Chapter 69: The Witches Who Stopped the Grind

Several hours later, the sun sank westward, and dusk descended.

The Student Council is located in the first ring of the Witch Academy, a medium-sized floating island—not as vast as the outer academy islands, but far more refined.

The architecture on the island is also unique: a vast expanse of interconnected temples, giving the first impression of stepping into the gods’ courtyard. At its center, the largest and most majestic structure is the Main Hall, the office of the Student Council President.

At this moment, Sophie Liya was buried under a mountain of documents, mechanically and swiftly processing each one. The pile before her shrank visibly before her eyes, while the stacks of processed files beside her grew ever higher. Even with several assistants tirelessly hauling away the completed piles, they were still struggling to keep up with the President’s pace.

Well, as witches, they could easily use magic to speed up the hauling—but every single document here concerned the future operation of the academy. These inexperienced Student Council assistants couldn’t imagine the consequences if they accidentally damaged even one file, so they preferred the laborious, primitive method over magic.

After finishing today’s work, Sophie Liya stood up and glanced at the assistants bustling in and out of the office with documents; a flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.

Sigh, this year’s new Student Council members are still too immature. If they keep acting so timidly, how will they ever accomplish anything? They have a more efficient method but abandon it out of fear of mistakes and consequences—truly foolish.

You could call it caution and steadiness, but bluntly put, it’s incompetence and lack of responsibility.

The Angel Witch couldn’t help shaking her head, but said nothing more.

After all, they’re still freshmen; there’s no need to be too harsh. She shouldn’t impose her own standards on others—she only hoped that, with time and trial, these newcomers would grow.

After all, if they never grow, they won’t survive in the Student Council.

Sophie Liya packed up her things, preparing to leave on time. She guessed these little assistants would be working overtime again until midnight.

Though witches don’t need sleep, the emotional burden of such endless overtime is unbearable—many young witches quit the Student Council outright from its toll.

But this is the Student Council: an organization where efficiency and ability reign supreme. The strong rise, the weak are eliminated—that is its eternal law.

Good luck to you, juniors.

Silently wishing these new juniors well, Sophie Liya opened the door and left the office, heading for her dormitory.

In the past, according to her old personality, she would have stayed late even after hours—preparing tomorrow’s workflow, patrolling the halls, guiding lost newcomers, and quietly boosting her prestige as President.

But now she couldn’t. There was a young mistress waiting at home. Sophie Liya dared not neglect the task her Master had entrusted her with: watching over the young mistress.

Now, she left on time every day, rushed straight back to her dormitory, and never dared linger outside, afraid the young mistress might pull another surprise on her.

“President, hello. President, you’ve worked hard.”

As soon as she stepped out of the office, a young witch greeted her with worshipful admiration.

The Angel Witch responded with a perfectly practiced, professional smile.

“You’ve worked hard too, Isabella. Get some rest early. See you tomorrow.”

Sophie Liya had a vague memory of this blue-haired young witch—apparently a prodigy from a remote region. When she first joined the Student Council, she’d been mocked and secretly ostracized by witches from powerful clans. But the girl was exceptionally capable, diligent, and quick-witted; now, she’d earned the Student Council’s recognition through her own merit.

Though only fourteen, she was already a seasoned member. Sophie Liya remembered she was in the Publicity Department—whose head was about to graduate. The girl seemed likely to take over.

Sophie Liya always admired such talented, ambitious juniors. She wouldn’t mind offering a slight word of promotion to this girl when the time came.

A small gesture like that could secure the friendship of a witch with an extraordinary future—wasn’t that worth it?

But conversely, thinking of the lazy, sprawled-out young mistress at home made the Angel Witch’s eye twitch.

“President... hello...”

“President... you’ve worked hard...”

“See you tomorrow, President...”

The Angel Witch continued forward; every witch she passed greeted her voluntarily, their faces filled with admiration and longing—clear proof of her high prestige.

In return, Sophie Liya smiled warmly at each one. She was proud of the reputation she’d built over the years.

But it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough. Her ultimate goal was to become a peak witch as radiant and brilliant as her Master. Yet she was still far from that realm—whether in strength, influence, or connections, she still had much to strive for.

Leaving the Student Council, Sophie Liya rubbed her stiff, smiling face, returning to her usual expressionless demeanor. At the floating island’s dock, she silently drew out her broom, preparing to take flight.

But as she sat on the broom, she noticed a familiar figure beside her also preparing to fly—and the Angel Witch froze.

“Leaving early again today, Madeline?”

Sophie Liya greeted her right-hand woman.

“Yes, President. You’re leaving early too.”

The Succubus, hearing the voice, paused. Turning to see the Angel Witch beside her, her sharp eyes softened slightly.

As the ruling body of the Witch Academy, the Student Council had many departments—but the most powerful and strongest was unquestionably the Disciplinary Committee, which enforced school rules, oversaw discipline, and commanded the academy’s security forces.

Though nominally subordinate to the Student Council and under the President’s authority, whether the civilian chief—the President—could truly control the military chief—the Disciplinary Committee Chair—depended entirely on their respective abilities.

In the past, Sophie Liya had barely held sway over Madeline; their strengths were nearly equal. A single misstep from her, and she might have been overthrown. The two had clashed openly and covertly for years, competing fiercely.

The Angel Witch’s old habit of overtime was forced upon her by the Succubus—how could a leader leave before her subordinates had finished?

But this semester...

For several days now, both had been leaving precisely on time. They’d met repeatedly at the dock, each puzzled by the other’s sudden lack of competition.

“Never mind. The young mistress comes first.”

Sophie Liya suppressed her confusion and took off.

“Never mind. My sister comes first.”

Madeline also suppressed her confusion and flew toward the Shining Tower.

Five minutes later, two frantic screams echoed from the top two floors of the Shining Tower.

“Where’s my young mistress?”

“Where’s my sister?”

Two streaks of light shot out together from the tower’s peak.

The Angel Witch and the Succubus met again in midair—this time, their eyes locked, filled with identical panic.

......Witches searching for someone......