Chapter 21: A Sudden Visitor
"Hmph, you got lucky this time. I'll get it all back with interest next time."
After the duel, Isabella, who had been teleported out of the Gladiator Arena, touched her chest with lingering fear, letting out a sigh of relief.
However, the proud Young Lady, having lost the match, felt too embarrassed to linger. She reluctantly bid Dorothy a polite farewell and prepared to leave with her two followers, but before she left, she glared fiercely at the smug Alice, uttering threats.
Of course, Alice was not intimidated in the slightest.
"Heh heh, give up, fat salted fish, you'll never have a chance in this life."
The Little Witch playfully made a face, almost making the blue-haired Young Lady throw a white glove at her again in anger.
"Good Sister, how was my performance just now? Wasn't I amazing?"
After the indignant Isabella left, Alice, with a look that begged for praise, acted spoiled towards Dorothy, resembling a golden retriever wagging its tail at its owner.
In response, Dorothy unceremoniously flicked her forehead, making the Little Witch cry out in pain, clutching her head.
"Ow, Good Sister, what was that for? I won!"
Alice protested, covering her forehead.
"Won your big head! You fell into such an obvious trap at the very beginning. If Isabella, that Artillery Witch, hadn't reverted to her old habits at the end, you would have been instantly killed. Where would you have gotten the chance for a last-minute counter-kill? You were just lucky this time."
Dorothy scolded her foolish younger sister without reservation.
The final moment of the duel seemed thrilling and unexpected for Isabella, but Dorothy saw clearly that Alice was completely gambling with her life.
Although the Sea Dragon Cannon caused immense damage to Alice the moment it hit her, it also simultaneously broke the restraints of the Water Prison, giving the Little Witch a fleeting moment of freedom. It was this brief instant that allowed her to activate her innate ability and achieve a desperate comeback.
However, all of this was predicated on Isabella choosing the Sea Dragon Cannon as her finishing move. While this six-ring spell was powerful, strictly speaking, it was a continuous damage-over-time area-of-effect spell, a standard artillery-type spell. It was excellent for groups and even better for clearing battlefields, but its single-target damage was not outstanding.
Of that long Sea Dragon, only the Dragon Heads part actually hit Alice, while the body and tail mostly missed. This allowed the Little Witch to endure the attack by relying on her high HP.
But what if Isabella had chosen a simple, brutal single-target spell as her finishing move, like the six-ring Extreme Cold Ray? In that case, Alice would have instantly frozen solid with the Water Prison, becoming an ice amber. What kind of low-HP counter-kill would she have pulled off then?
Furthermore, it was fortunate that this was just a duel and not a real battlefield. Performing extreme maneuvers like low-HP counter-kills on a battlefield is a big taboo, as you could easily encounter a finishing blow monster while low on health. This is far too risky and should not be encouraged, especially since Alice is an Armed Witch and will eventually go to war. If this bad habit isn't corrected in time, Dorothy figured she might soon be attending her silly sister's funeral.
Facing her sister's merciless reprimand, Alice, who had just been smug, immediately became dejected.
"Hmph, mean Good Sister, you talk so much, why don't you go up there yourself? You're all talk."
The Little Witch muttered softly, head bowed.
"What did you say?"
Dorothy frowned, raising her voice a notch.
"I said, Good Sister is right, I won't dare to do it again next time. Please teach me the correct way to fight. If you, Good Sister, had dueled Isabella just now, what would you have done?"
Alice looked up, her expression changing, revealing a flattering smile.
"I'm not an Armed Witch. Why would I duel someone when I'm full and bored?"
Dorothy shook her head, saying unhappily.
"Hypothetically, I mean, hypothetically."
Alice used her innate talent for sibling-like spoiled behavior, with excellent results.
Who could refuse such a cute sister? Dorothy had no choice but to briefly simulate the battle scene in her mind.
If she were in Alice's position?
Emmmm.
"The match would probably be over right after it was announced."
After a detailed simulation, Dorothy replied.
Alice fell silent at her sister's answer. After a long time, the Little Witch sighed.
"Good Sister, I will protect you well in the future."
The battle ending as soon as it began meant that her sister would be instantly killed.
Alas, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, her sister was a Half-Witch, and her growth was naturally slow. Although she had previously comforted her sister by saying that everyone's theoretical limits were similar, with only a slight difference in starting lines, in reality, there were very few Half-Witch powerhouses in the entire Witch World who could truly catch up to that starting gap.
Her sister was already sixteen this year, and had only just met the Witch Academy's entry requirement of 10,000 mana. She herself was only 13, but her total mana was already close to 190,000. Isabella, also a pure-blood Witch, was similar to her, with over 180,000 mana.
With such a vast mana difference, plus the fact that her sister was not an Armed Witch skilled in combat, it was only normal that she would be instantly killed.
Why did I ask this when I had nothing to do? It's like rubbing salt in my sister's wound.
The Little Witch was filled with regret and secretly resolved to protect her sister well in the future. Her sister's future should be guarded by her.
"Alright, Good Sister, let's hurry and buy the materials. It's getting late, and after that, we still need to buy a broom and pick up our clothes!"
Afraid that her sister would fall into sadness, Alice quickly changed the subject.
Dorothy: "..."
Although she didn't know what Alice's little brain was thinking again, she was too lazy to ask.
For a homebody like her, she had already been out long enough today. Anyway, the gossip was over, so it would be best if they could buy everything quickly and go home.
The subsequent shopping went very smoothly.
For spellcasting materials, the material shop sold specially packaged Witch Academy freshman material kits. They were large in quantity and good quality, and most importantly, they had a freshman discount, which was very nice. Dorothy happily bought three packs directly, one for pre-study, one for class, and one for review, feeling delightful.
After buying the materials, Alice excitedly dragged Dorothy to a flying broom specialty shop. The Little Witch, upon entering, familiarly greeted the Witch shop owner, a cool-looking young lady Witch dressed in a leather jacket and jeans with a biker-gang hairstyle. Then, she immediately asked the owner to bring out her best hidden goods for her Good Sister to see.
However, Dorothy, being even more experienced, naturally blocked her speed-demon sister's mouth, then smiled and asked the owner to recommend a classic broom with the best value for money.
She wasn't planning to spend much on a flying broom. The staff had already exceeded her budget, and a broom, being merely a tool for transportation, was truly unnecessary to waste money on. As long as it worked, it was fine.
Anyway, she was a homebody who didn't go out much. Buying a broom was just for commuting within the academy for the next few years. Speeding and racing were not allowed in the academy, so high-end racing-grade brooms were truly unnecessary.
Also, she actually didn't like riding brooms very much. It was like in her previous life, some people liked riding motorcycles, while others preferred driving cars. Alice was a typical motorcycle enthusiast, while Dorothy preferred more stable and comfortable modes of transportation.
She planned to save up enough money to buy a floating island, and then get a magical carriage or similar transportation. Ideally, it would be a luxurious carriage with internal space expansion, like an RV. Traveling in such a luxury vehicle would be a true pleasure; who would want to ride a broom every day, exposed to wind, sun, and rain?
Thus, amidst Alice's constant complaints of "Good Sister, you really don't know good stuff," the two sisters left the broom shop. After returning to the clothing store to pick up their finished school uniforms, they concluded their shopping and flew home together.
It is worth mentioning that Miss Mary, the owner of the clothing store, strongly suggested Dorothy try on the uniform in the store, saying that if it didn't fit, it could be altered. However, Dorothy politely declined.
Heh heh, given accurate body measurements, a Witch's craftsmanship would never result in ill-fitting clothes. She didn't believe a word from that SP tailor.
Because they had a new broom, the trip back was much faster. The two sisters flew for a short while, chatting and laughing, and soon their familiar private floating island came into view.
Only...
"Huh, do we have guests?"
Alice looked curiously at the extra carriage on the floating island's parking pad. From the materials, craftsmanship, and details of the carriage, there was no doubt that this was the kind of luxury vehicle her Good Sister had dreamed of—no, perhaps even a super-luxury vehicle that her sister wouldn't even dare to imagine. The Little Witch suspected this carriage might be several times more expensive than their own floating island, and she immediately wondered why such wealthy people would visit their home.
Dorothy, however, immediately saw the emblem on the carriage door, and her expression instantly turned displeased.
"Damn it, could it be that guy has come?"