CHAPTER 13

The dormitory was called Ssangryongjeon (雙龍殿). 

It was named as such because two identical dragons coiled around the twin towers, giving it that distinctive look. 

The left tower was called [Jin (眞)]. 

The right tower was called [Ri (理)]. 

Dormitory assignments were primarily based on one's social status. Nobles were placed in [Jin], while commoners were assigned to [Ri]. 

Originally, students were mixed indiscriminately, but due to frequent conflicts, they were eventually separated. 

After that, students were further assigned based on their academic performance and grade level. The higher the grade and entrance exam scores, the higher the floor they occupied—it was a simple system. 

"How many floors up are you?" 

"The highest among the first years, of course." 

Krista tilted her chin up haughtily and climbed the stairs. Gertrude gave a light bow and followed behind her. 

As for Lane, who had been admitted through an additional exam and assigned to the lowest floor, he had no need to climb the stairs. 

"Look at that, the first floor." 

"The eldest son of the Ludwig family." 

"Ha, ridiculous. Hey, I don't know why the young master had to take the additional exam, but if he had taken the regular entrance test, he'd be right next to Krista Worden." 

"Who'd believe that? If he was really that good, he wouldn't have taken the additional exam." 

Outside, a few commoner students whispered among themselves, glancing inside. 

Would a typical noble be enraged? 

Lane, however, didn't feel the need to react. He had grown used to this kind of treatment in his past life as Lyn. 

He held the student ID, a dragon ring given by the dormitory supervisor, against the door. A glowing magical sigil emerged on the door's surface, resonating with the ring. 

The sigil interlocked like gears, spinning until—click—the lock of Room 107 released, and the door swung open. 

'A single room…' 

There were double rooms as well, but the children of noble families were assigned single rooms. The room was fully equipped for academic pursuits, complete with a desk, bed, bookshelf, and magical lighting. 

"Hah, is this some kind of magic tower experience?" 

Magic towers were the strongholds of various magical schools, the so-called sanctuaries of mages. 

To escape the chaos of the world, they were often built far from cities, deep within nature. The place where Lyn had once lived was no different. 

Interesting. Was this setup meant to help students quickly adapt to life in a magic tower later on? 

'Back then, I spent my days holed up in a tiny room like this, solely focused on studying magic.' 

A wave of uncontrollable sorrow washed over him as he recalled the Osarius School's magic tower—his spiritual home. Shaking his head quickly, he drove the memories away. 

—Lyn, will you promise me? 

He flopped onto the soft, feather-stuffed bed and reached toward the ceiling's magical lighting, casting shadows over his face. 

His fingers were long and pale. 

The hands of someone who had never suffered hardship—aristocratic hands. Hands he could never have imagined having when he was Lyn. Hands he never could have imagined using on his first day at university. 

'It still doesn't feel real.' 

The first day of classes had been interesting but not particularly useful. There was nothing to learn. If anything, it might have been more productive to storm the Papal Office and dig through Lyn's corpse. 

The problem was Lane's current status and abilities. 

Causing such an uproar would destroy his family in an instant. More than that, he simply wasn't strong enough yet. 

'Compared to when I was Lyn, my physical abilities seem significantly weaker…' 

A magical sigil ignited in his palm, burning like flames. One, two, then three layers of sigils interlocked and rotated in harmony. 

As he attempted to add a fourth layer, a sharp pain flared in his scapula where his core was located. The sigil wavered like mist before dissipating. 

'Still not enough mana to cast a four-star spell… Hmm.' 

He needed to figure out a way to both follow the school curriculum and train his magic effectively. 

—Flutter. 

At that moment, a sound of flapping wings came from the wide-open window. 

Raising his head, he saw an owl perched on the windowsill. 

"An owl?" 

Among birds, owls were the only ones capable of sensing mana, making them the preferred messengers of mages. 

A small wooden box, nearly the size of the owl itself, was tied to its leg. 

Who sent this? 

As Lane reached to take the box, the owl immediately took flight, disappearing into the night. 

[Delaiten Class of 1388 Cadet Lane Ludwig.] 

The sender's name was not written—only the recipient's. 

Was it from his father? 

"Huh?" 

Inside the box were two books. 

The larger one was neatly bound, as if newly refurbished, while the smaller one was tattered—its leather cover deteriorating so badly that scraps of it had begun to fall apart. 

His heart pounded wildly. 

A fierce sense of déjà vu overtook him, his breath growing ragged, cold sweat beading on his forehead. 

『The Life and Achievements of Grand Mage Lyn.』 

But the bigger problem wasn't the new book with that title—it was the old one. 

Even without opening it, Lane knew exactly what it was. 

It was Lyn's diary. 

Not Lane's, but Lyn's. 

Not of his current life, but of his past one. 

The diary he had carried throughout his five-year expedition, filled with the spells he devised and the magic he had discovered across various regions. The very diary he had entrusted to Lysta in his final moments. 

"What… Who sent this?" 

Muttering blankly, he rushed to the window and looked outside, but the owl had already vanished into the darkness.