Chapter 23: Freshman party (1)

“B Group Finals are over! The winner is Krimhild von Hohenlaufen!”

At Professor Dolores’s verdict, the two students who had been dueling exited the stage.

One was Krimhild, the princess of Vǫlsunga and a candidate for the next Sword Saint, known as one of the golden generation.

The other was her opponent, another member of the golden generation, Merlin mac Cumhaill.

“Hehe. You’ve worked hard, Your Highness.”

“You too, Merlin.”

Krimhild sheathed her rapier after the polite exchange of greetings.

“Oh, as expected of Gramr, the famous sword of the Vǫlsunga imperial family. There’s not even a scratch on the surface after such a fierce battle.”

Merlin, who had been watching with interest, said playfully.

“It was an honor to compete not only with Your Highness but also with the renowned Gramr. The sword must be pleased to have met a worthy owner.”

“…”

Without responding, Krimhild turned away.

The new student, Merlin mac Cumhaill, who kept his eyes squinted in a way that was perpetually unsettling.

His sinister attitude and inscrutable intentions were quite bothersome.

“Ahaha, oh dear. Did my words offend you, Your Highness?”

Merlin voiced Krimhild’s thoughts exactly.
He shrugged his shoulders and spoke with a feigned sadness.

“This is sad. I only wanted to befriend Your Highness. I’m just a poor man who longs for pure friendship, with no ulterior motives. Really.”

What a load of nonsense. Just looking at his squinted eyes, he looks full of ulterior motives.

Krimhild snorted, ignoring the ridiculous nonsense.
Merlin must have been a talent that the dormitory housemasters were eyeing as well.
She heard that due to some circumstances, it was half-agreed that he would go to Carnelian.

Professor Dolores, the supervisor, also seemed quite satisfied that the Carnelian-bound student had reached the finals.

Of course, she didn’t just end it with satisfaction and was paying more attention to the winner.

“Oh-ho-ho. You’ve worked hard in the test, student Krimhild. Now, have a glass of water first.”

Professor Dolores approached with her characteristic sharp laughter.

Once you pass through the academy’s main gate, a student is just a student.
Unless they were deliberately being slick like Merlin, it was the rule for Krimhild to be called by her name without a title.

Naturally, Dolores was also busy approaching with a feigned friendly attitude.

“For a student like Krimhild, winning the top rank would be a piece of cake. Now that the test is over, you’ll be choosing a dormitory soon. Do you have a place in mind?”

“I am still considering, Professor. I cannot choose hastily where I will stay throughout my school years.”

“Ho-ho, a very wise attitude. Our Carnelian dormitory is perfect for a smart new student like Krimhild. For your information, our dormitory is famous for its elegant interior and various amenities. And besides that…”

Blah, blah, blah.
Letting the endless chatter go in one ear and out the other, Krimhild smirked.

She had always disliked people whose intentions were so obvious.
Not knowing someone’s intentions was just unsettling, but the opposite was more than annoying; it was repulsive.

It was something she had always felt while watching the plight of her older brother, Maximilian, who had become a cripple and dropped out of the power struggle.

Once the most exemplary successor, Maximilian von Hohenlaufen.
When his ranking in the line of succession dropped due to an unexpected riding accident, how did the nobles who used to follow him so eagerly change?

Those who had flattered him as if they would give him their livers and guts, how did they mock and despise him, driving him to become a recluse in a secluded room?

In her eyes, this professor, who was so quick to offer her favor, was no different.

‘She’ll treat me the same way if I become useless.’

The position of a princess, something that every citizen of the empire would admire at least once.
But to Krimhild, being a princess was not something to be envied.

The endless conspiracies and political struggles.
It was a position where she always had to be on edge to survive in the midst of it all.

‘…Come to think of it.’

Pretending to listen while moderately ignoring Dolores, Krimhild suddenly thought of someone.

The housemaster of the Obsidian dormitory, who had been newly replaced.
The new professor of black magic defense who was not participating in the scramble for new students at all.

‘The other dormitories are in a fierce competition.’

Not only blatant love calls, but also bait like full scholarships and the housemaster’s favor.
Hadn’t all sorts of offers been pouring in for her since the entrance ceremony?

But the Obsidian housemaster in question had not made the slightest move.
She had not contacted her brother Ferdinand, nor herself, the princess.

‘My idiot Ferdinand, his grades will be terrible anyway, so that’s fine, but…’

To ignore even Krimhild, who had proudly ranked high in the entrance exam?
It was a very pride-hurting treatment, but at the same time, it was an eccentric behavior that amplified her curiosity.

Is that person Ferdinand’s man, or not?
That was practically a moot point.

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Once she became an academy housemaster, she would surely covet her.
To Krimhild, who had lived her entire life in the political arena, Obsidian’s attitude did not seem like an ordinary behavior.

‘Is it some kind of scheme?’

She had heard of it before.
That sometimes, cunning people deliberately make choices opposite to others to show off.
Perhaps this professor’s intentions were similar.

Topaz, Carnelian, and Jade.
When all the dormitories were single-mindedly chasing after students, perhaps she was deliberately being bold to attract attention.

‘Well, if that’s her real intention, at least she passes the first round.’

With a smirk, Krimhild glanced at Dolores, who was following her.
At least she wasn’t making a fuss with obvious tricks like the other dormitory housemasters.

“…You understand what I’m saying, right? Our Carnelian dormitory has a dignity that cannot be compared to other old and shabby places. If you’re not a fool, you wouldn’t choose the other dormitories over Carnelian.”

“Very interesting. I enjoyed your explanation, Professor.”

Maintaining a calm, smiling face, Krimhild asked subtly.

“I have a question. Is it possible for me to know the test scores of a student from another group?”

“Hmm? The test scores of a student from another group?”

“Ah, well… I have a friend who entered with me. If we both make it into the top ranks, I would like to be in the same dormitory.”

Trailing off her words, Krimhild smiled elegantly.
Then, as if giving a hint, she urged Dolores with a subtle tone.

“Wouldn’t it be better to coordinate before choosing, Professor?”

“Hohoho, oh my. It seems you have a friend among the golden generation in another group. How thoughtful.”

Dolores, who was already convinced that Krimhild had been won over, was overjoyed.
She was so happy that she couldn’t even hide her flaring nostrils.

However, the housemaster of Carnelian, who had been enjoying herself for a while, gave a negative answer to Krimhild’s request.

“I’m sorry, but according to the school rules, I cannot disclose the information of other students. It’s an internal secret, and besides, there are still groups that haven’t finished their tests.”

“Hmm, that’s a shame.”

“Hoho, there’s no need to be disappointed. You can coordinate after the scores are out. And isn’t there plenty of time until the post-test celebration?”

The Klomes Academy entrance celebration.
An event where all students gather to start the year, and a meaningful time for future seniors and juniors to get to know each other.

But the real highlight of the celebration was, of course, the public dormitory selection of the top three ranked students.
It was a position of honor given only to the top three among the top ten who had earned the right to choose.

It was also a position that was naturally expected of the golden generation, including herself.

“Anyway, student Krimhild will surely make it into the top three ranks. Judging by your entrance exam scores and your B group duel scores.”

Dolores joked, ordering a nearby teaching assistant to clean up the test site.

“So, if your friend thinks the same, she will surely follow the dormitory the princess chooses. Of course, you should also consider the case where she unfortunately doesn’t make it into the top ten.”

“Don’t worry. The top three might be difficult, but she won’t fail to make it into the top ten.”

“Oh, you’re very confident. She must be a very outstanding student.”

Not just outstanding. She was a skilled person who had been growing steadily under Krimhild’s tutelage.
She had been working quietly in the imperial investigation team, but she was a competent confidante who would be following her to the academy from this year.

Agent ‘Golden Fallen Leaf’, the loyal hunting dog of Princess Krimhild.

“Ahem. Anyway, student Krimhild.”

Dolores cleared her throat and gave another reminder.

“I repeat, our Carnelian is a place famous for caring about the convenience of its students since ancient times. In addition, there are many outstanding seniors who will be useful connections waiting.”

“…”

“So, if you choose Carnelian, you will surely be on a smooth path. Whether you look at it in the short term, or in the long term.”

Housemaster Dolores, emphasizing the word ‘long-term’.
It was a temptation that choosing Carnelian would be the right choice, whether considering before graduation or right after graduation.

Krimhild quietly observed Dolores and fell into thought.

‘…Is the Obsidian housemaster really worth it?’

It’s not a matter of debate for an individual’s strategy to be bold.
But if that’s all she could show, she might be genuinely disappointed.

The magician she was expecting was a competent and brilliant innovator, not an empty shell who just played land-grabbing with bluffing.

‘What if she was just a bluff who made a fuss with clumsy strategies, only to have all the fruits snatched away?’

She wouldn’t covet such a fool, no matter how skilled they were in magic.

What the princess needed was not a wild dog who only believed in its own strength and acted up, but a fierce dog that was both intelligent and clever.
Of course, as the Carnelian housemaster said, she would have to wait until the celebration…

‘If she’s a person who doesn’t have a more decisive card, it might be better to go to another dormitory.’

If she’s a person who doesn’t even have that much sense of reality, it would be politically much more beneficial to be guided by a friendly housemaster.

As she was thinking, calculating in her head.

“…!”

Click! Krimhild’s hand suddenly moved to the hilt of Gramr.

Dolores, flustered by her sudden preparation to draw her sword, blinked her eyes.

“Student Krimhild? What’s wrong? The test is over, so there’s no reason to draw your sword.”

“…It’s nothing, Professor. I’m sorry.”

Krimhild replied, meekly taking her hand off the hilt.
But her sharp gaze still did not leave a corner of the test site.

‘I definitely felt a suspicious presence.’

Krimhild was a natural-born warrior who had grown up hunting magical beasts since she was a child.
Naturally, her animalistic senses were more prominent than those of ordinary people.

Especially, wasn’t she the one who could detect the presence of magical beasts hiding in the bushes better than anyone else?

‘…It must be my imagination.’

Muttering to herself, Krimhild turned away.

This is the prestigious Klomes Academy, a place of learning and exchange.

It would be different if it were a high-risk dungeon located outside the campus.
A magical beast that appears in the wild forest or fields wouldn’t appear on campus.

“Now, now, freshmen, please leave! The celebration will be held in the academy’s grand auditorium in a little while!”

“Hoho. Let’s go, student Krimhild. Shall we have a cup of tea leisurely before attending the celebration?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Unable to resist Dolores’s urging, Krimhild left the test site like the other students.

And as the B group test site became empty.

Gurgle!

A small liquid monster that had been hiding in a corner came out, gurgling.

All the information and news it had witnessed so far.
It transmitted everything to its main body waiting far away.

“Hey, Kapkhan? What are you doing there?”

At his colleague’s call, ‘George Kapkhan’, who was standing blankly in a corner of the hallway, turned his head.
Then, his guard colleague smiled good-naturedly and continued.

“The celebration is about to start, isn’t it? It’s a big event that only happens once a year. You should also take a break and have a drink, right?”

“Thank you for your concern. I have something to do for a moment. I will attend without being late.”

“Right, right. See you later, Kapkhan.”

At George Kapkhan’s response, his guard colleague shrugged and left.

And as he was finally left alone.
George Kapkhan smiled and stared at the hallway wall.

The mysterious scene of ancient characters of an unknown, strange shape covering one side of the wall.

“…”

Staring at the characters on the wall, George Kapkhan calmly raised his arm.

The precious ‘clones’ that had been secretly spreading throughout the academy.
To absorb all the news they were sending in real-time.

And the next moment.

His jaw split open grotesquely, and green liquid began to drip down.

—–!!!

Letting out the same scream as when he had first infiltrated the academy, George Kapkhan smiled a murderous smile.

Gurgle, gurgle, the academy guard, who was making the sound of slimy liquid mixing.

“Ah… ar…”

From beyond George’s torn ‘mouth’, a few normal words were coming out intermittently.

“Al… t… ra…!!”