Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Elite Dormitory

The Class A dormitories looked completely different from the normal student housing Lina had stayed in before.

The building itself was much larger, with polished white walls covered in faint mana lines that glowed softly under the evening light. Expensive crystal lamps floated near the entrance while noble students casually walked through the halls with their beasts beside them.

Compared to the crowded common dormitories, this place felt more like a luxury hotel built for rich families.

Lina slowed down slightly as she entered the building while holding Qhuin carefully in her arms.

"...This place is huge," she whispered.

Qhuin quietly observed the surroundings through half-open crimson eyes. To everyone around him, he looked like a sleepy rabbit resting peacefully against Lina’s chest.

In reality, he was paying attention to everything. The mana in this building was noticeably denser than the lower dormitories. Even the students walking through the halls carried stronger mana signatures, and many of their beasts possessed bloodlines far above Marcus’s storm eagle.

Qhuin’s gaze landed on a silver-scaled serpent wrapped around a female student’s shoulders. The serpent lazily flicked its tongue toward him before turning away again.

The creature’s blood smelled rich with mana. Very rich.

After walking for a while, Lina eventually stopped in front of a large wooden door with the number "A-17" carved into it.

"This should be our room..."

She carefully pushed the door open before freezing.

The room was almost twice the size of her previous dorm. A large bed rested beside the window while shelves filled with books and mana crystals lined the walls. Soft lights glowed warmly from the ceiling, and there was even a private bathroom connected to the room.

Lina slowly stepped inside while staring around in disbelief.

"This is really for students?"

Qhuin jumped out of her arms and landed softly on the bed nearby.

The mattress immediately sank beneath his tiny paws, causing his ears to twitch slightly.

’...Soft.’ he thought, before he could stop himself, his body relaxed against the blanket while his fluffy tail gave a small twitch.

Qhuin immediately sat upright again.

Absolutely not.

He refused to be defeated by furniture.

Lina noticed his reaction and laughed quietly.

"You like it too, Snowy?"

Qhuin turned his head away with as much dignity as a rabbit could manage, Lina smiled before sitting beside him on the bed.

"We actually made it into Class A..." she muttered softly. "I still can’t believe it."

Qhuin looked toward the large window overlooking the academy grounds, from here, he could see most of Aurelius Academy spread beneath the evening sky. Students and beasts moved through the training grounds while guards patrolled the walls surrounding the academy.

This place truly was humanity’s fortress.

A faint irritation rose inside him, once upon a time, creatures like him ruled the night while humans hid behind stone walls praying for sunrise.

Now vampires were treated like monsters from old stories. Qhuin’s thoughts paused when Lina suddenly picked up a small grooming brush from the nearby desk.

"S-Snowy..." she said awkwardly. "Your fur got messy earlier during the fight..."

Before Qhuin could react, the brush gently moved through his soft white fur, and his entire body froze.

The brush slowly moved across his back again while Lina carefully fixed the tangled fur around his neck.

He tried resisting, He truly did but then Lina scratched lightly behind one of his ears, as his body relaxed against his will.

One of his back legs kicked weakly against the blanket while his eyes slowly narrowed in betrayal.

’Damn it...... Curse this rabbit body.’

Lina giggled softly after seeing his reaction. "You really like that spot, huh?"

Qhuin immediately buried his face into the blanket in humiliation.

Meanwhile, several buildings away from the Class A dormitories, Marcus sat inside a private student lounge with a dark expression.

The events from the placement battle continued replaying inside his head, and he could still hear the whispers, the laughter from the students

The humiliation of his storm eagle had submitted in fear before a rabbit.

While he was thinking, a sharp sound echoed from the doorway, Marcus looked up as another student entered the room.

A young man who looked older than Marcus and wore the silver-lined academy uniform reserved for upperclassmen, and walking quietly beside him was a large black hound with glowing yellow eyes.

Unlike Marcus’s eagle, the hound looked built for hunting. Its lean body blended naturally with the dark corners of the room, and its gaze carried far more killing intent than most academy beasts.

Marcus’s expression eased slightly.

"Cousin."

The older student casually sat down across from him while the black hound rested beside his chair.

"I heard about today," he said calmly.

Marcus clenched his jaw. "That rabbit isn’t normal."

"So I heard."

Marcus leaned forward immediately.

"It scared my eagle without even touching it. Something about it feels wrong."

The upperclassman remained silent for a few moments before lightly tapping his fingers against the armrest.

Then a small smile appeared on his face.

"Then kill it."

Marcus hesitated.

"We can’t openly attack another student," he said carefully. "Especially now that Professor Valerius is watching her."

His cousin shrugged."Accidents happen."

The black hound lifted its head slightly as if understanding the conversation.

"The east dormitory doors stay open late," the upperclassman continued calmly. "The hallways around that area are usually empty during the night."

Marcus slowly understood what he meant, what if a beast attacked, there would be no witnesses or proof.

The smile on Marcus’s face slowly returned.

Meanwhile, back inside the dormitory, Qhuin suddenly stopped chewing on a nearby mana herb leaf he had accidentally grabbed from the desk.

He spat it out immediately in disgust.

’Why did I even bite that?. His rabbit instincts were becoming increasingly annoying.

Then his ears twitched sharply, for a brief moment, he sensed hostility somewhere within the academy grounds.

Qhuin slowly turned his gaze toward the dark window, before he could think further, Lina suddenly grabbed him again before falling backward onto the bed while hugging him tightly against her chest.

"S-Snowy... tomorrow’s probably going to be stressful..."

Qhuin let out an annoyed squeak.