By the time the carriage arrived at the main gate of the Academy, it was late in the night, with the moon hanging high in the sky.
After a soft “tuk-tuk” sound, the carriage came to a slow stop, and the driver knocked on the door. Hearing the noise, the cadets stirred one by one, adjusting their clothes groggily.
“Ahh… we’re here?”
“Ugh…”
“Mmm…”
Shortly after the cadets woke up, the coach opened the carriage door with a creak.
“We’ve arrived.”
As the cold dawn air seeped into the carriage, the cadets wrapped their arms around themselves, shivering from the sudden chill. The warmth inside the carriage, maintained by magic, had made the cold air outside even more biting.
The cadets stepped out, flinching at the icy breeze of the morning.
The front gate of the Academy remained shut. The coachman explained that a instructor would arrive shortly since he had already contacted them. Then, he guided the carriage away and disappeared into the distance.
“S-S-Stella… Can’t we ask the Salamander to make a fire?”
“…Salamander…”
Noah, shivering from the cold, pleaded with Stella, who reluctantly summoned the creature.
The Salamander flickered into existence, warming the surrounding air despite the difficulty of maintaining the summon.
As they huddled around the Salamander’s fire for warmth, a figure approached in the distance, holding a lantern. The soft glow flickered across the figure’s head, reflecting a gleaming shimmer.
From that alone, they knew it was their homeroom instructor.
“You’re late,” the instructor said.
“We came as fast as we could,” one of the cadets replied.
“You’re the last ones.”
Oliver, the homeroom instructor, opened the Academy’s front gate. This was the most vulnerable time for the Academy, so the gates never opened without a instructor’s permission.
Once inside, the cadets sighed with relief, feeling the warm air envelop them.
The magical barrier installed by an imperial summon not only prevented the entry of demons but also provided various convenient features. Of course, these functions had been set up later by the academy’s mages.
‘This is cheating. You can’t find anything like this in the modern world.’
Cars need fuel to run. Electronics need electricity to function. But here, these barriers provided infinite energy—something deemed impossible by modern science.
After the cadets entered, Oliver reactivated the barrier at the gate and turned back to them.
“Submit your documents later and get some rest today.”
“Okay.”
The exhaustion from their journey lingered despite their sleep in the carriage. Noah and Senior Dinua stretched, groaning softly.
“See you tomorrow,” Oliver added.
“Yeah…”
“See you tomorrow, Ian!”
“…Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
Noah and Dinua headed straight for the dormitory. Stella lingered for a moment, as if wanting to say something, but eventually followed them.
After watching them leave, I also made my way to the dormitory.
The room felt narrow. It wasn’t cramped, objectively speaking—just small compared to the vast spaces I had experienced recently.
‘No, this room isn’t small… everything’s just relative.’
Power, wealth, even space—all things in this world were measured in comparison.
The week I had spent at the Duke of Eritz’s estate, one of the grandest homes on the continent, had altered my perception of luxury. The size of this dormitory, which was similar to my house back on Earth, now felt confined.
‘If this place feels small, I can’t imagine the disappointment I’ll feel when I return to Earth.’
As these thoughts swirled through my mind, fatigue pulled me under, and I drifted off to sleep.
***
The next day.
When I woke up, I stretched lightly, preparing to head outside. It was the weekend, and I had promised to explore the Infinite Dungeon today.
In the chilly morning air, I made my way to the meeting place. There, I spotted the principal dozing off, nodding as she struggled to stay awake.
Even as I approached, she didn’t notice me, a clear sign of her exhaustion.
“…Principal?”
“Ugh! Oh, Ian…”
She wiped drool from her lips and glanced around groggily. None of the other cadets had arrived yet.
“Where are the others?” I asked.
“I don’t know. We’re not all coming together,” I answered.
“…Well, the dormitory is pretty far, after all.”
The principal relaxed, realizing I was the only one there. With a weary sigh, she stretched and sat down beneath a nearby tree, her guard entirely down.
Then, without warning, she pulled me down to sit beside her.
“Come here,” she murmured.
She leaned against my shoulder, nestling closer as she began to fall asleep again.
“…Principal?”
“Shh.”
“The others will be here soon.”
“Wake me when they arrive, won’t you?”
Her casual demeanor made it clear that she wasn’t worried about appearances. As the cold morning breeze brushed past us, she shivered and snuggled closer.
I kept my eyes open, scanning the area to see if any cadets were approaching.
But as the moments passed, her head grew heavier on my shoulder, and the weariness in my own body crept up.
The mental fortitude I had built over time began to waver, like a taut rubber band slowly stretching.
Through the canopy above, warm sunlight filtered down in soft rays.
The peace of the moment tugged at my mind, loosening the grip of wakefulness.
Before I knew it, my eyelids drooped, and the pull of sleep claimed me once more.
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee where you can now make payments in your local currency.
The Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
For example: You will buy the product with the title “Flower Stealing Master” to sponsor a chapter for the novel. As far as I know, you can buy the same product multiple times, so you should be able to sponsor as many chapters you want. I hope it was easy to understand.
Introducing KN WN Bundle ($15) for those who prefer to read only KR webnovels. This bundle gives you access to all the advance chapters of the Korean Webnovels on Goblinslate immediately, and will stay ahead of the regular release for the month! Get it on Patreon!
That means, you get:
PTTV – Four Advance Chapters! ($10)
IPUAW – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MSAS – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
MWD – Two Advance Chapters! ($5)
Headmistress is the most comfortable with Ian in contrast with other harem members.
Yep author is random. First he writes that on Academy grounds is warm in contrast from outside, during the night, but then he writes that it is cold in the morning, wtf?
Thanks for chapter