The next day, Helos Olivia woke up very early.
It wasn’t because she was particularly excited about the start of her academy life, but purely thanks to Teacher Lilith’s three years of devil training.
The biological clock of sleeping early and waking early had long been branded into her very bones; it was difficult for her to even stay in bed if she wanted to.
The morning sunlight spilled into the room through the gaps in the curtains, and the air still carried a faint smell of gunpowder lingering from Agatha’s failed experiment the previous night.
Helos climbed out of bed with light steps. After a quick wash, she changed into the freshman uniform provided by the academy.
To be honest, she still preferred the clothes she wore for adventuring, but this outfit was at least much more comfortable than the cumbersome long dresses Lilith forced her to wear.
She pushed open the bedroom door and stepped into the living room. The door to Agatha’s room next door remained tightly shut, silent within.
‘Is she still asleep?’
Helos glanced at the clock on the wall; the hands had just pointed to 6:30 AM.
‘That makes sense. She’s already a seasoned second-year student, unlike a first-year transfer student like me who just enrolled. She probably doesn’t have classes in the morning.’
Helos didn’t bother her unreliable-looking roommate. She nodded to Gavi, who was waiting in the living room, and the two of them left the dormitory quietly.
The campus was exceptionally quiet in the early morning.
Dew still clung to the vast lawns, and a few early-rising students had already begun their day. The air was fresh, carrying the scent of green grass.
Although Helos still couldn’t feel the so-called mana, she could see the white spires of the Divine Magic Academy glowing softly in the dawn light.
She could also see the ivy leaves on the ancient stone walls of the Comprehensive Research Academy swaying gently in the breeze.
“Let’s go, Gavi. Let’s fill our stomachs first.”
Helos led Gavi to the cafeteria. There weren’t many people in the morning, just a few scattered students in different colored school uniforms eating their meals.
Gavi dutifully lined up and bought breakfast for Helos, which was still just simple white bread and a cup of clean water.
Helos found a seat by the window and nibbled on the soft bread while taking out the schedule and map Christ had given her yesterday to study.
Her first class was Basics of Alchemy at 8:30 AM. The classroom was Room 307 on the third floor of the main building of the Comprehensive Research Academy.
‘Room 307? It’s the same as my dormitory number. What a coincidence,’ Helos muttered to herself.
‘So it’s a fixed classroom? I thought it would be like university in my previous life where we had to change locations for every class.’
She looked at the small room number marked on the map, then at the vast academy outside that spanned like a small town.
Well, thinking about it, although there were quite a few students here, it was probably still a far cry from an ordinary undergraduate college in her previous life. Having a fixed classroom was normal.
After slowly finishing her breakfast, the time was nearly 7:30 AM.
Helos stuffed the remaining half-piece of bread to Gavi — even though Gavi didn’t need to eat — then stood up and walked toward the Comprehensive Research Academy.
The main building of the Comprehensive Research Academy was a gray stone structure full of history. Walking through it felt like traversing an ancient castle.
Sunlight spilled through narrow windows onto mossy stone bricks, and the air was filled with a faint scent of books, and a mixture of various strange experimental materials.
Following the map’s guidance, Helos quickly found Room 307 at the end of the third-floor Corridor.
The door was slightly ajar, and someone seemed to be inside.
‘Someone’s already here so early? Are the students in this world really that competitive?’
Helos was a bit surprised. After a moment of hesitation, she raised her hand and knocked gently.
“Come in,” a slightly exhausted female voice called from inside.
Helos pushed the door open and walked in.
The classroom layout was similar to what she had imagined — a classic tiered lecture hall. However, it wasn’t very large and could only hold about twenty people.
At this moment, the room was empty except for a woman who appeared to be around 30 years old sitting in a chair behind the podium.
She wore simple gray mage robes and had shoulder-length brown hair. She seemed to be grading documents. There was visible fatigue on her face, with faint dark circles under her eyes.
‘Hmm, is she the teacher?’ Helos wondered.
The female teacher looked up when she heard the door open. When she saw Helos and Gavi standing at the door, she was stunned for a moment before a look of realization dawned on her face.
“You must be Miss Olivia, right?”
The teacher stood up with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sorry. Dean Finalais mentioned to me yesterday that a transfer student would be joining our class today.”
“The paperwork and everything are all done, but I hadn’t seen the student in person yet. I thought I had made a mistake somewhere and was just about to go ask the Dean.”
‘So she’s the class advisor,’ Helos thought to herself. She quickly performed a bow, lifting her skirt slightly according to the etiquette Lilith had taught her.
“Good day, Teacher. I am Helos Olivia. I will be a student in your class starting today. Please look after me.”
“No need to be so polite.” The teacher seemed a bit uncomfortable with her overly standard etiquette and quickly waved her hand.
“My name is Emilia. I am your teacher for Basics of Alchemy and Ancient Rune Studies. Of course, I am also your class advisor.”
Helos silently noted the name.
So she was the alchemy teacher? This was great! She was just worrying about not having anyone to ask for guidance.
Helos was very interested in the *Ancient Alchemy* book Agatha had given her. Although she often studied on her own at home, self-study was inefficient.
Helos didn’t believe she was the type of person who could become talented through self-study alone.
“Miss Olivia, you’re quite early.” Emilia looked at the clock on the wall with a gentle smile.
“Class doesn’t start for almost another hour. I thought you’d be like the other freshmen and arrive a bit late on your first day.”
“I’m used to waking up early,” Helos answered vaguely. She couldn’t exactly say she had been forced into it by Teacher Lilith.
“I see.” Emilia nodded.
Her gaze swept over Helos and then at Gavi, who stood as silent as a shadow behind her.
A flash of curiosity appeared in her eyes, but she didn’t ask any questions. Clearly, Dean Finalais had already briefed her on Helos’s special circumstances.
“Hmm…” Emilia pondered for a moment. Then, as if she had made a decision, she said to Helos, “Since you’ve arrived so early and there’s no one else in the classroom, how about this?”
An apologetic expression appeared on her face.
“Come with me to my office to sit for a while. Once the other students have arrived, I’ll bring you back. At that time, well… you might need to give a brief self-introduction so your classmates can get to know you.”