Chapter 113: 112. Giving You an Emperor's Hat
"Diana, thank you so much for your help today. Goodbye."
"Not at all, it was truly wonderful to be able to assist a young lady like you."
At the entrance of the academy library, Dorothy bid farewell to Diana, who still had no idea that she had lost consciousness for a moment, and turned to leave.
Stepping out of the library, she habitually erased her presence and stood on the library's flight dock, gazing at the entire Witch Academy.
She had been so engrossed in conversation in the basement that she hadn't noticed the time, but now that she was outside, she realized the sun was already setting, nearing evening. The orange-yellow sunset enveloped the various floating islands, and the dreamy aerial city shimmered faintly amidst the rolling clouds and the vast expanse of the evening sky, everything as beautiful as a dream.
"What a truly beautiful sight," Dorothy mused, gazing at the unique scenery that could only be found in this highly magical Witch World.
"What's so great about this? I'm already tired of seeing it."
From her shadow, a crisp and clear voice emerged, then the shadow stood up, coalescing into Vannie's graceful and dignified form.
Dorothy turned to look at her new familiar.
A cool breeze blew, causing the waterfall-like long hair of the black-haired beauty beside her to flutter everywhere. Her loose robes also billowed in the wind, which made the beauty slightly troubled as she reached out to tuck the unruly strands behind her ear. Her fair and rosy ears, thus revealed, were exquisite and lovely, and her flawless profile glowed under the dim yellow light of the setting sun.
"Hmm, I suddenly feel that this sunset isn't really that pretty after all."
Zhai Mo Nv nodded, agreeing with her statement.
???
Vannie turned her head with a puzzled expression, only to see that her "master's" long bangs were also blown by the wind, and that fleeting glimpse in the haze suddenly made the sunset even more vibrant.
"I suddenly feel that this scenery is quite interesting after all. It was indeed the right decision to come out with you this time."
The black-haired beauty said this while looking at her "master," who couldn't show her face, with a hint of curiosity.
Dorothy: "."
Tsk, this is getting boring. I'm out, time to go home and cook.
She clicked her tongue, feeling a bit annoyed, then pulled out her broom and took off directly. However, she hadn't flown long before she felt a weight on her head. She reached up in confusion, then pulled down a strange doll from on top of her head.
It was a terrifyingly crude and simple, eerie doll. Its entire body seemed to be woven from willow branches and straw, and its bizarre, faintly clown-like pumpkin head had two vacant rectangular sheep-like eyes. It looked strange no matter how she viewed it.
Dorothy: "."
I'm throwing it!
Zhai Mo Nv casually threw the incredibly ugly thing down from a high altitude. Unfortunately, as soon as the doll fell a short distance, it reappeared on her head with a 'thump'.
"I say, Vannie, can't you do something normal?" Dorothy asked, feeling a bit helpless.
"I just feel that you, my master, seem to have ill intentions towards me. I am currently a weak, pitiful, and helpless familiar. If you, my master, truly become lustful, I would be completely defenseless, and that would be quite troublesome."
Vannie's voice came from within the eerie scarecrow doll on her head.
"However, Dorothy, your outdated aesthetic really needs to improve. This is one of my favorite avatars! Don't you think this willow clown is adorable?"
"Yes, yes, but I still think your aesthetic is too advanced, even for a witch. Also, has your personality changed a bit too much?"
Dorothy recalled the gentle beauty she had seen in the basement, who was like a proper young lady, and then compared her to the thing on her head now. She suddenly felt a sense of being deceived.
"That was just 'business mode' earlier. Of course, you have to pretend when dealing with unfamiliar people. Now that we're all on the same side, there's no need to pretend anymore. After being free from the influence of demonic and divine nature, the real me is like this. I'm only 25 years old this year, who isn't a young girl? How could the real me be so mature?" The scarecrow familiar extended a soft, straw arm and gently tapped the head of her mount, saying with a hint of dissatisfaction.
"But having such an ugly thing on my head will make me look silly, won't it?" Dorothy rolled her eyes. She felt like she had turned into a zoo.
A cat on her left shoulder, a dragon on her right, and now a straw doll hanging on her head. What kind of bizarre combination is this?
"It's fine, no one else can see me anyway." The straw doll stood up on the mount's head, hands on hips, stating this with righteous indignation.
Dorothy: "."
A loophole! I'm throwing it again.
Taking advantage of the false older sister, who had gone from a 'seller's showcase' to a 'buyer's showcase' and wasn't paying attention, she grabbed her and threw her again.
It's true that others can't see it, but she can see it herself! Having such a jinx on her head every day, she was afraid the magic mirror would misunderstand and lower her beauty score.
"Alright, alright, I'll change my appearance then. Who told you to be the master? You call the shots." After being thrown down several more times, the scarecrow familiar sighed and reluctantly changed her form.
"Uh..."
Dorothy, who had subconsciously been about to grab the doll and throw it down again, paused slightly. She noticed the change in the weight distribution on her head, and then, with some confusion, she summoned an ice mirror to look at the top of her head.
Reflected in the mirror was the familiar, unassuming country girl, but this time, the country girl had a classical witch hat with a wide brim on her head.
The hat was primarily black, with a wreath woven from willow branches and rice ears wrapped around its pointed tip. Below the brim, an endless starry sky was adorned. As Dorothy looked up, she could faintly see the dreamlike, sparkling stars within the wide brim.
Wow, this hat is really cool. So you do have normal aesthetics after all, Vannie, Dorothy thought to herself.
If it was such a good-looking hat, she wouldn't mind wearing it every day.
Now, she actually felt a bit regretful that such an awesome hat could only be seen by herself. It was a shame she couldn't show it off.
However, just a few seconds after she complimented it, she noticed a few small tentacles dangling from the brim of the hat. Then, with the speed of lightning, they snatched off her black-rimmed glasses and pulled down her scarf.
"Hehehe, Dorothy, now that you have me, you don't need these encumbrances anymore! Hurry, let me see what you, my master, look like!" From the starry sky above the wide brim, Vannie's eye formed, and the triangular tip of the hat split open into a mouth, from which her triumphant laughter emerged.
And then...
"Uh..."
The rectangular sheep-like pupils in the starry eyes turned directly into hearts, and the somewhat terrifying hat-mouth opened, unable to close again.
At this moment, the promising deity of the future prematurely comprehended what a true divine appearance was.
The hat tentacles dutifully put the black-rimmed glasses back on, then pulled the scarf up directly to form a mask. The originally wide brim drooped down, forming an invisible defensive line with her long bangs.
"Dorothy, promise me, from now on, you'll only let me see that beautiful face, okay?"
"Get lost!" The Little Witch cursed.
Witches should indeed wear big hats. Hooray!