A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

After Lize literally broke the sky, Rod was the one to handle the aftermath.

With nimble stabs of his sword towards the heavens, it wasn't long before the sky returned to how it once was.

Rod said it would have been alright to leave it as is, but he took measures to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Lize, good though she may be at many things, admitted that she lacks talent for detailing, deeming Rod's intervention most suitable.

"Who's this muscle man? I hurried back because the sky was acting up, only to find this strange guy here."

While I was considering whether it was a good idea to leave things to Lize, Porori returned to our residence.

Seeing as he had hurriedly come back upon witnessing the shattered sky, it was a natural reaction for someone like Porori, sensitive to the changes in the heavens.

"Hmm? A squirrel that talks, are you a mystical creature?"

Lize was only slightly surprised by Porori’s presence, not making too much of a fuss.

Like Rod, she had traveled around the world for decades, so it was no big deal for her to come across a mystical being.

"I can feel a strong aura of Gulak on you. Did you receive a blessing from Gulak?"

"Um… for the time being? I also use lightning, just like that redhead woman over there."

Porori responded, pointing at Kara. This brought to mind the moment Kara became aware of Porori’s existence.

It was unbelievable enough that he saved Hector, but his superior control over lightning certainly took her by surprise.

I knew too well the feeling of defeat against Porori in various aspects and believed Kara felt similarly.

"But what are you exactly? On the outside, you're the embodiment of maleness, but why do you exude a female's scent? Is it my nose that’s strange?"

Porori circled around Lize, trying to discern her identity.

Porori, like me, had extraordinary instincts. He must have figured out long ago that Lize was biologically female.

However, outwardly she looked like a very manly man, possessing a body that even many men would struggle to match.

"If we're talking biology, then I'm female. However, this body is blessed by Chaos. I can confidently say that in terms of physicality, I'm superior to most."

"Aha. That explains it. You belong to the same deity as that guy over there?"

Porori asked, pointing at me, sitting on the sofa. There I was, with Ellie sitting beside me, sweetly stroking my hair.

Ordinarily, I'd refrain from acting petulant because of prying eyes and conscience, but after seeing Lize's transcendent display of power, my thoughts changed.

I dreaded the many sessions of physical hypnosis that likely awaited me. Ellie knew this and was consoling me.

"Yes. Brother Sivar has been chosen by Chaos as well. That's why I came to offer my assistance."

"Assist with what?"

"I intended to give him the ability to freely control his fury, to control his very nature."

"Hmm. If it's that, then I understand."

Porori nodded, crossing his arms at Lize's explanation, apparently convinced.

Porori had the most experience fighting against my fury-induced state and probably recognized the necessity for such control.

Hadn't he remarked on how to handle the red eyes before? In a civilized realm, as opposed to the wild, control is imperative.

"If that's the case, why did you break the sky earlier? I was shocked when it suddenly got chilly."

"Oh. That was because of hypnosis. I was planning to begin helping Brother Sivar from the weekend."

"Breaking the sky was hypnosis? Are my eyes deceiving me?"

Porori was still perplexed about what physical hypnosis meant, muttering in confusion.

Like Porori, I was not keen on undergoing physical hypnosis, but there seemed to be no other way.

‘No direct impact, she said, but I have no idea what that means.'

Above all, Lize stressed that shattering the sky was purely a demonstration and that there would not be any direct hitting involved.

Sure, if you destroy space and use the resulting shockwave, that might technically mean no direct hits.

But it would hurt terribly. Fundamentally, attacks related to space nullify ‘defense.'

In the Soul World, this is referred to as damage that ignores defense, a special ability, one of many.

‘Steel King, Shield, and Body Hardening… Sounds like they’d all be ignored, and the damage would pierce right through.'

‘Are they planning to disintegrate everything from the inside, from bone to flesh?'

Pain is something I’ve grown accustomed to, but that doesn't mean I like it. The weekend is just around the corner, and I'm already worried.

"You can handle that, right? You seem stronger than that old man, but he’s quite formidable, isn't he?"

As I internally sighed, Porori asked Lize with a hint of concern.

After all, it was Porori who had taken me down with Hector's combined attack, with Rod delivering the final blow.

Until I learned more techniques, Porori and I were evenly matched, but as I continued to grow, even Porori started to struggle.

"Ah, no need to worry. The fury doesn't necessarily have to activate. Right now, we only need to awaken the sensation that comes just before its onset."

"Hmm. It's hard to understand just hearing about it. Since you mentioned the weekend, I might drop by to see."

Lize seemed to have become friendly with Porori in no time. She exuded the sense of conversing with a person, not an animal.

Porori, who seemed to have finally caught on, asked Lize with a puzzled voice.

"Now that I think about it, you seem used to talking to mystical creatures? That redhead over there was hesitant to even speak with me."

"Me?"

While Porori pointed at Kara, she showed a somewhat confounded reaction.

Indeed, Kara has been reluctant to talk with Porori, probably feeling a bit awkward about it.

Truthfully Kara's reaction is normal, while the rest of us are not. Conversation with a talking squirrel can feel unsettling.

No matter how fantastical the world, awkwardness is still awkwardness. Not to mention, mystical creatures are not commonly seen.

"I'm quite accustomed to it. I've met a deer spirit who guarded the forests and a pure white tiger who protected a region. I've even encountered mystical creatures taking human forms."

"Human forms? So I could become human like those creatures?"

"I thought such tales were mere legends."

Following Porori's shocked reaction, Rod spoke incredulously—a rare case indeed, as visible by the astonishment of someone who has spent a lifetime as a wanderer.

Rod and even the mystical creatures like Porori were rare, much less those that evolved into human form. They were the closest to beings of blue.

"I met one by chance—a fox spirit with eight tails."

As Lize clasped her muscular forearms, reminiscent of her past travels, she started to tell her story.

She had more age and experience than Rod himself. I knew she had been everywhere in the world, even territories of demons.

"It looked no different from a human except for the ears. However, it was a mystical creature that almost strayed onto a malevolent path."

"A malevolent path?"

"It was contemplating absorbing human vitality like a succubus. I led it onto the right path when I realized that. By this time, it should have a full human form."

Sounds like someone I know—the only nine-tailed fox associated with Lize.

It would be traveling around the East now, carrying deep gratitude for Lize.

‘Leading it onto the right path, huh? More like a beatdown.'

Of course, the fox spirit was the one to attack first, making Lize’s response entirely defensive.

In responding, perhaps she profoundly influenced the creature with her words. Either way, it's quite an interesting story as far as I know.

"So you can indeed become a mystical being. According to the legends in the Hwan Empire, there was a case where someone became human just by eating mugwort and garlic in a cave."

"You're telling me to eat only mugwort and garlic?"

"That’s just an example. That story emphasizes ‘endurance.' You already know what patience is, don’t you?"

"Right. It's already challenging to offer the acorns I work hard every day to gather to the heavens. First thing's practicing to extend my thumb."

Porori extended his hands, wiggling his fingers. He still struggled to straighten his thumbs.

I wonder what he would look like in human form. The fox spirit, I recall, was renowned for being a beautiful woman.

"But what about you, Saint… or should I say, Martial Saintess? Are you planning to stay at the academy for a while?"

While Porori was still working on extending his thumb, Luna interjected. The question was about whether Lize planned to stay at the academy a while longer.

Lize turned around to face Luna, and the latter flinched.

Even the simple act of turning around exuded an immense sense of intimidation.

"It seems likely for now. But I can't be away from my post for too long. After assisting Brother Sivar, I shall return to Byzantine."

"Hmm…"

Luna glanced at Rod after hearing Lize’s answer. It seemed she was wondering whether it was permissible to mention the ‘demons’ involvement.

Rod grasped Luna's gesture and shook his head from side to side. It meant ‘not for now.'

Even Rod himself wasn’t sure enough to warrant unnecessary confusion. Certainly, the demons could catch wind of it as well.

Lize was the person most dreaded by the demons.

Praised as the ‘Transcendent Demonic Weapon,' her natural opposition to demons was absolute.

The combination of Martial Saintess and Saintess rendered her the nemesis of demons.

Starting from her susceptibility to sacred power to her ability to nullify all defenses with her spatial destruction capability.

Therefore, her mere presence at the academy had already put demons on alert.

‘If the timing was right, clearing the part of the academy collapse would be easy…'

The odds of such a scenario happening were virtually zero. Demons, known for meticulously tracking Lize's movements, would not overlook her presence.

If she's at the academy on the day of their planned action? They would likely postpone or altogether abandon their plans.

That's how formidable Lize's influence is, and it was better avoided if possible.

"I understand. So if you're staying here for now… where will you be sorting out your accommodations?"

"I've secured a separate place for that. My aide went through some trouble. However…"

Boom!

Lize's sentence trailed off, followed by a minor explosion. The sound resembled that of popcorn popping, accompanied by a whitish cloud.

From within the smoke, Saintess mode Lize emerged. Her visible wealthy bosom, rivaling Ellie’s, replaced her usual brawny pecs.

Unlike her macho Martial Saintess mode, her current form was nothing short of an archetypal woman. Lize wore a somewhat disgruntled smile before grumbling slightly.

"I suppose I'll have to stay like this. After all, I came here as a saintess, not as a Martial Saintess."

"Is there a difference between the two?"

"Of course, there is. If I had come as a Martial Saintess, it would have been akin to coming for a heretic judgement."

Rod answered Luna's query. Coming as a Martial Saintess was practically a declaration of using ‘force.'

For the academy, it would have been confusing to know why such power was there, so her saintess mode was deemed more fitting.

"Wait, where did that person go? Why is there suddenly a real female here?"

"It's the same individual."

"Come off it… Never mind. This world is full of all sorts of humans, like that guy."

Even Porori gave up trying to comprehend Lize. She was the perfect embodiment of ‘chaos.'

"What exactly is your true form? Is it this one now, or the one from earlier?"

Kara asked with a skeptical voice, having seen both the saintess and the Martial Saintess.

She wasn't the only one; others who first encountered Lize also had expressions of utter confusion.

Plenty of questions about Lize's true form must have occupied their minds.

Lize, knowing this, gave her characteristically crisp smile as she answered.

"Both are my true forms. If I apply strength, I can change into the form you saw earlier. To be honest, I prefer the Martial Saintess aspect, but because my aide has been so insistent, I maintain this one."

"What's the principle behind it?"

"Nothing much. I just transform when I apply strength."

As if it were that simple. The others' expressions told me they were just as incredulous as I was.

Sensing her explanation fell short, Lize placed her hand upon her ample chest and elaborated.

"To give you a more detailed explanation, this form is better for storing power. The previous one is the opposite."

"I don’t understand whatsoever."

"Well, if you think of this form as preventing muscle loss, might that be easier for you to grasp? The chest muscles change into this formation of fat. Moreover, it's more convenient for holding sacred power."

Her chest, particularly voluptuous, was highlighted as she provided further explanation. Naturally, everyone remained unconvinced.

"So, I could become like you, Saintess?"

Ellie, alone, was exempt from the query. Her size wasn’t inferior to that of Lize, hence the question.

At this, Lize gazed intently at Ellie's chest area and then shook her head. It signified ‘no.'

"Unfortunately, Ellie, you won't be able to."

"Why ever not?"

"It's natural, after all. The only thing you could store there would be sacred power."

I completely fail to see the connection.

"Besides, could you manage even more growth in that area?"

"If Sivar doesn’t mind, then…?"

"?"

Why me, though?