episode_0017

“Are you okay, Miss Dalia?”

The director approached me and asked.

I still had a bewildered expression, but I had to pull myself together and handle the situation.

“I-Is something broken?”

“What?”

“How reckless! What if I had been injured since the entrance ceremony?!”

“No, that’s not—”

“I don’t want to hear it! How did you manage the measurements normally?!”

I grabbed my head like a madwoman.

It can’t be helped. I have to become an unimpressive villainess.

It’s better than being exposed. I shouted loudly enough for everyone looking at me to hear.

“It was really… scary, so scary…!”

I prepared to shed tears.

No, this seems too over-the-top. I need to keep it in check.

“I’m sorry. This is our mistake.”

The director bowed his head in apology.

I’m the one who should be sorry… the measurement device must be quite expensive.

“Prepare a spare measurement device! Before measuring the students, I will personally test it to confirm its accuracy.”

He soon ordered his subordinates to bring a new measurement device. He also stated that he would demonstrate it in front of everyone for the safety of the students.

Swish-

I lightly grabbed the director’s hem.

He turned around.

“Um… Director, I’m actually afraid of being measured again right away… and making that loud noise again…”

I said with moist eyes, creeping in with a soft voice.

The director looked into my eyes, blushed, and tried to avoid eye contact.

Easy to read.

“Dalia, then take a little break and we’ll measure you again. We’ll proceed with the other students first.”

“T-Thank you…”

I acted as a typical noble lady, appearing haughty on the outside but tender on the inside. Thanks to that, I might be able to observe the mana of the other students as my turn got pushed back.

Phew… It seems like I managed to get through somehow. Thinking of it as improvising, using Beatrice’s body for a beauty regimen, made me feel uneasy for some reason. But it was something I had to do.

Even if they are talented individuals gathered from the continent, when gathered, ordinary people are likely to come out from within. Even if they were outstanding talents before admission, here, they might just be at an ordinary level.

There were few students who recorded blue in the measurement area. It was enough to count on one hand, including Cloe. I made a shade of purple that was one step lower than that. There’s no need to stand out too much.

Fortunately, it seemed that everyone believed it was a happening caused by a mana measurement area malfunction. Logically, it doesn’t make sense for a mere academy student to cause an explosion by injecting mana…

To others, I must have looked like a rude noble lady who shouted about the measurement area exploding despite being a knight department student who had trained her body. Beatrice was a somewhat kind character in the original work…

I’m sorry, Beatrice!

I couldn’t get into the “First Class” with the blue color, so I wasn’t assigned a single room. It’s a shame, but I have no regrets. I entered the “Second Class” dormitory building. By the way, the naming sense of the original dormitory was too simple. First, Second, Third, Fourth… Couldn’t the author have thought a little more?

Certainly, it looked much better than HogwXrt, which was the only fantasy academy image in my head. Unlike the dreary feeling of the ancient city seen in the movie, the building was decorated with glass and marble throughout, paying attention to natural light. Thanks to this, it felt bright. Luxurious materials seen in the Primera Palace were generously used. The Imperial Academy has been around for a long time, but it has been repeatedly expanded and rebuilt to reflect its status, resulting in its current appearance.

The floor was entirely made of marble, and every part was decorated to avoid giving the impression of being worn out.

Clack-

I opened the door of the assigned room and entered.

It was going to be my room from now on. It seemed that my roommate hadn’t arrived yet.

A 2-person room is not as bad as I thought, is it?

The living room and bathroom were shared, but each person had their own room divided by a door. In reality, they were essentially independent rooms. If the roommate didn’t like it, they could just stay in their room. The rooms were symmetrically divided on either side of the living room, with almost no difference in the view outside the window.

Should I unpack in the room I’m in now?

No, we should decide together with the roommate.

Thinking of waiting until the roommate arrives, I came out to the living room.

Thunk-

Huh?

Eek!

A student stood in the living room, dropping the luggage they had brought. It was clear that they were a new student who had come to the academy for academic advancement. They would also be my roommate.

She was a cute girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail. There were no accessories on her body, and judging by the state of her backpack, she didn’t seem to be from a wealthy household. Nevertheless, her skin was flawless, as if it were natural. When she saw me, she froze, her face turning pale as if she had seen a ghost.

Um… hello?

Ugh! Uhh, hello.

She shivered as she greeted me. Did I look that scary?

Did you get this room? Then we’re roommates. I’m Beatrice de Dalia. Nice to meet you.

Uh….

She was on the verge of tears. Uh, was that an exclamation or a sigh? She only let out a short interjection. Is she feeling bad about something? Am I going to eat her or something?

You should tell me your name too.

I-I’m sorry! My name is Leticia!

You don’t have to apologize so much… And we’re both new students, so don’t treat me so formally~

Leticia bowed her head apologetically. Excessively so.

Do you think I’m a noble or something? We’re all the same at the academy. If anything, I’m the one feeling uncomfortable.

Eek! Sorry for making you uncomfortable—no, I’m sorry!

Even after saying all that, she still seems scared?

Oh, don’t tell me…

Have you… seen it?

Seen what? The mana measurement device?

I didn’t break it!

Actually, you did.

“The measuring device was broken because it was old… You didn’t hear what I told the supervisor?”

“You, you cursed and shouted at the supervisor…?”

“Cursed? Shouted? I just raised legitimate questions…”

Even if I didn’t curse, I did raise my voice.

It seems like Letizia perceives me as something like a ‘crazy villainess.’ It must have been despairing for her to share a room with someone like that…

Swoosh-

I raised my hand to ask for a handshake.

“I’m not that crazy. Let’s get along.”

“Uh… okay.”

She reluctantly accepted my handshake. I couldn’t feel any strength in our clasped hands. It seemed like she was afraid of gripping too hard and upsetting me. Sigh… What can I do? It’s all my fault.

“Should we unpack first? We should also tour the room.”

“Yeah!”

Letizia looked around the dorm room with a brighter expression as if she had finally relaxed. If she were an ordinary person, this room might be bigger than the house she grew up in. That’s probably why she seemed so excited, like a child visiting an amusement park. In particular, after sitting on the large bed in the room, she seemed so impressed that she let out an exclamation.

“Both rooms with beds seem to be the same size, where do you want to use? You can choose first.”

“Really?! Can I really choose first?”

“Yeah. I don’t mind.”

“Then I’ll take this room! Hehe”

It seems like she’s no longer wary of me. This seems to be her usual self – a bright and curious girl. She must have been flustered when she first met me, having ascended to the empire with inflated dreams. I’m glad the misunderstanding has been cleared up.

….

Was it really a misunderstanding..?

*

After quickly organizing my belongings in the room, I stepped outside. In the meantime, I changed into my uniform. The academy uniform had variations, so depending on preference, except for the jacket, the rest of the clothes could be changed according to one’s mood that day.

First of all, the top was a sleeveless shirt or a regular shirt. Oh! It’s not a shirt, it’s a blouse… Anyway, you can choose between the two, and for the bottom, it was either pants or a skirt. I chose a long-sleeved blouse and pants. It was more comfortable. I didn’t know because I only wore dresses in England, but there were more buttons on the blouse than I thought, so it didn’t close well. Please make the size a little looser…

When I came out to the living room, Leticia was sitting on the sofa in her uniform. She chose a sleeveless blouse and a skirt.

“Unpack in the assigned room and gather at the dining hall at dinner time, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

I remembered the schedule I had received at the entrance ceremony.

“Should we start getting ready? I want to take a look around the campus on the way.”

“Sure! Let’s go together.”

She readily accepted my suggestion. We walked out of the dormitory and started walking through the vast academy.

“By the way, which country are you from?”

“I’m from the Lug Alliance! What about Beatrice?”

“The First Kingdom.”

“Wow! It’s a place I really want to visit someday.”

“Really?”

In fact, although each country has its own unique characteristics and is drawn to this world, except for the magnificent cities of the empire, they all felt similar. They were all fantastical cities. Still, compared to the Lug Alliance, Primula seemed a little more beautiful.

“Yeah! The historically rich royal palace and King Charles are said to be so handsome, right?”

“What?!”

I frowned. Thinking of that unlucky king made me lose my appetite.

“Beatrice is a noble and talented enough to enter the academy, right?”

“Well, she is… ”

“Is he really as handsome as the rumors say?”

“… ”

I should have just continued with the villainess image. To bring about such an unpleasant experience… I regretted it for a moment.

“Leticia~?”

A group of students approached us.

Leticia looked contemplative when she saw them. The bright appearance from earlier was nowhere to be found. The group of mixed-gender students gradually approached us.

“You’re Dahlia Yeong-ae from Primula, right? How do you know Leticia..?”

They soon recognized me. How could they recognize me when I’m an unfamiliar face?

“My roommate.”

“Oh my~ What mistake did Leticia make? I’m worried that our Lugon Union’s image has been tarnished because of Leticia.”

“A mistake…”

I remembered Leticia, who had frozen upon seeing me. If it was a mistake, was it really a mistake?

“Yes! How can such a lowly person be admitted to the academy?”

“If Leticia caused a scene, we will apologize on her behalf. If you’re heading to the dining hall, would you join us? Youngae, you shouldn’t associate with commoners like that.”

Others also chimed in. Leticia had suddenly bowed her head, staring at the ground. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.

“How do you all know me?”

No matter how much the academy aims for equality and fair opportunities, humans are inherently divided. Between the noble and the non-noble. We, the noble students, are aware of everyone.

“Even if I break a measurement device and yell at a supervisor, does it not matter?”

You dared to almost harm Lady Youngae due to a commoner’s provocation. You should be grateful it ended with just yelling.

She was a very typical third-rate extra villain. Come to think of it, I feel like I’ve seen this in the original work too…

“The Imperial Academy was a cradle for raising heroes to confront demons and monsters. Isn’t it common sense to accept any risk the moment you enter here? Especially for nobles or whatever.”

“Oh~ Where is that in this peaceful era? That’s all old talk. Graduating appropriately to use it as a stepping stone for success.”

“I see…”

There was nothing more to add. With this, it was truly revealed that these guys were third-rate extras.

Swoosh-

I stood still, arms crossed, and spoke in a cold tone that pierced through the supervisor.

“Which class are you from?”

“Huh?”

“I mean the dormitory. I asked which class. What color did you show on the measurement device?”

The damn novel that dragged me here wasn’t really my cup of tea. Still, there was a corner that I liked when I briefly read it because of Yeonghee.

For example…

“The Imperial Academy is meritocracy.”

Srrung-

I drew my sword from my waist. The academy’s sword that one must carry from the moment they enter the Knight Department. The sword began to emanate mana and emit a strong blue light.

“Leticia is my roommate, which means she’s in the same class as me.”

As mana condensed, the wind began to blow. The uniform jacket and hair started fluttering in the wind.

“What gives you the right to look down on our Second Class?”

Yeah… It’s obvious why the nobles of the Lugo Union dislike Leticia. Because she excels in commoner subjects more than they do. It seemed like they hadn’t yet abandoned the way of thinking outside the academy. But I liked the academy’s way. If you had the skills, anyone could distort the irrational structure of the world.

It felt really bad to deny that.

So, I have to make them realize. The way of the academy.