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"Please give me a chance, Your Excellency,"

Miss Ghost Mask was unexpectedly tenacious. She supported herself with her hands, her forehead resting on the back of her hands, and in a posture that perfectly resembled the Fierce Tiger Descending, she sincerely spoke to Dorothy again.

However, Home Martial Soul felt somewhat helpless, not having expected this secretary to have a mania for swordsmanship.

What was this all about? Although she indeed obtained the License for Mindless Unity School, granting her the qualifications to start her own school and take in disciples, she had never considered such a thing before. She barely had enough time for her own studies each day, let alone to teach a disciple.

But...

"You can stand up first,"

Dorothy stomped her foot gently, and an invisible force traveled through the earth beneath her feet and directly hit Miss Ghost Mask’s knees, which were still on the ground. Then, the secretary, who had initially decided to remain kneeling, felt a numbness in her knees and found herself uncontrollably springing up to stand upright without any control.

What the...

Miss Ghost Mask, completely baffled by what just happened, didn’t have time to think further. Dorothy patted her shoulder and said,

"Although I will not take in disciples, we can exchange views during the new trainee special training starting tomorrow."

It was then Home Martial Soul remembered the task her own mother had dumped on her, and she responded.

"Special training?"

Miss Ghost Mask was startled at first, and then a look of joy crossed her face as she seemed to realize something.

"Could it be that you, Your Excellency the Clown, will also participate in tomorrow’s special training?"

"Yes, that’s right. I’m the instructor in charge of training you guys,"

Dorothy nodded, dropping the pretense and laying her cards on the table.

"Eh..."

The startled Miss Ghost Mask didn’t have any response, but hanging off Dorothy, the little witch let out a cry of surprise first.

"Yay, Clown Sister, I will do my best!"

"Good, I’m looking forward to it,"

said Madeline, joining in the excitement nearby.

This made Home Martial Soul slightly embarrassed.

Could she admit she still had no idea what the special training content from the Judgment Court actually was?

Never mind that, earlier her mother had indeed given her a training manual. She’d have to go back and flip through it after sending the familiar away, cramming at the last minute. Besides, she wouldn’t be the only instructor; there would be others, too, so it shouldn’t be a big deal.

That’s what Dorothy thought to herself.

Well, she hoped the Probationary Inquisitors doomed to have her as their unreliable instructor this term would be alright. Amen.

"Alright, it’s getting late; time to go see the Magical Beast Garden and then everyone should head home,"

said Dorothy as she pulled out a pocket watch to check the time. It was already past midnight; if she finished up soon, she could still get some sleep.

While a witch didn’t need to sleep, she still liked the feeling of a normal night’s rest.

"Yes, please follow me, Master,"

said Miss Ghost Mask. While she had not succeeded in becoming an apprentice, His Excellency the Clown had already agreed to guide her during the special training, so she was content to take what she could get.

As a result, the once cold and guarded Miss Ghost Mask thawed like ice, and her attitude toward Dorothy visibly became much warmer.

"I’ve already said, I don’t take disciples, don’t call me Master,"

Home Martial Soul corrected.

"OK, Master, no problem, Master,"

Miss Ghost Mask nodded, replying with these words.

In the Eastern Universe, there’s an old saying, "Once a teacher, forever a father." Since His Excellency the Clown was willing to instruct her in swordsmanship, that made him her benefactor. To repay this kindness, she had to treat him with the respect due to a master.

And so, the team that originally consisted of two people became four. After leaving the Arena, they didn’t have to go far to reach the Magical Beast Garden where they were to pick up familiars.

It’s just...

"emmm, so the Beast Garden is this small?"

As the group arrived at the entrance of a rather ordinary-looking room, Dorothy scratched her head in confusion upon seeing the doorplate that read "Magical Beast Garden."

In her imagination, she thought it would be a facility akin to a zoo, never expecting it to actually be just a room.

However, when Miss Ghost Mask, who was leading the way, pushed open the room’s door, bright sunlight and fresh air accompanied by a sudden breeze enveloped Dorothy, causing her to blink instinctively before she adjusted to the abrupt change of scenery.

"Ah, this...an Any-Door?"

As she looked at the expansive primeval forest that lay beyond the door, Dorothy’s mind reflexively went to a certain blue raccoon animation from her previous life that featured similar high-tech wonders.

"Pfft, is it a Portal? Not quite, oh, so it’s a small world, huh?"

After a moment of contemplation, Dorothy came to a realization, then couldn’t help but be astounded.

Good grief, you can’t deny the scale of a public institution—this is frighteningly extravagant—to stuff a complete world right behind this door.

The idea of using an entire world as a room piqued the interest of Dorothy, who was a newbie to civil engineering.

Let’s be real, a house where each room is a world is super cool, okay?

In that moment, the soul of the civil engineer within her was ablaze, and her curiosity in this architectural technique even surpassed the familiars inside the Beast Garden.

If it were just her, she’d probably be plastered against the door studying its construction by now, but unfortunately, today she was not alone.

"Big sis, what are you spacing out for? Let’s go in. There are tons of excellent familiars in the Beast Garden; I’ll help you choose one."

Alice, unable to contain her eagerness, grabbed her sister’s hand and dragged her into the door, much to the shock of a Home Martial Soul.

After all, she hadn’t yet figured out if the door was a portal or not; if it were a portal, this could be bad.

Luckily, nothing happened in the end, and no dreaded side effects of teleportation occurred. Dorothy simply closed and opened her eyes to find herself within a vast primeval forest.

She turned around and saw the ghostly image of a door gradually fading atop the stump of a massive ancient tree.

"Come out, Bloodthirsty Magic Wolf."

As Dorothy was curiously surveying this new world, she heard Alice’s voice close by.

Following the sound, she saw a Summoning Magic Circle appear in front of her sister, out of which a huge wolf with fur as red as blood, nearly five meters in length, emerged.

"Uh, is this your new familiar? Another wolf? You really do love dogs."

Watching Alice, who had already climbed onto the giant wolf and was enthusiastically rubbing her face in its luxuriant fur, Dorothy spoke with a hint of speechlessness.

Unlike her, who was part of the Cat Faction, Alice was a confirmed dog lover. She already had a familiar called "Fenrir," a giant white wolf, and now the familiar she had obtained for free from the Judgment Court turned out to be another wolf.

So much for the battle style of an Inquisitor being different from the usual; you’re just pretending to change, lonely in disguise.

"Dogs are so cute; you just don’t understand, big sis. Come on, hop on. The base for the familiars is some distance from here, and the rules of this world are special; it’s better to ride familiars than to cast spells yourself."

Even facing her beloved big sister, Alice stood her ground on the dog lover’s side. The little witch, now a Wolf Knight, extended her hand, inviting her sister to ride the wolf together.

Dorothy paused for a moment. She tried casting spells and did indeed find that the process, which usually flowed smoothly, was now somewhat jerky. Although it wasn’t a major hindrance, it did feel uncomfortable.

She then experimented with several kinds of magic and found that apart from the Summoning Series, all other spells experienced delays.

But this was normal, as every world has its own set of rules. The laws of this world seemed to favor summoners who primarily command familiars.

"So this is another world, huh..."

All of a sudden, the Home Martial Soul, who initially just wanted to take a cursory look, became genuinely intrigued.

In addition to Alice, Madeline also summoned out a colossal white snake tens of meters in length, while Miss Ghost Mask summoned a fox with three tails.

Scratching her head, Dorothy realized that although she had three familiars, none were suitable for riding.

Oh wait, senior Fanny could be ridden, technically, but not for traveling like this.

"Hmm, looks like it really is time to find a mountable familiar."

Dorothy grabbed Alice’s hand, then mounted the giant wolf, thinking to herself.

...Sisters, the Wolf Knights, on their journey...