Chapter 125: Senior and Junior

"Ah, I see. Then let's wait until your mother is free."

Upon hearing that her beloved student's mother was busy, Noerose slightly frowned, feeling disappointed.

But upon further reflection, it made perfect sense—after all, Dorothy was a half-witch with a human father, so her mother must be a witch, and given that she had produced such a genius child, her mother's power was certainly no ordinary level.

"A dragon witch skilled in puppetry or architecture? And at least a Grand Witch."

The Spider Teacher speculated thus.

Noerose, still unaware that the college's famed superstar freshman was actually her beloved student, knew little about this new pupil beyond her performance during the entrance exam.

Dorothy's exceptional foundation in puppetry and architecture had left a deep impression on her, and due to this preconceived notion, she now assumed the witch mother might be a fellow practitioner in the same field.

Yet, in the witch world, both architecture and puppetry were niche disciplines with a tiny circle, and Noerose herself was undoubtedly one of the top masters in both fields—she knew most of the named practitioners, yet after racking her brain, she couldn't recall any dragon witch matching the description.

"Forget it, I'll think about it later. Whoever it is from either of these circles will surely give me some respect—I'm sure it won't be a problem."

The Spider Teacher shook her head, feeling supremely confident.

After all, she was about to ascend to Peak Witch soon—didn't they understand the prestige of a Peak Witch?

Moreover, considering the notoriously simple-minded nature of dragon witches, Noerose had already prepared a backup plan.

Back when she was still a student at the Witch Academy, she had a decent relationship with a senior dragon witch who had since far surpassed her—decades ago, she had already become a Peak Witch, and recently even became a newly appointed Duchess of the Dragon Realm.

"Hmm, I'll just go with my senior sister. I'm sure even if Dorothy's dragon witch mother is as dense as they come, she won't dare refuse me with a Duchess on her doorstep."

Noerose mentally plotted this strategy.

Feeling utterly secure in her plan, she relaxed, lowered her teacherly demeanor, and personally escorted her still slightly pale-looking beloved student toward a nearby pavilion.

Dorothy, for her part, was pleasantly surprised, but she suddenly realized that her new teacher's bias toward talent wasn't so bad after all.

She began wondering—if she revealed right now that she was the very same superstar student everyone was talking about on the college forum—would the Spider Teacher immediately elevate her to a divine pedestal and worship her?

Meanwhile, the little fox watching her teacher carefully support her senior sister had nothing more to say.

What second aunt? She had no second aunt—there was no such thing.

The three, each lost in their own thoughts, stepped into the pavilion—and as Dorothy crossed the threshold, her overwhelming intuition immediately sensed she had just passed through a transparent magical barrier.

Although the pavilion appeared to be nothing more than four pillars supporting a roof with open sides, once inside, they felt an instant warmth, completely shielded from the biting cold wind outside.

Even the stone benches, which looked hard and icy, felt soft and comfortable beneath them when sat upon, bringing Dorothy immense relief.

Once all three were seated, the Spider Teacher gently tapped the stone table.

Immediately, the sea of clouds before them churned, forming a vast cloud-window through which a majestic, magnificent temple became clearly visible—before it lay a vast plaza, undoubtedly the ceremonial stage.

But the stage was currently empty—obviously, the ceremony hadn't begun yet.

The three weren't in a hurry; Dorothy casually picked up a snack from the table, scowled at it, and tossed it aside, then pulled out her own stored food from her magical bag and placed it on the table.

The little fox beside her instantly perked up her ears, her nine fluffy tails wagging joyfully.

Yay, she'd get to eat her senior sister's cooking again.

She had no idea how miserable her breakfast had been that morning—foods she once enjoyed now tasted utterly inedible.

And this wasn't just Audrey being picky—her sister Madeline herself ate with a grimace, her frown deepening with every bite, clearly disgusted by her own cooking.

In the end, the two sisters simply gave up on breakfast altogether. Witches didn't need to eat, but after years of habit, skipping meals left them physically unfazed yet emotionally hollow.

Now, seeing her senior sister's snacks, Audrey's stomach genuinely growled—her body urged her to act.

But good manners forced her to restrain her impulsive hands—she merely gazed hopefully at her senior sister, waiting for an invitation to share.

Dorothy: "......"

Watching her junior sister's fluffy tail wagging wildly, she felt like she was staring at a beautiful dog waiting for its master to feed it.

Come to think of it, foxes are canines, aren't they?

Oh dear...

"Alright, you greedy little fox, eat up—I've got plenty more."

Dorothy pushed the snacks toward the pitiful-looking junior, sighing helplessly.

"Yay, thank you, senior sister!"

Upon receiving permission, the little fox's ears twitched, her large violet eyes shimmering with delight as her tiny doll companion expressed gratitude.

Then, carefully picking up a strip of dried meat, Audrey stole a glance at her senior sister—seeing Dorothy smiling at her, she blushed and began nibbling like a hamster, her flawless face lighting up with pure happiness.

Dorothy: "......"

Honestly, though her junior sister was a bit dense, she was undeniably gorgeous—just that smile made Dorothy feel like she could eat ten bowls of rice.

Is this what they mean by "beauty is appetizing"?

I'm in love.

But then Dorothy quickly turned her gaze back to the grand stage beyond the cloud-window.

The home witch remembered the words the angel witch had said earlier.

"Surprise? Let's see what exactly qualifies as a surprise."

Dorothy mused, chewing on her snack.

Meanwhile, the Spider Teacher glanced at the snacks Dorothy had brought out and paid them little mind—she was the type who cared little for material comforts; in her pursuit of research, she'd often skipped meals and barely slept.

After all, how could someone her age sleep? Look at her dragon-witch senior next door—she'd become a Duchess decades ago, while Noerose still hadn't even reached Peak Witch status.

But since these were her beloved student's handmade treats, a teacher should at least taste one.

Noerose reached out, took a strip of dried meat, then opened her spellbook and scrolled through her tiny list of friends to find the person with the longest name.

Wow, twenty years without contact—and her senior's username had become her full real name.

Looking at the name so long it could fill a dictionary, the Spider Witch's lip twitched.

Of course—it's you, senior. Even after all these years, you're still as outrageous as ever.

Noerose remembered how her senior had always used her full real name as her username, adding another segment every time she gained power—after decades of accumulation, she'd finally completed the entire name.

Sigh, perhaps that's what true confidence looks like. While real names are indeed witches' vulnerabilities—exposing them invites curses or control—

Who in their right mind would dare curse or control a top-tier Peak Witch, especially one universally recognized as the strongest in her class—a dragon witch?

And on top of that, this senior was a direct descendant of the Long Wang—her name even contained the Long Wang's title. To curse her would be to risk provoking the Long Wang himself—pure suicide.

Still, openly displaying one's real name was undeniably risky, and only this naturally domineering senior would dare such a thing. Noerose herself was a Demon Lord's descendant, yet she'd never been bold enough to do it.

The Spider Witch recalled her school days, feeling a pang of nostalgia.

She unconsciously bit into the dried meat she'd just put in her mouth, then swiftly sent a message to her senior.

【I've Chosen Puppets for Life: Senior, are you there?】

Huh? This dried meat is delicious.

Originally waiting for her senior's reply, Noerose's attention was instantly captured by the explosion of flavor in her mouth—she couldn't help herself and grabbed another piece.

Then her spellbook trembled slightly.

Heh, her senior's response speed was still lightning-fast—always replying instantly.

【Euphelia...: What do you want? Are you finally getting married?】

Noerose: "....."

Senior, if we don't mention marriage, we're still good friends. Why torture each other when we're both single?

Noerose felt she was still more feminine than her senior—her senior's dense personality and obsessive career drive were the real reasons she'd remain alone.

But since she needed a favor, she wouldn't retaliate—instead, she turned her sorrow into appetite, took another piece of meat, and furiously typed out a reply.

【I've Chosen Puppets for Life: Soon, soon—I've already found a promising candidate. I just took on an incredibly talented student—I'm going to raise her properly. This time, I'm definitely succeeding.】

【I've Chosen Puppets for Life: What about you, senior? What have you been up to lately? Still busy?】

Noerose chatted casually.

【Euphelia...: Not busy anymore—I just finished transferring my territory duties. My child is in school now, so I'm finally ready to focus on parenting. What's up?】

Her senior replied instantly—Noerose was thrilled.

Not busy? Perfect! I won't hold back... wait—child? Where did your child come from? We haven't seen each other for twenty years—I'm sure I didn't misremember it as two hundred?

... The Spider Teacher was stunned.