Chapter 9: First Meet

It is a single room, but in fact, it is habitually called a “single room”.

The fees at the Royal Academy are very high, and the accommodation fee can be several hundred to thousands of coins. They don’t want to let the students live in poor conditions, even in the eight-person rooms. The room configuration is not bad. Each person has a bed, a desk, and a locker with a lock. However, some dormitories, regardless of the number of occupants, have the same overall layout.

In addition, the room that used to accommodate eight people now becomes a single dormitory, with a significant increase in the accommodation fee. The furnishings are not much different.

Aresia’s single room is designed as a one-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom suite, with spacious space and good lighting. The furniture is also fully equipped. The previous owner has replaced some things with new ones, but it is not particularly luxurious, just matching the taste of the nobility. Aresia can move in directly with her suitcase.

However, in the eyes of the maids, this room still needs some cleaning before it can be used.

They carried a bunch of luggage, started unpacking, and cleaning the bathroom. Aresia said goodbye to the maids and mentioned that she wanted to explore the campus a bit.

Luna suggested sending someone to accompany her, but her request was declined.

Tomorrow is the official report day of the students in the Royal Academy. Although there are people like Aresia who arrived early to report, they are a minority. After all, many nobles emphasize arriving late to demonstrate their status.

Aresia walked around the campus following her memory to familiarize herself with the route, encountering various people along the way.

The Royal Academy occupies a vast area of several hundred hectares, but the number of students is only a few thousand. In reality, the proportion of the entire campus is not high, and some vacant land is arranged as gardens and lawns. Surrounded by vegetation, the campus looks like a painting.

The main entrance of the academy is in the east, not far from the entrance is a fountain square, and the main building of the academy is located on the square. The classrooms and offices of various departments are also located here. On the other side of the main building is the cafeteria, and further ahead is a greenhouse with magical plants.

To the right of the fountain square is the Auditorium. Behind the Auditorium is the field the largest area in the entire Academy, most used by the warrior department. There are stables built on the edge of the field against the north wall. Students of the knight division of the warrior department cannot live without their mounts.

Behind the field, in the northwest corner of the Academy is the experimental building of the magic department. Magic experiments are very dangerous and cause a lot of noise, so they are placed in the most remote location, separated from all other buildings.

Just as when Aresia want to walk fast the field to go to the library, she caught someone riding a horse from a distance, the horse is not aesthetically beautiful, but it is physically strong. From a distance Aresia can’t see the man’s face so she just walks again to go to the library.

After walking a while at the edge of the field, the man happened to pass by her, and when Aresia saw the man’s face she felt a sense of familiarity.

She recognized the tall and slender figure, an acquaintance from her previous life.

He was a rising star of the present generation, a prominent figure in the future of the Warrior Division. Despite starting as a civilian, he rose to become the Chief of the Warrior Division, and he had been dominating the rankings for five years.

Moreover, while others held the rank of Chief, he had already reached the level of a Third-Class Chief, making him the Chief of the entire Warrior Division. His strength was formidable, and his potential caught the attention of many.

What’s remarkable is that he was a civilian, yet he garnered envy from others, and many tried to win him over.

Aresia knew this person from her previous life, but they had no social interactions, so her understanding of him was limited. The only information she had was that after graduating, he received invitations from several legions, but he chose to join the Emperor’s Legion, personally commanded by the Emperor.

She only heard about him when she was sent back to the Duke’s territory due to a mistake and overheard a conversation among a few servants.

It was not good news at all. They said that this talented young man had tragically fallen, which was truly lamentable.

This memory replayed in her mind as Aresia walked to the library, but she pushed it aside.

The Royal Library was the largest collection of books in the entire Holy Lotean Empire. The magical books in this library occupied a whole floor, something not seen in other places.

Unlike the laboratories, the library was not locked, and no proof was required to enter. Only when borrowing books, a library card was needed, and a deposit had to be paid. For a regular library card, a deposit of ten gold coins was required to borrow ordinary books. However, for a magic library card, which allowed borrowing magic books, a deposit of one hundred gold coins was necessary. The difference between the two was significant.

Aresia was well aware of the rules and had brought gold coins with her. She had already completed the registration process and received a magic library card. She handed the card and the coins to the librarian and soon received a borrowing card.

“Please keep it safe. If it’s lost or damaged, you’ll need to pay a replacement fee of ten gold coins.”

Aresia took the card and headed straight to the top floor, where the magic book section was located. The library was spacious and had only a few people. Aresia chose an interesting magic book and found a seat to read at her own pace.

The magical level in Aresia’s world was higher than in this world. However, she found the unique strengths of magic in this world intriguing. Exploring the differences between the two worlds was her goal, as she considered them worthy of study.

After some time, Luna came to find her.

“Miss, it’s time to go back.”

Aresia looked up and realized it was already getting late.

Although Aresia had reported her arrival today, she didn’t plan to stay in the dormitory. Her Duke father and older brother were personally escorting her to the academy, not only out of their care for her but also to demonstrate their status.

Moreover, her clothes had already been sent to the Gryphon Legion. Her father and brother would likely have some questions when she returned.

Aresia took the magic book she had finished reading and went to the library to check it out before immediately returning to the academy.

Upon arriving back at the Duke’s residence, she was informed that her brother Amos had already returned.

Since she wasn’t certain when he would come back, the Duke father didn’t wait for him to have dinner. Aresia took her seat, and the servants brought the meal to the table.

This is Aresia’s first meeting with her brother Amos. Amos resembles Duke Rogest, both in stature and facial features. He is a cheerful and light-hearted young man. As soon as he sees Aresia, he smiles and asks, “How are you feeling? Are you excited?”

Aresia smiles back at him and replies, “I’m feeling great. I’ve been looking forward to this.”

She is especially excited about entering the laboratory.

Although it is not as well-equipped as the magic tower she remembers from the Royal Academy, it is still decent.

What’s more important is that it meets the qualifications set by the academy. The magic laboratory is not something that can be accessed by anyone.

Amos smiles and says, “I knew you would like it. By the way, father really likes the clothes you gave us. We are wearing them today.”

Aresia has already noticed a corner of their shirts peeking out from beneath their collars and asks, “Are they comfortable to wear?”

“Very comfortable. Wearing armor for training is not something that requires endurance, as I’ve experienced before. The soldiers envy me.”

Although Amos is duke heir and a distinguished graduate of the Royal Academy, he started his career as a junior officer in the Gryphon Legion. Now he is a centurion, leading a hundred-strong cavalry unit. He trains with them every day, wearing heavy armor that is not only cumbersome but also very hot.

Although it is nearly April, the temperature is slightly lower than usual. The soldiers are still wearing their armor, whether it be tight-fitting clothes or loose robes, to protect their skin from abrasion. These clothes have a certain thickness, which is necessary in this cold weather. The intensity of the cavalry training is enough to make them sweat profusely, feeling as hot as if they were trapped in a steamer.

Nowadays, there is a temperature control magic array on the new clothes, allowing the soldiers to adjust their body temperature. Amos immediately put on one of these clothes and wore a thin inner lining under his armor. As a result, throughout the entire training session, he didn’t feel any heat. When the training ended, his clothes still looked clean and tidy, thanks to the effect of a cleaning magic array.

While others were sweating heavily when they took off their armor, Amos remained fresh and not a single hair on his head was wet. At that moment, Amos truly stood out in the crowd.

As a noble, whenever circumstances allowed, Amos had a slight obsession with cleanliness. He wondered if he should ask his sister about applying a temperature control and cleaning magic array to other aspects, such as his armor, weapons, and even horse equipment.

Just as he was about to ask, Duke Rogest coughed, interrupting him.

The Duke raised an eyebrow and said, “Save your questions for after dinner.”

Amos shrugged at his sister, Aresia, who responded with a smile. He obediently closed his mouth and continued eating.