Chapter 10: A Chaotic Welcome

An Unexpected Twist

The red-haired girl stopped at a fork in the path.

“…?”

Her sudden halt made me and the other freshmen exchange puzzled glances, but her stifled laughter cut us off.

“Heh, chuckle…! Stupid fools!”

What? What’s going on?

The ominous vibe made everyone’s expressions harden.

Some hot-headed students already had their hands half on their sword hilts.

After giggling with her head bowed, she suddenly snapped it up, wearing a grin that could split her face.

“You dim-witted humans…! Following a stranger without a hint of suspicion…! So foolish!”

She flung her arms wide.

A magic circle glowed faintly, rising from the ground.

Its blood-red shimmer looked unmistakably sinister.

The circle, now hovering between us and her, began to spin slowly.

Still with arms outstretched, she shouted at us.

“Now, bow down! To the hero of our demon race, the Blood Fiend ‘Sanguinua’… Eek!”

Thankfully, the red-haired girl didn’t finish her incantation.

Orphe launched himself at her, swinging his sword wide.

“W-Wait!”

“Die, demon!”

She somehow dodged the first strike but stumbled and fell on her rear.

Orphe stood over her, expressionless, ready to deliver the final blow.

At that moment, someone emerged from the ominous magic circle.

“Tada! Surprise success! Welcome, freshmen… Stop!”

A red-haired man, arms full of roses, lunged toward Orphe in a panic.

A Misunderstood Prank

“…So, you’re saying this was a prank to welcome the freshmen?”
‘Are you kids?’

“Exactly!”

The red-haired girl nodded, laughing.

Are you actually a kid?

Well, they kind of are.

The academy only admits students over twenty.

It’s not purely for academic study, so you won’t find any thirteen-year-old genius girls skipping grades here.

Even so, they’re barely twenty.

Don’t college freshmen still feel like kids sometimes?

No?

You’ll understand… when you’re older…!

“Oh, introductions are late. I’m Sanguinua, a second-year. This is my twin sister, Ledel, also a second-year.”

“I’m Ledel, the twin sister!”

After Sanguinua, the man who emerged from the circle, introduced himself, Ledel waved both hands brightly.

Her playful gestures slowed.

Soon, she stopped waving and crouched before the pile of roses Sanguinua dropped to save her.

With careful hands, she picked up the fallen flowers one by one.

“Sniff… I picked only the prettiest ones…”

Then she glared at Orphe, her eyes slightly red and teary, like a rabbit’s—kinda cute.

“You’re mean!”

“You should’ve been prepared for that when you impersonated a demon.”

“Still, I hate you!”

Ledel scrunched her nose, probably trying to look threatening.

But with her small, animal-like charm, she was more likely to get petted than feared.

“She’s adorable…”

A voice from a freshman behind us.

See? A tiny thing under 150 cm can only be cute, no matter how tough she acts.

Having gathered all the roses, Ledel let out a deep sigh.

“I was going to give each of you a flower as a welcome gift… Oh, I’ve got it!”

Her face lit up as she exclaimed.

Her ever-changing expressions were lively and fun to watch.

Muttering softly, she tossed the bouquet of roses above her head.

“Scatter! Thousand Roses!”

The roses she threw burst into petals, scattering around us.

Like a slow-motion explosion, the petals spread in all directions, gently falling with the breeze—a breathtaking sight.

In the rain of countless petals, Ledel beamed.

“Pretty, right? Our gift to you friends is this scene. Welcome to the academy!”

I, along with the other freshmen, was mesmerized by the beauty.

Only Orphe remained unfazed, questioning Ledel.

“Never seen that magic before. Are you really not a demon?”

“I said I’m not!”

“Liars aren’t trustworthy.”

“Ugh! Really! Listen to your senior!”

…Is this guy a sociopath, not a cider-path?

The Fork in the Road

I later learned that the fork was where the male and female dorms split.

Orphe and some male students followed Sanguinua down the left path.

Ledel planned the commotion to give us a welcome gift before we parted ways.

The petal-scattering magic was a simple wind spell she’d adapted.

Her family operated like a magic tower, and she’d learned the technique as a child.

She said she made it by playing with flowers around her mansion, and though it looks simple, keeping the petals intact while spreading them is surprisingly complex…

How do I know all this?

“…So, I didn’t know the seniors would haze us in the dorms too, and I just walked in and—whoa! I was so shocked I cried right there…”

With Ledel’s nonstop chatter for over ten minutes by my side, it’s not hard to know.

Fifirel and other freshmen were already keeping their distance, overwhelmed by her energy.

I couldn’t escape because of this isekai saintess’s kind-speech-and-deed code.

Isn’t ignoring someone rude too?

Can’t you consider my ears, you divine jerk?

[The God of Dreams says to see it as part of your temple plan to make female friends.]

[The God of Affection asks what happened at the temple.]

[The God of Dreams asks if he can talk about his great deeds there.]

Great deeds?

You made Bonumia do it, didn’t you?

You left only one room available, you jerk!

The gods’ voices cut off abruptly.

‘They ran away, huh…’

“…So they said no swimming practice in the bathhouse, and I asked where the line is between swimming and necessary bath movements, and the caretaker grandma begged me to stop—Isidora, are you okay?”

Ledel noticed me clutching my head and asked with concern.

You’re the reason, girl.

My ears are bleeding.

Please, just stop!

…But I couldn’t say that, so I gave a weak smile.

“I guess I’m just tired from all of today’s events.”
‘Save me.’

“Right, you were rolling like crazy earlier. It was funny at first, but then it felt kinda impressive. Not many avoid getting hit by Baidan’s dummy even once. Oh, do you know why Baidan’s nickname is ‘One-Man-Army’? It goes back ten years to the war…”

Ledel, stop!

The Dormitory

Ledel’s chatter finally stopped when we reached the girls’ dormitory.

Thankfully, as the guide for the training ground and dorms, she left to greet more freshmen.

Another kind-looking senior took over, showing us the facilities: a small training ground, a library for practice, a dining hall, and a lounge for tea.

There was, of course, a bathhouse—surprising, considering nobles usually bathe privately.

Guess noble pride can’t beat academy story tropes.

No bathhouse event, no academy story, right?

After showing us the sauna, the senior called out our assigned room numbers.

With so few students, it didn’t take long.

My room was 404.

That number feels a bit unlucky…

[The God of Entertainment says that’s just superstition.]

In a world with gods, why can’t I believe in superstition?

It’s not like this is Korea.

I’d look weird if I mentioned it.

But seeing my roommate made my faith in superstition skyrocket.

“Isadora… right? The rolling saintess? I’m Fifirel from the Thornwood Tribe. Nice to meet you.”

It’s Isidora, you jerk.

Of all people, a heroine candidate as my roommate?

What if I walk in one day and find her tangled up with Orphe?

My head already hurts.

I smiled and shook her outstretched hand.

“I’m Isidora. Nice to meet you.”
‘Don’t forget my name, you cow.’

After a light handshake, Fifirel opened the door.

The room was about 30 square meters—plenty for one, a bit tight for two.

The beds took up most of the space, making it feel smaller.

Oh, a private bathroom? Not bad.

Gotta have a bathroom.

With nothing else to see, Fifirel and I entered and unpacked.

Unlike my light luggage, Fifirel’s bags were heavy.

Out came a rolled-up bow, strange herbs, and bottles of weird liquids.

Feeling my gaze, she smiled awkwardly.

“Herbs and potions from my tribe. I heard it’s hard to find them here because of the war.”

So if they were easy to find, she’d have gone digging for them herself?

What is she, a sergeant foraging in the hills on her day off?

As Fifirel started untying her armor, I had to look away.

Even I’m not trashy enough to stare at a stranger changing.

Just sneak a peek or two.

She loosened the straps at her waist and pulled the armor over her head.

A linen shirt came into view.

Then she slowly unbuttoned it.

“Phew…”

I quickly looked away as her head seemed to turn.

Glancing back, she was half-wearing her shirt, focused on something.

From the side, it looked like her chest area…

Is she massaging it because she’s self-conscious about her size?

Have some shame—there’s someone else here.

If massages made them bigger, every woman would be stacked…

Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over her shirt.

What the—?

Fifirel, noticing my stare, turned toward me.

“Isidora?”

She placed a bandage on the bed and spoke.

Between her open shirt, a massive curve…

Two watermelons hung from Fifirel’s chest.

“Wow.”

Pure awe spilled from my mouth.