Facing Agatha’s outstretched hand and her clear, pleasant self-introduction, Helos suppressed the urge to complain internally.
Recalling the movements Lilith had taught her countless times, she lightly lifted her skirt and performed a flawless curtsy.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Heinrich.”
She deliberately softened her voice, keeping her tone steady. “I am Helos Olivia. I will be your roommate starting today. Please look after me.”
She reached out and gently shook Agatha’s hand. Her movements were elegant and proper, leaving no trace of the “tomboy” she once was.
‘Damn, muscle memory is a terrifying thing,’ Helos grumbled to herself.
“Whoa—Miss Olivia, your etiquette is so standard!” Agatha’s eyes flashed with a hint of admiration as she watched Helos.
“You’re way better than those wooden blocks in our branch who do nothing but bury their heads in experiments!”
She seemed to have completely forgotten that she had been one of those “wooden blocks” just moments ago.
“You’re too kind… You flatter me,” Helos responded modestly.
“Don’t be so formal! Oh, right, just call me Agatha from now on!” Agatha familiarly grabbed Helos’s wrist. “And I’ll call you Helos!”
The research girl’s crimson eyes were filled with enthusiasm. “Let’s go, let’s go! Since it’s still early, I’ll take you on a tour of our Comprehensive Research Academy! I’ll show you how amazing our academy is!”
She excitedly tried to pull Helos out of the room.
However, before they could step out the door, Agatha’s footsteps came to a sudden halt. Her gaze moved over Helos’s shoulder and landed on Gavi, who was standing quietly behind her.
Gavi wore a simple, dark dress. Her hood covered most of her face, revealing only a gracefully contoured chin and half of her painted mask.
Agatha reached out a finger and cautiously poked the exposed back of Gavi’s hand. The contact felt cold.
“A golem?!” Agatha looked at Helos in surprise. “Is she your guard?”
“Yes, something like that,” Helos nodded. She knew that Gavi’s identity couldn’t be hidden from these students who dealt with various materials every day.
“Her name is Gavi. She came with me to attend school this time.”
“To attend school with you?” Agatha paused. “Can golems enroll as students?”
“My brother said he would discuss it with the Dean to see if she can stay as an auditor or a special guard,” Helos explained.
“I see.” Agatha nodded thoughtfully. She looked at Gavi’s exquisite half-mask, her eyes filled with the curiosity unique to researchers.
“What an intricate creation… I wonder what material drives her? The structural design is very unique too…”
Seeing that Agatha was about to sink into her own world of research again, Helos quickly tugged on her sleeve. “Ahem—Agatha? Weren’t you going to take me on a tour of the academy?”
“Ah, right, right! Look at me, I almost forgot!” Agatha snapped out of it and smiled sheepishly. “Let’s go! We’re heading out now!”
She enthusiastically grabbed Helos’s hand again, this time including Gavi in the gesture, and the three of them walked out of the dormitory building.
The architectural style of the Comprehensive Research Academy was just as Helos had seen before—the walls were covered with the marks of time.
“Our academy might look a bit old, but the facilities inside are the best in the Empire!” Agatha introduced with excitement as they walked.
“Look over there at that building with the giant chimney. That’s our Materials Smelting Center. It houses the most advanced magic furnaces in the Empire!”
She pointed to another building that looked like a library.
“That’s the academy’s Archives. It houses all sorts of ancient books and manuscripts passed down from the early days of the Empire. It’s said that in the deepest parts, there are even forbidden texts that the Dean himself can’t fully decipher!”
“Well, most of those precious items are replicas. The originals aren’t kept here.”
“And that semi-circular building over there is our magic herb greenhouse. It’s filled with all kinds of weird and wonderful magical plants.”
“Of course, many of them are highly toxic, so you have to be careful when you go inside.”
Like an enthusiastic little tour guide, Agatha led Helos and Gavi through every corner of the academy — from the bustling public experiment areas to the quiet, solemn specimen rooms; from the magic herb compounding center that smelled of various strange odors to the workshops filled with various magic tools.
Helos listened with great interest. To her, these places were like paradise. She was already starting to calculate how to use these resources to continue her research once she was settled.
Gavi remained silent, quietly following behind Helos. Occasionally, when she saw students carrying sharp weapons, the points of light in her eye sockets would flicker slightly.
Soon, the tour drew to a close as noon approached.
“We’ve been walking all morning, and I’m hungry.” Agatha patted her stomach and looked at Helos. “I’ll take you to the cafeteria for lunch!”
The academy’s cafeteria was located on the first floor of the Main Castle. It was a massive hall capable of seating thousands of people at once.
Students sat in groups of two or three at the dining tables, enjoying lunch while discussing their studies.
Agatha led Helos to the serving window with practiced ease.
The cafeteria offered a wide variety of dishes, ranging from common roasted meats and vegetables to colorful, exotic dishes prepared with magic.
“This is the Flame Snail Risotto! This is the frost mushroom soup! And this is the wind spirit salad!” Agatha enthusiastically recommended various “specialties” to Helos.
However, Helos looked at the food radiating intense magical fluctuations and shook her head.
“Thank you, Agatha, but my constitution is a bit special. I can’t eat those.” She pointed to the simplest-looking food at the adjacent window. “Just some bread and salad for me, please.”
Although the range of her curse of silence was suppressed by the ring, it didn’t mean it had disappeared.
If food enriched with mana entered her body, heaven knew what strange reactions might occur. To be safe, it was better to avoid them.
Agatha found it a bit strange but didn’t ask further, simply helping Helos get a simple lunch.
The three of them found a seat by the window. Agatha feasted on her Flame Snail Risotto while continuing to chat with Helos about academy gossip.
Helos ate her bread and salad in small bites, responding occasionally. Gavi sat quietly by their side, performing her duties as a faithful guard.
Just then, a familiar figure walked toward them. It was Christ.
As they finished their meal and prepared to return to the dormitory, he happened to stop in front of them.
“Brother?” Helos asked, somewhat surprised.
“I just finished talking with the Dean. I saw you on my way out.” Christ pushed up his glasses and handed a piece of parchment to Helos.
“This is your course schedule and classroom assignments. I’ve already planned it out for you.”
“Your major courses are alchemy and monster studies. I’ve also selected several electives for you, including ancient rune studies and imperial history. These should be helpful to you.”
“Oh, thanks, Brother.” Helos took the schedule and gave it a quick scan. When she realized the schedule was packed to the brim, she couldn’t help but wail inwardly.
‘The combined classes of my freshman and sophomore years weren’t even this many—’
‘It’s not much easier than high school, but it’s far busier than college.’
“Study hard.” Christ patted her shoulder, then turned to Agatha and nodded as a greeting. “Miss Heinrich, I’ll leave my sister in your care.”
“Huh? Oh! Yes! Lord Christ! Don’t worry!” Agatha clearly hadn’t expected the legendary genius Mage to speak to her. She stood up straight, feeling overwhelmed by the unexpected attention.
Christ said no more. He simply gave a small smile and a nod before turning to walk away.
Only after his tall figure disappeared at the end of the Corridor did Agatha snap out of it. she turned her head sharply, staring at Helos with utter shock.
“He-He-Helos!!” Her voice trembled with excitement. “That gentleman just now—Lord Christ—he’s your brother?!”
“Yes, what about it?” Helos looked at her curiously.
“Oh my god! No wonder your last name is also Olivia!” Agatha realized the connection and slapped her forehead in frustration.
“I should have thought of it sooner! Ahhh! I didn’t even get to say more than a few words to him! That’s Lord Christ! The youngest Mage of the Tower of Truth!”
Seeing Agatha’s fan-girl craze, Helos didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Unfortunately, Christ had long since departed. Agatha could only sigh with deep regret as she returned to the dormitory with Helos.
***
After returning to the room, Agatha seemed to push her regret to the back of her mind quickly. She dove straight into her room, clearly intending to continue her unfinished “liquid explosives” research.
However, before closing her door, she seemed to remember something. She mysteriously pulled out a very ancient-looking book from her room; its cover was worn and tattered.
She thrust the book into Helos’s hands.
“By the way, Helos.” A mysterious smile of someone sharing a treasure appeared on her face.
“I found this book at an auction a while ago. It’s said to be an ancient alchemy rare book. Unfortunately, most of the content is fragmented and incomplete, and there are many parts I can’t understand.”
She patted Helos’s shoulder, her crimson eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“You seem very interested in alchemy as well. Maybe you’ll discover something in here? Consider this book a gift for our first meeting—go ahead and study it.”