A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 74

It was around Saturday when I heard Rize’s explanation about controlling Berserk and Chaos.

In other words, Sunday was still ahead, and at that time, Rize helped Luna instead of me.

She said it was to give Luna a taste of what kind of stamina training she would undergo in the future.

Luna, too, happily accepted, as she was being trained by none other than the Fist Saint. She also desired strength.

“Ughhh…”

And the next day, as soon as class started, she returned looking like a zombie. Rize, the Saintess, had somehow created a zombie.

Normally, Luna is the type to endure hardships without showing it. But now, she was slumped over her desk, looking like she was dying.

She seemed to lack even the strength to lift her head. Just walking here had her staggering, yet she somehow managed to make it.

“You look exhausted. What on earth did you do yesterday?”

Kara, noticing Luna’s unusual state, asked with a mix of curiosity and concern.

Luna trembled slightly at the question and barely managed to lift her head. At least her expression didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

It was as if her mind was clear, but her body was completely drained, leaving her groaning in exhaustion.

“I just… really only exercised… but it was so hard…”

“What kind of exercise did you do?”

“A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and finally, a 10-kilometer run.”

It’s the kind of training you might expect from a bald caped hero. It sounds like nothing much, but in reality, it’s an extremely grueling regimen.

However, in this place, superhumans capable of such feats are everywhere. Even Kara could handle it easily.

“That sounds ridiculously easy. Were you always this weak?”

“It’s not that… You have to do it all in one go without resting. If you stop to rest, you have to start over from the beginning. You can use mana, but you must complete all 100 without stopping.”

“That does sound pretty tough.”

“Yeah… I even threw up while doing it… But the Saintess gave me a potion, so I couldn’t even take a break… Haah…”

I mentioned it before—training under Rize is so intense it makes you want to throw up.

Rize’s training pushes people to their limits and leaves them there until they show signs of surpassing those limits.

If someone reaches the point where they might harm their own body, she immediately intervenes. Thanks to this, the body improves without sustaining damage.

“She says she’ll test us like this every Sunday. If you fail, you have to keep repeating it.”

“You’ll have to work hard on building your stamina. You also need to learn the basic skills. There’s so much to do.”

“Yeah… So, could you take care of Sivar for a while, Sister?”

“Got it. Let’s switch seats first. You should rest in the corner where fewer people will notice you.”

Luna has a good reputation among the professors. Even if she sleeps during class, they don’t say anything.

After all, if she doesn’t pay attention, it’s her own loss. Plus, they tend to leave students alone, assuming they have their own circumstances.

After switching seats with Kara, Luna lay down and began to rest. Judging by how quiet she got soon after, she must have fallen asleep.

“This is the first time we’ve sat next to each other in class, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

We had sat together during survival training, but this was the first time in a class. Kara seemed to like the idea, flashing a wide grin.

Her refreshing smile was as striking as ever. I thought about mimicking it but remembered her advice and let my lips relax instead.

‘Was my smile really that strange?’

I usually keep a neutral expression, so it didn’t bother me much, but it still lingered in my mind. I thought my looks weren’t bad enough to make it an issue.

I figured I’d ask others besides Kara about it later. For now, I decided to focus on today’s matters.

“Hello, Mr. Sivar. Did you have a good weekend?”

As time passed, Grace arrived and sat next to me. By now, it seemed almost routine for Lee Yeonju to follow her.

Whether Grace had dragged her along or Lee Yeonju had come willingly, the two seemed close.

“Yeah, Grace. How about you?”

“Oh, so now you can say my name?”

“Yeah.”

When I pronounced her four-syllable name, Grace widened her eyes in surprise.

As my faith increased, I thought I could handle three syllables, but it turned out I could manage even more. For reference, my current faith level is 7.

Over the weekend, it had risen by an impressive 4 points. I didn’t know what Chaos had seen to grant me such an increase, but my speech had become much more fluent.

Of course, by my standards, it was fluent; my actual speaking skills were still like those of a child. I hadn’t even fully mastered writing yet.

“That’s great. I was wondering when you’d be able to say my name, so I’m glad. That means you can easily say Lee Yeonju’s name too, right?”

“Huh? M-Me?”

“Lee Yeonju.”

While Lee Yeonju was flustered, I said her name aloud. Initially startled, she soon showed a slightly amazed reaction.

Then, her expression turned curious as she opened her mouth to speak.

“That’s fascinating. Your pronunciation and intonation are almost identical to those of the Hwan Empire.”

“Really? I don’t notice much of a difference…”

“Even Grace calls me Yeonju as Yeon-ju rather than with proper enunciation. She said the final consonants are hard to pronounce.”

There are many languages in this world, each with its own unique pronunciation and intonation.

The Academy uses a common language, which helps, but even that doesn’t completely hide accents.

Even foreigners fluent in Korean have distinct accents and pronunciations, and this world is no different.

“Come to think of it, I heard the Tatar language is difficult to pronounce. Is that true?”

Grace directed her question toward Kara. Since they weren’t entirely close yet, her tone carried a hint of caution.

Kara, however, didn’t seem to mind and nodded in affirmation.

“From what I’ve heard, it is. Want to try saying ‘Einherjar’?”

“Einher… What did you say again?”

“Ein… Ein…”

The weapon’s name is Ragnarok. Judging by Kara’s surname, Hectorstottir, the Tatar language leans toward Northern Europe.

Despite Ancient Egypt being its motif, the blend with Northern Europe somehow works surprisingly well.

Given that Tatars are a nation of powerful warriors, the barbarism of Norse mythology suits them quite well.

“It’s tough, right? Translated into the common language, it means ‘those who cannot die.’ But it doesn’t refer to the undead; it means warriors who continue to fight even after death. It’s a term for the most outstanding warriors in Tatar.”

“I see. So, does that mean Kara is also an Einherjar?”

“I’m a princess.”

“Ah.”

Grace momentarily froze with a blank expression at Kara’s blunt response. It seemed she had momentarily forgotten Kara’s noble status.

It was understandable. Kara’s behavior was far removed from any sense of authority, and her personality matched that as well.

Even Kara herself only considers her title as a princess in terms of rank, making her response more of a joke.

“During the tribal unification, I did act as an Einherjar. Now, I have to maintain dignity and all that, which is a hassle.”

“Hmm…”

Grace looked Kara up and down after hearing that. Her gaze seemed to be analyzing something.

Perhaps Kara found that gaze unpleasant, or maybe it was Grace’s naturally sharp eyes.

“…Why are you looking at me like that? Does it seem strange that I’m a princess?”

Kara spoke in a slightly annoyed tone, furrowing her brows.

Grace might have felt wronged, but her gaze often led to misunderstandings, so it couldn’t be helped.

“No, it’s not that. I was just curious. I was wondering what Kara would look like in traditional Tatar attire. Plus, as a princess, don’t you wear something extravagant?”

Grace clarified without showing any signs of fluster. She had experienced such misunderstandings so often that she naturally knew how to handle them.

This time, it was Kara who felt awkward. She blinked, scratched her cheek, and answered in an embarrassed voice.

“Extravagant, huh… It is extravagant. But by your standards, it’d probably feel… embarrassing. A lot.”

“Embarrassing…? What do you mean by that?”

Kara rarely disparages Tatar, but when it comes to their attire, she openly calls it embarrassing.

Here’s a fact to note in advance: While the Tatar language resembles Northern Europe, its motif is Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian lifestyles have many fantastical elements, especially when it comes to clothing.

“Yeah. Most people wear revealing outfits. For men, going shirtless is standard, and for women, it’s usually just underwear and a single skirt. Sometimes the outfits are so minimal they’re worse than wearing nothing.”

“Oh, oh wow…”

Lee Yeonju made a peculiar sound, clearly embarrassed. Unlike Tatar, the Hwan Empire is conservative and strict about exposure.

That’s why even hearing about it elicited such a cute reaction. Grace wasn’t much different, her face also turning red.

Grace then cleared her throat and cautiously looked around before speaking quietly.

“…Do you wear those outfits too, Kara?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Not at all. Our country is hot, so it’s unavoidable. Here, I hold back because of the stares.”

Even her restrained outfits were quite breezy. Seeing what she wore during Wednesday afternoon training sessions made that clear.

Showing off her toned abdomen was just the start; sometimes, she even wore shorts so short that it was a bit embarrassing.

The weekends were no different. She wandered around in just a sleeveless top and short shorts, drawing every gaze imaginable.

On top of that, her bronzed skin radiated such a healthy glow that it was impossible not to look, even if one tried.

“Honestly, I wish I could tie my school uniform around my waist. The dress code is pretty strict, right?”

“Yes. I believe wearing it improperly results in demerits.”

“That’s a shame. If it weren’t for the dress code, I’d be wearing the clothes I brought from the Tatars.”

“…You brought them?”

From her words, it sounded like she had brought traditional Tatar attire. Grace, seemingly catching on, asked in a slightly flustered tone.

Kara answered with a look that seemed to ask why Grace was even questioning it.

“Of course I brought them. I heard there would be festivals or events like social gatherings. My father told me about it.”

“That’s true, but… do you really have to stick to traditional attire?”

“I hate dresses; they’re uncomfortable.”

“… …”

Ah, now that I think about it, I remember. It’s a kind of unique skin that only Kara could showcase.

While most people wore dresses or outfits with an Eastern aesthetic, Kara alone wore a dancer’s outfit.

After that illustration was revealed, Kara’s fanbase grew significantly. Though other fanbases also expanded, Kara’s was overwhelming.

‘I think Ellie had something similar.’

I can’t remember what Ellie wore. Given her figure, anything she wore would have been striking.

“Everyone’s here. As I mentioned last week, starting today, the clerics will be conducting the classes. Soon, clerics from each order will arrive, so follow them in your assigned groups.”

Before long, Marlboro arrived and outlined the schedule. It was about time to start searching for the Mark of the Demon.

The group assignments turned out to be quite favorable. It ended up being me, Luna, Kara, Elvin, Grace, and Lee Yeonju.

It seemed like Elvin, Luna, and Kara were included because they were my guardians. The other two were likely added because they were my team members during survival training.

‘It feels like they’re worried I might cause trouble.’

Of course, I was going to cause trouble. It was truly unfortunate, but inevitable.

Before the clerics arrived, I decided to wake up Luna, who was dozing off with her head down.

Kara, noticing Luna completely lost in sleep, gently nudged her.

“Hey, Luna.”

“… …”

No response. She might as well have been a corpse.

Even when Kara tapped her shoulder, Luna didn’t budge. Just how tired was she to be like this?

“Luna, wake up. It’s time to go.”

“… …”

“Hmph.”

Finally, Kara, unable to hold back, resorted to a more aggressive method.

Smack!

She delivered a sharp Back Smash to Luna’s back with her palm.

“Ack?!”

No matter how tired she was, the sting of a Back Smash was apparently too much to bear.

Luna jolted awake, startled, and sat up straight. Judging by the drool trailing from her lips, she must have had a good nap.

“It’s time to go. Get yourself together.”

“…Huh?”

“I said it’s time to go. Starting today, the clerics are coming to guide us, remember?”

At Kara’s words, Luna blinked a couple of times before quietly responding.

“…What?”

She seemed completely out of it.

With drool still dripping from her mouth, she truly looked like a fool.