After all that crap this witch pulled earlier, she ended up giving me a hundred gold… Somehow that hardly even surprised me at this point.

“Wow, that’s actually… Wait, this isn’t a fraction of how much this mansion is worth!” I shot back. “Why would you even care so much about getting me into the Magic Academy anyway?”

Evelina stirred in her chair, frowning. “Do you really want to know?” she began in a low, ominous tone before nearly shouting. “Because they tried to take everything from me!”

Her sudden outburst made me startle back in my chair. Neither of us spoke for the awkward moment it took the witch to continue.

“Believe it or not, back when I was your age I made it into the Magic Academy fair and square. I sacrificed everything to make that happen, but of course my peers only saw it as ‘talent’ or sheer luck. It’s not my fault those prudes lacked ambition and couldn’t bear to see a commoner outdo them! While they pissed away their afternoons drinking tea with biscuits, I was poring over books and conducting my own alchemical research. When my work caught the professors’ attention, the other girls tried every petty trick in the book to get rid of me. Not very well, mind you, but idiocy in numbers is no trifling matter and all my research was at risk. So what if I retaliated by summoning a few nightmarish demons and lacing their lunch food with hallucinogens? It’s nothing the headmistress wouldn’t have done in my place, and she bloody well knows it!”

The loli’s heavily reddened cheeks had turned a shade of purple by the time she finished. She reached for her wine glass but found it empty, deciding to go straight to the bottle for her next long drink.

“For years I could do little more than accelerate the nobles’ debauchery by selling my particular brand of potions. But you, my dear Lady Beryl, you have a chance to continue where I left off.”

I couldn’t help facepalming. “This whole time… this has all been about you wanting to get your revenge on the Academy,” I groaned. “How would you even expect me to do that?”

She leaned toward me with a wicked, toothy grin, which was still the most horrifying expression she could make even in her younger appearance.

“Just be yourself!”

“Why does that sound like an insult…?”

“Nonsense,” the witch grumbled. “You’ll do fine. Take this: you will need it for the herbs.”

Before I could protest, Evelina retrieved a small bag and offered it to me. An array of magical symbols was woven into the dark fabric, and when I opened it to take a look, I found the bag was several times larger on the inside than the outside.

“You have got to be kidding me! I never even said I would agree to any of this shi—”

“One more thing,” she interrupted, pointing at my ‘old’ dress on the wall with another smug expression. “As it stands, that dress is rightfully my own property. Complete this quest for me and it will be all yours, and you can do whatever you wish with it.”

I gritted my teeth. I really wanted to get rid of that damn thing for good!

“Fine. Just give me a minute…”

I silently thought through her offer. A month-long journey spent picking herbs… followed by becoming a student again? While that wasn’t exactly what I had planned—even at a magic school with access to plenty of spell training I needed—I couldn’t think of anything better I had planned for today… or any other time in the future, for that matter. After that incident in the tavern yesterday, it probably would be a good idea to get out of the city for a while until things cooled off. And I had to admit for the first time it felt like I might have some sort of direction in this world. With any luck, this witch’s batty ‘intuition’ might lead me to something I desperately needed to find anyway.

The more I thought of herbs and alchemy, the more I was reminded of a certain someone. With all the crazy things that had happened in the past day, she completely slipped my mind…!

“Alright, I’ll do it,” I said with renewed vigor. “But on one condition: there’s someone else I want you to include in the deal.”

Evelina grinned like she had been thinking the same. “The girl you were with the other day? A fine choice! I was just about to mention that one. Bring her with you, and you can consider it done. Ah, what a rare sight that was to find one so young with so much potential…”

The loli sounded like a grandma speaking fondly of her granddaughter, which was even more nauseating thanks to her high-pitched voice. Still, I was glad Evelina had agreed to include Alice that easily; I knew my former companion would love to study at the Magic Academy, and Alice would probably even love to help with this ‘quest,’ too.

Even so, I had a few doubts about working with this witch…

“I just want you to know that if you try to double-cross us—”

“Then you’ll know exactly where to find me,” Evelina sighed with a dismissive wave. “I’ve lived in and around this city my whole life, and that’s not about to change now. Just fill up the bag I gave you with those herbs, return it to me and I’ll take care of the rest. Yes, the two of you, the fox, and…”

She stroked her chin again.

“Well, I’m sure you can figure it out. I have already provided you with sufficient funding to gear up and prepare for your journey. Don’t go spending it all in one place now! Oh, and are you sure you won’t be drinking that?”

The witch gestured toward my wine glass. I had been tempted several times now to drain it, but it felt like we were just about done here.

“I’ve already had plenty this week,” I sighed.

She shrugged. “More for me, then.”

In one swift motion, she grabbed the glass and took a long sip. Satisfied, she turned to me one last time with a surprisingly genuine, wine-stained grin spread across her face.

“You have everything you need. Off you go now, Lady Beryl. And good luck.”

I had been sitting in that chair for so long, one of my legs fell asleep, and I had to catch myself on the table as I stood up. The maid was nowhere to be seen behind me, having long since finished getting my foxy companion on the floor rehydrated before silently departing the dining hall.

Viela was lying on her side below me, still fast asleep. Now that I thought about it, somehow the witch had felt more confident the fox spirit would join me on this ‘quest’ than I did. This turn of events was already sudden enough for me… As much as she was basically a wanderer in this world without a place to call home like I was, could I really expect her to agree to something like this on such short notice?

I didn’t want today to be the day we said goodbye, and not just because of her unique spellcasting ability. Not because of last night, either. I figured the two of us could get more gold out of the witch to pay her, but I wanted to know what she was really after. I wanted her to tell me all the things about herself she never did say the first time we met.

And after all the trouble she had caused since then, she did kind of owe me a favor…

Viela had a contented look on her sleeping face, wagging her fluffy tail once in a while like a puppy enjoying a nice dream. I didn’t really want to wake her, but we did have a time limit, and for all I knew she could sleep away the rest of the day even on that marble floor.

“Hey Viela, when you’re ready I’d like to, um…”

She stirred at the sound of my voice, her fox ears twitching while she was still asleep.

“Oh, Beryl… You just have to say it…”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Okay, you’re kind of creeping me out,” I said. “What kind of dream are you having?”

Slowly, Viela licked her lips.

“Mmm… That’s a good girl…”

My whole body shivered.

“Seriously, will you just get up already!”