Miss Witch Doesn’t Want to Become a Songstress

Holding the azure orb in her hands, the girl was slightly surprised but still accepted it.

When she was selecting and feeling among hundreds of orbs earlier, there wasn’t enough time to inspect them one by one. In the end, she relied on a mix of intuition—or perhaps sheer randomness dictated by fate—to choose this one.

Two reasons influenced her decision: first, the rhythm and sensation it conveyed felt comforting; second, the orb’s bright blue color was to her liking.

However, when the orb shattered to reveal the extraordinary creature within, Hestia was still taken aback.

Before her was a small, round-headed snake covered in blue scales. It was about as long as her arm, its body adorned with a mix of blue and white.

Previously, Hestia would have leapt back in fear—snakes were inherently frightening creatures. But having spent considerable time in Botis’ jungle chamber, she had grown accustomed to them. Besides, this particular snake was non-venomous.

She hoped it wouldn’t be too dimwitted. Recalling the disobedient and foolish creatures from Botis’ glass jungle, Hestia felt a mild headache brewing.

Reaching out toward the blue-and-white snake, she let it flick its tongue over her fingertip before it slowly coiled around her arm. The creature lacked venom sacs, and its round head was rather endearing upon closer inspection.

“Miss Hestia, please follow me,” instructed a staff member in a white uniform, guiding her to the side of the hall.

“Wow, that girl just picked up the snake directly.”

“More importantly, who thought it was a good idea to include a snake among the magical creatures?”

“What kind of snake is that? It actually looks quite beautiful.”

As the murmurs faded behind her, Hestia reached the side hall, where her identity and her new companion were registered.

After completing the paperwork, she exited through the side door of the Star Dome. According to the academy staff, students who passed the initial test and obtained a “companion” had one hour to bond with their creature.

“This is food for your little one. You can use it to get familiar and start some basic training,” a staff member said, handing her a small paper bag and a folded leaflet.

“Thank you.” Accepting the bag labeled with snake-specific snacks, Hestia unfolded the leaflet.

The front detailed guidelines for interacting with companions, followed by a list of pre-set commands such as “follow,” “attack,” “defend,” “halt,” and “evade.”

Each magical creature possessed unique abilities. Whether these abilities could be fully realized depended on the bond (and skill) between the student and their companion.

With the snack bag in hand, Hestia walked toward a nearby garden, finding a spot on a swing to sit. She took a moment to carefully observe the little snake coiled around her arm.

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[Indigo Serpent]

Status: Healthy (Growth Phase)

Rank: Primal Sequence 2: Glimmering Scale Serpent (Exceptional Bronze)

Traits:

[Antivenom Serum] (Exceptional): Provides resistance to various toxins, with heightened resistance to snake venom.

[Sunlight Serpent] (Exceptional): Gains a moderate boost to all abilities when exposed to sunlight.

Abilities:

[Shimmering Scales] (Excellent): Reflects light from its scales to blind and intimidate other creatures.

[Thermal Body] (Excellent): Heats up its scales during constriction, causing prey to succumb to high temperatures (not enough to ignite).

Skills: [Constriction Lv.3], [Intimidation Lv.2], [Sunbathing Lv.2]

Evaluation: A rare low-tier subspecies of the Forest King Snake, its coloration resembles the bright azure of the sky. It is rumored that high-tier evolutions might even allow it to achieve flight.

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What a sunny creature, so unlike its gloomier partner. Feeling the snake’s subtle rhythm and analyzing data she’d researched online, Hestia formed these impressions.

Lightly tapping the creature’s head, Hestia closed her eyes to attune herself to its emotions and consciousness.

Since advancing to the Decay Sequence 3: Listener of Soul’s Echoes, her perception abilities had significantly improved. Integrating her singer’s talent into these abilities allowed her to sense other creatures’ emotions and simple thoughts.

While not mind-reading, this skill made it easy to discern lies, gauge moods, and even detect the rhythm of transcendent cores, analyzing their imprints and markings.

“This little one is still a bit shy,” she thought.

Opening her eyes, she noticed the snake cautiously surveying its surroundings. She gently stroked its head before offering a small piece of food.

The snake flicked its tongue to taste the morsel, then slowly opened its mouth to swallow it.

After consuming a few bites, it coiled up as if ready to nap.

Considering the information that identified it as a sunlight-loving serpent, Hestia shifted it to her left wrist to ensure it could bask in the sun.

Focusing on its breathing and the flow of its blood, Hestia felt a strange sensation stirring within her—a symphony of life itself. It wasn’t glamorous but carried a genuine, raw authenticity.

Time passed unnoticed as the snake awoke, raising its head and scanning its surroundings. It seemed to search for the presence it had sensed in its dream. When its gaze met Hestia’s pale blue eyes, they stared at each other.

For a brief moment, it was as though a circuit had connected. Hestia experienced everything the snake did—the warmth of sunlight on its scales, the softness of her clothing, her body heat, and even her gaze and expression.

This connection lasted only seconds but left Hestia pondering its significance.

Perhaps this was the essence of her singer’s gift: soul resonance, breaking down barriers to achieve true empathy.

As time quietly flowed by in the warm garden, the swing occasionally swayed, stirring her long hair and skirt.

When the hour ended, Hestia received a notification on her personal terminal. With the indigo snake coiled around her arm, she left the garden for the assessment site. The location for the first trial had been sent to her.

The test area was an open grass field temporarily transformed into an obstacle course with flowing water to cross, stumps to jump over, tunnels to crawl through, and spinning windmill blades to evade.

“The first trial is simple: you must guide your companion through the course. You may only use vocal commands to communicate and cannot physically carry your companion. Your success depends on your bond and cooperation.”

After explaining the rules, the student council member stepped aside to allow participants to enter one at a time.

“Seems straightforward, just as I expected,” some students remarked. The general consensus was that this trial was likely a warm-up for more challenging tasks ahead.

However, was it really that simple? Not long after the first student entered the course, a significant challenge arose.

“Blackie, hurry!” The first student, accompanied by a young wolf, navigated through various obstacles.

Initially, things went smoothly. But when they reached a segment requiring constant dodging and jumping, the student managed to focus and get through. However, when he turned around from the safety zone, he realized the young wolf had fallen into the water and drifted far away.

Although it wasn’t clear what consequences failing to cross with a “companion” might bring, since the theme was “bond,” it was unlikely such separations were permissible.

The student had no choice but to jump into the water, swim to rescue his companion, and restart from the beginning.

This demonstration served as a cautionary example, prompting subsequent students to be more vigilant, ensuring their companions stayed with them.

As the course progressed, the students at the front disappeared from view, leaving others to face the challenges on their own when it was their turn.

Soon, it was Hestia’s turn.

“A snake, huh? This might be tough for you,” the staff remarked while registering her.

“Why?” Hestia asked curiously.

“Mammals are generally the most intelligent and easiest to train and follow commands, making them simpler to handle,” the staff explained. “That said, don’t be too discouraged. Magical creatures typically possess higher intelligence than normal animals, so it’s not entirely hopeless.” After offering some reassurance, the staff directed Hestia to the course.

The trial began.

The initial phase featured a flat grassy field. Hestia led the way, keeping half a body’s distance ahead of her companion, a small indigo snake that slithered alongside her.

Unlike other students who frequently called their companions’ names to give commands, Hestia moved forward almost silently. Together, the girl and the snake passed through grasslands, jumped across horizontal platforms, stepped on wooden stakes above water, and avoided rotating fans.

It didn’t seem all that difficult. Hestia gracefully hopped down from a platform, while the snake slid down a railing and landed beside her.

The final stage separated the paths for participants and their companions with a net. Hestia’s path was flat and simple, while the companion’s route was complex and filled with obstacles. Typically, this stage required students to constantly communicate and guide their companions to avoid wrong turns or traps.

This increased the difficulty. Over the next hour, some students learned to use pre-set commands to guide their animals, but many others struggled, left frustrated as their companions hesitated in confusion.

“Still too impatient,” commented a senior student observing from the elevated stands.

“Yes, many of them aren’t accustomed to working with companions who think differently. When their commands aren’t immediately understood, they lose their temper. But that’s just a sign of incompetence.”

“True strength lies in understanding those differences and finding ways to compensate, helping those around you keep up.”

“If they can’t handle simple animals, they’d fare even worse with people.”

Meanwhile, Hestia and her companion passed the obstacles with ease. Thanks to her innate talent, she rarely needed to speak; sometimes, a simple gesture was enough for the snake to understand her intentions.

“Yes, that’s the right direction. Pull the lever down,” she instructed.

Standing before a sealed stone gate, Hestia pointed to a lever on the far side. The snake slithered over, pulled it down, and the stone gate lifted, marking the end of the first stage.

“Congratulations, Hestia!” cheered a staff member inside. They directed her to complete the registration form to proceed.

After this warm-up stage, one-fifth of the students were eliminated. The real trials were just beginning.

“Stage Two: Defeat the Phantom Rats.”

As the announcement echoed, two massive gray rats were released into the arena. Students could not enter the field but had to rely on commands to guide their companions to fight two enemies simultaneously.

The battle commenced.

In the arena, a young indigo wolf bared its teeth, facing the two opponents with tension and mutual caution.

In terms of raw strength, Sequence 2 Phantom Rats (Standard Bronze Rank) were no match for the carefully trained companions. However, with a two-to-one numerical disadvantage, the challenge tested the students’ ability to rely on strategy and communication to help their companions secure victory.

“Start running!” the first student commanded.

Having developed some rapport during the first stage, the wolf immediately followed the order, sprinting around the arena. The two rats hesitated briefly but, driven by hunger, couldn’t resist and gave chase.

Their gray fur bristled as the two Phantom Rats suddenly grew several times larger in appearance, pouncing toward the fleeing wolf.

This was the Phantom Rats’ ability—to create illusions that confused and intimidated their prey, causing hesitation and fear while the rats themselves closed in for the attack.

Although the students above knew these were mere illusions, the wolf did not. To it, the rats appeared as enormous, invincible foes. Letting out a whimper, it panicked, fleeing to a corner and even crashing into a wall.

“Idiot!” the student shouted.

Watching his wolf flee aimlessly, the student was furious. Phantom Rats, after all, were just slightly larger mice once their tricks were seen through. They posed little actual threat.

The wolf, still unaware, clawed at the grass in desperation, even attempting to burrow into the entry tunnel with its hindquarters exposed.

Seeing this embarrassing sight, the student buried his face in his hands, utterly mortified.

Perhaps out of frustration or sheer desperation, he bellowed again, “Fool! Turn around and bite them! Don’t you hear how light their footsteps are? It’s fake!”

Though the wolf didn’t understand such complex instructions, the anger and frustration in the student’s voice stirred it to action. Trembling and agitated, it turned back, its fur standing on end, as it faced the two “giant” rats.

The Phantom Rats hesitated momentarily, not advancing, leading to a tense standoff.

After growling and snapping for some time, the wolf regained some confidence. Following the seventh command to “attack,” it finally charged forward.

A flurry of howls and squeals ensued. Up close, the illusion faltered, and the rats reverted to their normal size. Energized by this realization, the wolf confidently tore into its opponents, eventually vanquishing them both.

“Ocanna, passed!” the staff announced, blowing a whistle. The first student to clear Stage Two had emerged.