Miss Witch Doesn’t Want to Become a Songstress

In the afternoon, after preparing a new batch of ingredients, Hestia handed them over to Haures for mixing.

“Once this batch is done, there won’t be much left,” Haures remarked casually as she placed the drinks on a tray and passed them to Hestia.

Carrying the drinks, Hestia made her way to serve the customers. However, this time, something unexpected happened.

“Are you new here?” asked a customer in his 30s. He was dressed in a dark gray suit, and his gold-rimmed glasses had fine green lines and flickering text, seemingly analyzing something.

“Yes,” Hestia replied, holding the tray in front of her.

“Interesting. You study the Decay Sequence, right? That’s quite rare.”

“I have a question for you.”

“Please go ahead,” Hestia replied politely.

“Regarding the quad-loop structure of the Spectral Brand—if I wanted to eliminate interference from normal human souls to isolate damaged or anomalous targets, how would I go about it?” This wasn’t a question one could find in a textbook.

“Hmm…” Hestia paused, deep in thought for half a minute before responding.

“I’m not sure about the exact solution, but I have a rough idea. Using a formula to guide the result is too complicated. Since branding structures aren’t as straightforward as AI systems, it might be better to use enchanted carvings to inscribe the results, then feed them into an AI for analysis and filtering.”

The man pressed on. “How would you input the detection results into the AI system? The Decay Sequence isn’t very adept at that.”

“It’s not impossible…” Hestia hesitated, her voice soft and uncertain. She recalled her school experiments.

“You could construct a counter with the Spirit Particle Sequence to organize frequencies, then adjust and filter them.”

“Hmm, that’s an idea, though it’s still somewhat rudimentary. A counter can only process binary data. Perhaps using an advanced chaos model could work better,” he mused.

“Alright, I’ve taken enough of your time. Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” Hestia said as she bowed slightly and prepared to leave.

“Wait a moment,” the man called after her.

“What’s your code name?” he asked.

“My name is Dantalion,” Hestia replied.

“Got it. Thank you, Miss Dantalion.”

After completing the task, Hestia returned to the counter. It was already 4 p.m., and the flow of customers was beginning to dwindle.

“That’s about it for today,” Haures said, glancing at the time.

“So, how do you feel, Dantalion?”

“I was nervous at first, but now I feel okay. Mostly because I haven’t encountered any particularly difficult customers,” Hestia admitted.

“That’s true,” Haures nodded.

“Actually, the more upscale the establishment, the fewer difficult customers you’ll meet. The high prices tend to filter out troublesome ones.”

“The trickiest ones are usually those who’ve just come into some money but aren’t truly wealthy. They rarely visit places like ours and have lofty expectations of high society. Spending a lot of money, they expect a grand experience.”

“But our services aren’t going to be as extravagant as they imagine, so they end up feeling disappointed. That makes them more likely to nitpick or create trouble, just to assert some sense of superiority.”

“As for the truly wealthy, they’re surprisingly easier to deal with. For them, coming here is like buying a soda downstairs—routine and natural. They don’t have the energy to deliberately make things hard for the staff. They just want to eat or drink quickly and leave.”

“Of course, there are still arrogant and unpleasant ones. Wealth doesn’t always mean good manners. Some people are just mean, and there’s nothing you can do about it. When dealing with such customers, Dantalion, you need to be extra cautious. That’s why we use code names instead of our real names—to protect ourselves.”

“Every job has its challenges,” Hestia reflected internally.

“Alright, Dantalion, you’re free to move around for now,” Haures said with a playful wink.

“Huh? Are we done for the day?” Hestia asked, puzzled.

“Not exactly. It’s just that there aren’t many hot drink orders at the moment. You can do something else for now.”

“Let me think… I guess I’ll go help Belphegor or Amdusias.”

“Good idea. It’s been a while since you visited Belphegor. After all, she was the one who introduced you to this place,” Haures said with a smile.

After considering, Hestia decided to visit Belphegor. It had been several days since she last saw her mentor.

Passing through the various counters and sections in the hall, Hestia made her way to the gaming area, where Belphegor was engrossed in a battle with a customer.

“I activate the effect of ‘Sanctuary of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces.’ This turn, I seal one of your followers, then summon ‘Grand Priestess Sharon of the Star Orbit Palace.’ When she enters the field, if ‘Sanctuary of the Twelve Zodiac Palaces’ is present, a ritual card is randomly drawn and can be activated for free this turn.”

“I activate the ‘Stargazing Ritual,’ flipping the top three cards of my deck and activating the effect of one spell card among them.”

“Cards revealed: ‘Piercing Holy Spear,’ ‘Aquarius Palace Attendant,’ and ‘Equilibrium Scales.’ Using ‘Piercing Holy Spear,’ I destroy your follower, ‘Rulna the Alchemist,’ and then play ‘Equilibrium Scales’ to equalize my hand to match your card count…”

In the match, Belphegor dominated, leaving the spectators buzzing with discussion. Only after the battle ended did the area quiet down.

“Wow, Dantalion, you’re finally here!” Belphegor emerged from the crowd and jogged over to Hestia, circling her playfully.

“You seem different, Dantalion.”

“Different how?” Hestia asked nervously. Could it be that she was influenced by her sister after all?

“Hmm, it’s hard to say. You seem bolder? No, that’s not it. Calmer, maybe? Oh, I’ve got it—more confident and composed. You’re not like before. The old Dantalion was like a startled rabbit, ready to tremble and dart away at the slightest scare.”

It was a surprisingly apt description. Hestia smiled faintly, resting her chin on her hand. She couldn’t blame Belphegor for saying that, she really had been that way in the past.

“Dantalion, are you preparing for an advancement?” Belphegor asked suddenly.

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

“I’m very perceptive, you know. In card games, observation and psychology are key. I can sense that your current state is very stable, and the aura of your transcendent core has reached completion. You should consider advancing.”

“That seems to be the case,” Hestia nodded.

After the battle that day, she had shifted back to the Decay Sequence instead of continuing with the Nature Sequence. Although its only at Sequence 2, it was still the foundation she had cultivated herself.

Her sister’s vast knowledge and experience were invaluable, but skipping the process of personal growth left Hestia feeling unsettled. Certain experiences were better not bypassed. A solid foundation would allow her to go further in the long run.

“Do you have any suggestions, Belphegor?”

“Suggestions, huh…” Belphegor pondered for a moment.

“My sequence is different from yours, so it’s hard to say. But since the Decay Sequence involves a lot of soul-related matters, you could check out the Northern District’s K31 compartment. There’s a good collection of books there, including some on that topic.”

“Wait, we have books in the store?”

“Of course! Some customers like to sit and read. We have to keep some on hand, and they can’t be low-quality. We have a bit of everything.”

“You can head there after your shift and have a look.”

“Got it.”

For the rest of the time, Belphegor invited Hestia to join a tabletop RPG session with some customers. They gathered around a table, narrating their characters’ actions while the AI displayed corresponding visuals and managed dice rolls and outcomes.

The day passed like this until the store closed.

…

After taking off her maid outfit and changing into casual clothes, Hestia made her way to the section where books were stored. Finally, she had a brief moment of peace to read.

With 40 minutes until the store officially closed, she calculated her time carefully.

After browsing through the shelves, Hestia selected a book titled ‘Decrypting the Soul: A Cognitive Study’. She sat at a nearby table and began flipping through it. The warm golden glow of the setting sun illuminated her face and the pages, casting a soft, hazy light.

As she read, her curiosity deepened. At times, she was surprised, satisfied, or even more intrigued, engrossed until the store’s closing bell startled her. She stood up quickly and jogged toward the exit.

“Phew, made it out.”

She grabbed her bag and stepped into the elevator, her mind still absorbed in the knowledge she had just acquired.

The book explored fascinating secrets about the soul. For instance, it described the soul as analogous to water in a cup: if the cup (the body) breaks, the water spills out and disappears, leaving behind only traces.

For transcendents, however, the soul was sturdier. It resembled tofu pudding—while not an elegant comparison, it conveyed the idea. Even if the cup shattered, the soul would break into chunks rather than dissipate completely.

Higher-ranking transcendents had souls akin to jelly or pudding. Even if the cup was gone, the soul could largely maintain its shape and consciousness, though it remained fragile.

Finally, beings at Sequence 8–9 had souls like ice pillars. Even without the cup, their souls would not easily break or scatter.

Her sister, being only Sequence 5, hadn’t reached the high ranks necessary to exist without a body. It seemed she had found a way to sleep within Hestia’s body instead. Thanks to their twin-born talent, her sister’s soul adapted seamlessly to Hestia’s body without rejection.

But why had her sister chosen to end her life? Hestia couldn’t say for sure, though she suspected it had something to do with her. Their birth timing had created discrepancies between them. As they grew, these gaps would have only widened unless one of them stopped to wait for the other.

But how could the growth of a person and the maturing of a soul be halted? Only the most extreme solution was feasible.

It was a bold and profoundly confident plan. Hestia shook her head silently. She would never have chosen such a path.

…

Back home, Hestia stood in the kitchen, placing rice in the cooker to steam before beginning to prepare the other ingredients.

First, she cleaned the freshly bought silver carp, removing the innards and scraping off the scales. Then, she made incisions on the fish, salted it for marination, and prepared ingredients like scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Once everything was ready, she poured oil into the pan, waited for it to smoke, added a few slices of ginger, and gently stirred them. Next, she placed the fish into the pan to fry. After one side turned golden, she flipped it to fry the other side. When the second side was almost done, she added garlic, scallions, chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and cilantro before finishing the dish.

The process wasn’t overly complex, but since it was Hestia’s first attempt, her movements were a bit clumsy. Still, the result was edible.

“If I were to score it out of 100, it’d probably be around 68,” Hestia thought.

Her mother’s version, on the other hand, could easily score 90. There was still a clear gap, particularly in the proportions of the seasonings and the timing of their addition.

…

After dinner, Hestia returned to her room to continue her note-taking and analysis. As she listed various pieces of information, her pen paused on the number 16.

Technically, 16 wasn’t the optimal age for her sister to awaken. Her sister had ended her life at 18, so logically, she should have waited until Hestia was 18 as well.

“It must have been unexpected for her too,” Hestia thought. Perhaps it was triggered by her own awakening of a second talent during a near-death experience, coupled with the memories she glimpsed in a dream—those of two generations of the Color-Grade Songstress. This likely prompted her sister’s premature awakening.

The Voice of Temporal Strings and the Echo of Void Melodies—combined, they formed the complete authority of time and space. In ancient records of witches, this was considered an exceptionally powerful ability. No wonder her sister had been so determined.

Since the disappearance of the three divine crowns representing Gods in the Fourth Epoch, beings like witches—those born with innate authorities—had ceased to exist. The witches from before had also vanished from history, leaving no trace.

Reflecting on the events of the battle that day, Hestia realized she had overlooked many details. For instance, the secret techniques her sister used, such as Fairy Secret Art: Instant Flashlight and Fairy Secret Art: Seven Butterfly Phantoms, seemed beyond the capabilities of someone at Sequence 5.

It was clear her sister had leveraged her innate authority’s high spatial affinity to enhance those techniques effortlessly. As for herself, without the recovery effect of the Voice of Temporal Strings, she would have been defeated and forcibly merged with her sister long ago.

…

After filling her notes with various observations, Hestia leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in meditation.

But was her sister truly dead, or merely in a deep slumber? She sat upright again, pondering.

After a long time with no answer, she concluded that perhaps she would need to advance to Sequence 5 of the Decay Sequence to find out. The Decay Sequence specialized in soul-related matters and was particularly adept in this field.

For now, however, she seemed to be able to use a portion of her sister’s abilities. For example—

The notebook on her desk suddenly vanished, tucked away into a fold of spatial rift. She stretched out her hand, and the notebook reappeared in her palm.

“This is so convenient,” she thought. If she ever needed to fight, she could store her personal terminal in there too, protecting it from damage.

Currently, Hestia was still financially strained. If her personal terminal broke again, she wouldn’t be able to afford another good one.

Just as she was worrying about money, her personal terminal beeped.

[Your account has received a transfer of 2,194 Federation Coins. Please check your balance…]

Hestia blinked in surprise and quickly opened the transaction details.

[This is your share of today’s help. From Haures]

No wonder the maid seniors at Crystal Dream didn’t seem short on money. Even as a part-timer helping out, she had earned this much in a single day.

“Thank you, Manager, thank you, seniors, and thank you for today’s smooth workday.”

“Dearest Mom in heaven, your daughter can now earn her own living expenses—and in a very respectable way too,” Hestia playfully thought to herself.