The Academy's Barbarian

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That night.

The students of Eloden, having completed their arrival schedule at Arsene Academy, headed straight to their lodgings. They were exhausted and needed to rest well to prepare for the next day's schedule.

So the students took a break in their assigned rooms each. The same was true for the next saintess, Laurea.

"Phew."

After letting out a brief sigh, she, sitting on the balcony, lifted her head; feeling the cool breeze from beyond the forest, silently gazing at the night sky.

This serene scene was as beautiful as a painting. Although Ian, her escort, didn't think much about it.

There was only one reason — the bottle of alcohol in her hand.

"......Senior."

"What?"

"I don't intend to comment on your drinking habits, but if you're going to drink, wouldn't it be better to do it inside?"

"I don't want to. It's stuffy inside."

She pouted her lips.

In response to her stubborn refusal to enter the room, Ian sighed.

"Still, it's better than the other students seeing you like that, right?"

"What if they see? It's not illegal," Laurea shrugged.

In the Holy Kingdom, where Eloden Academy was located, the law recognized a person as an adult at seventeen. So, it didn't concern her at all, being nineteen.

"No, I'm not talking about drinking; I'm referring to your attire, Senior."

"My attire?"

Laurea tilted her head, her wet hair dripping down her shoulders.

Having just finished her shower, she was wearing nothing but a white bathrobe; not exactly the appearance expected of a future Saintess.

If anyone were to see her like this, her reputation would be tarnished without a doubt.

Meanwhile, around that time.

As Laurea glanced at her attire, a mischievous grin suddenly appeared on her face. Then, pretending to open her front, she asked, "What's wrong? Did you have some wicked thoughts, perhaps?"

"No, not at all."

"Huh?"

"I'm just saying that your attire is completely out of my taste. I don't like people who drink or have a filthy mouth."

As soon as he finished his knife-like answer—

Whoosh!

—an empty bottle came flying at him; and Ian deftly caught it.

As if he had anticipated that something like this would happen. At that moment, Laurea, with narrowed eyes, looked at him, "...Want a beating?"

"I'm just telling you the truth, why are you so angry?"

"Fine, then tell me nicely."

"If I do that, you'll still get mad, won't you? Lies won't work in front of you, Senior."

A power known as the Blessing bestowed by the gods.

Eyes of Penetration.

In the presence of eyes that can penetrate the essence of existence itself, no lie can pass.

From the moment he learned this truth, Ian spoke only the truth. Laurea, knowing this as well, closed her mouth silently.

After a few moments of silence, Ian pursed his lips again, "Lastly, I must ask that you refrain from drinking excessively from tomorrow onwards, as there are many official events scheduled."

"I understand. That's why I'm going to finish this one today."

Laurea pulled out a new bottle.

Considering her drinking capacity, two bottles of grape wine wouldn't even qualify as heavy drinking.

As Ian let out a sigh of relief, Laurea suddenly spoke up, "How about it? Want to have a sip?"

"No, thank you, I'm an escort."

“Ah, come on. This is the safest place in the whole Arsene Academy, you know?"

The accommodation where the Eloden delegation was staying was a VIP building located in the heart of the academy. It was known for its tight security.

An elite unit of the Arsenal Guard stood guard, and even the School of Witchcraft's own special squad was on the lookout.

But Ian's thoughts were different.

"No, it's not safe at all."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because there are monsters here," Ian's eyes narrowed.

He was naturally perceptive and had good instincts; to be more precise, his survival instincts were excellent, perhaps because he had spent his childhood on the streets.

Was that why?

His ability to sense danger was more developed than anyone else's. In particular, his ability to recognize beings stronger than himself was second to none.

'In that sense.......’

The barbarian he saw during the day was a dangerous being.

The moment he saw him, he realized it. If he fought him, he would definitely lose.

Ian Marcus was an Expert.

And if he could fully utilize his holy power, he could use the power of a Master for a moment.

However, even if someone like him judged that he had no chance of winning, then the opponent's identity could only be one thing.

‘...The realm of a Master.’

A monster with a domain.

A powerful being who walks in a different time zone than ordinary people.

Why anyone of that caliber would be in an academy was beyond him, but unless he was a clear ally, he was a danger.

‘That's why I was so scared during the day.’

Because of Laurea, who approached Ulan without saying a word. No matter how strong Ian was, he could not fully exert his power in the Master's domain.

In other words, if the opponent had bad intentions, he would not have been able to protect Laurea.

That's why he asked right away, "Why did you do that earlier?"

"What?"

"When you suddenly ran out during the day."

"Ah, that?" Laurea smiled sheepishly, "I was just curious."

"What?"

"It was the first time I saw someone with two souls in one body. Oh, of course, one of them was asleep."

The black-haired girl, Noah Darshen.

To Laurea, who possessed the Eyes of Penetration, she was a very strange being.

As mentioned earlier, humans originally have only one soul in one body, but Noah had two souls coexisting.

'And.......'

Noah's essence was also quite unusual – an endless darkness.

It felt like looking into an abyss with no bottom. Just facing her nature gave her a creepy feeling.

Since such an occurrence had never happened before, Laurea referred to Noah as a monster.

On the other hand, Ian, who had heard this story, muttered with a very serious face, "...Surely she's not a being of the abyss?"

"It could be, or it could not be. I haven't seen a being of the abyss properly yet."

However, it was clear that she was a person they needed to be wary of as long as she was staying in Arsene.

One more person.

There was another person who intrigued Laurea.

"That man, Ulan, was interesting too."

"Well, he was interesting to me, too."

"Wasn't he?"

"Yes, wasn't he the first one to notice that you were suffering from a hangover?"

"......."

She closed her mouth and held the bottle upside down.

Ian shut up immediately, and Laurea set the bottle down with a frown; then she turned the conversation back to the original topic.

"That guy, he's the same on the inside as he is on the outside."

"Does that mean......."

"He doesn't hide anything."

"Hmm, that's a bit surprising. Didn't you say before that the only person who is the same inside and out is His Majesty the Holy King?"

Laurea nodded.

Even her teacher, who will soon step down from the position of Saintess, was different on the inside and out. Of course, Ian, and even Laurea herself, were the same.

Only the Holy King, who was hailed as a saint, could be said to be the same inside and out.

'But.......'

She never thought a mere barbarian would be like that.

His essence reflected in the projection was flame itself. A flame that hid nothing, proving its existence only by burning.

This was quite similar to the Holy King, who possessed the essence of light. Laurea couldn't help but be intrigued by such a person she had never encountered before.

And one more thing.

There was a reason why they needed to be careful.

"You've probably heard it, too, right?"

"About what?"

"I'm talking about the rumors about the barbarian that the Empire recently designated as a Level 0 Management target."

"Oh, I've heard bits and pieces," Ian nodded.

"Also, about a month ago, when the abyss monster appeared at the Fountain of Magic, the barbarian was mentioned too."

At that time, the Ruben Empire said this:

The person who killed the abyss monster that appeared at the Fountain of Magic was Marquis Seoric Al Gorfant, one of the Five Swords of the Empire.

On the other hand, the information gathered by the intelligence department of the Holy Kingdom was quite different. That is, there was another person who fought the monster with the Marquis.

And that person was none other than—

—the barbarian mentioned earlier.

"Do you happen to know what the barbarian's name is?"

"I didn't hear it that far."

"They call him Ulan Bator."

"......!"

The moment Ian heard the name of the target, his eyes widened.

"Wait a minute. I'm pretty sure that monster's name is......!"

"That's right, it's 'Ulan'," Laurea smirked.

This was why she'd been so surprised when she'd heard Ulan introduce himself earlier in the day.

A Level-0 Management Target official designated by the Imperial military.

A warrior who defeated the abyss monsters.

A formidable expert, Ian Marcus, acknowledged him to the point of being vigilant.

Realizing that all of this pointed to only one person, Ian's eyes turned serious.

"I suppose we should try to contact ......."

"That's the plan. Just looking at the information we've gathered so far, he's undoubtedly an important figure."

Laurea nodded; somehow, she had a feeling that talking to the barbarian would help her interpret what the prophecy had said.

"But we can't just make contact."

"Why?"

"You don't think they'll give up their secrets so easily to someone they've never met, do you? I need to get to know them before I can get the information I want."

Since the other party was stronger than them, they couldn't use forceful methods. In that case, it would be reasonable to extract information after establishing a friendly relationship.

"Then why don't we use the formal method?"

"Huh? What kind of method?"

"First, we go to the dormitory and try to start a conversation by saying that we have come to deliver good words. Just like what the missionaries do."

"......Rejected."

The moment his answer ended, Laurea shook her head.

"That'll only make them more wary."

"Yes? But in the textbooks, it says that everyone succeeded in proselytizing this way?"

"Of course. Because they only wrote down the success stories."

"Ugh, that's what it was?"

"That's what it was."

After telling him the harsh reality, Laurea sighed.

"Hoo, there's nothing we can do. I'll think about the plan related to him, so you just do what I tell you to do."

"Well, okay," Ian nodded readily; that was much easier.

"But, senior."

"What else?"

"I heard you say you were only going to drink that much."

Ian's eyes narrowed.

This was because he saw Laurea putting down an empty bottle and taking out a new one. She replied nonchalantly, "Ah, come on. You must have heard wrong."

"But......."

"Have you ever seen me stop after drinking only two bottles?"

"......."

He had to admit, he hadn't.

Usually, when Laurea drank, she would drink at least five bottles while sitting down.

"Phew, alright. Do as you please."

"Oh? Are you giving up now?"

"Yes, because it's not me who will have a splitting headache tomorrow, but you, senior."

The moment Ian finished speaking, Laurea's eyes narrowed, "Hey, why do I feel like you're being sarcastic?"

"Hey, it's fortunate that you can feel that. At least it seems you have a minimum amount of conscience."

"Are you picking a fight, really?"

Laurea raised the bottle upside down at his mocking tone, and Ian silently took a position to snatch it away.

As they continued to bicker—

—the night at the academy deepened.

* * * * *

The next morning.

The administration department of Arsene Academy officially announced the visit of Eloden's student delegation.

However, there was no particular commotion.

Most students already knew about this, so there were only a little over a hundred spectators who came to see the delegation.

"I think everyone knows that the student delegation from Eloden arrived yesterday."

Perhaps because of this?

The professor in charge of Class 1-3, Miel Gurlakas, also started the conversation with the assumption that students were aware of Eloden Academy's visit.

"The official exchange period is a total of two weeks. During that time, we will have various cultural exchanges, joint classes, a visit to the Fountain of Magic, and a friendly mock match."

After briefly glancing over the schedule of the exchange event, she flicked her thin and long tongue. Then she looked back at the students and said.

"In addition, since this exchange aims for student-to-student interaction, one student from Eloden Academy will be assigned to each class."

Immediately after this explanation was finished, the students' faces were filled with anticipation.

They knew there was an exchange event, but they didn't expect that they would be in the same class and take classes together.

"However, due to delegation circumstances, two students may be placed in the same class. That's exactly what happened in our class."

After finishing this explanation, Professor Miel suddenly turned her body; taking quick and deliberate steps, she soon opened the entrance door.

"Now, come in."

There was no need to ask who she was addressing. As soon as Professor Miel finished speaking, two students, one male and one female, entered the classroom.

Shuffle! Shuffle!

Two students, one male and one female, entered with fluttering white capes.

With their arrival.

Suddenly, the classroom erupted in noise.

"Hello. Good morning."

"Nice to meet you, fellow students of Arsene."

Facing the students of Class 1-3—

— the self-introductions of the two students followed.

"I'm Laurea Lo Charpel, a sophomore at Eloden Academy."

"I'm Ian Marcus, also a first-year. We hope to get to know you well, even if it's only for a short period of time."

A beautiful girl with an air of neatness, and a boy with a rugged expression.

The students' complexions brightened at the sight of the handsome man and beautiful woman with different charms. On the other hand, there were some who showed slightly different reactions.

They were Ulan and Noah.

End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .

Translator's Notes:-

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