It wasn't that entering the dormitory would be easy; after all, Seraphine was being followed by a nearly naked man.
It wasn't uncommon for summoned spirits to sleep alongside students.
What _was_ uncommon was that the spirits usually didn't look like a man freshly graduated from the seventh year of the Imperial Institute.
"How am I supposed to enter a female dormitory with a perverted spirit wrapped in a cape? I wouldn't be having so many problems if I had made a pact with a worm."
Seraphine bit the tip of her right thumb as she evaluated her options. She always did that whenever she couldn't solve a problem.
"Maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, this thing is my spirit."
That rigid treatment seemed to be his favorite. The look of amusement on his face was obvious.
"Pervert."
"Damn it, there's no other way. Stay close and don't let that cape fall."
Determined, Seraphine headed toward the entrance of the fifth-year female dormitory, her spirit right behind her.
Inside, there wasn't a single sound. It was as if the other girls were waiting for Seraphine's arrival.
The fact that she had seen Ruby's dragon flying past the director's office window also meant she would have to face the stares and questions alone.
Ruby was having fun with her bestial spirit while Seraphine was stuck with this worm substitute.
"Shit… here I go. Don't do anything weird, you pervert."
The reception was exactly what Seraphine had expected.
The spirits present searched desperately for their masters, in an almost useless attempt to defend them from a possible attack by the girl's spirit.
The only ones who remained in place were the spirits of the girls who belonged to the group of the eight talents of the fifth year.
But contrary to what Seraphine had thought, no one there was looking at her—except for her spirit, who seemed to ignore the existence of the world and kept his gaze fixed on her.
None of the girls looked at her. Her spirit was the center of attention.
It wasn't clear whether that was because he was one of the strongest summons of the year or because he looked like a handsome young man surrounded by so many girls.
But the four of them were different.
They looked Seraphine straight in the eyes, as if measuring something about her.
It was impossible to tell whether they were measuring power, appearance, or nobility.
Before that summoning ceremony, Seraphine had been nothing more than a cruel joke created shortly after her poor performance in the tournament.
But there was something about them that Seraphine preferred.
Their gazes left no room for doubt.
They were adversaries.
People who wouldn't wear masks to attack her.
Different from the others—even those in the same room—who would likely pretend interest in her just to get close to her powerful spirit.
Seraphine could live like that, with four clear goals to surpass.
And if Ruby were by her side, it would be even easier.
She had faced enough for now. She went straight to her room, her spirit following closely behind.
Everyone watched her as she closed the door.
Inside the room, she could finally act more freely. Ruby still hadn't returned.
The spirit stared at her.
"So… where are you going to sleep?"
"In your bed?" the spirit replied with another question.
"No, I don't think so," Seraphine said as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"And what exactly are you? Besides a pervert."
The spirit looked at the girl with amusement.
"Me? I'm your spirit, your servant—and honestly, whatever you want."
He said that while standing in front of Seraphine, looking down at her.
"Whatever I want?"
"Yes. Whatever you want, my lady." His smile widened.
"Then you're going to be my worm. That's perfect. Worm—that'll be your name. Since everyone thought I'd end up making a pact with a worm, it fits perfectly."
Seraphine thought the offensive name would improve the spirit's attitude, but his smile only grew wider.
"Perverted worm."
"Whatever you prefer, my lady."
Seraphine had had enough of his attitude.
She lay down on the bed and threw the sheets over herself, turning toward the wall.
"Try to sleep, worm. I don't have the energy to deal with you today."
Seraphine fell asleep quickly.
Her dreams were strange.
She felt like herself, but she wasn't the same person.
A large house.
Fire.
A piercing pain.
Blood dripping.
Cold dominating her body.
Worm's face.
He wasn't smiling.
She felt sadness.
Seraphine woke up with a jolt.
Worm wasn't beside her. For a moment, she thought the previous day had been a dream.
"A dream? Did I dream about something?"
She couldn't remember.
She rubbed her eyes and looked toward the window.
A dark silhouette blocked part of the light coming in. Worm was there, apparently staring at the sunrise.
Seraphine didn't speak to him. She just stared at him for a while.
A thought crossed her mind:
_Who are you, really? If you're as powerful as everyone thinks, why join someone like me?_
She realized he was no longer naked, nor wrapped in the director's cape.
He was wearing a long dark-blue coat that emphasized his noble bearing.
His black hair fell over the raised collar.
Seraphine blushed, but quickly returned to normal when another fear crossed her mind.
_Where did he steal that from?_
Still, against her will, she admitted to herself:
_But there's no denying he looks really cool—when he keeps his mouth shut._
When he noticed that Seraphine had woken up, the brief admiration she felt vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Seeing how much trouble the girl seemed to be having removing her tight shoe, he knelt in front of her.
He took her foot and slowly removed the shoe, running his fingers along the sole as he pulled off her sock.
His face looked lively, as if he were expecting praise.
Instead, all he received was Seraphine's disgusted stare.
"Don't tell me that besides being a nudist, you're also into feet?"
"If it's my lady's foot, I wouldn't mind being stepped on."
"Perverted worm."
"Sorry to interrupt," a voice said from the other side of the room.
Ruby was sitting on the bed across from her.
The look on her face was one of disbelief, mixed with a faint hint of amusement.
Her dragon, on the other hand, didn't seem to care. He was lying in his miniature form at the foot of Ruby's bed, curled around his own tail.
He looked more like a scaly cat.
Seraphine turned redder than Ruby's large curls.
"Haha, this Worm still hasn't learned any manners."
"Worm?"
"Yeah. Since it looks like I ended up summoning a worm after all, and he has such a rotten personality, I decided to call him Worm."
"And he accepted that? They said during registration that spirits are very proud—especially humanoid ones."
Seraphine stared at the floor, her faith in the future shattered.
"Unfortunately… I think he likes it."
Worm tried to grab her foot again, but stopped when she pushed his hand away.
Ruby let out a cheerful laugh.
"He totally suits you, Sera."
"On the other hand, this one here is way too proud to act like that," she said, pointing to the small red dragon at the foot of the bed. "It took me hours to find a name that wouldn't hurt his draconic pride. Can you believe it?"
"He even threatened to throw me out of the sky if I didn't stop calling him Fluffy Tail. After all, the tip of his tail looks like feathers."
The dragon let out a small growl. The name wounded his pride even in his sleep.
Seraphine was completely indignant.
"See? That's what I needed—a proud, stoic spirit, not a pervert who likes feet."
Ruby laughed again.
"And you think the name _he_ chose is any better? What's creative about Crimson Death? Have you ever seen anything less imaginative? A red dragon named Crimson Death."
Seraphine gave in and laughed too.
Both of them had their problems.
Both had extremely powerful spirits, but with completely opposite personalities.
And there was nothing to do but learn how to deal with their pacts.
The two got ready to begin the second semester of the fifth year at the Imperial Institute.
From the first to the fourth year, all students wore standard dark-gray uniforms.
However, when students reached the second semester of the fifth year, they received a new uniform—one they would wear until the end of the seventh year, when their studies ended and they signed contracts with nobles or whoever offered them a favorable deal.
The senior uniform was black, with silver details.
It symbolized that students who had formed contracts with spirits stood one level above the rest.
Seraphine looked very happy in the uniform. Just the day before, there had been moments when she doubted she would even be able to form a pact with a spirit.
But there she was, ready to move on to a new chapter of her school life.
She decided she would make her parents proud, after all the money they had spent to get her into the institute—even if her spirit wasn't very orthodox.
Ruby also seemed happy. Her long red curls stood out even more now that she wore the black uniform, especially with Crimson Death perched on her shoulder in his reduced form.
"Should we go straight to the cafeteria?" Ruby asked while fiddling with the dragon's fluffy tail—an act that clearly wounded his draconic pride.
"No. I need to register Worm as my spirit. The director said I should wait to do it today, away from the other students' eyes," Seraphine said, pointing in the opposite direction of the cafeteria. "I'll meet you there once I'm done."
Seraphine went down the stairs but headed outside the main building.
Some older and younger students stopped to stare at Worm, who followed Seraphine almost like a guardian rather than a spirit.
The clothes he had mysteriously acquired overnight added a lot to his dignity—as long as he kept his mouth shut, she thought.
The day was already sunny, though the outdoor area was still empty.
The students were probably beginning to gather in the cafeteria, waiting for the generous breakfast served there every day. The imperial family's investments were well spent on maintaining the institute and caring for the students.
Seraphine headed toward the summoning wing but passed right by without entering.
Her destination was the building behind the great wing—the registration center for new spirits.
That was where magical capacity, physical power, and unique abilities of new spirits were measured.
Director Rosencrown and her dryad, Emerald, were already waiting outside for Seraphine and Worm.
Her secretary, Felicia, and her feline spirit were also there.
"Good morning, Director. Sorry for the delay—this worm doesn't seem very useful when it comes to helping with basic morning tasks," Seraphine said, pointing her thumb back at Worm.
The director looked shocked at hearing the girl call an ancient demon lord a worm.
And what was even more shocking—
He seemed to take pleasure in the way she treated him.
However, Seraphine still didn't know Worm's true nature.
The director took advantage of the girl's distraction while she greeted the secretary and turned her eyes directly to the spirit hidden behind Seraphine's shoulders.
It was a mistake.
Worm also took advantage of Seraphine's distraction.
He returned the woman's gaze.
Not a curious look.
His gaze had a clear purpose.
It was a complete warning—without a single word.
Fear ran through her entire body.
_He knows that I know,_ the director thought.
She wanted to run, but even if she did, where would be safe?
Instinctively, she grabbed her dryad's hand, like a child holding their mother's hand on a stormy night.
But he was there.
A thunderbolt in broad daylight.
There was nowhere to run.
The woman abandoned any intention of telling the girl anything.
As if that silent exchange had never happened, he turned his gaze back to Seraphine, who noticed nothing.
She was unsuccessfully trying to pet Felicia's feline spirit, who was far too terrified in Worm's presence.
The director composed herself as best she could.
"Come, Miss Seraphine. Let's register your spirit so you can return to your classes as normal."
The three women and their spirits entered the building.
Seraphine was eager to learn the qualities of her worm—
and what that would mean for her from now on.