The Cornflower Witch

The triennial College Grand Competition had begun, the highest-tier tournament within the Alliance.

"Is Hedra participating too?" Amelie looked toward Sylutia, who was rising from her seat beside her.

"Yes, I've registered for the 'Mechanical Creation' competition, as well as the final cross-school bouts."

"Even though I won't be up on stage right away, I still need to go check the match schedule." Sylutia thought for a moment; leaving Amelie here alone didn't seem quite right.

"How about this, why don't you come with me? But you'll need to change clothes." Amelie's extraordinarily long azure-blue hair was simply too striking and eye-catching.

"Clothes, I don't have any." Amelie shook her head after hearing this.

Whether she hadn't brought any or simply had no other clothes, Sylutia initially wanted to ask, but then realized the outcome was the same either way.

"It's fine, I have some. Come with me." The girl blinked. She had two sets of Tetis College trench coat uniforms in her possession, and since her body type was similar to Amelie's, they would fit her perfectly as well.

Leading Amelie to the small changing room inside the viewing chamber, Sylutia took out the Griffin Feather Key and retrieved a set of Tetis College uniforms she had brought along. This was what she had originally planned to change into for the college spectator stands, allowing her to blend in with the other students and avoid drawing attention.

After taking the clothes Sylutia handed over, Amelie stared at the uniform in her hands, looking a bit dazed before raising her head.

"I... don't know how to put this on."

"Hmm, you've never worn this kind of clothing before? It's actually quite simple." Sylutia bent down to help Amelie unfold the neatly folded clothes, then undid the buttons on the trench coat. She had originally planned to just slip it directly over Amelie's head, but that would clash terribly with the white dress Amelie was wearing underneath, looking mismatched and awkward.

"Hmm... how about we change everything, including what's underneath." The girl thought for a moment and made the suggestion.

Amelie nodded upon hearing this, then began unbuttoning her dress, slowly peeling it off right in front of Sylutia.

"Ahem, well, um... does Amelie know how to wear the college uniform's underlayer? It's basically just like a regular shirt." Even though both of them were girls, Sylutia felt she should still maintain some modesty.

After hearing this, Amelie tilted her head in thought, then shook her head: "I've never worn one."

"Alright then." The girl sighed, then steadied the white dress that had slipped off Amelie's shoulders.

"Just sit here without moving, listen to my instructions, and I'll help you get dressed."

"Okay, thank you, Hedra."

Sylutia first had Amelie turn around, then undid the corset laces at the back of the dress, helping her slip it off. Fortunately, Amelie was still wearing undergarments beneath, so it wasn't too awkward.

Sylutia helped Amelie into the college's white shirt and blouse, which featured simple lace trim at the collar and black ribbon ties that could be fastened into a bow.

Next came the deep blue (#314F6F) corseted skirt. After putting it on Amelie, she tightened the laces to secure it snugly around her waist, followed by the knee-high socks that completed the college uniform.

"Amelie, do you prefer black socks or white socks?" Sylutia held up both colors for her to choose.

Amelie's pale-golden eyes widened slightly as she looked at the two pairs of socks, then her finger pointed to the white ones.

"White."

"Alright, have a seat first." Amelie obediently sat down on the bench in the changing room, and Sylutia picked up the white knee-high socks, sliding them over the girl's toes, gradually pulling them up, adjusting continuously until the socks reached just below her knee before letting go and smoothing them out.

Glancing at Amelie's legs, which looked slightly fuller from the snug fit, Sylutia compared them in her mind. Though the two were similar in height, Amelie's legs were about ten percent softer and more filled out than her own.

Once dressed, Sylutia had Amelie step into her shoes and stand up.

"Walk around a bit, tell me if anything feels uncomfortable anywhere."

"Okay." Amelie stood up and walked a couple of laps around the room.

"Everything feels great, Hedra. You're very attentive." Indeed, with Sylutia's keen perception and attention to detail, it was hard for any minor discomfort or flaw to slip through.

Finally, Sylutia brought over the wide trench coat of the college uniform, draping it over Amelie's shoulders, then pulled up the hood to conceal that striking cascade of azure-blue hair.

"All set now." Sylutia inspected her with a slight nod, then took Amelie's hand and led her out of the viewing chamber.

Through the long corridor, Sylutia brought Amelie to the bustling pre-match waiting lounge. Quite a few apprentices and representatives were waiting for their turns to compete, with a row of staff member tables set up on one side, where many people were inquiring and discussing match appearances.

"Could I see the match schedule?" Sylutia walked over.

"Of course." The staff member seated there replied, handing her a form.

Taking it, Sylutia flipped through to find her name. Her turn was still a while away; it would be roughly over an hour before the Mechanical Creation competition began. As for the final college showdown, that probably wouldn't start until after dawn, and it wouldn't be finished in a single day either.

After reviewing it, she nodded, returned the form to the staff member, and left with Amelie.

Though the College Grand Competition had begun, the current event was the relatively subdued "Scroll Inscription" project. Many people were out taking strolls, buying snacks, or just getting some fresh air.

Realizing it had been over six hours since dinner, Sylutia brought Amelie to grab something to eat. Otherwise, when they returned, they'd have to make do with the snacks in the room.

"Does Amelie want to eat anything in particular?" She asked the girl beside her.

"I don't know."

"Then let's just look around as we walk." Sylutia didn't have any particular preference at the moment either, so she took Amelie to check out the culinary exhibition hall run by the Feast Ritual School.

The two walked along the long corridor above the clouds, where the air was crisp and clear, allowing them to see the stars in the sky vividly. The vast, awe-inspiring starlight was far more breathtaking up here than from the ground. They strolled along, stopping every so often to point at the various star palaces scattered across different positions in the sky.

"What star is that one?"

"That is Eragar, north of the Fire Moth Palace, inscribed by the spirits of the Named Ones who passed in the Seventh Epoch." Amelie thought for a moment, recalling what she had learned.

In terms of breadth and depth of knowledge, Amelie had reached a level that demanded the awe of ordinary people. Even many grand masters within the Mage Alliance would find it difficult to match her in sheer scope of knowledge. It was just that Amelie was still young and had yet to convert this vast store of knowledge into formidable power through practice and the balance of the Threefold Law.

After conversing for a while, Sylutia discovered that Amelie not only knew a great deal of conventional knowledge, but was even familiar with many secret, sealed-away teachings within the Mage Alliance, such as the origins of the star palaces and related secret arts left behind by the Star-Gazing School.

This girl was like a living grand library. When it came to pure theoretical knowledge, there was hardly anything that could stump her.

Sylutia had spent a long time searching without success for the secret history of the Star-Gazing School, yet here with Amelie, she had easily obtained quite a bit of it. If she could, she might even have the blue-haired girl write out the complete secret history of the Star-Gazing School for her to keep.

Unfortunately, time was limited, so she could only glean key pieces of information from Amelie for now. If only she could go see Amelie every day, it would be like having a retrieval engine or a powerful artificial intelligence at her fingertips, capable of looking up all sorts of historical records at any moment. Just imagine how much time and effort that would save.

Come to think of it, didn't the Sage say Amelie was about the same age as herself? How could she possibly memorize so many things? Did she just flip through a book once and remember it forever?

If that were the case, that kind of talent was truly terrifying and formidable.

Sylutia was pondering things about Amelie when the two unknowingly arrived at the Feast Ritual School's exhibition hall.

The various aromas wafting through the air snapped her back to reality, and she turned her gaze to Amelie beside her, noticing the girl's eyes fixed on a plate of freshly cooked hot dishes. Sylutia couldn't help but find it amusing.

It seemed Amelie was quite curious and expectant when it came to delicious food. This time, she would make sure to give her a proper taste of it.