episode_0001

“Ah─ Really! Isn’t the student record comprehensive screening process annoying? Fuck Susichung.”

“So, why do regular fighters like us have to lose money because of bitches who got first place at a shitty school?”

Before I graduated from high school, I remember smiling and being silent while listening to the gyaru talking next to me.

They were gyaru with S-level brains in the province, and even though they had report cards with 1’s in the grade column, they were worried because they were not accepted to the National Soul Academy just because they were majoring in liberal arts.

Of course, like a gyaru duo that obeys clichés these days, one was white-blonde and the other was black-haired, and both had squinty eyes and overflowing oils, but that wasn’t important.

What was important was the piece of paper folded and kept in my arms.

So that the two people wouldn’t notice, I opened the paper and read it over and over again, as if I was double-checking the words I had read.

───

(No. 72002938)

Certificate of passing

Ms. Dickens, you were finally accepted into the private Labyrinth Academy [A2 admission process].

We sincerely congratulate you on your passing.

70○○. 12. 20.

Seal of Dean of Private Labyrinth Academy [Seal]

───

Crumple.

Yes, no matter what the mass-produced gyaru say, I am not hurt. Rather, it is polite to stay quiet for their sake.

Because I was a student at the private Labyrinth Academy.

When I go home, neither my mom nor my dad calls me by my pretty name, and they say, ‘Oh my, are you a student from Labyrinth?’ ‘Eat tasteless food rather than studying Labyrinth.’ and welcomes you.

In the past, when I took four pictures of my life alone, gyaru passing by would glance at me or look down on me as if I was eating alone, but now their gaze is different.

They know that I am taking ID photos to be included in the Labyrinthos admissions application.

In addition, it has become possible to make eye contact with part-time workers at convenience stores and PC rooms. Is this why it is said that a place makes a person?

While I was immersed in happy self-absorption, some time had already passed and it was time for the morning ordinance. ‘Drurrr’ The front door of the classroom opens and the homeroom teacher’s face appears.

“Damtaengi, fuck you! I lost my application because of you! Let’s have a blast!”

The gyaru were shouting, but I sat down and kept my expression as calm as possible. The teacher also waved his middle finger at the gyaru and headed towards the teacher’s table.

In high school, my seat was the royal seat in the center of the first row, right in front of the lectern. If it were a Yoasobi concert, the ticket price would have been 10 million won.

The teacher suddenly looked down at my face, and when our eyes met, he immediately lowered his head and avoided eye contact.

“Uh, sorry, hey… … . You know I didn’t mean to, right? Let’s do well next year.”

“Yes?”

“Huh? You’re typical… … .”

“Yes, I passed.”

After speaking, I feel sad. Gyaru, who have spent their entire lives studying Korean literature at prestigious universities, are looking this way. But if I had hidden it, I would have felt more vulnerable.

“… … A2 selection?”

Take it out of your pocket and read it again. You have finally passed the [continuous recruitment A2 selection]. “Yes.”

“What did you say, that if I just trusted myself and followed along, I would definitely pass? Take a shot later.”

Just like that, the teacher stopped calling for attendance and ran away to avoid the garbage and stones thrown by the gyaru. Since high school during the academy selection period is essentially a hang-out, it was convenient for the teachers to leave quickly.

‘Yes, I passed! Whether it’s A2 or K2! I am an ordinary fishmonger’s daughter, but now I am standing on the same starting line as world-class ladies!’

Mom and Dad, please watch over us. I will work hard.

───

Winter vacation! A festival of driver’s licenses and resident registration cards, despair and drinking.

But for me, it was also a grace period for change. Because I am about to leave an ordinary public school and go to an academy full of nobles and rich ladies.

All the luggage I used was packed in boxes and put away. Clothes, underwear, a pet doll, shampoo, conditioner, and extra glasses… … .

It’s a pity to leave behind the novels I’ve grown fond of, but the academy will also have a library, so let’s just meet during vacations.

Now, the exciting life of dormitory life at the Academy awaits you.

Ding dong──.

At that moment, I heard the doorbell I was waiting for, so I ran down the stairs. When I open the door, I hear the sound of a large truck’s engine, and in front of it stands a child as small as me.

But he is not as ordinary as me. A woman with silver hair, curled black horns on her temples, and scaly red wings like a bat and a thick tail peeking out from behind her back.

“Good morning, Miss Dickens!”

Puckleberry Finland. Her real name is much more difficult to pronounce than that and is written in a complicated term (Draconic), but for me, who is still awkward with me, ‘Miss Finland’ is enough.

Although we went to the same high school, we were both extreme I scores according to MBTI, so we had no contact other than talking a couple of times, even though we were half different from each other for three years in high school.

But now, we had something in common, being students who had passed the private Labyrinth Academy, and moreover, it was something that only Ms. Finland and I had in common at our high school.

“Oh, you’re Puckleberry?” Mom suddenly stuck her head out from behind me.

“Hello, Mrs. Dickens! I came here too early, right?” … … Finland sheep have a cute smile with vertical pupils. “We loaded up all our luggage at dawn.”

I later found out why Miss Finland had to load the moving bags at dawn.

“No, no. It came at just the right time. That’s right, I’m going to market it! Would you like to come in and eat something?”

Finland, who had a long way to go with me, declined and said, “You’re welcome,” but Mom wrapped an egg sandwich with tomatoes in paper and placed a bunch in Finland’s arms.

While Miss Finland was half-tortured by her mother in the kitchen, I loaded several compact boxes of moving items into the back of a large truck.

In the far corner of the luggage compartment, there were several boxes with burn marks here and there. Some of the dents or tears appeared to have been hastily patched up with tape.

The first thought that came to mind was, why…? … ?

However, I wanted to be the type of person who avoids asking unnecessary questions. And another thing that stands out is a very large circle wrapped in a white cloth… … ?

It might be more accurate to say it was a ball rather than a circle, but it was elongated and protruding on one side to be considered a ball. But I wanted to believe that it wasn’t “that” I thought.

“That’s my egg.”

I was so startled that I almost dropped the moving box. Because it is an electronic device box containing something like a laptop, it is the one you should avoid dropping. Was it really “that”…? … .

“To be exact, unfertilized eggs.”

Are you glad it’s not a fertilized egg?

“Uh… … Is this a burden too?”

“Yes, I have a use for it all.”

Actually, I wanted to ask more than that, but I held back. If it were a fertilized egg, it would be like a child… … Are unfertilized eggs without life just treated like cut fingernails or hair?

If I were in the position of giving birth, I think I would have thought of it as poop or something closer to sanitary pads.

Miss Finland didn’t look embarrassed at all when she said that, so I couldn’t help but think that was the case.

───

“Mom, Dad! I’ll write a letter!”

“What kind of letter is this, send me a text! Eat well!”

The last greetings before leaving were half-passed by each other, obscured by the sound of the truck’s engine. It’s quite a long way from where I live to Labyrinth Academy.

Because there were mercenary moving convoys in the front seat, Ms. Finland and I had to ride for several hours with boxes spread out in the luggage compartment.

It wasn’t a seat suitable for young women, but we both probably felt deep down that this was romantic in its own way.

As you may have noticed from the introduction up to this point, Puckleberry Finnish sheep are of the Balaur tribe. Let’s look at the real name that I didn’t mention earlier, Purclatus… … ? Perkratiapis? How do you read it, Miss Finland?

“Hehe… … . Are you still a ‘Finland sheep’? Just call me ‘Fin’.”

As the Finnish sheep, or rather Finn, flicked his glossy, thick tail, the protruding end kept making a dull sound.

Thanks to Finn, who first had the courage to open up, we were able to travel together on this long journey, not just as companions, but as companions.

In today’s world, dragons are not that rare. Rather, they are more friendly beings than orcs, who are hostile to humans, or elves, who live in a closed society.

Basically, the dragon people worship mammonism, since humans are the most capitalist race on Earth.

The dragon people, who made it their pleasure in life to protect the gold and treasures piled up in the ancient tower, realized that their treasures would increase by 5% a year just by signing up for a ‘savings’ created by humans.

A system where gold multiplies just by looking at the chart from the corner of the room was nothing short of a fantastic proposition for Dragons, who had always held assets of fixed value.

Finn’s parents invested their capital in something called ‘virtual currency’ instead of deposits, so they were reduced to the same level of common people as me.

“After that, my mom and dad’s dragon-specific barrier to saving got worse… … . Four warriors sacrificed their lives just carrying my moving bags. Even though we attacked at dawn, it was still to that extent.”

I looked into the car window in front of the luggage compartment. So, besides the driver, there were a few more rugged guys… … .

Compared to me, who was born as the only daughter of a fishmonger and lived an uneventful life, Finn had a turbulent and dark past, but despite this, Finn had a bright personality.

To me, an ordinary human being, those scales and smile were sparkling with overflowing personality. At the same time, a worry that I had forgotten until now began to come to mind.

The place I’m headed to is the private Labyrinth Academy. A paradise created for the daughters of a special race who gather from all over.

If you graduate, you are promised a path to high society, but on the contrary, the path to high society is not a good opportunity that just anyone can take.

Can a person like me, with no individuality and no special talent, be able to enter among them through the power of special admissions and graduate properly? No, can it endure without its presence being erased?

Maybe what the gyaru said is true? It’s really talented people who suffer because of opportunists like me… … .

I let my shoulders slump and sigh. Steam rose in the cold air and my glasses turned gray. Finn asked with a worried look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

When I told him about my concerns, Finn soon came over to me and sat down with a smile, saying “uhaha”. Then he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear.

“You are special, Miss Dickens. I heard you were a student who passed the A2 screening process, not A3?” I nodded curiously. What’s so special about the human special archetype?

“I’ll tell you what that certificate means. I am just an ‘ordinary dragon’, but Miss Dickens, you are a ‘special human being’. Even though they both entered Hogwarts, it’s like Hermione, a muggle, is better than Malfoy.”

“Yeah, right… … ?”

“Okay then. To me, it’s all the usual red scales and black horns, but you must be keeping a great secret. Otherwise, you won’t be able to pass the A2 selection.”

It’s a very irresponsible thing to say, but I only saw the teacher vaguely accepting applications while smelling of alcohol even the day after the year-end dinner party, so even I didn’t know the exact details of the selection process.

It means that there is no way to know what A3, A2, and what the teacher meant when he said, ‘It was not intended.’

But is there any point in trying to find out that now that we have reached the point where we are heading to Labyrinthos’ dormitory? If it’s one way or another, it’s a waste, and I don’t have to see those gyaru anymore.

And, above all… … I don’t think you need to worry about life at the academy.

“Thank you, Finn… … But one thing.”

At a distance close enough for our foreheads to touch, I lifted my index finger and placed it in front of Finn’s nose.

“‘Miss Dickens’ is stiff.”

“Uh… … Hehe, that’s right. Then, Miss Penelope?”

I shook my head. Now I finally felt like I could smile to relieve my worries.

“Penny Dickens. Call me Penny.”

Because I have a friend to be with in a faraway land.