Chapter 12
***
The first day for Kizen's new students was over.
Before leaving for the day, the first-year professors gathered in the lounge, sipping tea and discussing the new arrivals.
"Meilyn Villenne exceeded expectations. She brewed Shanif poison on the first day!"
"Amazing bloodline, isn't it? All seven of the siblings are exceptional!"
"What about the official heir to Ivory Tower?"
"Ah, Serene? Need I say more? There was a reason Ivory Tower was so confident about her."
"And what about Chatel Maer? There's a prejudice that giant hybrids are lacking in magic compared to their physical abilities, but this one excels in both."
"Now, Professor, you can't just steal Chatel away from me, can you?"
"Haha, listen to you. Already acting like she's your student?"
"You know pre-assignment contact during the student protection period is against the rules, right?"
The professors exchanged jokes and engaged in subtle power plays as they continued discussing the new students.
"Say, Professor Bahil,"
Professor Bahil, the Curseology professor, who had been savoring his tea with his eyes closed, nodded as if listening.
"You had Class A today, too, didn't you? How was it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, come on, stop playing coy. I'm talking about Special Admission Number 1, handpicked by Lady Nephtys herself."
Bahil placed his teacup on the table and smiled.
"He lost 10 to 1 against another student in my class. I'm not sure if he's truly talented yet."
"...Hmm, that's unexpected. But he's Special Admission Number 1, shouldn't there be something special about him?"
Despite the persistent questioning, Bahil maintained a gentle smile.
"He has good stamina. He endured nine Exhaust curses in the first class."
"Oh, nine times?"
"Stamina is an important quality, but it's a bit underwhelming for Special Admission Number 1."
Click.
The door to the faculty lounge opened. Professor Aaron, the Summoning professor, shuffled in, his hair still disheveled, his slippers dragging across the floor.
He gave a brief nod to the other professors and headed towards the coat rack to retrieve his outerwear, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.
"Speaking of which,"
Bahil began.
"Senior Aaron, you also had Class A today, right?"
All eyes turned to Aaron.
He picked up his coat with an impassive expression.
"So what."
"Special Admission Number 1. What did you think of him?"
All the professors in the lounge were now staring at Aaron expectantly.
An unspoken pressure to spill the beans.
Aaron sighed quietly and replied in his characteristically languid voice.
"An insensitive mediocrity. He did have some creativity in crafting unique, defective products."
"...."
While the other professors murmured amongst themselves, Bahil's lips curled into a subtle smile.
'Is he trying to throw us off?'
Bahil, who had often worked alongside Aaron in the field, knew his tendencies better than anyone.
If he truly disliked a student, he wouldn't speak so vaguely.
An insensitive mediocrity.
Creativity in crafting defective products.
In a way, it was the highest praise Aaron could give.
'...This is becoming more and more intriguing.'
A boy chosen by Nephtys and noticed by the fastidious Aaron.
Bahil felt his opinion of Simon solidifying into a strong conviction.
"By the way, Senior,"
If that was the case, the war had already begun.
"What you said last year, about not taking any more direct disciples, is that still valid?"
"...."
Aaron, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks.
The other professors stopped talking and looked at him.
A tense silence filled the lounge.
"...P-Professor Bahil,"
A female professor next to him whispered a warning, but Bahil, with a smile, waited for an answer.
Just as Aaron was about to speak,
Click!
"Hello, everyone!"
A silver-haired girl suddenly burst in.
"Lady Nephtys!"
At her appearance, the Kizen professors, renowned throughout the continent, all bowed respectfully.
"You've arrived."
Bahil, after greeting her with a gentlemanly bow, was the first to approach her.
He took something out of his pocket and offered it to her.
It was a chocolate ice cream.
Bahil was the only one in Kizen who carried ice cream in a magically refrigerated pocket dimension, specifically for when he met Nephtys.
"Oh, honestly! Stop treating me like a child!"
She said, snatching the ice cream from Bahil's hand.
"Preparing a lady's snack is also a virtue of a gentleman."
"Hmph, smooth talker."
Nephtys took a bite of the ice cream.
Her cheeks flushed, and her expression softened, like that of any other girl her age.
Several professors bit their lips as they watched.
They couldn't allow themselves to entertain the blasphemous thought of the great Witch of Death being cute.
"Please, have a seat, Lady Nephtys."
A professor quickly offered her a chair.
Nephtys grabbed the armrests of the slightly larger chair and struggled to climb onto it.
"Oof! How were the new students on their first day?"
She asked, eating her ice cream, and the professors eagerly reported their observations.
Instead of focusing on the proven special admission students like Serene and Chatel, they concentrated on the high-performing students like Meilyn and Hector from Class A, and Caez from Class B.
Nephtys listened attentively, nodding her head.
"Good, good! Report any problems, and since it's the first day, go home early and rest."
"Yes!"
"Lady Nephtys,"
At that moment, Aaron, who had been silent until then, spoke.
"I'd like to speak with you privately for a moment."
The other professors' eyes widened.
While professors of Kizen's caliber were allowed audiences with Nephtys, it was unusual for someone to so boldly request a private meeting.
"Sure, fine."
Nephtys smiled and stepped down from her chair.
Aaron bowed his head and followed her out.
'Still as direct as ever.'
After Nephtys left, Bahil sat down again, crossing his legs and smiling.
'But Lady Nephtys won't give you any information so easily, Senior.'
***
The first day of school at Kizen was over.
Simon, Rick, and the rest of Class A were led to the dormitory by a servant.
However, a small problem arose.
Because they stayed until the end of the three-hour Summoning class, Class A arrived late at the dormitory, and most of the rooms were already full.
The dormitory rooms were triple occupancy.
Simon and Rick had planned to share a room, but the students who arrived earlier had already taken most of the available spots.
"I-I'm sorry. There are no rooms with two vacancies left on the second floor either."
The dormitory manager bowed repeatedly.
Simon waved his hand dismissively, seeing the manager sweating profusely and apologizing despite it not being his fault.
"You don't have to apologize, Manager."
Simon felt a bit uncomfortable with the older man being so deferential.
Of course, within Kizen, students held a higher rank than servants.
Moreover, since most of the students were from prominent noble families, it was natural for the servants to be subservient.
Rick, seemingly accustomed to such situations, crossed his arms.
"I suppose there are no rooms with two vacancies on the third or fourth floor either?"
"...No, the situation is similar on other floors."
The manager showed them the list for the second floor.
There were a few rooms with single vacancies scattered here and there, but they were too far apart.
Simon and Rick exchanged glances.
"What do you want to do, Simon?"
"Let's check the other floors before deciding."
As they were discussing,
"Move!"
They heard a thud, and the manager fell, knocked over by a suitcase.
A student with brown hair, pulling a cart, frowned.
"What are you doing? I said move!"
"I-I'm sorry!"
The fallen manager quickly bowed her head, while the student's friend snickered.
The brown-haired student inspected his suitcase and grimaced.
"Seriously. You dented my suitcase. What are you going to do about it?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Sorry my ass. Come with me, now."
Just as the manager, head bowed like a criminal, was getting up,
"Excuse me,"
Simon stepped forward.
"I was talking to her."
"...What?"
The manager's eyes widened. The brown-haired student scoffed.
"And I clearly saw you bump into her on purpose."
Rick smirked and stood beside Simon.
"...Are these bastards crazy? Who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Hey, hey, wait a minute!"
The friend quickly grabbed the brown-haired student's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"That's him! Special Admission Number 1, the one who gave the student oath in the auditorium!"
"...Huh?"
The student's expression turned ashen as he scrutinized Simon's face.
His eyes darted around nervously, and he turned to the manager and said,
"A-Ahem! Be more careful next time! Let's go!"
Rick burst into laughter as they hurried away.
Simon chuckled and offered his hand to the fallen manager.
"Are you alright?"
She blushed as she took Simon's hand and stood up.
"Th-Thank you for helping me."
"It was nothing, don't worry about it."
"My name is Lena! If you're going to check the upper floors, I can guide you. I might be of some help."
"Oh, would you?"
And so, the three of them went upstairs together.
Lena quickly gathered information from other managers and led them straight to the fourth floor.
"There's only one room left with two vacancies on the fourth floor!"
Lena said as she ran. Simon and Rick followed closely behind.
"There's a vacant room?"
"Yes, you're in luck! Room 409 was originally a quad, so it's spacious, has a great view, and it's close to the central staircase. It's a prime spot! I never imagined there would be two vacancies there."
They arrived in front of room 409.
Lena checked the names on the door and,
"Oh...."
Her face fell.
"What's wrong?"
She turned to them, forcing a smile.
"L-Let's just go somewhere else. Rooms 412 and 413 only have one vacancy each, but they're next to each other..."
"Is there a problem with this room?"
At Simon's question, Lena nodded slightly with a grim expression.
She pointed to the nameplate on the door.
"...Kajann Edvalt. He was here last year, too."
Rick's eyes widened.
"That's impossible, this is the first-year dormitory, right? The second-years won't arrive until next month."
"Kajann is repeating the year. He caused some serious trouble and had to repeat the first year."
"Hmm."
That didn't sound right to Rick either.
Kizen didn't hesitate to expel students.
Usually, those who caused trouble or failed academically were expelled without a second thought.
Repeating a year was unusual.
Simon asked again,
"What was the reason for his repeating the year?"
"I'm just a dormitory staff member, so I don't know the details. But he's notorious among the staff for causing trouble... There were many incidents where his roommates ended up with bruises, or begged to switch rooms."
There was a reason why this room had two vacancies.
Rick, slightly intimidated, glanced at Simon.
"Simon, let's just find another room..."
"I'll just go in and say hello. That should be fine, right?"
Simon knocked on the door and entered.
Rick, alarmed, followed him inside.
As Lena had said, the room was quite spacious, having originally been a quad.
There were two double beds, two single beds, and individual desks and wardrobes.
The window offered a view of Kizen's buildings, the mountains, and the valley below.
It truly was a prime spot, as Lena had described.
And there, on the top bunk of a double bed, lay someone completely covered by a white blanket.
"Wait, Simon!"
Rick whispered.
"You heard what Lena said! He's probably got a temper!"
Simon took a deep breath and spoke.
***
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