Isekai Academy 01: The Boarding School Between Dimensions, page 1
Isekai Academy 01:
Lyeh Du-Kien in The Boarding School Between Dimensions
By: Akos Esthoth
Copyright © 2022 Akos Esthoth
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.
Front cover image by Synne Siren.
Book design by Akos Esthoth.
First printing edition 2022.
@Esthoth
Episode 01: The Academy
My First Day
After waving goodbye to my parents and grandmother. I step through the white void in the shape of a doorway. My house and yard vanish, replaced by a stereotypical professor’s office. The walls are lined with shelves, all packed with books and a few specimen jars full of things I don’t recognize.
Before I can fully take in my surroundings. The glowing door I just passed through shuts, revealing a large bare desk is behind me. This desk is like the one I have seen in my grandmother’s office. It has a turquoise crystal top, likely a holo-computer display. This is definitely a rich kids’ boarding school.
Standing, no, floating next to the desk is the highly peculiar automata that I followed here, called the Headmaster. The Headmaster is the most advanced automata I have ever seen. They are at least two generations ahead of what grandmother’s company is working on, and four to five generations beyond what is on sale in any local electronic store.
The Founder, the one who started this boarding school is the one that made the Headmaster. She is his magnum opus, designed to replace him. Looking her over I cannot help thinking. They must have been a mad genius, along with being super rich.
Realistically, I don’t have a good perspective on judging these kinds of things. I thought grandma was rich when she became a CEO and owner of her own internationally traded company. That was a few years ago when her father, who I didn’t know was still alive, died suddenly. Guess that's just the limit of what normies can see. Having only lived on this side of the world for a year, I don’t know what is normal yet.
The Headmaster is designed to look like an old school angel, kind of terrifying honestly when you first meet them. They have twelve wings framing its face, neck, and upper part of their chest. The wings completely obscure its moving parts. It floats a few centimeters off the ground and appears to have a slightly feminine figure, but is hard to tell.
The Headmaster is programmed to accept the use of feminine and neutral pronouns when addressing them. Considering the amount of love that obviously went into their design. I cannot help but wonder if the Founder modeled the Headmaster after a loved one. Maybe their wife, daughter, sister, or a lost loved one.
This thought also makes me wonder if the Founder is dead. The Headmaster has only five arms and one charred stump peeking out from between its wings. You would think she would have been repaired by now, if she was constantly being looked after. Even if not constantly, she should have been repaired since the last time I saw her.
That’s right, this isn’t my first time meeting the Headmaster. I first met her after a minor accident on my eleventh birthday, about a week ago. Grandmother had given me a new personal protection device. A sort of emergency escape button. It was supposed to send me to her personal safe room if I pressed the button. Unfortunately, as soon as I put on the watch-like device, I was teleported to the same office I am now standing in, the Headmaster’s personal office.
After the initial shock, I began talking to the Headmaster. It didn’t take me long to figure out she was an automaton, and not an AR skin. I also quickly came to understand that she has one of the most advanced AIs I've ever encountered. Possibly tied with Mímir, the one that helps run grandma's company, the work of grandma’s mysterious father.
The Headmaster’s face gives off a slightly unsettlingly inhuman vibe. It’s almost purposefully very close to the uncanny valley. I wonder if her creator, the Founder, was connected to grandmother’s company or maybe even old friends with her late father.
Needless to say, I became completely enamored with The Academy, the boarding school the Headmaster runs. I was so excited I insisted on a tour before returning home. The Headmaster was kind enough to show me some facilities before teleporting us back to my home. Once there, I talked to grandma about the Academy, while the Headmaster talked to my parents about my enrollment.
It felt like fate. We had been wondering where I was going to go to school, now that both my older brother and sister were starting graduate school out of state. It’s a little sad that I have to live away from home. Mom and Dad are essential workers and have great pride in their work and family. Dad is a nurse while Mom is part of the army. Neither one ever goes into detail about their work with me because of the sensitive nature and all that.
Mom is still angry that I cannot go back to normal school, but after what happened back during my last year of elementary school. She had no choice but to accept grandma’s financial aid. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised that my parents accepted grandmother paying my tuition. So only a week later, after saying my goodbyes and seeing off my older siblings. I am back and ready to experience a completely different kind of school life than anything I have ever seen before.
Without waiting for me to adjust to the relocation sickness, the Headmaster floats out of the room. She is saying something to me about my future, here at the Academy and after. Her voice is stoic and grand while still being elegant and obviously female. She always sounds like she is singing. Designers tend to copy the voice of their loved ones, so maybe this is the voice of the Founder’s partner or even daughter.
With my mind running at its own wild pace. I tend not to follow what others are talking about if I am not completely focused on them. Hence, I missed everything the Headmaster was saying. I am simply too excited to focus. This past week I spent reading everything I could find about living in a boarding school. From famous people’s autobiographies to popular fiction, mostly things my brother had downloaded.
Anything could happen here. I can create connections that will last a lifetime. My class could take part in experiments that could alter the course of scientific expansion. Finding my first love is even possible. My big brother and sister warned me about that, not that I care about love.
What I am hoping will happen is that my classmates and I stumble upon some great secret hidden under the school. Something that leads to a magical world. Or we could accidentally, or purposefully, unleash a multiverse devouring eldritch monstrosity. Oh, or I might see a real tree.
With these thoughts overwhelming my mind, I almost missed when the Headmaster turned a corner. Hurriedly following her, not wanting to be left behind or to miss anything, I raced to catch up. Luckily, I am not weighed down by all my stuff. Aside from the clothes on my back, all I have with me is my favorite pink axolotl hoodie, and the phone grandma gave me for my tenth birthday. They teleported everything else to my room before me.
First up on the tour was my dorm room. The building was simple, far too simple for rich kids. Maybe this is because it is for first years. Sensing my confusion, the Headmaster stops and turns to me. She wasn’t even scanning my face. How did she know I was confused? Maybe all the cameras, yeah that has to be it.
“Lyeh, you will have the freedom to customize your room however you wish. All you have to do is ask the System to help.” Neat, but I bet that costs money.
After the dorms, we headed to the cafeteria and various other facilities. It's a little strange that I haven't seen any students yet. The Academy supposedly has thousands of students, since it has classes for ten years of education. Grandma said that she would do whatever she could to ensure I would graduate within those ten years.
Not entirely sure why she looked so sad when she told me that. If we are allowed to, I think I could finish in eight, maybe six years. Just like my brother and sister did with their schooling. Attending classes here may be fun, but I bet they only have classes for ten years for those with learning disabilities.
Oh, they have an indoor garden, each plant is labeled and cataloged like a laboratory greenhouse. Maybe the upper grades prepare you for postgraduate learning. OMG, they have a pool. Never have I seen so much clean water outside of a desalination plant. The Academy is everything I expected from a school with my grandmother’s seal of approval. The rumored rich peoples’ oases are true after all.
My first thought was to post about this online, but I knew that would only get me in trouble. Following the Headmaster we ended up in an old school library. The gold and platinum dragon-dog statues by the entrance were cool, but physical books are boring. I mean analog, really?
These IRL books smell like old people and death. Just give me the link to the school’s digital library and I will scan through it later. I bet I have already read everything I am allowed to read, anyway. Freak'in archaic age restrictions on books. Big
Unfortunately, because the Academy’s library was so big, my attention wavered and I pulled out my phone. That was when I realized the true horror of my current situation. It was all a trap. Everyone fooled me. They used the fact that I am easily distracted against me, and now I find myself in my own personal hell.
No bars! Dropping to my knees, I raise my arms to the sky, wanting to curse all the adults in my life. How could they? How could they doom me to his cruel hellscape? Grandma did this on purpose, didn’t she? Just to spite me. Just because I ruined a few of her long-term experiments when I was visiting a few months ago. Or was it because I didn't want to join her lab as a junior researcher, not that she would have let me help, anyway.
Particle accelerators aren’t for kids, she says. I only wanted to make some micro black holes. They would have been a great show and tell. The magnetic rig I built should have been able to stabilize them, theoretically. There was only a slight chance the Earth would have been devoured.
How could I have been so naïve? I never would have thought she would pick such an efficient prison and punishment for me. Me, her most adorable and lovable grandchild.
“Lyeh, what is wrong? Why have you fallen to the floor?” An angelic voice grabs my attention. Almost enthralled by that beautiful voice, I turn to the source.
The spell broke immediately when looking at the speaker. Maybe that inhuman look for the Headmaster is done on purpose. If not for the unchanging, mask-like face, regardless of the melodious voice, I might have wanted her to hug me and tell me everything is fine.
Unable to respond vocally, I hold up my phone, making the screen clear to her optical scanners. With graceful movements befitting her angelic form, the Headmaster plucks my phone from my hand. She looks it over while I try my hardest to hold back the tears of my unfathomable sadness.
“Interesting. You use various frequencies of light to encode and transmit information. This methodology for the cataloging and transferring of data is far more effective than what others use. Here, your communication device should function once again.” After wirelessly fiddling with it, in a way that made me question its built-in security measures. The Headmaster hands me back my phone.
Displayed upon it is an unfamiliar blue screen. Is this the fabled blue screen of death from those historical comedies? There is a large zero in the center surrounded by blue. Oh wait, there are some buttons on top and bottom. I just couldn’t see them from the wrong angle.
Maybe the Academy uses a similar root OS to my grandma’s system. I wonder if the Headmaster knows Mimir. Oh, maybe they are sister AI. Maybe the Founder is connected to my mysterious great-grandfather. Questions for later, I have bars now! Seven of them, wait, wasn’t my max five before? Oh well, that doesn’t matter.
“We have taken the initiative to add a relay for the Academy's System to your information terminal. With it, you will be able to access all of your privileges, and track your acquisition of the System’s points.” My gamer senses are tingling. That sounded way too important to let slip by.
“What do you mean, privileges and points? Could I lose access to the internet? Do I have a limited amount of data? Does it track time or data used? How much does it cost per-gigabyte?” In a panic, I immediately push the privileges icon and scan the menu.
System Authority, Gate Access, Game Extensions, Clearance. There are only four options, and two of them don't make any sense, while a third is a mere speculation. The only one whose function is obvious is Gate Access. While the short distance instantaneous movement Grandma's company developed is called teleportation. Gate Ports are the stable stationary portal between locations.
That means going home to visit is easy. I don't want to go home immediately, but I can imagine wanting to spend a weekend back home. Game Extensions probably means we get some amount of leisure time, but we have to buy more. I have no clue what the other two could mean. Someone should explain them soon enough. Or was that part of the lecture I was ignoring?
“You need not worry about the loss of connection. Though not everyone has them, possession of relics is considered a right at the Academy. Think of it as part of the civilization bonus. As such, we have set your device to charge anywhere in the Academy. However, now it is time for your first homeroom. We hope you utilize your time here efficiently and graduate with honors. May you continue to provide us with unique data.” Without warning, a gate opened behind the headmaster and they faded away.
No wait, I still have lots of questions. What did I miss? Will my homeroom teacher answer my questions? Where is my homeroom? Is it this door she left me at? Do I need a syllabus? Seeing as it’s the only thing to do, I open the door they left me at and walk through.
**Ding!** That sounds like a notification from my phone.
Before I can even take in my surroundings, my phone sends out an alert. The blue screen for the school's app is open, and instead of the huge zero dominating the middle of the screen, it is replaced with a one followed by two zeros.
The small text box at the top of the screen says, “Attended Homeroom +100.” I don't know what anything costs, but I don’t imagine attending homeroom is enough to get anything meaningful. Then again, I don’t know what is meaningful for rich kids.
Finally turning my attention to my class, I get a good look at my classmates. Yep, this is definitely different from my old school. The room is fitted with 30 desks, but just over half of them are taken. Each row of desks descends to the teacher’s desk on the lowest rung. Isn’t this like those lecture halls of colleges in old movies?
The other students are sitting scattered around the room. They are not filling up the first rows, like they should be. In the very back is the first and biggest oddity. A tall boy with a childish face stands out even being in the back of the class. He is at least two meters tall, over a meter wide, and half covered in short, grey hair. If not for his almost baby face, I might think he was a troll.
Unfortunately, I don't have time to focus on the muscles that appear to be bursting out of his own skin. No, the next oddity that captures my attention is the four different students with horns. Not to mention that half of them have bright red skin, or mostly red? I can't stop to ponder this because sleeping in the front row is a beautiful little girl with vines instead of hair wearing nothing but leaves. She is being watered by a tiny butler that looks to be made of moss.
Then, as though mocking that one’s apparent lack of clothes, is another girl right behind her wearing nothing at all. This girl’s lower half is that of a serpent and only her long, flowing hair covers her upper body. Do normal laws not apply here or is this some kind of loophole I am unaware of?
I'm trying to ignore the four animals sitting at desks like they are students, but it's not working. Unable to process what is happening, I walk towards the front of the room. Towards the only normal-looking people. Believing I've found a sanctuary in the middle of the room, a desk with a fairly ordinary girl sitting next to it. Having found some kind of normalcy to cling to, I stopped to take my seat.
My moment of clarity only lasted a second. The girl next to me moves and her tail unfurls from beneath her skirt. It's after this I notice there are cat ears on top of her head, they are twitching as she yawns. Left with no other choice, I rushed to the front row. There I hastily sat in the only empty space, between a nerdy-looking boy and a girl in a rather eccentric white dress. If that's all that's wrong with them, then they are perfect, perfectly normal.
Looking at my phone, we still have a few minutes until homeroom starts. Cautiously looking around the room, a few other students appear nervous. In fact, only the ordinary-looking students next to me seem calm. Ah wait, the two horned-girls by the window are eating some kind of meat. Did I stumble into some kind of amusement park?
Arg, I can't take this. I need to know what's going on. My options are a nerdy boy, or an eccentric girl… It has to be the girl, right? Right. I lean over towards her and ask.
