The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Along the widened mountain road, the magical streetlights cast a soft, warm glow, stretching the little witches' shadows long and thin. The new students formed a long, winding line, chattering excitedly about the exciting things happening at school.

Each first-year witch is accompanied by a second-year senior, who then guides her to the dormitory area—a tradition within the academy.

The atmosphere was relaxed at first, until the senior students started introducing the layout of the dormitory area.

“Our college has three dormitory areas, all surrounding Crescent Lake.” The senior student leading the way pointed to the shimmering lake below the mountain. “The East Campus is the closest; it’s just down the mountain. The North Campus is a bit further; you have to walk along the lakeside greenway for a while, passing the East Campus dormitories and a grove of breadfruit trees. The West Campus is the furthest…”

The senior student paused, her tone carrying the wisdom of someone who had been through it all: "You have to go through the East District, the North District, and... two breadfruit orchards."

A small commotion arose in the ranks.

"So how do we choose our dorm rooms?" Tessa asked curiously.

"Choose according to your physical strength." The senior smiled slightly. "If everyone keeps walking and can't walk anymore, you can find an empty dormitory to stay in. Unless you have already walked to the farthest empty dormitory, even if you encounter an empty dormitory on the way, the gate of the college will not be open."

"So..." Sylvia quickly grasped the key point, "If you want to live closer and quickly deplete your energy?"

"Smart." The senior student gave her an approving look.

"How long does it take to walk from the castle to the farthest dormitory in the West District?" Sylvia pressed.

The senior looked up at the mountain path ahead, then at the little witches' slender legs, and smiled even more: "At your current pace... it'll probably take until dawn."

"!!!"

The little witches all widened their eyes.

Evelyn spoke quickly for once, and hurriedly pulled her senior to confirm, "But most of our theory classes are in the castle, right? It's written in the timetable!"

“That’s right!” The senior blinked, a hint of mischief in her voice: “So… run as fast as you can! Only by running fast and burning off your energy can you get into the dorm as soon as possible!”

Before the words were even finished, the little witch at the front of the group had already realized what was happening.

The next second, the long line of people suddenly accelerated, and shouts of surprise and hurried footsteps echoed along the mountain road.

Under the moonlight, a group of small figures dressed in black witch robes began an unspoken "physical competition".

In the sky, four witches watched all of this silently.

Sylph turned to Moran: "I heard from Celia that ten years ago, it was you who suggested choosing dormitories based on physical strength?"

Moran smiled slightly, without denying it.

"For this reason, you even cut the mountains on the west and north sides of the college into cliffs and moved them between the laboratory and the west dormitory, completely separating them?" Sylph continued, "Originally, there was more than one way down the mountain, and you didn't have to go around half the lake from the east to get to the west campus."

Lilith and Vasita looked at Moran in surprise upon hearing this.

They only knew that this new tradition, which terrified the little witches, was implemented during Dean Celiad's tenure, but they were unaware that Moran was also behind it.

"Your idea?" Lilith's tone was incredulous. Moran smiled and nodded, her gaze still fixed on the small figures running along the mountain path: "The tribe's subsidies for nurturing young witches include {nutritional supplement cards}, which can be used at least once a week. Some witch mothers even give their children special meals, ensuring they receive {nutritional supplement cards} continuously from a young age."

The little witches nowadays are much stronger physically than we were back then. Those mountain paths used to be just a stroll for them, not a workout at all.

Now, with this dormitory selection method, children can find rooms that match their physical abilities, naturally leading to ongoing physical exercise during daily outings.

“That being said…” Lilith looked at the small figures panting down the mountain, her tone tinged with pity: “They have to run until they’re too exhausted to settle down right after the start of the semester, it’s so pitiful.”

Vasita nodded in deep agreement: "Luckily, I graduated hundreds of years ago. If I were to enroll now, I'm afraid I would faint halfway down the mountain of academies."

Moran gently raised her chin and pointed down the mountain: "Look closely, breadfruit trees are planted on both sides of the mountain road and along the greenway. The little witches will also spontaneously prioritize using these roadside breadfruits for emergencies."

Vasida followed her gaze, examined it carefully for a moment, and was immediately speechless.

There was a breadfruit tree every so often along the road, with a dense canopy and laden with fruit.

She was actually very strong back then, but she got hungry very quickly. With these supply points, she could indeed run all the way to the farthest dormitory in the West District without feeling tired.

Lilith suddenly remembered Moran's series of sweeping changes to the academy's teaching system and silently worried for the newly enrolled young witches.

"The Dean's Golden Cup's ability to adjust the appearance of clones..." she murmured, "is simply too useful."

Celia merely adopted Moran's suggestion and changed the tradition of new student admissions, yet the little witches spread the word that she was "the strictest headmistress in history."

The teaching system that Moran planned and that the girls were going to implement together was much more "difficult" for the little witches than "choosing a dormitory by physical strength".

She couldn't even imagine what terrible image the little witches would portray her as if she stood on the podium in her original form.

Moran had clearly considered this as well. She withdrew her gaze from the mountainside and turned solemnly to her three friends, her tone utterly earnest:
"Therefore, we must maintain a consistent image as the dean in public and absolutely cannot reveal our true identities!"

She paused, then added, as if to comfort them, but also as if to comfort herself:

"When the little witches grow up, they will understand our good intentions. Celia said that many of the little witches who graduated several years ago have written to thank her for her strict guidance back then!"

Lilith, Vasita, and Sylph looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

The running on the mountain road continued, the magic streetlights gently illuminating the long mountain path.

The witch deans watched the small figures gradually disappear into the distance, and fell silent for a moment. Then, they each silently reinforced the image settings of their external clones in their minds.

From today onwards, the headmistress of the Witch Academy will have this fixed appearance, and will only have one title—Headmistress.

As for his name... I can't say!

"What the Dean did has nothing to do with me, Moran/Lilith/Vashida/Sylph!"

The group exchanged smiles and returned to the Dean's lounge, continuing to observe the little witches' reactions from the perspective of the Deans. (End of Chapter)