***
The area where the Warrior Faculty building was located had a 180-degree different atmosphere from where the Magical Engineering Faculty building was.
No, it wasn’t just the atmosphere; it felt like a completely different world setting.
And for a good reason.
‘Is this… Eastern style?’
[If you were to call it Eastern style, it is, but it feels like a huge hodgepodge of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese influences, not just one of them.]
That was right. To put it nicely, it was well-harmonized; to put it badly, it was a mishmash.
“Hmm, it’s nothing new, but the Eastern-style buildings are always peculiar to look at.”
El, as if she already knew, slowly looked around the buildings and nodded her head.
“It’s not just the outside! You have to take your shoes off to go in, it’s such a pain!”
Linia whined with a very familiar complaint.
The Empire was fundamentally Western in style, like Earth, so people wore their shoes everywhere.
Fortunately, though, they did take them off when getting on things like beds.
Anyway, to me, it was a very familiar style.
I took off my shoes, put them in the provided shoe rack, and locked it.
‘Reminds me of a jjimjilbang.’
[This world has public bathhouses, doesn’t it?]
‘But it doesn’t have jjimjilbangs.’
“You take your socks off here, put them in that bamboo container, and then soak your feet in that stream over there for about ten minutes before going in.”
It seemed taking off our shoes wasn't the end of it.
At the entrance, besides the shoe rack, a small, straight-flowing stream and a bamboo container caught my eye.
Following Linia’s instructions, I took off my socks and put them in the bamboo container.
Once all three of our socks were inside, Linia closed the lid with an awkward touch.
Visually, it looks like a steamer.
After that, I soaked my feet in the flowing water right in front of us.
It’s moderately warm, quite nice.
“It’s nice and warm.”
El, looking pleased, closed her eyes and made a sound like an old man.
It seems she likes this kind of thing, fitting for her manner of speech.
[It’s a footbath! A footbath!]
It was definitely a footbath. Was the water moderately warm because they were piping it in from a hot spring or something?
If so, the water might even have some special properties.
“Is there a reason for soaking our feet in the water?”
“It has the effect of getting rid of foot odor!”
Nothing special, then. Nothing special, but it’s a necessary effect if you’re going in without shoes.
It would be fine if you were wearing comfortable sneakers, but if you had been wearing long boots, your feet would get incredibly sweaty.
Well, effects aside, the footbath itself felt good.
Since it was flowing water, it wasn't unpleasant either.
After leisurely enjoying the footbath, I opened the steamer-like bamboo container to find my socks were dry and fluffy.
Oh, deodorized and dried?
It may look like this, but it seemed to have a function similar to a clothing care appliance.
“It’s nice, right? I heard a senior from the Magical Engineering Faculty donated it.”
“I see. Can I take it apart?”
“As if you could?!”
Thanks to a horrified Linia, I unfortunately couldn't disassemble it.
Still, I got a rough look at its structure from the outside, so I figured I’d try making one later.
I put my socks back on and finally entered the Warrior Faculty building.
The interior of the building was, as expected, not much different from what I had seen outside.
The floors were wooden, and the doors were lined with traditional paper, giving it the distinct feel of an Eastern-style dojo.
“It’s quite nature-friendly.”
“It has a certain charm, doesn’t it? Normal is good, but this isn’t bad either. Except for having to take off your shoes.”
Nature-friendly, huh.
Why is a building made by cutting down and shaping trees, a part of nature, considered nature-friendly?
[Because it causes less environmental pollution.]
‘No, wouldn’t true nature-friendliness be doing nothing and just being buried in the earth as is?’
[Isn’t that just telling people to do nothing and die?]
“Therefore, I will give up on being nature-friendly!”
“What is this sudden nonsense?”
“Raniel spouts incomprehensible nonsense sometimes, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Is it the anguish of a genius?”
“He’s closer to a weirdo than a genius.”
You people who have no interest in nature, do you have any idea of my deep anguish regarding the environment?!
[Of course not. I can’t figure it out even with my computational abilities.]
To think there’s no one who understands me. Humans are truly lonely creatures, born alone and dying alone.
“Meow.”
As if understanding my anguish, Mackerel let out a mournful cry and came down from my head.
“Meooow!”
He then rushed toward the pond next to the building.
“Ah! Mackerel! You can’t eat the carp in the pond!!”
Hmm, I was mistaken. Was he after the carp in the pond?
[When you think of cats, you think of fish!]
‘Actually, the food cats prefer is meat.’
[That may be so, but there’s still the image, you know.]
That’s true. A stereotype is a stereotype.
The image of cats liking fish was said to have been created during World War II when food was extremely scarce, and meat was also in short supply, so feed companies actively promoted fish, which was supplied more smoothly.
Therefore, the idea that wood is nature-friendly is also just image-making.
[Hey, wasn’t that topic over?!]
‘Shut up! Look at this place! It was hard enough adapting to a medieval fantasy-like world that has modern Earth-level technology, and now there’s an Eastern-style building?! Are you kidding me?! Even fantasy novels get flamed for having a world-building this messy!!’
[So you just don’t like the architectural style, is that it?]
…Is that the summary?
“Meow! Meooow!!”
“Now, now, be a good boy. Unnie will give you something tastier than carp.”
Far in the distance, Mackerel, caught by Linia, wailed mournfully while looking at the lake.
It seemed that even Mackerel, who could easily escape even when El and I rushed him at the same time, was no match for Linia.
‘By the way, the structure of this building.’
An Eastern-style building, a lakeside, a pavilion… it looked so much like a martial arts sect or clan from a wuxia novel that I would believe it if someone told me it wasn't the Warrior Faculty building.
“Now, now, let’s go look around with Unnie. Aww, our Mackerel is such a good boy.”
“Meow! Meow!!”
Good boy?
My gaze turned to Mackerel, who was thrashing about in Linia’s arms.
Mackerel was struggling with all his might to escape from Linia’s grasp but was being held down by her strength and couldn’t break free.
After struggling wildly, Mackerel finally seemed to give up and became quiet.
“Meeowph.”
That was a sigh, right?
[It’s just a cat’s cry.]
Is it? Is it just a cry?
Then, my eyes met Mackerel’s.
It was a look that seemed to be asking me for help.
It might not have been, but I couldn’t just ignore it.
“You see that? This is the strength of a human.”
I said one sentence, full of confidence.
“Meeowph…”
Mackerel turned his head away from me and let out a sigh-like cry.
“Alright! How long are we going to stand at the entrance? Let’s go!”
Linia grabbed Mackerel’s front paws, held them out in front of her, and started walking, with El and me following behind.
“Hup! Hup! Ha!”
As we were walking, I heard a strange-sounding kiai that I felt I’d heard somewhere before, and when I turned my head, another area came into view.
The structure itself wasn't much different from where we had just been.
The only difference was that the rooms were filled with all sorts of exercise equipment, and those rooms were full of muscular humans using that equipment.
For me, it was a sight I wouldn't want to see even in hell.
Warriors alone were chaotic enough, but a place full of gym rats?
The muscle-bound humans there weren’t just exercising.
“Gulp, gulp! F*ck yeah!!”
They were chugging what was presumed to be a drink from a container the size of my head in one shot and then continuing their workout.
First off, that container, from the outside, looks like a muscle growth supplement, in other words, protein.
“What’s that?”
“That?”
“The thing they’re chugging like water.”
“Ah, protein? An Aura growth supplement, maybe?”
The name is the same as a muscle growth supplement, but it’s an Aura growth supplement?
“What’s that?”
“If you drink it, it helps your Aura grow, but I heard you lose muscle instead. So they drink it while doing muscle exercises like that.”
I see. I didn't understand the mechanism at all, but I understood the principle.
“Oh, isn’t that Linia? Care for a bottle of protein?”
Just then, a muscular man approached Linia, acknowledging her.
“Ah, no! I’m just looking around the building with my friends! I’ll be going now!!”
And Linia hurriedly dragged us away from the spot.
Who is that guy to make her rush off like this? Don’t tell me he’s hitting on Linia?
It seemed absolutely impossible, but as family, I had a duty to prepare for the worst.
“That person is?”
“A faculty senior, and he tries to make me drink protein every chance he gets!!”
I see. It wasn't hitting on her, but a protein recommendation.
My apologies for suspecting a wholesome gym rat senior.
“Isn’t it good for warriors?”
“It is good. But if you drink it, you have to exercise to increase the effect, and eventually, your body shape changes like those people over there!”
I slowly thought back to the group of gym rats from before.
Ah, I can kind of understand why Linia is so horrified.
“I don’t want to become a muscle-bound hulk!”
“Not everyone there was a muscle-bound hulk.”
“That’s because the stuff doesn’t work well on them, but for me, they said it would work incredibly well!”
At Linia’s words, an image of a two-meter-tall, bulked-up Linia briefly flashed in my mind.
She looks incredibly strong.
Strong, yes, but also scary.
Regardless of Linia’s wishes, for the sake of my own safety, I felt I had to prevent such a future.
“Are all the people in the Warrior Faculty like that?”
“No. Those people are the Unorthodox Faction, who will do anything to get stronger! And then there’s the Orthodox Faction, who entrust their bodies to nature and train!”
The Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions are here?!
I felt like I had been hit over the head.
No, this is a fantasy world with knights, isn’t it?
Of course, I knew that within the broad concept of a warrior (武人) who wields weapons, knights were treated as civil servants who received a state salary.
But I never imagined there would be concepts like the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions here.
‘Just how messed up is the world-building of this damn world?’
Half-joking, with a feeling of "don't tell me," I asked.
“Is there a Demonic Cult too?”
“Demonic Cult? I don’t know about a Demonic Cult, but there’s a Mapo Faction.”
What’s that? A name that sounds like a spicy tofu dish?
“Alright, what do those tofu-like guys do?”
“The Mapo Faction? They’re just weird kids.”
I see. They’re weird kids.
So the kids who were crazily lifting weights while chugging protein like water earlier aren’t the weird ones, but the tofu-like kids are the weird ones.
Just how weird are they?
“Cough. Did you just call the Mapo Faction weird?”
At the voice that came suddenly, I immediately turned my head.
There stood the top student of the Warrior Faculty, whom I had seen at the entrance ceremony.
What was his name again?
“Was his name Cake Ice Cream?”
“Cough, except for the first letter, everything is wrong. Overall Top Student, Raniel Leventia.”
The guy answered my words calmly.
His expression didn’t change one bit. Is this guy a formidable foe?
“Cough!”
Maybe his expression didn't change because his face is just that of a sick person, so there was nothing to change?
“Haa, well, my name doesn’t matter anymore.”
The top student of the Warrior Faculty calmly looked up at the sky and clenched his fist.
“Because I will become the Heavenly Demon (天魔).”
And then, he uttered something I had heard many times before.
“Therefore, Vice Top Student Linia, would you not join me in the Produce 1080 Heavenly Demon Survival?”
What’s that? A grand name like an idol survival show?
There were a ton of things I wanted to nitpick, but I didn’t want to get involved, so I kept my mouth shut.
“No. I won’t. I’m not interested. I’m not doing it.”
And Linia, seeming to think the same, dragged us and immediately left the spot.
At this point, a single thought popped into my head.
“Raniel.”
“What?”
“I am starting to feel the desire to leave this place.”
“Hey, you too?”
It seemed El was thinking the same thing.
El and I quietly looked at Linia.
Linia avoided our gaze and carefully asked us.
“What are your impressions of the Warrior Faculty tour?”
“It’s weird.”
“Right?! It is weird, isn’t it? When I first came here, I thought I was the weird one!!”
Linia, as if she had a lot pent up in just one day, vented her frustrations as if she had been waiting for us to say it was weird.
As expected, it seems there are no normal people among the warrior types.
“Then shall we stop the Warrior Faculty tour and go tour the Magic Faculty instead?”
“Agreed!”
As if they had been waiting for my suggestion, both of them answered at the same time.
And so, we left the Warrior Faculty behind, rode the tram, and arrived at the Magic Faculty building.
And.
“Entry is forbidden to all but mages!”
As soon as we got off at the station, we were turned away at the door.