I have class now.
Haven't I told you?
Well, the time zone isn't my fault!
That's perfect.
Don't call me anymore.
Good morning.
Morning.
She's scary even on the phone.
This is technically your room, too.
Don't mind me. Just come in, even if I'm in the middle of something.
Th-Thank you.
I hate the hesitant, weirdly polite way you talk.
Are you mocking me?
N-No, absolutely not.
It reminds me of something. It pisses me off.
Stop it.
Yeah.
Okay.
Her words are harsh, but I guess she's looking out for me.
What?
Oh, you just remind me of someone I know.
I see.
I know someone a lot like you, too.
Always timid, trying to read the room, benevolent in all the wrong ways...
You seem to think things are okay as long as you put up with everything.
I hate it!
Don't go around saying people remind you of someone you know.
Sorry.
Why'd you come to the College, anyway?
Planning on becoming a sorcerer?
Nothing like that.
It's not for a particularly important reason.
It'd probably seem pretty silly to you.
Do you think I'm so stupid I'd assume that when I haven't even asked what the reason is?
I never said that.
I'm done.
Just finish getting ready.
Right.
Where's your lab coat?
Our first class is pharmacology.
I'm opening your closet.
Here.
Th-Thanks.
That's all you needed to say.
Okay.
Um...
Jasmine?
Morning.
Did you sleep in, too?
Something like that.
How can you stand sharing a room with her?
She's abrasive, isn't she?
Not really.
I've never seen her getting along with anyone.
Though, considering the Webster Tragedy, I can't blame her.
The Webster Tragedy?
Pretend you never heard that.
Bye!
You're gonna be late!
Thanks for helping me clean up.
I only taught you how to do it.
So we have normal classes too, huh?
It's not as though everyone who graduates is going to make a living as a sorcerer.
Have you been any further than that?
Isaac and Ivy.
Well, I'm gonna go eat in my room.
Huh? Sure...
I'm being avoided.
Hatori. Rian.
You can call me Chise.
In that case, call me Isaac, too.
What about him?
Zoe's a new student, too.
I've been teaching him stuff.
I mean, I'm not from the prestigious Seven Shields or anything.
But that also means I know how to teach in a way that makes sense to people.
Prestigious?
The Seven Shields?
The Seven Shields are the seven distinguished families that founded the College.
Roseingrave the Employer,
St. George the Hunter,
Rickenbacker the Doctor,
Forsyth the Strategist,
Hohenheim the Alchemist,
Nightingale the Musician,
Scrimgeour the Protector.
You know how a lot of mages and sorcerers died in the war?
The Seven were concerned that sorcery would die away, so they quietly built this College.
To be honest, you don't want to get too involved with any of them.
What do you mean by that?
You're different, Rian.
Specifically, the Scrimgeour family produced a lot
of gifted sorcerers who would serve as protectors.
There's still a lot of fighting, so sorcerers ask them for their protection.
They're like bodyguards.
I see.
Well, I'm leaving home, so it's not my problem anymore.
Oh...
Do you know what the "Webster Tragedy" is about?
Webster?
You mean Lucy?
Chise.
Who did you hear about that from?
From Jasmine. The twin.
Looks like this is one of those things that we little people are better off not knowing.
Seems that way.
Crap!
The next class is about to start.
I'll see you there.
Wait up!
We run into each other a lot.
We're roommates. Of course we do.
Oh... yeah.
Ivy.
Have I done something to you?
If I have...
Give those back!
Looks like you didn't hear her.
Just give them back!
I need those!
Look, I don't care if you hate her or whatever.
But it pisses me off when people ignore others.
You don't know who she is!
What?
Hatori!
You know better than anyone!
You probably think you've managed to disguise yourself.
But I can tell.
You're a monster!
So what's that Tragedy about?
You're better off not knowing.
You said it yourself.
Snakes?
Listen up, Zoe.
You're special.
Special...
His hair turned into snakes.
Don't tell me...
Don't look at me!
Wait, who was that?
Ivy...
Zoe?
Ruth, please.
Got it.
A familiar?!
What happened?
His headphones got taken off.
Then he got angry, and...
Those aren't headphones.
They're earmuffs.
To keep sound out.
People with hypersensitive hearing wear them.
Hearing too much is a problem for them, apparently.
They can't filter out auditory information by themselves.
Where to?
I have to apologize.
We're going to have to deal with this.
Yeah.
Aren't you coming?
You're sure being kind, nobleman.
My family is irrelevant—
They are relevant.
Webster, as long as you're the one holding those,
don't you also owe an apology?
So he's a Gorgon.
A Gorgon?
A monster that comes up in Greek mythology.
"Gorgon" was originally the name of an old god, but it's used as a family name now.
They get treated the same as anyone else now, but in the past,
they were hunted for their flesh, bodily fluids, and eyes.
Their kind need to be protected.
I can't believe one of them would be in the College, though.
Why's that?
Gorgons can't speak with humans.
Their vocal range is quite a bit different from a human's.
And worst of all, their eyes...
They immobilize anyone they make eye contact with.
Supposedly, anyway.
Where are we even going?
That won't be a problem.
Where are we?
The private gardens.
They're set up so that you don't know who's inside.
It suppresses sound to some extent, too.
The smell of greenery is oddly strong here.
It's making him hard to track.
All right.
Now I can follow him.
Yeah.
Ivy?
Why?
Are you here to laugh at me? Because I'm a failure?
Damn it...
I was doing all right until now.
Shit!
I think there's been a misunderstanding.
I told you to stay away!
Sorry.
I know you're not trying to hurt me.
Huh?
Seriously, what's wrong with you?
Take them back.
Sorry for taking them from you.
Y-Yeah...
I heard it's for soundproofing. You can hear me, though, yeah?
You good now?
Feeling all right?
How about you, Chise?
Did you get bit?
Are you okay with snakes?
I-I'm fine.
Look at that.
She can do fine when she tries.
My older sister's like that, too.
Ivy, are you a Gorgon?
Why are you at the College?
Oh, I'm not accusing you of anything.
I just want to know why.
You don't have to answer if you don't want to.
Everyone's got something they don't want to talk about.
Will you keep it a secret?
We can form a contract if you need.
Must you do absolutely everything by the book?
Contracts are important.
No, it's fine.
It's honestly been a bit annoying.
I'm better off being found out.
This was my first time coming to a place like this.
My mom was born in a secret Gorgon settlement by the Black Sea.
And she met my dad, who was a sorcerer and demi-human languages researcher.
They laid an egg. That was me.
An egg?!
What?!
Is there a problem with me being hatched from an egg?!
I mean, I guess eggs are more productive—I mean, more stable.
I've always been going back and forth between snake and human.
I've always needed to have earmuffs and goggles with me.
I'm unusually affected by light and unusually sensitive to smells.
And I have almost no ability to use my eyes.
Without my special earmuffs, my hair tries to turn into snakes.
My body sucks.
That must have been tough.
So why did you come to the College?
My dad...
I'm afraid of going outside.
People tell me there's something wrong with me even in the village.
I'm afraid humans are going to tell me I'm weird, too.
Everyone's got secrets.
Despite that, people are generally nice.
I'm sure you'll make friends, too.
So go to the College and get some studying done.
I'm so worried about you, I can't even go do my fieldwork.
He was just thinking about his fieldwork!
He's a sorcerer.
He's a researcher, after all.
Are sorcerers all like this?
So that's why I'm here. To train myself to be outside.
What about you, Hatori?
You aren't human either, are you?
Well...
It might be because of this.
Wow, it's pitch black.
What have you done?
Well, I was cursed by a dragon recently.
A dragon?!
Is this what dragons smell like?
It smells so toxic.
I think that's because it's a curse.
As Gorgons, we're taught that our ancestors were dragons.
That's why we get riled up when we see dragons.
I wonder if that's why I get annoyed.
I do feel bad about what I did.
But here I am, trying really hard to keep myself from sticking my tongues out,
when this person comes along like catnip...
You get what I'm going through, right?
Y-Yeah.
Hatori, is there something other than the dragon...
S-Sorry!
My snakes!
It's fine.
They're such a nice spring green. I'd love a dye in this color.
It's beautiful.
It'll be fine, Zoe.
You're special, for better or worse.
We were the ones who birthed you that way,
but we don't regret it, so we can't apologize for it.
So at least we'll create an opportunity for you
to meet someone who would say you're beautiful.
I hate to admit it, but he got his wish sooner than I expected.
Besides, would anyone here really be surprised
to see someone with snakes for a hair?
Look at the instructors.
The instructors are all human.
I'm scared, though. Really.
There are still people who fall victim to hunters and never come home.
So you're not here to become a sorcerer, then?
Of course not.
That's a human thing to do, isn't it?
By the way, what do you want to do?
If you want to keep it secret, we should consider using a contract spell—
I caught her listening.
Philomela.
She followed us and tried to eavesdrop or peep.
What do you think you're doing?
Practicing...
Her family specializes in intelligence.
Are they making you do that even in the College?
I've told you to stop going silent every time you're in trouble, haven't I?
What's your relationship with her?
She's my second cousin.
Did you hear what we were saying in there?
About Chise and Ivy.
You got past the noise suppression sorcery.
Are you going to sell me to someone?
I have no intention of telling anyone.
And if someone asks you?
I don't know.
I don't have the right to refuse.
We have no choice.
We'll use the contract spell.
It'll burn your throat if you try to tell someone.
And it'll burn your fingers if you try to write it down.
That's a bit much...
Um, so... in my case, I'm just trying to keep my secret as much as I can.
But I'd really rather you not tell anyone about Ivy.
If that's an order, I'd prefer you make it clear.
It's not an order.
Um...
It's a request, I guess.
All right.
Blessings upon they who adhere.
Punishment upon they who breach.
A warning to they who possess wisdom.
A song of doom to the mouths of the ignorant.
A silver tongue bares wisdom.
A lead tongue is forsaken by the Lord.
Thou shalt not speak.
Thou shalt not write.
The ring of the pact, the snake in a river of grief.
Consume the flesh of they who speak.
Drink the blood of they who write.
The song of betrayal will not be forgiven.
And the pact is made.
Chise...
I haven't apologized yet.
Sorry for ignoring you and getting angry and stuff.
I wasn't bothered by it.
I still don't trust you.
Sneaking around like that...
My family died because of people like you.
I heard you told Chise about the Websters.
Jasmine.
You shouldn't bring that family up.
It just slipped out by accident.
Bear in mind that you're a member of one of the Seven Shields families.
You Scrimgeours sure are wise.
Spare me the self-depreciation, St. George.
Besides, I've already decided I'm going to be by myself.
Do you honestly think we can abandon our own blood?
Rian!
What's his problem?
He's so aggressive.
You were here, Violet?
Rian is too condescending.
He puts on that face like he's above everyone else.
Truly arrogant.
If things get really bad, we can find a master and run away.
Huh?
Mister Ainsworth said we might have aptitude to become mages, remember?
But...
We can make all the escape routes we need.
Why not?