Day 0-1: Every Process Has a Result
Every process has a result. That result can lead to something good, but it can just as easily lead to something bad. And in my life, things had mostly gone the bad route. Which was why I had trained myself to stay on guard the moment any incident occurred, whether it seemed good or bad.
Yes. Just like today.
“...This is the place.”
I stared up at the building in a daze. Veritas Academy. The reason I—a perfectly ordinary commoner in this new world—had managed to enroll in an academy teeming with wizards was simple. I possessed talent for magic.
“Aina Cromwell. Specialty magic is Memory Magic… Confirmed.”
The person-shaped golem scanned my student ID and spoke in a mechanical voice.
“Your dormitory is the Rose Pavilion. Do you require guidance?”
“Yes.”
When I nodded without hesitation, a small golem came waddling over. The stone construct walked with heavy, thudding steps before taking the lead. It’s kind of cute.
With that thought, I followed behind it. Behind the academy buildings, a vivid crimson rose garden came into view. It was a little gloomy, but that was understandable for a dormitory reserved for commoners.
How did I know it was for commoners? I had read the pamphlet before arriving, of course. It contained the academy’s layout, a map, and the purpose of each building. The role assigned to the Rose Pavilion was straightforward: a dormitory for commoner female students. It was old, but not entirely neglected, and it carried a deeply serene atmosphere. In any case, it suited my tastes quite well. Antique. Stylish.
Following the golem’s guidance, I unpacked my belongings in Room 3 on the second floor and looked around. Because commoner wizards—especially female ones—were extremely rare, the dormitory provided single rooms.
“...This room is bigger than the house I used to live in.”
The house I had shared with my aunt after my parents died. Thinking of it made me shake my head. Let’s not dwell on the past. That was exactly why I had come to the academy. The tuition, which would normally have been impossible to afford, had been scraped together with desperate effort. All of it to escape that house.
After finishing with my luggage, I opened the room door. It let out a long creeeak. I flinched. The hinges must be rusted. I would need to oil them.
I tried opening a few other doors to empty-looking rooms, but only mine produced that sound. Letting out a small sigh, I headed downstairs to find some oil.
“Oh, a person.”
“...Hello.”
Two girls greeted me as I descended. One was a beautiful girl with long, ebony-black hair. The other was a blonde with twin tails that seemed far too youthful for her age.
“Uh, yes. Ah, hello?”
I stumbled over my words in surprise but still managed a greeting. The twin-tailed girl beamed and bounced over to me.
“Hello—! I’m Terin Pharos!”
“Ah, I’m Aina Cromwell.”
“Nice to meet you—!”
Terin seized my hand and shook it vigorously up and down. Then she quickly released it and dragged the black-haired girl forward.
“You say hi too!”
“...”
The black-haired girl, pulled along against her will, stared at me. Her eyes held no readable emotion.
“Maria.”
“Um? Ah, I’m Aina Cromwell.”
Did she not have a family name? When I kept staring, Maria whipped her head away. At that exact moment, her eyes met Terin’s as if by fate.
“Um? Maria? But you told me Yerenika earlier!”
“...”
Maria pressed her lips into a tight line, glancing between me and Terin, then let out a sigh.
“Maria Yerenika. That’s my full name.”
“Wait, so you gave me your last name?”
Maria shot the grumbling Terin an annoyed look, then climbed the stairs. Terin watched her retreating back with a blank expression before turning to me with a bright smile.
What? Why was she suddenly smiling like that?
Flustered, I smiled back. Terin spoke.
“You’re probably the last one, Aina.”
“Huh?”
“The last person entering this dormitory. I just heard from the supervisor—there are seven of us in total.”
“Aah.”
So I was the final one to complete the group of seven. I nodded in understanding.
“By the way, why did you come downstairs, Aina?”
“Oh, right. Is there any oil around here?”
“Oil? Hmm…”
Terin glanced around, then casually opened a nearby door and stepped inside. Wondering if it was really okay to just walk in, I followed her. A savory aroma drifted out. It must be the kitchen.
The cooking utensils and plates confirmed it. I trailed after Terin, inspecting the well-stocked shelves. There were more tools than I expected—enough to prepare all sorts of dishes.
But… why were there so many knives? Did you really need this many kitchen knives?
As I tilted my head in confusion, a voice came from behind me.
“Ah, found it. The oil.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. But…”
Terin held up the bottle. Something felt off.
“...This is.”
“It’s Muspe oil. I believe it’s used in Eastern Continent cuisine.”
Muspe oil. In my previous life’s terms, it was sesame oil. So that was where the savory smell had been coming from. To think I had forgotten the scent of sesame oil. It really had been a long time since my transmigration.
While I was lost in strange sentiment, Terin trotted over.
“Ah! What were you planning to use the oil for?”
“...The hinge on my room door seems rusted. I was going to lubricate it.”
At my answer, Terin tilted her head and leaned in. Her upper body pressed firmly against mine.
…Big. I couldn’t specify what exactly, but it was big.
I subtly stepped back. Terin, however, seemed completely oblivious as she continued staring at the bottle of Muspe oil. Apparently they didn’t store it in soju bottles in this world.
“I don’t think this will work for hinges.”
“Yeah.”
Nothing to be done. It was a little inconvenient, but I would have to live with it for now. Since there was a supervisor, I could always put in a request later.
“Sorry. You went through the trouble of finding it.”
“It’s nothing. I was happy I could help!”
Seeing Terin’s bright, genuine smile, I felt a strange warmth bloom in my chest. After transmigrating to this world, this was the first time—aside from my parents—that someone had shown me real kindness.
“See you later!”
After parting with Terin, I returned to the second floor. I left the creaking door as it was and lay down on the bed.
I should sleep early today.
Creak. Thud.
The sound from the neighboring room woke me. What was that? Had someone moved in?
I opened my eyes groggily. The world outside had already grown dark. I hadn’t even eaten dinner… I wondered if anything was left.
“Ugh.”
I drank the water I had prepared earlier and staggered to my feet. Low blood pressure was the worst. A woman’s body really was inconvenient in every way. I considered myself relatively healthy, yet every time I stood up, my mind felt foggy.
Grasping at my slowly returning senses, I turned on the room’s light. I frowned at the sudden brightness and looked around. A sheet of paper I hadn’t noticed before lay on the nightstand where I had placed the water bottle.
“What is this?”
When I picked it up, the title immediately caught my eye. I read through the rules listed beneath Rose Pavilion Rules one by one.
“...What the hell is this?”
Some kind of internet horror story? It was exactly like the rules-based ghost tales that had been popular on the internet in my previous life. Especially rules 4-1 and 8. The spot where rule 7 should have been was empty, and 4-1 had been inserted instead. In cases like this, rule 8 was usually the correct one.
Still, according to rule 4, I was supposed to follow the meal schedule… which meant I had already missed dinner today.
“Sigh.”
Letting out a small sigh, I lay back down. It probably wasn’t the best idea, but I needed time to organize my thoughts.