The Awakening of the Fifth Dormitory
What kind of state do you think the kids were in after getting chased out of bed at dawn and going through the whole selection process? What kind of state? Obviously, their stomachs were practically glued to their backbones.
……Ah.
Eating all those sweets on an empty stomach was a bad idea. My gut's acting up. Seriously, if the schedule's this packed, shouldn't they at least feed the kids something? This is some real lack of consideration for children. Kids need five meals a day, minimum.
"No sense at all."
Lily tilted her head at my quiet mutter.
"Huh?"
"Nah, just talking to myself."
I waved it off. While I was at it, I stretched my back, rolled my shoulders, and gave the kids' faces a quick once-over. Body might be a kid's, but even rotten tuna's still tuna. I might not have lived long in this life, but the time I've spent has been thick and intense enough to give me some real street smarts. You don't need to sense auras or whatever—just watch how people carry themselves in a situation, and you can get a rough read on who they are.
In that sense, quietly observing the kids from behind like this made it clear none of them were ordinary. Kids like Lily next to me, all tensed up, were actually the minority. Most faces radiated confidence and pride. Whether that came off as arrogance or just childish bravado was the only difference.
"Not bad."
"Huh?"
"Nothing, just mumbling."
Either way, it seemed like they wouldn't have to deal with being ostracized by girls for not having some half-a-million-won toy while hearing about free meals and dictators. Well, not like I was actually bullied or anything. It just bugged me a little, seeing that gloomy look when someone teased me about still liking that stuff at my age.
Right on cue, the last kid finished up, and Benedict stepped forward to the podium.
"That concludes all selection procedures. Thank you for your hard work over this long time. We will now move to the banquet hall."
Under Benedict's lead, the kids filed out of the auditorium. In the quiet side-building corridor, only his steady shoe clicks and their short footsteps echoed.
The path from the chilly small auditorium to the central area was pretty long.
"Hey, Jayden. How'd your interview go? You were like, dead last."
Bored of just walking, I quietly nudged Jayden.
"Nothing special. Just answered a few questions. They didn't demand anything in particular. They just muttered among themselves and that was it."
"Makes sense, it's just dorm assignments. Wonder why they dragged it out one by one like that."
All it did was make me hungrier.
After walking a good while through the eerily quiet passage like a secluded forest path, the academy's heart—the massive main building—finally came into view.
"Whoa—"
"Oh my god…. Totally different vibe up close than from afar."
Exclamations burst out amid kids smacking their friends' arms and pointing at the castle.
As we moved from the outskirts to the core, the air grew warmer, and the magical lanterns lining the walls glowed in brighter hues. Ancient stone pillars bearing the weight of time, ceilings adorned with dazzling light displays. Every time we passed through the long corridors, the kids' footsteps layered into a grand echo.
"Hurry up…. Don't just stop like that."
"S-sorry!"
Passing the proudly towering main gate and crossing the central passage, the entrance to the Great Hall finally appeared. Benedict pulled out his pocket watch, checked it, and tucked it away with mechanical precision.
"Hm, good, we're not late."
Benedict's staff lightly tapped the massive door.
Boom!
With a heavy thud, the oak double doors vibrated lowly and slowly parted left and right. Between the welcoming open doors, chandelier light poured down onto the polished marble floor, worn smooth by countless footsteps. The tall arched windows visible from outside revealed themselves as vibrant stained glass inside, scattering rainbow light. Lifting my head, the open ceiling soaring three stories high gave the instant sense of stepping into another world.
"Gulp—!"
"What's that smell?"
"The smell is insane…. Meat, right? That's definitely meat."
"Whoa, let go, I'm gonna faint."
Gurgling stomach rumbles erupted here and there. To the kids, starved from the long trek and tension, the steaming dishes on dozens of round tables were a more lethal temptation than any magic.
As the kids' excited gasps filled the hall, Albrecht rose from the center seat on the front podium with a kindly smile.
"Hohoho—! Ah…, there come our new students. Everyone, give them a warm round of applause."
At the headmaster's declaration, the hundreds of upperclassmen already seated erupted in cheers and clapped in unison. The applause bounced off the Great Hall's high ceiling like massive waves enveloping the freshmen. A far cry from the empty small auditorium—a deafening, grand welcome.
"Ooooh—!"
"Whoa! Look at those little ones!"
"So cute!"
"Hey kids, welcome!"
Caught off guard by the sudden shift, the kids hunched their shoulders awkwardly. Where'd all that meat-hype energy go? Stealing glances at each other, they shuffled forward hesitantly, carefully stepping onto the red carpet.
"Straighten up and follow."
Benedict ignored the raucous welcome and steadily led them to the front of the faculty table. The cheers dragged on until Albrecht raised a hand, and the upperclassmen giggled as if on cue and sat back down.
Albrecht stroked his long beard once, then spoke in a kindly voice that filled the hall.
"Hoho, today we sincerely welcome these new children into the Eldmier family. The moment you opened this door, a fresh new page began in the academy's thousand-year history."
The headmaster paused, taking in each fidgeting kid.
"We gather here to pursue the truth of magic, but remember: that knowledge blooms alongside the curiosity of your precious comrades. Here, before learning to become great wizards, you will first learn to see the world with warm eyes."
Then, with a playful wink, he added,
"Of course, great insights only come on a full stomach. I know those steaming dishes excite you more than boring speeches. Hohoho— no need to drag this out. Straight to the point."
Albrecht clapped lightly once, and Benedict promptly handed him a neatly bound parchment from his pocket, as if waiting for it. The parchment rustled open, its sound carrying loudly through the hall's hush.
"Oh, and one more thing! Before we dive in, a special announcement. As you know, our academy originally had four dorms—recently expanded from three. But today, that number changes once more."
Albrecht continued matter-of-factly, like someone who'd just found a lost item from yesterday.
"The guardian spirits protecting the dorms have awakened after a thousand years. And with them, the ancient selection method where they choose students themselves. Thanks to this, Eldmier regains its complete form with five dorms today."
Murmur murmur— For some, it was news; the hall buzzed instantly. The headmaster savored the commotion leisurely as he unrolled the parchment.
"Now, first up: the lucky ones stepping into the brand-new fifth dorm. Shall we see who they are?"
With a mischievous smile, Albrecht slowly looked down at the parchment. Hundreds of eyes hung on his lips in tense silence.
"………."
And finally, he called the first name.
"Jayden Bior!"
"Jayden?"
At the name, with Benedict's gesture, the massive boulder-like presence in the middle of the freshmen stepped forward.
"No way, that's a freshman?"
"What kind of build is that?"
Jayden Bior advanced, drawing all the shocked stares. At just over eleven years old—like the kids around him—his thick neck and broad shoulders evoked a pro boxer's prime. A tiger commanding mountains. Each heavy step seemed to make the banquet floor tremble faintly.
Pfft—! I knew I shouldn't laugh, but seeing my monstrously built classmate made stupid giggles leak out. Was it sheer absurdity….
Once Jayden took position before the podium, the headmaster nodded approvingly and called the next names. A few more were announced, but mine wasn't among them. As tension peaked and the air grew heavy, the headmaster scanned the parchment's bottom edge and declared,
"And finally……. Ariana Spencer!"