Chapter 9: Sierra meets her dorm mates.

The dorm Sierra was heading to was one of the girls’ dormitories.
She had already been spotted by students yesterday, and as a new transfer student, rumors were already swirling.
That said, no one had come up to talk to her yet.
Sierra herself had almost no experience initiating conversations.
She could respond if someone spoke to her first, but she rarely took the first step.

Night fell.
Sierra made her way to the rooftop.

(Maybe I’ll sleep outside tonight.)

She had been a mercenary once.
Camping in the open was routine; she had lived a rugged life where she could fall asleep pretty much anywhere.
It was hard to imagine from her appearance, but she was used to sleeping even in dangerous places.
Sleeping under the night breeze especially felt pleasant.

Then she heard footsteps approaching.
Creak. The rooftop door opened.
Bathed in moonlight appeared a girl with long blonde hair.
Even her profile was strikingly refined.
Indigo eyes looked up at the sky, then fixed on Sierra.
The girl had been crying.
Her eyes widened in surprise, and she hurriedly wiped away her tears.

“…! Y-you…! Why are you in a place like that!?”

“The night breeze feels nice.”

Sierra hopped down lightly and landed in front of the girl without a sound.
The girl let out a small startled cry, but quickly composed herself and asked,

“You’re… the girl who started staying in the dorm yesterday, right?”

“Yep. Sierra—Sierra Alcnys.”

She had almost said “Sierra Walker,” but corrected herself at the last second.
At this academy, she wasn’t Ainz’s daughter.
She was just a naive country girl with no worldly experience.
Though explaining her actual strength under that cover would be… difficult.

“Sierra, then. Mind if I call you that? ‘Alcnys’ is a mouthful.”

“Sure, that’s better.”

“…? Fine. I’m Arna Cartol. I live in this dorm too. So—what exactly are you doing up here…?”

“Arna… got it. Like I said, the night breeze feels nice.”

That was the whole truth; nothing more, nothing less.
Arna gave her a dubious look, but eventually nodded as if accepting it.

“…So that really is your answer. Let me ask again, then—are you here because you’re transferring into the academy?”

“Yep. I passed today.”

Sierra answered nonchalantly.
Arna studied her carefully.
She had passed today and would start attending tomorrow.
Hearing that, Arna seemed to be thinking something over.

“I see… Well, if you passed, you must have the skill. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. We’re dorm mates, after all; I can at least help that much.”

“Really?”

“Of course. It’s only proper… as a daughter of the Cartol family.”

Arna said it herself, but her expression looked somehow strained.
At the offer of “anything you don’t understand,” the first thing that came to Sierra’s mind slipped out.

“…? I don’t really get it, but—why were you crying?”

“!”

Even in the dark, Sierra’s eyes had clearly seen the tears.
Arna’s face clouded with embarrassment.

“I wasn’t crying.”

“Oh. Was that it?”

“…Yes. Isn’t there something more… practical you want to know about the academy?”

“Hmm… not really.”

She had come to the academy, yet she hadn’t found anything that particularly interested her yet.
When Sierra answered honestly, Arna let out a small sigh.

“I see… Well, ask if anything comes up, all right? It gets cold at night, so you should go back to your room soon.”

With that, Arna turned to leave the rooftop.

“Ah—”

“Hm? Something wrong?”

“…Never mind.”

“…? Okay, then. See you.”

After Arna left, Sierra lay down right there on the rooftop.
She had already decided to sleep here tonight instead of in her room.

“Maybe I should’ve asked how to make friends.”

She muttered the thought aloud.
For some reason, she had hesitated to ask.
Making friends was pretty much the only thing she wanted from this academy.
Ainz had once told her: the things you want most are never easy to obtain.
And they’re things you have to work hard for.
Whenever moments like this came, Sierra inevitably remembered his words.

(Arna… Arna… what was the rest again?)

She remembered the first name, but the family name had slipped her mind.
Arna Cartol: the first girl her age Sierra had ever spoken to at this academy.