A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

The midnight conversation went on for quite some time. Since Kara was of the Tatar ethnicity, known for their talkativeness, it was no brief talk.

They're known as chatterboxes. Even during their sparring sessions, this nation wouldn't skip the chance for a hearty chat.

She even explained to me why: Tatars, due to the geographic nature of their land having little else to do, have nothing better than to engage in conversation.

Even strangers engage in all kinds of trivial banter when they meet, which ironically has given the Tatars an unexpectedly strong affinity with others.

"They label us barbarians, but that's the bed we've made, so I can let that slide. I just wish they wouldn't treat ordinary people the same way," she said.

"Yeah."

"I came to the academy with hopes of changing that perception, but it's been tough. People would talk and smile to my face but call me a barbarian behind my back. It has gotten to the point now where some openly insult me, making it hard to hold back. I'd rather not resort to violence if I can help it."

Kara, like a true Tatar, does favor solving things by force, but that doesn't mean she always resorts to violence.

It's just that the academy has a way of pushing her to her limits until she finally bursts.

"Sivar. If there's one thing, don't ever gossip. If you have issues, better to confront the person directly. Gossiping is nothing but betrayal, understand?"

"Yeah."

Kara was like me, having gone through an adaptation period before becoming a student. As I mentioned before, she joined the academy two years ago.

There were those she slowly befriended during that time, but trust was destroyed the moment she heard one of them gossiping about her.

Gossip tends to deliver a massive sense of betrayal, and the Tatars, including Kara, detest betrayal to the extreme.

In an environment where life could hang in the balance at any moment, betrayal could mean an abrupt end. This explains why they are so meticulous with matters of money.

Even in games, if you're caught gossiping about Kara, you've basically sealed your fate.'

No matter how much you've pandered to raise favorability, it's meaningless the moment you're caught gossiping.

Nothing you do after that can salvage the lost favorability. From then on, your relationship with Kara is as good as over.

This conversation has surfaced because the favorability is high.'

That was the reason for my surprise. I was relieved, to the point of overt joy, that we were friends.

Such words would only arise when Kara's favorability towards me was at a high level. Meaning, she holds a high regard for me.

The ongoing conversation was in the same vein. Whether it was informing me how bad betrayal was, including gossiping, or telling me not to do so.

It's notoriously difficult to raise Kara's favorability. She harbors a prejudgment much like the way others do.

Considering civilized people as rude. But it seems I've become close to her naturally, having no such prejudices due to my distance from civilized folks.

Rustle-

Suddenly, I heard a sound from the direction of the makeshift tent. Kara and I both looked back at the same time.

Grace and Yeonhwa were still sleeping soundly. When was it that they complained about not being able to sleep on the hard ground?

Did they wake up in-between?'

Both Grace and Yeonhwa were awake, whether uncomfortable beds or our conversation woke them, I couldn't tell.

Yeonhwa is an exceptional assassin and is sensitive even to minor sounds, so that's understandable.

But why Grace woke up, I can't say. She pretended to be asleep, but my alertness caught on.

In the forest, I've dealt with creatures that feign death; telling them apart wasn't hard.

Just when I was wondering how much of our conversation they heard, it happened.

"So, you're on watch by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"You're not leaving all the watch to yourself, are you?"

Kara looked at them and then asked me, her eyebrows pinched slightly, signaling a bit of dissatisfaction.

I immediately shook my head. Due to my wild instincts, I hardly get proper sleep.

So, I decided that I'd rather do the night watch alone. Besides, Grace isn't cut out for the night watch.

She volunteered to do her part, but'

She'd likely doze off and only wake up in the morning the same thing happened in Soul World, leading to her disgrace.

So, it's better if I handle the watch from beginning to end.

"Why? Isn't it hard doing it alone?"

"Familiar."

"Familiar? Oh"

Kara seemed to realize something at the mention of familiar. In the wild, even sleep can jeopardize one's life.

Thus, you either sleep lightly for long periods or invent unique ways to adapt.

Ive read that some creatures sleep standing, and some alternate which half of the brain rests.

I tend to sleep lightly and for extended periods like a normal animal. This way, if there's any disturbance, I wake up immediately.

When was the last time I slept deeply?'

Except when I've passed out, I can't remember having a deep sleep. Curse these wild instincts.

Luckily, I don't feel tired or anything. A particularly fast recovery rate also plays a part in this.

Crackle! Crackle!

I tossed some wood into the fading bonfire. Without turning my head, I asked Kara,

"What about you?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Aren't you sleeping?"

The question was one of etiquette. Kara is more like a freeloader, not accustomed to comfortably sleeping.

She realized the intention behind my question and answered with a sly chuckle,

"Forget it. How could I sleep leaving you alone? Let's just keep the conversation going until morning."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, you're also starting to show consideration? Just keep it up like this."

She playfully pinched my cheek as she said this. I did not resist; I was still.

Casual physical contact with a close friend doesnt bother me. If anything, I might even prefer it.

Having lived alone in the wild all this time, it's something I've come to expect. It's instinct, I suppose.

"Sivar, do you know what a desert is? A desert is a place where everything is made of sand"

"Uh-huh."

"Sometimes there are sandstorms so big, you can't imagine how bothersome they are. Ah, this one time with my dad"

She still talks a lot. There's a saying about ears bleeding, and now I think I understand what it means.

Kara, always had too many words. I responded perfunctorily, but her mouth never stopped moving.

Until dawn breaks and it becomes morning. Time flies with talkative people, it turns out.

"Ugh I'm exhausted"

"Me too"

The next morning.

Grace and Yeonhwa staggered to their feet, faces like death warmed up.

Both looked like they'd hardly slept at all. To an observer, they might have appeared to have kept the night watch.

"Why do you two look like that? Didnt you sleep last night?"

"We did, but wait, why is Kara here?"

"I happened to find out you were here. We're not going to fight, right?"

"Yes I don't have the strength to fight"

Kara naturally became part of the team.

******

Grace hadn't slept a wink. One of the main reasons was the fatigue from being unable to settle.

Ignoring the hard ground, the extreme change in environment meant that waking intermittently was inevitable.

Each time, checking if Sivar was keeping watch reliably, then after confirming, falling back to sleep somewhat relieved.

But this repeating cycle broke off soon. Halfway through, Kara joined and started conversing with Sivar, which kept her awake.

Friends right?'

Grace chewed on the leftover boar smoked meat from yesterday, turning her head slightly.

She turned to where Sivar and Kara were eating something it was a snake.

They'd found a snake, skinned it right there, and were roasting it over the fire.

Though the sight made my stomach turn, they were enjoying it as if it were delicious.

"The snakes back home are mostly venomous, very dangerous. Sivar, have you ever been poisoned?"

"Many times. It hurts."

"Yeah, it hurts like hell. I also barely survived venomous snake bites."

They even seemed to communicate well with each other. Looking just at that, they perfectly fit the definition of friends.'

But Grace's thoughts were a bit different. She had inadvertently overheard their conversation, which kept her awake through the night.

Most of it was filled with Kara's chatter, Sivar occasionally responding, but the core message was clear.

Are they really just friends?'

The relationship between Sivar and Kara seemed closer than expected. Even in this practice session, there was no visible guard between them.

Watching them intimately share the snake meat, no one would suspect they werent close.

From an outsider's perspective, they looked like plain friends, but from what I'd observed at dawn, it was different.

People dont just pinch each others cheeks unless unless it is a Tatar cultural thing'

She had seen quite a lot when I woke up in the middle of the night. Fearing discovery, one of the reasons she couldn't sleep a wink.

Mostly, it was Kara initiating jokes, and Sivar playing along. The interactions involved cheek pinching, touching, and other forms of physical contact.

As Grace, who had consumed countless novels, saw it, the relationship seemed more than friendship.

To her, it seemed clear that Sivar was oblivious, but Kara was definitely showing interest.

Friends'

Grace nibbled at the smoked boar meat, slowly starting to feel queasy from fatigue.

A little envious.'

Barbarian and wildling. An oddly fitting combination.

Despite the Tatars being shunned as barbarians, Kara was polite and had a good disposition, contrary to rumors.

Unlike the rumors, she wouldnt resort to violence unless provoked. As far as investigations go, it was always the other side that instigated.

Making friends at the academy is hard. Especially for someone like me.'

The academy had long been swamped with fierce competition. Every nation, every family rushes to send their talents, hoping to enhance their status, and Grace was part of that.

Thus, friendships were not something to pursue. Particularly, Grace was a Duchess by birth.

Her status made human relations rigid and severe. Her sharp visage, akin to her father's, didn't help either, often misunderstood even when she extended kindness.

Moreover, her background meant that most others would acquiesce to her rather than approach her first.

Tired of the misunderstandings caused by every spoken word, she found herself drained.

What am I even thinking about? Snap out of it.'

Grace momentarily felt melancholic but quickly composed herself. This is United Academy, not some fantasy.

Tales fit for novels have no foothold here, let alone the fairytales she secretly treasured.

Draw a stark line between reality and ideals, as her father always taught her.

Once Sivar gets used to civilization and learns his lineage, things will be the same. Definitely.'

For a moment, seeing herself close to Kara gave her false hopes, but the reality was stable. Grace made that judgment.

Let's focus on the practice now. It was to build a slow but sure friendship with Sivar, wasn't it?

Though an enormous wall of status stood in the way, even Kara was technically a Tatar princess too.

Steady progress. That was the way. Slowly but surely building friendship

"No. No. No. What am I thinking"

"?"

Grace shook her head, muttering to herself. Yeonhwa watched her with a puzzled look.

Amidst all this, Grace decided internally. It's unlikely for anyone to confide to the extent of sharing heartfelt sentiments, but a friend was possible.

It's fine to be just friends.'

With that, she consoled herself.

A knight Perhaps thats asking too much.'

She rejected the whimsical childhood innocence harbored deep within.

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