A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

The sparring session came to an end as Kara toppled backwards. The moment she fell, the arena reverted to its normal state.

Immediately after, the medical team rushed over to check on Kara’s condition. Aside from her face being a bit swollen and her arm broken, she seemed to be okay.

‘It’s because she’s Kara that she endured.'

Had it been Luna, she would have been knocked out with a single hit. Right now, she can’t even use Iron Body Technique.

Iron Body Technique is an ability that’s good to learn and is indispensable to obtain ‘Diamond Body.'

When you have Diamond Body, acquiring ‘Regeneration' will lead to evolving into ‘Steel King.' It was obtained naturally from fighting so much in the forest.

Therefore, there’s no need for me to separately learn Iron Body Technique. It's hard to master, but if you have enough mana, it can be used with ease.

"How is she?"

"Her face has severe bruising, and her arm is fractured."

"First throw a potion for the fracture, then apply a splint. Misaligned bones would be troublesome."

The medical team exchanged opinions and then sprayed potions on various parts of Kara’s body. Finally, they fitted a splint on her broken arm.

Kara was soon carried out on a stretcher, and I was left alone in the arena. I looked around.

Perhaps due to the overwhelmingly strong performance, the silence was deafening. Thoughts must be racing in their minds.

‘I wonder if the Tatars are taking interest?'

Simple as it may be, the sheer ‘strength' is notable, and they could show interest. That's why I looked towards the Tatars’ section.

The delegation seemed very invested in me, engaging in fervent discussions.

Not only the Tatars but I also observed representatives from the Hwan Empire in discussions.

‘I’ll find out later.'

No matter which side I pick, as long as I extract their techniques, the Tatars might be more convenient than the Hwan Empire.

However, having defeated Kara, there's a high chance another ‘event' will occur.

"I’ve only heard rumors, but he truly is a beast."

Just like now. I turned towards the voice I heard from behind.

Turning around, I saw Kara’s father, Hector, standing there with a commanding presence.

I was aware of his approach through his presence. He probably had something to say.

‘This man is really huge.'

I hadn't felt the full extent of his size since I was sitting down earlier, but face to face, he was enormous.

I am quite tall myself, but he's about a head taller than me. I had to slightly tilt my head to look at his face.

"I have no idea what the Principal has brought here. Are you even human?"

"Yes."

"Is that so? Well, let's just move on then. That's not what’s important anyway."

As he said this, Hector smirked. Whatever else was uncertain, his smile was the spitting image of Kara’s.

"We'll see each other again later. I’ll also have a discussion with the Principal. Take care."

With a friendly wave, Hector left the sparring arena, heading in the direction where Kara had been carried off.

There was no reason for me to stay any longer, so I turned to leave and saw Rod approaching.

He had a look of satisfaction, though I didn't understand why he wore such a smile.

"Sivar."

"Yes?"

"Just keep doing what you’re doing."

"?"

Confused, I tilted my head. What did that mean?

Rod laughed softly at my reaction before providing a detailed explanation.

"In these spars, it's okay to fight like that. As long as the fight isn't about life or death."

"Ah."

"The training until now seems to have paid off. Things will be easier from here."

It seems they truly think of me as a beast.

That's understandable. If they've seen my actions thus far, they would think the same.

Besides, there's no point in being pleased now. I will keep up with the shocking behavior after this event and they will definitely be deeply sighing.

"Ro. d."

"Hmm?"

That thought made me call out to Rod. He turned to look at me in response.

With a puzzled look, Rod met my gaze, and I spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

"Stay strong."

"Are you telling me to stay strong?"

"Yes."

You'll endure a lot more hardship than now, so be strong.

That’s the sentiment I wanted to express. If Porori were here, he would’ve translated it for me.

"I don't know why you said that, but thank you."

Of course, Rod wouldn’t understand my meaning. All he did was laugh it off and express his thanks.

If this is what being at ease looks like, then so be it. A man who's nearly a Sword Saint will handle whatever comes his way.

However, the forthcoming event is closely related to Hector. It involves someone with the title of ‘Destroyer King.'

‘What kind of reaction will he show then?'

I’m a bit curious. Will he get angry, or just watch, flustered?

Events related to Hector are highly random; you never know when or where they'll pop up. They usually happen at the dormitory, though.

‘I live with Rod, so.'

It’s likely to unfold there. Since he also mentioned having a talk with Rod, the likelihood is high.

Following that, I trailed behind Rod all the way back to the waiting area. This marks the end of the formal sparring event.

Technically, it could go on for a few more days, but essentially, there’s no point in attending. That's how I remember it from the Soul World.

Aside from Hector, the following event would naturally involve a nurturer. After the nurtutrer, various situations will unfold.

"You've done well, so here's a piece of candy."

"Thank. You."

"You seem to have gotten the hang of polite speech. Well done."

Although it’s more like demandingly polite speech, he seems to let it pass. I put the toasted rice candy in my mouth and savored it.

Later, I plan to visit Kara to see how she's doing. I did control my strength, but I might have hit her a bit too hard.

‘She wouldn't hold a grudge over the provocation, right?'

That worries me a bit.

******

Kara regained consciousness an hour after the sparring finished.

An average person would have stayed unconscious for a longer period, but she's not ordinary.

Her body might not be as sturdy as Sivar’s, but it's still robust. The frequent fainting had built up her resistance.

"Ugh…"

But she couldn’t grow accustomed to the pain. Upon gaining consciousness, she immediately felt the overwhelming pain rush in.

Not just her face, but her arm hurt terribly, the arm that endured and broke under Sivar’s continuous punches.

It was fortunate that she had been hit just as her Iron Body Technique ran out; otherwise, she might have been reduced to dust.

Pain is the same, though. Bone fractures rank high in the pain a human feels – it would be strange if it didn't hurt.

‘Isn't there anesthesia?'

Having never been injured this severely at the academy, she didn't know what their treatment method entailed.

From what little she knew, treatment combined science, magic, and lastly, faith from across the world.

But, it seemed like there was no anesthesia. Or maybe they treated her without it.

"Have you come to?"

"…"

As Kara groaned in pain, a heavy voice reached her ears.

It was a voice overwhelmingly familiar and now tedious to her. Cringing in pain, Kara turned her head.

A man with the size of a mountain, red hair, green eyes, and finally, bronze skin.

Kara's biological father, Hector, was sitting in a chair caring for her.

"You got caught up in that bastard's taunting. I’ve repeatedly stressed it."

As soon as Kara came to, Hector began with criticism rather than concern.

Unlike his interaction with Rod and Sivar, he spoke with sternness and gravity, devoid of warmth.

"… I know."

"Then why…"

"You know it too, Dad. Even if I died and came back to life, I can't beat him."

Kara retorted sharply, clearly out of line with the discordant atmosphere.

"That’s why I fought freely. What’s the point of technique in the face of overwhelming power?"

"You learned those techniques to narrow the power gap."

"I did land a couple of blows thanks to them. Useless, though."

"It was a significant achievement."

Kara looked at Hector, surprised. She had expected dismissive criticism instead.

When was the last time he acknowledged her stance on anything? She couldn't remember any time since her first survival in actual combat.

"However, losing your cool and getting excited was your fault. Had you guided the match calmly, maybe you could have landed a few more effective blows."

"…"

Well, of course. Kara snorted in response to Hector's counterargument. The reaction suggested she found it utterly ridiculous.

Then, she lifted both arms for Hector to see, both wrapped in bandages.

"Don't you think that would have been meaningless anyway? I gave it my all, and he didn’t even use mana. Just with bare fists, he broke my arm."

"Hmm."

"My mana was shaved off in lumps as soon as I blocked with Iron Body Technique. If it had been any stronger, it would have shattered, Iron Body Technique or not."

Iron Body Technique is a defensive capability that consumes mana instead of energy. However, its downside is the significant mana consumption with each defense.

Kara had become proficient with Iron Body Technique for efficient usage, but even that proved futile.

Every time she blocked Sivar's punches, she felt her internal mana whittled away.

Had Sivar’s strength been even greater, her arm would have been broken much sooner.

"The more I think about it, the less human he seems. Do you get that strong living in the wild?"

"If there's an adversary similar to him, it's not impossible."

"There's a monster or beast similar to him? That's rather scary."

Such a beast is at the academy, even speaking more fluently than Sivar.

Kara laughed, unaware, but the laughter didn't last long due to the pain.

"…"

Hector watched her in silence then glanced around the room. It was empty.

During the sparring period, injuries surge, leading to many being hospitalized. Typically, a fair number of people would be present.

But the hospital room assigned to Kara was empty. Perhaps it was because she was a princess of a nation, but most likely it was due to her being from the Tatars.

A people scorned as barbarians. It's highly likely that the hospital, taking this into account, placed her in an isolated room.

"Kara."

"What."

"Do you not have any friends?"

Kara blinked at Hector's question which came out of nowhere. The question was momentarily incomprehensible to her.

Realizing his words were abrupt, Hector quickly added an explanation.

"I'm asking if you've made any acquaintances since enrolling at the academy."

"Why do you ask?"

"Because you will have to lead the Tatars in the future."

Kara furrowed her brows. She remembered the words he insisted when he forced her into the academy against her wishes.

He had said the Tatars would grow into a legitimate nation not through plundering anymore and that he had high expectations for her.

For Kara, this couldn't have been more irresponsible. With that in mind, she scoffed.

"I don't care about that. The only ones here call me a barbarian; what fellowship can I have? If I’ve realized anything here, it's that there are many people whose tongues need cutting off."

"Even so…"

"Even so what! Dad, you rampaged everywhere in the past, and now you want me to pick up after you? Do you know how irritating the looks I get here are?"

Hector's nickname was the Destroyer King. Matching that nickname, during his rise, he had rampaged through countless cities and towns.

The pillaging that occurred within that destruction was just an extra benefit. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that those activities were the foundation of the Tatars.

But things changed after Kara was born. The pillaging decreased, and they even established a nation.

Despite being derogatorily called barbarians, the Tatars were undeniably one of the nations.

"If you're going to do it, then do it yourself. Why ask me? Do you want me to live an ordinary life?"

"I also have to consider neighboring countries…"

"Yeah, I saw. The way you were chummy with the Hwan Empire in the spectator seats. But you know what? What I'm good at is punching and destroying like Dad, not playing with words."

"…"

"Things got reversed. If you were going to teach me properly, you should've done it later. So if someone insults me, I will knock them down on the spot. That way they won't mess with me. It’s the only way I know."

Her words indicated how much stress Kara was under, resembling a hedgehog bristling with spikes for protection.

Hector listened to her, his mouth moving as if he had something to say, his green eyes clouded with deep thought.

But he soon collected himself and returned to his stern expression.

At that moment.

Thump—

The door to the hospital room, which should have been closed to others, opened. Both Kara and Hector turned to look.

To their surprise, they saw an unexpected person standing at the door.

"…Sivar?"

"…"

Shockingly, it was Sivar. He lifted his head then lowered it, locking eyes with Kara.

"Here."

With his distinctive two-syllable call, Sivar strode into the room.

He was still wearing the same clothes he had worn during the fight. Seemingly, he came to visit after the sparring ended.

"…What brings you here?"

Kara's voice carried her surprise at this unexpected visitor, her tone implying she never expected him to come.

After all, she did not really have anyone she could call a close friend, or at least she thought so.

Luna was just discharged from the hospital and couldn't come because of the sparring schedule.

Even with Ellie, their acquaintance was made through Luna and was nothing personal.

‘Why did he really come here?'

But Sivar was unexpected. Although they had been together for a while, she didn't think he would visit her in the hospital.

Especially since they just fought, albeit one-sidedly on her end.

She couldn’t fathom why he would come seeking her out, not knowing when she would awaken.

"Kara."

"Yeah?"

"Hurt?"

"…"

So what if he is concerned.

Kara blinked and then smiled in response to Sivar's question laden with concern.

He apologized after hitting her. Despite his ferocious skills, his nature seemed kind-hearted.

How could one hate such a person? With this in mind, Kara smiled playfully as she responded.

"It hurts. Not much. Your punches really are like water, aren't they?"

"That arm…"

"Shut up."

She quickly cut Hector off when he tried to point out the obvious, oblivious to the situation.

Checking if there was a chair for Sivar to sit on, she noticed his standing made her uncomfortable.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Father!"

In the midst of this, Hector asked an insensitive question. Despite Kara’s sharp cry, it was too late.

The question was out, and Sivar answered with his characteristic blank expression.

"Friend."

"Friend?"

"Yeah."

Hector’s eyes widened a fraction. Despite the brevity of the answer, it seemed to hold meaning.

Then he looked at Kara. She was still stunned by Sivar's response.

"No friends, you said?"

"…"

"He seems to think of you as a friend."

Kara stiffened at Hector's piercing words, her face slowly turning a shade pinker.

Her complexion hid it well, but the rosy hue grew more distinct.

"No friends?"

"Uh, uh-huh?"

"Friend."

After a brief pause of thought, Sivar's words helped Kara gather her wits quickly.

Facing him, her cheeks still tinged red, Sivar spoke softly.

"Are we not?"

"…"

Sivar's voice carried a slight forlornness as he spoke.

Then he put on an expression as pitiable as a drenched puppy.

To the exterior, he remained impassive, but Kara felt the sadness, her sensitivity heightened due to his usual lack of expression.

"No, that's not what I mean… Just listen to me. This is how it happened…!"

Kara rambled in her belief that she had hurt Sivar's feelings, displaying her sincere inner turmoil.

Such a response was never witnessed during their sparring. She was only consumed by the spirit of competition.

"Why would you say something unnecessary…!"

She added a mental note of blame towards Hector amid her distress. As she did, Sivar continued.

"Hurt."

"I'm truly sorry! What can I do? Should I give you candy or something?"

"…"

Hector could only watch Kara and Sivar with a peculiar look in his eyes.