“So you’re that Rukna Golden.”

Professor Todley stroked his beard, saying he had heard about her at the faculty meeting.

Shorter than Rukna, with a sturdy build, piercing eyes, and bushy beard, he showed signs of dwarf blood.

“Where did that come from?”

Professor Todley pointed at the griffin with the pen he was holding.

“I tamed it by chance.”

“Isn’t that the magical beast the Sacred Studies professor had? It must have caused quite a commotion back then. That one must have been the most ferocious of them all.”

“Well…”

Rukna scratched her cheek instead of answering.

The Sacred Studies professor couldn’t have told him about that incident.

Professor Todley was known for looking down on human professors and students, and never paid attention to other professors’ lectures.

It was quite surprising that such a professor knew the details of an accident that occurred during class.

“How did you tame that griffin? Griffins have high magic resistance, so they’re not susceptible to hypnosis, making taming troublesome. Even I would have found it difficult.”

“I was just lucky. It followed me well when I gave it food.”

As Rukna was making up an excuse, Matian, who arrived a bit late, politely greeted Professor Todley.

“It’s been a while, Professor.”

“Oh, you’re here. I knew you’d pass.”

With that, Professor Todley stamped a square seal on the back of Matian’s hand.

It was a kind of airship entry confirmation.

“Professor, me too.”

When Rukna extended her hand following Matian, a stamp was firmly pressed on the back of her hand as if entering an amusement park.

‘Huh?’

The square and complex stamp pattern. This all too familiar thing is…

‘It’s a QR code!’

Rukna suddenly raised her head and stared ahead.

When Matian scanned the stamp on the back of his hand on the transparent crystal ball installed at the entrance, the crystal ball turned green and the tightly closed iron door opened with a clatter and then closed again.

There was another door inside, making the security seem extremely tight.

‘Is this the extent of dwarven technology?’

They say they abhor magic and developed scientific technology, but I never imagined it would be to this extent.

These guys, are they really not using smartphones?

Even if I see it, I shouldn’t be surprised. Wasn’t I also a civilized person who experienced highly advanced scientific technology in my previous life?

Rukna nodded solemnly and examined the stamp once again.

‘Something seems… different.’

Looking very closely, the maze-like pattern in the stamp wasn’t made of simple lines but letters.

This looks more like a square magic circle than a QR code?

‘Nah, no way. Dwarves don’t use magic, they say.’

Rukna tilted her head and placed the back of her hand on the crystal ball.

Then the stamp on the back of her hand briefly glowed, the crystal ball turned green, and the door slowly moved.

No matter how you look at it, it seems like magic?

There must have been other guests who had such doubts, as a sign saying ‘Absolutely Not Magic’ was prominently displayed at the entrance.

The fact that it feels more like magic because of this must be because my mind is twisted.

‘Let’s not doubt the dwarves.’

By the way, what does the inside of the airship look like?

Is it clean like the airplanes I saw in my previous life? Or maybe they’ve used their outstanding smelting techniques to decorate everything with fancy metals.

The moment Rukna, full of expectations, passed through the remaining entrance and stared straight ahead.

‘What is this.’

Rukna’s shoulders, which had been raised high, slumped down.

‘Dwarves are supposed to have a highly advanced civilization!’

Rukna looked around with a dejected expression.

The scene of a tavern that one might see in a fantasy world unfolded before her eyes.

The interior covered with mahogany wood panels was darker than expected.

The incandescent lamps installed here and there on the walls seemed to prove the advanced scientific technology, but the sight of dwarves guzzling wine with their bulging bellies exposed looked far from civilized.

They held large bronze cups in one hand and something like a hatchet in the other.

‘Their clothes are unique too.’

The wide brown leather pants had many pockets attached, each pocket stuffed with different tools.

With just those pants, it seemed like they could whip up a machine or two right away.

Many weren’t wearing tops, exposing their bellies, but instead wore scarves, suspenders, or vests to express their own style.

The women also wore short tops that revealed their stomachs, with wide pants or skirts.

Although the clothes made by pounding leather were modest, the accessories made by weaving various jewels were more splendid than those of any human noble.

“Don’t just stand there gawking, move aside, inferior human!”

A dwarf waiter carrying bronze cups filled with port wine passed in front of Rukna, glaring at her.

Intimidated by the booming voice, Rukna first apologized, saying “I’m sorry.”

It was only after that she realized she had been treated as an inferior being.

‘They’re the ones who look like primitives, who are they calling inferior?’

Rukna pouted while surveying the center of the lobby.

There were huge port wine oak barrels stacked up, each holding over 500 liters, and in the kitchen, staff were busily moving about, bringing out dishes.

The dwarves, seated in groups of three or five at round tables, were engaged in a shouting match, bragging about the special minerals they had mined.

“This special metal can even store sound!”

A dwarf who held out a donut-shaped metal sang along loudly to the song stored in it.

The interior was already vibrating due to the airship’s engine, and with the addition of the dwarves’ unique voices, it was enough to make one’s ears hurt.

‘It’s so noisy. And why is the ceiling so low?’

It was fine for her, but at this rate, Matian and Bolton’s crowns would touch the ceiling.

“Hey, blockhead. Over here!”

Bolton, seated at a table, called out to Rukna in a loud voice.

Even while sitting, his neck was tilted awkwardly, suggesting he must have been very uncomfortable while standing.

Matian, seated next to him scanning the crowd, also smiled gently as soon as he saw Rukna.

“What are you drinking, Bolton?”

Rukna, who had taken a seat, peered into the bronze cup Bolton was holding.

“Lime juice. It’s a specialty of the dwarf village. It’s even full of precious ice. Want to try?”

Bolton offered the cup to Rukna.

Just as Rukna was about to grab it, Matian intercepted the cup midway.

“What’s this, Matian? I thought you weren’t drinking… Wait, what are you doing?”

Silently, Matian wiped the rim of the bronze cup with a handkerchief before placing it back in front of Rukna.

“Come on! Are you saying my mouth is dirty?”

“As if you washed thoroughly today, Bolton.”

Matian responded with a gentle smile.

“A true male doesn’t wash as often as you do.”

“I didn’t know your manliness would dissolve if it touched water.”

Matian advised Bolton to be careful on rainy days.

Saying that if all his manliness dissolves in rainwater, he might become a woman.

“Is rainwater some kind of gender juice? Turning you into a woman?”

“…Gender juice?”

“It’s that amazing elixir that temporarily changes one’s gender.”

Rukna’s face turned pale at the sudden mention of gender juice.

She fidgeted nervously before gulping down the drink she was holding.

“When you drink gender juice, your skeleton changes… Hey, Rukna? Are you swallowing the ice too?”

Bolton looked at Rukna, who had her cheeks full of ice, with drooping eyebrows as if pitying her.

“Well, when would you have ever tasted precious ice in this season? Eat as much as you want here. The dwarves developed something called a freezer, so ice is common.”

“No, that’s not it (Ani, geuge anira).”

With her cheeks bulging out from the ice filling her mouth, she couldn’t speak properly.

It would be awkward to spit it out now, so she had no choice but to wait for the ice to melt.

“Everything you do is so childlike.”

Bolton burst out laughing, saying Rukna looked like a hamster.

Matian also looked at Rukna with a fond smile.

Meanwhile, students who had passed the test began entering the lobby one by one.

They seemed somewhat disappointed upon seeing the interior of the airship, like Rukna, but after sitting by the round windows and admiring the scenery below the sky, they all praised the dwarves’ scientific technology.

“By the way, why is Chad always late? Is he having a meeting with Professor Todley or something?”

Ah, here he comes now. Over here, Chad!

Bolton, who had been staring at the entrance for a while, waved his hand towards Chad, who had entered late.

Ash-covered Chad first checked on Rukna before striding behind her.

“So you were all here?”

Chad leaned forward and placed both hands on the table.

This trapped Rukna between his arms. His lips moved close to Rukna’s ear.

“Thanks to you, I experienced the hottest exam of my life, Ruka.”

And the act of blowing hot breath into her ear was clearly a provocation.

“Move this away (Igeo chiwo).”

Rukna tilted her head to the opposite side and smacked away Chad’s arm that was trapping her.

But Chad, who didn’t budge at all, stared down at Rukna’s cheeks.

“Haha, are you melting ice in your mouth, Ruka?”

Chad raised his hands and cupped Rukna’s cheeks.

Black soot smeared on her cheeks wherever Chad’s hands touched.

“Stop it (Haji ma).”

Rukna pushed away Chad’s hands, but Chad paid no attention and continued to play around, smearing soot on Rukna’s nose tip and forehead.

Matian, who had been watching this scene intently, grabbed Chad’s wrist while smiling gently.

Chad then squinted his eyes and said, “I don’t have a hobby of getting my wrist grabbed by someone with the same equipment.”