The little witches were instantly captivated by the idea of the small bag Lyra had mentioned, but their excitement quickly dimmed as a realization set in; none of them knew how to sew.
Cheryl sighed, voicing what they were all thinking. "We don't even know where to begin with sewing."
Lyra smiled, unbothered. "No worries! It's just a simple shoulder bag, nothing too complicated. I can teach you," she offered confidently. "It'll only take a few hours, and you'll have something practical to use afterward. Besides, isn't 'Learning the Magic of Sewing from Scratch' on the must-read list? Sewing is probably just as important as cooking, so getting a head start wouldn't hurt."
The witches exchanged uneasy glances. Vasida was the first to speak up. "I don't know, Lyra. This sounds like it'll take up too much of your time. We can wait until we learn sewing magic in class."
The others nodded in agreement, their reluctance to burden Lyra clear. They had enough on their plates already, and sewing a bag didn't seem quite as urgent as other skills. After all, cooking magic was a priority, if they didn't master it, they'd be stuck eating nothing but breadfruit, which they all found unbearably dull. But a small bag? It wasn't a necessity. If they didn't learn to sew, they could always carry their wands in their hands, tuck them into their waistbands, or simply shove them into a pocket.
Lyra understood their hesitation, but she still had her own plan in mind. "Alright, no problem. I'll manage," she said with a reassuring smile. With that, she set off toward the castle's warehouse to pick out materials on her own.
Later that evening, after rummaging through various fabrics and leathers, Lyra finally set to work. In the quiet of her dorm room, she carefully cut and stitched a large, soft leather shoulder bag. It was roomy, with several pockets sewn in, designed not only to hold her wand but also to store all the little items she needed; books, ink, snacks, and more. The bag looked a bit oversized against her small frame, but it was functional, and that was all she needed.
Once the bag was finished, Lyra opened her 'New Student's Guide', a booklet different from the usual texts in the library. It was enchanted; unlike other books, its maps and course schedules couldn't be copied or reproduced. Instead, it had to be magically absorbed into her witch's book, becoming a permanent page.
As she flipped through the newly added guide, she took note of the upcoming schedule. It was Friday evening, and she was curious about next week's classes, knowing the timetable would update soon.
Sure enough, the course arrangement for the week ahead appeared on the page, and Lyra leaned in to study it carefully.
The mornings were reserved for theoretical classes. On Mondays and Wednesdays, they would tackle the 'Basic Theory of Magic', using the textbook 'What is Magic?'. Tuesdays and Thursdays were devoted to 'History of Witches', with a textbook of the same name. And Fridays? That was 'World History', where they'd dive into 'The Changes of the Continent of Valencia over the Years'.
Afternoons, on the other hand, were all about practical magic. Next week, the focus would be on one course alone: 'Cooking Magic'. The textbook? 'Learn Cooking Magic from Scratch'. Lyra chuckled to herself; it seemed like she wouldn't be escaping her lessons in the kitchen any time soon.
What caught her attention was the structure of the day. The theoretical lessons were to be held in the castle during the morning, as expected, but the practical classes, especially the cooking magic ones: were scheduled for the late afternoon, starting at 4 p.m. The location for these practical lessons would be the cooking classroom near the food collection point, making the afternoons feel more like a long, relaxed lunch break than a rigid class schedule.
With a satisfied nod, Lyra closed the guidebook and placed it in her newly made shoulder bag, her mind already racing ahead to the coming week. She had her bag, her wand, and her books, all prepared for the journey that lay ahead. And if her fellow witches ever changed their minds about sewing, she'd be ready to teach them how to stitch their own bags.
Next week's schedule was going to be a challenge. The little witches would have to climb up the mountain to the castle for morning classes, then head back down at noon, only to make the trek again to the food collection point for their afternoon practical lessons. The thought of all that back-and-forth travel was daunting. Commuting time between classes seemed to be getting longer and longer.
However, Lyra took comfort in one small detail: the 'Cooking Magic' class ran from four to six in the evening. If they were successful, whatever they cooked during class could double as dinner; an efficient way to end the day.
Still, she shook her head in mild frustration. The academy's approach to magic was deliberate, focusing on one skill at a time instead of teaching multiple subjects in parallel. While it helped with mastery, it wasn't exactly convenient. Another annoyance was the reliance on the castle's bell tower to keep track of time. The bell only rang during the day, leaving the students to guess the time during the late hours.
Lyra, always the problem-solver, had an idea. She took out her 'Book of Cards' and crafted herself a mechanical watch using a combination of Earth technology and Valen's time-keeping methods. The cost to make the card was relatively low, but the result was priceless to her.
She admired the watch strapped to her wrist, its sleek design reflecting her craftsmanship. Though she could probably sell it for a decent profit, she couldn't bring herself to part with it. "Even at five times the profit, it's not worth the mana I'd get," she mused. Besides, senior students like Lilith had their own magical pocket watches, made through advanced alchemy courses in their second year. It seemed that by then, everyone could create their own timepiece, so why rush to sell one now?
With this in mind, Lyra decided it was better to focus on studying and creating more advanced cards when the time came. "I'll sell them when I'm ready," she thought, mentally shelving the idea of promoting her watch-making skills for now.
Checking her new watch, she saw it was 11:40 PM. "Good thing I made this," she muttered. If she hadn't, she would've lost track of time reading 'The Birth of a Beautiful Cover' before bed and might have stayed up until midnight again.
As she considered her day's progress, Lyra checked her mana reserves. Her total mana had increased by 1 point today, now standing at 990. She anticipated earning 591 mana from the cards she had sold earlier, a sum that would be credited to her account after midnight. With careful planning, she would keep half of her total mana and deposit 474 into her 'Book of Cards', leaving her with 495 mana, the perfect amount to maximize her recovery for the next day.
She glanced at her two key cards:
{Character Card – Intermediate}
[Magic Power: 495/990 Mana]
{Card Book}
[Stored Energy: 1272 Mana]
With everything in order, Lyra felt content. She had made sure no mana was wasted, maximizing her efficiency. Satisfied with her meticulous planning, she fell asleep peacefully.
When the clock struck six the next morning, Lyra was still groggy, her eyelids heavy with sleep. But she had a tried-and-true remedy for that. Reaching for her bedside table, she grabbed her "magic weapon" against drowsiness 'breadfruit'. Taking a small bite, she immediately jolted awake, the strange, sharp taste never failing to do the trick.
Wide-eyed and alert, she hopped out of bed, ready to face the day ahead.
Sleeping in was a luxury the little witches could only dream of, but never truly experience. Even on weekends, the relentless clock in the castle's tower chimed with maddening regularity, reminding them that time waited for no one. There was always something to do, always another task on the horizon. For Lyra, the thought of sleeping until she naturally woke up was nothing short of impossible.
With a sigh of resignation, Lyra pulled out her laundry basket. The sight wasn't pretty; a week's worth of dirty clothes piled high, waiting for attention. Between early morning classes and late-night study sessions, she was lucky if she managed to wash her socks and underwear. The rest? Well, it sat neglected until the weekend finally arrived.
"At least I've got enough uniforms to make it through the week," she thought to herself, thankful she'd acquired a few more standard school robes. Unfortunately, the school wasn't about to hand out an endless supply. Each witch was allowed only seven robes, just enough to last a week.
Lyra didn't need to ask why. It was clear the academy wanted to encourage students to learn 'cleaning magic', making them acutely aware of the need for it. After all, dirty clothes piling up would be a great motivator to master the spell.
But despite understanding the academy's reasoning, Lyra was in no mood for handwashing. She had plenty of mana stored in her 'Book of Cards', so why not make life a little easier? She conjured a 'washing machine card' a handy magical device that could handle the laundry in no time. "Even if I can't sell this card to the other witches, at least I'm saving myself time," she thought with a smirk.
While the washing machine did its job, Lyra moved on to her next task: squeezing breadfruit juice. She filled bottles with the juice and made a batch of honey-infused breadfruit water. Not one to waste, she took the leftover fruit pulp and turned it into small fruit cakes, wrapping them in oil paper. Into her shoulder bag went the juice, the cakes, her witch's book, and her wand.
Once the laundry was finished and hung out to dry in the yard, Lyra set out on her usual trek up the mountain toward the academy castle. Today, the path was quiet: she was the only one making the climb. The crisp morning air filled her lungs as she made her way to the alchemy classroom in the west tower.
Settling at a workbench, she pulled out a sheet of parchment and began sketching a design for her witch's book. Lyra envisioned a book that mirrored the style of her 'Book of Cards', but she didn't need the card slots this time. To fill the extra space, she planned to add intricate gold carvings and embed a few purple gems, giving the book an elegant, almost regal appearance.
After perfecting her design, she flipped through 'The Birth of a Beautiful Cover', cross-referencing her ideas with the techniques detailed in the book. She carefully noted the production methods for each decorative element, ensuring she fully understood the process. Once she had everything figured out, she compiled a list of materials and headed to the material warehouse next to the classroom.
Though the warehouse was labeled as a storage space for low-level magical materials, it was filled with plenty of ordinary metals and ores. After all, witches had the unique ability to transform everyday materials into something extraordinary using their magic. It was a place brimming with potential for those who knew how to tap into it.
As Lyra gathered the metals and gems she needed, she couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement. The day was off to a productive start, and soon she'd have her witch's book crafted to perfection, blending both craftsmanship and magic.