No Place to Rest in This Damn Academy
I flopped onto the dorm bed like I was throwing my back at it.
Haa.
I stared up at the ceiling.
I didn't want to think about anything.
I just wanted to melt away right here.
Even after chugging a potion, the aftermath of Super Acceleration lingered.
The pain was just a bit less intense than usual.
"Opening ceremony's tomorrow, right."
Thinking about tomorrow's opening ceremony, I needed to crash hard starting now or I'd be in trouble.
If I didn't sleep right this second, I seriously wouldn't wake up tomorrow.
That's when I closed my eyes to finally drift off.
Screech!
"?"
I snapped my eyes open at the sudden noise.
It came from the window.
What the hell?
I was too lazy to get up, but the sound bugged me.
Overcoming my laziness, I slowly dragged myself upright and shuffled over to the window.
"......What the fuck is this now?"
In one corner of the window, someone was crouched down.
Since when was the dorm a double room? Wasn't it supposed to be single occupancy?
Did I get it wrong somehow?
No, forget that—what the hell!
It was a girl.
And a face I recognized.
Lia Berge?
The second heroine from that trashy romance fantasy novel my sister loaned me—the one who causes the whole great magic beast incident.
"Come here. Come on."
She was leaning against the wall, reaching her hand toward the floor.
Why the hell is she in my room?
I seriously couldn't wrap my head around it.
I'd taken down the thugs who attacked the train, got a VIP boarding pass as thanks from the station attendant, and come back to the dorm.
And now, at this timing, the heroine-slash-troublemaker who sparks the great magic beast chaos is in my room?
The world was clearly screwing me over.
"Why won't you come?"
Lia had been talking to something this whole time.
Following her gaze, I spotted an orange furball in the corner of the room.
Up close, it was a cat.
When the hell did a cat sneak in......
A sigh escaped me at the growing list of uninvited guests.
Whatever, the point was I needed to kick them out fast.
No way was I sticking around and risking some bullshit accident.
"Hey."
At my shout, Lia's amber eyes turned to me.
Damn.
True to the novel, she was stupidly pretty.
Golden hair sparkling in the sunlight.
A sleek, lithe body, flexible and agile like a cat.
She had every element of a beauty.
But whatever, that was that.
How long was she gonna just stare?
"......" "......"
Silence stretched out.
Did she even realize she'd broken in? Lia just blinked at me blankly.
"You gonna leave or what?" "You live here?" "......Yeah. My room, so get out."
Lia made a thinking face for a second.
Then said casually,
"Didn't know."
She said it so breezily.
No apology, no fluster.
Just, didn't know.
"Came to get this guy."
Lia pointed at the cat.
The cat still wouldn't budge from the corner.
No matter how much Lia reached out, it wouldn't come closer.
She's never gonna leave at this rate.
Another sigh slipped out.
I needed to boot them and sleep.
Otherwise, I'd be late to the opening ceremony.
I walked over to the cat and crouched down.
"Come here."
Honestly, I wasn't expecting much.
If it wouldn't come even for Lia, who had high affinity with animals, would it come for this stubborn thing to me?
But then.
Nyaaoong~
The cat crept out slowly.
And started licking my hand like crazy.
Fuck, it's all slobbery wet.
"......?!"
Lia's eyes went wide.
First expression change from her.
"How'd you do that." "Dunno." "Gimme."
Lia snatched the cat into her arms.
Then stared at me intently.
For a good long while.
Why's she staring again.
I was already dead tired, and this was making it worse.
Determined to shoo her out quick, I pushed at her back and said,
"Get out already. Not the window—the door."
"......"
Lia hugged the cat tight and walked toward the window without a word.
"Hey, door, not window! There's a door over there."
"Know."
And she opened the window and left.
I stared blankly at the open window.
This was the third floor.
Fuck it, she'll handle it.
As I lay back down with my exhausted body, Lia's voice came from the window.
"You."
"......What, got something to say?"
"Smell."
"Smell what?"
"Good smell. He said."
That was it.
I closed the window with a sigh.
Good smell my ass?
Sniff sniff.
I sniffed my arm directly.
No smell?
Couldn't figure out what she meant.
*
"I'm so fucking tired."
In the end, I couldn't sleep and left the dorm.
No point trying anyway.
I headed to the academy's shopping district to get the red orb appraised—the one I got from taking down those train thugs.
"This place is huge as fuck."
I'd figured the shopping district was like a small neighborhood market.
This was more like a damn department store.
No, even that didn't cover it.
Shops stretched endlessly left and right.
Students bustling between them packed the streets.
Feels suffocating.
The massive crowd choked me.
I hurried to find the appraiser's shop.
Should be this way if memory serves.
I arrived at a shop with just a weathered wooden door, no sign.
Looked sketchy as hell, but according to the novel, this was the best appraiser in the academy.
No other place I know anyway.
As I reached for the door, voices came from inside.
A familiar voice.
"I saw it clearly. Took down three in an instant. Even mid-dagger throw."
Elisicia?
I froze my hand reflexively.
And listened quietly.
"Hmm...... Lady, did you perhaps see an artifact that stops time?"
"Something like that exists?"
"No. Not that I know of. Time manipulation artifacts are theoretically near impossible."
"Then?"
"Two possibilities. You mis saw......"
A brief silence.
The appraiser continued.
"Or moved so fast it was invisible."
"A person can move like that?"
"Well......"
The appraiser paused, then spoke.
"A Swordmaster might."
"Swordmaster?"
I heard Elisicia repeat the word.
Swordmaster?
Listening from outside the door, I was dumbfounded.
What the hell was a Swordmaster?
The empire itself tiptoes around their fake coughs.
That said it all.
Comparing me to one? Ridiculous.
If I were a Swordmaster, would I even be at this academy?
Just being one meant you were already set.
Welcomed everywhere.
Worlds apart from a dropout who couldn't even inherit the family.
Still, no plans to clear it up.
What good would getting involved do? Let her delude herself.
I'll just live quietly.
Soon, sounds of them standing came from inside.
I quickly ducked into the alley beside the door.
Screech.
The door opened, and Elisicia stepped out.
Didn't spot me.
She just walked off toward the shopping district.
She's gone.
I stepped out and casually opened the door.
"Oh, Lady? Forget something...... Who're you?"
A woman with abundant brown hair tied up messily.
Marika, the shop owner.
"Here for an appraisal."
"Ah, a customer. This way."
Marika naturally pulled out a chair and handed me tea.
Then probed casually.
"Quite the coincidence. Rare to get another customer right after one leaves. Were you waiting outside?"
"Nah, just got here."
"Hmmm. Right?"
Her face screamed disbelief, but Marika didn't press.
"So, what for appraisal?"
I pulled the orb from my pocket and set it on the table.
A glass orb with a faint red glow.
Marika's eyes narrowed.
"Where'd you get this."
"Picked it up."
Marika picked it up, examined it from all angles.
Pulled out a monocle, peered in, placed a small crystal orb beside it, muttered something.
Time passed.
"......Lying."
"Huh?"
"Asking again. Where'd you get this?"
"Told you, picked it up."
Marika's attitude shifted.
"Hmmm. No way......"
What the hell was this orb anyway?
Marika stared at me.
Then smirked.
"Don't wanna say, fine. But you got lucky surviving. Guys with these aren't small fry."
"What is it?"
"Stealth Artifact mainly used by assassin groups. Top-tier ones, even."
I raised an eyebrow.
Wait, those fuckers were assassins?
Then why blow up the train and shit?
No witnesses, mission success? Kinda far from the ninja types I imagined.
As I recalled those guys, Marika explained the artifact.
"Once a day, vanish completely from sight for about 10 minutes at will. Simple: hold the orb, think 'disappear.' Even newbies can use it easy. But costs about as much as a castle."
Modern assassins geared to the teeth, huh.
Casually carrying castle-priced artifacts.
Stealth, though.
If I hadn't used Super Acceleration quick, I might've been the one done in.
Invisibility that total was a real threat.
Lucky break.
Beat up a few assassins on the train, and loot keeps rolling in.
Good luck.