Chapter 122

After slipping out of the library, Maria, still in her nighttime persona, immediately scaled the wall and climbed up to the dormitory.

To her, a saint who’s been through countless hardships, this was nothing. Crawling up the walls like a shadow in the night, Maria swiftly found her window and placed her foot on it.

Her movements were silent. The sounds she made were quieter than a bug crawling. This wasn’t the kind of agility an eighteen-year-old should possess.

However, she wasn’t alone in the dorm room.

“Saint?”

“…Your Highness, have you awoken?”

‘Princess Albrecht… During the day, I’m told she’s my roommate.’

In the double-occupancy room, two beds were placed. On one of them, Albrecht lay awake despite the early hour, facing the wall.

Slick.

“Did I wake you unintentionally, Your Highness?”

“It doesn’t matter. I was about to rise anyway.”

“You’re so forgiving.”

Albrecht got up from her bed as Maria laid down.

A little later, at 8 a.m., the morning personality of Maria woke up…

‘Huh? Why am I so tired…?’

It was due to Nighttime Maria sneaking around with some boy last night that she had to deal with this untimely drowsiness.

***

The academy’s breakfast is delivered to individual rooms unlike lunch and dinner which are eaten in the cafeteria. It’s almost like a prison, except during breakfast delivery, you’re free to move between rooms.

“Woof! Food! Food’s here! Woof woof woof!”

“Yeah, food’s here. Look at this fancy menu. Hah… This is what they call ‘ration,’ huh.”

“Woof? What’s wrong all of a sudden? Evans looks weird!”

“If you’ve ever been locked in some remote underground cell for 111 days eating pig slop, you’d understand.”

This life, I haven’t experienced it yet, but having been in and out of prisons often, I can confidently say Babel Tower’s Tartarus is the worst place in this world.

I could go to Maria’s room for breakfast together, but nah. Princess Albrecht, her roommate, is there. Too awkward, smart people know better.

“Prison? What’s that?”

“There exists a place where people are locked up.”

“Locked up? Didn’t that young demon get trapped before? Like that?”

“That was voluntary. I could leave whenever I wanted. That’s not a prison.”

“Woof woof?”

“A prison isn’t somewhere you can leave just because you want to. A prison… Think of it like… Hey Aru, remember when we first met? You were locked inside a square cage made of bars.”

“I remember! Woof! Steel cage!”

“Exactly, that steel cage is a prison. Though… prisons vary widely depending on their type.”

Now, in front of me and Aru, there’s a tray. On the tray, various decent-looking foods are neatly arranged—not too excessive for breakfast.

The wolf familiar Aru drools excessively. As long as he doesn’t drool on my food, I’m fine.

“So, do prisons give out such tasty stuff?”

“What did you hear? Prison food is like pig slop. Do you want to try pig slop? Want me to bring some for you?”

“Grrr… No way! I don’t wanna! I’m not going to jail!”

Shocked by the words “pig slop,” Aru starts shoveling the delivered food into his mouth. His sharp fangs mercilessly tear into bread and meat. I leisurely eat my portion beside him.

The dorm room is spacious—closer to a four-person than a two-person setup. That means the facilities are good.

“Munch munch…”

“Hey, is it good?”

“Woof! It’s good!”

“Is the food I cook better or is this better?”

“Woof! Obviously this is tastier!”

“…Can’t argue with that, it’s frustrating. If you’re done eating, get up already. We gotta check out before class starts.”

After finishing the meal, just leave the dishes and cutlery on the desk. Cleaning staff will come in and take care of it while we’re in class. It’s a hotel-like system.

“Woof!”

We stepped out of the room dressed in our uniforms, textbooks in hand, only to be gossiped about by students coming out around the same time. They seem amazed that the female wolf familiar shares a room with me, a male student.

But I won’t back down. According to imperial law, familiars are classified as “human” but lack gender classification. Strange. The status of familiars in the empire lies somewhere between beasts and humans, slaves and people.

That’s also why I could share a room with Beatrix.

“Dog… Dog familiar… The one who wrecked the exam room yesterday!”

“I heard a third-year senior named Panthera Cru is grinding his teeth… Don’t get involved with that guy!”

“Huh? Third year? Panthera Cru? Why?”

“Yesterday during the class assignment exam, his younger sibling got slashed all over by that familiar… Priests healed the wounds, but the trauma remains so he can’t even eat now!”

“Eek…! What kind of class assignment test involves getting slashed all over…!”

Ah, they’re gossiping not because we came out of the same room.

Aru, what exactly have you been doing?

If this keeps up, you’ll end up ostracized by the whole school.

In a past life, I would’ve kicked Aru without hesitation, but now I’m the apostle of love and tolerance. So, while everyone gives us fearful and wary glances in the hallway, I firmly grabbed Aru’s hand.

“Woof?”

“Yo, ignore those comments. People will forget eventually.”

“Whooof?”

“I understand. You just followed orders, but now the kids scatter in fear. Still, don’t worry. Even if the whole school becomes your enemy, I’ll always be on your side.”

I said this with a benevolent smile, patting Aru’s head gently. I hope he doesn’t get too disheartened by this.

“Grrr? Why are you saying such strange things all of a sudden?”

What? He doesn’t understand? After trying to console him, why does he react like this?

“Do I care? About what?”

“…Are you hurt? Aren’t you seeing how others are afraid of you?”

“Woof? Is that weird? Should I be hurt?”

Ah, right. I forgot because I’ve been hanging out with Aru.

Wolf King. The ruler. Standing atop the predator hierarchy with overwhelming power, trampling and tearing prey beneath its claws. In the Demon Forest, where Aru spent most of his life, he was undoubtedly a top predator. By the latter half, his strength rivaled even the Five Kings.

No monster dared approach Aru without trembling in terror, hatred, or curses. Let me recall those reactions…

“Kiieeeek! You devil! I curse you even after death!”

“S, save me! Save me! I’ll do anything if you let me live! Please!”

On the other hand, the current students’ reactions are…

“Don’t get close! Do you want to be shredded too!?”

“B-but, maybe befriending him won’t be bad… Surely he won’t bite someone who approaches him…”

“What nonsense! Chris hasn’t gotten over the trauma and is still shaking!”

I see why Aru is calm. Damn, I unnecessarily hyped myself up and ended up looking foolish.

Cutting through the murmuring students, we entered the classroom—an area restricted only to A-Class students. There were about fifty students in the room.

Fifty might seem like a lot for one class, but this is the continent’s top academy. Among the many talented individuals gathered here, the ones assigned to the ‘A Class’ sit in this very classroom. Fifty is actually quite small.

“Eep…! D-dog familiar…!”

“Hey… If his gaze catches you, there won’t be any bones left…”

“I heard from my roommate last night that the dog familiar bites people with his teeth… Completely savage!”

“Eek…! I-I just made eye contact!”

Amidst the exaggerated rumors, the students tremble. Even noble-born kids outside are just ordinary students once inside the academy. With inflated tales—whether true or not—about Aru, they can’t help but shrink back.

“Hmph, yeah, but she’s just a girl familiar. Three hits from my hammer and she’ll be out!”

“…You didn’t see him fight, did you?”

“Hey! Familiar friend! This guy says you’re weak! He claims he’ll definitely win…”

“Y-you bastard! Shut up! Why provoke him? We’ll settle it properly during performance evaluations or sparring matches! I didn’t eat breakfast today!”

“…? But I saw you devour your breakfast earlier…!”

There’s a guy who looks like he could wield a hammer well, trying to act tough but ends up covering his friends’ mouths. That’s how boys are.

Soon enough, some idiot will probably say, “Hey, step aside. I won’t die, trust me. Why are you scared of someone like him? Watch me!” Then challenge Aru, only to have his tendons slashed for no reason. Such a grim future is crystal clear. Boys are truly simple creatures.

Swish.

I looked around for Maria to find a seat. Maria wasn’t visible. Neither was Albrecht. Ideally, I wanted to sit next to or behind Maria, but I’m not giving up.

Truthfully, I’m not here to learn new knowledge but to see young Maria. I waited patiently.

Creak.

“The hero has arrived! Here comes the hero!”

“Kyaaa! Hero, I’m your fan! Please sign! My family would honor you!”

“Even the saint is with him! Are you two already friends?”

As the door opened, the hero and Maria entered. The attention shifted from Aru to them. To young students, Maria, the daughter of the Supreme God and the Sword of the Supreme God, and the hero are superstars themselves.

Maria couldn’t possibly be close with the hero yet; there hasn’t been enough time. Likely, they’re spending time together for future missions as members of the ‘Hero Party.’ That’s the ‘destiny’ of the saint and the hero.

Maria sat by the window with the hero. Since the seats were paired for two, my dream of sitting next to her failed.

But I’m not discouraged. There are seats at the back.

I took a seat behind Maria and Aru, tapping her back lightly. Startled by the unexpected touch, Maria turned around abruptly.

“Hey, Maria! How was your night?”

“Mr. Evans? Ah, yes, I slept well. How was your dorm room, Mr. Evans?”

“Heh heh, it was great. Without a doubt, the best night of my life.”

“Y-you…? Ah… So you rested peacefully…”

She greeted me cheerfully, saying she slept well, but her voice carried traces of fatigue. Her eyes looked slightly weary.

Could it be because I stayed up all night with Nighttime Maria? Funny situation. Last night, I marked her cheeks with kisses, and now Daytime Maria wakes up cluelessly smiling. This scenario is hilarious.

“Evans…? So this person…?”

“Ah, introduce yourselves. This is my first friend, Mr. Evans. And this is Miss Aru, the dog familiar. And you already know, this is the hero, Frey.”

“Ah, so you’re the hero? Nice to meet you, I’m Evans Grant.”

Maria introduced me to the hero and Aru. While I don’t particularly want to befriend the hero, since Maria is leading, I’ll play along. I extended my hand for a handshake.

The hero shook my outstretched hand politely.

“The humble sword of the Lord, Frey Dr. Siegfried. Pleased to meet you.”

Still, why does the hero’s gaze feel so profound when looking at me?

What’re you staring at, it’s nothing special.

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