In the Central Library, which was accessible to regular students, dozens of upper-class students were diligently working on their assignments.
They had pulled out every single book related to ancient third-order spell language from the library.
At first, they had only taken out dictionaries, but when those proved insufficient, they brought out all sorts of books. The result was such a chaotic mess that other library users frowned in displeasure.
“I’m hungry… When are we eating dinner? Do we have to stay in the library all night?”
“Well, why don’t you ask?”
“You want me to bring that up to Monarch and his goons? You think I wanna hear whatever nonsense they’d spout?”
They had been stuck with their assignments all afternoon, yet they still hadn’t found an answer.
Everyone was exhausted.
“I got it!”
Suddenly, Monarch shot up from his seat and shouted.
Other library patrons glared at him, but Monarch and his followers didn’t care in the slightest.
“Sir, you’ve finally done it!”
“I knew you’d figure it out, Lord Monarch!”
“As expected of a duke’s heir!”
Basking in his followers’ praise, Monarch grinned smugly.
“The book we need to borrow is the work of a great philosopher who lived thousands of years ago— Oquitraust and the Philosophers’ Dialogue! That must be it!”
“Ah, you even figured out the title already!”
“Of course! This is basic knowledge!”
His arrogance was over the top, but the other students still let out a sigh of relief.
Now that they had the answer, they could leave the library and return to their dorms.
“Alright, let’s hurry and check out the book!”
Monarch and the others immediately began searching the shelves.
However… no matter how hard they looked, Oquitraust and the Philosophers’ Dialogue was nowhere to be found.
“That’s odd. Based on the standard classification system, it should be right here….”
“Let’s ask the librarian.”
In the end, they had no choice but to seek help from the librarian.
” Oquitraust and the Philosophers’ Dialogue…”
The librarian, fiddling with a cataloging artifact, responded in a drowsy voice.
“It was checked out a few hours ago.”
“What? Wh-Who borrowed it?”
“Why would I tell you? That’s private information.”
“Is there only one copy?”
“This library only has one. Try another library if you want.”
As Monarch stood there, dumbfounded, the librarian yawned and added,
“There’s another copy in the Outer Library, which you freshmen can access. But it’ll take about an hour to walk there.”
“…….”
Monarch and the other students’ faces darkened.
After checking out Oquitraust and the Philosophers’ Dialogue from the library, exploring the academy, and having dinner,
We headed to the freshman dormitory and completed the necessary administrative procedures.
Once that was done, we had to get our uniforms tailored. The academy had a temporary facility in front of the dorms where uniforms were made on the spot.
“The uniform fits perfectly.”
“It’s thanks to magic.”
A mage from the academy’s production department took our measurements and instantly crafted a perfectly fitted uniform.
“Haha. You looked a bit plain before, but now that you’re wearing the uniform, you look really stylish. Clothes do make the man!”
“…….”
My male uniform consisted of a white shirt and black trousers, topped with a sky-blue jacket.
I wasn’t knowledgeable about fashion, but even I could tell it looked refined.
“Wow, you really do look good in it.”
“Hmm, I agree.”
Cain and Charis had also wore the male uniform.
Cain had a lean build, while Charis was more muscular, yet their uniforms adjusted to their body types perfectly and suited them well.
Charis’s broad chest made his shirt seem tight, but he didn’t appear uncomfortable at all.
“Is… is this okay?”
“It looks great on you! It fits you perfectly, Senia!”
Senia and Milia’s female uniforms consisted of a white blouse with a sky-blue cropped jacket and a high-waisted skirt that reached just above the knees.
I didn’t know much about women’s fashion either, but they both looked stunning.
“The academy uniform serves as both formal attire and combat gear. It may look elegant, but it’s incredibly practical.”
The mage from the production department spoke proudly.
“Not only is it comfortable to move in, but it also provides excellent defense. It offers protection against heat and cold, so you’ll be wearing it even during outdoor training.”
“What about washing it?”
“There’s a magic washing machine in the dorm’s first-floor laundry room, developed by our production department. Just toss it in, and it’ll be clean and dry in ten minutes.”
So the production department also made things like Kaisel’s magic carriages… It seemed like they could create anything.
“Thank you. We’ll be on our way now.”
“Sure, see you around!”
After finishing, we left the temporary facility and returned to the dormitory.
Since we had already submitted the necessary documents, all that remained was room assignments.
“You’ve got your uniforms. Now, follow me.”
The dormitory supervisor guided us.
“You upper-class students will be staying on the 7th floor of Dormitory 1. Boys’ rooms are on the right side of the central staircase, girls’ rooms on the left. Since you’re the first ones to arrive, you can choose whichever room you like.”
Apparently, we got to pick our own rooms.
Senia and Milia went to check the rooms on the left, while Cain, Charis, and I explored the right side.
“They all look pretty similar.”
“Still, we should choose carefully. I’d prefer a room that’s been well maintained.”
Each room had the same structure: bunk beds, desks, and a closet.
“Supervisor.”
“What?”
“Are all the rooms doubles?”
Hearing my question, the supervisor frowned.
“No. There’s a single room, originally reserved as a privilege for the top freshman.”
“I’m the top freshman.”
“If you want it, I can show you. But I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“……?”
Instead of stopping at the 7th floor, the supervisor led us up to the 8th— the top floor.
“There’s only one student room on this floor. The rest are storage spaces.”
“Wow, so Eriol gets the whole top floor to himself? Lucky!”
“Hmph. It makes sense for a top student to get special perks.”
Cain and Charis chatted excitedly behind me, but the supervisor let out a tired sigh.
“Check the room before you celebrate.”
With that, he opened the door.
And despite it being spring, a chilling air seeped out.
“……!”
Everyone held their breath.
The single room on the eighth floor was several times larger than the double rooms.
There was even a massive bookshelf installed, making it feel like a special space reserved exclusively for the top student.
But…
“What is that?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? It’s graffiti.”
“Why was it left like that?”
“They said it might be a clue, so they left it alone.”
That’s right.
There was graffiti on the wall.
And not just any graffiti—it was bizarre.
It looked as if someone possessed had scrawled it in a frenzy.
“A few years ago, a freshman who stayed in this room lost his mind.”
“He went mad?”
“Yeah. He started rambling nonsense and behaving strangely. And then, after leaving behind those ghostly scribbles… he disappeared without a trace.”
“…!”
“The academy thought the graffiti might hold clues to his disappearance, so they decided to leave it as it was. Though, I think the investigation has long been abandoned… Regardless, the room has remained in this state ever since.”
The dorm supervisor shook his head.
“After that, students who loitered around here began experiencing strange phenomena. They heard eerie crying, felt the room shake as if in an earthquake… Eventually, no one dared to come near this place.”
“So that’s why no one uses this room.”
“Exactly. Anyone can see it’s too ominous.”
Cain gulped, his face full of fear.
“Hey, Eriol. Just pick another room. Stay here, and you’ll end up missing too.”
“Y-yeah. I agree.”
Charis nodded in agreement.
But…
“No, I think I’ll stay here.”
I spoke in a calm voice.
“Dorm supervisor, I’ll take this room.”
“What?”
The supervisor widened his eyes at me.
Cain and Charis did the same.
“The room is spacious… and, more importantly, the bookshelf is large. Since I’ll be the only one on the eighth floor, it should be quiet too.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’ll stay here.”
“……”
The supervisor was silent for a moment.
“Don’t come complaining to me later.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Alright. As for the graffiti… try asking the academy about it later. The investigation was stopped ages ago, so they might allow you to erase it.”
“If not, I can just move a bookshelf to cover it.”
I took the key the supervisor handed me.
The key to Room 801 was surprisingly heavy.
“Eriol… You really are one gutsy guy.”
“Yeah, that’s some courage you’ve got.”
Cain and Charis looked at me with admiration.
“I’m just going to pick the cleanest room on the seventh floor. Charis, want to room together?”
“Hmm, that sounds good.”
The two left with the supervisor, heading back down to the seventh floor.
Now alone in Room 801, I set my belongings down and scanned the room.
‘The room itself isn’t bad.’
The biggest reason I chose this room was its size.
The other rooms were quite small, and they were all doubles. There didn’t seem to be enough space to properly store books.
But here, several large bookshelves were already in place. If needed, I could add more.
Considering how many books I’d accumulate throughout my academy life, this was the only place that made sense.
‘The next room over is a storage room, so I won’t have to worry about noisy neighbours either.’
For peaceful reading, Room 801 was the best choice.
That was my conclusion.
‘And…’
The real reason this room had been abandoned.
I tilted my head as I looked at the graffiti on the wall.
‘The problem is these scribbles…’
The supervisor had suggested asking the academy for permission to erase them, but I had no intention of removing them just yet.
Because…
‘Why… do I understand this?’
The crazed scrawl on the wall—
I could read it. Every word.
