A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 116

It was decided that territory marking would be done whenever there was spare time. However, it was necessary to talk with Porori first.

While it’s meant to establish boundaries at the outskirts, territory is a highly sensitive matter for beasts.

If territories overlap, it could lead to mutual discomfort, or worse, escalate into hostility.

In severe cases, it might even result in a full-blown territory dispute and a fight.

Rod would prevent that, but it was better to prepare for the worst.

“It would be good if Ratatoskr allows it, but we also need to consider the possibility of rejection. In that case, Sivar, you might have to handle everything yourself.”

“That’s fine.”

“Sorry for making you go through so much trouble. Is there anything you want?”

Something I want. I paused to think after hearing Rod’s suggestion.

Sweet food like candy or cake was already being shared by Kara and Grace.

I was eating well, and I planned to fill up on Usk meat for the time being.

There wasn’t anything I lacked, but there was one thing that lingered in my mind—money.

‘Once Kara finishes the auction, we’ll have quite a bit of money saved up…’

The important thing here was how to store those funds. A significant amount of money was expected to come in all at once.

Fortunately, this world had scientifically advanced nations with banks. Depositing the funds in a bank would ensure safety.

However, to do that, I needed a personal identity. Without an identity, I couldn’t deposit money in a bank.

‘For now, I’ll have to leave it with Kara.’

Although Tatars had only recently established their nation, they were rapidly growing through trade.

Naturally, they were sensitive about money management and had readily adopted banking and finance.

So, it was best to entrust money management to Kara. She wouldn’t do anything strange with my money.

“It seems like nothing comes to mind right now. Take your time to think about it. If you want, I can teach you a few techniques. Have you thought about learning swordsmanship?”

“Maybe later.”

“Hmm. That’s a pity.”

He subtly tried to teach me swordsmanship. Of course, learning from Rod would be a good thing.

If Luna received his guidance, she could grow not just one step but several steps further.

However, for now, learning swordsmanship was meaningless for me. My main weapon was the axe, and even hand-to-hand combat was challenging.

More importantly, Rize had said that my strength lay in my unorthodox movements. She advised that learning a specific martial technique might erase that advantage.

‘I should only learn the basics.’

Whether it’s a sword or a spear, I planned to stop at learning the basics.

While focusing on one thing is the key to mastery, I was an exception. Digging one well would overshadow my other strengths.

Besides, I had an overwhelming lack of time. On weekends, I was already undergoing Berserk Control Training with Rize, and adding more would complicate things.

“Then I’ll need to talk to Ratatoskr… When do you think he’ll return?”

“He should be back soon. I’ll deliver the message for you.”

“Thank you. Here’s the Academy Map, so…”

Rod trailed off mid-sentence, as if something had just occurred to him.

“Come to think of it, Sivar. Do you know how to read a map?”

“No.”

Of course, I didn’t. And even if I had a map, it wouldn’t mean much.

I already knew all the paths, so what use was a map? As long as I didn’t venture deep within the Forest of Chaos, I’d be fine.

“I can go alone. I know the way.”

“Hmm… Even so, it might be better to have a companion, just in case.”

“Rize will be with me.”

“Ah. So Rize will be there.”

Rod’s expression relaxed immediately at the mention of Rize. It was a reaction that suggested he hadn’t considered that.

As I mentioned earlier, I trained with Rize every weekend for Berserk Control. I could handle territory marking during those sessions.

If that happened, Luna would naturally follow along. It seemed like I’d have a busy schedule ahead.

“It’s probably best to wrap things up here. For now, this matter will remain a secret. We’ll inform the professors only after its effectiveness is confirmed.”

“Why keep it a secret?”

Luna asked with a puzzled expression. Ellie seemed to share the same sentiment, judging by her similar expression.

Rod chuckled softly at their expressions before taking a sip of tea. He then provided a reasonable explanation.

“Initially, I didn’t plan to keep it a secret. But after seeing the method Sivar proposed, I changed my mind. If such a bizarre story spreads, what do you think will happen to Sivar’s situation?”

I didn’t really care. I had long since thrown away any concern for reputation.

During the midterm exam, I was already treated like a potential terrorist. Would this shake me now?

If anything, the reputation of being a wildling would only spread further. It was a reputation I had consistently received, so it didn’t bother me.

“It’s not just about reputation; it’s about basic human decency. Honestly, I’m not thrilled about it either. But there’s no better method for now.”

So it was about humanitarianism. His words made me feel like he was treating me as a person.

Since I was always the one causing him stress, I felt a little sorry. I resolved to work harder to expand the territory.

“And even if an official document is issued, it won’t mention Sivar. It will simply state that stabilization has been achieved.”

“Won’t people still suspect something? They might think an even more dangerous monster has appeared.”

Ellie raised a very valid concern. While external stabilization was a good thing, it could spark new suspicions.

If things went wrong, Porori’s existence might be exposed. While I could manage to keep it hidden,

Rod, seemingly anticipating this point, spoke in a calm voice.

“There’s no need to worry. We’ll simply announce that it doesn’t attack humans. The professors will coordinate their statements. Everyone will let it slide, saying it’s for the best.”

He was right. Even renowned scholars found it difficult to fully grasp the mysteries of nature.

Stabilizing the outskirts would be beneficial from the Academy’s perspective. So it was likely they’d let it slide.

Moreover, the environment wouldn’t foster much anxiety. After all, the ones contributing to stabilization were Porori and me.

Until then, we just needed to proceed quietly without revealing our identities. If we were discovered, well, Rod would handle it.

“Do you have any questions?”

“No.”

“None.”

“I’m truly sorry for wasting your valuable time. Oh, by the way, I’ve arranged for Sivar to have unrestricted access to the forest.”

With the plan establishment complete, Rod wrapped up the meeting with some words of encouragement, and we dispersed.

Today’s classes had all been canceled due to the appearance of the Usk. In other words, I had nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon.

‘There’s still time left until lunch.’

There was about an hour left until the young Usk was dismantled. I had nothing particular to do until then.

It seemed others were in the same boat, as they began discussing various matters.

“What’s this? Did you guys meet with the Headmaster?”

By chance, we ran into Kara. She seemed to be returning from the blacksmith after leaving the Blade Fang there.

As we emerged from the Principal’s Office, she looked at us with curiosity. I wanted to explain the situation, but it wasn’t the right time.

Ellie, noticing Kara’s arrival, turned to us and made a suggestion.

“Why don’t we take this opportunity to visit Ratatoskr? There’s still plenty of time until lunch, and we can explain things to Kara Unnie as well.”

“Let’s do that.”

In the end, we decided to go find Ratatoskr. The forest was off-limits due to the appearance of the Usk.

However, when Luna mentioned that Rod had given his permission, we were quickly granted access. Power certainly had its perks.

Soon, we found ourselves back at the outskirts of the Forest of Chaos. The occasional roars of beasts suggested that the area was still in turmoil.

Along the way, I explained to Kara what had happened with Rod. She had been initially startled by the method but seemed to think it was acceptable, even positive.

“By the way, Unnie, did the blacksmith say they’d make a weapon out of the Blade Fang?”

“Yes. They told me to come back in a week. I’ll pay the balance then. If the auction goes well this weekend, it should be fine.”

“By any chance… Ah, never mind.”

She was definitely about to ask if there was anything left over. Knowing Luna’s personality, that had to be it.

Luckily for her, I was curious about that too. So, I asked Kara.

“Anything left over?”

“Left over? Of course. They said there’d be plenty left even after making my sword and your axe. If necessary, we can use it to cover the payment. Should I convert it to cash for you?”

“Only the usable pieces.”

“Got it. Apparently, the most valuable part is the fang itself. They said it’s worth at least 1 million silver coins.”

In this world, silver coins served as a key currency. It was a fitting choice for the era.

To put it in perspective, one silver coin was roughly equivalent to 100 South Korean won. That meant the value was around 100 million won.

“That expensive? I’m jealous. Sivar, you’re rich now.”

“By the way, that’s just the minimum value. If it goes to auction, it could sell for even more. Combined with the other parts, 3 million isn’t out of the question.”

“You can use that money to buy delicious food from now on. Just don’t eat too much.”

“You should buy some delicious food and save the rest in the bank. For now, I plan to leave the management of the money to Kara.”

“But since rumors of me holding a large amount of funds will inevitably spread, there’s a high chance all sorts of con artists will come flocking.”

“I’ll block them thoroughly when that happens, but if the person I want shows up, I’ll accept them immediately.”

‘Still a student, aren’t I?’

“If I recall correctly, they were a year ahead of me. Normally, this character wouldn’t appear at this point.”

“However, if you come into possession of an enormous amount of funds through a special event, they’re bound to show up. They’ll be a great help, not just to me but to Kara as well.”

“Where could Ratatoskr be? Sivar, do you know?”

“Why are you calling me again, Young Lady?”

“It was while we were aimlessly wandering through the forest. Just as Ellie grumbled, a familiar voice came from behind.”

“They say even a tiger appears when spoken of, and Porori was exactly that. How could the timing be this perfect?”

“Ah, Ratatoskr. I have something to discuss with you. You’ll need to work with Sivar.”

“With that guy? Doing what?”

“Well, it’s about…”

“Ellie began to carefully explain what she had heard from Rod. Ratatoskr listened attentively.”

“After hearing the full explanation, Ratatoskr gave a positive response.”

“I don’t mind. The creatures here are weak anyway, whether I mark the territory or not. But I have one condition.”

“What is it?”

“If there’s a female I like, she becomes part of my territory. That’s the condition.”

“It’s a fairly reasonable condition. Typically, all females within a territory belong to the predator.”

“Of course, ownership aside, they still have to court them diligently. It’s a sad reality for male animals.”

“Do as you please.”

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t care much. At least it’s fortunate that you’re of a different species.”

“With this, I expected the work to proceed smoothly.”

“But then came the question: Why don’t you mark your territory over there?”

“Huh?”

“Not here, but over there. You should mark your territory there too.”

“It wasn’t until he pointed toward the direction of the Academy that he spoke.”

“It seems Porori was puzzled as to why I hadn’t marked my territory at the Academy.”

“Hearing that left me utterly speechless. Was he suggesting I drop my pants and boldly do it in the Academy Plaza?”

“…Ratatoskr. Humans have a different way of marking territory. And even if they do, it’s not personal property.”

“Really? Well, with that old human holding out, it would be tough to claim territory anyway.”

“Upon Luna’s explanation, Porori nodded as if he understood.”

“Then, Porori gave me a somewhat pitying look and offered a consolation that wasn’t really consoling.”

“So, you can’t freely take females either, unless you defeat that old human.”

“…”

“I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even respond. Is this the limit of a beast’s brain?”

“What’s even funnier is that I couldn’t refute him. Explaining the complexities of civilization with this pitiful language ability is nearly impossible.”

“In reality, the moment I start messing around with one woman or another, not only Rod but also Rize would likely step in to teach me a harsh lesson.”

“Well, humans must have their own ways of marking territory. But you’ve already chosen a female, haven’t you?”

“No.”

“Huh? No? That’s strange.”

“What’s so strange about it, you squirrel?”

“I wondered if he was referring to Ellie, but I dismissed the thought as absurd.”

“Porori tilted his head, then turned to make direct eye contact with someone. It wasn’t Ellie or Kara—it was Luna.”

“Then, pointing at Luna with his short paw, he spoke in a baffled tone.”

“Didn’t you already pick this female? Last time, she reeked of your scent.”

“…What?”

“…Me?”

“Not just me, but even Luna, who was called out, couldn’t hide her bewilderment. What did he mean by Luna carrying my scent?”

“I often bury my face in Ellie’s embrace and rub against Kara during combat training.”

“But Luna? No way. I’ve almost never had direct physical contact with her.”

“Could it be because of that awkward incident yesterday…?”

“I didn’t know what kind of misunderstanding he had, but it definitely wasn’t that. I silently retorted to Kara’s muttering.”

“For now, I needed to hear more details. Understanding what kind of misunderstanding Porori had was the priority.”

“Didn’t you already choose her from the moment you first met the Young Ladies? Your scent was particularly strong on this golden-haired one. Overwhelmingly so.”

“…”

“Oh, he’s talking about the time Luna stepped in something gross. From a beast’s perspective, it’s an understandable mistake.”

“But to clear up the misunderstanding, I’d have to bring up that incident. This is something I’d rather take to my grave.”

“Luna, what’s he talking about? Did Sivar really pick you from the start?”

“That…”

“Pressed by Ellie, Luna’s eyes darted nervously. Kara, thinking the timing didn’t add up, just watched quietly.”

“Luna kept rolling her eyes for a while. By now, she probably realized what was going on.”

“It’s… something like that. It’s hard to explain.”

“Unable to bring herself to say it, Luna chose to evade the question. Why did this feel oddly humanizing?”

“Instead, I had to endure Kara’s sharp gaze. That rat is never helpful.”

“While I silently cursed Porori, Kara, who had been quietly observing, asked.”

“If it’s hard to explain, at least give us a hint. I wasn’t there at the time. What happened?”

“It’s just… hard to say directly.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“After hearing Luna’s next words, I couldn’t help but think.”

“It’s a bit… beast-like.”

“…”

“That mouth of hers is a harbinger of disaster.”

[Faith Increases!]

“Still, thank you, Luna Luna.”