NOVEL WEB Chapter 82: The Dormitory
“Oh…”
The weather of the season had yet to shed its chill completely.
Yet, the courtyard was filled with soft grass, and flowers bloomed about, adding a fresh vibrancy – it seemed like the perfect place for reading, napping, training, meditation, anything at all.
In front of such a courtyard stood two dormitory buildings.
Ceylon had this to say about the buildings’ exterior:
“What is this, a hotel?”
The sight of the dorms drew an unintentional exclamation of admiration from Ceylon.
What part impressed Ceylon the most?
The luxurious dormitory building?
The well-maintained courtyard that could be seen as a facility in and of itself?
Both.
More precisely, it was the structure that combined the two.
Ceylon imagined it.
A student of the Sword Arts Division waking up from a perfect sleep, stepping out of the dorm building to start the day in high spirits.
What would catch his eye first?
The dormitory of the Magic Division, located right across.
And the students of the Magic Division coming out of that dorm.
It was an ergonomic structure designed so that the Sword Arts and Magic Divisions, at odds with one another, could hardly avoid colliding.
Ceylon thought:
This isn’t a dormitory.
It’s a competition-inducing power plant.
‘No, at this point, isn’t it less about encouraging competition and more like they’re basically being told to go kill each other?’
Ceylon wanted to lean on a window sill and ponder this slowly.
‘What does education mean to Endiagon?’
It was a fact beyond doubt that Endiagon, the dean of Aine Academy, was a sincere educator.
And that’s exactly why it was confusing.
Does passion, once it reaches a certain level, turn into pure evil?
Ceylon felt such sentiments as he approached the dormitory building.
“Hm?”
Just then, someone lounging near the entrance of the courtyard noticed Ceylon and reacted.
‘Me, looking quite—no, rather impressive right now?’
It was Agion Morci, lost in self-admiration, lying on the grass with a flower in his mouth, bathed in the sunset’s glow.
He had arrived at the dorm building earlier to wait for Ceylon after hearing the news of the Sword Division’s victory.
“Ceylon, you’ve arrived?”
He spotted Ceylon and greeted him warmly.
The flower from his mouth was now waived towards him.
Then he saw a woman following behind Ceylon.
“Wow~ Ceylon, as expected! Already bringing women to the dorm, I must strive harder!”
Normally, Agion would have made such a fuss.
“Oh…”
But now, Agion was at a loss for words, completely taken aback, because the woman following Ceylon was none other than Kasha Hanahan.
Kasha looked at Agion, who was trying to get familiar with Ceylon.
Her gaze, typically tinged with contempt, was sharp as it landed on him.
“…”
It was a surprising turn of events.
For the first time ever, Agion, who never looked away when eye contact was made with a woman, averted his gaze quickly.
“Oh. Agion!”
Then Ceylon.
The situation was already insanely awkward just being with Kasha, and Ceylon, hoping for relief from Agion, approached him with visible gladness.
“You’ve been striking a pose out here at the infirmary, haven’t you! So cool that, if someone saw, they’d think you’ve won a match? Hahahaha.”
“Hahaha! Ceylon’s victory is my victory, right? I heard the news! You avenged me, didn’t you? As expected from my friend Ceylon! I trusted you!”
Agion boasted, stroking his hair as if he was intoxicated with himself.
Ceylon’s victory is my victory.
Ceylon avenged me.
Ceylon, my friend, is great.
I trust in Ceylon.
So, I am great.
Ceylon, reading the sincerity in Agion’s actions, was genuinely puzzled.
What a narcissistic monster.
“But anyway—”
Agion stepped closer to Ceylon and whispered so Kasha wouldn’t hear.
“Ceylon, that lady—did Miss Kasha follow you here?”
“It turned out that way,” Ceylon replied, shrugging and forcing a wry smile.
Agion stiffened.
“That’s impressive…”
“‘Impressive’ what do you mean—what?”
“From the first day of the entrance ceremony, bringing female students to the dormitory… and such a beautiful one at that!”
Agion shook his clenched fist, feeling more frustrated than when he lost the match.
“You, sir, understand the hearts of young ladies like none other, even I, Agion Morci, purveyor of their affections, am unsure about winning Miss Kasha’s heart, but Ceylon, you seem to do it as if it’s nothing…”
Agion’s hand was trembling violently.
“I have lost to you…!”
“I know, Agion. You lost in the competition.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about…!”
“But I’d like to believe that’s what you mean.”
“Ceylon… Suddenly, you seem so far away.”
“To me, this coincidence feels the same.”
“No, not far away. High, too high! But…!”
Once again, Agion lifted his head, and his eyes blazed with determination.
“I will not lose…!”
What did he lose, and what does he refuse to lose, you madman.
Ceylon looked at Agion coldly.
Agion walked past Ceylon and stopped suddenly.
“Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going…?”
“I am curious, but I don’t want to know.”
“To the women’s dormitory…!”
With a grave face, he proceeded.
‘Real nutcase, that one.’
Ceylon looked after his retreating figure with a pitying gaze.
Anyway.
At this point, Ceylon had to recall a question he’d been neglecting.
‘This person. How much further does she plan to follow?’
Ceylon looked at Kasha Hanahan.
“…”
Kasha’s expression, while looking at Ceylon, was not much different from when she looked at Agion.
Cynical expression.
Sharp eyes.
But the moment Ceylon turned his back, a spark flickered in those sharp eyes.
“Miss Kasha…?”
“What is it?”
If Kasha had ears and a tail, Ceylon would have found it easier to get along with her.
The moment he called Kasha’s name, her ears would have perked up and her tail would have started wagging.
But Kasha had no such ears or tail.Chapter 82 – The Dormitory
“Oh…”
The weather of the season had yet to shed its chill completely.
Yet, the courtyard was filled with soft grass, and flowers bloomed about, adding a fresh vibrancy – it seemed like the perfect place for reading, napping, training, meditation, anything at all.
In front of such a courtyard stood two dormitory buildings.
Ceylon had this to say about the buildings’ exterior:
“What is this, a hotel?”
The sight of the dorms drew an unintentional exclamation of admiration from Ceylon.
What part impressed Ceylon the most?
The luxurious dormitory building?
The well-maintained courtyard that could be seen as a facility in and of itself?
Both.
More precisely, it was the structure that combined the two.
Ceylon imagined it.
A student of the Sword Arts Division waking up from a perfect sleep, stepping out of the dorm building to start the day in high spirits.
What would catch his eye first?
The dormitory of the Magic Division, located right across.
And the students of the Magic Division coming out of that dorm.
It was an ergonomic structure designed so that the Sword Arts and Magic Divisions, at odds with one another, could hardly avoid colliding.
Ceylon thought:
This isn’t a dormitory.
It’s a competition-inducing power plant.
‘No, at this point, isn’t it less about encouraging competition and more like they’re basically being told to go kill each other?’
Ceylon wanted to lean on a window sill and ponder this slowly.
‘What does education mean to Endiagon?’
It was a fact beyond doubt that Endiagon, the dean of Aine Academy, was a sincere educator.
And that’s exactly why it was confusing.
Does passion, once it reaches a certain level, turn into pure evil?
Ceylon felt such sentiments as he approached the dormitory building.
“Hm?”
Just then, someone lounging near the entrance of the courtyard noticed Ceylon and reacted.
‘Me, looking quite—no, rather impressive right now?’
It was Agion Morci, lost in self-admiration, lying on the grass with a flower in his mouth, bathed in the sunset’s glow.
He had arrived at the dorm building earlier to wait for Ceylon after hearing the news of the Sword Division’s victory.
“Ceylon, you’ve arrived?”
He spotted Ceylon and greeted him warmly.
The flower from his mouth was now waived towards him.
Then he saw a woman following behind Ceylon.
“Wow~ Ceylon, as expected! Already bringing women to the dorm, I must strive harder!”
Normally, Agion would have made such a fuss.
“Oh…”
But now, Agion was at a loss for words, completely taken aback, because the woman following Ceylon was none other than Kasha Hanahan.
Kasha looked at Agion, who was trying to get familiar with Ceylon.
Her gaze, typically tinged with contempt, was sharp as it landed on him.
“…”
It was a surprising turn of events.
For the first time ever, Agion, who never looked away when eye contact was made with a woman, averted his gaze quickly.
“Oh. Agion!”
Then Ceylon.
The situation was already insanely awkward just being with Kasha, and Ceylon, hoping for relief from Agion, approached him with visible gladness.
“You’ve been striking a pose out here at the infirmary, haven’t you! So cool that, if someone saw, they’d think you’ve won a match? Hahahaha.”
“Hahaha! Ceylon’s victory is my victory, right? I heard the news! You avenged me, didn’t you? As expected from my friend Ceylon! I trusted you!”
Agion boasted, stroking his hair as if he was intoxicated with himself.
Ceylon’s victory is my victory.
Ceylon avenged me.
Ceylon, my friend, is great.
I trust in Ceylon.
So, I am great.
Ceylon, reading the sincerity in Agion’s actions, was genuinely puzzled.
What a narcissistic monster.
“But anyway—”
Agion stepped closer to Ceylon and whispered so Kasha wouldn’t hear.
“Ceylon, that lady—did Miss Kasha follow you here?”
“It turned out that way,” Ceylon replied, shrugging and forcing a wry smile.
Agion stiffened.
“That’s impressive…”
“‘Impressive’ what do you mean—what?”
“From the first day of the entrance ceremony, bringing female students to the dormitory… and such a beautiful one at that!”
Agion shook his clenched fist, feeling more frustrated than when he lost the match.
“You, sir, understand the hearts of young ladies like none other, even I, Agion Morci, purveyor of their affections, am unsure about winning Miss Kasha’s heart, but Ceylon, you seem to do it as if it’s nothing…”
Agion’s hand was trembling violently.
“I have lost to you…!”
“I know, Agion. You lost in the competition.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about…!”
“But I’d like to believe that’s what you mean.”
“Ceylon… Suddenly, you seem so far away.”
“To me, this coincidence feels the same.”
“No, not far away. High, too high! But…!”
Once again, Agion lifted his head, and his eyes blazed with determination.
“I will not lose…!”
What did he lose, and what does he refuse to lose, you madman.
Ceylon looked at Agion coldly.
Agion walked past Ceylon and stopped suddenly.
“Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going…?”
“I am curious, but I don’t want to know.”
“To the women’s dormitory…!”
With a grave face, he proceeded.
‘Real nutcase, that one.’
Ceylon looked after his retreating figure with a pitying gaze.
Anyway.
At this point, Ceylon had to recall a question he’d been neglecting.
‘This person. How much further does she plan to follow?’
Ceylon looked at Kasha Hanahan.
“…”
Kasha’s expression, while looking at Ceylon, was not much different from when she looked at Agion.
Cynical expression.
Sharp eyes.
But the moment Ceylon turned his back, a spark flickered in those sharp eyes.
“Miss Kasha…?”
“What is it?”
If Kasha had ears and a tail, Ceylon would have found it easier to get along with her.
The moment he called Kasha’s name, her ears would have perked up and her tail would have started wagging.
But Kasha had no such ears or tail.
To Ceylon, who lacked the ability to detect such subtly nuanced differences, Kasha’s current demeanor seemed merely cryptic and terrifying.
“Are you… all right?”
He asked very cautiously.
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t quite understand all the rules of the academy yet… I was just concerned that if Miss Kasha were to enter the male dormitory here, it might cause some trouble for you.”
“You’re worried about me?”
How long do you plan to follow along?
He had wrapped his blunt inquiry in the guise of concern, so in a way, it could indeed be called concern.
“Well, yes… I suppose?”
“…Fine.”
End of conversation.
‘What the…!’
Like a wolf that devours the flesh and spits out the bones, Kasha had ignored the actual content and just focused on the wrapper of concern.
Speaking directly was frightening.
Speaking indirectly didn’t seem to have any effect.
Ceylon was in despair.
How on earth was he supposed to deal with Kasha? He couldn’t get a grasp on it.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kasha’s invisible tail was swinging wildly after the conversation ended.
Ceylon didn’t have the ability to capture that.
Others might be keen on pestering and teasing, but in other areas, he was decidedly ordinary, or even less so.
Truly a pesky human being, he was.
To Ceylon now, Kasha’s company felt like having an inscrutable wolf pacing around him.
As far as he knew.
A very ferocious and finicky wolf that hated all humans.
“…I don’t know.”
Let it be what it will be.
Eventually, Ceylon resigned himself to wait.
Merely hoping that the fed-up wolf would leave of its own volition.
***
“Phew…”
Stepping into the dormitory building, I let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Kasha did not follow me inside the building.
Her demeanor was the same as usual and yet different.
The reason she followed me.
– What’s your room number?
That was the intention behind her question before she left.
While it still left me with an uneasy feeling not knowing all the reasons, I didn’t feel up to dwelling on it.
Her eyes and atmosphere were always sharp and prickly.
After all, she was someone whose thoughts and feelings were hard to read.
With such reasons in mind.
I decided to put aside my concerns about Kasha and focus on the situation before me.
The situation before me?
It was time to find my new sanctuary.
‘I’m thrilled.’
The excitement was real.
Nobles from across the continent flocked to Aine Academy.
As such, I had high expectations for the dorm facilities, and it seemed those were met.
The exterior of the dorm seen from the outside was indistinguishable from a luxury hotel.
I had yet to check the state of the rooms but felt confident about them.
Facilities like these would satisfy even the most noble families.
“Ah! How am I supposed to live in a place like this!”
Or not.
I was passing through the first-floor corridor on my way to the stairs.
An obviously well-to-do guy was looking into a room and voicing his complaints.
‘Oh, that guy—’
Who was it?
‘Ah, right.’
Ranked eighth in the entrance exams.
Locke.
He was the one who got smashed in the representative battle.
‘Where have I seen that expression before—’
Ah, right.
That expression.
It’s the expression people make when they fail at choosing a restroom stall at a highway rest stop.
‘Is it that bad…?’
Was the interior in complete disarray contrary to its outward appearance?
Concerned, I peered past the guy into the room.
At that moment—
“This pampered silver spoon brat.”