The Infinite Bk. 03 Ch. 05

"Yes, that is EXACTLY how I do things. Don't take it personally, though. I did it because I need a place where I can study and work in peace, and it's rather difficult to do here in the barracks. However, I will apologize for sticking you with the prince." He unhooked the key to his trunk from his belt and tossed it onto the bed. "Do try not to kill each other."

That evening, with Alexis still in the infirmary, Noah ate in the mess hall with his rucksack of meager possessions keeping him company, and after, he made his way to the dorms of the upper nobles. The difference between the barracks and the dorm buildings was like night and day. The walls were plastered and painted, the floors were carpeted, and the candles were scented. The main hallway was decorated with busts and portraits of past great knights, or heads of families who had made significant donations to the academy.

Passing through the illuminated hall, he entered a common room centered around a large fireplace, over which a wyvern's head had been mounted as a trophy. The room was occupied by cadets relaxing on expensive furniture and enjoying snacks and teas that were beyond the reach of the lower-ranked cadets. Upon Noah's arrival, the aura of slothful frivolity came to a sudden halt.

"Cheating commoner," many of the cadets, men and women alike, muttered. Several of them even got up and approached like a pack of wolves, led by Galvin.

"Don't expect a warm welcome here, coward," he said coldly.

Noah looked around at the angry faces and huffed. "I never did. In fact, this right here is exactly the reaction I imagined I'd get. I had a feeling you'd pull this ganging-up schtick, trying to make yourselves look intimidating, but I have faith that you're smart enough not to go picking a fight with me. You're just bluffing right now to save face."

"You think you can beat all of us?" It was one of the cadets, Mark Saveat. Noah recognized him from when the princes caused trouble at the Knight's Sheath. All of them were itching to grab their weapons.

"I don't need to beat all you. I just need to wound some of you." He drew his glass sword with lightning speed, faster than all the other cadets thought possible, and before they could react, it was pointed at Galvin's throat. No one dared move. "Imagine what would happen if a commotion was caused and the commandant had to come here and find a good number of you dripping blood, needing care at the infirmary. Imagine his fury." He pointed the blade at Mark's throat. "Who do you think he would blame for instigating the mess? Me? I'm just the cheating commoner who had to defend himself when he was ganged up on by the noble cadets." He started moving his sword along from throat to throat as though counting them. "But you, anyone he finds injured is marked as an attacker. I'll get a slap on the wrist, and you'll get the whip."

They all seemed to get his point, so he put his sword away. "Good. Now that we've established that violence is a very, very bad idea, let's move on. I want nothing to do with any of you, and it seems none of you want anything to do with me, so I propose our relationship be one of silent loathing and indifference. We don't talk to each other, interfere with each other, or antagonize each other. I simply stay in my room, undisturbed and out of the way, and when we cross paths, we each act like the other doesn't exist. Good? Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find my dorm room. I bid you all goodnight."

He didn't acknowledge any responses and simply left the room and roamed the corridors. He checked the family name of each room and finally came to the door marked Albion. It was unlocked, and upon opening it, there was no foul stench indicating a nasty surprise left as vengeance. The dorm was bigger than he anticipated, like a midsize apartment, with its own lounge, dining area, and lavatory. The bed and sheets were top quality, better than anything else he had slept on since coming to this world, and wide enough for him to stretch.

Noah set his bag down on the mahogany desk, equipped with stationery, and lit an oil lamp. As was his routine with every new dwelling, he checked it from top to bottom, looking for any means someone might have to spy on him or even attack him. He also checked for booby traps and hidden spells and went to work setting up several of his own. He wasn't welcome here, so he had to make sure everything from his ring to his notes were kept safe.

Finally, he fell back onto his bed and released a sigh of contentment. Pitting angsty teenagers against each other was exhausting, but now, he had a private place to experiment with magic. While this went on, things were tense in the barracks. Sitting on their respective cots, Seraph and Gideon glared at each other while all the other cadets wisely kept their distance and their mouths shut. Now having to deal with the berserker prince in the barracks, many cadets cursed Noah.

"I think it's safe to say you and I aren't going to get along," said Seraph.

"That sounds about right," Gideon replied.

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