“Bringing unrelated people into the Teaching Castle is an insult to magic,” Rebecca warned.
“Who did I insult?” Samimi ignored the warning.
“Kind words can’t save a ghost seeking death. Suit yourself.” Rebecca gave up on persuasion and even gloated, “When someone comes looking for trouble later, don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’m not helping.”
The three of them left the House of the Dark Moon and arrived outside the dormitories.
It was only now that Samimi and Niubao truly beheld the full scope of the Continent’s Mage Academy.
All the long-winded buildup before had been to prepare for this one moment of awe.
A natural breeze was howling — but oddly, the wind blew downward from the sky.
The Continent’s Mage Academy sat atop a seemingly perfect prairie. The ground was flawlessly flat without a single incline, and every blade of grass was of equal height and shimmered with an emerald sheen.
In the far distance, a towering earthen wall circled the grounds, sealing and protecting the academy. Probably only flying dragons could get over it.
The Academy itself was composed of clusters of ancient castles — a massive fortress city that resembled a gigantic dark beast sleeping beneath the surface.
The Continent’s Mage Academy was divided into two regions.
The first was the central area densely packed with enormous castles — the core where millennia of human magical knowledge was preserved.
The second region was a ring of scattered smaller castles on the outskirts, where magical apprentices lived — the future of humankind’s magic.
The House of the Dark Moon where Samimi and the others stayed was one of the smallest, oldest, and most rundown of the apprentice castles. Compared to the other large and fancy apprentice towers, it was like a toddler among giants.
That’s because apprentice castles were distributed based on magical factions. Stronger factions with more members got larger, better buildings — and better perks.
The House of the Dark Moon housed only a few heretical mages. That they were even given shelter was already quite generous.
“This is what the Mage Academy is like… like this… and like that… Got it?”
Walking along the prairie road, Rebecca explained the general structure of the course system to Samimi.
“Did you understand?” Rebecca put on her bossy tone.
“Got it,” Samimi nodded.
“Really?” Rebecca looked doubtful but dropped it. If she claimed to understand, so be it — let her hit the wall herself.
Samimi did understand.
Because the Continent Mage Academy followed a system similar to a third-rate university — that is, learning was entirely self-motivated.
In fact, it was even more extreme — there were no credit systems. No one cared whether you studied or not.
Every month, magic instructors would release the schedule in advance, listing dates and locations for each course.
Students could attend if they wanted — or not. No one enforced attendance. It was that simple.
Apprentices could train however they liked. The Academy wouldn’t interfere. It was all up to the individual.
But that was only the Academy’s kind surface — the deeper reality was crueler.
The essence of magic was never taught to outsiders. All high-ranking Archmages had their own handpicked disciples. They only passed true skills to their inner circle. To outsiders attending public classes, they gave only scraps.
So if you truly wanted to succeed at the Academy, solo grinding would get you nowhere. You had to attach yourself to a strong faction, act as their lapdog, and steal some real knowledge along the way.
But what did that have to do with me, Samimi the Penitent Demon-Hunting Nun?
She had already mastered almost all mid-to-low-tier support skills. What remained were legendary auxiliary spells that couldn’t be learned through normal means — and clearly wouldn’t be taught here.
Her Rose of Kindness ritual magic? Even less likely. A magic wholly unique to herself — something she could only continue refining through her own comprehension.
So to Samimi, the Continent Mage Academy was basically a resort.
She and Niubao were here to enjoy the scenery, to travel, to broaden their horizons.
Let it all flow naturally. As long as staying here accelerated her meditation and cultivation, that was more than enough.
She didn’t need their stupid classes at all. The looser the school system, the better for her.
“This class suits you. Stay here. I’ve got my own lessons to attend.”
Rebecca, utterly irresponsible, ditched Samimi and Niubao in an empty classroom and left on her own.
Samimi didn’t mind. She sat down in the corner of the room.
On the blackboard were big chalk letters: [Fundamentals of Magic Theory].
After quite a while, a small, elderly mage woman entered. She didn’t even glance at the students and began lecturing immediately.
And in the entire classroom, only Samimi and Niubao sat in the corner — with one of them not even being a mage. If they hadn’t come, the lecture would’ve had zero students.
“She’s really going through with it?” Samimi was a little surprised.
Finally — something that could shock even her, a transmigrator.
This magic granny was truly a force of nature. She could carry on lecturing in such conditions?
Damn that Rebecca — she’d deliberately sent them to this obscure, unpopular class. What a trap.
But it didn’t matter. In fact, this peace and quiet was ideal. No other apprentices meant no one to stir up drama.
“Class is starting, Niubao. Listen up, okay? Niubao~”
Samimi teased her, then pulled out her satchel, retrieved her magic notebook, and dove deeper into her own spellcraft.
The professor on the stage taught her own lesson. Samimi studied her own way. They didn’t bother each other.
And Niubao? She actually believed Samimi’s nonsense and earnestly listened to the old mage woman, taking notes like a proper student — as if she were really enrolled.
She was even more focused than Samimi.
Samimi, in contrast, would sit at the window daydreaming, watching the scenery outside when she hit a bottleneck in her studies.
Niubao, however, stayed energized. She wrote down all the main points the old lady mage lectured on — even if she didn’t understand a word of it. She treated it as handwriting practice.
And just like that, a peaceful week passed.
Samimi and Niubao had actually settled down at the Continent Mage Academy.
They went to the Fundamentals of Magic Theory class every day, encountered no other apprentices, and kept to a quiet little corner of the academy, disturbing no one.
Over time, their relationship with the priestess Rebecca grew increasingly distant. Eventually, they went days without speaking or even seeing each other.
Surprisingly, Samimi got along quite well with the other heretical mages in their dorm. They ate and chatted together every day. Sure, they were odd — but their tempers were top-tier friendly.
Samimi found herself thoroughly enjoying this calm and slightly busy campus life.
the kind of school life I would have wanted