A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 142

It was during the time when Sivar was undergoing a test that wasn’t really a test.

Since the afternoon class was Autonomous Training, Kara was with Luna.

To elaborate, they were receiving training and sparring lessons from Gloria and Chronos.

On days when Autonomous Training was scheduled, they usually trained with them. The Nurturers were well aware of the Academy’s schedule.

“That’s enough for now. Let’s take a short break.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Kara, having finished sparring with Chronos, offered her thanks.

Although it was just sparring, she had exerted herself enough to break out in beads of sweat.

As a result, her distinctive Brown Skin appeared even darker, radiating an even stronger sense of vitality.

“Phew.”

Kara exhaled the breath she had been holding and plopped down on the spot.

Sparring with Chronos inevitably drained her energy in many ways. His attacks were mostly forceful.

To counter his strength, she had to consume a significant amount of mana, so avoiding them was generally the best strategy.

However, Chronos seemed to exploit that fact, making him all the more difficult to deal with.

As expected of a General of a Great Power, specifically a skilled figure of the Granada Empire.

‘I was also somewhat distracted.’

In truth, she could have continued the sparring session if she wanted to. However, Kara’s mind was far too preoccupied at the moment.

Chronos had also noticed that she was distracted, which was why he ended the sparring session early.

‘How can I propose conditions that Sivar would find satisfactory?’

Kara’s wandering thoughts revolved around none other than the Final Exam—specifically, the employment of Sivar.

She often found herself taking on the role of Team Leader during practical training or exams.

While it was partly because she was an Elder, her natural Charisma and Practical Experience made it an obvious choice.

That’s why she was deeply pondering the employment of Sivar, which could be considered the most critical aspect.

‘If I can just employ him, victory is guaranteed.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the outcome of this exam hinged entirely on Sivar.

At first glance, it might seem like a high-risk, high-reward situation. Considering Sivar’s enormous appetite, that assessment might be half true.

However, Kara knew better. Employing Sivar was not high-risk but low-risk.

The moment Sivar was employed, they could potentially complete all the exams in just one day.

Having witnessed his power with her own eyes, she was certain of it.

‘The problem is how to employ him… Would hugging him really work?’

The issue lay in the contract. To employ Sivar, she had to make the first offer.

If Sivar accepted the offer, that would be fine, but if the opposing side made a similar offer, things could get complicated.

Furthermore, Luna had already told her that Sivar, having lived in the Wilderness, liked the warmth of human contact.

‘And then there’s his fondness for Maternal Affection…’

The thought made Kara’s face naturally flush. At the same time, she recalled Ellie indulging Sivar’s whims.

If it had been anyone else, they would have quickly pushed him away, but because it was Sivar, it made sense. A Wildling driven more by instinct than reason.

Above all, she had heard somewhere that men, regardless of age, tend to favor a woman’s chest.

Considering this, Sivar’s behavior was understandable. However, in the Civilized World, openly expressing such things was difficult.

‘The Tatars are relatively lenient about these matters, but…’

Since the Founding of a Nation, the Tatars had retained much of their tribal culture. One representative example was their concept of “chastity.”

Married women were expected to dedicate their body and soul to their husbands and to remain pure until then.

At first glance, it seemed like a common cultural norm found in tribes, but the Tatars were slightly different.

It was lenient yet strict, so to speak. It was limited to married women; otherwise, it wasn’t a big deal.

Of course, this didn’t mean one could behave recklessly. In any culture, women who did so were often avoided or scorned.

‘Would hugging him be acceptable? No, that’s too blatant…’

Being accustomed to the Tatar culture, Kara held peculiar and complex notions about such matters.

While she wore highly revealing attire during rituals, direct contact with men still embarrassed her.

Especially if she had feelings for the man? Her reason and emotions clashed, creating greed and inner turmoil.

‘The exam itself isn’t all that important…’

Kara turned her head. In the direction she looked, Luna was receiving training from Chronos.

In just a few short months, Luna had achieved remarkable Growth. Although she still lacked technical skills, her progress was noticeable.

However, Kara didn’t particularly mind. Luna becoming stronger wouldn’t harm her in any way.

‘But the idea of Sivar clinging to her is still annoying…’

She was only bothered because Luna had been the one to bring it up first. Why was Luna so knowledgeable about such things?

She even shared everything as if it were a secret that didn’t need to be hidden. It was impossible not to be suspicious.

Suspicion tends to snowball. Although Kara had only recently learned the reason for her morning Muscle Pain, Luna was still someone she kept an eye on.

‘…Or does she really not think about anything at all?’

Considering Luna’s Naive Personality, it was a plausible explanation. She might have said those things without any real thought.

Either way, she had a knack for confusing people. Kara couldn’t help but wish she could peek into Luna’s mind.

‘Grace is also a concern… Ugh, my head hurts.’

Kara sighed and lowered her head. It would have been better if she knew nothing, but her thoughts only grew more tangled.

She wondered if this was some kind of High-Level Psychological Warfare, but it was Luna, of all people. If someone else had said it, she would have just scoffed and moved on.

“Do you have something on your mind?”

“…Huh?”

Kara was drowning in her inner turmoil when a sweet, melodious voice reached her ears.

She looked up to see a beauty reminiscent of pure white snow gazing down at her. It was Gloria, her Nurturer and sparring partner.

Gloria was looking at Kara with a bright smile, her expression brimming with curiosity for some reason.

“I heard from someone that you seem distracted today. Is that true?”

“W-Well, yes, I was distracted, but why are you here?”

“I just wanted to meddle a little. If you keep brooding like that, you won’t be able to focus on training. Oh, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Saying that, Gloria casually sat down beside Kara. It was a natural gesture.

Kara didn’t feel uncomfortable with her actions. Instead, she felt a sense of familiarity.

Since they sparred during every Autonomous Training session and Gloria even taught her useful techniques, they had grown somewhat close.

“What’s troubling you? If I can help, I’d be happy to.”

“It’s nothing serious. It’s just… because of the exam.”

“The exam? Oh, right, it’s the Final Exam, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I thought you weren’t the type to worry about exams, Kara. Was I wrong?”

Gloria tilted her head in curiosity. She also knew that Kara didn’t usually concern herself with exams or evaluations.

Kara had entered the Academy as a representative of the Tatars. For her, Reputation mattered more than exams.

Doing well in exams would naturally boost her Reputation.

However, that would only enhance her standing as a warrior, which held little significance for her.

“That’s true. For me, other things are more important than exams. But this particular exam is a bit complicated.”

“Complicated, you say… In what way?”

“Is it okay to talk about this?”

Kara’s expression seemed to ask if it was really fine. She wanted to at least adhere to the rules.

Gloria waved her hand dismissively and chuckled.

“Oh, come on. The Academy doesn’t really care about that. As long as strange rumors don’t spread, it’s fine.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes. So, can you tell me what’s going on? From what I see, Kara, it doesn’t seem like you’re worried about the exam itself but something else.”

Sharp as ever. Kara couldn’t help but widen her eyes at Gloria’s observation.

Through their training sessions, Kara had come to realize that Gloria possessed a keen sense of perception.

Her earlier remark about Reputation being more important than evaluations was a similar example.

“You’re spot on. You’re right, Gloria. Here’s what’s going on…”

Kara decided to come clean. She explained everything, from the contents of the Final Exam to the employment of Sivar.

Gloria listened to her explanation without interruption. As she listened, one thing became clear.

The focus wasn’t on the exam but entirely on Sivar. The details of the exam were glossed over.

Kara had tried to avoid unnecessary digressions, but ironically, it only emphasized the point.

“So, to sum it up, you’re worried about losing Sivar to someone else?”

“Saying ‘losing’ makes it sound weird. But yes, that’s what I’m worried about.”

“Hmm······”

Gloria outwardly maintained a calm demeanor, but inwardly, she was smiling. Things were already getting interesting.

She then turned her head to look at Luna. Luna was focusing on her training rather than the exam.

“This is amusing.”

“What is?”

“You’re not paying attention to the exam, yet you’re worried about losing the most important student, Sivar, in the exam······ Doesn’t that seem contradictory?”

“Uh······?”

Kara’s thoughts momentarily froze at Gloria’s sharp observation. It was undeniably true.

If she could bring Sivar over, the exam would be a guaranteed success. Yet, Kara, for all her focus, didn’t seem to care much about the exam.

“Let’s be honest. You don’t like the idea of Student Sivar going to Student Luna, do you?”

Gloria asked with a face full of mischief, the expression of a troublemaker who had found the perfect opportunity.

Kara, flustered, stammered for a while. It felt as though her true feelings had been entirely exposed.

“Th-that’s······ absolutely not the case.”

“Really? Can you swear to Lord Gulak that you don’t have even the slightest interest in Student Sivar?”

“··· ···”

She couldn’t go that far. Even if she were to swear, she wouldn’t dare use Lord Gulak’s name in vain.

As Kara maintained her silence, Gloria nodded in satisfaction. The situation already smelled like pure entertainment.

“It’s okay. Honestly, I had a bit of a hunch.”

“······Was it that obvious?”

“I wouldn’t know to that extent. It’s just that I’ve had a similar experience.”

A similar experience? Kara tilted her head at those words.

She still didn’t know about the relationship between Gloria and Chronos.

When it came to human relationships, she might understand, but in matters of romance, she was practically an outsider.

“Anyway, what made you take a liking to Student Sivar? Was it because he approached you without prejudice when others called him a barbarian?”

“······Are you a fortune-teller by any chance?”

By now, she felt more absurd than flustered. Everything Gloria said hit the mark.

As Kara looked at her with an incredulous expression, Gloria wore a proud smile. She even tilted her head upward as if to say, “I knew it.”

“If that’s the reason, then it’s a solid basis for liking him. But did you know? Student Sivar also likes you for a similar reason.”

“W-what?”

Of course, she wasn’t always right. But this time, her wild guess hit the mark perfectly.

However, the impact of that wild guess was enormous. So much so that Kara’s eyes widened in shock.

“Do you remember? Originally, this training was only supposed to involve Student Sivar and Student Luna. But Student Sivar insisted on including you.”

“Uh······ I remember.”

“At that moment, I realized it. Student Sivar has feelings for you. That’s why he made such a request.”

“··· ···”

Gloria’s words were highly convincing. In fact, considering the sequence of events, they were undeniably persuasive.

The fact that they both approached each other without prejudice was significant. That alone would have raised their affinity for one another.

Like a king swayed by the tongue of a schemer, Kara began to get drawn into Gloria’s narrative.

“So, Kara, you don’t need to be afraid. In fact, this is the time to act boldly. Besides, it’s not like there’s no competition, right?”

“······Competition? You mean Luna?”

“I can’t say. That’s a secret.”

Luna, huh. Though Gloria called it a secret, Kara easily deduced that it was Luna.

With that, Kara shifted her gaze to Luna. She seemed to be resting, having just finished her training.

‘So much for calling it a secret.’

Gloria had a knack for stirring up confusion with her words.

Yet, it didn’t feel uncomfortable or unpleasant. On the contrary, it sparked her competitive spirit.

With this final exam, it would become clear who Sivar would “choose.” That much was certain.

“······I’ll have to try harder.”

“Good luck. I’ll be rooting for both of you.”

While Kara harbored a sense of competition, albeit reluctantly.

‘What should I have for dinner?’

Luna, on the other hand, was completely carefree.

And elsewhere······

“Perfect. This plan is flawless. With this, Mr. Sivar will······ hehehe.”

Someone was devising a truly dangerous plan.