Chapter 271: Moving Into Charles Hall
Second Semester Dormitory Assignment Table for Second-Year Magic Department
Isaac – Charles Hall
I checked the newly posted dorm assignment table by grade on the Orphin Hall bulletin board.
Finally.
My name was listed in Charles Hall, the top-ranked dorm. I had become a member of Charles Hall.
In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, the character one played as, Ian, had to be a third-year student to move into Charles Hall... My achievements stood out much faster than expected due to clearing The Floating Island and The Abyss.
Only a few students needed to change dorms since most didn’t experience dramatic changes in grades. However, servants would move the belongings of those who did change dorms.
After packing my things in Elma Hall, I planned to head to Charles Hall with my rock golem familiar, Eden, sharing the load.
"Nice to meet you, Isaac. I'll help you."
Three maids adorned with golden ornaments greeted me at the front gate of Elma Hall. They were all academy servants, and there was a sleepy-looking maid in the middle who was the head maid.
"You came quickly."
"That's the etiquette of academy maids."
They had a strong professional spirit.
I was the only person assigned to Charles Hall this semester. The academy maids only had to take care of me.
They summoned familiars to help carry the luggage.
From Charles Hall onward, academy maids cared for everything with utmost dedication. They were also decent in combat. The head maid was at level 97, so that was all that needed to be said.
You shouldn’t judge them by the mere title of maid.
Hilde, in the form of a small white dragon on my shoulder, stared intently at the academy maids. She seemed to covet their maid outfits.
Walking from the living quarters, we passed through a beautiful garden path and saw a luxurious building standing alone. This was Charles Hall, the elite dorm where the academy’s strongest students such as Luce, Kaya, Dorothy, and Alice stayed.
Opening the arched entrance, a magnificent hall greeted me.
"Oh..."
It was my first time seeing the corridor within Charles Hall in person, not just in the game.
Having visited the Düpfendorf Palace first, the luxuriousness didn't impress me as much, but the place had an incomparable familiarity and warmth. I had seen it so many times in the game.
"This way."
We went up the luxurious stairs to the second floor. Meanwhile, the head maid, who looked rather strict, fluently explained various things about the dorm.
"To the left from here is the boys's wing, and to the right is the girl's wing. You are free to move around, but please be careful not to engage in any activities that violate the school rules."
"Yes."
"There are various facilities over there. Please use them when needed."
"Yes."
"Maids can be summoned at any time. Also, please fill out a form stating what time you would like a maid to come into your room and what tasks you would like them to attend to. The form will be reviewed and then treated as a schedule. Your privacy should be respected."
"Yes..."
Unlike other dorms, Charles Hall was shared by both men and women. Therefore, it was equipped with several different facilities. This meant that it was possible to live entirely within the dorm unless there was a special reason to go outside.
"This will be your room, Isaac."
The academy maid guided me to a room on the second floor.
It was an ultra-luxurious room where a millionaire might stay. Even Elma Hall, a middle-upper ranked dorm, fell short in comparison
Since I had accidentally seen Luce's room last year, it didn't feel entirely new, but it was still a jaw-dropping place.
"Would you like some help with your unpacking?"
"I'll take care of that."
"Alright then. Please call us anytime if you need anything."
The servants left, and silence filled the room.
I met the eyes of Eden and Hilde. They stared at me intently.
"Shall we unpack?"
As if waiting for me to say just that, Eden raised his right arm and responded with a [Kyuuu!].
***"Kaya?"
"Ah, ah, I heard that you moved in, Isaac... Congratulations! This is a move-in gift!"
"Huh? Oh, thank you..."
It was when I was in my room in Charles Hall.
A cautious knock was heard, and when I went out, there was a very nervous Kaya. As soon as she saw me, her face turned bright red, and she bowed her head deeply, handing me a small envelope with both hands. It was like a scene from a youth drama where a girl experienced her first crush and confessed to the boy she liked.
I received the envelope and looked inside. Expensive refreshments were inside. It seemed like a gift prepared to ease my burden.
"Oh, snacks. I'll enjoy them."
"Y-yes! Enjoy them! I'll be going now!"
Kaya fled swiftly as if running away. She was as fast as an arrow.
Since the men's and women's wings were in the same building, she finally gathered the courage to visit my room. I couldn't help but smile at her cuteness
***"Luce? Hey, wait. Why are you coming in?"
"Isaac, to celebrate your move-in, let the housewarming begin."
A dull knock was heard, and when I went out, there was Luce with a calm face. She bluntly pushed past me and entered the room.
A girl entering a boy's room was obviously against the rules. I quickly closed the front door to ensure no sound leaked out.
"Aren’t you supposed to become a Tower Master in the future? Why are you breaking the rules so casually?"
"Does that matter? I'm just checking out your room?"
"It matters a lot, you idiot."
Does she think it doesn't matter because her grades are so high they can offset any demerit points?
If Dorothy, the student who boasted the most demerit points in the academy, had a YOLO mindset, Luce had a “screw the rules” mindset. As a result, it seemed like there was no hope for improvement.
How should I put it, she was the type of kid who should never become a criminal. If I didn't somehow guide her onto the path of a good wizard, she might someday become the worst criminal in the history of the empire.
Suddenly, Luce headed to the kitchen.
"I'll cook for you as a move-in gift."
"That's nice, but don't stay too long."
I couldn’t be as careless as when Alice lived with me in Elma Hall. There were many ears among the servants working in Charles Hall. I had to be twice as cautious as I was in the other dorms. Luce had to have been aware of that too.
Thunk.
Suddenly, Luce stopped in her tracks.
"...Why?"
"Huh?"
"You're not worried that another girl might come, are you?"
Luce's voice sank, damp like the humidity of the rainy season. In her blue eyes that glanced at me, the liveliness had vanished at some point.
"What are you talking about... With so many maids around, the risk of getting caught is high. You might not care, but I don't want to get demerit points."
"...Just saying."
"..."
Luce resumed her steps and entered the kitchen.
She was obsessively concerned about my relationships with the opposite sex. Even when I lived with Alice, traces of her must have unconsciously come out from me. After that, it was easy to notice that Luce felt repulsion and hatred towards Alice.
I had no intention of fostering conflict, so I deliberately pretended to be unaware.
As time passed, I ate the meat dish Luce had prepared. I worried that she might have spontaneously added something harmful, but there was nothing of the sort. It was simply delicious.
***"Alice? What's up?"
"I heard you moved in, Baby, so I came to visit."
It was late at night, just after I had finished showering.
I heard a polite knock, and when I went out, I saw Alice smiling kindly. She waved her hand lightly in greeting.
But for some reason, the subtle smell of alcohol pricked my nose despite Alice's face looking fine.
"Did you drink?"
"Hee, my baby is sharp, isn't he?"
"You reek of alcohol."
Students were allowed to drink alcohol from their first year at the academy in this nation. However, if they broke the rules after drinking, the disciplinary severity tripled, so students tended to refrain from excessive drinking to be cautious.
Starting from the third year, students were considered adults, similar to the age of adulthood in my previous life. Alice was around that age.
"Today was the last student council dinner, right?"
Alice nodded.
"Thanks to you, we finished the talk well."
"'Thanks to me'?"
Thanks to me? I’m not particularly close with the student council and I didn’t do anything for their dinner.
"I didn't do anything, right?"
"You really think so?"
"...Huh?"
Without warning, Alice entered through the front door and came right up to me.
Instinctively, I took a step back, and she took another step forward, clinging to me.
Even so, Alice firmly closed the front door.
"Excuse me."
Alice stood on tiptoe, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and trying to match her navel with mine. Her large chest pressed against mine as she did so, increasing the pressure. freewebnøvel.coɱ
"What are you doing...?"
"I feel like cuddling my baby, hehe. It's thanks to you that I'm here now, isn't it?"
Alice had to be at the academy first to have the last student council dinner. It meant that the premise was established because of me.
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Alice seemed more sentimental than usual.
Her whisper, filled with desire, and her charmingly cute actions echoed in my ears. Her face, now flushed, looked like a shy bride in a new home.
Her warm breath subtly wet my lips. The strong smell of alcohol was oddly intriguing.
For a moment, my rationality almost flew away. I couldn't tell if Alice's bold seduction was due to the alcohol since she often expressed her affection freely.
I barely managed to suppress my desire and control my expression. Giving in to desire would cause all sorts of trouble.
"First, back off a bit... I need to study."
“…”
“…”
"Darling."
"Oh, please."
Alice flirted playfully. She seemed to enjoy teasing me.
***"Big Sis is here!"
"Senior Dorothy?"
It was a dark night. While studying by the light of my lamp, I heard a loud knock at the window. When I opened the window, I saw Dorothy outside, floating upside down while keeping her witch's hat on her head.
She said, "Uhtcha," and placed her feet on the windowsill, crouching down.
"Nihihi, I heard you moved in. I just finished my training!"
"You've been at it for a while."
"Big Sis is also working hard, you know?"
Dorothy proudly placed her hand on her chest.
"You're impressive, my dear Senior."
"Nihihi."
She liked it even more when she was praised.
"So, what's up?"
"I came to give you a move-in gift. Watch this."
Dorothy covered her face with both hands. Then, as if opening a door, she spread her hands wide, revealing her beaming smile.
"Tada! It's Big Sis' smile. It's good for your eyes."
"Oh... Wow."
"Your reaction is lukewarm. Your enthusiasm as a fan has diminished, hasn't it?"
Dorothy glared at me with fierce eyes. It was a joke that left me unsure of how to respond.
She was incredibly charming.
Ah, I want to kiss her.
"Of course, that was a joke. I came to give you this."
Dorothy took off the witch's hat she was wearing, took out something from inside it, and handed it to me. It was a small case.
When I opened the case, I saw a pendant necklace inside. Inside the pendant, the Milky Way flowed as if it contained the universe.
However, it was a bit worn out. Anyone could see it was a used item.
"A necklace?"
"It's a magic tool that shows its effect when you store mana in it. They say it helps with fatigue recovery. Honestly, I've never felt the effect myself, but it's better than not using it, right?"
"Fatigue recovery..."
There were many magic tools where mana acted as a battery. This pendant contained mana from starlight magic as a battery substitute.
"You always look so tired, President. Your dark circles have gotten worse, right? I thought about giving you some food that’s good for your health, but that’s temporary. I thought this would be better. But it’s a bit old, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's not new."
"Actually, it was mine. My aunt gave it to me as a gift."
“…?”
Aunt.
A family member Dorothy loved.
"It has a vintage feel, doesn't it? Besides, it was always close to my skin. Nihihi, it's a reward for you."
Dorothy smiled cunningly.
"Is it okay to give something with such memories as a move-in gift…?"
"I wanted to give you something precious. It's the most valuable thing to me. It's like a charm."
Dorothy lowered her gaze and smiled softly.
"It worked well as a charm for me. It might work as a charm for you too."
A girl who left the Land of Oz and looked out over her desolate homeland.
The fact that she wanted to give me her most cherished charm showed how important I was to her.
Well, I didn't expect this to have dramatic effects. She said she never felt the fatigue recovery effect herself.
It's like an old movie cliché where I narrowly survive a crisis and think, “Was it all thanks to this necklace?”
I just appreciated the meaning behind Dorothy giving me this necklace.
"Senior Dorothy."
"Yes?"
"I'll wear this around my neck until the day I die."
"No, there's no need to go that far... But don't die because of it, okay?"
Dorothy was flustered when I said that solemnly while holding the necklace.
* * *Headmistress's Office, Bartos Hall.
Headmistress Elena Woodline glanced over the documents and let out a long sigh.
"Haaaa... What should I do about this...?"
It was a common occurrence for Elena to sigh so deeply that it seemed as if the ground would cave in. The secretary took it in stride as a matter of course.
However, this matter was significant in many ways.
"Why is the real Priestess coming...?"
"Pardon?"
Only then did the secretary react. The mention of the “Priestess”, a being who had caused a major incident at Märchen Academy, had caught her attention.
"It's about the excursion program... An imperial decree has been issued. They want to include the Priestess from the Eastern Nation."
The Märchen Academy excursion program, which had been planned since last year, was being implemented for the first time this year.
Some exceptional youths would have the opportunity to experience life at the academy for several months.
But somehow, an imperial decree was issued, creating an additional spot in the excursion program, and an enormous figure was added to the participant list.
Miya, the Priestess of the Spear of Flame.
It was decided that she would be coming to Märchen Academy for the excursion.
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