'Why doesn't this person hate me?'
That question gave Unwan a strangely unsettling feeling. It should have felt pleasant, but it didn't. In truth, this was the first person who had ever spoken kindly to him. Unwan even wondered if such people truly existed.
At that moment, Nort spoke.
— Alright. You passed the academy's examine. Now we need to find you a place to stay for the night.
— A place to stay… for one night?
— Don't look at me like that, thickhead. Examine doesn't mean you're officially accepted yet. I already told you, the instructors are eating right now, then they'll rest. So you'll have to spend one night somewhere, and starting tomorrow, you'll be assigned a regular student room.
He paused briefly, then added in a teasing tone,
— Or maybe you can sleep outside.
Unwan took it far too seriously.
— Never.
— Hahaha. It's a joke, kid. Relax.
After a few seconds, Unwan asked the question that had been bothering him.
— Sir Nort… you said you're an instructor for the faculty "Surviving the Night Curse Realm". Then why are you patrolling this area?"
— The reason is simple. There are many children here who are still just Owners. Night creatures usually can't sense human spiritual energy, but when there are hundreds of Owners gathered close together, it becomes noticeable.
— So…
— Ordinary people or Owners can't protect this place. Readers and those above them won't waste time on simple patrol duty. So all instructors take turns patrolling.
Unwan had gotten his answer. But...
— Then… is that food yours?
— Yes. Why? Are you hungry?
— N-no, not really.
— If you want, I can share.
***
After finishing the meal together, Unwan thanked Nort for the food. Then they discussed where Unwan would spend the night. Their current location wasn't bad, but there was no bed. No matter how much Unwan insisted that he was used to sleeping on the ground, Nort refused to accept it.
After a few seconds of silence, Nort told him to follow.
They walked through the academy's main corridors. Unwan stared in awe at the rooms and walls as they passed. The stone pillars, carved with incredibly intricate artwork, especially captured his attention.
After leaving the main corridor, they descended into the underground level.
The basement was long, just like the main hall, but unlike it, doors lined both sides every three meters.
Torches embedded in the walls illuminated the space, and every door was closed.
Unwan was about to ask why there were so many doors when Nort answered on his own.
— These are student rooms. Everyone's in the dining hall right now, so there's almost no one inside.
— But… aren't there too few rooms?
— This is only one of the academy's basements.
'Fourteen… just like this one?'
— So… are we going to an unoccuppied room?
— No. Even as an instructor, I don't have keys to vacant rooms. We're going to my room. The very last one. And... walk faster.
— Why?
— Who knows, Night creatures might decide to attack the gates while we're gone. I need to settle you quickly and get back.
— Settle… me?
— Yes. You'll sleep in my bed. Just for one night. Tomorrow, you'll get your own room.
Unwan felt a wave of embarrassment and unease. Because of him, someone else would be left without a bed.
'How is it because of you? He said he was on patrol anyway.'
'Still… he let me inside, shared his food, and now he's giving up his bed. Just saying thank you feels… insufficient. Far too insufficient.'
'No one told him to do all this.'
'Shut up.'
They reached the end of the corridor. A single door stood there, with a plaque nailed above it. Written in gold letters were the words:
"Instructor Nort Farx."
Nort led Unwan inside. The room was spacious, tidy, and clean. It wasn't large, but it had everything one needed, essentially a small one-room home, not counting the private shower and toilet.
The bed stood in the center, with a small cabinet in front of it. To the left was a large wardrobe and a door leading to the shower. Across the room stood a desk cluttered with papers, a chair, and the bathroom door. Everything was simple.
Yet a few things stood out as unmistakably luxurious.
First, a massive red carpet that nearly covered the entire floor. It was so soft that Unwan felt he had never touched anything like it before.
Second, the chandelier. Candles could be found even in ordinary homes, but chandeliers were rare. To be honest, they were usually impractical. Who would bother climbing up every day just to light them?
But Nort's was different. The moment Nort opened the door, it lit itself. And its candles never melted. All of it was impressive.
Yet the thing that completely captured Unwan's attention was the bed.
The mattress, the blanket, the pillow, everything looked impossibly soft. Unwan felt he could lie there forever without complaint.
Unable to resist, he asked.
— So… what do we do now?
He already knew the answer. He just had to lie down and sleep. He asked anyway.
— First, take a shower.
'What?'
Nort took a fresh towel and a set of plain clothes from the wardrobe and handed them to Unwan.
— You think I'll let you sleep in my nice, clean bed looking like that, kid? Absolutely not. Take a look at yourself.
Indeed, Unwan's appearance was shocking. Dried blood covered his body, both human and Night creature blood, on top of layers of dirt. Anyone would naturally be disgusted.
Yet people hadn't treated him with disgust for that.
— Go shower.
***
Unwan showered thoroughly, savoring every moment. The hot water was blissful, washing away not only the grime, but the exhaustion clinging to his bones.
He dried himself with the towel and changed into the clothes Nort had given him, then stepped back into the room.
The chandelier was extinguished. Nort was gone. Only a faint glow radiated from Unwan's grimoire, softly illuminating the room.
He walked quietly to the bed and lay down.
The softness of the mattress and blanket was overwhelming, far better than even the carpet had felt.
Staring at the ceiling, Unwan began to think.
'Do people like this truly exist? Or do I only think this way because I was raised surrounded by cruelty? This completely contradicts what I thought this morning.'
'Never judge all of humanity based on a single person and never judge his inner personality based on his works.'
'But still… he did so much for me. And he doesn't hate me. Either the world that I lived was cruel… or my luck was unbearably terrible before.'
'Neither.k
'Then what…'
Before Unwan could finish the thought, darkness gently pulled him into the realm of dreams.