The scribbles on the wall.
At first glance, they seemed like random letters scrawled chaotically.
But after scanning them briefly, I noticed a certain pattern.
‘This is a kind of code.’
It used a simple substitution cipher, where one letter was replaced with another in a one-to-one correspondence.
But that wasn’t all. The sentence structures were rearranged, meaningless characters were inserted, and the true meaning was deliberately hidden.
That’s why, at first, it looked like the mindless scribblings of a madman.
‘But these words definitely hold meaning.’
There’s no way a lunatic would leave behind such a complex encrypted message.
The senior who used Room 801 must have been perfectly sane when they wrote this.
‘If that’s the case…’
I calmly began deciphering the writing on the wall.
By piecing together the scattered words, I reconstructed proper sentences.
The result was the following messages:
‘I have discovered a way to reach the source of magic.’
‘But if they find out, they won’t leave me alone.’
‘That is why I have decided to leave the academy.’
‘They will not be able to find me.’
‘Juniors, if you have the wisdom and courage, follow in my footsteps!’
An interesting story.
If these writings were true, then the senior who occupied Room 801 had pretended to go mad and disappear, when in reality, they had escaped from the academy.
What exactly did they discover?
‘This is exciting.’
It felt similar to the thrill of encountering a fascinating mystery while reading a book.
If this were a novel, I would be flipping through the pages eagerly, my hands sweaty with anticipation.
Or perhaps I’d be rushing to the bookstore to buy the next volume.
‘The academy really is a dynamic place.’
Back in the Valencia territory, every day had been peaceful.
There were no major incidents, just a steady stream of uneventful days.
But here, it was different. Ever since I boarded the ship to this island, all sorts of things had been happening.
‘The only downside is having less time to read… but it’s not bad.’
Better to be intrigued than bored.
From that perspective, the academy was already proving to be worthwhile.
‘I also have a promise to keep with Uncle Kaisel, so I need to give it my all.’
If I finished my first year ranked first in the overall evaluation, he had promised to grant me access to one of the Six Forbidden Tomes.
Kaisel didn’t seem like the type to lie. If I achieved first place, he would make sure I could read it.
Normally, such books were restricted to professors and higher ranks. Did he have a way to make an exception?
‘He’ll handle it. That’s not my concern.’
All I needed to do was focus on securing the top rank in the school.
It wasn’t an impossible goal.
‘For now…’
I glanced around the room once more and let out a dry chuckle.
‘I should start by cleaning up.’
Since this room had been unused for years, dust had accumulated everywhere.
I would need to clean it thoroughly and air it out.
‘Once I make Room 801 spotless… I’ll turn it into my own personal space.’
Back home, my study had been carefully tailored to my tastes over the course of ten years.
Since I couldn’t return to that study, I would simply have to transform Room 801 into a new one.
‘Alright, let’s get to cleaning.’
With that, I stepped outside to ask the dorm supervisor for some cleaning supplies.
Room 706
Cain Trigger was doing a one-handed handstand, listening intently.
“Are we really fine with just sending Monarch and his lackeys to the Outer Library?”
“We already know what book it is. No need for all of us to go. Let them handle it.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
From the voices coming from the next room, it seemed that because Eriol had checked out the book from the Central Library first, Monarch and his followers had been forced to go to the Outer Library instead.
‘Looks like the rest of them just went back to the dorms.’
Still balancing on one hand, Cain began doing push-ups.
This was a routine he had been following since childhood as a member of the Trigger family.
‘Today… was fun.’
A lot had happened on his first official day at Ars Magna Academy.
But the most memorable part was Eriol.
He had taken the oath as the freshman representative during the entrance ceremony, solved the professor’s assignment in an instant during class, and claimed the top-floor dorm room that everyone else had avoided for being ominous.
‘He’s a really interesting guy.’
From the moment they first met, he had been an intriguing person.
When Cain saw him stay perfectly composed in front of terrorists, he had thought Eriol was impressive. But after that, he had continued to show an audacity that kept surprising Cain.
The Trigger family was full of eccentric individuals, but Cain had never encountered someone quite like Eriol before.
‘I can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.’
Meeting Eriol alone made coming to the academy feel worth it.
If he stuck around him, at least life wouldn’t be boring.
“Whew, a bath feels nice.”
At that moment, Charis walked into the room, a towel draped over his shoulder.
“How was the public bath?”
“The facilities are clean. They say this island has hot springs, so the bathwater itself is quite good.”
“Really? I should go check it out soon.”
Other students were starting to return to the dorms, so it would be best to go before it got too crowded.
Cain did a light flip and landed on the floor before standing up.
“You move so lightly, Cain.”
“Do I?”
“As expected, members of the Trigger family have extraordinary physical abilities. I’m jealous.”
“Haha. No need to be.”
“You said your goal was to learn magic at the academy and use it to enhance the Trigger family’s assassination techniques, right? I think you’ll do well.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
Cain smirked slightly as he responded to Charis.
‘That’s not my real goal, though.’
Learning magic to improve the Trigger family’s techniques—that was just a convenient excuse for others.
Cain’s true objective… was something he couldn’t reveal to anyone at this point.
Room 719
After taking a bath in the dormitory’s basement, Senia Artian was changing into her pajamas.
Her roommate, Milia, had already collapsed onto her bed, fast asleep. She had mentioned she was an early sleeper, and true to her word, she had dozed off quickly.
‘The first day as an academy student… I think I managed well enough.’
Honestly, she had been quite anxious.
She had never lived among people unrelated to the Artian family before.
Her entire life had been spent confined within the Artian household. She had never attended school, nor had she made friends outside the family.
She had worried about whether she would be able to get along with others… but it seemed she had done alright.
‘Eriol, Cain, Charis, and Milia… Thanks to these kind people talking to me, I was able to manage.’
If she hadn’t met such good classmates, she probably would have ended up lost and floundering.
Thanks to her luck in meeting them, she had made it through the first day without any major trouble.
‘Come to think of it…’
Senia recalled Eriol’s face.
He was the first person to speak to her at the dock.
In that sense, he was quite special to her.
‘Though, that’s because I was the one who acted rudely first…’
Remembering it made her face heat up with embarrassment.
She had been quite rude back then.
‘But… I was just so happy.’
The youngest son of a political family.
A protagonist struggling to break free from the shackles of his lineage.
The novel that told such a story was incredibly special to her.
That was why, upon seeing someone reading the latest volume, she had been so excited that she had acted without thinking.
‘But Eriol didn’t get angry or seem uncomfortable. He even lent me the book.’
She hadn’t intended to borrow it, but… he really was a generous person.
Because of his kindness, Senia had gained the courage she needed.
The courage to interact with people and live at the academy.
‘I’m never going back to the Artian family. Just like the protagonist of The Youngest Son of a Political Family left his house and became independent, I will sever ties with Artian as well.’
She had told Eriol and Cain that she came to study magic swords, but that was just an excuse.
Senia had come to the academy to gain independence from the Artian family.
A place that didn’t even treat people like humans… she had no intention of returning there.
‘I will become a mage here.’
With that resolve, she lay down on her bed.
Excited for the academy life ahead—with Eriol.
