TSIT 03

Chapter 03

The young scholars who feared they might not even be allowed to set foot in the examination hall because they had chosen the wrong friend could only grind their lips in frustration.

Voices began rising one by one, pressing the owner of the tiger-claw ornament for answers.

The only one frantic was not just the person who had lost the item.

Whether it was the poor man who had traveled a long way, saving every pair of straw sandals, or Soram, who was not yet even fully human—it was the same for them all.

Soram, who had not fully grasped what was happening, was gradually swept up in the chaotic atmosphere.

Step out of line? Talk outside the academy?

She couldn’t leave like this! She hadn’t even managed to register her name yet!

Thump, thump—her heart pounded wildly, as if it would burst through her skin.

There was no one here to solve this problem for her. No one to help her.

She would have to rely on all six senses and overcome this crisis herself.

Just moments ago she had resented being in a human body, but now that she was cornered, fortunately her abilities were gradually returning.

Without hesitation, Soram thrust her face toward the young nobleman’s hands and sleeves and began sniffing.

Her strange behavior immediately drew everyone’s attention. Even Doctor Nak quietly observed her.

Soram pushed her small nose here and there, tracking the nobleman’s scent—like a hunting dog unleashed in an open field.

Perhaps because of her desperate wish, she soon caught a faint trace.

Right beside the nobleman, inside another man’s collar.

“Here! The stolen item is inside here…!”

She pointed firmly at the plump young nobleman’s chest and shouted.

“W-What nonsense! Why are you accusing an innocent man!”

“It’s definitely in there! I can smell it.”

The “smell” she spoke of was not the suspicious feeling humans referred to—it was literally the nobleman’s scent.

It was the nobleman himself who broke the brief silence.

His brows twisted in anger as he suddenly yanked at his friend’s robes.

A glittering golden ornament rolled onto the ground.

It was the tiger-claw ornament that had started the commotion—reeking strongly of tiger.

Ignoring the goosebumps rising on her skin, Soram lifted her chin proudly.

“This is it, right? Since I didn’t steal it, I can take the exam now, correct?”

According to what the doctor had said, her innocence had been proven before everyone. She could now rightfully take the test and become a student of this academy.

As Cheongyeon remained silent, she anxiously watched the shortening line.

“You may go.”

Cheongyeon gave a slight nod, and Soram dashed off like an arrow.

The sound of the young nobles fighting behind her quickly faded away.

In no time, Soram stood before the registration desk and cheerfully declared:

“Geum Soram!”

The official with a goat-like beard moved his brush.

Having overheard the applicant in the next line, she quickly repeated:

“Of the Geum clan… Soram!”

After stating that she came from a remote village in Namhae, only a few sparse details were written beneath her name. She had no family, nothing—naturally.

Fortunately, she completed registration without trouble and was finally able to sit for the first exam.

Cheating was strictly prohibited, so even the children of powerful families entered alone, without attendants.

From this moment on, it depended solely on the examinee.

Seated at her desk, Soram gripped her brush with trembling hands and began writing.

Unbelievable!

Miraculously, the questions seemed to have been selected directly from the book that Old Lady Geum had casually handed her.

A smile bloomed uncontrollably across her face as she wrote her answers with ease.

Perhaps Old Lady Geum was the second benefactor of her life!

Half a month after the exam, the list of successful candidates was posted in large letters before the academy.

Crowds gathered, each searching for their own name.

Soram was among them, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar names.

Park… Lee… Hwang…

“Geum! Geum Soram!”

She jumped in place upon finding her name. Even after rubbing her eyes, the letters remained clear.

Her feet bounced with joy.

After checking the notice beneath the list, she turned around.

The successful candidates were to move into the dormitory the very next day and prepare for the entrance ceremony three days later.

Soram hurried to the bookstore to find Old Lady Geum, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Only upon returning to her room did she find a note and a bundle left behind.

The note briefly stated that Old Lady Geum would visit relatives for a few days, had closed the bookstore, and told her to take the bundle.

Inside were several new sets of clothes, books, writing materials, and a money pouch.

Did she already know I would pass?

Tilting her head, Soram repacked the bundle after adding a few of her own things.

With nothing more to take, she cleaned the bookstore one last time and filled the rice jar.

Leaving behind a letter of thanks for Old Lady Geum, Soram headed to Baekryeon Academy.

From a distant rural village, crossing mountains and rivers, she had finally arrived—to become not a dragon rising from a stream, but a person.

Passing through the towering gates, she saw others lined up in the courtyard.

She received her dorm assignment and a jade token granting entry to the academy.

The white jade token, delicately carved like a lotus, bore her three-character name. It reminded her that the half-token she carried also had a single character engraved on it.

At last, she was certain that the character “Cheon” belonged to her benefactor’s surname.

The day she would meet the one who had saved her amid the bloodstorm in Dalcheon no longer seemed far off.

Following the official, she and the other students headed to the dormitory.

They said there were ninety-nine rooms—the academy grounds were truly vast, with separate quarters by year and gender, a dining hall, a library, a sprawling garden, and even an archery field.

The room assigned to Soram housed three people.

As she finished unpacking, the other two entered one by one.

Before long, a bold voice broke the awkward silence.

“Now that we’ve unpacked, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The woman who spoke first radiated confidence.

“I’m Sim Yuran, twenty-one this year.”

Her sun-tanned face and long eyes gave her a striking charm.

The other woman followed.

“I’m Im Gyeonghwa. I’m twenty-four.”

Unlike Yuran, Gyeonghwa spoke calmly and had a gentle appearance—more like a typical lady of the inner quarters, seemingly out of place at Baekryeon Academy.

Finally, it was Soram’s turn.

“I—I’m Geum Soram. I’m twenty.”

“So we have a genius who passed in one go! Can I call you Soram?”

Yuran slung an arm around her shoulders, and Soram nodded in surprise. Soon, Yuran cheerfully suggested they drop formalities.

Amid the excitement of passing, Soram suddenly felt anxious. She hadn’t expected humans to grow close so easily.

Living together, she would have to hide her true identity. At night, when she turned back into an otter, she couldn’t stay in the dormitory.

If the pure Baekryeon Academy discovered something monstrous had infiltrated it…

A few lashes would not be the end of it.

While Soram struggled to focus on their conversation, a dark shadow fell across the paper door.

“Um, are you inside?”

Opening it, they found a man in stiff scholar’s robes. He smiled awkwardly and bowed lightly.

“This evening, the senior students will be hosting a welcoming banquet for the freshmen. Please dress properly and gather in the rear garden at the Hour of the Rooster.”

“As expected,” Yuran sighed as soon as he finished.

After answering dryly and closing the door, she muttered:

“So the Baekryeon Academy hazing ritual that supposedly disappeared over ten years ago is still alive. Asking us to wear unrepaired clothing is laughable.”

“What should we do? We can’t exactly not go…”

“I’m not going. I don’t want my good mood—or my new clothes—ruined. If seniors enjoy that sort of thing, I don’t need them. What about you, Gyeonghwa? Soram?”

As Yuran and Gyeonghwa spoke seriously, Soram alone felt out of place.

If the seniors were holding a banquet, wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t it be good to stroll through the vast garden and grow closer?

After tilting her head in confusion, she finally asked softly:

“…Who is Heo Cham-rye?”