Chapter 207: The Dorm
"Is Sir Pere always that cold?" Andine whispered, nudging her sister.
"Don’t talk like that about Sir Pere," Anel scolded gently, leading the S-Class students to follow her.
Andine furrowed her brows. What’s with her? They often teased people together, yet Anel suddenly sounded so protective of that assistant professor.
Leaving the main building, they took a path they hadn’t used before. In the distance, three towers rose before them, each with a distinct roof color —aqua, blue, and navy— lined up neatly in a row.
"That’s the dorm tower," Anel explained. "Aqua is for first-year students, blue is for second years, and navy is for third years."
As they entered the building with the aqua-colored roof, they were greeted by another abstract painting. Beside it stood two tall pillars— apparently, every tower in the academy shared the same basic structure.
On both sides of the main lobby hall, long corridors stretched out, lined with rows of doors.
But Anel didn’t stop there. She led them up the floating stone, straight to the sixth floor.
"The sixth floor is reserved for Class S students," she said. "There are only ten rooms up here, so it’s always quiet— unless you throw a party yourselves."
She chuckled softly, as if recalling one of her own mischievous memories from her Class S days.
Anel then pointed out each of their rooms and showed them an extra space that contained units for excretion.
"Where’s the water supply?" Madha asked, used to having abundant water in their dimensional home.
"There’s a well next to the tower," Anel replied matter-of-factly. "You’ll need to fetch it yourselves."
For Liners, carrying water shouldn’t be a problem.
Madha didn’t mind, but a few others showed slight hesitation— even if no one voiced a complaint.
After going over the essentials, Anel finally took her leave. "If you join the same Auxiliary Class as me, we’ll see each other again," she said, smiling softly. "But if not... this might be our last meeting."
Her expression turned a little wistful. "I hope all of you stay in Class S till the end, and prove just how remarkable Class S students can be.
And maybe... once we graduate, we’ll meet again as professionals— serving our kingdom side by side."
Her cheerful nature often made people forget she was the top student, a future leader in the making.
Perhaps they, too, would one day stand at her level.
After that slightly emotional farewell, Anel truly left.
Andine wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Why am I crying? I can still see her at home every vacation..."
Gara couldn’t help but laugh quietly. The mermaid siblings were really something.
Leaving the sentimental Andine behind —whose room happened to be next to his— Gara stepped into his own.
The moment he entered, his eyes widened in admiration.
The vintage charm of the room stood out immediately— red brick walls half-covered by a brown carpet, which also spread across the floor.
Instead of a bed greeting him like in typical dorms, a settee with cushioned seats and backrest sat in the center, paired with a small table in front.
A bookshelf stood neatly to the side, while wall flowers and a painting of a dragon decorated the room, giving it both warmth and character.
Further in, a thin bamboo partition separated the living space from the sleeping area.
The bed was sized for one person, with clean sheets and pillows, freshly replaced. A small bedside table held a fire lightbulb, its glow softened by a yellowish cover.
"To create a dimmer light, huh?" Gara murmured, pleased by the thoughtful details.
Across from the bed stood a large wardrobe, and beside it— another door. It opened to a balcony.
"Wow... it’s beautiful," Gara whispered, eyes wide in awe as he took in the view before him.
From the balcony, Gara could see a wide view of the academy grounds— the lush garden, the pathways lined with blooming flowers, a vast green field beside the main building, and the dense forest stretching behind the academy.
"Looks like I can add a few pots here... maybe grow some herbs," he murmured, eyeing the still-empty balcony with interest.
Back inside, Gara decided to do the most important thing first. From his cotton pouch, he pulled out a seed, tossed it upward—
BOOM!
Instinctively, Gara ducked, shielding his head as sparks burst in the air.
When he finally looked up again, there was no trace of damage... but also no protective barrier.
"Wait— does the academy forbid barrier installation?" Gara groaned, staring up in frustration.
Knock, knock.
Still rubbing his aching head, he went to open the door— only to find an elderly man with a stern expression standing there.
"No external items are allowed to be installed on academy property," the man said flatly. "But there’s no need to worry. The academy is perfectly secure. Especially Class S dorms, no one can break in."
And before Gara could even respond, the man turned and vanished down the hallway.
Gara closed the door again with a sigh. "So the academy staff immediately know whenever I use an item, huh?" He slumped against the wall, frowning.
"But I’m not worried about intruders. I’m worried my kids’ Druid scent will leak out of this room."
Moments later, another knock echoed— but this time, it wasn’t staff.
It was Madha and Fian, walking in with concerned looks.
"What happened?" Madha asked, closing the door behind him, immediately noticing Gara’s sour expression.
Gara explained everything, the failed barrier and the old staff member’s warning.
Madha crossed his arms, thinking. "How about using Beastkin Powder instead? It might raise some suspicion, but at least it’ll mask the Druid scent.
Besides, there’s only ten of us on this floor. No Druids or Elves around, except Fian. Vania, Lysa, and Miki might notice something odd, but they wouldn’t jump straight to thinking about Druids, right?"
Gara mulled it over.
Madha’s suggestion actually made sense.
And right now... he didn’t really have any other options.
Who knew when —or if— he could get another item strong enough to suppress his children’s scent.
...