Chapter 195: House Frostbane [1]
-----
Each House had been assigned its own building within the academy grounds, a vast fortress-like castle equipped with three kitchens, one on each floor, five bathrooms, and a spacious backyard filled with spiritual and magical trees, plants, and a large orchard. Students could harvest their own fresh produce if they wished. There was also an area dedicated to livestock from Yggdrasil, Zipangu, and Spiritias, including Snow Mountain Cows, Fire-Breathing Chickens, and Dream Wool Sheep. The students could raise these animals and benefit from what they produced: milk from the cows, eggs from the chickens, and powerful dream-element wool from the sheep, perfect for crafting and repairing equipment.
Of course, as nobles, they could simply leave the work to their assistants and servants. Every day, workers would come to maintain the house if no personal staff had been brought. Catrise, Juliette, and Robert stared in awe at the enormous building. Juliette had been allowed to come as Mirai’s assistant, since every noble child could bring two. The others had chosen their own companions as well. This was how Elises, Robert, and even Rashid, the Dhampir man who kept dying yet had been miraculously saved and turned into a butler, were able to join them.
Among them was Belladine, who had lost her title as a knight and now trained as a maid, putting all her skills as a Spirit Knight to use. She often complained that the job was degrading, but she swallowed her pride and accepted it as payment for allowing the nobles to manipulate her. She remained forever indebted to Louis for sparing her life.
"Wow, it sure is huge! And we’ll be living here from now on?!" Mirai asked excitedly. "It’s not as big as the castle, but fewer people live here. It finally feels like our own house!"
"Yikes, I’m shocked myself," Timothy said, gazing around in awe. "I never thought a countryside boy like me would live in such a luxurious house, let alone attend this prestigious academy full of nobles..."
"You have to stop saying that all the time, Timothy," Anastasia sighed. "You’re a Sinner with the strength to be here with us, so stop acting like that. It will only make other students target you for bullying, and I’m not going to defend your sorry ass every time."
"W-What?! I was just being honest!" Timothy groaned.
"It sure is larger than my own house..." Agustina said in surprise as she explored the first floor and climbed the stairs to the second. "Lord Louis, shall we have a tour?"
"Sure," Louis replied, heading upstairs. Mirai quickly followed him, making Agustina click her tongue in annoyance.
"I wonder if all the rooms are the same size? Maybe some are bigger... or smaller. Perhaps there are rooms for two or more?" Mirai asked.
"Shared rooms?! I would rather have one for myself!" Agustina sighed, her heels clicking loudly against the wooden floor. "Hm, this wooden floor is exquisite, but a little too loud, isn’t it?"
"It’s better that way. It was probably made like this on purpose," Louis said.
"Hm? Why?" Mirai asked.
"So we can immediately tell when someone tries to enter the house," Louis explained. "For example, at night, what if an assassin comes to kill us? They would have a hard time moving silently. And look at this."
He walked to the stone walls and tapped them gently, revealing a faint magical veil covering everything. "As you can see, there is an Anti-Magic Veil. Large-scale magic spells, magical powers, or any abilities derived from mana and magic will be cancelled."
"What? That’s ridiculous— Ah!" Agustina tried to conjure a fireball but failed. "What! Why?! Doesn’t that make us weaker?"
"Not exactly," Louis said with a smile as he summoned Gungnir without any trouble. "It simply reduces destruction and makes fighting more difficult for both sides. Nevertheless, Sinners and Spiralwalkers have more than just magic. My Ashen Frost works just fine."
"How odd. Why does this place seem to favor Spiralwalkers so much?" Mirai asked.
"Because that is exactly what it is," Louis replied, caressing the walls. "This entire academy is a Spiralwalker training ground. They want everyone to awaken as one, so they suppress basic magic and force students to think more creatively about their abilities and seek alternatives. In the end, Spirals are the only true weapon against the Dimensional Labyrinth."
"Nonetheless, most of these security measures are useful and will not affect us negatively, so rest assured, Agustina. If anything happens, I will protect you."
"L-Lord Louis..." Agustina blushed deeply as Louis smiled gently at her. Her heart pounded faster. "Thank you. Those words alone make me feel so reassured..." She stepped closer, took his hand, and rested her face against his chest. "I wish I could spend my life by your side like this—"
"Um, Agustina?!" Another voice suddenly interrupted. Agustina realized she was hugging Timothy, who had just walked over.
"Ahhh?!" She shrieked and pulled away. "Eeew!"
SLAP!
"Agh!"
She slapped his face, turned as red as a tomato, and stormed off.
"H-How dare you get in the way between me and Lord Louis!"
"What the hell are you talking about?! Louis and Mirai are over there! You were talking to yourself!"
"..."
Agustina noticed that Louis and Mirai had indeed continued deeper into the house to inspect it further. Could her love have blinded her judgment?
"T-This is...! You damn nasty farmer!"
"Eek! Stop it! Why are you so rude?! I haven’t done anything— Don’t slap me again!"
Louis and Mirai glanced back with raised eyebrows, completely confused by the sudden fuss.
"Geez, can’t they take it easy for once?" Mirai sighed.
"They must be nervous," Louis said. "Anyway, this room is big enough. Catrise, everyone who is a maid or butler, please start cleaning and organizing. We will decide on the rooms soon."
"Yes, Lord Louis!" Catrise nodded. "Very well, everyone, let’s get to work! Robert, do the same for the butlers. It’s getting late, so we should start preparing dinner. We need to hurry so the young masters do not go hungry."
"I know. Let’s begin, everyone. Cleaning time!" Robert ordered. "Scan the entire house and memorize its layout. Elises, Fernand, Belladine, I know you are not used to butler and maid work, but I expect you to excel. It will benefit your future. Belladine, remember you are doing this to repay for your mistakes."
"I understand, Lord Albert," Belladine nodded, embarrassed in her cute maid outfit. "B-But do we have to wear such a ridiculous outfit?"
"Eh, I kind of like the butler outfit!" Elises chuckled. "We look kind of cool, don’t we?"
"Stop talking nonsense and get ready, Elises," Fernand said sternly. "Let’s clean the first floor. Hurry!"
"You’re awfully excited about this, aren’t you? Did you always want to be a butler, bro?" Elises laughed.
"Shut up and get to work!" Fernand barked.
Meanwhile, a shy Dhampir watched everything in silence. "Ah, this is my first time working as a butler, Sir Robert. I..."
"Rashid, right? Start by cleaning the dust over here," Robert said, patting his shoulder. "Afterward, follow me to the second floor. We will organize all the belongings the nobles brought. Make sure not to make mistakes and serve the young nobles with utmost respect. Do not be rude, or I will personally expel you from this divine realm. What lies below is nothing but the sea."
"Y-Yes! I understand!" Rashid nervously spread his shadows and began cleaning with shadow tentacles, but they suddenly glitched and failed. "Eh?!"
"No magic! This place is fortified with anti-magic fields. You have to use your muscles instead!" Robert snapped. "I’ve heard Dhampirs have amazing stamina. Why are you using magic so lazily?! You were a damn thief before, weren’t you? You’re lucky Lord Louis recruited you at all! Get to work NOW!"
Robert was ruthless when it came to butler duties. Rashid and the other servants trembled in fear, nodded quickly, and rushed to their tasks.
Butlers and maids hurried throughout the house, cleaning and tidying every corner. Louis and his friends soon chose their rooms, each taking one for themselves since there were over thirty empty rooms, more than ten on each floor. The servants would share rooms, except for Catrise and Robert, who received their own.
Mirai insisted on sharing a room with Louis, but he gently refused, saying he sometimes needed his own personal space. The rejection left her a little heartbroken, but she recovered quickly once dinner was ready and the sun began to set.
Dinner was a grand feast featuring everything the divine realm had to offer. Catrise and several maids had gone into town to purchase supplies and cooked using the abundant food stored in the house, enough to last a month.
"So, uh, Louis, how does everything work? When do we go to class? When do we learn? Where do we go? At what time? Which days? When does it start? How do we take care of the animals outside? Can we eat the cows? I want to try those fiery chickens. Can I eat one? Also, can we go outside and hunt monsters whenever we want? Is it possible to sell what we hunt and make money? When is the first exam? Can you explain what the Dungeon Games are—"
While eating, the endlessly curious Timothy bombarded everyone with questions.