## Chapter 101 – No. 25. Enrollment #3
Swept up in Adriana’s command and the overall atmosphere, No. 25 found himself outside almost involuntarily, but he didn’t really have anywhere to go. Waiting for Saruk, his only friend, might be an option, but seeing how he struggled with the exam questions, he probably wouldn’t be out until the test was completely finished.
No. 25 pondered for a moment and then fully exited the building. The 9:07 AM sunlight was warmer than he had expected.
He had never experienced such boundless natural warmth while living in District 2, surrounded by gloomy forests.
The breeze against his cheek felt pleasantly refreshing.
No. 25 walked towards a spacious rest area designed like a park, leaned back deeply against a bench centered around a fountain, and looked up at the sky.
As he watched the clouds drifting by like flowing water, someone’s face suddenly entered his view.
Silvery hair with a hint of pink tickled his face; it was Claire.
She poked No. 25’s cheek with her finger and smiled brightly.
“We meet again? I told you we’d run into each other often.”
No. 25 returned his head to its original position and immediately turned around to leave.
“Claire-nim?”
Perhaps because he had spent so much time with high-ranking individuals, No. 25 had developed a habit of adding “-nim” to people’s names. Claire laughed at the honorific, which was unusual among students, then tapped No. 25’s shoulder and said,
“Forget the ‘-nim.’ Just call me ‘senior’ comfortably.”
“Claire… um… Se-senior…?”
The unfamiliar title twisted his tongue, and the words that came out were strangely stuttered. Yet, Claire didn’t laugh at him; instead, she narrowed her eyes into crescents and smiled.
“Much better. Ah, I heard the rumors. You’re that transfer student, right? And your name was Ryu, not Iryuryu. Why didn’t you say so back then?”
No. 25 realized that the rumors about him had spread farther than he thought and became lost in thought.
He already knew how he was being treated in the classroom. Although he had somewhat dispelled the negative attention by passing Adriana’s exam quickly, that one test wasn’t enough to completely eliminate the doubts. He feared that Claire might react the same way as the others.
However, No. 25 overlooked one fact. Claire, who had never strayed from the thorny path of life called “propriety,” was not as narrow-minded as the other students.
“Well, if you’re free, how about I give you a tour of the academy? I couldn’t back then, could I?”
It was a good offer since he didn’t have anything else to do, but a small anxiety arose in No. 25’s mind.
“Um, what about class…?”
The exam would end in 30 minutes, and Adriana would come out of the classroom. The next class would start soon, so was it okay to wander around outside?
It was a reasonable question for No. 25, who was still unfamiliar with the academy, and Claire opened her mouth in a calm tone, as if to tell him not to worry.
“If you’re a freshman, you have Professor Adriana, right? Then it’s fine. She only teaches once a day anyway. And after the class of the professor in charge of your grade, which you have to take, you can go to any teacher whose class you want to take.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Yeah, our academy basically supports students to do whatever they want. Well, you have to produce results according to your freedom… So, what do you want to do?”
If he didn’t have to attend classes, there was no need to stay here. No. 25 nodded in response to Claire’s offer, and Claire, confirming his intention, smiled pleasantly and started walking ahead, telling him to follow.
Claire entered the main building and then walked skillfully through the academy’s interior corridors, which seemed more complicated than a maze to No. 25, without even looking at a map.
After turning sharply to the right, a large dome-shaped space appeared.
“This is the training ground. Cool, right?”
Many students were competing in the training ground located in the east of the academy.
Sparks flew everywhere, pillars of ice rose, and giant roots split the earth.
It wasn’t limited to magic. There were also students dueling with swords, spears, or even bare hands.
Claire looked around at the students sparring and responded to the greetings of her juniors with her signature bright smile before moving on.
The academy was vast, and time was limited.
After leaving the training ground and starting to walk in the opposite direction, Claire asked No. 25 a question.
“Ryu, why did you come to the academy? You were chosen by Lord Low, so you didn’t have to come here, did you? This academy is an institution for selecting students to assist the Demon Lords.”
A pure question with no malice.
No. 25 glanced at Claire once, then turned his gaze forward again and carefully opened his mouth.
“I just… I thought I could find what I want here.”
He didn’t directly say that he wanted friends.
Despite No. 25’s ambiguous answer, Claire didn’t press further. Rather, she reinforced his words.
“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
After finishing her words, Claire moved busily again.
A large cafeteria located in the west of the central building.
As they pushed open the glass door, the aroma of food immediately filled their noses.
“This is the cafeteria. The food is pretty good, but the dishes provided vary slightly depending on the grade. But it’s all free, so you can eat as much as you want.”
As Claire finished speaking, No. 25 slowly looked around.
Although it was early, he could see students eating breakfast.
From simple bread to luxurious lobster and steak dishes.
Only those wearing white or black uniforms were eating the latter, but the students wearing navy uniforms were also eating fairly decent food.
Was it because he had skipped breakfast?
A loud rumbling sound came from No. 25’s stomach.
Claire looked back and forth between No. 25’s flushed face and his stomach, laughing as if it were amusing.
“Want to grab a quick breakfast before we go?”
No. 25 didn’t refuse and nodded with a reddened face.
After receiving a meal ticket and handing it to the counter, his food came out shortly after.
It was just freshly made fried rice with steam rising from it and a simple soup, but that was enough.
No. 25 sat down, gave a brief greeting, and shoved the rice into his mouth.
The taste was lacking compared to the food Low always made, but it was still edible.
Claire stared intently at No. 25 as he ate, then subtly pushed her own untouched plate forward and opened her mouth.
“You can have more if you’re still hungry.”
Claire’s food looked luxurious and delicious, making it almost rude to compare it to No. 25’s simple meal.
Perfectly grilled scallops, thick steak, and even the garnishes beside it all stimulated No. 25’s appetite.
No. 25, who was still growing, didn’t refuse her kindness and subtly pulled the plate towards him.
Of course, he didn’t eat it ravenously like a glutton. He still had some conscience, so before eating the food Claire gave him, No. 25 barely swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth and asked.
“Are you sure I can eat this?”
Claire, who had been watching No. 25 eat with a pleased expression, quietly opened her mouth.
“That’s about all you need to know about the academy’s main facilities. If you’re okay with it, how about we go to our clubroom?”
No. 25 raised his head from his utensils and met Claire’s eyes. Her blue eyes, which seemed to contain the sea, were shining even brighter than usual.
No. 25 swallowed the food in his mouth and asked back.
“Clubroom?”
“The students at the academy have gatherings of people with similar skills, hobbies, or tastes for self-improvement or to interact with others. For example, there are groups for pharmaceutical research, magic research, swordsmanship research, and so on. Oh, and it’s a good opportunity for upperclassmen and lowerclassmen, who don’t usually see each other because they use different buildings, to get to know each other. So, you can say that 90% of the academy students are members of clubs. So, Ryu, I’d like to invite you to join the club I’m in. Would that be okay?”
“I’d be happy to.”
“This way.”
No. 25 had just finished his meal.
Claire got up from her seat and returned to the central building, then climbed the spiral staircase located inside the central building, arriving at the third floor of the central faculty building.
Unlike the first floor, the third floor didn’t have a maze-like corridor; there was only one straight corridor. The golden corridor, decorated with various statues and lights, was dazzling.
Claire stopped only when she stood in front of a large door at the far end of the third-floor corridor, then turned around to face No. 25.
“We’re here.”
No. 25 raised his head and looked at the plaque above the door.
‘Student Council’
It was clearly written there.
Student Council. Even the ignorant No. 25 knew about the Student Council.
A group led by students that controlled and managed the events within the academy to some extent.
Claire opened the large door with a familiar motion and pulled No. 25 inside by the wrist.
Inside the clubroom, which was filled with the strong scent of black tea, the two women who had been by Claire’s side during their first encounter were solemnly flipping through documents and working.
The air was so heavy that even speaking seemed rude, and No. 25 trembled as he sat on the sofa that Claire pointed to, swallowing hard.
She sat No. 25 down and then sat at the desk located at the innermost part of the clubroom, crossing her legs.
An indescribable noble aura could be felt in that series of movements. She was truly one of a kind, with a dignity that set her apart from the other students, and No. 25 took a deep breath.
He carefully shifted his gaze; on the desk where Claire was sitting, there was a nameplate with the words “Student Council President” written in large letters.
“Ryu, I’ll be honest. Won’t you join the Student Council?”
As the saying goes, the position makes the person; Claire’s voice, sitting in the position of Student Council President, was heavier than usual.
It was hard to believe that she was the same person who had been laughing and chatting just a moment ago.
No. 25 wiped away the cold sweat that was flowing without him realizing it and answered in a trembling voice.
“Me…? I just enrolled today…?”
“That doesn’t matter. I saw potential in you. An upright gaze that can lead this academy in the right direction.”
Even if she suddenly said such a thing, it didn’t feel real.
He had never thought that his eyes had such a gaze.
He was confused.
She didn’t seem like the Claire he knew.
No. 25 squeezed his brain as much as possible to come up with an answer in order to avoid the current situation.
“I’ll think about it for a bit… It’s hard to choose right away.”
Claire didn’t bother to hold onto someone who was leaving. Rather, she gave her signature smile. It was a smile that seemed to say that you would inevitably return here.
“Okay, I’ll be waiting for a good answer. I’m usually here, so come find me whenever you make up your mind.”
“…Yes.”
After ending the unsettling farewell that overshadowed the good memories, No. 25 trudged out of the building, where he was greeted by students forming a crowd.
However, the students’ enthusiasm wasn’t directed at No. 25.
A presence that was clearly noticeable even among the students.
He had vaguely noticed it thanks to the presence of numerous crows flying in the academy’s sky.
Low saw No. 25 standing at the main gate of the central faculty building and waved her hand slightly.
“There you are…”
With a sound that seemed to ring in his ears, Low approached No. 25 as if gliding and hugged him without paying attention to the gazes of the surrounding students.
A voluptuous chest buried in his face, suffocating him, and a sweet scent.
No. 25 was about to wrap his arms around her waist as usual, but he realized that this was the academy and carefully moved away from her so as not to upset Low.
“L-Lord Low? What brings you here…?”
Low tilted her head as if she didn’t understand No. 25’s words.
“Didn’t I say I would come to pick you up when your day was over?”
He definitely remembered that, but it wasn’t even noon yet.
It was too early to say that the day was over.
Low seemed to be aware of this as well, as she hugged No. 25, who had moved away from her, again and whispered in a small voice that only he could hear.
“Just for today, only for today… Can I be a little spoiled…?”
“Ryu… It’s only been a few hours, but I feel so lonely without you by my side… I’ve never felt this way before…”
A watery voice devoid of the Demon Lord’s dignity, and to make matters worse, Low pressed No. 25’s face against her chest and muttered in an even smaller voice.
“The more I think about you, the more it hurts here, as if I’ve been stabbed deeply with a dagger… I can’t take it anymore. I’m sorry for being such a bad mother…”
Listening to her slow tone, which trailed off more and more, how could he possibly voice a single objection that he had been thinking of? No. 25 sighed deeply as if he couldn’t help it and decided to follow her wishes.
“Okay, let’s go back.”
At No. 25’s words, Low revealed the emotions she was feeling without filtering them. She hugged No. 25’s slender waist so tightly that it cracked, then opened a rift and returned to District 2.
All that remained in the place where the two had disappeared was the chatter of students speculating about their relationship or blushing and talking about the actions that would take place later.
