The Academy's Barbarian

Chapter 35: Course Registration (1)

Sunday morning.

Arsene Academy's freshman library.

Erwin Eugen, a 1st-class librarian, sat in his chair with a comfortable smile while leaning back.

Chirp! Chirp!

The sound of birds chirping.

Basking in the warm sunlight streaming through the window, he sipped his coffee leisurely.

'This year seems lucky.

Arsene had a total of seven libraries

First, there were five department libraries that only students from respective departments could use.

Then, there was the central library located next to the main building.

Finally, there was the freshman library, exclusively for new students.

This year, Erwin was in charge of the freshman library. And among the academy's librarians, this was the most competitive work assignment.

The reason was simple there was less work compared to other libraries.

And there's one more thing.

This library had its special advantage.

Until the midterms schedule was released, there were very few freshmen who visited the library.

That's just the way it is.

Most freshmen were busy making friends or focusing on their classes. It was rare for them to start using the library shortly after enrollment.

Of course, there were exceptions.

"I'm here to check out these books."

A girl with ashen-colored hair wearing glasses; with a face that seemed dedicated to studying, the pile of books she brought was quite a sight.

"You mean all of these?"

"Uh, is there a borrowing limit?"

"Umm, not really, but."

"In that case, please," the girl bowed politely.

Sometimes there were freshmen like this enthusiastic ones who borrowed a massive amount of books. Perhaps she was one of those types.

After he finished filling out the Borrowing Log, Erwin added some instructions, "Please make sure to return them by next Sunday at the latest. If you exceed the due date, you might incur penalties."

"Yes, I understand."

After answering, the girl neatly stacked the books into her backpack and left the library immediately.

The library returned to its quiet state.

Ervan glanced at the Borrowing Log.

1st Year, Class-3, Sylphie Ludhina

[Borrowing list]

History of Ancient Desert Kingdoms

Concerning Disasters in the Desert

Definitions and Types of Heretics

Most of the books were related to the southern desert.

Erwin's expression turned curious.

It was understandable. Currently, all books related to the southern desert in the Empire were designated as forbidden materials due to their connection with heretics.

Of course, this isn't an Imperial territory here, but

Even so, it was the first time he'd ever seen someone so openly borrow forbidden books. But his curiosity didn't last long.

Ding!

Just after the sound of the paper on the entrance door vibrated through the air, a sudden large shadow appeared.

In an instant, Erwin's face stiffened.

"........has come again today."

His tense eyes were filled with a sense of alertness; his gaze fixed onto the new student directly in front of him.

It was a familiar face. Because for the past three days, this student had been visiting the library every day.

Ulan Bator.

He had almost memorized the name; no, he had no choice but to memorize it.

Standing at a height of 2 meters, with his smile that stretched from ear to ear, this student was one of a kind.

"Good morning."

"Uh, uh-haha. Good morning."

After exchanging awkward greetings, Ulan immediately got down to business, "Can I ask you for a recommendation again today?"

As soon as the question was finished, Erwin's expression changed subtly.

The reason he reacted like this dated back three days ago, when Ulan first visited the library.

Back then, Ulan had made a demand, "I want knowledge about all kinds of weapons."

It was an out-of-the-blue request.

However, Erwin didn't panic. He was a 1st-class librarian, after all. So, he recommended a book that aligned with Ulan's request.

A total of 800 pages alone

Encyclopedia of Weapons.

But..

The next day, Ulan visited the library again.

He came out of nowhere, his nose bleeding.

Then he stated that it wasn't the content he was looking for and asked for a recommendation for a different book.

So I recommended some research papers.

Over a hundred papers.

It was probably enough to satisfy him.

But guess what?

Yesterday morning, Ulan visited the library again with a face like he was about to die. Blood was streaming down his face again. And then he said it wasn't what he was looking for either.

I don't know why you're bleeding.

If he can't find the book he wants today, will he show up tomorrow covered in blood?

A strange sense of dread washed over him.

On the other hand, his pride was wounded too.

He was a 1st-class librarian. An elite who had earned his doctorate from Arpen Public University. And yet, he couldn't even find a book a mere freshman wanted.

I'll definitely find it this time.

He must find it, staking the honor of a 1st-class librarian!

Erwin was motivated.

Then he immediately looked at Ulan, "Do you mind if I ask for a more detailed explanation? For example, the name of the weapon, or what battlefield it was used on?"

"I don't know the name of the weapon. I don't even know if it was used on a battlefield," he replied firmly.

Is he trying to play a prank on me?

How am I supposed to find something when I don't even know what I'm looking for?

As his eyebrows twitched, Ulan's mouth opened, "Just..."

"Just?"

"I wish it were the most powerful weapon in the world. Something that wouldn't break even in a fight against giants," Ulan answered solemnly.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

"No, what are you talking about? Giants?

The giants from the old tales?

Could he possibly be joking?

Erwin looked dumbfounded, but he couldn't bring himself to ask if Ulan was joking. Ulan's eyes were too serious for that.

"Well, such weapons that can face giants from mythology or legends would most likely only exist in myths or legends, right?"

It was a reasonably wise response.

Weapons that could face giants from mythology would surely only exist in mythological weapons as well.

But then.

A large palm slammed down on the desk.

Boom!

The desk vibrated violently. As Erwin was startled, Ulan's excited voice resounded.

"That's it!"

"Uh, yes?"

"That's what I was looking for." Ulan beamed with delight.

Erwin, on the other hand, was dumbfounded. He had just come up with a quick response, and now it seemed like it might actually be the correct answer.

However, his surprise was short-lived.

No matter the process, since he had found the book Ulan was looking for, it was done. Erwin handed him a note with a shelf number.

"Then I'll recommend the book 'Legendary Weapons in Myths.' Please find the apprentice librarian on the east side of the third floor and show them this note."

"Thank you for the recommendation," Ulan bowed his head politely and quickly disappeared to the third floor.

The room soon returned to silence.

Erwin let out a relieved sigh and sipped his lukewarm coffee. Then his eyes fluttered open.

Suddenly, he remembered his mistake.

Oh, I recommended the wrong book.

Legendary Weapons in Myths.

As far as he remembered, there were only two books with that title. One was a book in a research paper format. The other was a children's book.

And the one on the third floor was the latter.

Should I go now and tell him? He thought to himself, but then shook his head. He could explain it when Ulan returned. He had some time to spare.

He was now back to his leisure.

Just as he was about to enjoy a book

Ding!

the sound of the doorbell rang again.

For some reason, there were a lot of students visiting the library today. Erwin closed the book he had just opened and looked up.

And then he froze.

"........!"

His eyes fell on a small girl with silver hair glistening with moonlight and golden eyes that shone like the sun.

Dilia Arpen, Princess of the Kingdom.

With her appearance, Erwin immediately stood up from his seat, "Wow, Your Highness the Princess!"

Of course, he had no other choice.

Erwin was a noble of the Arpen Kingdom.

Though he was just a Viscount, Dilia was of the noble royal bloodline to him.

"Erwin Eugen greets Your Highness the Princess..."

"Hello."

But at that moment, Dilia's greeting was a step ahead.

As she bowed respectfully, Erwin closed his mouth. He understood her intentions.

This was Arsene Academy.

The only neutral territory in the world. Meaning that she should be treated as a student here and not as a royalty.

Immediately after realizing this, Erwin sat back down in his seat, "Yes, hello."

After a rather awkward exchange of greetings, there was silence.

Dilia stared at him with her mouth closed.

Unable to withstand her silent gaze, Erwin cautiously asked, "Um... do you happen to be looking for something?"

"Just now? A giant."

"Huh? A giant?"

Why is everyone suddenly looking for giants out of nowhere?

As he was about to raise his eyebrows, Dilia's voice reached his ears, "Where did he go?"

"Ah! Are you looking for Ulan, by any chance?"

"Yes."

He asked, just in case.

Though from Dilia's point of view, Ulan might very well come across as a giant. Or it could be a simple nickname.

"He went to the east side of the third floor. He's probably near the apprentice librarians."

"Thank you."

After finishing her gratitude, Dilia disappeared with quick steps toward the stairs leading to Ulan.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Ulan received the book from the apprentice librarian the very book Erwin had recommended.

Legendary Weapons in Myths

Recommended reading for future heroes!

Extremely popular among children under 7 years old!

Heroes. The word convinced Ulan.

This time, he had definitely found the right book.

So he flipped through the pages. After a while, Ulan murmured with interest, "There are a lot of pictures."

More pictures than words; no, it was mostly pictures.

More than eighty percent of the page was an illustration, with the name of the weapon and a brief description underneath.

Ulan was relieved to see this.

If each page had been densely filled with text like the book he received yesterday, his head might have overloaded, and he could have ended up with a nosebleed again.

I won't have to deal with that this time.

With a satisfied smile, Ulan turned the page.

The first thing that appeared was a sword, one of the three holy objects of the Holy Kingdom, a weapon that appeared in mythology.

"Holy Sword, Cadaron."

This weapon was familiar to Ulan.

It was the sword of his former companion and one of the Seven Heroes, the Paladin Ian.

It was indeed powerful.

It easily cuts through the tough outer shell of even the hardest monsters. It had a strong durability as well.

But Ulan couldn't wield it.

Not just because he didn't want to take away his comrade's weapon, but for a more fundamental reason.

To wield a holy sword, you need divine power.

And it had to be pure divine power.

Those without divine power couldn't harness the true power of the Holy Sword. Without that true power, the Holy Sword would be nothing more than an ordinary blade.

After shaking off his lingering regrets, Ulan flipped to the next page.

"This is."

Another familiar-looking weapon.

A long bow made from spirit wood. A longbow boasting a considerable size.

Divine Bow () Elysiker.

The bow of Sven, the sniper of the Heroes Party.

Made from wood imbued with the power of spirits, it had the advantage of being usable even without arrows.

'But

This was also an unusable weapon.

To handle Elysiker, communication with the spirits was essential. However, Ulan was unable to do so due to the spirits' aversion to the smell of iron. Ulan hadn't even attempted to communicate with them.

As he recalled his memories from his past life, just as he was about to turn to the next page, "You interested in that?"

A familiar voice tapped his ear. Dry, curt speech it was Dilia.

She, who was glancing with her tiptoe up, spoke in an odd tone, "My country, a national treasure."

Come to think of it, it was true.

In his past life, Dilia had used her royal status to steal it from him, and it was thanks to her that the Hero's Party was able to get their hands on the Elysiker.

After reminiscing about the old days, Ulan turned to look at Dilia, "Do you have any business with me?"

"Nothing, really," Dilia shook her head.

But her dismissive answer was short-lived. She asked with concern, ".......Your body, are you okay?"

"My body?"

"Fountain of Magic, missing. I heard."

The incident that had occurred three days ago.

Although everyone had returned safely, the event had become quite well-known within the academy.

It was only natural that she knew about it.

Ulan immediately provided his response, "Nothing happened."

"Liar. You said you were hurt."

"I'm fine now. I've recovered completely."

This was thanks to the 'Mark of the Hero'.

As Noah had explained, after receiving the mark, his ability to recover had drastically increased. His wounds healed faster than before.

As a result, all his scars had disappeared within three days.

"Thank goodness."

Dilia let out a small sigh. It was a sigh of relief.

With that, the silence returned.

Dilia twiddled her fingers, her eyes rolling around in thought, as if she was searching for something to say.

After a while, her expression brightened.

She seemed to have come up with something to say, "Have you finished registering for the courses?"

Course registration at Arsene Academy took place only on Sundays, from 6 AM to 6 PM.

The registration process was simple the students just needed to list the courses they wanted to take and go to the respective classrooms to get confirmation from the professors. That was all.

The current time was 11:30 AM.

Most students had already completed their course registration.

Dilia was one of them. Ulan probably did it early as well. So, she naturally wanted to ask him what courses he had chosen.

However, the return answer was not what she had expected.

"I'm planning to do it in a little while."

".......what?" Dilia's eyes widened.

She thought Ulan had already finished his course registration, but he hadn't? She asked in a confused tone, "Aren't you anxious?"

"Why should I be?"

"Popular courses are probably already full."

"Then I'll just pick something else, right?"

"Well, thats true, but..," She trailed off, speechless.

She was stunned, because in general, course registration involved choosing courses that were easy to get good grades in or courses related to one's major.

Ulan, on the other hand, was different.

He spoke with an air of indifference, saying it didn't matter what courses he chose.

Dilia narrowed her eyes, Does that mean he's confident in whatever he's taking?

It was most likely the case.

Ulan was the top scorer. He probably had a bit of faith in himself, so Dilia assumed that's why he responded that way.

"Have you decided on the courses you're going to register for?"

"I've got a few picked out for now."

"May I ask?"

Dilia cautiously handed him a notebook and a pen.

Ulan nodded, since there was nothing to hide. He then jotted down the list of courses he planned to register for later.

Military Studies Department

[Martial Skill]

[Combat Techniques]

[Tracking]

"My major is the Military Studies Department."

It seemed quite fitting.

Dilia nodded silently.

Next, he wrote down the list of courses for his minor.

General Studies Department

[History of Weapons]

[History of Warfare]

[Advanced Mathematics]

The moment she saw it, Dilia's eyes widened.

The fact that he had chosen the General Studies Department as his minor was surprising enough, but what stunned her even more was the inclusion of a course she hadn't even considered.

"Advanced Mathematics?"

Ulan? He's registering for mathematics?

It didn't fit him at all.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Dilia asked with an intrigued expression.

"Math, are you good at it?"

"I can do it to a certain extent," his expression was overflowing with confidence.

It was quite unexpected. He didn't seem to have anything to do with math.

Dilia looked at Ulan with newfound interest. Meanwhile, around that time, Ulan clenched his fists, Ive already perfected addition and subtraction.

He could even do mental calculations with double-digit numbers. He had nothing left to learn about addition and subtraction anymore.

So it's about time to

.maybe start learning multiplication.

The pinnacle of mathematics that even Azur, who had taught him double-digit addition, hadn't taught him!

His crimson eyes gleamed defiantly.

"Ulan," Dilia called his name out of the blue; there was a hint of a peculiar tone in her voice.

"Aren't you applying for the Magic Department?"

"I have no intention of learning it."

".......Why?"

"Because I don't need to learn it."

His response was firm.

To be precise, he didn't even have the option to learn magic. He didn't even know the basics of magic principles. And even if he could learn it, Ulan had no interest in magic whatsoever. The reason was simple swinging an axe was much easier and more straightforward than learning magic.

Meanwhile, after he gave his response, there was a hint of disappointment on Dilia's face.

For some reason, she felt a strange sense of gloom.

"..........What?"

At that moment, however, something caught their attention suddenly.

At the end of the notebook.

There, written in Ulan's handwriting, was the name of the course Hunting. When Dilia looked at it with a puzzled expression, Ulan's response came swiftly, "That one's on hold."

"What, what does that mean?"

"There's a chance that the course might become unavailable for registration. So, I left it there as a backup."

Stella was the instructor for Practical Hunting.

During the entrance exam's test, she had told Ulan that she would always have a spot for him in the class, no matter how full it became.

Even if the course is full, I'll still accept you, so feel free to apply.

It was a good enough reason to put it on hold.

Meanwhile, after hearing Ulan's answer, Dilia's lips curved into a somewhat enigmatic smile.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind."

"For what?"

"It's just something I have in mind."

Dilia's response was somewhat evasive.

Not particularly curious, Ulan didn't probe further either. As silence returned, Dilia turned her body slightly, "Well, then... later."

Later, let's meet again.

He had meant to say that.

However, he didn't get to finish his farewell. Because an unfamiliar voice came from behind, just before he could speak.

"Huh? Ulan?"

The voice sounded surprised.

At the same time, Ulan and Dilia's gazes turned to where the voice came from. There stood a girl with light blonde hair, holding a swordsmanship manual it was Ibella Elearde.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .)

Translator's Notes:-

1. You can read upto 4 advanced chapters at the moment on Patreon via the below link. I do want to scale it for 8 advanced chapters in the future, preferably by the end of next month.

2. Sometimes I feel like this was the author's first work. The way he writes in short sentences, it feels so unnatural and incomplete. Combining those sentence to form a smooth flowing single sentence is a daunting and time-consuming task.

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