A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 44

What a shame. If only they had held out a little longer, we could have seen something interesting. That’s what I thought to myself.

It’s not that I regret missing out on watching something trivial, but because I lost the chance to observe their techniques.

Wouldn’t it be suspicious to come all the way here and leave after just doing that? They probably waited until after their sparring was done.

In the game, the story progresses in a way where the player’s location is revealed during the sparring process.

“W-W-Well, um… This, this is what happened…”

Luna, who had witnessed a secret she wasn’t supposed to know, stammered in panic.

Her eyes spun wildly, and her hands flailed aimlessly. Anyone could see she was utterly confused.

The two lovers who had been caught in their secret romance were no different. Their faces flushed as they looked troubled, clearly not expecting this at all.

“…By the way, you managed to confirm it despite bypassing our detection?”

Gloria fanned herself with her hand as she spoke. Her tone wasn’t accusatory.

For her, figuring out the situation was the priority. First, she needed to understand how we had tracked them.

They had been on guard up until just before entering the forest, wary of something like this happening.

Since we had bypassed their vigilance and followed them, they were more curious than angry.

“W-Well…”

At Gloria’s question, Luna glanced at me hesitantly, stammering her response.

She seemed to be debating whether or not to mention me.

At least, the Luna I know cannot lie. After much deliberation, she answered honestly.

“S-Sivar…”

“…Student Sivar?”

“Yes. Sivar suggested we follow…”

That’s the truth. Luna came because I told her to. That’s all she could say.

But Gloria seemed to think otherwise. She frowned slightly and spoke in a somewhat irritated tone.

“I’m disappointed, Student Luna.”

“W-What?”

“We’ve heard about Student Sivar as well. Someone who lived in the wilderness, correct?”

At Gloria’s reproach, Luna looked bewildered, as if she didn’t understand why she was being scolded.

“If you’re going to lie, you shouldn’t tell such an obvious one. Do you think Student Sivar wouldn’t know anything?”

“W-What? N-No, that’s not it…”

There’s an expression for moments like this: utterly dumbfounded. That must be exactly how Luna feels.

She told the truth, yet suddenly finds herself misunderstood as a liar. It’s an absurd situation.

“But it’s true… Sivar, say something at least.”

“Yeah.”

“Not just that. You’re the one who suggested we go.”

“I did.”

Well, I did.

“Hah… Student Luna?”

“Y-Yes?”

“You’re becoming more and more disappointing.”

“Why?!”

Regardless, it’s unlikely they’ll believe her anyway.

Luna knows me fairly well since we’ve spent a lot of time together, but Gloria and Chronos do not.

They probably think of me as someone pure in many ways, having lived in the wilderness. They might assume I was pressured by Luna.

From Luna’s perspective, it must be maddening. She didn’t lie, yet she’s being accused of being a liar.

“I-I’ve never lied! It’s really Sivar who…”

“Enough. Let’s move on from this. That’s not the important issue right now. However, I’ll commend you for managing to bypass not just my detection but his as well.”

“…”

Luna gave up when she realized they wouldn’t believe her at all. Her face was filled with frustration.

She let out a deep sigh and spoke in a voice that was almost resigned.

“…Fine. Then, is it true that you two are in that kind of relationship?”

“If you mean a romantic relationship… Yes, that’s correct.”

“But aren’t your homelands… enemies?”

“Explaining that would take some time…”

Sensing what Luna was about to say, Gloria glanced at Chronos.

Chronos, equally troubled by the situation, could only offer an awkward smile.

‘They wouldn’t believe us if we said it was love at first sight.’

It wasn’t just an empty phrase—they truly fell for each other at first sight. Though they denied it at the time.

However, after crossing swords directly, they gradually became drawn to each other and began their secret romance.

So what if their nations are enemies? When your ideal partner is right in front of you, how could you resist?

Besides, it’s not a one-sided affection. They’re so perfectly in sync it’s almost sickening.

This is one of those pieces of information you can only discover by raising affinity. It shows just how much affinity has been built up.

“The important thing now isn’t that. Student Luna and Student Sivar have learned our secret, and we need to prevent it from spreading.”

“…What if I do spread it?”

“Then the Matra Empire and the Granada Empire will lose valuable assets. We’ll simply run away.”

At their blunt response, Luna muttered, “A lovers’ escape?” It certainly sounded that way.

It might sound romantic, but in reality, it’s far from it. If their secret gets out, they’ll live as fugitives for the rest of their lives.

Both the Matra Empire and the Granada Empire would label them as traitors and hunt them down. A happy life would be forever out of reach.

To avoid that, they have no choice but to meet in secret. They must comply with any demands.

“But neither of us wants that. Unfortunately, we each love our homeland in our own way.”

“I-I see.”

“In exchange for keeping our secret, we’ll help you as much as we can. Even materially, if necessary.”

Chronos’s plea made it clear that they were fully aware of their precarious position.

Whether they liked it or not, they were the faces of their respective nations.

Gloria embodied the justice and honor valued by Matra, while Chronos represented the strength and pragmatism cherished by Granada.

The fact that these two figureheads were enjoying a secret romance? If that secret got out, it would cause chaos beyond imagination.

‘It’s perfect as a romance novel plot.’

Reality, however, is a mess. Turning reality into a novel-like story requires grueling effort.

If you break the promise and spread the secret, not only will affinity plummet, but your honor will also hit rock bottom.

So unless you’re planning to play as a villainous protagonist, it’s better to keep the secret.

“Even if you say that, I can’t think of anything right now…”

“Hmm… Then how about this? You can learn the techniques we teach. Since Student Luna is already drawing attention from us, no one would suspect anything.”

Gloria, as if struck by a good idea, raised her index finger as she spoke. That’s exactly what I wanted.

Luna is a promising talent being noticed by both empires. Even if she learns from them, no one would question it.

If someone with ordinary skills were to learn from them, it would raise suspicion. But Luna’s talent backs her up.

It might look like a desperate attempt to curry favor, but it’s a fair price for keeping the secret. A win-win proposal for both sides.

‘Thank goodness Luna is the top student.’

If she weren’t the top student but just average, it would’ve been difficult to learn directly from them. They would’ve sent someone else due to the attention it would draw.

This is a hidden piece that can only be unlocked if the player achieves excellent grades and stands out in sparring.

There’s no penalty for not choosing a faction, and you can fully reap the rewards.

“If you’re willing to do that, I’d be truly grateful. All I need to do is keep the secret, right?”

“It’s easier said than done. But it’s human nature to want to share secrets like this.”

“I’m confident I can keep it. I swear to the sky.”

“You must keep that promise.”

When Chronos emphasized his words with a slight threat, Gloria nudged him with her elbow. Her action clearly conveyed, “Why provoke her unnecessarily?”

“By the way, what was that teddy bear earlier…”

“Shh. That’s enough. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, you know?”

“…”

Yet she herself used a semi-threatening tone to forcibly silence Luna. Chronos, feeling awkward, simply cleared his throat.

Though both of them exuded an unapproachable aura, they turned soft as jelly when it came to each other.

Gloria, who seemed far from being playful, acted cute, while Chronos showered her with all kinds of cheesy lines.

‘They’ll probably show a lot of that while teaching Luna.’

What kind of reaction will Luna show then? Occasionally, there are players who impulsively reveal secrets after witnessing it.

Under the pretext of teaching her, they end up flirting in the private training ground. It would be quite a sight.

“Then, Student Luna is done, and Student Sivar is······”

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

With Luna roughly wrapped up, the focus shifted to me. As the subject turned to me, the atmosphere became peculiar.

From their perspective, I must be quite a tricky case. First of all, it’s uncertain whether I’ll keep their secret.

Of course, I’ll absolutely keep their secret. Otherwise, I’d be the one at a loss, so there’s no reason not to.

“······Student Luna.”

“Yes.”

“Does Student Sivar······ understand the meaning of a secret?”

“······Probably not, right?”

They assumed I didn’t know what the meaning of a secret was. Honestly, it was a natural reaction.

I plan to extract as much as I can through this. It’s about appropriately using their misconception.

But even if I do extract something, it won’t be much. It’s likely to end with learning techniques like Luna.

‘It’ll be quite useful.’

What I’ll learn from them are techniques close to “traits.” To be precise, they’re techniques that “evolve” into traits.

It’s a system where techniques transform into traits when developed to a certain level. The higher the raw stats, the better, making it essential for me.

‘Gloria increases critical hit rate, and Chronos enhances damage output.’

Gloria’s combat style is small and sharp, excelling in one-on-one fights, whereas Chronos’s style is heavy and robust, adept at handling multiple opponents.

Even their strengths and weaknesses are completely opposite. From what I know, Gloria has a higher win rate in actual sparring.

In that sense, learning techniques from both of them would lead to significant growth.

“If possible, it would be better for Student Luna to be with you while we teach. That way, teaching techniques will be a given, and······”

“Do you happen to know what Student Sivar likes? It’s a bit awkward to say, but offering something material as compensation for keeping the secret seems like a good idea.”

Chronos treated me like a wildling, but I didn’t feel offended. On the contrary, it was exactly what I wanted.

Luna looked at me after hearing that and asked.

“Sivar, is there anything you want? In return, they······”

Luna trailed off for a moment. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully.

Then, she blushed slightly and glanced at Gloria and Chronos.

Her face reddened even more. I don’t know what she’s thinking, but I can tell it’s something along those lines.

“A kiss······ You absolutely can’t tell anyone about that. Got it?”

Is she really making such a fuss over a single kiss? She exuded the pure innocence of a countryside maiden.

I smiled inwardly, finding it cute, and turned my head. Gloria and Chronos looked slightly tense.

What I want is more than enough with techniques. For someone with high raw stats like me, they’ll be like wings.

But apart from that, there was something material I wanted.

“Money.”

“······Money?”

“Money. This.”

Money, plain and simple. I demonstrated by pressing my index finger and thumb together.

The three of them were flustered by my completely unexpected answer. They clearly didn’t expect me to say money.

To build trust, there’s no other way. In situations like this, material things work best.

“······Why money all of a sudden? Is there something you want to buy?”

When everyone was flustered, Luna barely managed to speak. Her tone implied she was asking if I even understood the concept of money.

Kara had explained it to me last time, so it made sense. And there was indeed something I wanted to buy with that money.

“Candy.”

“······Candy?”

“Yes.”

It was the candy that Rod had banned. I’d become someone who couldn’t live without sweets.

While I’m at it, I could also buy other snacks, so money is the best. Since I can’t hunt or gather herbs right now, I have no choice but to take from them.

“······Student Luna? Do you understand why Student Sivar said that?”

“Well······ Yes. Sivar really likes candy. But recently, he caused some trouble, so the Headmaster banned giving him candy.”

“So he’s asking us for money because of that? To buy candy?”

“Probably, yes?”

“··· ···”

Gloria and Chronos looked at me with expressions that were hard to describe.

I extended my hand toward them and requested in a blunt tone.

“Money.”

I really want to eat candy. I’m getting dizzy here.

*****

After the contract(?) to keep the secret was established, we had various conversations.

Even though the secret was exposed, it didn’t mean sparring was completely off the table. It just took more time.

Moreover, since another sparring session was planned after this one, no one suspected anything even if it took a while.

“Another sparring session after this one? What do you mean?”

“It’s exactly as it sounds. Do you happen to know about body communication?”

“······?”

“It seems you don’t. Well, it’s a thing.”

Luna tilted her head, unable to understand Gloria’s affectionately playful tone. She had no idea what body communication was.

Anyway, with the situation wrapped up, she and Sivar planned to leave this place.

Staying here any longer wouldn’t yield anything, and it would only disrupt the sparring.

Besides, lunchtime was almost over. They couldn’t afford to be late for their afternoon class.

“Um······ Miss Gloria.”

“Just call me Gloria. So, why did you call me?”

“Well······”

Luna briefly averted her gaze. Where she looked, Sivar was observing Chronos’s weapon.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

“W-Wait! You might get hurt doing that!”

“Wow.”

Sivar was swinging the massive battle axe with one hand as if it were a club. It was a glimpse of his incredible strength.

Luna, watching the two men playing around, turned her head back toward Gloria.

Seeing her up close, Gloria’s beauty was truly striking. Snow-white hair and skin, and brilliantly shining blue eyes.

Luna briefly admired her mysterious charm before finally asking the question she’d been holding back.

“How long have you and Chronos been seeing each other, Gloria?”

“I’m 30 now, so······ about seven years.”

“And you’ve never been caught during that time?”

“No. There were a few close calls, but no one ever suspected us.”

Despite walking a tightrope, they hadn’t been caught. Luna looked impressed.

How had they managed to avoid detection? Even creating a situation like today, where they were alone together, seemed remarkable.

Luna turned her gaze back to Sivar. He was balancing the battle axe on his head as if playing some kind of game.

He was precariously balancing the handle’s end on his forehead. Truly an eccentric act.

“······Then, may I ask you something?”

“What do you want to ask? How we met?”

“Not that. I’m curious about how you avoid suspicion even when you’re alone together.”

“Oh my.”

Gloria brought her hand to her mouth, surprised. She hadn’t expected that question.

She leaned closer to Luna, speaking in a hushed tone so no one else could hear.

“Are you in a situation where being alone with someone raises suspicion?”

“Hmm······”

Luna glanced at Sivar once again. Gloria seemed to realize something from her gaze.

That there was something between Luna and Sivar. Come to think of it, there had been several oddities.

Starting with how Luna and Sivar had pursued them. Her intuition had been triggered from there.

‘Could it be Student Sivar?’

While Luna was lost in thought, Gloria also glanced at Sivar. Objectively speaking, he was truly handsome.

However, his overall lean physique wasn’t to her taste. Her preference leaned more toward someone with Chronos’s bear-like build.

‘What a unique taste. Not that I’m one to talk.’

Still, she figured she should cheer her on. From what she’d heard, Luna was the one who brought Sivar along first.

Relationships often blossom through such accumulated connections. That was how things had started with Chronos too.

While Gloria was busy piling up her unfounded assumptions, Luna absentmindedly opened her mouth.

“That’s probably true. We’re rarely alone together.”

“Hmm~”

“Is there any way to make it happen?”

“There’s no reason it can’t happen.”

At Gloria’s response, Luna’s face lit up. She thought an opportunity to be alone with Sivar might come soon.

“But it won’t be easy without some effort.”

“Pardon?”

“If Student Luna earns my trust, I’ll share my know-how with you.”

Luna felt disappointed upon hearing what followed, but she had to admit it made sense.

What reason did Gloria have to share such things with her? As Gloria had said, building trust was the priority.

The more time spent keeping secrets, the more trust would naturally grow. She just needed to wait until then.

‘There’s plenty of time.’

There was indeed plenty of time. Only she and Ratatoskr knew about the existence of the cave mural where Sivar had lived.

Since Ratatoskr wasn’t even interested in the mural, he could be excluded. Thus, she was the sole keeper of that knowledge.

“······Alright. I’ll work on earning your trust, Gloria.”

“Thank you. I don’t think Student Luna would break a promise, but given our circumstances, we have no choice.”

“I understand.”

“Still, I think I can share at least this much with you.”

Just as Luna nodded and was about to move on, Gloria seemed ready to offer some advice.

When Luna quickly raised her head and met her gaze, Gloria smiled gracefully and began to speak.

“Love transcends borders. Just like it did for Chronos and me.”

“······Pardon?”

“It’s no different for you, Student Luna. I’ll be cheering for you.”

Luna quickly assessed the advice she’d just heard.

“······Understood?”

She decided it was best to respond positively for now.