A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 144

While Sivar was spending delightful days in his residence, each team focused on the final exam.

First, the team with Luna as the team leader. Although Luna was the leader, the overall plan establishment was handled by Grace.

Luna admitted that she wasn’t well-versed in strategy and tactics and welcomed any decent plan.

“We have two choices: Should we capture the castle first, or should we steadily gather weapons?”

Grace gathered the team members and explained the overall plan.

The revival place and the main base had the appearance of a command post, including some supplies.

A map was laid out on the large table to make it easier to share plans, along with various tools.

“But the most urgent task is understanding the terrain and identifying the next occupied territory. Even though supplies are said to be provided, we have no idea in what form they will appear.”

“Then it would be better to form a reconnaissance team to grasp the surroundings first.”

“Yes. We need to assess each area and figure out what’s there.”

Unlike the midterm exam, this final exam severely lacked prior information.

During the midterm exam, the professors provided a lot of information, but this time, most of it was vaguely explained.

Even the state of the occupied territory where supplies were provided, the form of the supplies, and the level of defense facilities—all of these were unknown.

Each and every one of these things had to be confirmed directly, making it a headache for the person planning.

As a result, the focus leaned more on strategy than tactics. Grace was keenly aware of this.

“Lastly, we plan to search for Mr. Sivar starting tomorrow or the day after. Since we don’t know where he is, recklessly searching might lead to a surprise attack.”

Surprisingly, Grace didn’t search for Sivar right from the beginning.

Setting aside personal greed(?), she was calmly assessing the overall situation.

After exchanging various opinions with the team members, she formed teams.

The 15 members were divided into groups of 4/4/4/3, with the group of three being the command team.

The command team consisted of Grace, Luna, and Lee Yeonju, while the rest were divided into reconnaissance and combat teams.

‘Fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any complaints.’

The teams also had no complaints about the groups and plans devised by Grace.

That was to be expected, as Grace was the Duke’s Young Lady, possessing both authority and innate charisma.

Furthermore, with Luna naturally being in the same group as Grace, there was no room for dissatisfaction.

“Are you sure this is okay? It would be troublesome if the other side finds Sivar first.”

While surveying the surrounding terrain outside, Luna asked, her voice tinged with slight concern.

Grace wasn’t fully aware, but Sivar’s physical strength was beyond that of an ultimate weapon. He could change the course of the trial single-handedly.

While she lacked command abilities, she was well-informed about Sivar, enabling her to offer such opinions.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Even if the other side finds him first, Mr. Sivar won’t immediately form a contract with them.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Luna’s curiosity grew at Grace’s confident response. Her cherished doll, or rather her close friend, Lee Yeonju, felt the same.

In response, Grace began sketching the surrounding scenery roughly on a small piece of paper as she answered.

“Because we haven’t arrived yet. Mr. Sivar would at least know that we’re coming. So, there’s a high possibility he’ll hold off on forming a contract with the other team. In this trial, Mr. Sivar holds absolute power.”

“Ah, I get it now. So, the real contract will only happen once our team finds him.”

“Exactly.”

Grace nodded at Lee Yeonju’s remark. Luna also seemed to grasp the gist of it.

As she said, Sivar held an absolute position in this trial. Simply put, if he demanded submission, they would have to comply.

Of course, given Sivar’s personality, he wouldn’t go as far as issuing such commands, so they’d have to coax him gently in the end.

“So, what’s the contract we’re offering? That’s the most important part, isn’t it?”

At Luna’s question, Grace hesitated for a moment. Simultaneously, her neck began to flush red.

Fortunately, she managed to suppress it, so her face didn’t turn red, but her pale skin made it slightly noticeable.

Grace then closed the notebook where she had been roughly recording the terrain and cleared her throat. Her neck remained red.

“Ahem. Ahem. I’ll tell you later. First, we’ll confirm Mr. Sivar’s location, and I’ll personally go to present the contract. I can only tell you that it’s a contract Mr. Sivar will like.”

“Can’t you share just a little? I even gave you advice before.”

But curiosity was hard to resist. Kara already knew everything about what Sivar liked.

In such a situation, Grace’s cryptic hint about holding a trump card only made them more curious.

Though Lee Yeonju was listening nearby, it wasn’t a big issue. After all, they were on the same team and all women.

Grace, too, seemed uncomfortable keeping the secret entirely to herself and hesitated slightly.

“Um… Would it be okay if I used a metaphor? It’s just too embarrassing to say outright…”

“More embarrassing than hugging Sivar?”

“…Hugging? Sivar?”

At this point, chaos erupted again. Lee Yeonju’s eyes shook violently.

Her face clearly showed an unspoken question: What on earth was going on?

But Luna, seemingly unaware of any misunderstanding, spoke with her usual calm expression.

“Yes. As you know, Sivar likes hugs, probably because he lived in the wilderness.”

“Ah… If it’s that, I understand. I’ve heard that hugs are a remedy for loneliness.”

Thankfully, the explanation quickly resolved the misunderstanding. It didn’t seem like a big deal.

“And maternal affection…”

“Alright, that’s enough. If we keep talking, we’ll just waste time, so let’s stop here.”

Just as Luna’s mouth was about to stir up more trouble, Grace hurriedly intervened.

If they continued, the misunderstanding Lee Yeonju had just cleared up might deepen again.

“If you’re that curious, I suppose I have no choice. But since it’s embarrassing, I’ll use a metaphor. Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Me neither.”

“Alright. Then, it’s something like…”

Grace paused mid-sentence. At the same time, the blush she had barely managed to suppress began to rise again.

She tried her best to hold it back, but it seemed impossible. Still, she managed to speak.

“S-Sweeter than candy and softer than cake! That’s what I plan to offer!”

“Sweeter than candy and softer than cake? Does such a thing exist?”

“Could it be something that comes with the supplies?”

Luna and Lee Yeonju both showed puzzled reactions to the metaphorical expression.

Meanwhile, Grace gently rubbed her flushed face, trying her best to calm down.

“Haa… It’s not something from the supplies. I read about it in a book…”

“What kind of book?”

“… …”

Unlike Luna, Lee Yeonju fell silent. She seemed to have a good idea of what kind of book it was.

As a cherished doll and close friend, she already knew Grace’s preferences well.

Even during the attempted assault incident, hadn’t she handed Grace a fairy tale book herself? So, it must have come from a fairy tale book.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”

“Hmm… At least it’s food, right?”

“… …”

Sometimes, Luna could be unexpectedly sharp. Though she spoke without much thought, her words hit the mark.

Grace, unable to respond to Luna’s question, hurriedly opened her mouth.

“N-No, it’s not food! But it’s something anyone can give! Not just me, but everyone!”

“Ah, then I’ll help you. The more, the better, right?”

Luna genuinely wanted to help, speaking without any ulterior motive.

However, Grace’s reaction was a bit unusual. She, who had been embarrassed moments ago, suddenly turned serious.

Her charismatic demeanor made Luna flinch slightly, wondering if she had crossed a line out of curiosity.

“Ms. Luna.”

“…Yes.”

“This is something I must do alone. I don’t need your help.”

“…If that’s the case.”

Luna couldn’t understand why Grace was being so firm about the contract’s identity. She decided she’d have to find out later.

While Luna was still in the dark about the contract’s identity, Lee Yeonju, lost in thought, cautiously spoke up.

“…Grace?”

“Go ahead.”

“Could it be what I’m thinking of… something that often appears in books…?”

The book Lee Yeonju referred to was, of course, a fairy tale book. And there was a scene that always appeared in fairy tales.

Grace’s face reddened slightly as if she, too, had thought of that scene. However, she feigned composure and responded nonchalantly.

“I, I think it’s definitely worth it. They probably didn’t consider this far, did they?”

“But what if strange rumors start spreading…”

“It’s fine. As long as I can do well on the exam, I can do anything.”

Outwardly, it was for the exam. However, her true intentions were different.

‘Once the exam is over, rumors will spread, and it will influence the Freshman Banquet as well. High-Ranking Officials will visit the Freshman Banquet, so I can confidently introduce Sivar. That’s when I’ll proudly say it.’

Grace’s ‘strategy’ extended beyond the final exam.

******

[Faith Increases!]

While diligently listening to music, her faith increased.

Now, even just sitting still caused her faith to increase, so she didn’t think much of it anymore.

“Hmm~ Hmhm. Hmm.”

For now, she decided to stretch out her legs and relax.