I walked out of the arena with my hands in my pockets.
It was a nice evening with an orange glow on the horizon.
I walked slowly to the administration building.
After finishing all my tests, I took my time, not feeling rushed.
After a while, I found my way to the front desk of a giant three-story building.
I walked up with my hands still in my pockets. I guess I came at a lucky time since nobody else was here.
A young girl with pretty blonde hair and golden eyes was sitting behind the desk, writing something in a notebook.
Not wanting to bother her, I waited a bit. But after thirty seconds, she was still writing, so I tapped the desk and started to talk.
"Hello, my name is Sylas, no last name, I'm here to sign up for a dorm room?"
She jumped in surprise and threw her notebook in the air, hitting the ceiling and sending papers flying all over the place.
That was... unexpected.
She instantly started to apologize.
" OH MY GOSH, I'M SO SORRY"
She got on her knees after going around the desk and started to pick up the papers right away.
"I'LL CLEAN THESE UP RIGHT AWAY AND THEN HELP YOU WITH YOUR DORMS."
I started to help her pick them up while glancing at words written on the paper, well, all of the papers.
They all seemed pretty similar after all, being a little nosy, I read that it was a message to her parents, but I stopped there for respect reasons.
" A message to your parents already? You guys must be close."
I said that while picking up the last of the papers and handing them to her.
she gave me a dry smile.
"I wouldn't say too close, more so apologizing for not getting in the top five of the entrance exams, I'm sure you know how it is. Us nobles and our parents' expectations."
She collected the papers and then went back behind the table.
"I don't know too well, I'm not a noble after all."
Her eyebrows went up in surprise.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just assumed since most who come to Castor or Pollux are nobles."
I waved my hand as if saying it wasn't a big deal.
"I'm Clarice Norton, by the way, nice to meet you."
She stuck her hand out and I shook it, introducing myself.
"I'm Sylas, I don't have a last name. It's nice to meet you as well."
She didn't seem surprised by my name, so it must not have spread that I ranked first yet, or maybe it's not a big deal.
She clapped her hands together before handing me a keycard with the number 312 and Building G on it.
"Ok, everything is settled. You are in building G, room 312, you have one roommate named..... oh wow."
Surprise shows on her face.
"What?"
I mutter
"What a coincidence, your roommate is my brother River Norton."
River Norton, huh, I've heard of the Nortons before. They are a large military family with a lot of sway in the Rividen kingdom. I think the house head holds the position of duke.
I guess that means both this girl and my roommate are kind of big shots, so better not to offend them.
"Is he as clumsy as you?"
I asked her with a smirk.
"Ha ha, very funny. To be honest, he's kind of a hard ass; he's trying very hard to get the position of heir in our family right now. He ranked 5th, so I assume he's pretty upset about not getting top three."
She fixed her shirt and blouse while continuing to talk.
"Rank means everything to nobles around here."
We continued to talk for a minute or two while she told me some important information. Apparently, I can find my classes in my room, which is very convenient.
A couple of minutes later, I set off for my dorm, after all, it was almost night time and I was tired from today's events.
I wandered around, going into three separate dorm buildings before finding building G.
I went to the third floor where I found my room.
"Room 312"
I knocked on the door twice before using my keycard and tapping the front lock.
"Click"
The circle in the middle of the lock turned green before the door unlocked, and I opened the door.
I walked in and was instantly surprised by the sheer size of the room. It was huge.
There was a giant sitting room in the middle with some couches and a coffee table, which connected to a room with two double-sized beds spaced by about fifteen feet.
On the other side, it connected to a bathroom, or I assume so, I can hear the water running from the shower.
I guess that's my roommate, River Norton.
I unpacked my bag I've been carrying around and leaving behind while I do my tests the whole day, and made myself comfortable.
I even tried on my uniform I found hanging in the closet on my side of the room, one of many pairs hanging.
It fit surprisingly snug.
As I had just finished changing into my underwear to go to sleep, the shower door flew open and I saw my roommate.
like his sister, he had Blonde hair, and his eyes also shone the same yellowish/goldish color. He was stocky, looked to be about my height, maybe a bit taller, and had a handsome charm to him.
The part that made me smile, though, was the rough hands he had. I could tell he worked hard for those calluses.
As I studied him, I could tell he was doing the same.
After walking closer and taking a long look at me, he held his hand out with a giant smile.
"Hey, my name's River, River Norton. It's a pleasure to meet you, Rank number one."
My eyebrows rose in surprise, so he knows my rank?
I reached out and gripped his hand firmly.
"Pleasure is mine, rank number five. My name is Sylas, I don't have a last name."
His smile turned into a full-on laugh before he said, between breaths.
"So it's true, a commoner ranks first this year, how funny is this? I bet each kingdom is livid."
He let go of my hand before he jumped onto his bed.
"The showers are free if you want to use them. I'm going to bed in a minute to prepare for classes tomorrow. I suggest you do the same."
"That's it?"
I mumbled
He looked back at me, confused.
"Did you need something else?"
"Well, your sister said you were upset you ranked fifth, so I thought you would've given me a harder time, to be honest, you seem pretty chill to me though."
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
"I'm surprised you met Clarice, that's quite the coincidence, but I suppose Father told her to help with administration this year, as for you ranking number one, you're right, I don't care."
He looked me straight in the eyes.
"Don't get me wrong, I want first, but if you're ranked first right now, it just means you deserve it more. I'll get it when I have the skill for it."
He put his hands behind his head as he fully layed down.
"Unless, of course, you're unworthy, then I'll beat your ass when ranking comes around and just take your spot."
I nodded
"Seems fair to me."
The rest of the night went quickly. I showered, and then River and I talked a bit about our opponents in the third trial, before we both went to sleep.
Today was an eventful day. I'm excited for my first official day at Castor Academy tomorrow.
End of chapter 12