Just as Herta was playing with fire, footsteps approached from beside her, startling her into immediately extinguishing the flame in her hand. After all, lighting a fire in a public place was clearly her fault.
However, the passerby had evidently witnessed the spectacle. A delighted gasp followed: "You're that Witch from the internet?!"
Herta turned to see a strikingly beautiful young girl with pale blonde hair tied in a small ponytail. Her emerald green eyes, sparkling like stars, gazed at Herta with undisguised admiration.
"What was that flame just now? Magic? Wandless casting?!"
It was clear that when Herta had passed through the Magic Gate into the Inner World, even though the Enforcement Team had dispersed the crowd and prohibited photography, someone had slipped through the cracks and captured her image. The video had inevitably spread like wildfire across the internet.
In today's digital age, censorship was futile. The more they tried to suppress it, the more it would reek of a cover-up. The best course of action would be to hire a Troll Army to flood the internet with counter-narratives, dismissing the incident as a staged hoax or fake news designed to garner attention.
Alternatively, they could try to divert public attention with an even more sensational news story, effectively burying the original.
Of course, there was a third option: do nothing and wait for the heat to dissipate naturally over time.
Herta had no idea how the British authorities would handle the situation, but it was clear the young girl had seen her photos online.
The blonde girl continued to chatter excitedly:
"Miss Witch, you're so beautiful! You're even prettier than in your pictures!"
"Miss Witch, did you come from another world? What was your world like? Was it a place where witches are born with immense power and rule everything?"
Herta's lips twitched slightly. This child has clearly read too many fantasy novels, she thought. "My name is Herta, not Miss Witch, and I'm not the kind of witch you're thinking of."
But the blonde girl quickly retorted, "But I saw you! You cast magic without a wand! You must be incredibly powerful, right?"
Herta desperately wanted to say, "No, I'm terrible! I've only been practicing magic for less than half an hour!" But she knew that would sound even more ridiculous.
From the beginner's magic book she had just skimmed, Herta understood that Britons needed a medium to cast magic. Most used ordinary wands, while a select few favored swords, knives, firearms, or even guns as their conduits.
These individuals channeled their Magic Power through their chosen medium, guiding it to unleash a spell.
But what Herta had just done—wandless casting—completely defied the fundamental principles of British magic. Others needed to hold a gun and pull the trigger to fire a bullet, yet Herta had simply traced a figure-eight in the air with her small hand, made a "biu" sound, and actually fired a bullet? It was utterly absurd!
In fact, only one person in all of Great Britain was known to be capable of wandless casting: the nation's ruler, Queen Elizabeth. This explained the blonde girl's astonishment.
"No, you're mistaken," Herta said. "I didn't use magic just now. It was just a lighter."
With a smooth slide, the blonde girl knelt abruptly beside Herta, her hands reaching out as if to embrace Herta's legs, but then hesitating, she clasped them together instead. "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid! That was clearly magic! Please, Miss Witch, will you take me as your apprentice and teach me magic?"
"Waaah! The final exams are right around the corner, and I'll fail if I keep going like this!"
Herta was speechless. "So, you're kneeling before a complete stranger just because of this?"
The blonde girl blinked, as if stating the obvious. "Of course! You look so powerful. If I can become your apprentice with just one kneel, I'll pass this exam—and maybe even all the others! Isn't that a total win-win?"
Herta couldn't decide whether the girl was simply too shortsighted or too naive.
The Enforcement Bureau Team Leader had tried to pry magic from Herta to boost his reputation, amass wealth, and climb the ranks. Yet this girl only cared about passing her exams?
With a solemn expression, Herta declared, "But you're mistaken. I'm just a cosplay enthusiast who loves witch themes. That was really just a lighter."
As she spoke, Herta reached behind her with her right hand, miming the action of pulling something out of thin air. When she opened her palm, a very ordinary lighter appeared.
Needless to say, this was an emergency item sent through the Chat Group. However, since Herta didn't smoke, she naturally wouldn't carry a lighter. This "lighter" was actually another object Sparkle had disguised using her Ability—it wasn't real.
While speaking, Herta removed her hat with her other hand. "Besides," she added, "we look about the same age. How could I possibly be some super powerful mage?"
At first glance, Herta seemed quite tall, but in Honkai: Star Rail, she was actually a genuine "young girl" body type, roughly the same height as Robin. Herta's apparent height was entirely due to her oversized, pointed hat!
The moment she took off her hat, Herta instantly seemed much shorter. Her "tall and imposing witch" aura was halved. The blonde girl's eyes widened as she realized that if Herta were wearing a school uniform, she could easily pass as one of her classmates!
The young girl, who had just declared, "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid," suddenly began to question her very existence under Herta's seemingly logical explanation. "Was that really just a lighter?"
Seeing this, Herta couldn't help but chuckle softly. After a moment's thought, she relented, "Alright, alright. The lighter thing was just a joke. I can teach you magic, but whether you learn it or not is up to you."
Her reasoning was simple: the girl was rather adorable, and since Herta had just arrived in Great Britain, making a local friend wouldn't hurt. Having someone familiar with the area to help would make everything much easier.
That scheming old man trying to take advantage of me? No way!
This cute, naive blonde girl wanting to become my apprentice? Absolutely!
Never mind that Herta didn't know any magic herself yet. That was a minor detail. She could just learn it on the spot and teach her later. Easy peasy!
Herta was brimming with confidence in her learning abilities.