Chapter 10
New Rule Added in Year 11 of the Liberation Era
If you encounter or eliminate a werewolf inside or outside the school, immediately close your eyes and run away from the spot while calling for the headmaster. You must never look at the corpse of a werewolf.
“Why? It’s not like you get infected just by looking at it. You get infected if you’re bitten.”
Awoooo!
At that moment, the sound of a wolf’s howl echoed outside.
And, of all things, a full moon was hanging in the sky beyond the window.
Do werewolves appear around here? Starting this year of all years?
But apparently, werewolves weren’t the only creatures roaming around.
If you hear screams or strange cries at night, ignore them and go to sleep.
They are merely the cries of a mermaid from Hungry Lake or a cat in heat.
Creepy.
If the toilet lid in the restroom is closed and toilet paper is placed on top in an X shape, do not open it under any circumstances. Call maintenance staff instead.
“What could possibly be inside the toilet—… Ah, ugh… damn memories.”
She suddenly remembered experiencing the exact same situation in her previous life.
That was the only rule in this mysterious rulebook whose meaning she actually understood.
Selly kept reading the rules that only raised more questions until she finally reached a section that explained something clearly.
Familiar
According to the treaty prohibiting the enslavement of humans or humanoid races, those races cannot serve a wizard.
However, other living creatures may accompany a wizard as a familiar.
“Good. My protein source.”
Selly gently stroked the chick, which was dozing inside her blanket.
Limit: One per person / plant / bush / object
Judging by the variety of measurement units listed, familiars must come in all kinds of forms.
“You’re counted as one animal, right?”
Selly spoke to the aquarium sitting next to her roommate’s furniture.
An octopus that had been peeking out of a jar quickly slipped back inside.
At first, she thought the jar only contained seaweed and rocks.
But rocks don’t move.
…Right?
Right?
Golems were clearly not allowed.
The following cannot be familiars:
Inanimate objects such as golems or clockwork dolls
Werewolves, zombies, or other species that are uncontrollable or cause severe harm to others
“…Someone brought a zombie to school?”
“Exactly 251 years ago.”
The door suddenly burst open as someone answered Selly’s question.
It was a girl wearing round glasses, with brown hair tied into two braids.
My first roommate!
Selly quickly got up and climbed down from the bed.
Meanwhile, the girl continued explaining about the incident where a student had brought a zombie as a familiar and the classmates had ended up being sampled one bite at a time.
“Hi. Nice to meet you.”
Selly extended her right hand and, this time remembering properly, introduced herself first.
“I’m Selena Laurelheart.”
The zombie lecture abruptly stopped.
“You’re a Laurelheart?! No way!”
Her lavender-colored eyes grew as large as the lenses of her thick glasses, as if she couldn’t believe her luck.
“Which Laurelheart?”
That was the exact same question the dorm supervisor had asked.
“What do you mean?”
Now the girl’s mouth opened even wider than her glasses. This was clearly shock.
“What do you mean ‘what do I mean’? You don’t know Laurelheart? Did you come from another country?”
“No.”
“Then don’t tell me you came from the most backward rural place in the world where there aren’t even newspapers or schools?”
“…Yes.”
“Oh my gosh, sorry!”
“It’s not backward though.”
“Oh! Then that’s acceptable!”
What kind of world is this where people talk like modern Korean teenagers?
Her roommate, who gave off strong Korean-student vibes, gave a thumbs-up, pushed her glasses up with her index finger, and began explaining.
“Listen. Laurelheart is the surname the Emperor bestows upon heroes who save the empire. So if your name is Laurelheart, it means your ancestor was a great hero.”
“Me…?”
“You seriously didn’t know? How could you not know this? Didn’t your parents tell you?”
“My mom never said anything…”
“Your mother must be unusual. Most descendants can’t stop bragging about it. If my parents had that surname, they’d probably tattoo it in gold on their foreheads.”
If Selly mentioned that she had only learned her surname from the admission letter, her mother would sound even more unusual.
“Do you happen to have Catalin Laurelheart, the one who wiped out the Dark Mage Order, in your family tree?”
“I’m not sure…”
“Then how about Egon Laurelheart, who defeated the greedy evil dragon Velcaros?”
“I’ve never heard of him…”
Her roommate kept listing Laurelhearts who had accomplished various heroic feats.
But Selly had never heard of any of them.
Mom never mentioned other relatives, but she always bragged about Grandma… maybe Grandma was the hero who received the Laurelheart name?
Her roommate seemed to know every Laurelheart in history.
The problem was—
Selly didn’t know her grandmother’s name.
“What about Seraphina Laurelheart, the legendary holy knight who carved out the Demon King’s heart?”
Is that Grandma’s name?
The calendar called the current era the Liberation Era, starting eleven years ago after the Demon King was defeated.
That was about all Selly knew about the Demon King’s defeat.
But thanks to her chatty roommate, she learned more.
“Seraphina Laurelheart! The tragic leader of the Demon King Subjugation Force—the captain of the Flame Knights! Together with only three great mages, she finally defeated the Demon King who had threatened the world for thousands of years and brought peace!”
Selly’s grandmother had died around the time the Demon King was defeated.
The timeline seemed to match.
Then did Grandma kill the Demon King and die in battle?
“Wait… then that means Seraphina Laurelheart is your mother.”
Huh? Not my grandma?
Her roommate stared closely at Selly and muttered to herself.
“Hair like flames. Green eyes as clear as dew on leaves.”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she examined Selly’s blank green gaze.
“Is your mom really Seraphina Laurelheart?”
“My mom isn’t the type who’d carve out the Demon King’s heart.”
She was the kind of person who had been so scared the Demon King might return that she hid in a safe forest ahead of time.
“And she’s not a holy knight either.”
Her mother didn’t have holy power, nor the sacred, untouchable aura typical of holy knights.
She was honestly kind of clumsy.
She was a good person—but definitely not someone that amazing.
“My mom is just a normal, good mother.”
“Phew…”
The girl sighed deeply.
But it sounded more like relief than disappointment.
“Right. There’s no way Sir Seraphina would have a child.”
She began reciting Seraphina’s legend dramatically:
A holy knight who rejected all worldly temptations—wealth, power, and fame—with the sharp reason of a sacred sword, carrying only duty on her shoulders as she silently cut down enemies.
The more Selly listened, the further the image drifted from her soft, slightly clumsy mother.
“After defeating the Demon King, she vanished without a trace, completing the legend. Sir Seraphina is unquestionably the greatest Laurelheart.”
Her roommate stared dreamily into empty space.
Selly had seen that kind of look many times in her previous life.
A fangirl.
“You’re a fan, aren’t you?”
The girl nodded solemnly.
“My dream was to enter Saint Luciel Academy and follow in Sir Seraphina’s footsteps.”
But that school was a holy knight academy, and she didn’t have holy power—so she came to Spellmore instead.
“Besides, the great mages who fought alongside Sir Seraphina to defeat the Demon King are teachers here.”
Now she began listing even more famous figures.
“Rosenstein, the Silent Sword Emperor.”
“I see.”
“Riandel, the legendary spirit summoner.”
“I see…”
“And Crowley, the genius of magitech.”
“Ah… I see.”
But what’s your name?
That was the thing Selly was most curious about.
But somehow—
There was never a chance to ask.
