Chapter 55
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Dormitory Move-In
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The capital's Eterna Academy in the Croatina Empire was abuzz with the commotion of noble families during enrollment season.
But amid it all, one spot drew particular stares.
It wasn't the student dorms, but the secluded staff housing area.
"Hup!"
I effortlessly lifted a moving box with one hand and carried it over.
Bundles of luggage, tightly bound with rope, were spilling out from the carriage.
This was the professors' domain, off-limits to ordinary students.
A hulking barbarian unloading his things in that sacred space had passing students and staff gaping in disbelief.
"Hey... who's that guy? A professor?"
"You nuts? What professor looks like that? Must be a laborer."
"But his clothes look way too expensive for a laborer."
I ignored the whispers and silently kept hauling the luggage.
Then, an urgent voice came from a carriage passing behind me.
"Hold it! Stop here."
Screech.
"How's the unpacking going, Barg? You doing it all alone?"
The carriage halted, and Kairun stepped out.
He rolled up his sleeves as he approached me.
Then he jerked his chin toward the servants following him.
"I've got more laborers than I know what to do with. If you need any, just say the word—no need to hold back."
He'd stopped on his way to his own assigned quarters, seeing me handling my stuff solo, just to offer help.
I shook my head politely at his kindness.
"No, thank you. It's my family's luggage, so I should handle it. Take care of your brother, young master."
When I declined, Kairun clapped my shoulder.
"Young master? We're academy undergrads now—classmates. My brother would want you to treat me casually. Half-formal's fine, even informal."
"...That's a bit much."
Kairun grinned brightly.
"Fine... got it, Kairun."
The arrogant, obnoxious young lord from the original story was gone. In his place stood a reliable classmate and friend who called my name casually and even offered to carry my boxes first.
'Not bad at all.'
I smirked and hoisted the last box.
Then, out of nowhere, I recalled the headmaster's office incident.
In the headmaster's office of the academy's main building sat our group before old Archimedes, the notoriously strict headmaster.
Karl, the top graduate and eldest son of the Northguard Grand Duke's house.
Radians, a prince currently serving as a professor.
Eisen, patriarch of a prominent Northguard family.
And me, whose bulk alone made the room feel cramped visually.
The headmaster eyed the intimidating lineup—which could dry out anyone's mouth just by looking—and polished his already spotless glasses again.
"...So, the Northguard Grand Duke's eldest son wishes to stay with his younger brother for health reasons?"
"Yes, Headmaster."
Karl spoke calmly from his wheelchair.
"My condition isn't fully stable, so I'd like to receive advanced treatment from the academy infirmary. To that end, I'd like to share a room with my brother Kairun so he can tend to me."
Karl's rationale was ironclad.
It was a request from one of the empire's top families, Northguard—and from a former graduate who'd once been the headmaster's favorite.
The headmaster pondered briefly, then nodded.
"Hmm... For the young duke's health, we can make an exception. Brotherly bonds matter, so I'll assign a special room near the infirmary."
That was reasonable enough for even the headmaster to accept.
But.
"And Headmaster."
Prince Radians, lounging crookedly on the sofa, opened his mouth for the second bombshell to shatter the headmaster's composure.
"About the incoming Princess Elysia."
"Yes, Your Highness. We've prepared the top floor of the girls' dorm for Her Highness, with top-tier security spells..."
"Nah, she'll bunk with me."
"......?!"
The headmaster nearly snapped the lens of his endlessly polished glasses.
"...Pardon?! Y-Your Highness? What did you just...?"
"We'll share the married staff quarters."
"Those are for married faculty couples only...!"
The headmaster jumped up.
But Radians pressed on, dead serious—though his ears were still flushed red with embarrassment.
"Elysia's getting threats in the palace just for being illegitimate. Outsiders would be worse. Who'll protect her if not her big brother? She can't be out of my sight."
"E-Even so... siblings sharing a room...!"
"If I can't protect my own sister, do I even qualify as a prince? If anything happens to Elysia, will you take responsibility, Headmaster?"
The prince's nonsense turned the headmaster's face ashen.
Royal siblings sharing a room?
Incestuous marriages among royals had ended since the empire's early days, but still...
And the pretext of the princess's safety was too solid to outright refute.
Seizing the headmaster's wavering resolve, Eisen added his piece.
"Headmaster, what about the Wintersword couple then?"
"...Pardon?"
"They're a legally wedded couple, and the wife is pregnant, needing absolute stability. His Highness is setting a precedent for family cohabitation for undergrad safety—wouldn't giving it to this married pair be even more appropriate?"
"B-But... as I mentioned before, academy rules have no precedent for incoming couples cohabiting... fairness issues... discipline could loosen..."
The headmaster sweated bullets in a last desperate stand.
He'd somehow block the princess thing and at least handle this barbarian couple by the book to maintain order.
But.
"Oh! Right, Sir Barg!"
Radians suddenly slapped my shoulder with exaggerated flair—loud enough for the headmaster to hear clearly.
"Your wife's been having trouble sleeping lately, right? Early pregnancy making her sensitive—she can't get a wink without her husband! She was so worried about it!"
"...Pardon?"
I blanked out for a second.
Kara conks out the moment her head hits the pillow?
She's sleeping too well—it's practically a problem?
She was snoring last night, even?
But Radians pinched my side and winked.
"And yesterday, you bragged to me about feeling the baby kick? Said the kid thrashes like crazy without Daddy! Needs to smell you to settle down or whatever!"
"......"
This guy's insane.
Fetal movement at 6 weeks?
No fingernails yet.
But I couldn't say no here.
I forced a smile, adopting the look of a burdened family man.
"Ah... yes, Your Highness. Yesterday our little Yeppi was so strong... If I don't press my hand to her belly, my wife can barely breathe... Haah... It's really worrying."
Even my amateur acting made the headmaster's eyes waver.
"Hear that, Headmaster? It's about the mother's and fetus's health. A matter of life and death!"
Radians drove the nail in.
"You gonna let pride make you ignore the greater good? Can't spare one room for this married couple?"
"Th-That's...!"
The headmaster finally surrendered.
"A-All right! Fine, please! The Winterswords get married staff quarters!"
"Phew..."
I'd finished moving everything and stretched my back.
Our assigned married staff housing—a three-story townhouse complex—became our new home.
Meant for married professors, it dwarfed the student dorms in space and comfort.
"Nice one, Sir Barg! Staff housing beats student dorms by miles, right?"
From afar, Kairun waved while sorting his place. Radians and Karl approached after a stroll.
Radians grinned slyly and thumbs-upped me on sight.
"All that kicking means no spare bed space, huh? Hope the soundproofing holds."
"...Thanks to you, Your Highness."
I chuckled dryly.
"You have our thanks. Thanks to you two, we—and Her Highness—have settled safely."
Karl smiled warmly from his wheelchair.
Kairun got medical staff housing, closest to the infirmary.
He'd have to walk farther than other undergrads to classes, but he brushed it off with a laugh—he'd endure that much to stay near his brother.
"We're the grateful ones. Without you two, we'd be in separate rooms."
I bowed sincerely.
'Getting tangled with that Radians guy is exhausting, but...'
The result was good enough.
Anyway, we'd pulled it off.
Kara and I could stay together, starting academy life in the safest, most comfortable spot.
"Barg! All done?"
The window on the second floor of our building—room 201—opened, and Kara poked her head out.
"Yeah! Heading up now!"
"Hurry! This terrace is amazing! Yeppi says she wants Daddy ASAP!"
Kara waved with a beaming smile.
I clenched my fist watching her.
This was our new nest.
"Coming, my queen!"
I bounded inside with light steps.
"This the place?"
I slotted the key and turned it.
Click. The door swung open.
We'd been assigned Unit 2, Room 201.
Sunlight's fresh scent greeted us.
While I'd hauled boxes from downstairs, Kara had aired it out and dusted, banishing the long-vacant mustiness.
"Wow..."
Way better than expected.
I'd glimpsed it while ferrying stuff up and down, but it blew away the cramped chicken-coop student dorms.
The spacious living room had a fireplace.
Two bedrooms.
A compact but fully equipped kitchen and bath.
Best of all, the natural light.
Warm southern sun poured deep into the house through the living room's big windows.
"Man, bigger than I thought. Student dorms would've been a disaster."
This size wouldn't cramp even my massive frame.
Kara, clearly pleased, went to the window and drew the curtains.
"Right? Gotta have room for all our stuff. Great sunlight, close to the woods... I should thank the young duke too."
"Yep. Power has its perks."
We stood in the empty living room's center, surveying our new home contentedly.
This would be the first place where we'd watch Yeppi grow inside, kicking to say "See you soon, Mommy."
If timing worked out, we might even see her face.
A fuzzy warmth swelled in my chest.
But no time for sentiment.
Mountainous luggage awaited outside.
"Alright, let's get to work!"
I rolled up my sleeves.
The big unpacking began.
First issue: room assignments.
The larger inner room seemed for the bedroom; the smaller one near the entrance for a study or nursery.
"Okay, big room's our bedroom... What about the small one?"
I stroked my chin. Kara answered matter-of-factly.
"Why overthink? Just cram all the stuff in."
"Not for a study or baby room?"
"Yeppi's got ages before arriving. And..."
She grabbed my arm, shooting me a glare.
"Can't imagine sleeping apart from you. Separate rooms? Never."
"Haha, obviously. Hate that idea."
We agreed without hesitation.
The small room became a dressing room-cum-storage.
"Hup!"
I carted in the boxes Eisen's guards had packed from Eisengard.
So much stuff it filled the room fast.
I stacked them neatly.
Filled to the ceiling without gaps, it looked more warehouse than room.
"Good, storage sorted. Now the master bedroom."
We headed to the master.
It came with a standard-issue double bed.
Empire-standard size—plenty for normal couples, but...
"......"
I lay down to test it.
"......My feet are freezing."
My ankles stuck out past the mattress, dangling in air.
And lying there took nearly all the space beside me.
Sleeping with Kara like this? One flop and she'd roll right off.
"Nope."
Kara shook her head and went to the now-storage small room.
"Stick this on."
She dragged in the bed provided there too.
"Ooh, genius."
We pushed them together beside the first.
Heights mismatched a bit.
"Cover it."
We threw the massive bear pelt and fur blankets from Norheim over both mattresses. No step felt.
"Perfect."
I sprawled out starfish-style.
No feet dangling, room to roll.
Kara flopped beside me, rolling around.
"Wow, huge! We could wrestle in here!"
"Wrestle, huh... Good idea."
I grinned lecherously and hugged her.
The steamy nights ahead on this bed already had me hyped.
With major stuff sorted, the sun was setting.
I wiped sweat and straightened my clothes.
"Where to?"
"Gonna say hi to the neighbors."
"Oh, right. Townhouse setup."
Meaning people above, below, next door.
The deadliest foe of townhouses: noise complaints.
Especially a hulking barbarian like me stomping around—a touchy downstairs neighbor meant trouble inevitable.