The Art of the Witch

Art is just sleaze by another name.

Just a fancier word for it.

What does a mere lustful witch know about art?

“Will I get to see Coach’s masterpiece in theaters someday?”

“Well… haha, it’s just a microfilm shot with two or three people. Nothing grand enough for theaters. It’s just for personal enjoyment.”

‘Then it’s definitely a sleazy film.’ Xingyue grew more convinced.

Xingyue suspected these two magical girls were being coerced into acting in this bizarre movie for some reason.

Even if she rescued them today, it wouldn’t matter—their true identities were already exposed, and they’d remain under Herrera’s thumb.

They’d have to overcome this ordeal themselves to truly end it.

“I’m not thrilled about this.”

Xingyue bit her thumbnail, her leg trembling restlessly.

Filming sleazy movies was bad enough, but using equipment she provided?

It was like her neighbor stealing her wife and her paying for their hotel room!

Too humiliating, too degrading.

“Hm? They’re coming this way!”

****

Meanwhile, Luo You hadn’t noticed the peeping tom spying on the set with a telescope.

Under her direction, the third act’s filming had wrapped.

The first and third acts lacked any spicy scenes, leaving Liyun, who’d braced herself for close-ups, feeling unaccustomed—or rather, unsatisfied.

But as the fourth act began, Master Linglong would succumb to her loneliness, secretly ditching her disciple Red Oriole to rendezvous with the witch in the flower field, where they’d… stay until nightfall.

Luo You rubbed her palms excitedly.

“Big sister, ready? This is your true-to-life performance. Make little auntie’s eyes burn with envy!”

Liyun: “I don’t have any ‘true-to-life’ performance. I don’t know how to do this!”

Her protest drew a scoff from Luo You, who snorted twice.

“Whatever, let’s move the equipment.”

The three worked together to haul the filming gear out to the flower field.

They were completely unaware of the strongest magical girl lurking at the field’s edge.

“Alright, actors, take your places! Action—huh?”

Just as she was about to call “action,” Luo You spotted a stranger in a sunhat dozens of meters away in the flower field.

She jogged over to negotiate.

After all, the field wasn’t private property—people coming to sightsee was normal.

But if the stranger refused to leave after talking, Luo You would have to shoo them ten thousand miles away.

“Hey, you there!” Luo You reached the stranger.

It was a girl, dressed in a sleeveless white dress, a sunhat covering most of her face, and high-heeled sandals, exuding a strong pastoral charm.

“Something wrong?” Xingyue asked, lowering her voice.

She’d disguised herself beforehand; even someone familiar might not recognize her face-to-face.

But this was Herrera, someone she’d had intimate, zero-distance contact with, so Xingyue remained cautious, keeping her face partially hidden.

“We’re about to film here. Could you please step aside?”

Luo You asked politely.

“Oh, filming? No wonder you’re dressed so oddly.”

“Heh, it’s for the plot.”

“Can I watch up close?”

Xingyue instantly wanted to pinch her thigh for saying that.

She was letting her concern get the better of her—why would she say something so foolish?

What good could come from watching up close, other than torturing herself?

Luo You raised a hand. “No way, the next scene’s a trade secret. No one can see it until the official release.”

“I see… but the scenery here is so beautiful, I don’t really want to leave…”

Xingyue said this but turned to leave anyway.

Out of sight, out of mind.

She’d head back to the Sea of Realms—

“Wait, hold on!”

Luo You suddenly had an idea.

Since a tourist was already here, there was no guarantee others wouldn’t show up during filming.

Luo You didn’t want anyone interrupting while she and Linglong were in the heat of battle.

“Hey, miss, how about I pay you to keep watch?”

“Wha…”

Xingyue’s mouth fell open, too stunned to speak.

“Don’t overthink it! Three hundred bucks an hour to keep an eye out. Pretty good, right? Here’s three thousand. You can wander around and let any tourists know we’re filming and it’s not convenient for

them to enter. Sound good? There’s another two thousand when we’re done!”

Luo You pulled out a stack of cash and stuffed it into Xingyue’s arms.

“I’m counting on you, miss!”

With that, Luo You returned to the set.

Xingyue stared at the money in her arms.

Three thousand bucks wasn’t much, but it felt impossibly heavy.

“She’s actually asking me to—keep watch…”

She muttered in disbelief.

This was beyond humiliating.

The worst part? She couldn’t even refuse—she’d been half-pushed into accepting.

What now?

Was she really going to stand guard for that depraved witch?

“No way, I can’t stomach this.”

Xingyue pulled out her phone, tapping furiously at the screen.

****

Meanwhile, the fourth act’s filming was heating up.

“Linglong, meeting me in this deserted place in broad daylight—what’s on your mind?”

“Lady Witch, I followed your orders, rescued her, and took her as my disciple. So… could I ask for a reward from my master?”

In the flower field, scorching sunlight poured down, the temperature soaring past thirty degrees Celsius.

The heated rays left them sweating profusely.

Linglong and the witch stood face-to-face.

“Oh? It’s only been a week, and you already can’t resist wanting my affection? In a place like this…”

The witch’s lips curled, and she kicked off her sandal with a flick of her right leg.

Then, she lifted her foot, clad in provocative stockings, toward Linglong’s face.

“Show me your sincerity first~”

Gulp!

Linglong—no, Liyun—swallowed hard.

Pfft! Pfft!

Liyun slowly knelt down.

[‘This is just acting, just acting. I’m only playing Linglong, this character. I absolutely don’t want to do this myself!’]

[‘This kind of thing… I’d never do it! Let someone else do it if they want! I’m not willing!’]

Liyun’s mind was nearly bursting with these thoughts.

Moments later, Liyun’s eyes squinted in pleasure.

“Good girl… good girls deserve rewards, don’t they, Lady Witch—”

With a flick of the witch’s finger, Linglong’s clothes exploded into a shower of fragments, leaving her completely exposed.

“Linglong, move on your own.”

“Ha!?”

Liyun, awaiting affection, snapped back to reality.

‘You’re actually telling me to—’

“Hm? What, not willing? Then I’m leaving~”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

“I’m going~”

“I—I’ll do it…”

Liyun felt utterly humiliated.

But she recalled what Ji Yue had told her.

[‘Even if you surpass Herrera in just one moment, in any way, it counts as our victory…’]

Liyun gritted her teeth.

If it meant making Herrera look foolish, she’d do it!

Even a fleeting victory could open a grand path for her future—a small step forward for her, a giant leap for magical girl history!

“Phew… Linglong, you’ve improved again…”

“All thanks to Lady Witch’s… excellent teaching…”

The witch and the fairy entwined in the flower field, sprouting together.

Like two vines, climbing and competing for height.

Even the summer sun’s rays paled against the heat they radiated.

The heat accumulating in the flower field warped the air around the camera’s focus, time itself seeming to speed up.

Ji Yue watched, restless and agitated.

When gazes met, though Liyun had already faced Herrera in an intense indoor scene, the openness of the field made the familiar atmosphere feel alien.

What Ji Yue saw was an overwhelming wave of heat rolling from the field’s center, so intense it forced her to squint, sweat pouring down as her consciousness blurred.

“Do I have to watch this until nightfall? Damn it…”

Ji Yue wiped her sweat, then froze in shock.

‘Am I… jealous of Herrera?’

Impossible! The heat must’ve fried her brain!

Ji Yue grabbed a bottle of ice-cold water, chugging it down.

One bottle wasn’t enough—she used magic to freeze another and poured it over her head, finally suppressing the restlessness.

Then, Ji Yue noticed, not far from the field, the girl Herrera had dragged off earlier, pacing anxiously at the perimeter and occasionally glancing over, trying to catch a glimpse.

“The camera… it’s fine to leave it unattended, right?”

Ji Yue decided to go talk to her.

Anything was better than staying here watching those two water the flowers.

Ji Yue felt a surge of resentment.

She’d been busy all afternoon, filmed plenty, endured countless insults, yet hadn’t been touched by Herrera once!

Not that she was complaining—just stating facts!

Done with this, Ji Yue grabbed a bottle of ice water and approached Xingyue.

Xingyue saw her coming and stopped pacing, smiling as she waited.

“What’s your name?” Ji Yue handed her the water.

“An. Just call me An.”

“Miss An… that okay? You can call me Ji—er, Red Oriole. Just Red Oriole.”

Ji Yue caught herself mid-sentence.

With everything happening today, who knew if it’d get out in the future?

Giving her real name now—did she want to die of embarrassment?

For some reason, Ji Yue had a sinking feeling that “Red Oriole” would haunt her for life.

“Miss An, are you here sightseeing?”

“Yeah… I wanted to watch, but that lady earlier wouldn’t let me.”

“I’d say it’s better if you don’t go in…”

Ji Yue glanced at Xingyue.

This woman looked… strikingly alluring.

If she interrupted Herrera’s fun, with Herrera’s temperament, she might drag her in for a round of “discipline” and corrupt her completely.

As a magical girl, Ji Yue might not protect her own body, but she’d damn well protect an ordinary person’s.

She vowed silently.