A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

The suggestion that I live with the Fist Saint Lize was shocking. It amounted to Rod implying that we should live together.

Considering the number of accidents I've been involved in, there's some inevitability to the situation, but why must it be with Lize?

"Are you saying that Sivar and the Saintess will be living together?"

"Yes."

"Suddenly? I mean, is that even allowed?"

It wasn't just me caught off guard. Kara, too, asked with a surprised tone upon hearing the news of the sudden cohabitation.

The same could be said for everyone else. Why must I live with Lize? Everyone seemed perplexed by the suggestion.

"It's fine. Occasionally, students who share a good rapport or are kin choose to room together. Of course, such arrangements go through arduous procedures and are not commonly approved."

"Even if they're of different genders?"

"It doesn't matter. Many students seem to misunderstand this."

"But I heard the professors saying it's not allowed…"

Luna's confusion was written all over her face. It seemed she was recalling when I first came to the academy.

She had wanted to monitor me close at hand in the same room, but the professors nixed the idea completely.

She couldn't refute anything, as they all made valid points.

"They would not have outright rejected it. Perhaps they provided various reasons for refusal because they know what happens when men and women share a room."

"What about the Saintess then? She's a woman too."

Ellie's counterargument followed. Indeed, regardless of Lize being the Fist Saint, she is of a different gender.

Lize might not care about public scrutiny or need to be concerned, but I'm the problem.

Living in the same room as a person considered a saint? It wouldn’t be strange for all sorts of appalling rumors to spread.

Ironically, I, too, am unbothered by rumors. I just want to live by myself.

"There shouldn't be any problems. I doubt Sivar even sees Lize as a woman, and additionally…"

Rod started to speak but paused, turning to look at me with a face full of things to say but uncertain where to start.

It seems even he was taken aback by his own proposal, now scrambling to convince us.

If Lize insists, I have no say and will end up in cohabitation anyway. But persuasion is still necessary.

"…since there's no reason to view her as a woman."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll leave it to your imaginations as to what form Lize may take."

With that response, everyone seemed to come to an uneasy understanding, me included.

Lize, in her Saintess mode, is undoubtedly a beautiful woman, but when she switches to Fist Saint mode… I'll refrain from further explanation.

Even so, it’s said that Lize came to the academy as the Saintess, meaning she can’t always maintain Fist Saint mode.

She'll need to return to her original Saintess form to rest, and I do wonder how that will work out.

"Well, regardless of what I say, it might still be hard to fully accept. Not to mention the commotion that stirred at the academy and all of Byzantine upon hearing that Lize and Sivar would be living together."

"So it seems it was somehow approved."

"Lize was so resolute that they had no choice. And the cohabitation period won’t be long. Only until the end of the first semester, she says."

"If it's until the end of the first semester… that’s about a month and a half."

Midterm exams are approaching, which inversely means half the semester has already elapsed.

That’s a slight bit of good news amidst misfortunes. Had the cohabitation continued indefinitely, it would've greatly restricted my actions.

Lize isn't completely oblivious, so she probably went as far as she could manage.

"So why does the Saintess want to live with Sivar? What's the reason? That's what I'm most curious about."

"Me too. What did the Saintess see in Sivar to make this decision?"

Above all, the most pressing question is ‘why'. Why does Lize want to live with me?

There are plans to control my frenzy every weekend. There's no need to actually live together.

Rod coughed slightly, indicating it wasn’t due to illness but merely a polite pretext to speak up.

Following that, he looked towards the back and uttered a curious reply.

"It might be best to ask her directly about that. She's arrived just in time to provide an answer."

Knock, knock, knock-

No sooner had Rod spoken, someone knocked on the door. Apparently, Lize truly had come.

At the sound of the knock, Luna glanced back and forth between the door and Rod before getting up.

Creak-

"Hello, Luna. How are you feeling?"

"Oh. Yes… Hello. I'm fine now."

As expected, the person who knocked was indeed Lize. Like the others, she possessed an exceptionally striking beauty.

Lize greeted Luna warmly before walking towards us.

In her Saintess mode, certain features caught my eye.

"… …"

While Lize approached, our eyes met. She smiled softly when our gazes aligned.

Normally, that smile would inspire fear. That's exactly how I felt when I first encountered Lize.

But not today. I was overwhelmed with an inexplicable embarrassment, unable to sustain eye contact.

Trying to avoid her gaze, I turned away as Lize sat beside Rod with a small laugh.

"Have you discussed it?"

"For the most part. Now it's time for you to explain the why."

With that, Lize got straight to the point upon sitting down, skipping over any superfluous pleasantries.

But right now, solving the mystery was priority. It was better than beating around the bush with idle chatter.

"You all must have been surprised. That I, alongside brother Sivar, will be living together. Even if it's just for a month and a half, the fact of cohabitation remains unchanged. But I assure you, it's out of necessity."

Necessity. That word alone emphasized the importance of the matter.

But what we need to know is the reason for it. Are we being watched, or is there some other objective?

As if reading our minds, Lize continued in her unique, soft-spoken manner.

"There are many reasons why I want to live with brother Sivar. Primarily because he has been chosen by Chaos. That’s the most significant reason."

"Are you worried that Sivar might cause trouble, affecting Chaos’s reputation?"

Kara asked sharply. At a glance, it could seem that way.

Everyone knows that I have been chosen by Chaos. The rumors have probably spread far and wide.

So, if I cause trouble, it could reflect poorly on Chaos’s reputation. Kara seems to have anticipated this.

However, Chaos is the god of ‘disorder' and shows boundless generosity in some respects.

"No, that's not a problem. Chaos only strictly forbids the unwarranted taking of life. Brother Sivar does not harm life unless necessary. Is this not true?"

Having detached from Ellie's embrace, I timidly nodded. Except for hunting, there have been few times that life was taken.

Occasionally, when a predator invaded my territory, I’d annihilate it, but that was also necessary.

The moment a predator notices me, they're bound to attack. Preys would feel threatened and their numbers might dwindle.

"I don't mind if brother Sivar causes trouble. Destroying buildings or breaking objects—it doesn’t bother me at all."

"Am I supposed to not care?"

Rod objected with incredulity as Lize shrugged it off. Rod is the one who gets headaches whenever I cause trouble.

But Lize ignored him, displaying her ease in rebuffing even the Sword Saint’s complaints.

"But, if he takes life intentionally, I'll sternly reprimand him. Such behavior is not befitting of humans. As I've repeatedly said, Chaos blesses the wandering soul, not the one devoid of character."

"Are you suggesting that Sivar's character is underdeveloped?"

Ellie inquired. That part was also puzzling to me.

In my opinion, my character is on par with that of ordinary individuals. Despite my frenzy, my memories of living in civilization are clear.

"Given all factors, perhaps we can say it's underdeveloped since humans don't possess frenzy. Maybe in animals, but not in humans."

"Does that mean the Saintess will provide character education to Sivar…?"

"Character and ethics are different. It’s a distinction that needs to be made clear."

They feel similar but are different upon closer inspection. One pertains to humanity, and the other is more akin to personality.

Some have vile personalities yet maintain their humanity, whilst others seem fine but lack basic human decency.

On Earth, it’s a common sighting and historically abundant.

‘I remember seeing a lot of that during World War II.'

That infamous mustachioed individual was reported to have a decent personality privately, yet he instigated genocidal policies.

Conversely, there are tales of a repugnant businessman who protected innocent Jewish people. Our sense of humanity is separate from and supersedes our personality.

"I plan to assist brother Sivar in developing his character more completely. To that end, we’re cohabiting for the next month and a half."

"Ellie and The Principal have been doing a good job educating…"

Ellie hugged me like a doll, whispering quietly. She evidently still wants to teach me various things.

"Don't worry. If you wish, you can come to the dorm. I'll seek permission from the academy."

"Really?!"

"Yes. It’s to help brother Sivar, after all."

"Thank you!"

While Ellie rejoiced, Rod's reaction beside Lize was worth watching. It was a sneer that anyone could see.

As Lize went on needling everyone, it seemed Rod had taken upon himself to deal with the aftermath. As the head of the academy, it must've been quite the headache.

"In fact, except for the change of dormitories, things won't be much different. However, brother Sivar?"

Lize addressed me, and I turned to face her, barely managing to keep my gaze at eye level instead of wandering.

"If you manage to entirely control your frenzy, there's a high chance you can complete your character development. Until then, doing good character work will enable you to lead a life fitting for a human."

"… …"

"It doesn't mean you have to live saintly. There is a lot of trash in the world that needs to be dealt with. Just make sure you don’t recklessly take lives, even from the trash."

So, the ultimate counsel is to avoid crossing the final line. It's fitting for her chaotic views that still pursue a ‘moral path.'

I wasn't too keen on taking human lives either, but there wasn't much choice when frenzy struck.

Nodding in agreement, Lize seemed pleased with my affirmative response and smiled gently at me.

"The dormitory assignment will be in two days. Since I'm already there, all brother Sivar needs to do is to come."

"…Doesn't that sound a bit odd?"

"You're mistaken."

Lize cut off Kara's murmuring immediately. If the Saintess says so, it must be.

"Oh, by the way, I’d like you to call me something other than ‘Saintess' when addressing me. It will help us get closer."

"Then…"

Living with Lize is fine, but the theft of my freedom irritates me a bit.

Decisions were made without consulting me, even though I understand they probably judged that I'm not well-adapted to civilization yet.

"Grandmother?"

"… …"

Make her feel bewildered for once. I spoke quietly, suppressing my inner thoughts.

Was the term ‘grandmother' a deep enough cut? Lize froze in her smiling pose.

Age-wise, the term is correct since she's undergone half-aging reversal to look as she does now.

"Hmm. Is that the wild instincts at play? Even looking young, you recognized it right away."

When everyone was too astounded to speak, Rod alone seemed to be making a judgment.

Just then, Lize recovered from the comment and spoke kindly, though still retaining her smile.

"It seems you need some etiquette education."

I've already received that from Rod, grandmother.

[Your faith has increased!]

It delights Chaos, so it must be good.