The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 49: Anari’s Past

“You must be Anari.” Sylutia’s voice was gentle.

“Yes, ma’am.” Anari nodded.

Sylutia walked to the seat across the table and sat down, then gestured for Anari to do the same.

Only then did Anari cautiously sit down, though her back remained straight and her expression still somewhat tense.

“Could you tell me about your situation? For example, how did you come to the Asra District back then, and what has your life and goals been like since arriving?” Although Da had already given a brief introduction, Sylutia still wanted to hear what this horned beastgirl thought for herself.

“Alright, ma’am.” Anari organized her words and slowly began recounting her origins.

“...Back then, I grew up in a tribe in the mountains, surrounded by forests and endless high peaks and gorges.”

“There were several tribes like that around. We would build fortresses in the mountains to fend off beast attacks, and we lived by hunting and cultivating fruit trees.”

“But when I was ten years old, an accident happened. A group of strangers attacked our tribe’s fortress. Many of the adults died, and the rest were captured. I was one of them.”

“Later, I was locked in a cage and sent somewhere else. I was imprisoned in a dungeon along with many beastmen and a few humans. From time to time, people were taken away or injected with strange things or fed odd substances.”“Now I understand that the mage who was holding us captive back then must have been conducting some kind of experiment.”

“That went on for years, until last year, when someone escaped from the dungeon and brought back companions. They opened the cages of everyone imprisoned there.”

“Then they got into a huge battle with the forces that came to suppress them. A lot of people died, and in the end, the mage who performed the experiments was killed too.”

“In the chaos, I was injured and lost consciousness. Later, someone else saved me, but he didn’t speak to me. He just left a letter telling me to come to the Asra District to learn the power of revenge.” Anari painstakingly recounted the scenes from her memory.

After listening, Sylutia nodded slightly, a flood of thoughts rising in her mind.

It really hadn’t been easy for her. Escaping from a place like that must have involved so many entanglements that this horned beastgirl was unaware of.

What exactly was that mage experimenting on? The beastmen who resisted must have received outside help. And who was that third party that got involved? How were they so familiar with the Mage Alliance that they could easily forge an Invitation Letter? Based on what the letter explained, cases like this horned beastgirl’s-being sent to the Mage Alliance to learn and then take revenge on the Alliance-were probably not isolated incidents.

Returning to her thoughts, Sylutia looked at this frail girl once more.

“About revenge, I hope you can put it aside for now. At your current level, whether in strength, mentality, experience, or decision-making, you’re too likely to go astray because of this goal.”

“In ten years, you can look back on your life and decide again how to face this issue.”

“The Mage Alliance is a very large organization. What happened to you might not be as simple as you imagine.” Sylutia warned her.

“Yes, ma’am.”

After living in the Asra District for half a year, Anari had actually become somewhat confused about revenge. Most people here knew nothing about what happened in the border mountains, nor did they have any real connection to her misfortune. Should she really take revenge on them?

“As for staying here, I need to test you and see how much you’ve learned in these six months.”

Afterward, Sylutia recalled the school’s teaching content and used a series of questions to examine this horned beastgirl.

About an hour later, Sylutia stopped, having already formed a judgment.

Anari’s foundation was too poor. What she had learned over the past six months was also barely grasped, with much of it not deeply understood. However, it was clear that she had put in tremendous effort. It was like a wall-though there were many gaps and empty spots, in other places, it had been built unusually solidly.

“I’ll try to help you apply for permission to stay and continue studying. But during this time, you need to quickly fill in the gaps in your foundation.”

Sylutia took out paper and listed each course along with the specific chapters that needed attention, adding notes. Then she handed the paper to Anari.

“There are private tutoring institutions in the Asra District specifically for this. Take this list and the money, sign up, and give it your all for one month to learn these missing parts.”

“According to the special regulations of the Mage Alliance, you’ll need to retake the freshman qualification exam to be able to stay from now on.” Having said that, Sylutia placed a money pouch on the table. Inside were five gold coins, enough for this horned beastgirl to pay for tutoring.

“Don’t distract yourself with part-time work during this time. Focus solely on this.”

“I understand, ma’am.” Anari accepted it gratefully. She had so much she wanted to say, but at that moment, she didn’t know how to express it.

“I will study hard.” That was all she could add.

Then Sylutia took Anari’s invalidated student ID, said goodbye to her and Da, and left.

Although she wasn’t an official member of the Mage Alliance, due to her earlier incidents and her familiarity with the staff at both the police and the Thunder Tower, she knew that the Alliance actually had a normal channel for those determined to pursue knowledge to stay and study. However, this channel often required an application, the process was complicated, and a guarantor was needed, so few people had ever tried it.

After returning, she went to the police again and filled out the paperwork for Anari, securing an extra month’s grace period for the girl. Then she took the documents to inquire with the staff at the Thunder Tower.

Although she was only at the Second Tier, her outstanding performance at the Thunder Tower over the past month had made her well-known among the staff there. They all saw great potential in this prodigy of the new generation. As long as her requests were reasonable and within regulations, she generally faced no obstacles and could get results smoothly.

“Alright, we’ll accept this application. Please bring the girl here in one month, Miss Hedra, for the assessment. If she passes, we can reissue her student ID.” The person nodded, informing Sylutia of the outcome.

“Thank you.” After spending about three days running around, Sylutia had finally resolved Anari’s current problems. As for the final result, it would depend on the horned beastgirl’s own efforts.

In her spare time, she also needed to start planning her own studies.

At this point, there wasn’t much more she could learn at the school. Deeper knowledge would only be taught at the higher academies of each school of thought. So for now, she could settle down, organize everything she had learned so far, and turn it into tangible practical results.