Chapter 456
The structure of the Summoning Department dormitory was quite unusual.
"How many roofs does that even have?"
It was a large wooden building, with roofs jutting out like mountain peaks.
It felt like one big building with multiple rooms haphazardly attached together. It was slightly worrisome, wondering if it might collapse, yet there was a peculiar charm to it. It was like a fairy-tale hermitage in the forest, conjured up by a retired witch out of boredom.
True to the Summoning Department, some rooms were made of bones, while others wriggled and moved. A large tree even pierced through the dormitory’s roof, and small houses clung to its branches.
Guarding the entrance were two skeletons over three meters tall. They held massive halberds, causing the second-year students to tighten their expressions.
"Ah, that’s just for decoration."
Leonard’s words eased the students’ tension as they passed by.
"Phew, that was scary."
"Is this decoration too?"
One student lightly kicked a statue. But the statue suddenly sprang to life and struck the student with its paw.
"Hyaaah!"
"Hahaha! That’s a real gargoyle! Watch out."
Passing the skeletons and the gargoyle into the interior, a warm scent mixed with the aroma of tree sap filled the air. The orange lights hanging from the ceiling made the dorm interior extremely cozy.
Two stoves emitted gentle warmth, and undead decorations typical of the Summoning Department were scattered throughout. Monster bones creaked as they hung from the ceiling, giving off a realistic, slightly intimidating aura that might be terrifying at night.
There was even an aquarium on one wall.
A school of fish with sharp teeth swirled around, clashing their teeth against the glass whenever upperclassmen touched it. The seniors seemed used to it and played along with the fish with their fingers.
"This is the lobby."
Leonard explained.
"When there’s an announcement to gather in the lobby, come down here and assemble. And this is the dorm caretaker."
A minion sitting at the front desk rose and bowed to the students.
"You may use the lobby freely, but loud noises, smoking, and eating are strictly prohibited."
Leonard naturally moved aside.
"Next is the lounge."
"Wow!"
They continued to explore the lounge, laundry room, and communal kitchen, and it was better than expected. Simon actually preferred this cozy, homey environment to the large, flashy buildings.
Leonard then led the students down to the basement.
"This is the workshop."
Simon’s eyes lit up. This was probably the largest facility in the dorm.
It reminded him of when he first joined the Mutant Club. Various complex devices were installed, and shelves were lined with all kinds of undead materials.
"Each of you will be assigned a desk. Be careful not to touch others’ belongings. The Summoning Department is pretty sensitive about stealing materials. If you want to store materials in the freezer, make sure to label them with your name."
Leonard continued explaining in detail.
‘I like this more and more.’
Simon was quickly captivated by the dorm and the life ahead. This place fulfilled a summoner’s dreams 200%.
"Ugh, the musty smell of corpses~"
Serne spoke without tact. A third-year female student turned to scold her but quickly realized it was Serne and turned back.
There were also several other workshops.
"If we flip this switch…"
Rrrrrr!
Leonard pulled a lever in the adjacent workshop, and with a loud noise, the surroundings turned a bluish hue, as if the room was filling with water.
"…!"
The students looked around. The entire room was saturated with mana.
"Nice, right? If you set up a magic circle here, you’ll get pretty good results. Of course, whoever turns on the mana must turn it off when leaving. If you have questions about using the mana devices, ask the seniors working here; they’ll explain kindly."
Simon and the students explored other facilities too: individual storage, cooling equipment, and even spaces to store captured monsters.
Leonard explained the bathhouse, the facility most students looked forward to, but Simon’s mind was still on the workshop.
"Alright, that’s enough exploring. Now we’ll assign rooms."
Finally!
All second-years tensed.
"Rooms are double occupancy. It’s best to just pair up with someone you’re close to."
"Yesss!!"
"Right. If we wait a bit, the dorm supervisor will arrive."
Leonard went up to the third floor. Second-years would use the first and second floors, while third-years occupied the third and fourth.
Other third-years were also going up.
"Attention, everyone."
Hector, the second-year department representative, stepped forward.
Will, a third-year, patted his shoulder, glanced sharply at the second-years, and followed Leonard upstairs.
"Before assigning rooms, let me explain some simple rules we need to follow."
Simon expected rules about commuting times or bathhouse etiquette, but these were slightly different.
Second-years must never go above the third floor.
Greet upperclassmen politely with a bow.
If seniors are in the personal storage, wait at the entrance and greet them when they leave before using it.
Second-years are responsible for refilling the cooling water.
Follow any errands given by seniors without complaint.
Some rules made sense, others seemed a bit much. These were typical senior-junior customs.
"Simon~ Simon~"
Serne whispered.
"Doesn’t this smell a bit like a dictatorship?"
A few students quietly chuckled. Simon gave Serne a look, while Loraine simply crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought.
"Of course, these are not official school regulations but rules among students."
Hector continued.
"I won’t force you, but as you know, this is part of departmental life. Rejecting what everyone else does makes you a social misfit."
The group fell silent.
"There will be a welcoming party tonight for new students."
Hector looked around at the students.
"Participation is technically optional, but if you’ve got your wits about you, no one should skip it. Seniors’ connections are important for departmental life and even after graduation. There’s no need to pick fights."
Footsteps echoed.
A middle-aged woman in loose clothing approached. Hector quickly stepped aside.
"This is dorm supervisor, Margaret."
Margaret appeared strict and meticulous. Unlike other minions, she had the authority to control students and assign demerits, so students had to be extremely careful.
"I will now explain the rules."
She barely greeted them, immediately launching into the rules.
While Hector explained senior-junior customs, Margaret explained proper daily dorm life: curfew, demerits, laundry etiquette, waste separation, prohibition of alcohol and cigars, and strict punishment for entering a room of the opposite sex without permission.
"As long as you do what you need and rest, the supervisor has no reason to interfere or give demerits."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Please follow the rules carefully."
"Yes!"
"Now we will start room assignments. Walk around freely to check room numbers. If you want to share a room with someone, sign this form together. Male students take the right staircase, females the left."
With a nod, she stepped aside.
"Let’s begin."
Bam!
As soon as she spoke, students rushed toward the stairs to grab the best rooms. Margaret’s mouth opened monstrously.
"I said running indoors is a demerit!!"
The students instantly slowed to walking.
"Especially the green-haired male student and the one next to him on the stairs, come here. That’s a demerit."
"W-what? Already?"
The two lagging behind trudged toward her as Simon walked quickly up to the second floor.
"Eh, what’s this?"
"Looks like there’s no really good spot."
Those who arrived first said this. Simon confirmed that the rooms were mostly identical in size, furniture, and bed size.
If the rooms were all the same, the next most important factor was the roommate.
"Wait, Student Council President!!"
Simon, inspecting rooms, was surprised to turn around. A brown-haired male student grinned at him.
"Want to room with me? Go-go?"
Being approached out of the blue by a stranger was a little overwhelming. More students followed.
"Hey! Simon! That guy’s hitting on you, I saw it!"
"You’re crazy!"
"Simon! I mean, President! You’re from Baldwin, right? Me too!"
The first day of second-year departmental life. Friends from first-year had gone to different departments, leaving everyone in a new situation. If you didn’t have a particularly close friend, sticking to someone well-known was the safest choice.
Of course, Simon was a little puzzled.
‘Since Dick’s gone, it doesn’t really matter who I room with.’
But the few people in front of him didn’t feel so much imposing as blatantly forward.
It didn’t feel like they genuinely wanted to be friends—they looked at his background like they were trying to extract something, and that desire glittered in their eyes.
Simon, scanning the surroundings, noticed a boy standing a little apart behind the students reaching out their hands.
Short and frail, he was glancing sideways at the others, hesitant to speak. After stammering a bit, he gave up and turned his back.
“Thanks for the offers, but I’ll pass.”
Simon spoke.
“I already promised a roommate.”
At that, the short boy who had been walking away stopped in his tracks. Simon looked at him and said:
“That’s right. Toto?”
“!”
Toto whipped around to look at Simon. The surrounding students stared at him in disbelief.
‘Who’s this guy?’
‘The Student Council President, with him?’
Toto swallowed nervously. But more than the pressure from the others, he felt a surge of gratitude that Simon had chosen him.
“That’s right, Simon! Have you decided which room?”
Simon gave a small smile and pointed with a finger.
“How about this one? Close to the stairs, it looks nice.”
“Yeah, perfect!”
The other students eventually gave up and moved along. With just the two of them left, Toto looked at Simon with awe.
“You’re really going to share a room with me?”
Simon scratched the side of his head and smiled awkwardly.
“As long as you’re okay with it.”
“Thank you so much, Simon!”
“No, I’m the one who should be thankful.”
The two of them went down the stairs and signed their names on the room.
“By the way… Fitzgerald?”
“I saw him sign earlier, he already picked a room with someone else.”
“That’s good. Let’s unpack first.”
“Yeah!”
The dorm room was small but cozy. Especially, it felt far more comfortable than the freshman year rooms.
The building itself might have been nicer for freshmen, but back then, three people shared a room. Now, with only two, it felt relatively spacious.
“Simon! Did you know? Third-years get the biggest and nicest room all to themselves!”
“I want to get promoted just to get that room.”
“Ahaha!”
Toto was shy at first but talked a lot once comfortable. Since they both shared an interest in summoning, their conversation flowed easily.
As they unpacked and organized their things from the subspace, time flew by. Before they knew it, evening had fallen.
“Phew.”
Simon sat on the soft bed, gathering his thoughts.
The day was fading, but there was still much to do.
He had to attend the department welcome party, check on what happened with Bahil, and report to Feer’s ruins as a legion commander.
He thought he’d mingle at the welcome party just enough, then slip away.
“The day’s already ending… I’m nervous.”
Toto clicked his teeth while looking out the window.
“Why nervous?”
“The welcome party! I heard the seniors make you drink a lot, force you to perform, and basically hazing stuff…”
“If it feels too much, tell the seniors and slip out quietly.”
“W-How could I say that!”
At that moment, a broadcast came from the corridor.
Student Council President, Simon Follentia. Please come down to the lobby immediately.
Simon stood up.
“Huh? What’s this about?”
“Probably for student council business.”
Simon put a coat over his shirt and prepared to leave. Toto waved reluctantly.
“Come back safely.”
“I’ll drop by the welcome party later, even if it’s late.”
“N-No, stay as long as you can at the council! There’s nothing good for you here anyway. Got it?”
Student Council President, Simon Follentia. Please come to the lobby immediately.
Simon gave a wry smile.
“The dorm supervisor is really impatient. I’ll go.”
“Okay!”
Simon left the room and strode down the stairs.
The supervisor waited in the lobby.
“Simon Follentia. You’ve received a message from the school. Go to the Student Council building immediately.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s a student council meeting. You can get the details there.”
Simon nodded and started walking. Just as he opened the door to leave—
“Simon Follentia.”
Hector, arms crossed, was leaning against the wall. Simon jumped slightly.
“Ah, Hector. Long time…”
“Skip the greetings.”
Hector stepped away from the wall.
“Already planning to mess with the seniors?”
“…What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“The third-year seniors don’t like the second-year Student Council President. If you skip the welcome party using council duties as an excuse, they’ll dislike you even more.”
“….”
Hector continued calmly.
“Anyway, you’ll hand over the position to Senior Aizel in a few months. If you look ahead, you’d calculate which option is wiser to invest your effort in.”
Simon smiled slightly.
“Whether it’s months or weeks, this is my duty. I can’t ignore it.”
“….”
Though he said this, Simon expected Hector to press harder. He was the second-year department representative, after all, and it was his job to make all students attend the welcome party.
But then—
“Do as you please.”
Hector turned and walked away coolly.
“The consequences are yours.”
Click!
The dorm door closed. Simon looked at the darkening garden, tightening his collar.
‘Shall I go?’
* * *
The second-year campus shimmered as the mana-lit street lamps glowed, even in the dark.
Simon reached the central Student Council building without incident.
“We’ve been expecting you, Student Council President.”
A subordinate waiting at the entrance bowed.
“Let’s go to the lounge first. Everyone is waiting.”
Simon followed him to the lit lounge on the first floor. Familiar faces were there.
“Ah, Simon! You’re here?”
Kamibarez fluttered her tiny wings in greeting. Maelyn and Dick, who had slightly stiff expressions, relaxed at the sight of Simon.
“You’re here, President?”
“Hey! My BFF!”
Dick extended his fist; Simon bumped it with his own.
“Hi.”
“Hehe, wow. Just a few hours apart, but why’s everyone so happy to see me?”
“Exactly!”
Kamibarez nodded enthusiastically. Simon made a soft ‘phew’ sound as he perched on the sofa.
“Starting council duties from today, huh?”
“Yeah. They told me to sit here while the council office is being tidied up.”
Maelyn said. Simon straightened his back and looked at his friends.
“How’s the department atmosphere?”
As Simon brought up the topic—
“It’s super, super unfamiliar!”
“Scary! The seniors act all heavy and intimidating!”
“Ha, the Darkness Dynamics department is mild. The Toxicology department is full of crazy people!”
“Our department senior is—”
“Listen! Let me explain first!”
Their words burst out like water breaking through a dam. Simon smiled wryly.
“Tell me about each one.”
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters