I moved into Tespana House that night thanks to Dean Sarsyss. Rose retrieved me from my temporary room and showed me to my new room. It was a bigger room, though perhaps because of magic and not because of its actual size. The furniture was about the same, but there was a cozy rug and curtains drawn over the windows. To add color maybe? I didn't care what it looked like.

What mattered was that my new roommate wasn't even there. Gatra was his name. According to Rose, he was a quiet dark elf who was bookish and standoffish. Great combination for a roommate. He'd been studying at a magic academy across the Unreliable Ocean and so he was technically in his final year, but he had to attend the welcome week and get tested with the first years like me. Sucked to be him.

That first night, I went to sleep without a roommate and woke up without one. Breakfast with so many housemates was definitely something new, but I didn't mind it. Easy to blend in with the chaos and the din, fade into the background. If only Rose didn't feel the need to pay me attention every time she saw me. She introduced me to everyone, and I got a few too many friendly looks and friendly hugs and friendly hands. Truly a house of adventurers.

I finally met him the following day. The day's first lecture had been processing what had happened, giving false assurances that the academy was very safe. The lies were the only worthwhile part of it of having to listen to it all. There was more talk about it all over dinner, which I mostly tuned out. I left as soon as I finished eating and found my roommate reading on his bed while laying down.

When I entered, he spared me a glance.

"You must be Gerard," he said. He had dark purple hair like the dean, but while her skin was quite fair, his was brown. He had more noticeable ears than Rose as well.

"You must be Garta," I said. "You can keep reading. I have some to do myself."

We continued like that, barely acknowledging each other, for the rest of the week. To be fair, we were definitely watching each other very closely. He moved quietly and carried himself with the confidence of someone far older. He didn't avoid eye contact, either, but he stayed out of my way easily enough. I preferred him to Huxley, but it was easier to hide behind Huxley's boisterousness.

After our last lecture of the week, all of the first years were gathered in the battle arena. It was all open and it looked like some Roman amphitheater with sandy arena in the center and the tiered stands circling around it. The entire student body and every faculty member had to be here because it was packed.

The first years like me sat on either side of a fighting ring. Although the nobles Huxley had introduced me to waved me over to sit with them, I kept to the back. Gatra did the same.

"Hello everyone," the dean greeted us from the middle of the ring. "I should need no introductions, but I'll introduce myself anyway. I'm Dean Sarsyss. You can just call me Dean if you ever need to speak to me. I hope you've enjoyed welcome week so far because we're continuing the festivities over the weekend with demonstrations from each House, then next week will be house orientations. However, before we can get to that, we must test you."

I knew this would eventually come. Thankfully, I'd been able to briefly get familiar with [7-Times-Returner] in the basement practice rooms of Tespana. Rose showed them to me on her tour. Like the dean's office, the doors led to some sort of pocket dimension. Instead of a courtyard, these led to arenas a lot like the one we were sitting in now. That meant it was impossible to use something like Assess from outside of one. Unfortunately, it was not possible to lock the door, but that was what late nights were for.

"The test is quite simple," the dean continued. "First, I'll call your name, and you'll join me up here. We have a very well known guest visiting us today who will be able to Assess you. We will then put you into pairs and have you demonstrate your ability." She looked up to the stands and gestured to someone with a smile.

It was a woman wearing an overdecorated guard uniform who stood from the front row and walked across the arena to join her in the rink. She had short pink hair that reminded me of Rose's, fair skin like her, red eyes like her, and elf-like ears like her. When I found Rose in the stands, she was glowering.

"This is Crown Princess Hyacinth," the dean introduced. "She was our top student the year she graduated. That was only five years ago, but she has made quite a name for herself as the head of the city guard. Please give her a warm welcome."

Everyone clapped--well, excluding Rose, Garta, and myself.

"Oh, thank you," Princess Hyacinth said, putting her hands on her chest. "It was all thanks to you, Dean Sarsyss. I'm glad that I can come back here every year and help out by using a Skill that I picked up only because I was a student here, I'm sure."

"Perhaps," the dean said and left it at that to address the first years again. "The Crown Princess's Assess is fairly comprehensive. She'll be able to tell me your Class, your Soul Class and Stage, your Stats, and your Skills. She is not able to Assess the descriptions of your Skills, however. This provides us an idea for how we can best guide you through your time here."

In other words, this was the first round of their pruning process. Those with poorer Stats, especially in Energy, would probably find themselves taking remedial classes that would overwhelm and overwork them, causing them to drop out early. Those with higher Stats or even perhaps interesting or seemingly rare Skills would likely be favored for possible mentorships. I would've had one had Professor Zell not been a demon.

The dean called the first student to be Assessed, and they made the short trek to the ring and joined the dean and the crown princess. The crown princess put her hands on them, then announced the information she gained from Assess out loud. There were a few professors who seemed to be taking notes.

Garta was called before me, and he sauntered up with his hands in his pockets looking like this was the last place he'd want to be right now. When the crown princess put her hands on his shoulders, he narrowed his eyes at her. Her eyes were closed, though, and I doubted many others would've noticed.

I smirked a little. It was a subtle look he'd given her, but it'd been not too different from the glower Rose had given her older sister. There was something more to know about the royal family and specifically the crown princess. It seemed Garta either had something against them or against the crown princess specifically as well.

Garta's stats were noticeably more developed than everyone else's, and the crown princess confessed that she wasn't able to Assess his Skills. That meant he had a Skill that hid them and wasn't afraid to use it. He didn't wait for a dismissal and left the ring once the crown princess released him.

Fortunately, I was last. It gave me plenty of time to consider the timing of what I needed to do. I couldn't let her see my current Skills because they very clearly indicated I was a returner, which would definitely raise questions. On the other hand, I could only use [7-Times-Returner] for about a minute. It took the crown princess about forty-five seconds to use Assess. She'd only gone over a minute for Garta, but that was probably because of his hidden Skills. She shouldn't have that problem with me. Theoretically.

I waited until she faced me and then activated [7-Times-Returner].

[Notice] You have activated your Skill [7-Times-Returner]. I'm almost surprised you're using a Skill at all!, let alone at the right moment! Look at you! I'm so proud of you! Out of the builds you had at the time of your six deaths, which would you like to assume?