A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 61

The conversation in the middle of the night went on for quite a while. Kara, being part of the Tatar Tribe, was naturally talkative.

In other words, she was a chatterbox. Even during sparring sessions, her people would chatter away, bringing up all sorts of topics.

She even explained the reason herself, saying that due to the terrain of the Tatars, there wasn’t much to do, so they ended up talking a lot.

Even when meeting strangers, they would exchange trivial and insignificant stories. Because of this, the Tatar Tribe had an unexpectedly strong sense of camaraderie.

“Still, they call us barbarians anyway. Well, it’s something we brought upon ourselves, so I can let it slide. But I just wish they wouldn’t treat ordinary people the same way.”

“Yeah.”

“One of the reasons I joined the Academy was to change that perception… but it’s not as easy as I thought. They smile and talk to me upfront, but behind my back, they call me a barbarian. There are even times when they openly insult me now, and it’s been hard to endure. I don’t want to resort to action if I can help it.”

True to her Tatar roots, Kara preferred resolving things through physical strength. But that didn’t mean she resorted to violence indiscriminately.

It was just that the Academy had pushed her to that point. After holding back for so long, she finally exploded.

“Sivar. If nothing else, never gossip behind someone’s back. If you have a complaint, confront them and say it to their face. Gossiping behind someone’s back is a betrayal of that person. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

Kara, like me, was a new entrant who went through an adaptation period. As I mentioned before, she joined the Academy two years ago.

During that time, she slowly adapted and even formed bonds with some people, but her trust was broken when she overheard one of them gossiping about her.

Gossiping, by nature, brings about an overwhelming sense of betrayal. And for the Tatar Tribe, including Kara, betrayal was something they utterly despised.

In an environment where life and death were constantly at stake, even a moment of betrayal could end one’s life. This was also why they were meticulous about money matters.

“Even in the game, if you were caught gossiping about Kara, you’d immediately hit rock bottom.”

No matter how high her affinity was raised, it didn’t matter. The moment you were caught gossiping, you’d plummet to rock bottom.

After that, no matter what you did, you couldn’t raise her affinity again. From that point on, your relationship with Kara was over.

“This conversation also only happens when her affinity is high.”

That’s why I was so surprised. When she said, “I’m really glad you’re my friend.”

It was something she only said when her affinity level was high. In other words, Kara’s affinity toward me was quite high.

The conversation we were having now was the same. Whether it was about how bad betrayal, including gossip, was, or telling me not to do it.

Normally, raising Kara’s affinity was difficult. Just as others had prejudices, she also held her own kind of prejudice.

Something along the lines of “Civilized people are rude.” But since I was far from being a civilized person, I didn’t have those prejudices, and we naturally became close.

Rustle-

Then suddenly, there was a sound coming from the simple tent. Kara and I simultaneously turned to look back.

Grace and Lee Yeonju were still sound asleep. When was it that they had complained about not being able to sleep on a hard floor?

“Did they wake up in the middle of it?”

Both Grace and Lee Yeonju were now awake. Whether it was because the sleeping arrangements were uncomfortable or because they overheard our conversation, I couldn’t tell.

Lee Yeonju, being a highly skilled assassin, was naturally sensitive to even the slightest sound, so it was understandable.

However, I couldn’t figure out why Grace had woken up. She was pretending to be asleep, but her presence was completely obvious to me.

In survival situations in the wilderness, there were often creatures that pretended to be dead, so distinguishing them wasn’t difficult.

Just as I was wondering how much of our conversation they had overheard—

“…Are you standing night watch alone?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t tell me they left everything to you?”

Kara glanced at the two of them before asking me. Her slightly furrowed brow suggested she was a bit displeased.

I immediately shook my head. My body, conditioned by my wild instinct, couldn’t even sleep properly anyway.

So I had decided it was better for me to take the night watch alone. Besides, Grace probably wouldn’t be able to handle it properly.

“She did volunteer to take the middle shift, saying she’d lead by example.”

But it was obvious she’d end up dozing off and sleeping soundly until morning. She had embarrassed herself in the Soul World for the same reason.

Rather than dealing with that, it was much better for me to take the entire night watch from start to finish.

“Then why? Isn’t it hard for you to do it alone?”

“I’m used to it.”

“Used to it? Ah…”

At the word “used to it,” Kara seemed to realize something. In the wilderness, even sleeping meant risking your life.

As a result, you either adapted by taking long, shallow naps or developed your own unique methods.

I’d read in a book that some creatures slept standing up, while others alternated between resting halves of their brain.

I was more like an ordinary animal, taking long, shallow naps. That’s why I could wake up quickly at the slightest stimulus.

“When was the last time I slept deeply?”

Except for times when I’d passed out, I couldn’t recall ever sleeping deeply. Damn wild instinct.

Fortunately, I didn’t feel particularly tired or anything. My unusually fast recovery rate probably played a part in that.

Crackle! Crackle!

I threw some firewood onto the dying campfire. Without turning my head, I asked Kara a question.

“What about you?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

It was a question asked out of courtesy. Kara, being more of a guest, probably couldn’t afford to sleep peacefully.

Perhaps understanding the intent behind my question, Kara gave a small laugh and replied.

“No way. How could I sleep and leave you alone? I’ll just chat with you until morning.”

“Yeah.”

“By the way, you’re learning to be considerate now, huh? Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Saying that, Kara naturally pinched my cheek. I didn’t resist and just let her do it.

With others, it might have been different, but I didn’t mind light skinship with close friends. In fact, I preferred it.

Having lived alone in the wilderness for so long, I seemed to have developed that tendency. I could only chalk it up to instinct.

“Sivar, do you know what a desert is? A desert is a place where everything is made of sand…”

“Yeah.”

“Sometimes, when a sandstorm hits, it’s such a hassle. Oh, this reminds me of a time when I was with my father…”

She still talked a lot. I’d heard people use the expression “it makes your ears bleed” before, and now I understood what it meant.

Kara was excessively talkative. Even when I gave half-hearted responses, her mouth didn’t stop.

By the time dawn came and morning arrived, she was still talking. They say time flies when you’re with a talkative person, and it was true.

“Ugh… I’m so tired…”

“Me too…”

The next morning.

Grace and Lee Yeonju staggered awake, looking like they were on the verge of death.

Both of them appeared to have barely slept. Anyone would think they had been standing night watch.

“What’s with you two? Didn’t you sleep last night?”

“We did sleep, but… Wait, why is Kara here…?”

“I happened to find out you were here. You’re not going to fight, are you?”

“No… We don’t even have the energy to fight…”

And just like that, Kara naturally joined the team.

******

They hadn’t slept a wink. Grace was one of the main reasons for their exhaustion.

The hard floor was one thing, but the extreme change in environment made it impossible to sleep soundly.

Each time she woke up, she checked to see if Sivar was properly standing night watch. Only after confirming did she fall back asleep, repeating the process.

But even that repetition didn’t last long. She overheard Kara joining in and talking with Sivar in the middle of the night.

“They’re… friends, right?”

Grace turned her head while chewing on leftover smoked wild boar from the previous day.

Where she turned, Sivar and Kara were eating something. It was none other than snake meat.

They had somehow caught a snake, skinned it, and roasted it over the campfire to eat.

Just watching them made her stomach churn, but the two of them were eating it with gusto.

“Most of the snakes in my hometown are highly venomous, so they’re dangerous. Sivar, have you ever been poisoned before?”

“Many times. Painful.”

“Right. It’s really painful. I barely survived after being poisoned once.”

They even communicated well with each other. Just from that, they seemed like true friends.

But Grace thought differently. Having lost sleep, she had naturally overheard their conversation.

Most of it was Kara’s chatter, with Sivar occasionally responding, but the core message was clear.

“Are they really friends?”

The bond between Sivar and Kara was stronger than she had expected. Even during practical training, there was no sense of tension between them.

It was a situation you’d never see unless they were truly close. Just look at how they were happily chewing and enjoying snake meat together.

On the surface, they seemed like ordinary friends, but remembering what she had observed at dawn gave a different impression.

‘Men and women don’t usually pinch each other’s cheeks like that. It might be a cultural thing unique to the Tatars, but still······’

She had woken up in the middle of the night and witnessed a lot. It was one of the reasons she had lost sleep, worried she might get caught.

Most of the time, Kara initiated the teasing, and Sivar played along. Within that, there were moments of physical contact, like pinching or touching cheeks.

To Grace, who had once devoured countless novels, it could only look like something more than friendship.

While Sivar seemed indifferent, it was clear that Kara was expressing her affection.

‘Friends, huh······’

Grace poked at the smoked wild boar meat she was growing tired of. She was so exhausted she couldn’t even taste it properly.

‘I’m a little······ jealous.’

A barbarian and a wildling. It was an oddly fitting combination.

Moreover, Kara, unlike the disdain typically shown toward barbarians, was polite and had a good personality.

Contrary to the rumors, she didn’t resort to violence unless provoked. According to her investigation, the other party had always instigated first.

‘It’s hard to make friends at the Academy. Especially for someone like me.’

In the past, it might have been different, but the Academy had long been steeped in fierce competition.

Each nation and household sent their talents to elevate their prestige, and Grace was no exception to this.

Therefore, making friends was out of the question. Especially since Grace was a young lady from a ducal family.

Her social status made human relationships rigid. On top of that, her sharp appearance didn’t help.

Because she resembled her father so closely, even when she tried to approach others kindly, they misunderstood her intentions.

Furthermore, given her background, most people would bow and yield first.

She wanted to clear up the misunderstandings somehow, but more often than not, she was blocked at every turn.

Every time she said something, misunderstandings piled up, leaving her exhausted.

‘······What am I even thinking? Get it together.’

Grace felt a momentary pang of melancholy but quickly pulled herself together. This was the United Academy.

Dreaming of a storybook-like life was out of the question. Let alone the “fairy tale” she had secretly carried in her heart.

Reality and ideals must be kept strictly separate. It was a proverb her father always repeated.

‘Once Mr. Sivar gets accustomed to civilization and learns about social status, he’ll be no different. Of course, he will.’

Watching him grow closer to Kara had made her entertain some stray thoughts, but reality was reality. That was Grace’s conclusion.

For now, she would focus on the practical training. After all, wasn’t her original plan to get closer to Sivar step by step through it?

The massive wall of social status stood in her way, but if she thought about it, Kara was also the Princess of Tatars.

If she took it slow, that would be enough. If she kept moving forward little by little, maybe she could make a friend······

“No. No. No. What am I even thinking······”

“?”

Grace shook her head and muttered to herself. Seeing this, Lee Yeonju glanced at her with a puzzled expression.

In the meantime, Grace corrected herself internally. Even if she managed to make a “friend,” it would be difficult to form a bond deep enough to confide in them.

‘Yes. A friend should be fine.’

She consoled herself with that thought.

Then, in a voice that could easily sound bitter, she murmured softly.

‘A knight, though······ that’s impossible.’

The innocent dreams of the child within her briefly denied it.