Our dormitory is a massive building with a total of five stories. Because of the pattern and similarities in its design, there were moments when I felt like I was in a hotel but I had gotten used to living here. Stefan, Mater, and I were climbing the stairs together because Mater's room was on the top floor and I had offered to accompany him all the way to his room. There were two reasons for this. The first was to heed the warning Stefan gave and to share my intuition with the others. Even if Mater was a cultist, as long as he wasn't exposed, he could be considered a sort of ally. In case of a sudden attack, I needed his unknown powers to stop the assassin. After the professional death machine following us finished the job, he would need to be freed from witnesses who might turn him in and I cared about my own life.
The other reason stemmed from my desire to do something to gain Mater's trust. I wondered whether he would reciprocate my "kindness" for saving his life. If he did, I would do everything I could to turn that into an opportunity. For him to do this favor, there had to be a "self-interest" involved for me. I wanted him to form a genuine but "self-interest" focused fake friendship. At the end of the day, I would be the one laughing and I needed to carefully play my cards for that. When we reached the floor where his room was located, I started talking to Stefan.
"Although it doesn't seem like it, I feel a bit tense because of this situation. I want to make a sword for myself. Do you want one too, Stefan?"
"Thanks for the offer buddy but I told you earlier. The weapons the Academy gave us are quite good. Nothing will happen to us unless we get ambushed suddenly."
"That's true but I'd always prefer to have more options. For example, let's say you drop your weapon. What would you do in that situation?"
"I… well…"
"See? Having extra weapons doesn't do much harm and as an blacksmith, I'll offer this service to you for free."
"Aren't you the one who recently called you an 'apprentice'?"
"Forget about the apprentice."
I was sure Mater was listening very carefully to this conversation. I was silently thinking, 'Let's see what you do now, cultist?' and we continued walking towards Mater's room. Every time Stefan called me "apprentice" I kept arguing with him about it. My narcissism had probably reached its peak because I almost slipped up and mentioned Thornyblade. Instead, I ended by saying that my talent no longer made him call me "apprentice" and that was the last note, as we arrived in front of Mater's door.
"Thank you both. Especially you, Nell. If you hadn't noticed the assassin at that moment, you could have been in trouble."
"No worries. Nell may not seem like it but he's quite smart. I'm sure he would have gotten out of this situation in the best way possible."
"Come on, don't say that. I don't think I'm that talented."
Although Stefan's words were flattering, remaining humble was the best strategy in this situation. If I were Mater, I would use someone unaware of their own abilities.
"But I do feel indebted to you guys. Especially to you, Stefan. Thanks to you, we might now know who killed Rona."
"Ah… So, I've done something more important than even Nell?"
"You decide that. I want to give you both something."
Mater entered his room and didn't come out for a few minutes. I didn't know what he would give us and I had two guesses. The first was a valuable gift that could strengthen our fake friendship. The other possibility was that it could be the first step to involving us in the cult. I didn't know how to join a cult. I had never thought of asking Emerra about it. 'Next time we meet, I should ask her how she joined the cult.' I thought and I saw Mater come out of his room. He was holding two pieces of clothing.
"These clothes were made in the kingdom where I was born and raised, Wertyas. They are crafted from the blue silk of a creature known as the Hull Spider. They are much more durable than regular clothing. Still, they wouldn't be very effective against a powerful weapon. At least, they're clothing that ordinary weapons can't pierce through. I want to give you these extra clothes I have."
Stefan and I accepted the clothes handed to us. They looked like sweatshirts and had long sleeves. Given that the fit was probably designed for Mater, I would need to go to a tailor for proper fitting. I stored the clothes in my inventory and learned that their name was "Hull Clothes." Since he didn't have that cube—about the size of a dice—that can store items, Stefan would have to carry the clothes with him.
We both thanked Mater and started heading toward our rooms. Since Stefan was staying on the fourth floor, we first headed there and continued along the dorm corridors. Stefan saw that the clothes suddenly disappeared from my hands and asked how I performed such a magic trick. I explained at length about the cube that can store items. Stefan had chosen more theoretical classes compared to me and wanted to learn about things he didn't know. Although he wanted to pick classes I liked, his busy schedule limited him, so he focused on areas he considered important.
We talked about random things for a little longer and greeted the other students who were returning to their rooms. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say Stefan was the one who greeted them. I kept thinking, 'Maybe I really am antisocial. When did he become familiar with so many people?' and continued walking toward Stefan's room.
"Should we meet Iris and Ela this weekend? We could tell them about what we've been through and brag a little."
"Uh… I'd rather not. I prefer to spend the weekend with my family."
And so, Stefan also entered his room. Outside in the endless corridors, only a few people like me were left; they were also heading to their rooms. I thought to myself, 'Today is Thursday. Soon I would be returning home again. It was genuinely an interesting day.' I said I had almost fully adapted to this routine. Moreover, I had a certain amount of kane and for now, no other blacksmithing work. I thought, 'It would be good if I made a weapon for myself now.' and I started heading toward my own room.
There were no longer anyone in the corridor, and it had become night. After descending the stairs to my floor, I couldn't help but yawn. I thought, 'I'm really tired. I want to get a good night's sleep.' After rubbing my eyes, I had arrived in front of my room.
Today had gone better than I expected. I was curious about how far I could take this fake friendship with Mater. If I made a weapon for him, I could learn all his actions related to it. I could continue being friends with him to mingle with other nalias and learn about their abilities. With these thoughts, I grabbed the door handle to my room.
But I didn't open the door.
Something definitely didn't feel right.
I had a bad premonition that I've felt for a long time, and this instinct hadn't gone away. When I felt this way before, Rona had asked me that familiar question. Since that moment, I had been trying to be more cautious around my surroundings — maybe not as much as that paranoia cultists, but still. I looked around and checked if anything was out of place.
There was nothing apparent. Still, that feeling persisted. I thought to myself, 'I hope I haven't become this paranoid because of what happened.' I wanted to move to a safer place, so I opened the door to my room.
What I was about to do might influence the rest of my life.