Good Child

"No interruption."

After smiling at the witch, Emily Joe introduced her to Jiang Han:

"This is Miss Cheng Yu, a special-grade witch instructor from our South City Training Institute. She is a master specializing in the Evocation School, with considerable insight and knowledge in other schools as well. Instructor Cheng, this is Miss Jiang Han, and this is her younger sister, student Zhen Ling."

The witch named Cheng Yu nodded, her slightly chilly gaze settling on Jiang Han.

It made Jiang Han uncomfortable. She could feel the other woman's gaze fixed on her neck, as though some dangerous predator were gently licking at it—slightly warm, yet carrying the chill before death. Breath and coldness wound around her throat at once. It was like an icy blade pressed against her artery, and she even felt a hysterical urge to hurl a Fireball Spell at her.

Cheng Yu withdrew her gaze, raised the left corner of her mouth, revealed half a canine tooth, and gave a sweet smile.

"I think..." She lightly bit her lip as she chose her words. "I have absolute confidence, as well as absolute interest, in teaching a powerful witch. Let us get acquainted again, Miss Han. Once you sign that contract, I will provide you with educational services."

She was very confident—and dangerous, too.

Jiang Han looked at Emily Joe. The other woman wore a professional smile and explained, "Please rest assured of Instructor Cheng's expertise. She has taught three Archwitches in total and has extensive experience dealing with witches like you—powerful, but unsure how to use that power. All you need to do is sign this contract and agree that, if you consider joining a club after graduation, you will give us priority."

It was fair enough. They offered free services and outstanding expert treatment—wasn't that simply another form of investment? Just like how professors in her previous life would have a few exceptional disciples, this sort of investment in education was hardly rare. It could greatly improve the chances of outstanding students succeeding—though some called it special treatment, unfair treatment.

But Jiang Han did not care whether it was fair or not. Was it fair that she had transmigrated here with a body nearly on the level of an Archwitch? She was not about to curse the hand that fed her.

Jiang Han signed the contract. The thin sheet of papyrus ignited with warm flames, and the writing changed from ink-black to bright gold. It slowly melted, crawling across the strangely unburned papyrus like lava. As though controlled by an invisible hand, it separated into burning words:

Contract established.

After about ten seconds, the flames died out. The papyrus made an extremely natural ripping sound and split into two equally sized sheets.

Emily Joe picked them up and handed one to Jiang Han.

It was covered in dense writing, with occasional flickers of flame passing through it.

"Here. This is a copy of the contract, and it carries legal force."

The same thing happened after Zhen Ling signed her contract. Emily Joe led Cheng Yu outside, saying she needed to store the documents, leaving Jiang Han and Zhen Ling alone in the office.

"Han, when I signed my contract last time, it wasn't made from this kind of paper, and it didn't have such powerful magical properties." Zhen Ling stroked her smooth chin.

Incidentally, Jiang Han had played cards with her sister yesterday. At first, she had refused to believe that her fifteen-year-old sister could beat an old gambler like herself, someone nearly forty in her previous life. By the time she started believing that some people really were born gambling gods, she had already gambled away her status as the older sister... So now, her sister called her "Little Han" or "little sister."

Her wish to make her sister stop calling her "big sister" had come true, but Jiang Han could not feel happy about it. She only felt increasingly bitter.

Fortunately, her sister knew when to be serious and only called her that in private.

"Is it very special?" Jiang Han asked.

"Extremely special. To make a contract take this form, you need the blood of a Birch Flame Dragon. It is a powerful ancient dragon originating around Egypt, and merely capturing one to draw its blood is difficult. But the results are excellent... Usually, it is only used for trade contracts. It is highly confidential, and once you sign it, you receive legal protection."

After thinking for a moment, her sister gave an example. "Say you have not broken the law, but someone arrests you over something in the contract. You would still be protected by the law. No torture could affect you, including acts meant to humiliate or insult you. A witch who violates the contract would be hit by the equivalent of an ancient Birch Flame Dragon's breath. Nine chances out of ten, they would die."

A society governed by law, and a legal society.

Jiang Han lowered her head with great interest and examined the papyrus containing the contract. This paper was not much different from A4 printer paper from her previous life. Papyrus was merely an ancient name, just like Red Bull contained no bull, and the beef chunks of 2009 contained no beef.

The ink continued to flicker slowly with fiery light, but it was only warm to the touch, not hot.

It was about the same as a hand warmer.

"How long will it last?" Jiang Han flicked the paper.

"Um... I'm not really sure either." Her sister picked up her own contract and examined it.

About ten minutes later, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Emily Joe and Cheng Yu entered the room.

"Student Zhen Ling, I will arrange a new one-on-one course for you." Emily Joe spoke in a very gentle voice, her smile utterly sincere. She had likely received a reward or credit for signing a future Archwitch. Seeing Zhen Ling glance at Cheng Yu with some confusion, she thoughtfully explained:

"Studying under a witch far stronger than yourself is not necessarily a good thing. Sometimes they become impatient or disdain students whose magical power is insufficient to cast certain spells. I will select an instructor to teach you how to train your magical power efficiently. Although how to increase magical power remains a mystery to this day, at the very least, that instructor can share her personal experience with you."

Watching Zhen Ling and Emily Joe leave the room, Jiang Han turned to look at Cheng Yu, who was sitting on the desk. It was obvious that she was neither polite nor ladylike. At the very least, from her sitting posture, Jiang Han could vaguely see the upper part of her thighs wrapped in reddish-brown pantyhose... She truly was not very ladylike, but she really did have a pair of long legs... Though it seemed she was wearing pumpkin safety shorts underneath?

"Heh. A patient instructor... I'd wager it's Instructor Sherrian, the one who lives by sleeping with other instructors." Cheng Yu sneered maliciously. "Miss Han, it seems they do not want me to have exclusive access to a pair of sister witches from the same family."

"Exclusive access?" Jiang Han seized on the phrase that made her uncomfortable.

"Yes. Your magical power is so vast, while your sister's is so... insignificant, less than drifting dust. What these eyes of mine see is magical power as fragile as a thread coated in glue. That means you are some kind of... mutated individual." Cheng Yu's smile was sweet, but her voice carried a cold quality. "It also means your sisters—your blood sisters—have a certain chance of mutating as well. They may not develop rare, powerful magical power like yours, but that would still be enough to make them excellent witches."

"Is that possible?" Jiang Han asked in surprise.

Could her mutation happen to her sister as well?

"The odds are very low, but they do exist." Cheng Yu walked up to Jiang Han and looked down at her.

At over two meters tall, she made Jiang Han, who was under one and a half meters, seem pitifully small—like an exquisite doll. "Tell me how far you have studied, so I can prepare your lessons."

"The third volume of Spell Schools." Jiang Han found a chair, sat down, and placed both hands on her knees.

"Have you learned the Fireball Spell?" Cheng Yu sat in the chair beside her and asked sideways.

"I have..." Jiang Han recalled the line the original owner had written in her textbook: "June 25th, six o'clock, rainy day."

Cheng Yu hummed. "Not bad. A witch who cannot cast Fireball Spell is destined to be incomplete. It seems you are a good child. You know all the lesson material."

The witch stood up, then smiled and said:

"Your foundation is decent, but your other knowledge needs filling in, so we need to start as soon as possible."