She Is Not a Witch

The black-haired, black-eyed girl was, of course, Loranhil. Since her real name had been publicized through Cransia’s propaganda, the title of Sage was too conspicuous, so she had to use another name to go to Emenas.

It feels like I’m playing a role-playing game, the girl thought, then touched the crystal pendant on her chest, a gift from Daytis.

[Illusion Pendant] (Rare Coral Grade): Can subtly alter facial features through light and shadow, creating an illusion. People will think they’re seeing the same face but believe it’s two different people. Only those at Sequence 8 or above, or former acquaintances, can see through it.

Combined with the [Chaos Ring] (Perfect Crystal Grade) that concealed her aura, these two items could make her appearance look more ‘ordinary’. Though still a beautiful young woman, she would be within the range of normal human perception, not causing too much surprise.

During her previous southern journey, her appearance had caused her to be surrounded by onlookers wherever she went. Only when wearing a hood could she have some peace, but that wouldn’t work at school as it would draw even more attention. So she had Daytis make this pendant for her.

“Mm, this is indeed quite good, little Loranhil,” Daytis had said at the time.

“Being a bit more ordinary, like normal people, makes it easier to perceive the reality of life, preventing skewed perceptions. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have suggested this. When it comes to changing appearances, no witch is more skilled than I am.”

Loranhil could see that Daytis had often relied on this ability to play tricks on others in the past. She immediately produced a large assortment of accessories—pendants, earrings, dresses, shoes, blindfolds, glasses, and so on, letting Loranhil choose freely.

Wearing earrings required piercing ears, which Loranhil wasn’t comfortable with, so she chose a pendant. Daytis modified it slightly to better suit Loranhil, then placed a pair of glasses in the young girl’s hand.

“Wearing glasses is cool, trust me, little Loranhil. Imagine, everyone around you looks down on you, then you give a mysterious smile, your glasses glint, you draw your sword, sweep through your enemies, they fall wailing, and you push up your glasses frame—it’ll be super cool~” Daytis suggested enthusiastically, mimicking a sword-swinging gesture.

Uh, this senior really knows how to play, Loranhil thought, but still accepted the black-framed glasses, unable to refuse.

“Remember to act ordinary in your first year at school, don’t stand out too much,” Daytis advised before Loranhil left, her lips curled in a smile.

“Why?” Although planning to remain ordinary throughout, Loranhil was still curious.

“Because that way you can shock everyone later. Don’t you think it’s interesting to see people’s jaws drop?” Daytis began to reveal her witch-like nature.

“Alright, I understand,” the silver-haired girl nodded helplessly.

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Cransia, Red Gravel City.

The bustling streets were filled with a stream of vehicles and people, with many merchants and porters coming and going. Due to the poor air quality in this city, few tourists visited. Only ships on the Blue Creek River occasionally stopped for supplies before quickly departing.

In this industrial city shrouded in smoke and black ash, the white airship on the mountainside was particularly eye-catching.

Walking to the fence gate on the outskirts, Loranhil knocked on the iron lock beside it.

“Hello, is anyone there?” Her light voice was particularly distinctive in the noisy city.

“One moment, coming,” came a response from a small cabin nearby.

After a while, a young man with messy hair opened the door and walked over.

“Are you here to take the airship east?”

He briefly looked over the girl before him. Black, smooth long hair fell over her shoulders, a white ruffle collar with a black silk bow in the middle, and a light purple translucent gemstone at its center. Below the collar was a black cape, and beneath that, a black dress with a few white bows on the bodice and pure white lace trim along the hem.

She looked like a young lady from a well-off family, but her gentle demeanor and black hair also resembled someone from the east.

An eastern young lady, that’s quite rare, the staff member thought, then proceeded with the routine inquiry.

“To board the airship, you need an official Cransia travel permit. Currently, we don’t allow people of unclear origins to board.”

“I have one, just a moment.” Loranhil opened her small rattan box, reached in—actually retrieving the permit from her ring’s storage space—and handed it to the staff member.

“Hmm, name Loran, 16 years old, from a mountain village on the Tisilan border of Cransia.”

A mountain village? Doesn’t seem like it, but Tisilan has been quite famous recently. Many cities have opened fantasy-style restaurants with mushroom house designs, popular among wealthy diners. It seems Tisilan must be quite prosperous to produce such a refined young lady.

“Alright, no problem. Where are you headed?” The young man looked up and returned the permit to the girl.

“To Emenas,” Loranhil replied.

“Emenas? Are you a new student?”

“Yes.”

“Then register here, you can get a 50% discount.”

“Oh? There’s such a discount?” Loranhil asked curiously.

“Yes, many of our merchant association’s higher-ups are from Emenas. Even the prototype of this airship had academy students involved in its development. So there’s an internal rule that all Emenas students get half-price travel fares.”

“I see, thank you.” Loranhil nodded, then wrote her name and boarding time on a nearby form, her graceful handwriting somewhat elegant.

After registering and paying the fee, Loranhil adjusted her outer coat, then picked up her small rattan box and walked towards the airship.

The staff member closed the gate and led the way, saying,

“You’ve come at a good time. We’re planning to depart as soon as it gets dark. If you’d come any later, you might have missed it.”

“Why depart at night? Wouldn’t the view be better during the day?”

“The view is indeed better during the day, but for an airship flying in the sky, as long as the direction is correct, it’s fine. There are no obstacles en route, so visibility isn’t that important. In fact, there are more birds and magical beasts during the day, which can be dangerous. So night travel is safer.”

“I see.” Loranhil followed the young man up the stairs to the airship. The cabin door opened, and they were about to enter.

“Wait! Please wait!”

An anxious voice came from behind. They turned to see a black-haired girl standing outside the fence gate, calling out urgently.

She wasn’t very tall, with emerald-like eyes. A pile of luggage sat beside her as she panted, looking anxious.

“I’m a new student at Emenas. Can I come in? Please.”