A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 79

At this point, it’s reasonable to harbor some doubts. Even if I don’t know the reason, I can tell Gulak dislikes me.

The act of striking someone with lightning. It’s often expressed as the heavens being enraged.

Usually, this kind of story applies to someone who has committed a crime that angers heaven, but no matter how much I think about it, I haven’t committed such a sin.

Sure, I’ve hurled profanities at the gods in the forest and roughed up their beloved believers, but that’s hardly significant.

Even in the Soul World, Gulak doesn’t seem to mind when I defeat or even kill his believers.

On the contrary, he seems to enjoy it. He’s the kind of god who prefers his believers fighting among themselves.

Apparently, it’s because it helps refine their weapons or something. He’s not exactly a sane god.

“Kara, what did you say during your prayer?”

Grace asked Kara with a curious expression. Currently, I’m standing with the group in front of the altar.

After my position was revealed by the lightning, I figured it’d be better to stick with the group given the circumstances.

Besides, I have some questions for Gulak, so this works for now.

“Well, just…”

At Grace’s question, Kara faltered for a moment, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye.

Judging by how she’s sneaking glances instead of openly staring, it’s clear this has something to do with me—something significant.

Kara then scratched her cheek with her index finger, shrugged, and spoke candidly.

“I just wished that the person I trust wouldn’t betray me. That’s all.”

“That person is Mr. Sivar, isn’t it?”

“I won’t deny it. But I don’t understand why the lightning struck Sivar instead of me. This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.”

So, does that mean the previous lightning was also due to someone harboring feelings related to me? That seems likely.

Porori wasn’t here when the group arrived at the altar, so I’ll have to ask him later.

For now, it’s more important to figure out who performed the ritual before Kara.

“Before that.”

“Huh?”

“Before you. Who was it?”

My question immediately drew everyone’s attention. They didn’t seem to expect me to ask.

Still, they have to answer the question. After thinking for a moment, Kara pointed at someone and spoke.

“Luna performed the prayer. Did lightning strike back then too?”

“Yeah.”

“Luna, did you also offer a prayer related to Sivar?”

If someone offers a prayer related to me, lightning strikes me. That hypothesis is practically confirmed now.

At Kara’s question, Luna seemed momentarily flustered but soon looked at me. Then, rolling her eyes nervously, she replied.

“…No? I just asked for you to stay healthy.”

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

“I-It’s true!”

At least meet my gaze properly if you’re going to lie. Even I can tell she’s terrible at lying.

Clasping her hands timidly or rolling her eyes—everything about her screams, “I’m lying!”

Yet, ironically, that worked in her favor. Since Luna was so blatantly lying, Kara didn’t press her further and let it slide.

“Well, if you say so, I’ll believe you. But I’m not sure if I should consider this a positive response.”

“What does a positive response usually look like?”

“The offering catches fire on its own. Like the offering I placed earlier—it caught fire, right? That’s usually a positive response.”

Kara pointed to the offering, which had burned so fiercely that it was now nothing but blackened ashes.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew, scattering the black ashes far away.

“And for those who offer prayers with blasphemous intentions, there’s no response at all. Sometimes, if the blasphemy is extreme, lightning strikes—but that’s only directed at the one performing the ritual.”

“Is it impossible for lightning to strike someone else because of the prayer of the ritual performer?”

“Of course, it’s impossible. If it were, there’d be countless people struck by lightning. Sivar is just an anomaly.”

Kara’s words made sense. Gods don’t directly harm specific individuals based on someone else’s prayer.

If they did, the world would descend into chaos, so they tend to impose strict conditions.

Those conditions usually involve the target being a demon or harboring deeply blasphemous intentions. But even that rarely happens.

It’s far more efficient to empower their believers rather than striking directly with lightning. Efficiency is a significant factor.

“For now, Grace, you should perform the ritual. What about you, Yeonju?”

“I-I’ll do it next time. It feels like the Heavenly God might be in a bad mood…”

“Really? Got it. By the way, do people in the East call Lord Gulak the Heavenly God?”

“Yes. Instead of calling him the God of Destruction, we refer to him as the Heavenly God, meaning the God of the Sky. Conversely, we call Goddess Gaia the Earth God or the Earth Mother Goddess.”

“That’s fascinating.”

While Kara was absorbing this new piece of Eastern knowledge from Lee Yeonju, Grace stepped forward to the altar.

Following the instructions she’d been given, she first placed her offering on the altar and then knelt with reverence.

The ritual itself can be performed in any way the individual prefers. You can conduct a traditional ritual like those in the East or simply offer a prayer.

What matters most here are the offering and the sincerity of the heart. If either of these two elements is missing, Gulak won’t respond.

‘At least it’s not like a random draw.’

In the Soul World, prayers were granted almost unconditionally, but reality is a bit more complicated.

The concept of sincerity itself is inherently ambiguous. This applies not only to Gulak but also to Gaia.

‘Still, Grace should be fine.’

Grace may seem prickly, but her heart isn’t. She possesses a purity comparable to that of a fairy tale.

She longs for a “knight” who will stay by her side no matter the circumstances. The kind of knight you’d only find in fairy tales.

But reality isn’t so kind. That’s why Grace has set aside her dreams for now, focusing solely on the present.

To make matters worse, there’s the risk of being humiliated by Delphoi, making her an incredibly pitiable character.

‘But when was that moment again?’

Even in the Soul World, the timing of that moment wasn’t clearly defined. However, the “omen” itself is unmistakable.

As you grow closer to Grace, Delphoi starts acting strangely and making comments.

Of course, it could instill unnecessary trauma, so I plan to intervene and prevent it entirely rather than stepping in halfway.

‘It’ll be hard to build affinity, though…’

That event typically boosts Grace’s affinity significantly. But I have no intention of exploiting that event.

Delphoi deserves punishment, but I have no desire to use her for my own gain.

It’s better to gather more evidence and bury Delphoi entirely.

‘Besides, Grace said she’d go to Godin anyway.’

Fwoosh!

While I was momentarily distracted, the offering Grace had placed ignited into flames.

According to Kara, this is a positive sign. It means Gulak has accepted the prayer.

“Oh, oh? Th-This is a positive response, right?”

Grace, flustered, asked in a hurried voice. Her stammering revealed her excitement.

“Yes. It seems Lord Gulak has accepted your prayer. It must have been quite sincere.”

“Y-Yes! Then, does that mean Lord Gulak will grant my wish?”

Perhaps because it’s closely tied to her ideals, Grace couldn’t contain her excitement.

She no longer resembled the composed and elegant noblewoman she usually was; instead, she looked like a child harboring a small sense of innocence.

Should I say her mask has slipped? Or perhaps her true nature has been revealed?

Even her sharp gaze softened, revealing an unexpectedly cute side.

“That’s uncertain. While he’s accepted the prayer, how he chooses to fulfill it is unknown. Even for gods, predicting human affairs is difficult.”

“Ah… So it’s possible he only acknowledged the sentiment behind it.”

“That’s one way to interpret it. Still, don’t be too discouraged. Offering something like that and receiving a response is already a good sign.”

“Got it. I’ll take it as a sign not to lose hope.”

Despite Kara’s explanation, Grace maintained her optimistic demeanor. Hope is always a good motivator.

Rumble!

Seriously, what’s your problem now, old man?

Hearing the faint sound of thunder from the sky, I instinctively looked up.

Thankfully, no lightning struck this time, but I still felt uneasy.

Considering I’ve been struck by lightning three times today, I can’t help but worry about developing trauma.

“…What does the sound of thunder signify?”

“Uh… I’m not sure? Still, since no lightning struck, it’s definitely not a negative response. Sivar, why don’t you go next?”

As the atmosphere grew increasingly strange, Kara quickly changed the subject. After Grace, it’s my turn.

Given that I’ve been struck by lightning so many times, I’m not exactly thrilled about this. Why does the God of Destruction dislike me so much?

“Alright. Place the tribute I just gave you on the altar. Then, silently state what you desire in your heart. Whether you pray or bow, it’s up to you.”

“What about dancing?”

“Dancing? Ah, you saw the dance I just performed? That’s a bit embarrassing.”

“It was beautiful.”

“Bea-beautiful… Ahem!”

At my candid remark, Kara blushed and looked flustered. Her attempt to cover it up with a cough was endearing.

I like this side of Kara. Despite her bold personality, she has a warm, human heart.

Now and in the future, she’ll play a significant role in the story, so there’s no harm in getting closer to her.

Rumble!

The sound of thunder echoed. Judging by how much louder it was than before, it seemed this situation was becoming irritating.

It’s understandable. Having some scoundrel hanging around the shamaness he favors would be annoying. Especially when that scoundrel is the same one who hurled profanities at him.

Leaving the flustered Kara behind, I placed the tribute on the altar. It was the thigh bone of a beast that Kara had handed to me.

Instead of following what Grace had done, I performed a bow in the Eastern Style. Given my origin, bowing felt more natural to me.

‘Hey, Gulak.’

He was the one who provoked me first. Not just provoked, but even struck me with lightning.

Naturally, I couldn’t help but harbor a strong dislike for him. Just like with Hector—why attack me when I haven’t done anything?

‘Let’s be honest. You don’t like me, do you?’

Whoosh!

As soon as I asked the question, the tribute caught fire. That meant a positive response.

I slightly raised my head to look at the altar. I hadn’t even prayed, just asked a question, yet he answered so decisively.

He really must dislike me. But from my perspective, it’s completely unfair—I haven’t done anything to Gulak.

Besides, wasn’t Chaos the god who chose me? It’s enough to make me wonder if something happened between Chaos and Gulak.

‘Before I head to the temple, let me ask you one thing. Are you the god who brought me here?’

There was no response. Since the tribute was burning, there was no way to confirm an answer.

In the end, it seems I’ll have to go to Byzantium to find out. There, I might be able to connect with Chaos with Rize’s help.

‘…Well, I’ll just leave it at this. Whether you like me or not, you’re going to keep watching over me anyway, aren’t you?’

I didn’t have much else to say. He might hate it, but we’re bound by fate.

I’ll be spending a lot of time with Kara for now, so what can he do? He’ll just have to deal with it.

‘But don’t be petty and strike me with lightning every time I pray—’

Crash!!

Maybe I went too far. The moment I harbored a blasphemous thought, lightning struck from the sky.

Unfortunately, since I was bowing at the time, I couldn’t dodge it. At least I’ve grown used to lightning, so it wasn’t too bad.

Crackle! Sizzle!

But perhaps because it was a particularly strong bolt, my body was slightly singed, and a faint electric current began coursing through me.

People around me were saying something, but my ears were ringing from the thunder. I stifled a bitter laugh as I looked down at the current flowing through my hands.

“Damn.”

Seriously, what a petty god. I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even find the words.

[Ability: Thunder has been acquired!]

[Faith Increases!]

“…”

I bowed my head again and offered an apology.

Even if he’s petty, I’m truly grateful for such a gift—

Crash!!

Damn it, why?

I apologized, didn’t I?