The burden of the exams had finally lifted.

  With that, Seneca and Kito decided to proceed with their conversation about Lucius.

  Since their arrival in the capital, Seneca and Maiol had been gathering information in the city and at the Adventurers' Guild. However, there had been no sign of any new information about the Saint.

  The three of them sensed that something odd was happening.

  While they had initially believed that the ck of information reaching Baetica was simply due to the distance, they thought they might be able to find out more by visiting the Church's headquarters. However, given the complete ck of information, probing further seemed unwise.

  Assuming that the situation might be a result of power struggles or conspiracies, the three discussed various possibilities.

  As a result, they agreed that their next step should be to visit the elderly priest they had met in Baetica, the one who had appraised their skills. They felt he was the most reliable person to approach. Seeking Lucius directly seemed too dangerous.

  Kito remembering the priest's name was a great advantage. The priest's name was 'Primus'. There was a chance he might know something at the Church in the capital.

  Of course, there was a risk that a Baetica native visiting Primus could lead to unwanted consequences. However, they didn’t think things would escate that far.

  The reason they were confident in this approach was that all three of them were well-known. Their successful entrance into the Royal Academy meant they would be protected by the school.

  They continued their discussion and decided on a pn of action.

  The first priority was to enrol in the academy. While they were well-known, they were still considered mere youths. However, by enrolling in the school, their status would be guaranteed, and the school would offer them further protection. If they excelled, their situation would improve even more.

  Once they had settled in, they would find a chance to express their desire to meet Priest Primus at the Church.

  It was ter revealed that many people who had their skills appraised by the priest wished to thank him, and those with the achievements to enter the Royal Academy wouldn’t find it unusual to express gratitude to him.

  If they were able to meet Primus as a result, that would be ideal. But if not, they would need to find another way to learn his whereabouts. The Royal Academy had long breaks, so Seneca and Maiol decided they would spend their time training as adventurers and searching for both Primus and Lucius.

  "Right now, this is as far as we’ve thought. I’ll try to gather information at the Magic School as well," Seneca said.

  "Yes, let’s each expand our networks and see what we can find," Maiol replied.

  With that, their meeting concluded.

  ...

  Ten days ter, the day of Seneca and Maiol's move-in arrived.

  The dormitory was located on the outskirts of the Adventurers' Academy campus.

  The boys' and girls' dormitories were quite distant from one another, and it took some time for the two genders to meet.

  Seneca and Maiol did not have many personal belongings, so their move was retively light. However, since they would continue their adventures as adventurers, they knew they would need many items, including camping gear.

  They had sold their heavier items in Baetica, knowing it would be easier to repurchase them ter. They pnned to buy what they needed after moving in. Since the Adventurers' Academy provided some loaned equipment, they figured they might be able to rely on that.

  When they arrived at the dormitory, many other students were already gathered there. Most of the students, aside from a few nobles, would be staying in the dorms, so despite it being the move-in day, there were many people present.

  A list of the room assignments was posted on the door.

  "Maiol, our rooms are next to each other, but we’re not in the same room," Seneca remarked.

  "That's true. But if we had been assigned the same room, we might have ended up alone together all the time. It might be better this way. Getting along with strangers is an important skill for an adventurer," Maiol replied.

  Seneca nodded as she listened to Maiol.

  "There are also rooms with four people," Seneca noted.

  "Yes, I only found out ter that we could have requested a four-person room if we had wanted. I didn’t know that at first," Maiol expined.

  "Ah, I thought all the rooms were two-person rooms."

  "It seems that only top students, like those in Css B or above, or those with money, get two-person rooms."

  "I see. Four-person rooms sound like a lot of fun though."

  "Well, yes. But considering how many secrets you keep, I think two-person rooms are probably better for you. It would be ideal if our new roommate is someone who keeps quiet too," Maiol said with a smirk.

  "I wonder what Gaia will be like. I’m looking forward to meeting her," Seneca said. "Let’s head to our room now."

  Seneca and Maiol followed the dormitory map to find their rooms.

  ...

  When Seneca entered her room, no one was there.

  The room was rger than she had expected. It was spacious enough compared to the room she had shared with Maiol, with plenty of space for storage.

  There was a bunk bed and two desks. Seneca didn’t have any particur preferences, but knowing that some people were particur about which bed they took, she decided not to choose one yet.

  After lightly organizing her belongings, Seneca found herself with nothing to do. So, she decided to engage in her usual way of passing the time.

  After her encounter with Attalos, Seneca had managed to wrap fire around her [Magical Needle]. Although it was inefficient and clumsy, it proved to be possible.

  Her efforts had paid off.

  Seneca had always questioned the meaning of her pursuits, but she couldn’t stop searching for magic. She had told herself many times that there was no meaning in it, and others had told her the same. But now, meaning had appeared.

  Seneca was currently attempting to convert her magic power into ice attribute.

  Perhaps there were more meaningful practices she could engage in, but whenever she had free time, she would wrestle with her magic.

  She had no clues. She simply thought that it was probably the opposite of fire, and so she kept trying without any direction.

  Seneca understood that this was likely obsession.

  She had suppressed feelings she had long hidden, but now they had broken free and were running wild. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from striving to master the same ice-based magic as her mother.

  ...

  After immersing herself in magic conversion for a while, Seneca sensed a presence outside her room. Then, the door made a sound as it opened, and someone entered.

  Looking towards the door, a tall, slender girl stood in the doorway.

  "Are you Gaia? I’m Seneca, nice to meet you!" Seneca stood up quickly and rushed over to shake hands.

  "Y-yes, nice to meet you. I’m Gaia. Feel free to call me by my first name," the girl replied.

  "Got it! In that case, you can just call me Seneca!" Seneca smiled brightly at Gaia.

  Gaia had a sharp, somewhat stern expression, but her manner of speaking to Seneca was very soft and warm.

  "I'm gd I have someone I can get along with in the same room," Seneca said cheerfully before returning to her training.

  ...

  After Gaia finished unpacking, the two of them chatted about various things. It turned out Gaia also had no particur preferences about the bed’s position, so Seneca took the lower bunk.

  Gaia knew that Seneca was an S-css student, and she had been worried about what kind of person she might be. However, upon meeting her, she was relieved to find that Seneca was a rather carefree girl.

  A carefree genius was a familiar trope in many stories, and Gaia figured that Seneca must be one of those types.

  "So, what kind of adventurer are you, Gaia? I’m a swordswoman, and I’m good at monster hunting and gathering!" Seneca said, her enthusiasm evident.

  "I’m a mage, but I’m not great at practical magic," Gaia replied. "If I had to pick something, I’d say I’m good at gathering. I’m particurly good at remembering information about materials."

  "That’s interesting! Maybe we can team up for gathering quests!" Seneca said.

  Gaia was taken aback by Seneca’s energy.

  "Ah, by the way, I should tell you first—my skill is [Sewing]. So sometimes I’ll be sewing things, but I also practice sewing through combat with enemies. Don’t be too surprised, alright?"

  Saying this, Seneca took out her [Magical Needle] and showed it to Gaia.

  Gaia didn’t fully understand what Seneca meant, but she was swept along by her enthusiasm and replied, "I-I understand."

  Afterward, the two continued to discuss their living arrangements before moving on to talk about the academy. Gaia, being from a town near the capital, was familiar with the area and had a wealth of information to share.

  On the other hand, Seneca, despite being a special student, didn’t know some of the basics, which surprised Gaia, but she thought it was a rather adventurer-like thing to do.

  ...

  At dinner time, the two headed to the cafeteria.

  When they opened the door, they saw Maiol standing right there.

  "Ah! Maiol, what are you doing here?" Seneca excimed.

  "I thought we could go to the cafeteria together. Oh, and you must be her roommate, right?" Maiol said as she greeted Gaia politely.

  "I’m Maiol, and I’m part of Seneca’s party. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

  "Oh, another S-css... I’m Gaia. Nice to meet you."

  "I have a friend in my room too. Shall we all go to the cafeteria together?" Maiol suggested.

  "Of course!" Seneca agreed.

  Maiol knocked on the door of the neighbouring room, and a pale-skinned girl with red hair came out. She was slightly shorter in stature.

  "Hello! My name is Prautia. It’s nice to meet you!" the girl said nervously, bowing deeply.

  Seneca looked into Prautia’s blue eyes as she returned the greeting.

  "I’m Seneca. I’m friends with Maiol. Nice to meet you!"

  "I’m Gaia. Nice to meet you," Gaia added.

  Prautia bowed several more times, so much that it almost sounded like the sound of rustling clothes.

  "Let’s head to the cafeteria now. We’ll discuss the details there," Maiol said, walking ahead.