Chapter 24

The Remnant Academy’s building site, when viewed from above, forms a cross shape with five large and small rectangles connected.

The Elpinel Church Order, which boasts the strongest influence within the 11 Divine Faiths, serves Elpinel, the god of sky and grace.

The sacred object of the Elpinel Church Order, once called the Great Celestial Faith, was the cross.

Since the Great Celestial Faith spared no support for Carolus to reach the emperor’s throne, the emperor naturally had to value them.

At the center of the cross, the main building houses the main lecture halls responsible for all training and education.

To the west is the special dormitory for special admission students, and to the north are the dormitories and lecture buildings for the Tactics Department.

Special admission students, treated differently from regular students, and the Tactics Department, with a completely different curriculum, were separated accordingly.

To the south are the classrooms and dormitories for clergy studying Combat Theology, with the academy’s main gate right below.

Since they are required to perform regular external service activities according to church doctrine, they are conveniently located near the main gate.

To the east of the main lecture halls, across a long road, stand four old buildings in a row.

The Swordsmanship and Magic Departments, divided into male and female, four five-story buildings.

These are the general dormitories for regular students.

The old walls, with peeling paint, expose the bricks inside, creating a stark contrast with the special dormitories that even have gardens.

The structure clearly shows the intent to thoroughly separate students by department and status.

The academy claims it’s distinction, not discrimination, but equality within the academy is already a naive joke.

—

The exterior of the special dormitory, symbolizing the empire’s efficiency, is a plain rectangular three-story building without decorations.

The neatly whitewashed walls shine brightly, with about twenty windows scattered around.

On the side, a small open building is attached, with a few carriages parked there.

A bit further away, a stable for the special students’ horses sits quietly.

It feels like a leisurely space, reminiscent of relaxing in a mansion’s garden in the afternoon.

—

“Oh, Princess Has-hal-leur. Good morning. Are you here to move into the dormitory?”

At the small open space in front of the special dormitory, I ran into Calix, who was stretching.

He was wearing short-sleeved clothes instead of his usual robes, perhaps out for morning exercise.

His biceps bulged menacingly, and his scales clinked as they rubbed together.

“Yeah. You’re working hard early in the morning. Do you still have muscles left to build?”

“Training is also practice. You shouldn’t skip even a day.”

Calix laughed heartily, as if enlightened.

“A truly admirable philosophy.”

Nigel nodded in agreement.

Well, he’s also quite the training addict.

Honestly, it’s surprising that my strength is still higher than his.

Does my body not experience muscle loss?

I just shrugged lightly.

The scale armor on my shoulders swayed, making a similar friction sound to Calix’s scales.

“Since we’ve met like this, if you have no other plans, I can guide you through the special dormitory. How about it?”

“I’d appreciate that.”

I nodded readily to Calix’s offer and entered the special dormitory with him.

Nigel tied the carriage in front of the main gate and followed with the luggage.

—

“The inside is cleaner than I thought.”

“Unlike the regular students’ dormitories, the staff here clean every day.”

“Really? That’s luxurious… By the way, hasn’t Asha arrived yet?”

Unlike Calix and Freide, who are second-years, Asha is a first-year like me. Shouldn’t she be moving into the special dormitory today?

“Princess Asha moved in yesterday. Since then, she hasn’t stepped out of her room.”

“She’s a half-elf, so maybe she suddenly got inspired to make something?”

“I think so too. I kept hearing creaking and twisting sounds.”

Isn’t that noise pollution? Noise from next door can lead to duels, so the student next door must have nerves of steel.

Calix, entering the first-floor lobby, pointed around with his arm.

“The first floor of the special dormitory is for dining and convenience facilities. Meals, rest, training, and such. The quality of the meals here is excellent, so Princess Has-hal-leur will surely be satisfied.”

“That’s something to look forward to.”

“Ah, and there’s also a service desk on the first floor where you can request various supports.”

Supports?

“What kind of supports?”

“Hmm. First, repairs for damaged weapons or armor, clothing repairs and laundry… and replenishing daily necessities.”

Daily necessities.

“Will they give me some magic herbs if I ask?”

Then I could shout “Long live the empire” in the middle of the academy.

“…Simple luxury items are not allowed. If you were in the Magic Department, it might be different, but you’ll have to solve that with your own money.”

Calix shook his head firmly.

His scales even scraped from how firmly he shook his head. Does he dislike magic herbs?

By the way, is tobacco supply also not allowed…

I guess I’ll have to find a way to make money somehow.

—

“The second and third floors are the dormitories for freshmen and upperclassmen, respectively. Currently, there are six special students, excluding you.”

Calix tapped his chin and pointed to a map on the wall.

Among the sixteen squares representing the rooms on the second and third floors, some were marked.

Two on the second floor, five on the third. Definitely seven in total.

“So two freshmen and five upperclassmen? I know Asha and Freide, but who are the others?”

“The upperclassmen are one elf and three humans. The freshmen are just Princess Has-hal-leur and Princess Asha.”

“There’s an elf?”

There’s an elf in the academy? I’ve never seen one in the game.

“Since we’re on the topic, let me introduce you. She’s in her dormitory right now.”

An elf, huh. That’s something to look forward to.

They’re a race that rarely leaves the great forests unless the World Tree is burned down.

With Calix, we…

I walked up the central staircase.

The hallway was eerily quiet, not a single rustling sound—maybe the soundproofing was just that good.

Nigel glanced at the map, confirmed my room, and headed that way, saying he’d unpack my things first.

“Come to think of it, you said there were three humans, right?”

“That’s correct. Lady Freide, Lady Lacey, and Evian. Those three. You’ve already met Lady Freide, so you know her. The other two are from the Holy Kingdom and Panam.”

I didn’t know who Evian was, but thankfully, I was familiar with Lacey.

Lacey.

A key figure in Elpirem of the Holy Kingdom, part of the 11 Divine Churches, and a candidate for sainthood put forward by the Elpinel Church Order.

Though, since her holy marks haven’t fully manifested yet, she hasn’t been officially recognized as a saint.

“Lady Freide is probably in the training hall by now, and Lady Lacey went out to help treat patients in the capital. As for Evian, well, he’s probably off somewhere playing around.”

If Evian’s from Panam, he must be a southerner.

The maritime kingdom in the southern part of the Empire, monopolizing trade with the Dwarven Republic of Himmell.

Judging by the fact that Calix doesn’t even bother using honorifics when talking about him… he doesn’t seem like the most desirable person.

—

Eventually, Calix arrived at the innermost room on the third floor, glanced back at me, and casually scratched behind his horn.

“This is the place… but don’t be too shocked.”

“Shocked?”

“She’s… a rather unique individual. It’s faster to just see for yourself. She should be up by now.”

Unique? More unique than a bald, muscular dragon-man? Does such a thing even exist?

After finishing his sentence, Calix knocked on the door.

He knocked so hard that the door rattled and creaked loudly.

“…What the heeeell……”

From behind the door, a thin, cracked voice drifted out, faint and slurred.

It was a bizarre sound, like a canary that had been hung for a week.

“Lady Ferne. It’s Calix. I’ve brought a new student to introduce to you. I hope we’re not disturbing you.”

“A new stuuudent…? Just a seeecond……”

The slow, lethargic tone made me feel like I was losing energy just listening.

After some rustling sounds, the door slowly creaked open.

Ugh, what’s that smell…!

I instinctively wrinkled my nose.

A suffocating mix of sweet and alcoholic fumes wafted out from inside the room.

The air was so thick, it felt like I could get drunk just from the smell.

“So this is the new kid…? It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone from Ka`har……”

The voice came from chest level, so I looked down.

A lemon-colored head and long ears came into view.

It was a shockingly disheveled appearance, enough to shatter any fantasies about elves.

Her hair was a tangled mess, as if it hadn’t been brushed in ages, and her collar was stretched out, hanging off one shoulder.

She wasn’t even wearing pants, just underwear.

Her entire body was flushed red, clearly from drinking too much, and she was leaning against the doorframe, barely able to stand.

Her bloodshot, purple eyes were half-closed, weighed down by the alcohol.

…I’ve never lived like this.

“An elf…? This is……?”

My voice trembled slightly.

This can’t be an elf, this isn’t what an elf is supposed to be!

Where’s the beautiful, long-lived race that built a glorious civilization deep in the Great Forest? Instead, we’ve got an alcoholic shut-in.

“Don’t be so meeean… try living for three hundred years yourself……”

“You really should cut back on the drinking.”

At Calix’s scolding, the elf slowly shook her head.

“Anyway, niiice to meet you… what’s your naaame……?”

“Uh… Hashelle. Hashelle Aishan Gior. And you?”

“Ferneisia… Merchelius… Epilaxus… just call me Ferne……”

It was a long, bizarre name, as expected of an elf.

Ferne yawned and waved her hand lightly.

The smell of alcohol grew even stronger.

“Well… I’m going back to sleeeep… bye……”

The door closed.

I was so dumbfounded that I just stared at the closed door for a while before turning to Calix with a questioning look.

Calix was grinning like a mischievous kid, as if he’d expected this.

“What on earth was that……? Is she really an elf?”

“Despite how she looks, she’s a senior at this academy. A legendary 15th-year student at Remnant Academy, which normally has a 3-year graduation system. She’s probably been here longer than most of the instructors. She just doesn’t come out of her room much.”

Good grief. So that’s why I’d never seen her in the game.

—

After that dizzying encounter, I parted ways with Calix and headed straight to my room.

The room was surprisingly clean, spacious, and functional.

A cushioned bed and wardrobe occupied one corner, while a luxurious desk, bookshelf, and chair were placed by the window.

Thick velvet curtains blocked the sunlight, hanging heavily over the glass window.

In the center of the room, there was a table and sofa, with a woolen carpet covering the floor.

On the right wall was a door leading to the bathroom, and on the opposite wall was a small room for attendants.

“Ah, you’re here, Lady Hashelle. Did you meet the elf?”

Nigel, who was putting away clothes in the wardrobe, looked at me with an intrigued expression.

“Yeah… she’s quite the character……”

Not wanting to shatter Nigel’s illusions, I brushed it off and handed him my armor.

He’d find out the truth about the elf sooner or later anyway.

For some reason, even though it wasn’t even noon yet, I already felt completely drained.