After dinner, the candlelight entered the castle hall early.
As night falls, Bookroll Teacher holds classes in the hall. Unlike Noble Academy in the big city, the students here are all witches from the Guild of Witches.
But she wasn't the first to arrive at the classroom. Evelyn was already seated at the long table and had waved her hand.
"Has Your Highness Roland assigned you any tasks recently?" Evelyn asked eagerly as Candlelight sat down.
When she first arrived, she still addressed him with the formal 'Lord.' Candlefire chuckled to herself, 'Yeah, he had me work with some bizarre metal lumps, freezing them at room temperature—no idea what they're for. '' So... so that's it?' her eyes darkened. 'Your Highness hasn't given me any tasks yet. '' No training requirements?' Candlefire asked curiously.
"No, I just practiced on my own," Evelyn shook her head. "He only occasionally invites me to taste freshly brewed liquor." "Perhaps Your Highness values that quality. You've spent time in taverns and know every wine's flavor. There aren't many witches like that." "But wine tasting doesn't require a witch," she protested. "A single Golden Dragon's salary could hire a professional winemaker." "Uh..." Candlefire patted his shoulder. "I believe Your Highness has his own agenda." "Books comfort me too, but even I don't know what this ability can do. We can't magically turn water into wine... Could it be brewing the best-tasting wine for sale? But commoners only afford cheap ale, while Nobles have different tastes." Evelyn rested her chin on the table, dejected. "And Your Highness's brews are getting... unpalatable. I suggested mixing with water or fruit juice, but he seems obsessed with making the strongest liquor." Candlefire was momentarily speechless. In this regard, they shared a common plight. After arriving at Sleepy Island, they mostly did odd jobs—solidified candles became unnecessary with the growing fish oil supply, and drinking was strictly forbidden by Lady Tilly.
During the earlier period of life's hardships, resources were often allocated according to each witch's abilities. At times, a single candle might only provide a piece of unseasoned roasted fish for the entire day. She didn't find this practice problematic and was willing to distribute more food to witches who consumed more Magic Power. However, the resulting divisions among the witches and the subtle sense of exclusion left her feeling uneasy. Fortunately, Lady Tilly took great care of them and apologized for the allocation method, promising to make adjustments once resources became more abundant. This helped prevent the witches from showing overt rejection.
In Border Town, however, such a scenario was virtually unheard of—Witches sat at the same table, sharing meals with Your Royal Highness, wearing identical attire and utensils... Most remarkably, regardless of their abilities, they regarded each other as one, a bond evident in their daily interactions. Though she had only been in Border Town for two brief weeks, she had already deeply felt this unity.
They really see each other as sisters.
This makes the candle feel very envious.
As all the witches took their seats, the Scholar Teacher entered holding a stack of blank papers. "Today we won't teach new material. I'll conduct a comprehensive review of what you've learned." "What's that?" Lightning was the first to raise his hand.
"Goo-goo?" Maxie followed closely behind.
"Three months into your studies, Your Highness deems it necessary to assess your progress," said Shujuan with a smile. "All questions are listed on these papers, divided into three sections: Kingdom Language, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences, totaling sixty items. Correct answers earn points, while wrong answers deduct points... Of course, you cannot raise your hand to ask questions if you don't understand them. I believe you've already acquired basic literacy skills—otherwise, even knowing the answers wouldn't help you respond." She paused. "By the way, Your Highness decreed that only those scoring above half the correct answers will enjoy the weekend afternoon ice cream dessert. Those below this threshold will be disqualified from the afternoon tea." When Chihuo heard a crack behind him, he turned to see the Nightingale staring in disbelief, its charcoal pencil snapped in two after falling to the ground.
"Furthermore, Your Highness specifically noted that the five witches from Sleepy Island are exempt from this rule. You may either stay to participate in the quiz with everyone or take a day off," Shujuan said, glancing at Zhuhuo, Evelyn, and the others. "Regardless of your final score, you'll all enjoy a delicious afternoon tea." "Phew," Evelyn patted her chest and whispered, "I couldn't even recognize the words—I thought the ice cream must be gone." Miantang and Lian, delighted, stood up, bowed to Shujuan, and left the hall.
With physical discomfort, Sylvie, who had never shown up in the first place, was left alone on Sleeping Island Witch, now only with Evelyn.
"Are you going to stay?" the candle asked.
"I'd like to give it a shot," the other person nodded. "Didn't Your Highness Roland say knowledge can enhance abilities? If I don't put in more effort here, I'll never catch up with them," she said with a sly smile. "Lately, I've been practicing calligraphy in my room after class. Lily and Miyue even taught me how to read and write some common words." Her tone instantly brightened when she mentioned this, her eyes sparkling with excitement, which made the candlelight smile.
"Is that so? Then I'll try it too."
"Your Highness, the test results are in," the librarian handed Roland the summary sheet.
"Thank you for your hard work," the North Slope Mines' recent discovery left him utterly baffled. Even his daily tasks became difficult to focus on, so he shifted his attention to something more relaxing. "Wait, Nightingale actually passed?" "Yes, and she ranked among the top performers. Her Kingdom language section scored full marks," the scholar smiled. "After all, most of your questions were quite basic, and she already knew how to read and write. She naturally outperformed the Witch who had to start from scratch." "Tsk tsk," Roland mumbled, "I thought this test would help her cut back on sweets." Before he could finish, he felt a sharp pinch on his shoulder. "Anyway, the results look promising. All members of the Witch Alliance scored above sixty points. Your education must have been effective." "This also reflects their hard work," Roland lowered his gaze. "Only two witches from Sleeping Island took the test?" "Yes, Evelyn scored five points, while Candlefire got thirty-six. The latter likely had some foundation, with most of her score coming from the Kingdom language section," she replied.
After just two weeks of training, the students were already scoring in areas beyond the written tests. The Witch's exceptional individual abilities were truly remarkable, a testament to the continuous refinement of both her inner and outer Magic Power. Even her own witches excelled—Lily, Hummingbird, and Mystery Moon, for instance, progressed from complete illiteracy to mastering basic literacy in merely three months, a feat that surpassed most ordinary people.
What would the future hold if people could completely set aside their prejudices and work hand in hand with witches to advance society and civilization? Roland's heart was filled with anticipation.