A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 153

I will upload Grace’s illustration in the announcement! Please check it in a little while!

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The United Academy is both a globally recognized educational institution and renowned for its complex international relations.

Originally established with the intent of uniting the world against the threat of demons, it has long since deviated from its purpose.

Fortunately, the original intent hasn’t been entirely obscured, allowing it to serve as a kind of Last Bastion.

If there are signs of an impending war, the Academy tends to intervene immediately.

If a nation starts a war without a specific justification, they face restrictions like limited admissions for decades.

Since it could lead to prioritizing immediate gains over the future, nations generally exercise restraint.

As a result, the conditions to justify war have become significantly stricter, allowing for at least relatively peaceful days.

“As long as no blood is spilled, I suppose it can be called peace.”

“Yes, that’s true!”

“But this peace cannot last forever. The day will come when blood will inevitably be shed.”

“You are absolutely right!”

“··· ···”

The Matra Empire, counted among the Great Powers of the West.

Richard III, the emperor who governs that empire, looked at the young man who answered energetically with a complicated expression.

Both men shared sharp features and thick gray hair, clearly showing their shared bloodline.

The difference was that Richard III was a middle-aged man with a well-groomed beard, while the young man had a clean-cut appearance.

Above all, the young man’s gaze was unusual—far beyond passionate, it bordered on fanaticism.

His blue eyes sparkled so brightly that he seemed almost like a Crazy Person with clear eyes.

“······Did you even listen to what I said?”

“Of course!”

“Haa······”

Richard III let out a deep sigh at the young man’s spirited response.

Why did his carefully maintained beard feel rougher than usual today?

Though he was his own son, that only made it more problematic. The ironic part was that there were few actual scandals.

The evaluations he carried like a label were so impactful that they overshadowed any potential rumors.

“······My son.”

“Yes, Father!”

“Have you ever considered ruling in an ordinary way? I would gladly pass the throne to you if you did.”

Richard III had five children in total: three sons and two daughters, including the young man in front of him.

The young man was the second son. Normally, the throne’s succession rights would go to the eldest son.

So, where was the eldest son? The answer was simple.

The second son, Karas, had dealt with him personally.

“I’m not sure what you mean by that!”

“Do you truly not know?”

“Yes!”

“Hoo······”

Richard III sighed once again. It was an increasingly frustrating situation.

The eldest son, whom Karas had dealt with, was remarkably skilled in wielding Power.

The issue was that his greed for the throne was excessive, leading him to constantly check on his siblings.

As a result of his interference, not only were his siblings’ resources and allies cut off, but it also seemed inevitable that he would become the next emperor.

“······Karas.”

“Yes, Father!”

“Can you stop with your constant talk of freedom? The ideology you hold is extremely dangerous for us.”

But things changed when Karas gained Enlightenment.

Realizing he couldn’t do it alone, he joined forces with his other siblings to overthrow the eldest son.

As a result, the eldest son naturally lost his Power and ended up confined to a Detached Palace.

With such skill, it was only natural for Karas to become the Crown Prince. Up to this point, even Richard III was satisfied.

“I’m sorry, but that will not be possible!”

“What if I were to depose you?”

“Then I would depose you, Father!”

“Haha. What a mad son I have.”

Richard III laughed in disbelief. The term “stubborn as an ox” fit perfectly.

The scary part was that Karas had the ability to do just that. If nothing else, his abilities were undeniable.

A talented yet crazy bastard. Deposing Karas and choosing someone else didn’t feel like a viable option.

‘Even after saying it outright, I can’t bring myself to cast him aside…’

If only he could somehow fix him, it would be ideal. Unlike the eldest son, there wasn’t a clear justification to depose him.

Historically, even rulers with tyrannical tendencies were tolerated as long as they performed their duties well.

Moreover, personality and Politics are separate matters. For nobles and commoners alike, as long as the ruler governed well, his personality was irrelevant.

“······I see. It seems I still cannot persuade you. Then when will you give up on that idea?”

“Until the people realize true freedom and overthrow me as their emperor!”

“··· ···”

Richard III placed his hand on his face with a loud clap. The very thought was dizzying.

The people uniting to overthrow their sovereign. If that were to happen, the long-standing legacy of the Imperial Family would come to an end.

It was such a dangerous ideology that even the nobles were highly wary of it, though upon closer examination, it was riddled with contradictions.

Because of those contradictions, he was treated like the boy who cried wolf. Though even that treatment leaned toward labeling him a lunatic.

“Enough. Let’s set aside that absurd ideology. Tell me what you plan to do at the Academy. Is there anyone you’re interested in?”

“Yes! There is!”

“Who is it? Is it the Princess of Tatars, as expected?”

Richard III mentioned Kara, the Princess of Tatars—a figure the empire couldn’t ignore.

Before the founding of the Tatar nation, the Matra Empire had suffered greatly at the hands of the Tatar Tribe.

Frequent border invasions and plundering were commonplace, and subjugation efforts required venturing into the desert.

While the lack of resources and supplies made such plundering inevitable, the damage was still damage. It was impossible to view it favorably.

“I am interested in the Princess of Tatars, but there is someone I am even more interested in!”

“Who is it?”

“A man rumored to be a Wildling!”

“······A Wildling?”

At the mention of a Wildling, Richard III frowned. He couldn’t immediately recall who it was.

But soon enough, he remembered who the Wildling was. Given the widespread rumors at the Academy, even the emperor had heard of him.

“Why the Wildling? Aside from his strength, there’s no reason to be interested in him.”

That was the extent of it. From Richard III’s perspective, Sivar was merely a talented individual.

While there weren’t many as strong as Sivar at his age, there were others who were equally strong.

Thus, unless Sivar caused a truly remarkable event, there was no particular reason to pay attention to him.

“I’m not concerned with his strength! I’m simply curious whether that Wildling understands true freedom!”

“··· ···”

Of course. Richard III let out a hollow laugh in resignation.

Meanwhile, Karas clenched his fist and, with a sharper gleam in his eyes, expressed his desire.

“I’m dying to know how he’ll react! A Wildling who lived endlessly free in the wilderness, now entering a civilization devoid of freedom! What a fascinating person!”

“······Oh, dear God.”

Richard III closed his eyes tightly, seeking divine intervention. He couldn’t think of a way to correct this lunatic.

If only he were like the eldest son with excessive greed for Power or like the third son, a Ruffian. At least then, the emperor’s authority could somehow manage them.

But someone like Karas, a lunatic with deep Convictions, was nearly impossible to correct. And casting him aside was out of the question due to his exceptional abilities.

‘Has God truly abandoned us…’

To be honest, He hadn’t.

“Oh! It’s about time to leave! I’ll be on my way now, Father!”

“······Very well. Are you going with Leo and Diana?”

“Yes! I’ll make sure he doesn’t flirt with any other young ladies!”

“You should watch yourself, you rascal.”

He could only watch with interest, like eating popcorn at a spectacle.

The long-awaited day of the Freshman Banquet had finally arrived. A microcosm of politics, the Freshman Banquet.

While waiting for the banquet, I trained with Rize and also checked the report card sent to the dormitory.

As expected, the grades were top tier. However, due to the eccentric act during the midterm exam, the points were low.

Still, it was a considerable amount of points, which seemed like they would come in handy in the future. I planned to use all of it as an investment.

‘The higher the points, the easier it will be to buy quality herbs at a lower price or acquire workshop materials.’

The investment targets were, of course, Ellie and Jane. The more they were nurtured, the greater the returns they would bring.

Rare herbs could be found in the Forest of Chaos, but there were clear limitations, and as for workshop materials, there was no need to even mention it.

I roughly jotted down the items I needed to purchase in the future and began changing my clothes. It was about time to leave.

“It suits you perfectly. The banquet is being held in the auditorium, right?”

“Yeah.”

Rize, who had helped me change, spoke. She had no intention of attending the banquet.

There was no particular reason for her to attend, and it might unnecessarily cause a commotion. Instead, Rod was likely to attend.

If any conflicts arose, Rod would personally intervene. This gave an idea of how significant his stature was.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“The pants are tight.”

“There’s nothing that can be done about that.”

Even though I had managed to find pants in a larger size, they were still uncomfortable. I had no idea what material they were made of.

At least they didn’t look strange or flap around like bell-bottoms. The fit was decent.

“If you feel awkward, sticking close to someone you know is a good strategy. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

I was already planning to stick close to Luna or Ellie. Given Grace and Kara’s positions, they would likely drag me along.

In contrast, Luna and I would have relatively more freedom. They might pay attention to us, but that would be the extent of it.

‘Will Luna or Ellie attract a few men?’

Both were stunningly beautiful with excellent figures. Especially Ellie, who needed no further explanation.

It would be fine if they danced, but if I sensed any sinister touch, I would intervene immediately. I already had a few individuals in mind.

‘Since the Crown Prince is attending, those two will probably come as well.’

The twin siblings, infamous for their ruffian-like personalities, and members of the Imperial Family.

If the Crown Prince was a crazy person, the twins were notorious as ruffians. The rumors were true.

It was best to avoid getting involved with them. If worse came to worst, I’d just punch them in the face.

‘And then there’s the princess from the Hwan Empire visiting as well…’

This would likely be connected to Lee Yeonju, so I needed to be cautious. For the record, Lee Yeonju wouldn’t officially participate but would be in disguise.

She would probably attempt an assassination in secret. If I could prevent it, I’d gain a significant ally in the future.

“Now, go ahead. Cause trouble at a level Lord Chaos would appreciate.”

“… …”

She didn’t tell me not to cause trouble. I wondered what kind of evaluation she had of me.

I chuckled inwardly and began walking. As Rize had mentioned earlier, the banquet was being held in the auditorium.

It wasn’t far to the auditorium, so I walked leisurely while observing my surroundings.

‘There are quite a lot of people.’

Not only freshmen but also dignitaries from various nations were participating, so the crowd was large.

With even the Crown Prince rumored to attend, more people were bound to gather.

The attention would likely be focused more on the Crown Prince or other dignitaries than on me.

“…Hmm?”

Then, I suddenly noticed someone particularly eye-catching. Even from a distance, they stood out too much.

Bronzed skin contrasting with a pure white dancer’s outfit. Unlike the dancer’s outfit worn during the last ritual, this one was in the form of pants.

Even so, the top left the abdomen completely exposed, making it quite a revealing appearance. There was only one person with such distinctive features.

“Kara?”

“Hmm? Ah! Sivar!”

At the entrance of the auditorium, I encountered Kara. Upon seeing me, Kara flashed her signature refreshing smile.

My gaze briefly lingered on Kara’s prominent abs before I managed to raise it again.

“I didn’t expect to run into you here. Come to think of it, we seem to meet like this often, don’t we?”

“Seems that way.”

“Let’s go. The others are already inside.”

So I was the one who was late. I let Kara guide me as we entered the auditorium.

As we held hands, I felt the weight of some stares but ignored them all. This was nothing.

“Wow.”

“Amazing.”

As we stepped into the auditorium, Kara and I simultaneously expressed our amazement.

The auditorium I had seen before was just an ordinary hall, but today, it was a banquet hall in every sense of the word.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling and even the red curtains on the windows gave it an extraordinary atmosphere.

“You’ve arrived. I was wondering when you’d show up.”

“Hmm?”

While I was looking around the auditorium, a familiar voice reached my ears.

Turning my head, I saw Grace greeting us with a wine glass in hand. However, her outfit was remarkable in many ways.

“Wow. You’re pretty bold.”

“And Kara, you’re quite bold yourself. Is that a traditional Tatar outfit?”

A black dress with a purple sash tied around the waist.

However, the center of the dress was wide open, fully exposing her cleavage.

If she moved slightly to the side, even more private areas might be revealed. It was a daring outfit, as Kara had said.

‘Is that what they call a runway?’

It was enough to provoke vulgar thoughts. Normally, I wouldn’t think like this, but her outfit left no choice.

Fortunately, Grace wasn’t embarrassed by my gaze. On the contrary, she subtly linked arms with me, emphasizing her figure.

Her chest, no less impressive than Kara’s, swayed slightly, stirring a man’s desires. She had clearly dressed to impress.

“Mr. Sivar, have you ever had alcohol before? If not, I can recommend something for you.”

“I’m curious. Should I try a drink?”

“Hmm…”

I tried to steady my wavering gaze as I pondered. I’d never had alcohol before, and I wasn’t particularly fond of it.

Getting drunk wasn’t an issue, but I disliked the characteristic bitterness. People might mock me for having a childish palate, but it was the truth.

“Is it good?”

“There’s one you’d like, Mr. Sivar. It’s a sweet-tasting wine.”

“I’ll try it.”

“Alright. But don’t overdo it, okay?”

“Got it.”

At this moment, I should have taken Grace’s advice more seriously. I didn’t know it yet.

One of the things to be most cautious about in civilization was ‘alcohol.’

“It’s delicious!”

“Isn’t it? Would you like more?”

“Yeah!”

Things were starting to get dangerously out of hand.

[Faith Increases!]