Book 1 Chapter 232
“Which dormitory are you going to?”
“Wouldn't the First Dormitory be better, though?”
“The Second Dormitory for me. As a Knighting major, being in the same dormitory as Celia isn't a bad choice at all.”
When the dormitory assignments were announced on the first day, an overwhelming number of students wanted to go to the First Dormitory.
However, as the other dormitory heads set the direction for their dormitories, interest in the other dormitories also increased.
It is true that Leo was active as the class representative and became the student council president.
However, it was the dormitory heads who have been leading the students in their academic lives.
“I don’t understand!”
About five days after the dormitory selection process began.
The dormitory structures were slowly taking shape.
Students with strong pride in their major chose the Second Dormitory, where Celia, Chelsea, and Warden were.
Students with strong pride in their abilities chose the Third Dormitory.
And students who wanted to improve themselves, including those in the Dual Class, chose the First Dormitory.
As they gathered in small groups, chatting about the dormitories, an irritable voice of Emio Ruchan was heard from the garden.
He was arguing with Abad.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Abad replied to Emio with his characteristic gentle smile.
“Exactly. I mean I don’t understand your actions at all.”
Emio, with his arms crossed, pointed at Iliana with his chin.
“Why are you offering this kind of person a place in your dormitory, but you haven’t said a word to me? Didn’t you say you’d be the best dormitory by defeating Leo Floreb? Yet, the Third Dormitory seems to be only gathering riff-raff.”
“Hey, who are you calling riff-raff?”
Iliana, who was caught between the two and didn’t know what to do, her voice turned rough.
“Oh? So you’re confident in your skills?”
“Are you so arrogant that you can’t see beyond being a top-ranked student in the Magic Department? Are you confident? I could trample you right now and throw you in that garden trash can.”
Iliana smiled coldly and spat out harsh words.
Although Iliana is usually clumsy with many openings due to her excessively aggressive personality, she is clearly a formidable power player, among the top students in the entire second year.
She wouldn’t let remarks that belittled her pass by.
“You’re being arrogant.”
“Want to fight right now?”
At Emio’s words, Iliana smiled coldly and lowered her stance.
As Emio’s expression turned serious and he was about to use his magic, seeing Iliana like that.
“Don’t fight carelessly outside.”
“Ugh?”
Leo lifted Iliana by her armpits.
Iliana was startled by Leo’s approach without a sound and quickly retracted her aura and magic.
“Tsk?”
Emio glared at Abad, seeing the wand pressed against his neck.
“It’s not good to cause trouble before the semester even starts properly, is it?” His smile was as gentle as ever, but his eyes were cold.
Emio clicked his tongue in annoyance and left.
“Class leader. Let me down.”
When Leo put her down, Iliana fanned herself with a slightly flushed face and said.
“You could have just stopped me, why did you lift me up like that to surprise me?”
“If I hadn't, you would have really fought.”
Whether Leo and Abad intervened or not, Iliana seemed ready to unleash her aura and magic and charge at them.
“By the way, what’s going on?”
“Hmph! Everyone else is asking me to come, but no one is asking you, so you’re probably jealous.”
Iliana, with her arms crossed, snorted.
It was true.
Iliana had been invited to join all the dormitories.
“But why haven’t you chosen a dormitory yet?”
“I want to go to the First Dormitory where the class leader is… I want to go to the Second Dormitory where Chelsea and Nella are… and I want to go to the Third Dormitory where Carl and Tate are…”
Iliana drooped her shoulders and put on a sad expression.
The six people who had been closest friends during their first year in Class 5 were all scattered across different dormitories.
“Come to our dormitory. We need you. Most of the Dual Class students have come to our side, so it will be a good environment for you, a Sword Master.”
“Ah! The class leader is proposing to me?!”
“We need you too, Iliana. You have talent in both magic and aura, so I or Duran can help you.”
“Guh! Even Abad is passionately proposing…! Hehehe! This is the taste! This is the taste of the most popular guys at school, like Duran, begging for me!”
Iliana shivered with ecstasy.
Leo, who had been staring intently at Iliana revealing her dark intentions, said to Abad.
“You take her.”
“We don’t need her either.”
After finishing their conversation, Leo and Abad left.
Iliana flinched at their departure.
“Alright! I’ll decide! I’ll go with whoever talks to me first!”
But neither of them looked back.
In the end, Iliana hurriedly ran towards Leo.
“Wait! Class leader! I’ll join your dormitory! Stop!”
As a Sword Master, it was most ideal for Iliana to go to the First Dormitory where Leo was.
However, Leo never turned back, and Iliana ended up begging him, holding onto his ankle.
“I’m sorry for playing hard to get! Class leader! I’ll join your dormitory, so please forgive me! No! Please let me join! Class leader! Lord Leo! Student Council President! Please!”
***
The First Dormitory, which was empty on the first day, was now full of life.
Students’ belongings began to occupy spaces here and there in the bleak dormitory lounge.
It was then.
Knock- knock-
A small knock was heard at the main entrance of the dormitory.
“Who is it?” A Knighting major student opened the door with a puzzled expression.
And when he saw the person standing at the entrance, he looked surprised.
“Vice Professor Sena?”
Sena, who had been in charge of Class 5 under Halind, was standing there.
“Nice to meet you, everyone in the First Dormitory.”
Sena entered the room and greeted the students.
“Vice Professor Sena!”
“Nice to meet you!”
“What brings you here?”
As the Class 5 students, led by Iliana, greeted her with bright faces, Sena covered her mouth and chuckled.
“My name is Sena Tillia, and I will be the dormitory supervisor starting today. Please take good care of me.”
“Oh!”
“We look forward to working with you!”
Sena was also popular with students from other classes.
She was beautiful and had a good personality.
Crucially, she had always been with Halind, so students who were scolded by Halind often received her help.
Therefore, they responded with enthusiasm upon hearing she was the supervisor.
“Please take good care of me for the next year.”
“We will!”
Sena coughed loudly at the students smiling brightly.
“Now, I will announce some notices. First, since the dormitory members have been decided, I would like you to decide on a dormitory name.”
“Dormitory name?”
“Yes. Calling them by numbers feels a bit stiff, doesn't it? So, let’s come up with a cool name that can represent the dormitory.”
“Oh…”
“And tomorrow is the entrance ceremony, you all know that, right? It’s finally the day you become seniors.”
The students’ expressions changed to intrigued ones at Sena’s words.
Seniors!
What a thrilling word that was!
They had received help from seniors and run errands for them over the past year.
Seniors were objects of admiration for first-year students.
They had already become hero candidates and endured the difficult academic life.
Naturally, they felt respect for their seniors.
“Hmph. Finally, seniors.”
“We should dote on our juniors!”
“So this is how third-year seniors felt.”
Sena smiled faintly at the students showing their excited reactions.
“In that sense, there will be a welcome dinner party after the entrance ceremony tomorrow.”
At those words, the students paused.
Did they have a welcome dinner party during their entrance ceremony?
No.
In fact, many students couldn’t even muster the courage to speak to a senior until the end of the first semester.
The relationship between seniors and juniors at Lumern was strongly hierarchical.
Especially in fields like Summoning, the discipline between seniors and juniors was strictly enforced.
But a welcome dinner party for juniors?
“The first-year students are already sufficiently intimidated by you due to the events during the second-year entrance exam, aren't they? Plus, there will be familiar faces from the joint class period last year. Is there any need to insist on a rigid senior-junior relationship? It is the new principal’s wish that you all warmly welcome them and lead them so that the first-year students can adapt better to school life.”
“Hmm.”
“Indeed, I was also very scared of the second-year seniors when I was a first-year.”
“It would be nice to be revered like the seniors, but it would also be fun to get along with the juniors.”
“Right. There were quite a few decent guys during the entrance exam, weren’t there?”
The students nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile, Sena recalled the principal’s words.
‘Perhaps half of them will drop out because they can’t endure it, as usual.’
Riina said calmly at the faculty meeting.
‘The current second-year students are renowned, but their reputations are too immense. Furthermore, their skills are outstanding. Which generation will be directly compared to them? It’s the generation above and the generation below.’
Riina rested her chin on her hand.
‘The generation above is in a relatively better situation. They are seniors. But the juniors are not. Many will be discouraged by constant comparison. Therefore, unlike usual, my idea is to foster overall camaraderie.’
Leo chuckled after hearing Sena’s words.
‘Whoever the principal is, they are wise.’
“So, please welcome the first-year students warmly when you see them tomorrow. That’s all.”
After delivering the notices, Sena called Leo and Chloe.
“And Leo and Chloe, you will come with me somewhere for a moment.”
At those words, Leo and Chloe followed Sena out of the dormitory with puzzled expressions.
In the dormitory garden, Sena said.
“I called you separately because of Chen Sia.”
“I was wondering about that too. When is Sia coming back? It’s been a week since the semester started, why isn’t she here?”
At Chloe’s question, Sena gave a troubled smile.
“It seems that Chen Sia’s family situation is more complicated than we thought. The school has been trying to contact her, but there’s been no response.”
Chloe’s expression turned panicked at Sena’s words.
“Chen Sia might drop out herself, so you Knighting major dormitory heads should probably keep that in mind.”
“Huh?”
Chloe’s eyes widened.
Leo frowned.
‘Drop out?’
***
Swish-!
The regular ship traveling between Lumern and Lumelia City cut through the lake.
New students were on board.
Various foods from different cultures were laid out buffet-style on the deck.
Noble students were enjoying the food.
“As expected of Lumern.”
“Heh. It seems an extraordinary school life awaits us.”
The noble students had generally satisfied expressions.
Students who had lived their entire lives enjoying privileges took all of this for granted.
“By the way, that person, the Lumern professor.”
“They’re unknown, with no prior reputation. How did they become a Lumern professor?”
“Are they a parachute hire?”
A few students openly looked at a woman sitting on one side of the deck, smiling gently.
She was a woman with radiant silver hair and a beautiful appearance.
The only drawback was that she wore an eyepatch over her left eye.
As the new students whispered about the suspicious woman with no fame other than being a Lumern professor.
The woman stood up.
“Is everyone enjoying the ship trip?”
“It’s not bad.”
“We think it’s an event fitting for us.”
A few students said arrogantly.
Looking at them, she smiled gently.
“That’s fortunate. Before that… there’s an announcement.”
All the students looked at the Lumern professor with puzzled expressions.
“Originally, Lumern has top students representing each region: Central, West, East, South, and North. However, as you know, this time it was conducted as an integrated exam. So, there are no top students.”
The new students nodded.
“Naturally, a representative for the new students has not been chosen either.”
At those words, some students paused and looked at a few individuals.
They were students with the reputation and ability to become class representatives.
“What do you want to say, Professor?”
Jewan, from the Northern Magic Tower and a strong candidate for new student representative, asked with a belligerent smile.
“Therefore, we will now select a representative for the new students.”
Murmur-murmur-!
A commotion arose among the new students.
“How are we supposed to select a new student representative here?”
“The new student representative should be decided by strength, shouldn't they? Do you understand?”
“W-what…?”
The Lumern professor raised her index finger and smiled brightly.
“From now on, fight each other.”