Chapter 921: The Original Sin of Jealousy

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Dorothy was enjoying the drama quite happily.

"Damn, Teacher, you're really wasteful—your mothers didn't kill you proves you're truly their own."

Listening to Mother's revelations about Spider Teacher's dark past, the House Witch couldn't help but think the same.

But who cares? She's our own teacher.

Then the House Witch sliced open a spatial rift and tossed the hollowed-out melon rind into it; if the rind didn't have an evasion buff, the chaotic void would annihilate and clean it up.

Afterward, the House Witch clapped her hands, wiped the melon juice from her palms with a cleansing spell, and deactivated the Mirror Stillness, revealing her form.

Hmm, I can't watch any longer—if I keep watching, they'll really start fighting; one side is Mother, the other is Teacher—I wouldn't know how to break it up.

"Don't worry, Teacher, I'll take care of your retirement—leave all those projects to me."

She said this with eager, obedient sincerity.

"Dorothy, you're spoiling her too much."

Long Ma sighed and scolded her with a hint of helplessness.

Of course, Euphilya was a little jealous—her own daughter hadn't even said she'd support her in old age, yet she was already offering to support someone else.

Though both she and Rose were still far from "old," at around two hundred years old, compared to their lifespans measured in millennia, they weren't even teenagers—they were practically toddlers.

And knowing her best friend as she did, Euphilya knew this indulgence would only corrupt the woman—she'd take advantage, settle in, and become a useless social deadweight.

On the other side, hearing her beloved student's heartwarming filial words, Noerose naturally beamed with joy.

This student was definitely worth taking—finding a talented apprentice really is great; at my young age, I can already retire early and enjoy life—how wonderful.

Especially when her student added the next words, she felt even happier.

"Mother, treating Teacher well isn't spoiling her—it's only right and natural."

Dorothy winked at her mother and said this with a smile.

And as a mother knows her child best, seeing that look, Euphilya's frown immediately softened.

She knew her daughter was up to something again—after all, even Dorothy herself couldn't get the better of Rose.

Rose was going to be conned into handing over her entire retirement fund.

"Teacher, how about you just move in here? Look, my career has just started, and I probably won't be able to return to the Witch Academy anytime soon. Since our academy only has three people anyway, why not make it a mobile teaching setup? And if you're always by my side, I can better care for you in your old age."

Dorothy said this with sincere earnestness.

Hmm, that was also the plain truth.

After all, Sophilia, Mia, and Madeline had all reached graduation season, and even Alice, that silly little sister, had already reached the level to apply for early graduation—so she really didn't want to leave her sisters and return obediently to school with Audrey.

Fortunately, the Automated Mechanical Civil Engineering major had only two or three students total—just Spider Teacher, herself, and Audrey—so it was simple: just make it "commuter-style" learning.

Hmm, the kind where the teacher follows the student.

"Um, that doesn't seem right—I'm still a faculty member, and the Academy Head..."

Noerose hesitated at this suggestion.

Of course, she wasn't truly driven by some noble professional spirit—she simply respected the Academy Head.

Back when they were students, the Academy Head had been Euphilya's teacher, and thus had grown familiar with her and Zi as Euphilya's little followers—something like loving the teacher and extending it to the students.

But that wasn't a good thing—because the Academy Head, this little old woman, had a truly terrible temper; the closer you were to her, the harsher she scolded you, and you couldn't even talk back, since the Sage's dignity wasn't to be trifled with.

Moreover, the Spider Witch wasn't just afraid of being scolded—she genuinely respected the Academy Head. After all, though the old woman was sharp-tongued, she had truly taken care of her; it was the Academy Head who approved her hiring at the Witch Academy, and now if she just vanished without a word, it would be utterly unbecoming.

"Don't worry—I'll apply to the Academy Head. She still owes me a favor."

Dorothy assured her confidently.

Hmm, yes, she had indeed stolen the Angel Witch's ancestral shrine, but she'd also rid the Angel Witch clan of their vampiric plague—the Academy Head truly owed her a favor; asking her to vouch for Spider Teacher wasn't hard.

If all else fails, I can go to the Underworld...

Nah, not yet—I'm still too afraid to see my big sister, afraid she'll deliver me straight to the basement.

But I still have Sophilia's status as Divine Son of the God-King to use.

In short, no problem—Teacher, come right into my bowl.

"Um, Dorothy, are you really that influential now?"

Noerose was surprised, but then remembered her student's endless layers of disguises, each more prestigious than the last, and she relaxed.

After all, this is the Forest Witch—of course the Academy Head would give her some face.

Thinking of it, she was genuinely tempted.

After all, Dorothy was such a good child—what bad intentions could she possibly have?

"And Teacher, what do you think of my new workshop?"

Seeing her teacher's interest, the House Witch pressed on, pointing to the workshop.

"It's excellent, of course. Though there are minor flaws, that's only because you haven't studied the elite, professional, or master-level courses—you simply haven't learned those advanced techniques yet. But you've managed to achieve results equal to those advanced techniques just by stacking and combining basic skills. It's a bit bulky, but the flaws don't overshadow the brilliance—it's already amazing. Even if I did it myself, I doubt I could do much better."

Noerose praised her without reservation.

This workshop could easily serve as her student's graduation project—her current skill level was already sufficient to graduate, and even in the entire architecture field, she had reached the threshold of a master.

And most importantly, Dorothy was truly generous—when she toured it earlier, she'd examined everything closely; every material used here was top-tier, the cost was staggering, making her heart race.

Too extravagant—her own meager savings, earned through years of fighting and scraping by, couldn't possibly afford this kind of spending.

Hmm, yes, having money is wonderful—having a mother like Euphilya, who's wealthy and willing to pour money into her child, is truly wonderful.

The Spider Witch thought this with a touch of envy.

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Actually, her own family was quite wealthy too—she was a direct descendant of the Demon King, her ancestor Arachne being the Demon King's second daughter and also a Sage.

But her family environment was truly terrible—her parents were domineering, always trying to arrange their children's life paths as if they were mere puppets on strings.

Heh, the title of Dominating Demon belongs to the Demon King's eldest daughter, Aphrodite, after all.

But never mind—it's a taboo in the Arachne family. After all, their ancestor's primordial sin was jealousy; she had always envied her elder sister, constantly comparing herself to her, yet always falling short, hence her infamous cruelty.

Both Aphrodite and Arachne were famous socialites among demon witches.

The former was the beloved true princess, loved by all, whose every act drew heartfelt devotion, praised by all, living in the light.

As for the latter, no need to elaborate—the nickname "Black Widow" says it all; she lurked in the shadows.

In a family rooted in jealousy, you certainly can't expect maternal warmth, filial piety, or sisterly harmony.

In that household, competition was everywhere; everything required comparison, and all resources were distributed strictly by ranking, openly encouraging this rivalry.

Even children's excellence was ranked on a public leaderboard.

Thus, every young Arachne became a tool for parents to compare and show off, becoming puppets bound to obey their parents' wills.

Noerose had heard one phrase most often since childhood: "Look at how other people's children are."

Of course, she knew her mothers loved her—they were just so deeply consumed by the primordial sin of jealousy that its power had already partially corrupted them.

Besides, jealousy families had always grown this way—everything had to be compared, fought over, and strived for, to maintain jealousy. Her mothers had been raised this way too—they probably didn't even know how to properly relate to their daughter.

But understanding didn't stop Noerose from disliking this family environment.

So since childhood, she'd kept company with dolls; rather than engaging in false competition with those plastic sisters, she preferred the quiet peace of being with silent dolls.

She was an easily satisfied person—for her, a quiet life of idle comfort was already enough, so she was naturally unsuited to the path of jealousy's primordial sin.

Yet sometimes, when she looked in the mirror, she'd despairingly realize she still carried Arachne's blood of jealousy.

For example, she favored students with talent and ignored the weak.

She recognized this tendency, yet instinctively refused to change.

The family's mark was etched into her bones—even after fleeing for years, she couldn't escape the primordial sin ruling her bloodline.

And as she grew older, she began to crave her family more and more.

Sometimes she truly wanted to form a family—but if she had children, would she treat them the same way her mothers treated her?

Thinking of that possibility, she grew fearful of family.

So for years, she'd constantly boasted online about wanting a girlfriend, but in reality, she hid in her nest, never going out, waiting for a home invasion romance.

After all, no one would really think someone with her figure, looks, and talent could be left unmarried, right?

Forget it—I won't brag anymore; no matter how impressive I sound, the truth remains—I'm still a lonely dog, even if I dress like a housewife, it's all fake.

Moreover, the more she suppressed her longing for family, the more jealousy it bred—this was truly annoying.

Whenever she saw others enjoying family happiness, and thought of her own solitary existence, the seed of jealousy would sprout uncontrollably in her heart.

She was truly afraid of this version of herself, so she resisted family more and more, fearing she'd harm them—but the more she resisted, the more jealous she became.

This was the curse of the primordial sin—an unsolvable cycle.

And the price of bearing this curse was that her power had grown wildly over the years, as if blessed by a cheat code.

Primordial sin really is a fickle bastard—her sisters in the family strained themselves to compete, pulling out all stops to win jealousy's favor, yet it ignored them completely.

Meanwhile, she hated this damned jealousy with all her heart, yet it clung to her like a slut.

But the stronger the jealousy's power, the harder it became for her to control herself.

For instance, when she first heard Euphilya had a daughter, the first emotion that surged wasn't joy for her sister—but ugly jealousy.

She thought: How could someone like that violent brute, that tomboy, be loved? How could she form a family? How could she have a daughter?

Then, when she learned her beloved student Dorothy was Euphilya's daughter, she couldn't help but feel jealous again—jealous that Euphilya's daughter was so outstanding.

Afterward, her decision to take Dorothy as her apprentice was unclear—was it truly because she wanted a student, or simply out of envy for Euphilya, wanting to steal her daughter away?

It was truly ugly and revolting.

So, could such a person like her truly deserve to stand beside a good child like Dorothy? Could she truly belong in Euphilya's family?

Looking at her student's face, as sincere as the sun, Noerose hesitated.

Could a person like her, who had always lurked in the dark shadows, ever step into the light?

Better not—what if I lose control again and cause some other trouble, disrupting the peace in my senior's home? I'd be a sinner for all eternity.

"Maybe I shouldn't move after all; the academy is actually quite nice."

She cowered, speaking evasively.

But Dorothy would not give her a chance to retreat,

"Come here, Master."

.... The Zhaimonv insisted firmly....