At this point, shouldn't we perform some kind of ritual?
I thought attending an extraordinary school once at Choegang High School was enough, but now they're talking about a magic school, not just superpowers. Divine power and magic were distinctly different. It didn't seem like I could do well, and I was out of spirits when Harris suddenly grabbed Kang Sihyun's hand.
"Why do you look so tense? Are you nervous?"
Harris seems to enjoy physical contact, just as strong in the past as now. While looking down at the interlocked hands for a moment, Sihyun shook his head, but Harris still didn't let go.
It's a strange feeling.
"But you're really pretty. People from the Lawrence family are generally beautiful, but you especially."
"Ah."
Caught off guard by the sudden compliment, he just smiled awkwardly. As he felt embarrassed, only touching his neck, suddenly a hand appeared between Sihyun and Harris, separating them. The naturally held hand smoothly slipped away.
"Can't you see he's uncomfortable? Back off a bit. You're not some tavern owner."
"Tavern owner?!"
"You looked like one of those guys who flirt at bars. Hey, you alright?"
"Uh? Oh."
The tone was exactly that of Lee Hamin. If they shared the same soul, it wouldn't be so surprising, but to be this identical was unexpected. Even the cynical expression typically shown when scolding someone resembled Hamin, and unconsciously staring at him made the boy turn his head away sharply.
"If Harris is bothering you, kick him out. He's a guy who doesn't know moderation."
"Yeah."
"...There's no need to be nervous since the entrance ceremony is just a simple welcome party for new students."
It must have been on his mind. Even the grumbling advice sounded just like Hamin, and Sihyun chuckled and looked back at the stage again. It was then that a suspicious magic circle appeared on the floor.
"What, what is that?"
"Down on the floor...."
The freshmen who discovered it together were flustered and murmured among themselves. Sihyun looked strangely at the huge magic circle drawn beneath his feet. The energy felt distinctly different from divine power.
If divine power was literally a natural ability, the magic here seemed to draw upon some energy present in the atmosphere.
Quite intrigued, he was admiring it when suddenly, from the magic circle, light poured out and enveloped the new students.
"Kyaaaah!"
When some kids screamed, thinking it was an attack, the principal clapped his hands.
"Ha-ha! Don't be too scared, everyone! This is merely part of the dormitory assignment. The magic circle under your feet will determine the suitable dormitory for you. Look above your heads now!"
Following the principal's words, the kids who had been shrinking back or frightened began to look up one by one. Above each child's head floated lights of blue, silver, black, and green. Seeing this, Sihyun tipped his head back to check his own light. His was blue.
As he turned his head, he saw that Harris also had a blue light above his head. Rodin and Sion had silver.
Does the color of this light divide the dormitories?
"Ah! Everyone has been successfully assigned to a dormitory. Now, let me introduce the pride of Delruan Academy, our four dormitories!"
With a loud proclamation, the wall behind the principal flashed. The beige-colored wallpaper had now been divided by four solid lines, each bearing a different color of light. The first to sparkle was the blue. Mysterious symbols were drawn on the blue wallpaper, and letters emerged.
Strange letters, but readable. It seemed to be the script of this world.
"Dormitory for souls with a high affinity for spirits. Blue Spirit's Brew!"
Brew?
Sihyun flinched momentarily before realizing this 'brew' was not the drinking kind, but rather 'spirit brew.' Spirits, indeed. From the moment magic was mentioned, it felt like he had entered the world of an old fantasy novel.
If there were spirits, might there also be dwarves or dragons?
Thinking of beings that would naturally exist in a novel, the second wallpaper sparkled. This time it was silver.
This would be their place.
Sihyun glanced briefly at Rodin and Sion before looking forward again. Hamin and Geonu's dormitory might be related to knights. He vaguely thought so.
And he was right.
"The second dormitory! A place for souls with strong bodies and firm convictions! Silver Blade's Sword!"
From just the name of the dormitory, one could easily guess it was related to swordsmanship. A magic school, indeed. Were they planning to train magic swordsmen? He had thought he'd just learn a few magics and go back, but it seemed the school had a broad curriculum. His opinion changed when he heard the next dormitory's
name.
"Flexible thinkers and ambitious souls reside here. It's the dormitory that produces excellent dark wizards every year! Black Mana's Forge!"
"What?"
It was the first dormitory name that sounded truly magical, but that didn't mean this dormitory was normal. Dark magic, really? That's not good, right? They're training that in a magic school? Too, too strange, isn't it? Am I being narrow-minded?
While he was confused, the kids just cheered. Sihyun, unable to blend into the atmosphere, concluded that perhaps the dark magic here was different from what he knew—more pure and moderate.
"The alumni do go to prison every year, but it's fine. Ha-ha!"
What part of that is fine?
The principal's unnecessary addition plummeted Sihyun's trust. This school wasn't just unusual; it seemed downright insane.
"The last dormitory! A place for those who love nature and are interested in research. Greenery and Truth's Tome!"
"Wowwwww!"
As the introduction of the dormitories neared its end, the kids' cheers grew louder. The principal nodded in satisfaction and snapped his fingers. Flags corresponding to each dormitory appeared in front of the freshmen.
"You will reside in these dormitories of Brew, Sword, Forge, and Tome, and follow the classes of the magic school. Check the color of the light above your heads and move to the flag of your corresponding dormitory!"
With that, the kids hurriedly moved. They all wore excited expressions, thrilled to be attending a magic school, creating a noisy atmosphere. Sihyun, still shocked from the dormitory introduction, stood dumbfounded until Harris spoke, suggesting they move as well.
"See you later, Sion, Rodin!"
Whoosh. Harris waved his hand grandly, bidding farewell to the two assigned to the Sword's dormitory. Rodin clicked his tongue, and Sion waved back.
"Lucky to be in the same dormitory! I'd be friendless if I went in alone, but with Harnen here, I feel secure!"
Harris seemed thrilled as he spoke.
You seem like you'd make new friends anywhere.
Having known Harris since the days of his strength, Sihyun briefly wore a sour expression but begrudgingly nodded, knowing not to aggravate him further.
As the freshmen gathered around each dormitory flag, the principal finally began a fitting speech for the entrance ceremony. He boringly detailed the traditions of the magic school and what kind of talents had been produced so far. Yaaawn. Sihyun, unable to contain his yawn, covered his mouth with a handkerchief. Seeing this, Harris, overreacting as usual, drew the attention of the surrounding kids.
"Were you just called Harnen?"
"Blonde hair and blue eyes, so he must be the bastard of that ducal family?"
"Ah, no. I came here to uphold the honor of my family. Why do I have to be associated with a bastard..."
Murmurs were heard from here and there. The words were mixed and incomprehensible, but from the few that could be understood, it seemed everyone was slandering him.
The perception of a bastard seems worse than I thought.
I thought I'd be somewhat ignored and ridiculed, but this reaction was close to vehement hatred. The piercing stares felt like they were burning his skin, causing him to frown when someone grabbed his free hand. It was Harris, as expected.
"Don't mind them! They're probably just jealous of your looks."
"That's probably not it."
"You really have no awareness of how good-looking you are, Harnen."
He denied it as it seemed they were mocking his birth, but Harris looked shocked and advised him. Knowing how attractive you are makes it easier to use it to your advantage, he added, causing Sihyun to shake his head. It was a moment that showed, in reality or here, the soul of Kang Haewoon was indeed unusual.
After the speech, the kids moved to their respective dormitories. Fortunately or unfortunately, Sihyun was assigned to the same room as Haewoon and, with a generous expression, Haewoon offered him the lower bunk. As Sihyun blinked lying on the bed, he slowly turned his head to look at the other empty bed when the door opened, and two boys entered the room to share the four-person dorm.
"Ah, damn."
Seeing Sihyun, they flinched and openly scowled, murmuring among themselves. It was definitely about him. Just then, a pillow flew at a terrifying speed past the newcomers from the upper bunk.
"Ah! Sorry! I threw it wrong!"
Harris apologized in his typically cheerful tone. Sihyun listened to that voice from the upper bunk and looked back at the kids who almost got hit by the pillow. Their faces were pale with astonishment.
What's there to throw a pillow wrong?
Sih
yun thought it was a noticeable way to give a hint and started laughing, but suddenly felt blood rising in his throat. If he spat blood here, the atmosphere Harris had just managed to maintain would be ruined, so he forced his throat to move and swallowed back the rising blood. It was a dreadful feeling.
"Sigh."
Sighing, Sihyun turned his head away from the boys who couldn't continue their slander because they were wary of Harris. Meeting Harris initially seemed unfortunate, but coming to the academy, it turned out to be nothing short of a stroke of luck. Without them, he would have had to endure the nobles' hatred for a bastard alone.
Always getting help.
In his past life as Gren and now as Harnen.
Even the kids in Class A seem to always be helping, making Sihyun feel peculiar. He declined Harris's invitation to go eat and pulled up his blanket. It had been a tiring day.
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