a pitiful expression.

“You’ve already been paid. Red Gold Coins don’t come easy, you know!”

Mo Lan: “If you add commuting costs, that’s a whole different price!”

“Get moving! If you don’t start now, it’ll be dark soon! You’re young—a nice walk is good for your health!”

Mo Lan: “…”

She started the trek back without further complaint.

Next time, she was absolutely going to make the Headmistresses come to her dormitory to transcribe the workbooks!

A single trip to the Headmistress’s Lounge was equivalent to half a hiking expedition.

Meanwhile, for the Headmistresses to reach her dormitory, all they had to do was hop on a broomstick and zoom over in an instant.

She’d seen them herself—above the lounge there were three chimney-like shafts open to the sky!

Surely the Headmistresses didn’t normally use those winding, maze-like underground passages to get around.

Grumbling under her breath, she still dutifully floated her Grimoire beside her as she walked, reading the workbooks while she went.

The sky had grown dark, and the path lamps weren’t bright enough, so she cast a Light spell on her Wand for illumination.

Getting back could wait a little, and she could make do with fruit cakes for dinner, but the time spent on this journey could not be wasted.

The second-year workbooks were done, but the third, fourth, and fifth-year ones were still waiting!

The Amishas were getting anxious too!

And more importantly, aside from the Culinary Magic she was learning in class, she hadn’t learned any new magic in a very, very long time.

Amisha Number 69 shared the surveillance feed with Numbers 103, 104, and 105. “See? Happy now? She’s reading even while she walks!”