A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 111

Every animal, no matter the species, experiences a mating season. Squirrels, of course, and even humans have one.

Animals, driven by instinct, tend to express it freely, while humans suppress it with intelligence.

If humans couldn’t control their mating season, society would have descended into chaos, perhaps even into something horrifying in a different sense.

In that context, Porori’s mating season couldn’t be ignored. For now, he only targeted monsters or beasts, but who knew what might happen?

He would be spending more time with Ellie, and as such, he needed to grow more accustomed to the civilized world.

There might be a forest near the Academy, but there was always the possibility of visiting other countries. Preparation was necessary for that.

“Ellie. Wait a moment.”

“Huh? Why?”

“We need to talk. Just the two of us. Porori… no, Ratatoskr.”

So, I called Ellie, the main personality, aside. She widened her eyes at my summons.

Unlike me, who had picked up on the situation, Ellie and the others were completely unaware.

Grace and Lee Yeonju didn’t even know of Porori’s existence, making it difficult to bring up.

“Why Ratatoskr? Don’t tell me it’s related to these monsters?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Alright. Let’s step aside for a bit.”

With that, Ellie moved away from Grace and Lee Yeonju, who were busy investigating traces.

Once we reached a slightly secluded spot, I began explaining everything I knew step by step.

“Ratatoskr. Mating season.”

“Yeah, that’s right. He said he’s relieving it during his mating season.”

“All of this—these traces. He only targeted the ones with fur.”

“Uh…”

Ellie’s expression turned sour as she seemed to grasp the gist of my explanation. She glanced toward the gruesome scene.

Monsters without fur were cleanly killed, while those with fur had their lower bodies scorched as if struck by lightning.

A more detailed investigation would be needed to confirm they were violated. Until then, even most professors wouldn’t notice.

“…Is that true?”

“It’s just a hypothesis, but the likelihood is high.”

“If that’s the case, should we start with a test for sexually transmitted diseases? No, wait. Can spirit beasts even contract STDs?”

“… …”

That’s so like Ellie. Most people would first think about the danger, but she was already considering solutions in a completely different direction.

Of course, it was an important issue in its own way. Animals have historically transmitted diseases to humans.

Even if Porori was a spirit beast, it would be disastrous if he brought back an unknown disease. He had even been vaccinated for rabies.

“For now, let’s find Ratatoskr. He said he wouldn’t harm humans, but we can’t be sure.”

“Got it.”

“Hey, young lady. I don’t have any diseases.”

A voice I hadn’t heard in ages pierced my ears. Ellie and I immediately turned toward the source of the voice.

There stood Porori (Ratatoskr), a squirrel the size of a large dog, arms crossed and looking majestic. He hadn’t changed one bit.

“Ra-Ratatoskr? When did you get here?”

“I sensed this guy’s aura and came to check it out.”

“… …”

I turned my head toward Grace and Lee Yeonju.

Thankfully, they were too preoccupied with something else to notice yet.

We had found him much sooner than expected. At this rate, they’d find out quickly.

“Who are those humans over there? Your friends? Or your females?”

“…Friends.”

He still hadn’t completely shed his wildness. Well, given that he was born a beast, it made sense.

But asking if they were my females outright felt strange. Ellie, too, looked visibly flustered.

“Really? Anyway, why were you looking for me? Were you worried? I’m touched.”

“Yes, worried. You’re genuinely dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

Porori tilted his head in confusion at the word “dangerous.” He didn’t seem to realize what he had done.

Instead of answering, I pointed at the gruesome scene. Porori followed my hand and looked in that direction.

He stared at the scene for a while before finally realizing something. “Ah,” he said, opening his mouth.

“Is this about my mating season? Are you worried I might accidentally target you or other humans?”

“Exactly.”

“Listen, friend. No matter how much I’ve evolved, my preferences are clear. I have absolutely no interest in humans without fur.”

As he said this, Porori glanced at Ellie. More specifically, at her chest.

Then, he nodded and made a slightly approving remark.

“Still, it does look cozy. You get to touch that freely, don’t you?”

“… …”

“No? Don’t tell me you haven’t made a move yet?”

Maybe it was because of his mating season, but his mouth kept spewing nonsense.

I glanced at Ellie as Porori spoke. Her face was growing redder by the second, clearly embarrassed.

Even though he had evolved into a spirit beast and was gradually adapting to civilization, Porori’s nature was still that of an animal. To him, this was probably just common sense.

Of course, I didn’t touch her. Occasionally, she’d act a bit spoiled, and I’d indulge her, but that was it. Ellie was lenient about such things.

Anyway, to break this awkward atmosphere, I needed to change the subject. First, I had to address his mating season issue.

“Why do you use lightning?”

“What?”

“During mating. The lightning. It burns their lower bodies.”

“Ah, that?”

Judging from the corpses, their lower bodies were all roasted as if struck by lightning. This clearly pointed to an issue with Porori.

At my question, Porori made a sorrowful expression and averted his gaze, staring off into the distance.

“There’s a sad story behind this…”

“… …”

Was he about to spout nonsense again? But his wistful expression made me think it might not be entirely baseless.

It seemed like a good idea to move to a different spot. This conversation was going to take a while.

After Ellie informed Grace about some good herbs nearby, we relocated. Grace seemed convinced.

“As you and the young lady know, I’m a squirrel. But just because I’m a squirrel doesn’t mean I have to stick to other squirrels.”

“Huh? Isn’t it normal to reproduce with the same species?”

Ellie voiced a perfectly reasonable question after hearing Porori’s statement. Animals typically reproduce within their own species.

While hybrids occasionally appear, most animals prefer to reproduce with their own kind.

“That’s true. But that’s just because it’s convenient. Humans are the same, aren’t they? It’s easier to raise children with someone who shares a similar lifestyle.”

“…Is that how it works?”

Ellie tilted her head in confusion. Porori’s explanation did have some logic to it.

People from the same cultural background are generally less resistant to differences, even if they belong to different ethnic groups.

On the other hand, cultural differences often lead to conflict, and in extreme cases, irreparable incidents.

“But I’m different. As long as they’re the same kind, I don’t care. Even if our lifestyles differ, I can adapt to theirs. That’s why I set out to find a suitable mate.”

“The same kind?”

“You humans are the same species, but you have diverse ethnicities, don’t you? Some have white skin, others brown. You all have different facial features too.”

From Porori’s perspective, it might seem that way. Humans are often categorized into ethnic groups.

For instance, there are Westerners and Easterners, while the Tatars would correspond to the Middle Eastern ethnic group on Earth.

There are even Northerners with skin so pale it’s almost translucent. Truly, humanity is diverse.

“So, did you find one?”

“I barely managed to. But… sigh…”

Porori let out a deep sigh, as if consumed by regret. His expression looked as though his world was about to collapse.

I wondered if he had been rejected by the female, but his next words left me speechless.

“When I got excited, lightning struck… and the female died…”

“… …”

“She was the mate I had finally found… the one I had courted and won over… but because of my mistake…”

It wasn’t a story anyone could laugh at. Porori had even changed his way of life in his quest to find a mate.

The problem was that even after all that effort, an unforeseen incident had caused her death. It must have left a significant trauma.

“So I practiced on the ones that were driven to the outskirts. After all, these guys only cause trouble in the outer area. But even that wasn’t easy.”

“Th-that… isn’t it cruel? They’re not even the same species or family.”

“I told you, it was for practice. Keeping them alive would only harm my kind—no, my own species.”

A squirrel embodying both sweetness and rugged masculinity stands here. If this is fantasy, it’s truly fantastical; if it’s confusing, it’s utterly bewildering.

This means that the monsters pushed to the outskirts weren’t there because of Porori’s mating season.

As initially investigated, fierce competition within the inner area forced them out.

“I don’t know what’s going on inside the forest, but it seems pretty noisy. Even if I wanted to go in, once you enter, there’s no coming back out.”

“Is it serious?”

“It’s not at a critical level. But depending on how strong the predators that emerge are, the outskirts could change. Right now, only weak ones are coming out, but next time? Who knows?”

It seems that the more intense the competition becomes, the stronger the ones falling behind get.

Even the monsters currently pushed to the outskirts are creatures that originally lived in the inner area. This means they are by no means weak.

That doesn’t mean we can enter the depths and eliminate the predators. Doing so would disrupt the food chain and reset everything.

In the end, the only option is to clear out the exterior entirely until the interior stabilizes. For now, this is the best course of action.

“As you know, even when we were here, all sorts of creatures tried to approach. Now imagine those kinds of creatures being pushed to the outskirts. Well, most of them would die before being pushed out, though.”

“Did you handle it?”

“I’m not sure about that. They might target another area instead.”

“In the end, we’ll have to deal with the monsters pushed to the outskirts first. Herb gathering alone will be difficult from now on.”

It all circles back to this: the inner area must stabilize before the outskirts can be cleaned up.

But we can’t just leave them unattended. If the ones pushed to the outskirts settle down, it’ll become a headache.

“Young Lady, if there’s an herb you need, let me know. I’ll bring it to you.”

“No, it’s fine. I can just take Sivar with me on weekends. The herbs I need vary each time.”

“Really? Then that should be fine. I’ll be off now.”

Porori left briskly after saying everything he wanted to. Despite standing proudly on two legs, he ran off on all fours.

Soon, with his characteristic nimble movements, Porori climbed a tree and disappeared. For someone supposedly in mating season, he seemed surprisingly composed.

‘But seriously, does he summon lightning every time he mates? That’s ridiculous.’

Were spirit beasts always like that? At least the ones I know aren’t.

It’s highly likely that, having only recently become a spirit beast, he hasn’t yet mastered his instincts.

It’s truly unfortunate that he ended up killing the female he fancied with his own hands. This is no laughing matter.

“…Sivar.”

“?”

It was while I was staring blankly at the spot where Porori had disappeared. Ellie, who was behind me, quietly called my name.

When I turned my head, Ellie, for some reason, had a determined expression on her face. She seemed to have something to say.

As soon as our eyes met, she flinched and her face gradually turned red. Judging by her inability to meet my gaze, something was definitely up.

“Th-that… you know what Ratatoskr said, about summoning lightning every time he mates…”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Could it be… that you’re the same?”

“…?”

I’m well aware of Ellie’s eccentric mindset. I’ve marveled at it every time.

But right now, I felt more puzzled than impressed. Does she seriously think I’m like that rat?

Perhaps reading my incredulous expression, Ellie hurriedly added an explanation. Her voice was slightly flustered.

“I-I mean, it’s just a hypothetical! I don’t even know if Sivar has a mating season, but still, just hypothetically!”

“…”

“S-so, what I’m trying to say is…”

Ellie, who had been rambling, hesitated again. Her face was full of embarrassment and shame.

I was equally dumbfounded and at a loss for words. While her point wasn’t entirely unreasonable, wasn’t she seeing me too much as a beast?

The problem was that it was hard to even argue back. Knowing Ellie’s personality, there wasn’t a shred of malice in her words—just pure concern.

“I-if you ever want to mate… tell me first.”

“…Damn. What?”

But this was something I couldn’t just let slide. It had been a while since the word “Damn” escaped my lips.

Fortunately, since it wasn’t a curse from this world, Ellie didn’t understand it. Still, she probably sensed my emotions from my tone.

While my reaction made Ellie’s face turn even redder, she still wore a resolute expression as she explained her reasoning.

“I-it’s because I couldn’t just laugh off Ratatoskr’s story. What if something like that happens to you too?”

“…”

From Ellie’s perspective, her words made sense, which only made it more absurd. I couldn’t even refute her logic.

I don’t know who I might end up doing such things with in the future, but at least I can guarantee that no tragedy like Ratatoskr’s will occur.

“Got it? Before you do it with someone else, you have to do it with me first. T-this is just for confirmation, not because I’m embarrassed or anything!”

Ellie’s eyes were spinning, and her face was flushed as if it might explode.

At this point, it seemed she didn’t even realize what she was saying anymore.

To be honest… it’s not a bad idea. Ellie is objectively beautiful, and her figure is stunning.

But perhaps because of my Confucian values, I felt a bit hesitant. At the very least, I’d want to do it after confirming our feelings for each other.

“Ugh… now that I think about it, I haven’t even given her proper sex education. What should I do? Maybe I should use this as an excuse to teach her…”

“…”

In the end, her mind seemed to be in complete chaos. I quietly observed Ellie, who was essentially arguing with herself.

I couldn’t tell if she was driven by a sense of responsibility or genuine affection for me. Or maybe it was both.

First, I should calm her down. Just as I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder—

-Roooooar!!!

A deafening roar echoed through the forest, loud enough to shake the entire area.

The roar snapped Ellie out of her confusion and brought her back to her senses.

“W-what was that sound… S-Sivar! Where are you going?!”

I immediately dashed toward the direction of the sound. Roars like that usually signal a monster launching a preemptive attack.

In other words, someone was being attacked by a monster. Of course, they might be fine if they had a guardian.

But my instincts were telling me otherwise. That roar came from an incredibly powerful monster.

‘The forest really has gone completely mad.’

It seems I’ll have to enter the inner area soon.