A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 58

Luna seemed to have fallen for Antonio’s words, but in truth, she hadn’t completely given in.

After all, Sivar had already secured victory in a duel against Hector. Whether or not he entered a berserk state, his physical strength was undeniably overwhelming.

Moreover, his “Destructive Power” could rival, if not surpass, Hector’s. He wouldn’t even need to go far—just unleashing a Death Beam would end everything.

“To begin with, his strength is absurdly overwhelming.”

Among all his traits, the one that stood out the most was undoubtedly his “Strength.” Perhaps due to his Red Mana, Sivar’s physical power exceeded all expectations.

Thus, Luna made her decision. For now, she would pretend to align with Antonio while bringing up what she wanted to say.

Practical training didn’t matter much. With demons involved, personal grades were far less important than other priorities.

Of course, she would need to coordinate with the professors to prepare an excuse, just in case.

However, due to her lack of experience, Luna faced a significant problem despite her plans.

“It’s fine if you don’t accept it. You probably need time too.”

Her biggest issue was her lack of tact. She had no idea that the entire practical training was being broadcast live.

Had she been even slightly more perceptive, she would have realized that the professors were watching everything unfold.

But no matter how intelligent one might be, ignorance is inevitable without experience. Besides, Luna had only recently moved from the countryside.

Because of this, she saw the current moment as an opportunity—a chance to say what she wanted to Sivar.

To others, it might look like a “confession,” making the situation all the more intriguing.

“But if possible, I hope you’ll accept it. I… I’m really curious about you.”

Just like now. Her words were rife with potential for misunderstanding.

Though she had previously pointed out Kara’s slip of the tongue, she ended up making a similar mistake herself.

Unfortunately, Luna was completely unaware of this. Her lack of tact aside, the situation itself made her nervous.

She had to deceive Antonio and the team, and she believed there wouldn’t be another chance if not now.

Fortunately, Sivar had thoroughly dealt with the intruders, making it easy to secure this opportunity.

All that remained was Sivar’s consent. Luna looked at him, standing idly, and opened her mouth to speak.

“Can you give me an answer?”

It sounded like a plea, almost desperate. Sivar, hearing her request, glanced around.

As if checking whether anyone was listening, though there was no one nearby. Sivar had taken care of them all long ago.

Seeing his actions, Luna instinctively looked around as well. If anyone were listening, it would be disastrous.

A secret that couldn’t easily be shared with others. If someone found out, things would become complicated.

“Please. Please. Please.”

Luna prayed earnestly in her heart. She hoped Sivar would accept her request.

She had sacrificed this practical training, which was hard to come by, for this opportunity. If it were rejected… she’d have a massive headache.

Did Sivar sense her feelings? He rolled his eyes briefly before speaking in his characteristic blunt tone.

“When?”

“!!”

The word “when” made Luna’s eyes widen. She stammered, hastily asking in return.

“A-Are you accepting it?”

“Yes.”

Sivar’s blunt response of acceptance. At the same time, Luna’s face lit up like sunshine.

A sense of relief, as if the weight in her chest had been lifted in an instant. Her expression clearly conveyed her joy.

“That’s right!”

Unaware that the professors were watching, Luna clenched her fist and shouted.

From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like the reaction of someone whose date proposal had been accepted. It was enough to evoke a sense of innocence in the observers.

In fact, the professors were clapping enthusiastically at Luna’s reaction. For once, they were united in their support.

“Hehehe. Finally, I feel relieved.”

Regardless of their reaction, Luna was overjoyed at having finally secured a promise. She had finally obtained a chance to be alone with him.

How long had she been anxious, fearing someone might discover Sivar’s secret?

Now, she no longer needed to worry. If she learned Sivar’s identity, she could find someone to share the secret with.

Luna was so delighted that she even stomped her feet in excitement before suddenly recalling something she had forgotten.

“Oh, right! This isn’t the time for this. Hurry to where Grace is. By now, it might be a bit dangerous.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll handle myself. So just go quickly.”

“Alright.”

She had no intention of fighting Sivar. Honestly, fighting him would only be a waste of time.

Maybe in training, but combat during practical training offered little to gain.

Even if she were highly skilled, a single punch from Sivar would knock her out—what would be the point?

It was far better to part ways amicably, avoiding unnecessary conflict and preserving their feelings.

“Oh, and Sivar.”

“?”

Just as Sivar was about to pass her, Luna called his name. He turned to look back at her.

Though Luna usually maintained a stoic expression like Sivar, she was surprisingly expressive when it came to emotions.

“Take care of me from now on.”

Just like now. Her face openly displayed her happiness and joy.

A pure and radiant smile, befitting a girl from the countryside. Even the way she brushed her hair back subtly tugged at the heartstrings.

Even Sivar, who was usually indifferent to such things, found himself momentarily staring at her in a daze.

Given how much stress she had endured recently, every little expression of emotion carried immense impact.

“…Alright.”

Sivar replied reluctantly before heading into the forest. Luna waved him off enthusiastically as he left.

Left alone in the forest, she glanced at her teammates, still encased in cocoons, before moving her steps.

Though there was no need for cleanup, it was better to eliminate herself just in case. With that, she removed the bracelet attached to her wrist.

“Hmm hmm~ Hmm hmm~”

Unable to contain her joy, she even hummed a tune. She swayed her body lightly, expressing her current feelings.

If anyone were watching, she would have suppressed her emotions as much as possible, but there was no one around. At least, according to her judgment.

“If I truly know the future, what should I ask about first?”

Click!

As she pondered that, she struggled to remove the bracelet. Once it came off, a blue barrier enveloped her.

Eventually, as Sleep Magic activated, she slowly closed her eyes.

“I’m glad Sivar is kind.”

Kind, indeed.

He wasn’t the type to carelessly reveal someone’s dark history.

******

It was a misjudgment. Grace, who had been separated from Sivar for a while, thought so.

It would have been better to search the valley together and plan the next steps. That would have been safer and more effective.

However, Sivar’s eccentric acts were too bizarre, and she believed she and Lee Yeonju would suffice.

Above all, she hadn’t anticipated that other teams would collaborate to launch a surprise attack in such a short time.

“No, I did think that other teams might join forces because of Mr. Sivar…”

With an Ecosystem Destroyer like Sivar around, it was inevitable that other teams would band together to target them.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered this simple possibility at all. But she had dismissed it as unlikely, thinking, “No way.” Preparing for the worst wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

The problem was that it happened far too quickly. Not even 12 hours had passed since the practical training began.

“Surrender your bracelet peacefully, Lady Berche. Then there won’t be any issues.”

A male student pointed his sword at Grace and Lee Yeonju, speaking in a tone of intimidation. Around him, roughly four team members had gathered.

Grace carefully examined their faces. Some were familiar to her.

Especially the male student at the forefront. She didn’t know his name, but she knew who he was.

“You’re on Zerka’s team, aren’t you? Don’t tell me Zerka is also involved in this cowardly act?”

“No. Zerka has not participated in this.”

A male student from Elvin’s team shook his head firmly. Grace felt a sense of relief at his words.

She knew Elvin to be someone with a strong sense of pride but also a just nature. That must be why he hadn’t joined in.

No matter how absurdly strong Sivar might be, Elvin would prefer a fair fight over resorting to cowardly tactics.

“Did you send people to Mr. Sivar as well?”

“Yes. Far more people than here, and even the Entrance Top Student is with them.”

“M-Ms. Luna…?”

Lee Yeonju, trembling beside her, muttered in a shocked voice. It wasn’t just her—Grace also let out a low groan.

To think that even Luna would participate in this. It’s reasonable, but cowardly is still cowardly.

‘I can’t understand this. There’s no need to eliminate them.’

Sivar is a tiger. A tiger that lounges around peacefully unless provoked first.

The theme of the practical training is survival, not a Death Match. There was no reason to eliminate other teams.

Besides, wasn’t it said that there’s little difference between first place and a shared first place? Anyone with a bit of sense could understand the purpose of this training.

‘Unless conflict arises and they eliminate each other, that is.’

All of this is pointless. Except for a few, virtually every team has united to take down Sivar.

If this could be called cooperation, then so be it. Grace gave a bitter smile and glanced behind her.

Cornered as they were, they had somehow reached the Safety Barrier. There was nowhere left to run.

If they managed to escape outside and find a path within ten minutes, it would be a miracle, but the odds were slim.

Moreover, unless the other side was utterly foolish, they would pursue them to the end, making escape nearly impossible.

‘Holding out until Mr. Sivar arrives is the best option.’

How long could they hold out? On one side were five well-balanced individuals, while on their side were just a mage and a thief.

On top of that, the distance wasn’t far—it was close. For a mage, distance was life, and even that had been taken away.

It was utterly bleak, but Grace tried her best to find a solution.

‘Yeonju…’

At this point, there was only one person she could trust. Grace glanced to her side.

“Ugh…”

“… …”

Lee Yeonju was trembling, clutching a dagger tightly in both hands. Rather than being helpful, she seemed more likely to be a hindrance.

Grace couldn’t help but click her tongue, feeling her evaluation of Lee Yeonju drop further and further.

At this point, there was only one option left. A desperate measure was the only way to respond.

The bracelet was designed to be difficult even for the wearer to remove, so if they held out, Sivar would eventually arrive.

“I just don’t understand why you insist on taking the hard path. There must be an easier way.”

“Lady Berche, you may think so, but for us, this is the best option.”

“I see it as the worst option, not the best. I don’t know who came up with this plan, but it’s terribly flawed.”

Though unintentional, Grace had harshly criticized Antonio. Still, it wasn’t entirely flawed, as they had divided their team to cut off support and launch a surprise attack.

The key was how well the other side could keep Sivar occupied. They might even manage to eliminate him.

For Grace, that would be the worst-case scenario. If Sivar were eliminated, they’d be left with nothing.

‘It’s so frustrating not being able to communicate.’

Due to the nature of survival, communication between teams was impossible—unless there were at least two mages present.

“This conversation has gone on long enough. If you can’t remove the bracelet, you can step outside the barrier.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then…”

The male student let out a scoff, as if to say it was absurd. He slowly withdrew the sword he had been aiming and sheathed it again.

But this wasn’t a sign of retreat. Holding the sword sheath in his hand, he spoke in a low voice.

“There’s no choice. We’ll have to use force.”

With those words, the man charged at Grace. The distance was so short that even chanting an incantation seemed impossible.

But Grace, instead of accepting her fate quietly, shouted with the intent to resist as much as she could.

“Slip…”

Unfortunately, Grace couldn’t finish her words. The tip of the man’s sword was already heading for her face.

Just as Grace squeezed her eyes shut, half-resigned, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Smack!

“Ugh?!”

The man charging at Grace suddenly collapsed to the side, letting out a scream for reasons unknown.

At the sound, Grace slowly opened her tightly shut eyes. When she did, she saw the male student who had been aiming his sword at her lying unconscious.

Whatever had hit him, the impact was so great that his eyes had rolled back.

“W-What’s going on?”

“What just happened…?”

Thud! Crack!

Before the male student’s companions could even react to the sudden situation—

Stones came flying from somewhere, hitting their heads with pinpoint accuracy.

All five of them were taken down by mere stones. Each one fell with a clean, single strike.

Amid the utterly baffling situation, a voice reached Grace’s ears.

“Sorry.”

It was Sivar, who had somehow approached Grace’s side without her even sensing his presence.

“Ahh!”

“Eek!”

Startled, both Grace and Lee Yeonju let out high-pitched screams.

They were so shocked that both of them jumped in place.

“Late.”

Naturally, Sivar, unfazed, began speaking without concern.

As if nothing had happened, he spoke in his usual blunt tone.