My Roommates

Ray and the other students had been touring the city with Lancy for hours, and even he was beginning to feel the strain in his legs.

"Is that everything now?" one of the students asked miserably.

"Of course not. I doubt you'll ever get to see the whole of Avrion Academy," Lancy replied with a smug grin. It was clear he was enjoying himself.

"So where are we headed next?"

"Your dormitories."

The mood instantly lifted. The excitement of seeing where they would be staying quickened everyone's pace as they followed Lancy eagerly.

When they finally arrived at their destination, the students stood in awe. Before them stood the grand palace that had been visible even from outside the academy walls. Up close, the sheer scale of it was overwhelming.

Lancy made his way to the entrance before turning to face the group, his expression shifting from playful to serious.

"We will meet in the dining hall at 2:00 pm sharp. Once everyone has eaten, we will proceed to the training grounds, which are located through the north exit behind the building. Be ready—this is when the assessment begins."

"Where is everyone?" a student asked, glancing around.

Compared to the bustling city, the school grounds were eerily quiet. The only people in sight were two guards wearing white sashes standing at the gate.

Ray had expected some sort of welcome ceremony, but there was none.

"There's a meeting today between the elders, and most of the knights are out on missions. The other new students are already training for the upcoming assessment."

"Other students?" The group exchanged confused glances.

Lancy chuckled. "Did you really think you were the only ones? Avrion has many towns that serve as recruitment bases. Renny Town is just one of them. If we only brought in fifty knights a year, we would have been wiped out long ago."

The students began murmuring amongst themselves as they processed the information. Seeing that they were getting distracted, Lancy continued toward the entrance.

Approaching the large doors, he gestured to the two white-sashed guards. The men struggled, using all their strength to pull open the massive gates.

"You want to be a white sash like these guys? Become a guard. Easy job, far away from danger," Lancy commented as he passed them.

Inside, the academy's interior was just as grand as its exterior. The walls were lined with famous paintings of knights, mythical beasts, and legendary battles. Grand weapons were displayed throughout the halls, some so massive they hardly seemed usable in combat.

They continued their tour until they arrived at a towering red door, at least three meters tall. Standing in front of it were two knights clad in sleek black armor that looked both expensive and formidable.

Lancy gestured toward the door. "Red is the sign of danger. Nothing good has ever come from that color in these lands. Stay clear of this door."

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Ray.

Ray clenched his fist, tempted to challenge him then and there, but he refrained. He had no doubts he could defeat Lancy, but the two knights guarding the door were a different story. He had no way of gauging their strength, and it wasn't worth making a scene.

"What's down there?" a student asked.

"Avrion's prison. It holds the most dangerous criminals in the kingdom. You don't want to get curious and take a peek."

Slyvia's brows furrowed. "Isn't it a bit reckless to keep such dangerous criminals on the school campus?"

Lancy scoffed. "Avrion Academy is the most heavily guarded place in the land, with the strongest knights stationed here. What better place to keep them in check? If you doubt that, you're welcome to try breaking in one day. See how far you get."

Slyvia bit her tongue, visibly holding back a retort.

The tour continued until they arrived at a door labeled "Student Accommodation - New."

"Your names are listed on your room doors. There are no room changes, no matter how much you dislike your roommates. This is the army. Get used to it. Your uniforms are laid out on your beds. Good luck, and I'll see you at the training field."

With that, Lancy left them.

The students entered the accommodation building. It was divided into six sections, with each area corresponding to the town they came from. All of Renny Town's students were housed together.

Ray and Gary walked down the hallway, searching for their room. When they finally spotted their names on a door, they were surprised to see something else as well.

Eight names were listed.

"Looks like we're sharing a room with six others," Gary muttered.

Even more surprising was that two of the names were familiar.

Curious, they pushed open the door. Inside were four bunk beds, eight in total. The room was plain, offering little more than the essentials.

Two students were already inside, unpacking their things. One of them was Ian—the muscular redhead who had fought alongside them against the sharp worms. The other was a short boy dressed entirely in black. His long hair covered his eyes, and he barely acknowledged their presence, as if they were invisible to him.

Gary, ever the social one, went to greet their new roommates while Ray simply began unpacking his things.

Then a sudden scream erupted.

"No way! This can't be possible! How could they allow this?!" Slyvia's voice rang out.

She had dropped her bags to the floor, her face burning red.

"I'm sharing a room with boys?!" she exclaimed, horrified.

The entire room turned to stare at her.

Gary, completely oblivious to the tension, stepped forward with a bright smile. "Hi, my name's Gary! I look forw—"

A bag smacked him straight in the face, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Shut up! I'm not staying here!"

Slyvia turned on her heel and stormed out, presumably to find someone who could fix the situation.

A few minutes later, she returned, looking utterly defeated.

It seemed Lancy had been telling the truth—there was no chance for a room change.