Chapter 87: Choosing Classes!

Most sacred and ancient religions are filled with various “thou shalt not” commandments.

This means that believers face many taboos, such as those against murder, sexual immorality, drunkenness, theft, robbery, lighthearted mention of the God’s name, or blind worship.

In fact, almost every religion uses such doctrines to constrain human behavior. The Ark, an educational facility operated by the Order, was naturally a religious facility as well. Because of this, there were many things that were strictly forbidden.

For example, one could not bring a partner back to the Dormitory for intimacy. For another, one had to go to sleep on time after the lights went out at 10:00 PM. Violating these rules would result in a deduction of credits. If those deductions accumulated to a certain point, one would be “honorably” expelled.

Expulsion? That was a terrifying thought… To Erika, the word expulsion was equivalent to a Death Sentence.

Yet right now, the young woman was violating one of those aforementioned rules. She only hoped she would not violate a second one.

This was a luxurious single VIP dormitory, the bedroom of Queen Evelyn, who was ranked 2 in the Ark Academy’s admissions. It was already 11:00 PM, yet Erika and Evelyn had not yet gone to sleep.

Evelyn sat on the bed wearing a silver silk nightgown, gently swaying her snow-white legs and alternating the movement of her feet. “Erika, hurry up and arrange that schedule. The time for sleep has already passed.”

As she spoke, Evelyn let out a yawn. “Ha…”

“Oh, please wait a moment.”

Erika, who had not dared to wear a thin nightgown, had honestly chosen a set of pajamas. She was busy comparing a thick booklet used for selecting classes with a makeshift schedule she was writing, earnestly arranging the upcoming itinerary.

If she had a computer and Excel, she could have finished this quickly. Sorting them one by one by hand was quite a strenuous task.

“Mistress Evelyn, how about the Soul-Refining Tea Party course at 10:00 AM on Wednesday? That way, I can attend with you.”

“A tea party? Since I went from being a Princess to a Queen, I haven’t enjoyed such a leisurely activity in a long time.” The black-haired girl’s expression was not great. Indeed, the Demon Queen and a tea party did not seem to match. It was quite a headache.

“But as a Bronze Rank, there are simply too few courses I can take alongside a Platinum Rank student like Mistress Evelyn.”

That was the real problem. Although both she and Evelyn hoped to arrange overlapping courses as much as possible so she could coordinate affairs by her side, Evelyn was ranked second among nearly a thousand students, placing her in the Platinum Rank.

As for Erika, she was a bottom-tier straggler ranked outside the top thousand, nothing more than an unyielding Bronze Rank.

Fortunately, there was no Black Iron Rank, or she would have cried for the Academy to see.

Therefore, there were not many courses that Evelyn and the young woman could attend at the same time. At Ark Academy, the “Rank” determined by strength was valued far more than grade level or family background.

As a Bronze Rank, Erika’s available options were quite limited. As a result, she had to endure her exhaustion and check the course schedule one by one late into the night, struggling to arrange her classes.

Evelyn yawned repeatedly, letting out a sluggish sound. “Ha… Erika, you must rise to the same Rank as me as soon as possible. That is an order.”

“Yes, I will certainly do so.”

“Also, Erika, although your stamina seems a bit better than before, it is still only mediocre.”

Evelyn’s words made the girl’s heart tighten. Without turning her head, she replied, “Did you happen to watch my testing session?”

“I heard the Commoners talking about you, Erika. Your forte certainly doesn’t lie in your physical skills, so take those comments with a grain of salt.”

*Flip, flip.* The course list turned quickly. The quill pen resting nearby suddenly drew a black ink line, leaving a mark. The page displayed an outline for a course called Introduction to Combat. Just the name alone carried a bloody scent.

[Course Outline: Introduction to Combat]
1. A five-minute introduction to combat!
2. Magic? Melee? Which weapon and combat style suits you best?
3. How to master a weapon like cutting a cake!
4. …
Instructor: Lucial Andrew.

“Lucial Andrew. A man famous as a mercenary in the Duchy of Arkerl. Even I have heard his name; he should not be a mere pretender.”

‘This is a physically demanding course. Even if I attend, my physical condition probably won’t improve much.’

To please Evelyn, the girl felt that giving up one course was no big deal. She nodded. “Then let’s conclude the course selection here. I have chosen a full fifteen credits of courses. I’ll apply with this.”

She had chosen five three-credit courses for the semester. First, there were only two courses that overlapped with Evelyn: the Soul-Refining Tea Party for self-cultivation and the Companion Hunting Beast Domestication, a required course for beast tamers.

The rest were the Introduction to Combat that Evelyn had just helped her choose, the Introduction to Ancient Death-speech, and finally, the Elven Index.

She chose Introduction to Ancient Death-speech to further understand the ability of her *Pupil*. The Elven Index was a subject for studying the Elves and their derivative groups like Fairies and Succubi, so Erika had added it to her list first.

‘I hope I can get into these classes smoothly. I hope I don’t get squeezed out…’

She had heard that the method for selecting classes here involved lining up at a counter early in the morning to apply directly. To get the classes they wanted, some people would even pitch tents in front of the building to stay overnight. It was exactly like the scramble for holiday travel tickets.

“Since it’s all finished, I’m going to sleep now.”

“But Your Majesty, you’ve only selected six credits…?”

“That is enough for me. After all, as a perfect Queen, there is nothing for me to learn here.”

‘Then why did you come here?’

Erika was suddenly curious about why Evelyn had agreed to come to the Ark in the first place. “Then, Queen Evelyn, for what reason did you agree to my request back then?”

“My Erika, it was because your desire to learn various things was heartening. It’s truly hard to dislike the way you work so hard to become a better subject.”

“Are you saying… you agreed to enroll in the Ark just so I could receive an education?”

“Exactly.”

In fact, it was the exact opposite for Erika—or perhaps, was it exactly the same?

Perhaps the two girls were falling asleep in different beds while thinking the same thing. Different beds, same dream?

As expected, Evelyn and Erika were a pair of fates that were hard to see through or understand.

‘It’s actually quite heartwarming in a strange way. How novel.’

In any case, the request to live in the same dormitory had been rejected by the school. Erika had to help the Academy coax Evelyn at the time, and fortunately, nothing had gone wrong.

***

Stepping out of the room, the cold wind of a spring night was still somewhat biting. The clothes the girl wore were still winter styles.

Looking up at the sky, she could see a broad, transparent dome. The clouds and hazy moonlight seen through it still felt surreal.

She had actually left Noelle to study abroad at a school in a foreign land. Although it was done to raise Evelyn as a normal girl, she, who was originally a high school student, had now entered a facility similar to a university in another world.

It was truly novel. This feeling of returning to her youth made her heart throb, as if she had rediscovered a life that could be called “ordinary.”