Scholarship students were housed in a separate building from those who paid tuition.
The name of Alex’s dormitory was Ironheart.
It was a fitting name for it symbolized resilience, grit, and strength, perfect for scholarship students who had earned their place through hardship and hard work rather than status.
The poetic symbolism evoked a sense of unity, and to outsiders, it was a home where warriors and mages were tempered, not pampered.
At least, that had been the intention when the Ironheart Dormitory was first established.
But now, those who resided within its walls were called many derogatory names, such as iron rats, rust born, and, most commonly, scrapkin. To some nobles, the residents of the Ironheart Dormitory were like a new race of beastkin whose defining trait was, well, being scrap.
Of course, not all nobles were bad.
The majority were actually good and treated scholarship students as friends and equals.
Only the elitists of the academy who prided themselves on their nobility looked down on the masses and treated them as mere playthings.
This mindset was not restricted to students.
A few Professors with noble lineage also looked down on the scholarship students, believing that those specific students were only able to enter their glorious academy through sheer luck.
Naturally, these Professors never said such things out loud, fearing they would get kicked out by the Headmaster of the Academy.
The extent of their discrimination was turning a blind eye whenever they saw some of the nobles abusing scholarship students, even secretly reveling in the victim’s suffering. Of course, some would even go out of their way to cover for the bully.
"The first, second, third, and fourth years have their own dorm leaders," Nessia said as she adjusted her glasses. "This year, I have been personally nominated by the Headmaster to become the Dorm Leader of the First Years."
As the dorm leader of the incoming students, she explained the rules to Alex and Lavinia, who had arrived a bit later.
"Wow, you don’t have to look so smug about it, Nessia," Alex commented because the young lady couldn’t stop her self-satisfied smile from appearing.
"Don’t worry, you can count on me if you have problems." Nessia lightly patted her modest chest as if she could handle everything that the world could throw at her.
"So don’t hesitate to look for me, okay? Since we were on the same team in the second trial, I’ll help you to the best of my ability."
Alex grinned. "Okay, I need your help now. Can you tell us where our rooms are?"
"Of course." Nessia fixed her glasses a second time. "The left wing is for the guys, and the right wing is for the girls. Guys are not allowed to enter the right wing unless they have explicit permission from one of the Dorm Heads.
"Any guy caught sneaking into the girls’ side will be fined 100 gold coins, and on top of that, they might also receive extra punishment from the staff of the academy."
Alex thought that the rule was reasonable since the rooms of boys and girls should be separated from each other in the first place.
"But this rule doesn’t apply to the right wing," Nessia added. "Girls can visit the boys’ dormitory, but we have a curfew. No girls are allowed to stay in the boys’ dormitory past eight in the evening.
"Last but not least, each room will accommodate two students. I have used my authority to put you and Renard together, so no need to thank me."
Alex almost coughed out blood and perished on the spot.
"Um, can you swap him with Charles?" Alex asked. "You know Renard and I don’t really get alon—"
Seeing Nessia break into a mischievous smile, the young man immediately understood that she had done it on purpose!
"Oi! This is abuse of authority!" Alex complained. "Girl, please give me a different roommate. Anyone will do as long as it’s not Renard!"
"You’re fine with anyone?" Nessia’s smile widened.
"On second thought, just make Charles my roommate," Alex said seriously. "Just think of it as a favor from the experiences we shared in the second trial."
Nessia giggled. "I was just teasing you. I knew you and Renard don’t get along, so I made him Charles’ roommate."
Alex sighed in relief when the possibility of spending one entire year living with Renard disappeared.
He and Renard were like oil and water, except oil wanted to kill water for interrupting it mid-dump.
"Your room is room number 13. It’s on the first floor," Nessia said. "As for who your roommate is, I only know of his name, which is Chuck No Rizz."
"... Come again?" Alex blinked.
Chuck was one of the NPCs of ELO. He was known as the greatest troublemaker in the academy.
Due to his good looks, most people wouldn’t think that he’d be such a big troublemaker at first glance.
But as long as they spent some time with him, they would know that this handsome guy was someone who liked to see the world burn.
Chuck was a Fire Mage. If the opportunity ever presented itself, he would not bat an eye and burn the entire academy to the ground.
Do you need a forest fire?
Toss Chuck inside the forest and you get one for free.
Need an Arsonist? Say no more! He is the right man for the job!
Do you need your exam papers to mysteriously vanish in a small "accident" involving fireworks and a summoned salamander? Why, Chuck’s already lighting the fuse!
In the game, he once set off the cafeteria sprinklers because someone said cold food was better than hot.
As for his greatest achievement?
Accidentally inventing the spell "Flashbang Inferno".
An explosion so bright and loud, it gave five professors temporary amnesia and set the student council president’s uniform ablaze.
And no, Chuck didn’t have rizz.
He didn’t flirt. He ignited opportunities and exploded expectations, leaving some of the ladies unable to resist him!
There was even a famous scene that happened during Alchemy Class in the game.
"This potion is highly volatile," the Alchemy Professor stated. "All of you should handle it with care."
Chuck snapped his fingers, and a small spark appeared beside the case filled with potions.
What happened moments later was messy and chaotic, but it could also be described in three words.
Explosion. Smoke. Screaming.
A few months in the future, the academy would try to expel him five times.
But everytime, the paperwork mysteriously caught fire.
Everyone thought not!
The only saving grace was that no one had died from his pranks... At least not yet.
"Sorry, but every other room is already taken," Nessia said firmly after seeing Alex’s complicated expression. "No more room swapping is allowed."
Alex blinked once, then twice, as he gazed at the young lady in front of him.
Compared to Chuck, Renard actually looked cute in comparison!
’Fortunately, I have Svalinn.’ Alex wiped the imaginary sweat on his forehead. ’If worse comes to worst, I’ll just use Shield Bash on him to knock him unconscious.’
With a heavy heart, Alex headed to his room.
He didn’t know why Chuck acted the way he did. Perhaps he just wanted attention.
Regardless of Chuck’s reasons, Alex was bound to spend a year with him. He could only hope that his roommate wouldn’t "accidentally" set his clothes on fire.