"I Became a Witch, but Now Everyone's in Love with Me!"

Chapter 11: Freeloading Is the Basic Driving Force of Witches
 

"Attend class."
Professor Ailivia.
A middle-aged witch in glasses and full aristocratic attire, even for a simple lecture. Her presence alone commanded attention, and though her voice wasn’t harsh, it carried enough weight to hush the room instantly.

"Last time, we discussed the brief life of the sage Norton Irene... Student Jiang Cha, please stand."
"Yes."
He Qin had warned her ahead of time—Ailivia had a habit of singling out students who looked the most likely to be unprepared. Fortunately, Jiang Cha was ready.

"You’re a transfer, and I need to assess what you've retained."
Despite the stern tone, the teacher's gaze wasn’t unkind. She wasn’t being lenient either, but there was a kind of fairness in her approach.
"I understand. Please go ahead, teacher."

Her calm and direct answer earned a small nod of approval. Ailivia had seen too many students try to bluff their way through. Jiang Cha, at least, had the right attitude.
"What is your assessment of the first sage? Be mindful of historical context."
"From a societal perspective, Sage Norton made invaluable contributions. Her efforts to classify and standardize disciplines like magic, alchemy, and potions were transformative. But personally, I believe she was still bound by the limitations of her era."

"Oh?"
Ailivia raised an eyebrow.
"The study of witch history is dialectical. Speak freely, Jiang Cha."

"Yes. I think Norton was a quintessential academic—driven by curiosity and pursuit of truth. Historical records describe her as a wandering scholar who consulted with many witches. That’s not so different from modern scholars exchanging papers or visiting experts."
"It wasn’t until war forced her to settle in the Original Lands that she began her work as a sage. If not for those external pressures, I suspect her knowledge might never have been compiled or shared—or at least not in the way it was."
"So you believe her greatness was shaped by circumstance?"

"Yes. Without that war, her legacy might have been delayed or even forgotten."
Ailivia nodded slowly, then clapped once.
"Excellent. Please sit."
She turned to address the rest of the class.

"Jiang Cha's analysis reflects a popular modern view: that history is a product of its time. This is useful, but not always accurate.
"Magic is omnipotent. Before the Fourth Generation Sage Council isolated the thread of fate, history could have been rewritten. Time travel was not only possible—it was a threat."
She turned to He Qin.

"Student He Qin. Why is this significant?"
"Because by stabilizing the thread of fate, the past became immutable. No one can tamper with witch history anymore."
He Qin's answer was confident. In contrast, Lina beside her was whispering, "Don't pick me, don't pick me..."

Jiang Cha didn’t laugh. Her thoughts had already moved elsewhere.
'A race that can nail down fate itself... just how powerful are witches?'
"Don't overthink it, my Chabao~ At first, I thought it was ridiculous too, but the Sage Council is full of monsters. They do impossible things like it’s normal. Magic really is omnipotent."

Class ended two hours later. He Qin was rubbing her temples from the mental strain, while Lina casually slung her arm around Jiang Cha.
"Didn’t you already know all this?"
"Not really. Until around age eight, most witches aren’t allowed to study real subjects because of knowledge infection. It’s all fairytales and human literature before that."

She gave a helpless shrug. With Jiang Cha's amnesia, it made sense.
He Qin finally recovered and glanced at Jiang Cha in awe. "You didn’t even flinch during that lecture. That’s impressive. Ailivia’s classes are known for their intense knowledge load."
"What about Lina?"

"I didn’t listen at all!" Lina announced proudly, striking a pose.
"No listening, no infection."
Jiang Cha and He Qin could only sigh.

Classes at the academy followed a specific rhythm: one and a half hours of lecture, an hour break, then another class before lunch. That gave them one full hour of free time.
"Game time? Or are we napping through ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ magic theory again?"
He Qin gave Lina a tired look. Lina, ever the combat witch, only cared about practical skills and barely passed non-combat subjects.

He Qin, on the other hand, was the exact opposite—a top student in theory, indifferent to battle. Their paths would likely diverge even more as they advanced.
"Theory is useless," Lina muttered. "Why waste time on magical psychology when I could be memorizing spell matrices?"
"Is there anything I should prep for the next class?"

Jiang Cha changed the subject. She was more curious about their missing fourth roommate, but that was probably best saved for later.
"Hmm... maybe a staff? Though it’s not essential."
He Qin hesitated, remembering Jiang Cha's lack of funds.

"Wait, you don’t have a staff?"
Lina looked genuinely shocked.
"If the academy doesn’t provide one, I can’t magically create it."

Jiang Cha raised her hands playfully.
"Alright then..." Lina tapped her chin, then clapped. "Got it! If you don't mind filling out a form, you can get a free basic combat staff by joining the Battle Club."
"She hasn’t learned magic yet."

He Qin sounded worried. She disliked the Battle Club. Too rough.
"That’s fine. They accept potential, not just strength. Even close combat types qualify."
The two began a soft back-and-forth. Calm, measured—not the usual explosive witch-style debate.

In this society, even arguments over trinkets often ended in full-blown duels. A conversation this civil was... rare.
'How strange. I’m enjoying this.'
Jiang Cha smiled, then stepped in.

"Can I come see for myself? Why spend money if I don’t have to? He Qin, you don’t need to come if you don’t want to."
"I’m your guide. I’ll come."
He Qin sighed.

"But be warned: not everyone in the Battle Club is as friendly as Lina."
"Hehe~"
Lina stuck out her tongue and gave a playful peace sign.

She had a feeling Jiang Cha would say yes.
After all... shared poverty builds bridges fast!