Miss Witch Doesn't Want to Become a Songstress-Chapter 180

The relaxed and leisurely school life has come to a temporary pause.

Standing in front of the mirror, Thilan examined the black-based uniform with deep blue pleats, smoothing out the hem and then turning slightly to inspect every detail.

The uniform consisted of three main pieces. The inner layer was a fitted white shirt with a blue silk bow tie at the collar. The lower half was a black pleated skirt with a waist-cinching design. The skirt had slits on the sides, revealing deep blue pleats that allowed for ease of movement while standing, giving it a layered look with just a hint of blue peeking through.

In addition to these two pieces, there was also the outer coat. The main body was black with large lapels, and the cuffs were accented with deep blue. When worn, it seamlessly matched the skirt, creating a cohesive and stylish look. The tailored fit accentuated the girl’s graceful figure and long legs, exuding a simple yet efficient beauty.

"Pair this with these glasses, and it’s perfect." Annelie handed over a pair of black-framed glasses. In the mirror, the girl shed her usual youthful appearance, looking more composed and professional.

After finishing her outfit, Thilan didn’t linger any longer and headed to the student council to report.

Along the way, Annelie followed in a similar uniform, acting as if she were Thilan’s secretary. The two arrived at the student council office, but today it wasn’t President Amorth who greeted them.

"The president has some matters to attend to this morning and won’t be able to make it. However, he has instructed me to guide Miss Thilan and familiarize her with the situation." A young man with short, deep golden hair placed a hand on his shoulder and bowed slightly, resembling a proper noble butler.

"My name is Colt. Miss Thilan can simply call me by my name. I’m currently a third-year student and a member of the student council’s internal affairs department, primarily responsible for organizing and arranging various activities within the school."

"The internal affairs department?" Thilan guessed that the student council might have several departments.

"Yes, the main responsibility of the internal affairs department is to coordinate and arrange various activities within the academy, such as venue and facility setup, personnel allocation, and so on."

"What about the other departments?" the girl asked curiously.

"There are six departments in the student council: the discipline department, external affairs department, internal affairs department, accounting department, records department, and the main control department."

"I’ll explain the responsibilities of each department to you later. For now, please follow me. I’ll explain things as we go."

He led the two out of the office and into the hallway. After entering a blue transparent elevator, Colt continued.

"Since I’m a member of the internal affairs department, most of the tasks I’ll show you today are related to it."

"First, most students at Edess Academy participate in clubs rather than class-based activities. This is encouraged by the school. The application for club establishment and the request for activity funds are both handled by the internal affairs department."

"Of course, the final approval of funds and reimbursement for purchases are handled by the accounting department. With the help of AI, their department has fewer members, usually 4-5 people. Our internal affairs department has more complex tasks and consists of 16 members."

"Students aren’t full-time employees, so they can’t spend every day at school working on student council duties. Therefore, our 16 members are divided into four groups, taking turns. Today happens to be our group’s turn."

As they walked, Colt explained the specific tasks of their department and led the two to an indoor training ground. The space was vast, and the echoes of people talking could be heard. Under the clear, deep blue glass dome, the spacious area was filled with students in protective gear practicing sword techniques, the sounds of clashing swords occasionally ringing out.

The sword techniques practiced here weren’t limited to one style. There were swift rapiers, powerful two-handed swords, and saber techniques. The entire venue had about thirty people, and with more members yet to arrive, this club was one of the top three largest clubs at Edess Academy.

As they entered the venue, some students looked at the trio with curiosity, but before they could approach and ask questions, a tall, bald man walked over, patting their shoulders and signaling them to step back.

"Good morning, Colt." He greeted the young man, then turned his attention to the two girls beside him. He knew Colt wouldn’t come here without a reason, and seeing these unfamiliar faces, he guessed it had something to do with them.

"Good morning, President Woolay." Colt nodded, neither overly familiar nor distant, then led the three to a corner of the venue.

"This is Woolay, the president of the ’Hat and Dagger’ club. He’s a fourth-year student, a Blade Sequence 5, and a well-known figure at our school."

"Hahaha, not at all, not at all." Woolay placed a hand on his waist and laughed heartily. Though he spoke modestly, his expression said otherwise.

Is he really a student? Thilan looked at the stubble on his cheeks, feeling a bit curious. He looked quite mature, but considering he was a fourth-year student, probably around 20 years old, it made sense.

"This is Thilan, a new member of our student council. President Amorth asked me to familiarize Miss Thilan with the affairs and situation within the academy."

"Oh, so you’re Thilan." Woolay seemed to have heard of her, which surprised the black-haired girl.

"Yeah, I’ve heard some first-year members mention you. What was it again? Oh, a very beautiful girl, hehehe~" He laughed in what he thought was a friendly manner, but it startled Annelie.

What a scary man, like a beast, Annelie thought to herself, deciding to advise Thilan to stay away from this guy in the future. But since he’s a fourth-year, he won’t be at the academy much longer.

"Hello, President Woolay." Thilan, as usual, greeted him politely, and the four continued their conversation. With Colt’s explanation, Woolay gradually understood why they had come to their venue today.

"So it’s to familiarize her with the process, huh? Haha, no problem. I’ll show Miss Thilan around and explain our club’s activities and purpose."

As the four walked further into the venue, Woolay began to explain the origins and development of the club.

"Actually, as you can tell from the name, our club isn’t strictly focused on swordsmanship. It originated at Saint Ingo Academy, where there’s a very famous swordsmanship club called the ’Rose Cross Sword.’ The founder of our ’Hat and Dagger’ club was a student who was rejected by the ’Rose Cross Sword’ club."

"’Your swordsmanship is too underhanded.’ That’s what the ’Rose Cross Sword’ club told him, haha."

"The founder preferred using daggers and was the type who liked to strike unexpectedly. He hid his daggers in his sleeves and boots, using them swiftly and stealthily, delivering sudden strikes in real combat."

"However, this kind of sneaky swordsmanship naturally didn’t sit well with the noble-minded ’Rose Cross Sword’ club. As you know, most students at Saint Ingo Academy come from prestigious families and value honor and propriety, so they didn’t accept him. That’s why he created his own club, which is the predecessor of our club."

"In the early days, the club was quite small, with at most four members. This continued until the two academies split."

"The ’Rose Cross Sword’ remained at Saint Ingo Academy, while the ’Hat and Dagger’ moved to Edess Academy."

"Since Edess Academy didn’t have any other swordsmanship clubs at the time, new students who wanted to practice swordsmanship simply joined the ’Hat and Dagger,’ and the numbers gradually grew. The club’s original focus on daggers and short swords was diluted."

"Now, any kind of swordsmanship can be practiced here, even saber techniques. There’s no particular preference. For example, I prefer the kind of powerful greatswords that feel exhilarating to wield." As he spoke, he picked up a greatsword from the weapon rack and swung it effortlessly. The heavy blade moved swiftly and silently, drawing admiration.

After Woolay finished, Colt added some context.

"The ’Hat and Dagger’ club has represented our school in many competitions within the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Domain, winning eleven trophies and various minor event awards. They are a strong club, with three academy teachers regularly providing guidance and sparring."

"Additionally, the resources and funding consumed by the ’Hat and Dagger’ club are quite substantial, with annual expenses ranging between 300-400 million Federation credits." At this point, Colt adjusted his glasses, his tone cool.

"Uh, hahaha, well, you know, the expenses are unavoidable." President Woolay scratched his head, his bald head shining even brighter.

"How can the expenses be so high?" Annelie, whose family ran a company, was somewhat puzzled.

"First, there’s the protective gear. These uniforms are lightweight yet durable, woven with special Ailan metal threads. Even a Sequence 5 student’s full-force strike won’t easily damage them. You should know, Miss Annelie, that such gear isn’t cheap."

"Ah, that’s true." Annelie nodded. Even without any special effects, a set of such uniforms would cost at least 100,000 Federation credits.

"Over a year, about 200 sets of uniforms are worn out and replaced, costing around 20 million Federation credits."

"Then there’s the maintenance and upkeep of the venue. Even though the academy doesn’t charge rent, the replacement of various facilities and the repairs needed after the use of transcendent swordsmanship cost money. This expense is about 3 million Federation credits."

"Next is the purchase of swords and blades. Although practice swords don’t need to be top quality, they must have the right weight and feel, and be able to withstand the infusion of magic and constant clashes. The club goes through about 600 swords a year, with each sword costing around 2,000 Federation credits, totaling 1.2 million Federation credits annually."

"These add up to 24 million Federation credits, which is only a small portion. The majority of the expenses come from the phantom crystal beasts used for sparring and the phantom crystal opponents. The cores used to create phantom crystal beasts cost about 9,000 Federation credits each, and the club uses about 3,000 cores a year, totaling 27 million Federation credits. Add in the wear and tear of the equipment used to create the phantom crystal beasts, and the actual annual cost is closer to 300 million Federation credits."

"On top of that, the salaries of the academy teachers who regularly assist the club aren’t insignificant. Sequence 6 elites in society wouldn’t teach wholeheartedly if the pay was too low. So, the total cost approaches 400 million Federation credits."

"It seems the main expense is the phantom crystal beasts." Thilan adjusted her slightly uncomfortable glasses.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Phantom crystal beasts capable of briefly matching Sequence 4 or Sequence 5 combatants couldn’t be cheap to produce. The 80,000 Federation credit price was likely due to long-term cooperation between the academy and certain companies. Otherwise, the market price would be closer to 200,000 Federation credits.

No wonder Edess Academy didn’t hesitate much when I applied. To them, 3 billion Federation credits might just be a small sum.

"These expenses are unavoidable. Without using phantom crystal beasts for practical training, it’s hard to simulate real combat experience," Woolay explained.

"Nowadays, the top academies in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region train this way. If we want to defeat our opponents, we can’t cut corners."

"I’m not against this kind of training. After all, the academy’s goal is to quickly improve everyone’s strength," Colt shook his head.

"But President Woolay, last November, when you led the club members to a public match against the ’Rain Curtain Club’ from Crystal Grid Academy under the Twin Serpents Bridge, you lost. This not only damaged our school’s reputation but also disappointed the sponsors and partner companies supporting our academy."

"Such incidents shake the confidence of potential partners and reduce the sponsorship the academy receives. On a larger scale, it even affects the power struggle between our academy’s parent group and Saint Ingo Academy."

"Do you understand now?" Colt’s words left Woolay completely deflated.

"We’ll win next time, I promise." After saying this, he raised his head.

The top academies in the Four-Leaf Crystal Star Region hold the greatest power and wealth, but they also face intense competition that other academies can hardly imagine. This competition has led to an extreme thirst for ’geniuses,’ which is why students like Valk and Thilan, who come from no notable background, still receive the academy’s full protection.

"Promises are just words. President Woolay, you have only half a year left before graduation. Rather than pinning hopes on uncertain victories, the academy hopes you can focus on nurturing a capable successor." Colt advised him.

"I understand. In fact, I already have a few candidates in mind." After a moment of thought, he replied.

Colt nodded slightly, then stepped back, allowing Thilan to step forward

"This is Miss Thilan, a new member of our student council. Although she’s only a first-year student, she will be handling related affairs in the student council for a long time. In the future, if President Woolay has any adjustments or arrangements for club activities, you can contact Miss Thilan. I believe she will provide the most suitable guidance and advice."

Although Woolay wasn’t the most quick-witted or tactful person, he wasn’t a fool either. This thinly veiled hint quickly made him realize the importance of the girl before him. It was likely that in the future, matters like club activity funding approvals and dealings with the student council and academy would have to go through Miss Thilan.

What did he mean by the most suitable guidance and advice? This girl was only a first-year student, with a quiet demeanor, clearly not someone who wielded a sword. How could she provide the most suitable guidance and advice? The answer was obvious: whatever she said would be considered the ’most suitable advice.’

“Sigh, if it weren’t for last year’s defeat, I, Woolay, wouldn’t have to bow my head to a young girl in such a situation. But for the sake of the club, I’ll endure it.”

"Please, Miss Thilan, in the future, guide and assist our ’Hat and Dagger’ club as much as possible." He bowed respectfully, clasping his fists.