Chapter 36

On the other side, after Dorothey cast the illusion-dispelling spell on the phantom magical text above the arena announcing the match’s end, she waited for a long time but the text still did not vanish—finally, she realized she had not been under any illusion at all.

She had truly won the match.

“Tsk, did they let me win?”

Recalling the odd sensation when she struck Sophilia, Dorothey clicked her tongue.

So that guy was planning to fight me with only ten thousand mana? That strange armor-stripping move makes sense now—he didn’t want to gain an advantage through equipment?

Hmm, feels like I was underestimated. Or is this what angelic witches call pride?

But it doesn’t matter—I won in the end, and that’s all that counts.

“Yay, now I don’t have to worry about that twenty-year promise—I’m free.”

Too lazy to dwell on the details, Dorothey cheered inwardly with excitement.

At least now she didn’t have to fear being dragged to Long Zhi’s realm for training; she had no desire to risk her life on dangerous battlefields—just thinking about it exhausted her.

Though it seemed she could now return to her old cozy homebody routine, Dorothey thought better of it.

In her past life, she stayed home because reality was too dull—every day was work and social obligations; the tedious job and fake, draining relationships made her want to escape.

But this life is different—the real witch world is far more fascinating than the virtual web world; this world holds all kinds of miraculous magic, diverse fantasy races, and things she once only dreamed of are now real—so maybe stepping outside wouldn’t be so bad.

The world is vast—shouldn’t she go see it?

After all, witches live for a thousand years, and if she ascends to a Great Witch, her lifespan grows even longer—nearly immortal. She has more than enough time in this life to experience everything.

Even if she later finds the outside world isn’t as wonderful as she imagined, it’s never too late to come home and retreat again.

Witches are inherently a free race—their endless evolution stems from this longing for freedom.

“Then for now, I’ll take the promise I made to Euphelia as my goal.”

Dorothey resolved this in her heart.

Her earlier words weren’t a lie invented to convince her domineering mother—they were truly what she felt.

If she could, she truly wanted friends who shared her ideals; if true companions weren’t so hard to find, who would willingly stay home every day glued to the net?

She also truly wanted her own territory—after all, owning her own house had been her lifelong obsession across two lives, and a witch domain was merely the ultimate form of a house.

She loved studying magic and wished to grow stronger, but this strength wasn’t meant to oppress others or kill more efficiently—she simply cherished the feeling of becoming better each day; her power existed only to protect herself when necessary.

Even without Adam’s influence, Dorothey’s past-life memories ensured she would remain gentle; the ancient nation that raised her was great, and though she might now be forever parted from its embrace, the beautiful life etched into her soul would never be forgotten.

Dorothey was practical—she knew she couldn’t change the world with her own strength, nor did she have the ambition or courage to become a savior for all weak races; the witch world’s rules weren’t for a lowly witch like her to dictate.

But within her own witch domain, she could naturally strive to recreate the beauty she remembered.

A witch lord has the right to set all rules within her domain—just as you may freely decorate your home; others may dislike or even hate your style, but they have no right to interfere—as long as you’re happy.

Hmm, this was the most beautiful future Dorothey could imagine; she was never greedy, even quite low in desire, easily satisfied.

Her wish had always been simple: just a warm, beautiful home, a few family and friends who understood and supported each other, and to spend every day happily together.

Is this wish too much?

Not at all.

Anyway, she would now strive toward fulfilling this goal.

After making up her mind, Dorothey felt much lighter, and she began looking forward to her life at the Witch Academy.

.........Little Witch flying on her broom.........

Fifteen minutes later, Dorothey sat neatly on a soft sofa, nervously observing her surroundings.

She was now inside a lavishly decorated room, surrounded by furniture crafted from rare magical woods, seated on a sofa stitched from high-grade magical beast pelts, walls adorned with antique oil paintings by master artists, the air filled with the tranquil, soothing fragrance of precious spiritual incense...

Ah, everything here reeked of luxurious money.

But if she turned to look out the window, the speeding scenery revealed this wasn’t a house at all—it was a moving magical carriage.

This was precisely the kind of luxurious magical vehicle Dorothey had always dreamed of owning one day—equipped with expanded interior space, usable as a mobile home.

But this one’s extravagance was beyond anything she’d ever dared imagine; just the eight unicorn celestial horses pulling it outside were creatures she could never afford even if she sold herself.

High-grade magical beasts are notoriously expensive to maintain—they must be fed spiritual materials daily, notoriously costly, though their vitality is strong enough to survive even poor care; but if underfed, their future evolution and advancement suffer.

In short: if you’re poor, don’t touch them—don’t ruin good things through neglect; that would be a waste of heaven’s gifts.

Dorothey even suspected the daily food cost for those unicorn horses alone might exceed her entire past year’s allowance.

“How’s the carriage? Like it? I’ll give it to you.”

Across from Dorothey, Long Ma watched her daughter’s wide-eyed reaction, and after struggling to find a way to communicate, she suddenly felt she’d found the solution—she opened her mouth and offered money.

Dorothey: “......”

The young witch was stunned by the extravagance, yet strangely, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was a schoolgirl being lavishly spoiled by a wealthy adult...

Cough, cough—what am I thinking? This is my mother.

Dorothey shook her head, dispelling the absurd thought, and politely declined her mother’s overly direct gift.

“No need. Even if you gave it to me, I couldn’t afford to maintain it, and I’ll be at school for years—this kind of vehicle would be too conspicuous there. I’ll just ride my broom.”

Long Ma, who had finally found a topic only to be rejected by her daughter, immediately slumped in dejection.

A silence of awkwardness settled between mother and daughter.

They were currently en route to the Witch Academy; originally, Dorothey’s plan had been to go to school with her sister Alice.

But with Long Ma’s sudden appearance, the family had abruptly decided to entrust the task of delivering her to this mother.

Yet one was a socially anxious, homebound internet addict, and the other a domineering Dragon Queen—neither knew how to communicate peacefully and equally with a relative they barely knew, leaving them both uncomfortably silent.

“Sigh...”

The angelic witch sighed helplessly and broke the suffocating awkwardness that threatened to summon a floating castle from sheer embarrassment.

“Miss, what are your plans for life at the Witch Academy? Which school do you intend to enroll in?”

At least Sophilia, the Student Council President, was trying to find a topic.