A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 117

The atmosphere grew briefly awkward due to Luna’s big mouth, but it only lasted for a moment.

Having met Ratatoskr, the original objective, it was decided that the detailed plan would be gradually established.

The territories needed to be distributed as widely as possible without overlapping. For this, Ratatoskr had to check the map.

“Ratatoskr, do you know how to read a map?”

“A map? What’s that? Is it something you eat?”

······It seemed like it would take some time. Still, there was plenty of time over the weekend to reorganize the plan.

Afterward, Ratatoskr left to find a new partner, and we returned since there was no longer a reason to stay in the forest.

“You’re back. Can you tell me what you discussed with the Headmaster?”

Upon returning, I met with Grace as promised. Lee Yeonju was already gone and not by my side.

I hesitated about whether to tell Grace directly, then looked at Luna. It seemed better to leave it to her instead of me.

Luna, noticing the meaning of my gaze, nodded and began explaining in my place. Grace didn’t seem particularly dissatisfied.

“We talked about stabilizing the forest outskirts. Sivar’s help is absolutely necessary. It will probably be carried out every weekend.”

“Every weekend, you say······ I understand. Then we’ll need to adjust the schedule.”

Grace, sensing it was a sensitive topic, didn’t press further. She seemed content with just this much.

With most tasks roughly completed, I approached the area where the Usk was still being dismantled.

Since it was about lunchtime, the young Usks would likely have all been slaughtered by now.

“You’ve come at the right time. How will you handle the payment?”

“With what’s left.”

As expected, the young Usks had all been slaughtered and were waiting for me.

For meat, freshness—meaning refrigeration—is key, but there was a makeshift slaughterhouse set up, so it wasn’t an issue.

The same went for the payment. I kept only the edible parts and handed the rest over to the butcher.

Unlike adults, young Usks don’t yield much even when dismantled. It would suffice for research purposes.

“Even though they’re young, their bulk means there’s still a lot.”

“Are you going to eat it right now? This kind of thing feels too extravagant to eat at the dormitory.”

The meat from the younglings alone exceeded several dozen kilograms. But I planned to finish it all today.

Saving it would only reduce its freshness, and more importantly, I didn’t intend to eat it alone. This kind of thing should be shared.

Besides, there was still plenty of Usk meat left. Even just looking at the partially dismantled adult over there, it would last for several meals.

‘The problem is where to cook it.’

I thought as I looked at the box containing the Usk meat. Everything was fine, except there wasn’t an appropriate place to cook it.

Eating it at the dormitory wasn’t an option due to the lack of other ingredients, but leaving it untouched felt wasteful.

“If you’re in a bind, may I make a suggestion? If you’re willing to pay, a fantastic dish could be made.”

“Is there such a place?”

“Yes. It’s a bit pricey, but for Usk cuisine, it’s worth it.”

Ah, that place. I think I know where she means.

Because the Forest of Chaos is nearby, there’s a place, as Grace mentioned, that will cook for you if you provide the ingredients.

However, it’s not commonly used in the Soul World. Early on, it’s too expensive to use, and later, the cost-effectiveness isn’t great.

“What do you think? I can cover the cost. It’ll be better than cooking it yourself.”

“Let’s go.”

“Alright, then······”

“Let’s eat together.”

“What?”

Before Grace could say anything, I made the suggestion. Her eyes widened in surprise.

She glanced at the others, then pointed at the box where the meat was stored.

“All of us. Let’s eat this together.”

“You caught this. It’s fine if you eat it all yourself.”

“You don’t have to share it with us.”

As expected, everyone initially refused. But I had prepared something to say for this very moment.

“I caught it. I decide.”

“··· ···”

“Let’s eat together.”

Because of my poor language skills, it might have sounded like I was forcing them. Still, my intention should have been conveyed.

Eventually, Kara chuckled as if she found it cute, and the others followed with warm smiles.

“If Sivar insists······”

“I guess we have no choice. Let’s eat together. Will there be enough?”

Food tastes better when shared. Carrying the box, I headed to the restaurant Grace had mentioned.

‘But Yeonju······’

I’ll buy her something later.

*****

Since entering the Academy, Luna had been experiencing a variety of things in real time.

Sivar’s meeting with Ratatoskr. Hector’s battle. The visit of Martial Saintess Rize. The terror(?) during the midterm exam. And finally, the Usk.

All of these were connected to Sivar, and each time, it was nothing short of a headache. It was enough to make her long to go home.

‘I want to eat that again······’

However, all those worries vanished completely after eating the Usk dish.

It was the most delicious food she had ever tasted in her life. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

When they said they’d cook the Usk, she hadn’t been very convinced, but the dish turned out to be exceptional.

The meat juice that burst out as soon as it entered her mouth. The texture, tender and not tough at all. And finally, the taste, reminiscent of beef.

Back home, she’d occasionally eaten dishes made from materials obtained during cattle slaughter, but this was far superior. In short, a superior alternative to beef.

‘They said the adult is a bit tougher but not much different from the youngling, right?’

After the feast, Sivar had told her. If she wanted more, she just needed to say so. There was still some adult Usk left.

Normally, her conscience would have made her hesitate. After all, Sivar had hunted the Usk alone.

But it was too delicious to refuse. Moreover, Usk meat was good for the body.

If it weren’t beneficial, it wouldn’t be used as a material for alchemy and potions. Not a single part of it went to waste.

‘I feel bad for always taking······ Isn’t there something I can do in return?’

Asking for a bit of Blade Fang, the meat—everything had been received from Sivar.

She had only been receiving, without giving anything back to Sivar. It was natural for her conscience to prick.

‘······That incident doesn’t count, does it?’

Suddenly, that rare experience came to mind. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of event.

At the time, it had been assumed to be from a beast, but after reviewing all the evidence so far, it was confirmed to be Sivar’s.

Sivar had denied it to the end, but Ratatoskr’s testimony made it clear. It had even cost her a pair of shoes.

Sivar had felt a sort of guilt, so she could use this as leverage to ask for more. Of course, getting the Blade Fang might still be difficult.

‘Forget the meat for now. I should focus on getting the Blade Fang first.’

Sivar had said. To receive the Blade Fang, she needed to become as strong as Kara.

At the time, she hadn’t understood why he said that, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

Without Kara’s level of skill, she’d end up being wielded by the weapon instead of wielding it. Sivar had shown consideration in his own way.

To reach Kara’s level of proficiency, there was no choice but to train diligently. It was during such training that it happened.

“Student Luna.”

“Yes?”

“Is there something going on?”

Gloria, noticing Luna’s change, asked with a voice tinged with curiosity. It wasn’t concern, but pure curiosity.

If she had been training as if being chased, there might have been concern. But the current Luna was several times more serious than usual.

“No? Nothing has changed.”

“Look me in the eye and answer. Your gaze is different now, Student Luna.”

Luna tilted her head. It was true that she was more serious than usual, aiming to obtain the Blade Fang.

Gloria seemed to have noticed and was asking about it. As a nurturer, she was likely sensitive to such things.

In response, Luna turned her head. She caught sight of Kara sparring lightly with Chronos.

Today, Sivar wasn’t participating in the autonomous training. He had gone to meet Godin with Grace.

“Is there something going on······ If I said no, it would be a lie, wouldn’t it?”

“Looking at Kara and saying that······ Could it be······?”

“?”

Gloria’s expression shifted to one of disbelief at Luna’s response. Naturally, Luna couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

After some thought, Gloria placed her hand on Luna’s shoulder. Then, in a serious tone, she offered advice.

“If it’s something troubling, let’s stop training here for today. If you push yourself like you’re being chased, it’ll only harm your body in the end.”

“······I’m not troubled at all. I just have a reason to become stronger, that’s all.”

“A reason to become stronger······ Could you explain it in more detail? We’re close enough to share secrets, aren’t we?”

Close enough to share secrets. She must be referring to Gloria and Chronos’s clandestine relationship.

Luna chuckled at those words and nodded. Sharing this much wouldn’t be a problem.

“Actually, here’s what happened······”

If it were someone else, she would have fully explained the circumstances. Enough to prevent any misunderstandings.

However, Luna’s big mouth was like a conch shell that invited misunderstandings. She looked at Kara and began explaining slowly.

“You’ve heard the news that Sivar subjugated Usk, right?”

“Of course I’ve heard. The Academy’s been buzzing because of it, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. And Sivar gave one of the Blade Fangs to Kara Unnie as a gift.”

“Really?”

Gloria was startled. Knowing how expensive Blade Fangs were, her reaction was understandable.

Of course, it’s possible that Sivar didn’t know the market value. Considering that, it could be overlooked.

“Yes. So I asked if I could have one too. I know it’s a shameless request, but I wanted to use whatever was left.”

“Did Mr. Sivar say no?”

“Yes. He said unless I became as strong as Kara Unnie, it was absolutely out of the question.”

“Oh my.”

Gloria’s mind raced as she pieced together the situation. She had a rough idea of what was going on.

The skill gap between Kara and Luna was evident to anyone. Luna had been overwhelmingly defeated in their sparring match.

Of course, Kara had also lost to Sivar, but if memory served, she had landed a few effective hits.

“If Kara is the standard······ can we assume there’s something between the two of them?”

“Yes, well······ that’s probably the case. Otherwise, there’d be no reason for him to give her a gift.”

“Hmm······”

Hearing that, Gloria thought to herself. The relationship between Sivar and Kara seemed closer than expected.

If that’s the case, Luna’s position(?) might become precarious. She was constantly in the position of chasing after them.

For now, the only thing she could do was become stronger, as Luna had said. But that would take too much time.

No matter how extraordinary her talent was, without practical combat experience, it would be meaningless.

“Student Luna. Has there been anything special between you and Mr. Sivar?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“You could use that to get a gift too. Find a clever way to approach him.”

“Hmm······ There is something, but······”

It was related to humanitarianism, so she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Luna answered with an awkward smile.

“It’s a bit······ embarrassing for both of us, so it’d be difficult.”

“Embarrassing for both of you?”

“Yes. It’s a little hard to talk about.”

Here it came again, her magical big mouth. Gloria’s expression gradually turned more positive.

Then, before saying anything further, Gloria glanced over at Kara. Kara was still sparring with Chronos.

“That’s it.”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense was this? Luna looked at Gloria with a bewildered expression.

Meanwhile, Gloria placed her hand on Luna’s shoulder again and spoke in her characteristic gentle tone.

“You can use that to slowly get closer. If you show your effort on top of that, with something like that between you two, he’d feel too guilty not to give you a gift.”

“··· ···”

Really? Luna tilted her head in confusion.

It kind of made sense, which only raised more questions.

“I’ll help you. It’s hard to become stronger in a short time, but you can surprise Mr. Sivar.”

“······Really?”

“Yes. It’s because you’re so admirable, Student Luna······ no, no, it’s not that. Training without heightened motivation is meaningless.”

Gloria wasn’t finished yet.

“Besides, that’s an experience even Kara hasn’t had. Don’t you agree, Student Luna?”

“······Yes.”

That was an experience she never wanted to go through again. Luna grumbled internally.

Unaware of Luna’s inner thoughts, Gloria continued with a bright smile.

“So let’s all do our best. Your experience will be an enormous help, Student Luna.”

“··· ···”

Luna said nothing. For once, she kept her big mouth shut.