A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 60

Kara’s day could be described like this.

Frustrating and boring. That’s how she’d felt ever since her teammates fell for Antonio’s coaxing.

Survival itself was easier compared to the desert. Unlike the forest, which at least had something, the desert had nothing but sand.

She endured by munching on protein-rich bugs here and there until night eventually arrived.

In the Tatars, where the temperature fluctuated drastically, people tended to dress warmly at night, but here, that wasn’t necessary.

However, she hadn’t anticipated that evening would come so early, leaving her without even a hideout.

“Well then, excuse me for a moment.”

In such a situation, while wandering aimlessly, she happened to stumble upon a campfire.

In the dense darkness of the forest or mountains, even a cigarette light stood out vividly. Let alone a campfire—how much more noticeable would that be?

It was highly likely to belong to another team, which increased the chances of a fight, but she planned to try persuasion first.

Fortunately, the campfire’s owner was Sivar’s team, allowing her to settle into the hideout with ease.

“You took them all down? As expected, I was right. I don’t understand why they made that choice. Luna joined in too, didn’t she?”

“For now.”

“Even though she saw my dad fight you, I can’t understand why she did that. Is there some other reason?”

But she had no intention of lying down and sleeping peacefully. Staying up all night for a day wasn’t a big deal, and besides, it wouldn’t be polite.

At the very least, she thought it was only right to take part in the night watch. It felt awkward to just lie down and rest when she hadn’t done anything.

Luckily, there was a suitable companion for conversation, which Kara found more than welcome.

“How’s your team?”

“Good.”

“In what way?”

“Everything.”

At those words, Kara turned to look behind her. Grace and Lee Yeonju were both fast asleep, even snoring.

Both of them had the appearance and aura of flowers grown in a greenhouse. Especially Grace—Kara knew exactly who she was.

She was one of the people who consistently showed interest in Sivar. Honestly, Kara didn’t like her very much.

It was too obvious that she coveted Sivar—or more precisely, his power. It was far too blatant.

‘Sivar’s the type to think everyone’s nice as long as they don’t bother him.’

That’s why Kara didn’t take Sivar’s words at face value. The Sivar she knew was too kind.

He wouldn’t respond unless provoked first, and even when he occasionally acted eccentrically, he would apologize.

If he had a malicious nature, he wouldn’t even bother apologizing and would have defied Rod, who punished without hesitation.

‘At the very least, I hope they don’t exploit his heart.’

She didn’t mind if they cleverly used Sivar’s power. In this harsh world, using someone else’s strength was understandable.

But if it wasn’t an unavoidable situation and they were exploiting Sivar’s kind nature, that would make her uncomfortable.

‘Eloquent speech is also a form of power, if you think about it.’

Of course, this applied only to Sivar. She didn’t deny the value of oratory itself. Hector had demonstrated its effectiveness during the tribal unification.

Hector had unified the tribe using his physical strength, natural charisma, and finally, his resonant speech.

As a result, he founded the Tatars and elevated them to a position that other nations couldn’t easily challenge.

Though he was currently wandering, she had witnessed firsthand just how powerful oratory could be.

Disliking something and not acknowledging it were two different things.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“That… never mind.”

Kara started to say something but stopped herself. She had intended to offer some advice.

[Even if people say nice things, it’s problematic to take them at face value. You should think deeply at least once.]

However, she doubted whether Sivar would understand, and no one knew better than her that she wasn’t much different.

If she brought it up and Sivar ended up misunderstanding her later, it would only cause her trouble.

‘He might not even believe me if I say something good.’

That was her biggest concern. Even after Hector had been beaten half to death, Sivar’s favor toward him hadn’t diminished.

On the contrary, it was something she felt she should apologize for. Sivar had been hurt because of Hector’s impulsive actions.

But what if she brought it up and Sivar started doubting her words?

It would go beyond frustrating—it would leave a bitter taste. She’d probably feel hurt too.

‘It’d be weird to say, “You can trust my words,” anyway.’

Even though Kara was scorned as a wildling, she was still part of civilization. And as a civilized person, she inevitably had to tell lies.

Lying wasn’t something humanity invented when they built civilizations; it was one of the techniques they had naturally acquired.

Someday, she might have to lie to Sivar, and the thought of giving him that advice pricked her conscience.

“Ugh…”

“?”

Kara ruffled her hair in frustration. Sivar simply looked at her with a puzzled expression.

She sighed and glanced to the side. Thanks to the campfire, Sivar’s face was clearly visible even at night.

How could someone look so clueless yet so adorable at the same time? His face was close to perfection, radiating a strong sense of innocence.

Pinch—

She couldn’t resist. Kara reached out and gently pinched Sivar’s cheek.

Despite her actions, Sivar merely blinked without reacting. Instead, his expression seemed to ask what she was doing.

Amused by his response, Kara used her other hand to pinch his other cheek. His skin, as white as milk, was incredibly soft and squishy.

Now she understood why Ellie often played with Sivar’s cheeks. They were as soft as glutinous rice cakes, making them irresistibly touchable.

“I’m jealous. So jealous. Some people are so carefree while others are drowning in complicated thoughts.”

“…Me?”

“I didn’t say it was you, did I?”

Kara lied with a playful smirk. She wondered if Sivar would understand the meaning behind her words.

His expression remained unreadable as ever, but it didn’t matter.

Just one thing. Kara needed just one thing.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“We’ll stay friends forever, right?”

She hoped to stay connected with Sivar. They understood each other well, and their dispositions matched in subtle ways.

While she had made other friends like Luna, none of them felt as comfortable as Sivar.

Luna was rigid, and although Ellie was cheerful, interacting with her felt a bit awkward.

For now, Sivar was her closest friend—the kind of friend who harbored no prejudice, a true companion.

“I won’t let go until you answer.”

Whether Sivar became civilized or not didn’t matter. Whether he learned to lie or not didn’t matter.

As long as they remained friends forever, that was enough. Friends could lie to and tease each other, after all.

But one thing they could never do was betray each other. If Sivar ever betrayed her, she might never trust anyone again.

‘…What if he really betrays me someday?’

The thought crossed her mind, and her grip on Sivar’s cheek loosened slightly. Anxiety crept in.

Sivar had no reason to betray her, but no one could predict the future.

Even if it wasn’t betrayal, turning his back on her would still be a problem. The difference didn’t matter—it would mean growing distant from Sivar.

‘That would be… sad.’

Rather than anger, she thought she’d feel sadness. She might even convince herself that Sivar had his reasons.

As if sensing Kara’s emotions, Sivar gently removed her hand from his cheek.

“…Sivar?”

“Promise.”

When Kara looked at him in confusion, Sivar showed her through his actions. He extended his pinky finger toward her.

Kara stared blankly at it before looking at his face. His usual unreadable expression gave no hint of his thoughts.

What on earth was going through his mind as he did this? He always managed to do the most endearing things, making her want to pinch his cheeks again.

At the same time, he left her speechless. All the worries she’d been mulling over suddenly felt meaningless.

“Friends.”

“…Haha.”

With that final blow, Kara let out a hollow laugh. What had she been thinking all this time?

Sometimes actions spoke louder than words, but with Sivar, both were equally powerful. He had a way of hitting the core and shaking people’s hearts.

Did he even realize the effect his words and actions had? It was a strange ability for someone who had lived in the wild.

Swoosh—

Kara intertwined her pinky finger with Sivar’s, crossing them together like a chain.

They had done this once before, but this time, it felt different. Perhaps their bond had grown stronger.

It was merely Kara’s own thought, but she found it satisfying enough.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really glad you’re my friend.”

At her sincere words, Sivar looked at her with a slightly surprised expression. It was as if he hadn’t expected her to say something like that.

It was rare for Sivar’s expression to break. Most of the time, the only change in his face was when he looked upset after being scolded by Rod.

For Kara, it was a moment that felt truly special. It reaffirmed her belief that sincerity could achieve anything.

‘Come to think of it······’

Kara stared at Sivar, who still wore a startled look. Now that she thought about it, she had never seen Sivar smile.

Even during the Death Beam incident, he had only shown excitement, but never a direct smile.

It wasn’t that he lacked emotions, but the reason for it was unclear. Perhaps it was just awkwardness.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“Would you try smiling? Like this.”

Kara demonstrated it herself. She used her hands to lift the corners of her mouth.

It wasn’t a natural smile, but it was enough as an example. Sivar was watching her closely.

Then, Sivar mimicked Kara’s actions exactly. He used his hands to lift the corners of his mouth.

“Like this?”

“··· ···”

Kara’s reaction to seeing that was simple. She didn’t say anything, but her face gradually turned red.

Fortunately, the color of her skin and the campfire’s glow helped conceal it.

“Uh, uh, yeah. Just like that. You can smile, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Keep smiling like that······”

Kara stopped mid-sentence.

Somehow, it felt like Sivar’s smiling face shouldn’t be shown to others. His usual expression was better.

‘How am I supposed to resist when he’s this cute?’

Strangely enough, it felt like her heart was taking damage.

Kara suppressed her oddly fluttering chest and quietly spoke.

“······No, don’t smile.”

“Why?”

“Just······ it’s a bit much.”

This marked the second time Kara had lied to Sivar.