A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 134

What kind of person does Chaos even want? I couldn’t understand at all.

I could somewhat understand Jane. She was regarded as an eccentric with a mind that transcended time.

Moreover, she was so clueless about the ways of the world that she had a foolish side. Her standards were also excessively high.

However, Grace was different. Although she harbored a sense of innocence in her heart, she was far from chaos.

I couldn’t fathom what Chaos saw in her to choose her.

“I was chosen by Lord Chaos? For what reason?”

“No, before that, can it even be determined through Ragnarok?”

While Grace was flustered, Kara sharply pointed out.

Although she wasn’t chosen by Chaos, she could still hold Ragnarok in her hands.

It might be because she’s a believer of Gulak, but it also meant she couldn’t be fully trusted.

“It’s hard to blindly believe, but it is trustworthy. Moreover, as long as I’m the one holding it and not someone else, the probability converges to 100.”

“··· ···”

What’s the problem with me, a Saint, being the one to determine it? That was the underlying meaning.

Kara seemed to grasp the implication and, with nothing more to say, closed her mouth.

However, her expression of doubt remained unchanged, and soon she spoke again.

“If that’s the case, then why not Luna? Why wasn’t Luna chosen by Lord Chaos? Her very existence is chaos itself.”

“?”

At Kara’s question, Luna looked back at her with a puzzled expression, as if she couldn’t understand.

It seemed she was completely unaware of the kind of impact her big mouth carried.

Indeed, just based on her sharp tongue, it wouldn’t be strange for Chaos to personally favor her.

But the fact that he didn’t meant there must be a reason. And it wasn’t anyone else—it was Grace.

“Student Luna.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever had a clear goal in life?”

“······?”

At that question, Luna flinched and then fell into deep thought. Her expression was quite serious.

However, even after pondering, she seemed to struggle to come up with an appropriate answer and gave a bitter smile.

“······No. Now that I think about it, I’ve never had a goal.”

“As I mentioned before, Lord Chaos seeks proof. Proof that when the world says no, you can confidently answer yes! But that must stem from pure desire.”

Pure desire, huh. I compared Jane and Rize in my mind.

Rize had honed her body with the conviction of what it meant to be a true cleric, and Jane didn’t even need an explanation.

Perhaps Grace also caught Chaos’s attention because she harbored ‘innocence.’ After all, nothing is as pure as innocence.

‘Then what about me?’

Surely, it’s not because my desperate attempts to break this world’s story are considered pure.

Even in the forest, I was busy cursing the gods. My dwindling faith was just a bonus.

True to being the God of Chaos, his standards were vague—too vague. There were still too few samples to go on.

“If Student Luna were to find a true goal, Lord Chaos might take an interest in you. So please make an effort.”

“······I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Then, Sister Grace?”

“Yes?”

Rize called out to Grace and smiled gently as she made a suggestion.

“If you have time, could we have a private conversation?”

“Um······ can Mr. Sivar come along? He’s my bodyguard.”

I didn’t particularly mind. It was the same with Jane, and perhaps I could help Grace as well.

Rize seemed to feel the same, as she nodded and readily agreed.

“I don’t mind. But only if you reveal what your goal is, Sister, so I can help······”

“T-then let’s talk just the two of us!”

“Huh?”

At the mention of revealing her goal, Grace shouted urgently. At the same time, her face turned slightly red.

It seemed her goal was related to the innocence she cherished, making it difficult for her to reveal it so easily.

Well, I’d feel embarrassed too. Especially since Grace was a noble who exuded an air of elegance.

It was probably something akin to a grown adult hugging a giant teddy bear while sleeping.

“Understood. Will you have your meal separately?”

“Talking over a meal doesn’t sound bad.”

Saying so, Grace glanced at me. Was she asking for help or not?

I chose to believe it was the latter and stayed silent. With Rize around, no one would dare harm her.

Eventually, the two of them left to have their private conversation. On their way out, they entrusted Ragnarok to me.

“Every time I see her, it feels like a storm has passed when the Saint is around.”

“Indeed.”

“··· ···”

I wholeheartedly agreed with Kara’s assessment. She was a person who truly brought chaos wherever she went.

I watched the backs of the two as they walked away, then shifted my gaze to Ragnarok.

I found it hard to believe that this alone could confirm the favor of the God of Chaos.

Even though it carried the will of chaos, Ragnarok was fundamentally a sacred relic of Gulak.

‘Then why not Luna?’

Could it be that another god had already marked her? I subtly held Ragnarok out toward Luna.

Zap!

“Ack!”

The moment it touched her seemingly sturdier arm, sparks flew. Naturally, Luna jumped back in surprise.

It seemed it wasn’t time yet. It was a pity; if Luna were chosen by Chaos, she’d have her share of struggles too.

“······What are you doing?”

Luna looked at me with an expression of absurdity. Judging by how she rubbed her arm, it must have stung.

I scratched my head with the hammer side of the axe and answered bluntly.

“Just a joke.”

“······Hey.”

At my response, she looked at me in disbelief. To be honest, her reaction was amusing.

There weren’t many people whose reactions were as vivid as hers. As the protagonist, she was fun to tease.

“Let’s head off to eat soon. We’ll leave Ragnarok in the dormitory later. Not that anyone would steal it.”

“Alright.”

“Still, it’s kind of funny that this can be used for confirmation. Should I test it on Ellie too? She’s no pushover either.”

I wasn’t sure what wasn’t a pushover about her, but I was skeptical.

Unlike Jane and Grace, Ellie didn’t have a clear goal. That much was certain.

In Soul World, she was merely a supplier of balance-breaking potions, without any significant impact on the story.

‘Though the difference between having her and not having her is huge.’

If anything, she indirectly affected the roots rather than the branches.

As the story progressed, various items were needed, and potions were undoubtedly the top priority.

Having someone who could supply all those items made things incredibly convenient for users. This held true even if you had a lot of money.

No matter how much money you had, rare potions had limited purchase options. But with Ellie, all you needed to do was bring her herbs.

‘Seeing how she keeps dying in ridiculous ways, Chaos must dislike her.’

As I’d mentioned repeatedly, Ellie died so often she could be considered part of the death squad.

You could never send her off alone. Especially not to forests or mountains.

What was most frustrating was that she even died falling down stairs.

For now, she was safe because she stayed at the Academy, but the moment she stepped outside, Ellie was a constant source of worry.

“Sivar!”

“Hmm?”

Speak of the tiger, and it appears. As we were heading to the restaurant, a familiar voice reached my ears.

It was Ellie, of course. She was cheerfully waving her hand as she ran toward us.

It seemed she had come out to grab lunch and happened to spot us by chance.

With our noticeable group, it wouldn’t have been hard for her to find us even from a distance.

“Ellie, huh. Are you here to eat?”

“Yeah. Are you guys here to eat too?”

“Yeah.”

Ellie glanced around at us, then tilted her head in curiosity. She had the look of someone who felt something was missing.

“Now that I think about it, where’s Grace? Weren’t you going to eat with her?”

“The Saintess took her earlier. She said she had something to discuss privately.”

“Really? Then is it okay if I join you?”

“Do as you like.”

Since we often hung out together, it wasn’t difficult for her to join us.

Ellie thanked Kara for her permission and naturally stuck close to my side.

With Luna and I flanking Kara, there wasn’t even a need for her to squeeze in.

Tap-

“Huh? Oh, come to think of it, why did you bring that? Are you planning to head to the forest after eating?”

“Ah, about that… uh?”

Kara began to explain but faltered, clearly flustered. It was understandable.

After all, Ellie was casually touching Ragnarok as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was so natural that even I hadn’t realized it. I just let her touch it without a second thought.

“W-What? You can touch that?”

“What do you mean? Wasn’t I always able to touch it?”

“… …”

Could it be that she doesn’t know about Ragnarok’s effects? Ellie seemed genuinely unaware, so I subtly shifted it aside.

The direction I moved it toward was Luna’s arm. I brought Ragnarok close to her arm again.

Zap!

“Ahhh!”

Strange. The spark worked just fine.

Ignoring Luna’s cries as she clutched her arm, I brought it back toward Ellie.

But even when it made contact with Ellie’s arm, Ragnarok didn’t react at all.

From this, there could only be one conclusion.

“What on earth is the standard here?”

Ellie had also been chosen by Chaos. Though I didn’t know the reason.

Above all else…

“W-Why… Why does Lord Chaos really hate me…?”

Why hadn’t Luna, the protagonist, been chosen by Chaos?

As I pondered the incomprehensible criteria, I came up with one hypothesis.

“Could it be that it just picks whoever it feels like?”

That was the only explanation that made sense. But I still couldn’t understand why Luna wasn’t favored.

Sure, she sometimes said the wrong things, but she was trying her best.

On top of that, wasn’t she making efforts to thwart the demon’s schemes?

“I don’t get it.”

For now, let’s just eat. I’ll have to tell Ellie soon that she’s been chosen by Chaos.

It was while we were momentarily ignoring Ragnarok and focusing on our meal.

[Faith Increases!]

This is the first time I’ve seen faith increase while eating.

No, wait. It had also increased once before when I was doing nothing.

“I can’t figure out the standard for faith increases either.”

It might be easier to just give up trying to understand.

******

Meanwhile, around the same time.

“Does this mean Lord Chaos is supporting me? So that I can achieve my goal?”

“Of course. I am the one who represents His will. I will assist you with utmost sincerity.”

“Thank you! Truly, thank you! I was uneasy because He’s the God of Chaos, but it was all just my misunderstanding!”

Grace had been thoroughly converted, much like Jane before her.

At first, she had been skeptical, but Rize’s skillful oratory won her over.

In particular, the decisive factor was the way her deeply held desire—her ‘innocence’—had been unraveled.

However, Rize didn’t mock her but instead fervently encouraged her. This was the key reason Grace had been ‘conquered.’

“We mustn’t rush. Brother Sivar has only just begun adapting to civilization. If we push noble etiquette on him too soon, he may reject it outright.”

“I’ll take that to heart. Then I suppose we should hurry and get married first. We can teach etiquette gradually after we’re connected.”

“Won’t your household oppose it?”

Rize asked cautiously, though it was more of a probing question.

The Grace from before the incident might have been bound by her household. But now, things were different.

“My household? They can go to hell.”

Such a statement was hardly befitting a noble, let alone the Duke’s Young Lady.

Grace snorted dismissively, then spoke in a haughty tone.

“Dreams don’t break against reality but against their limits. I must surpass my household to truly achieve my dream. Don’t you agree?”

“Hmm. Hmm.”

Rize nodded, looking very satisfied.

“That’s truly admirable.”