While she was on her way out, Professor Ashcroft gave Wolfe one final bit of advice. "If you have extra mana stones, give them to your Witches so they can use the mana to cultivate their aura. If they score high enough on the midterm and semester finals, they can challenge the exams to move into the second year early.
Not many Witches ever choose that route since they still need to pass the year-end exams but at the second-year level. I think those two could manage it, though.
No offence to you, Reiko and Mary, but having a Demon Familiar is nearly a cheat code for your early development. Your Familiars need to grow into their power while Wolfe is already there."
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She had a point. Pup and Flame were growing in power quickly, but only because their Witches were. Wolfe was way ahead on the power curve.
"I have alternate ways to grant Cassie and Ella mana and build their auras as well, but I will be sure to give them mana gems so they can work on their aura in their spare time." Wolfe agreed.
"You know ways to improve more quickly? Why are you holding out? I thought we were friends." Reiko pouted.
Wolfe was about to answer when two hands slapped over his mouth, and sharp kitten teeth sank into his ear at the same time.
"It's a private thing between a Demon Familiar and Witch," Ella explained on his behalf.
Mary Giggled at their response. "It's something lewd, isn't it? You're spending all night doing naughty things with Wolfe, and you don't want to share."
Reiko got a knowing look on her face and then turned to Cassie. "Or she is already sharing and doesn't want the extra competition. Isn't that right?"
Cassie's face was bright red, and she couldn't look anyone in the eye. It was only making the other two more suspicious, and their intense stares were quickly breaking down her willpower.
It was Mary's pleading look that finally made her crack.
Her voice dropped to a whisper, but Cassie decided to explain it to them. "Most people don't know, but when a Demon is your Familiar, you get a mark. It lets you store some of their mana to process later. It's like when you're touching your Familiar, and you can work with their mana. But first, you need to get the mana inside you, you see? We can't spend all day in bed being fed straight mana, but this way, we can build our aura even when we're apart."
"So that's why Ella didn't want him to say anything. It really was lewd. Your secret is safe with us. What sort of mark is it? Like a tattoo? You hide it pretty well." Mary asked.
Ella released Wolfe, but he could still feel Stephanie's glare reminding him that she disapproved of him interacting with other Witches. He couldn't be sure if it were because of the nature of the technique or the Familiar bond acting up the same way Flame didn't like anyone touching Reiko, but the Familiar Cat was clearly not happy.
"It is just below the belly button. That makes it easy to hide. It is like a tattoo, but only visible when it is storing mana." Wolfe explained.
"Enough of that topic. How much of this clear-mind potion are we going to sell, and how much do we keep? The ingredients aren't hard to get, so we can make more vials when we need them. But school credits are much harder to get." Reiko asked, changing the subject in the bluntest way possible.
"One-fifth is enough to take us through the end of the semester. If we challenge the exams and score a solid passing grade, that is enough schooling to be called a qualified Witch for the rest of our lives." Ella suggested.
That was the best she thought that she could hope for when she arrived at the academy, and it was still her short-term goal.
"If we ace the test, we can start on advanced Witch Magic next term and learn more than just basic offensive spells, plant growth and armour. It would look good on an application to be assigned outside the city or to the village defence forces." Cassie agreed.
"Then that's what we need to do. There are five weeks to midterms, and we need to master as many elements as possible. Even the ones we are bad with, if we want to get far enough ahead to finish the whole syllabus by the end of the term." Reiko decided, seeing a few rays of hope for her goal of getting out of the city.
"It is almost lights out now though, so we will have to do it tomorrow." Mary reminded them.
"Alright, we can all meet at breakfast and make a study plan to get us through the exams. Wolfe, we will be counting on your help and some of those Mana Crystals that the Professor said you have to get us through this push." Ella decided.
"It will be my pleasure, but we should get going before I get in even more trouble. Five hundred units a day is enough of a penalty for me." Wolfe agreed.
"One day, you will have to tell me what you and Stephen did that got you such a heavy penalty, but you're right. It's getting late, so we will head back to our room and see you tomorrow." Reiko told him, then headed for the stairs to return to her dorm, followed closely by Mary and Pup.
Once they were back in their room, Wolfe wasted no time in changing into a pair of silk pyjama pants and getting a nest of blankets and pillows ready for Stephanie on the spare bed.
"Be a good girl for the evening, and I will get you something great for breakfast. I need to meditate while I feed their auras." Wolfe whispered to the small black kitten.
Mediation not only let him regain mana, but it helped him improve his mana focus. If he was going to bring the Witches' power level up to the peak of the second-year standard in only one more month, it was going to take a lot of work.
Both Witches seemed to be thinking the same thing, as they were completely focused on improving their aura from the moment that they climbed into bed, not even sparing any attention to the angry noises that Stephanie was making.
She eventually calmed down when she realized that Wolfe was only holding them and feeding them energy while he absorbed mana and worked to condense his mana focus. Life as a kitten might not be as easy as the jealous Familiar had thought now that the spell was taking full effect on her. At least, not at night.
Stephanie had a plan to fix that problem, though, and it relied upon her new form to pull it off. If the others took her as a witch, she would be viewed as their competition. But if she played up the kitten aspect, she could subtly take over the prime spots on and around Wolfe without invoking any sense of jealousy in the others.
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