Chapter 10: Chapter 10. The First Day (3)

Seven in the evening.

In the Central Library, which served the general student body, dozens of students from the top class were hard at work on their homework.

They had pulled out every book in the library on third-generation ancient formula language.

At first, they had only consulted dictionaries, but when those proved insufficient, they had brought over all sorts of other books. The resulting mess was enough to make the other library users frown.

“I’m hungry… When are we having dinner? Do we have to stay here?”

“Who knows? You ask.”

“And get an earful from Monark and his lackeys?”

Despite working on the assignment all afternoon, they still hadn’t found the answer.

Everyone was exhausted.

“I’ve got it!”

Just then, Monark suddenly sprang to his feet and shouted.

The other library users shot him dirty looks, but neither Monark nor his followers paid them any mind.

“You finally did it, sir!”

“I knew you could do it, Lord Monark!”

“Just what you’d expect from the scion of a ducal house!”

Monark grinned at his followers’ praise.

“The material we need to borrow is a work by Oquitrast, the great philosopher who lived thousands of years ago. We probably just need to borrow Oquitrast’s Dialogues with the Philosophers!”

“Oh, you’ve already figured out the title!”

“Of course! That much is basic cultural knowledge!”

He was being insufferably smug, but for now, the other students breathed sighs of relief.

Now that they had the answer, they could finally leave the library and head to the dormitory.

“All right, let’s hurry up and borrow it!”

Monark began searching the shelves with the other students.

But… no matter how hard they looked, they couldn’t find Oquitrast’s Dialogues with the Philosophers.

“That’s strange. According to the standard book classification system, it should be right here…”

“Let’s ask the librarian.”

In the end, they asked a librarian who worked there.

“Oquitrast’s Dialogues with the Philosophers…”

The librarian operated an artifact used to manage the collection and replied in a languid voice.

“It was checked out hours ago.”

“What? Wh-who borrowed it?”

“Why would I tell you that? That’s private information.”

“Is that the only copy you have?”

“We only have one here. Try another library.”

As Monark stood there looking flustered, the librarian yawned and added,

“There’s another copy in the Outer Library. You first-years are allowed in there, too. It’s at least an hour’s walk from here, though.”

“…”

Monark’s face fell, along with those of every other student.

---

After borrowing Oquitrast’s Dialogues with the Philosophers, looking around the academy, and having a meal,

we headed to the first-year dormitory and completed the necessary procedures at the administrative office.

The next step was getting fitted for our uniforms. They made them on the spot in a temporary building outside the dormitory.

“The uniform fits perfectly.”

“That’s the power of magic.”

A mage from the academy’s Fabrication Department took our measurements, then made perfectly sized uniforms right there.

“Ha ha. You looked a little provincial before, but you look quite handsome in uniform. Clothes really do make the man.”

“…”

The boys’ uniform I wore consisted of a white shirt and black trousers, with a sky-blue jacket over them.

I knew little about fashion, but even I could see that it looked stylish.

“Wow, you really do look good!”

“Hmm. I agree.”

Kane and Karis had put on the boys’ uniform as well.

Kane had a lean build and Karis a muscular one, but both looked excellent in their uniforms, perhaps because each had been tailored to fit.

Karis’s shirt looked uncomfortably tight over his thick chest muscles, but apparently, it didn’t bother him at all.

“D-does it look strange?”

“It looks great! It’s perfect for you, Senia!”

The girls’ uniforms Senia and Milia wore consisted of a sky-blue bolero over a white blouse, paired with a high-waisted skirt.

I knew little about women’s clothes, either, but I thought they both looked good in them.

“The academy uniform is a uniform, formal wear, and combat gear all in one. It’s far more practical than it looks.”

The mage from the Fabrication Department spoke proudly.

“It’s easy to move in and offers excellent protection. It also keeps out heat and cold, so you’ll wear it during outdoor practical lessons, too.”

“What do we do when it needs washing?”

“There are magical washing machines developed by our department on the dormitory’s first floor. Put it in, and it’ll come out washed and dried in ten minutes.”

The Fabrication Department had made Kaisel’s magical automobile, too… It seemed they really did make everything.

“Thank you. We’ll be going now.”

“All right. See you again!”

We left the temporary building and went back into the dormitory.

We had already submitted all the necessary paperwork, so all that remained was getting our rooms.

“You’ve got your uniforms fitted, then. This way.”

The dormitory supervisor showed us the way.

“The top class has the seventh floor of the First Dormitory. Boys’ rooms are to the right of the central staircase, and girls’ rooms are to the left. You’re the first of your class to arrive, so take your pick.”

Apparently, we could choose our own rooms.

Senia and Milia began looking at the rooms on the left together, while I inspected the ones on the right with Kane and Karis.

“They all look pretty much the same.”

“Still, we should look carefully. I’d like a room the previous occupants kept clean.”

The rooms all had the same layout, with bunk beds, desks, and so on.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it?”

“Are they all doubles?”

The supervisor frowned at my question.

“No, there’s a single room as well. It was originally a privilege reserved for the top incoming student.”

“That would be me.”

“I’ll show you if you want. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“…?”

The supervisor led us up past the seventh floor to the eighth, the top floor.

“This is the only room students can use on the eighth floor. The rest are storage rooms and the like.”

“Wow, so Eriol gets the whole top floor to himself? I’m jealous!”

“Hmm. The top incoming student deserves at least this much.”

Kane and Karis, who had followed us up, chattered away, but the supervisor gave an exasperated sigh.

“Save that until you’ve seen inside.”

With that, the supervisor opened the door.

A chill greeted us, despite it being spring.

“…!”

Everyone caught their breath.

The single room on the eighth floor was several times larger than the doubles.

It even had large bookcases. It truly felt like a special space reserved for the top student.

But…

“What’s that?”

“What does it look like? Graffiti.”

“Why has it been left there?”

“They told us to leave it alone. Said it might be a clue.”

Yes.

There was graffiti on the walls.

And… it was very strange graffiti.

It looked like something scrawled by a person possessed.

“A few years ago, the first-year student staying in this room went mad.”

“Went mad?”

“Yes. Apparently, the student started babbling nonsense and behaving strangely. Then… vanished, leaving behind nothing but those scrawls, as though possessed.”

“…!”

“The academy decided to leave the graffiti alone in case it held a clue to the disappearance. Well, I think they’ve stopped investigating by now… In any case, the room’s been left like this ever since.”

The supervisor shook their head.

“After that, students who came poking around here began experiencing strange phenomena. Odd wailing sounds, shaking as though there were an earthquake… Eventually, everyone stopped coming near the place.”

“So that’s why no one uses this room.”

“Yes. Anyone can see how ominous it is.”

Kane swallowed, looking frightened.

“Hey, Eriol. Just take another room. Stay here and you’ll go mad and disappear, too.”

“Y-yes. I agree.”

Karis nodded in agreement.

But…

“No, I think I’d prefer this one.”

My voice was calm.

“I’ll take this room.”

“What?”

The supervisor stared at me, eyes wide.

So did Kane and Karis.

“It’s spacious… and I especially like the big bookcases. Having the eighth floor to myself should make it quiet, too.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’ll take it.”

“…”

For a while, the supervisor said nothing.

“I won’t be responsible for what happens.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“All right. As for the graffiti… ask the academy about it later. The investigation must have been suspended ages ago anyway. They might let you erase it.”

“If all else fails, I can move a bookcase in front of it.”

I accepted the key the supervisor handed me.

Marked with the number 801, it was quite heavy.

“Eriol, you… really do have guts.”

“Yes. Remarkable courage.”

Kane and Karis looked at me with admiration.

“I’m just going to take the cleanest room on the seventh floor. Want to share, Karis?”

“Hmm. Sounds good.”

The two of them went back down to the seventh floor with the supervisor.

Left alone in Room 801, I set down my belongings and looked around.

The room itself isn’t bad.

The main reason I had chosen it was, of course, the space.

The other rooms were quite small, and I would have had to share one. There hadn’t even seemed to be enough space to shelve my books properly.

Here, though, there were already several large bookcases. It looked as though I could add more if I needed to.

Considering how my collection would keep growing during my time at the academy, this was the only possible choice.

And with a storage room next door, I won’t have to listen to other students making a racket.

Room 801 was the best place to enjoy reading in peace.

That was the conclusion I had reached.

And…

The main reason no one came to this room anymore.

I tilted my head as I looked at the graffiti on the walls.

The problem is these scribbles…

The supervisor had suggested asking the academy about erasing them, but I had no intention of doing so just yet.

Because…

Why can I understand this, too?

The scrawls a mad person had left on the walls.

I had a feeling… I could read every last one.