Novel Bin Vol. 1 - Ch. 20 - Moving into Dormitory
Fey raised her hand.
"What is it?"
"How exactly do you want Allen to gain our recommendations?"
"It\'s actually pretty easy. Just have the class admit Allen Rovenne as one of their classmates, that\'s all. As it happens, there are only nobles and quasi-nobles in this class. Whether it\'s your ability to discern his character, your individual feelings, your decision based on your family\'s perspective, or any other factors— it\'s up to you to make a decision. No matter the reason behind your decision, I will silently mark it down with no questions asked."
"I see."
Then Fey stood up from her chair and pressed her right hand on her chest.
"In the name of Feyrune Von Dragoon, I vouch for Allen Rovenne as one befitting to be a member of the Yugria Royal Knight and Mage Academy\'s Class A."
"Sure enough."
I had already expected Fey to stand up for me. However, no matter her stance on the matter, there was no way to overturn the current situation.
Besides, I would like to stay far from this troublesome person. Just that point alone was enough incentive for me to instead move to Class E.
Anyway, this class really has no one but nobles, huh…? It wasn\'t anything strange, even in my previous life, academic ability was directly related to a family\'s financial strength— life was never fair.
But, not everyone shared the same sentiment as a serious-faced boy, feeling jealous, stood up as Fey was delivering her flawless performance.
"What are you thinking, Fey-sama?! Even if you are a member of the Dragoon family, it\'s preposterous to stake your family name for the third son of a poor viscount without confirming the alleged cheating suspicions!
Besides, given his rude attitude toward the esteemed Fey-sama since a while ago, he is nothing but a sham! Who will take the responsibility if he tarnishes the good name of the Dragoon family?! I\'ll be informing the Master of this matter!"
Ah, I see. I didn\'t know if he was from a branch family, a vassal family, or a prestigious count family, but he should be the so-called \'attendant\' assigned to a member of the main branch. Furthermore, considering he was in the same class as Fey, he should be hard-working.
\'Kukuku. I bet he doesn\'t like me very much.\' Allen chuckled at the newfound card up his sleeve.
"I\'ve stepped forth not as an individual but as the spokesperson of the Marquis Dragoon family to show this is the family\'s collective judgment. In noble politics, there are times when you have to make quick decisions even at the risk of taking a gamble. There are things I can see that you cannot, Parry. I don\'t care what you want to report later but shut your mouth for now."
What was the scary nonsense she was saying? I don\'t see anything special in myself though.
But once the main family had spoken so, Parry probably had nothing else he could say. The pitiful Parry turned to glare at me, looking like he was ready to jump at any moment to kill me.
"...I will definitely tear away that facade of yours and show the truth to Fey-sama... Just wash your neck and wait for me."
"But Allen\'s battle power is discerned to be Level 5 you know? You should stop here unless you want to be beaten black and blue."
Once again, the sound of scribbling on paper echoed inside the class.
Oh please, I am no better than trash lying on the roadside. There was no deep meaning behind it, you lot......
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"Alright, this is the end of today\'s homeroom. Those who want to move to the dormitory can move in today, so make sure to complete the procedure by 5 o\'clock. Tomorrow, make sure to be back at school by 9 AM."
As soon as the old man\'s words dropped, I bolted out of the classroom, fearing that Fey might want to follow me home and ask me to introduce her to my elder sister.
Once I got to the dormitory, I could escape anything. After all, it was just a matter of time before I said goodbye to this class and moved to Class E.
I wasn\'t in the mood to stay back in the classroom and deepened my relationship with my classmates. I was exhausted...... Who would have thought just the greeting and first orientation would sap away all of my energy?
When I returned home, Mother had already left for the viscount territory. Elder sister wasn\'t back from her school yet either. The Advanced Magical Tools Research Institute was more like a doctoral program at a university in my past life. Each student had their own research theme, and rather than taking classes, they conducted research independently and obtained a degree when they managed to show certain results.
It also had a strong aspect of being a research institute, and each student was given an extraordinary budget for their research.
Taking advantage of her absence, I packed my luggage and left for the dormitory.
I was honestly scared of her realizing that I had already left but after hearing about the red carpet incident, I couldn\'t imagine her offering her congratulations to me for passing with just a smile......
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The general dormitory of the academy was a quaint brick building. It had a stark contrast to the luxurious marble-covered school building, but I wasn\'t the type to be particular about where I lived. I just needed to have a place to sleep, that was all.
In fact, I planned to sneak out at night and needed to hide myself from the eyes of the security, so this quaint dorm was perfect for me.
I went to the office on the left side of the entrance and called out.
"Excuse me! I\'ve come for the dormitory registration!"
"Just a moment!"
After waiting for a while, a senior lady, who looked to be the dorm mother, came out. It was hard to tell her exact age as she was carrying a cane in her hand but her back was straight as a pine tree and she exuded a youthful vitality contrary to her looks.
"A freshman, I presume? I\'m Sora, the dorm mother of this dormitory. Write down your name and class here."
I wrote down \'1-A! Allen Rovenne\'.
"...So you\'re that rumored boy who scored the highest in the practical exam while being alleged of cheating in the theory exam, huh?
......Did you really cheat?"
"I didn\'t."
I returned the straightforward gaze of the dorm mother with the same look and replied.
Sora stared straight at me for a while but eventually murmured \'Hmm, whatever\' and guided me inside.
"This general dormitory of the Royal Academy only has one rule. Look there."
I shifted my gaze to where Sora was pointing at where a board was placed. On that board, \'unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor\' was written out in black bold letters.
I secretly chuckled to myself.
Unpretentiously, upfront, unperturbed, and unfazed— they were words I resonated with. For someone like me chasing after a carefree life, I despised pretentiousness and showiness the most.
Meanwhile, upfront, unperturbed, and unfazed depended on how one perceived them. But more than anyone else, I had a strong and determined will to confidently say I would lead my otherworld life doing whatever I wanted and found interesting.
"The dorm fee includes breakfast and costs 1000 rea per month. Well, with the nameplate of the Royal Academy in this Royal Capital, it\'s not a difficult amount to earn. You can look up some private tutor or explorer jobs if you are tight on budget. Breakfast is served from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM. Tell me beforehand when you don\'t need it.
Each room comes with its own toilet but the baths are communal. There\'s a large bath house at the back right corner of the entrance which operates from 6:00 PM to 10:00 AM.
You should be a noble birth, right? Can you dress by yourself?"
Sora looked at me like I was some sort of an idiot.
Woah! The room came with its own toilet!
I already inquired beforehand that the rent of the dormitory was 1000 rea, which was an exception among the Royal Capital\'s steep prices, so I was a bit worried that it would be kind of run-down. But that wasn\'t half-bad.
And there was even a large bath house. Being able to stretch myself in a spacious bath whenever I wanted was heaven for me!
"You don\'t need to worry about that. I\'m just the third son of a poverty-stricken rural viscount family. I can handle my personal matters by myself."
"...You really are one strange boy, this is the first time I\'ve seen someone of noble birth showing an ecstatic expression after hearing about the dormitory......
My role is to curb the attitude of the fellows who misunderstand some things when they get accepted into the Royal Academy. It might be harsh to listen to, but I\'m not gonna sugarcoat things. Students of Class D and above can stay in the noble dormitory for the same rent as here.
In short, only the bottom rung Class E students, furthermore those who are too poor to pay even the regular fee of 5000 rea for the Aristocratic Dormitory, gathered here. They also called this place— the Doghouse Dormitory of the Loser Dogs.
If you don\'t like it, work hard to move up to Class D."
Aristocratic Dormitory? It sounded more like a gathering of idiots who thought they could assert dominance just by scoring higher. The food and facilities might be better compared to here but I didn\'t see any charm in it.
If I wanted delicious food, I could sneak out into the city at night and find some myself.
"It\'s fine, I fancy this place— unaffected and sincere, with fortitude and vigor. I must say, that\'s a wonderful dormitory rule. Though I\'ll give it my all, I have no intention of moving anywhere for the next three years. So I\'ll be under your care for the duration of my stay, Sora-san.”
Sora looked baffled, but,
"Hahaha. I hope to hear those words even after you move up a class."
She laughed heartily and left.
Editor\'s Note - So, after 20 chapters what do you guys think? For me, I find the premise quite interesting. Though I could see how the author might screw it up but as long as the common pitfalls and cliches are avoided this could turn out to be quite a good novel.