Chapter 9

I had arrived at the Royal Capital.

Damn it.

There was no turning back now.

Well, maybe there never was a time to turn back.

The carriage took me straight to the dormitory.

“It’s…smaller than I expected.”

It was was a three-story building.

I was then told that it housed both male and female students.

It seemed quite strange that they weren’t separated.

Having them use the same building could result in trouble.

“Not enough money, perhaps…?”

No, surely that wasn’t the reason.

“The best explanation I can think of is since most students will be joining the army after graduation, they might as well get accustomed to that life early on.”

And follow the rules.

Maybe we would be secretly monitored to ensure that no mistakes were made.

“Still, I should have looked outside more.”

I hadn’t looked outside at all on the way here.

But I had to go to the royal castle tonight.

“Maybe I’ll take a walk later.”

The Dragon Academy was on the north side of the city.

I knew that, at least.

But then again, that was the only thing I knew.

“Uhh. If I’m not wrong, the Dragon Master Grounds were directly north of the castle.”

That was where Dragon Masters trained every day.

I had heard that it was huge. Big enough to contain a small town.

And it was there that Dragon Masters who were in the military lived and slept.

And the Dragon Academy was north of that.

So that meant it was very, very far up north.

“I only saw the merchant district the last time I came here.”

That and the castle.

Of course, it had been nighttime when I went.

So, it seemed like the northern part of the royal capital was reserved for dragons and Dragon Masters.

The citizens of the city did not live in this area much.

It wasn’t as if it was entirely closed off to them, but it felt shockingly remote, considering this was the royal capital.

“It would be a lot easier to navigate if it was on the south side.”

There was a single great road that stretched from the castle to the south.

It was called the ‘Dragon’s Back,’ and flying dragons used it as a landmark for returning to the Dragon Master Grounds.

The road was one-hundred meters wide.

This great road was used during dragon parades as well.

As I stood there, someone came out of the dormitory.

“Are you moving in?”

“Yes. I’m to start studying here this year. My name is Leon.”

“I’m the caretaker. You can call me Conrant. Now, if you would just let me inspect your permit and dragon mark.”

“…Ah.”

I put out my left hand and showed it to him.

“Yes, I see. Very well, Mister Leon. I will take you to your room. Please carry your own belongings.”

With Conrant in the lead, I entered the dormitory.

“It’s very quiet here.”

There didn’t seem to be anyone around.

“Yes, we are in the middle of an extended break, so there are hardly any students here. Only the newly arrived students are present.”

“Is that right?”

“The new second-year students are participating in a military exercise. They will not be back for several days.”

The dragon welcoming ceremony took place immediately on the first month of the new year.

A dragon would come out of the Holy Dragon Gate, which was to the northeast of the city.

We were currently in early March.

The second-years were probably getting used to their dragons by now.

“Mister Leon. Your room is on the second floor. It’s the first on the left after turning the corner.”

“Thank you. …Uh, is there anything I need to be careful about, now that I live here?”

“The dining hall will not be open until the academy is officially open. You can either buy food from the school store or eat out in the city.”

“So, I’ll be able to eat in the dining hall when school starts?”

“You can eat breakfast and dinner there, yes. Most people will buy their lunch at the school store or bring some preserved food with them. You can also go out if you wish.”

“Out of the school? I’m surprised at how relaxed things are. I assumed we’d be forbidden from leaving.”

“Yes, there is freedom in that respect. …Regardless, you will draw a lot of attention in your uniform.”

“…Ahh…”

That was true.

Wandering around in the area after recess would draw a lot of attention.

So I doubted many people did that.

You never knew who was watching.

“As for the building, the bathing room is on the first floor. There are different ones for men and women, so please make you go to the right one. The third floor is for female students only. So be careful.”

“I see. So I only need to be on the first and second floor.”

“Yes. Please call me if you need anything. I will be in the caretaker’s office on the first floor.”

Conrant bowed his head and left.

He seemed awfully humble for a caretaker.

“Six rooms on each side, huh.”

Twelve rooms. Were these all of the male students of the Dragon Academy?

There were four beds in the room and two of them were being used.

“If there are twelve rooms in all and each housed 4 students, that meant there could be up to 48 people here.”

Though, I had heard that about 30 boys and girls got the dragon mark every year.

“So, you get a bed and a desk for yourself. Judging by the way the belongings are placed, these students are likely second-years. The ones who are out training.”

Did that mean they put two first-years and two second-years in each room?

“Will someone else come, or will it just be the three of us…? Well, I’ll find out soon enough.”

I quickly put my belongings down and quietly slipped out of the second-floor window.

I wanted to explore the neighborhood.

I needed a grasp on the area around the school at the very least.

And so I landed in the garden and started to walk in the direction that interested me.