Chapter 14 – Academy (5)
Locating my room wasn't hard. The brass plate on the door clearly said:
[ Room B-203 ]
"This should be it," I muttered.
When I gripped the handle and turned, it moved easily. Not locked.
The door swung open with a soft creak.
The first thing that hit me was how… clean everything was. Not "noble manor" fancy, but definitely not "cramped barracks" either.
From the doorway, I could see most of the room at a glance.
To the left was a small side door that led into the restroom. Inside, there was a proper bathtub built into the floor, a simple sink, and—most importantly—a squat metal device connected to a barrel mounted on the wall above it.
On the side of the barrel, in big handwritten letters:
[ Warning – Hot Water ]
"Practical," I said. "And vaguely threatening."
I stepped back into the main room.
Directly ahead was a bed. Not a small cot, not a simple frame—an actual, large bed. Big enough that five people could probably stand shoulder to shoulder on it if they really tried. Next to that, against the wall, stood a long desk with a chair tucked neatly under it, clearly meant for studying.
A single window on the opposite wall looked out over the courtyard between the boys' and girls' dorms. Sunlight came in at an angle, catching dust motes in the air and turning them into tiny floating stars.
"For a twelve-year-old, this is insane," I said to myself.
At home, I had my own room, of course. Noble children usually did. But this felt… different. This was mine, not because I was Viscount Milton's heir, but because the academy assigned it to me as a student.
I walked over to the desk.
On top of it sat a small metal key on a leather string. Next to it was a neatly written note.
[ This is your dormitory key.
Please lock your room whenever exiting.
– Residential Aides ]
"Straightforward enough."
I picked up the key, weighed it in my palm for a second, then slipped the string over my neck and tucked it under my shirt.
One last quick look around—the wardrobe beside the bed, the empty shelves above the desk, the simple lamp crystal fixed to the wall—and I stepped back out into the hallway.
Click.
The key turned smoothly in the lock. I checked the handle once, just to be sure. Solid.
My stomach made a small, traitorous noise.
"…Right. Food."
I slung my sword a little more comfortably at my side and headed downstairs to look for the cafeteria.
***
After a short walk through the Boys' Hall corridor, I stepped back outside. Near the entrance, on a stone pillar just off to the side of the path, was a large board covered in engravings and small pinned notices.
A crowd of first-years had already gathered around it.
The biggest part of the board was a carved map of the academy grounds, lines and labels etched into the stone, worn slightly smooth by what had to be generations of students jabbing their fingers at it.
Naturally, there was a line.
"…Of course," I said under my breath.
The line shuffled forward slowly as each group took their turn pressing in to study the worn map like it was some ancient legendary artifact.
'Thousand-year-old bulletin,' I thought. 'Feels like it, at least.'
When it was finally my turn, I stepped close enough to read.
My eyes traced the carved layout.
– You are here – First-Year Dormitories
– Training Fields – Sword Campus
– Tower Complex – Staff Campus
– Star-Dome Hall – Divination Campus
– Central Plaza
– Cafeteria – "Solar Hall"
There.
The cafeteria—Solar Hall—was marked near the central plaza, slightly to the east. A straight path from the dorm, then a right turn at a small fountain.
"Simple enough," I said, stepping aside so the next group could move in.
With my route fixed in my head, I left the board behind and started walking, pace steady, already picturing what kind of food they might serve. Plain porridge? Bread and stew? Something better?
After a few minutes and one right turn, I saw it.
Solar Hall was a large building with wide windows and a sloped roof, sunlight reflecting off the glass. A few smells drifted out whenever the doors opened—bread, soup, something grilled. My stomach growled louder in approval.
I was halfway across the plaza toward it when a sharp voice cut through the noise.
"Hey you… come here."
I stopped.
That voice sounded annoyingly familiar.
I turned my head.
Standing a short distance away, arms crossed and expression tilted somewhere between stubborn and reluctant, was a girl with sharp eyes and neatly tied light hair, her Sword campus red coat perfectly fitted and obviously expensive.
Tamara.
The noble lady who had tried to pick a fight earlier.
"?" I walked over, stopping a comfortable distance away. "Oh, isn't it Lady Tamara. What do you want? Another fight?"
Her mouth tightened.
"No. I—" She stumbled slightly over the words, the confidence in her tone cracking for just a moment. "I want to…"
I waited.
Her fingers curled at her sides, knuckles turning white as she forced the next words out.
"…I want to apologise for my… behaviour. Earlier."
That was definitely not what I expected.
"That is very un-bequeathing of you, my lady," I said without thinking.
As soon as the words left my mouth, her face flushed hot red.
"That's not even a real word," she snapped quickly. "And don't twist your tongue at me like that!"
But she didn't storm off. She didn't shout for a duel. She just stood there, visibly swallowing her pride and glaring at the ground more than at me.
For a high noble girl who'd probably never had to apologise to anyone beneath her status, this was… effort.
I watched her for a moment.
Her shoulders were tense, like a drawn bow string that hadn't been released yet. Her jaw clenched. It was obviously taking everything she had just to stand there and not run away or cover the whole thing in loud arrogance.
[ System ]
[ New Flag Detected ]
[ Tame the villainous ]
You're kidding me