Chapter 107

Luna was frozen in place for a while after being pranked by Sivar.

She was already screaming for help after undergoing Rize’s training, and now her legs were torn apart, making it hard for her to even get up.

So, instead of heading back to the dormitory right after training, she decided to stick around. She was so exhausted that she planned to shower later.

“Student Luna, where is your dormitory?”

“Uh? Why do you want to know?”

“I thought it might be better for you to shower here. It’s fine since I’ll be around anyway, right?”

Luna was slightly taken aback by Rize’s sudden suggestion, but when she thought about it, it made sense.

The distance between the male and female dormitories was farther than expected, and entering either was usually a hassle.

However, since she had permission from Rize, all those pesky procedures could be skipped.

“It’d be better to rest here a bit before heading back. Right, Sivar?”

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

“Um, so… can I go ahead?”

Luna cautiously sought permission. Honestly, going back to the dormitory felt like a hassle.

Above all, she had no strength to lift even a finger right now. She just wanted to relax and take a nice shower.

“Sure. But please tell me which dormitory it is. I can go get your clothes.”

“Oh, um, no! I can just stay like this!”

But sending Rize on an errand felt a bit much. Luna exclaimed in a hurry after hearing Rize’s suggestion.

It felt a bit weird, but it wasn’t unbearable. No matter how much one should accept favors, moderation was key, and this was too much.

Furthermore, Rize was revered as a Saint and a Gwonseong. Asking for little favors from such a person felt overwhelmingly burdensome.

“It’s fine. Since I trained you, I share the responsibility. Just tell me which dorm number it is, and I’ll grab your clothes.”

“But still…”

“Think of it as a request for now, but it might turn into a threat later.”

“… …”

Hearing that not in the manner of a Saint but rather as a Gwonseong was genuinely intimidating. Eventually, Luna revealed her dorm room number.

Following that, Rize switched back from Gwonseong to Saint mode. She said she had to behave like this while outside.

She then chatted with the guard waiting outside and left after greeting Luna and Sivar.

In the end, only Luna and Sivar remained in the room, left alone.

‘…Wait a minute.’

As Luna leaned against the wall to rest, a good idea suddenly popped into her head. Once again, she was alone with Sivar.

Wasn’t this the very situation she had been wishing for? She initially intended to use this weekend’s training as an excuse to spend time with him.

Though things had gotten slightly complicated after Sivar had beaten up Professor Delphoi, it was still moving in the desired direction.

‘The male and female dorms are quite far apart…’

She knew it was about a 20-minute walk. Why it felt so far, she didn’t know. It just felt distant.

So, it meant that she could have a chance to talk with Sivar for 20 minutes. It would be weird to do nothing during that time.

“…Sivar?”

“Yeah?”

At Luna’s call, Sivar looked at her with a puzzled expression. He was holding a candy, one that she didn’t know when he pulled it out.

Judging by the color, it looked like a lemon-flavored candy. Given the wrapper was yellow, it was pretty much confirmed.

“Could you share one of your candies with me? You don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

“Here.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sivar handed her the candy he had been holding. It was a candy that matched the color of Luna’s hair.

Luna was slightly startled but accepted it with a smile, thinking about how kind he was.

“Yum.”

Luna unwrapped the lemon candy and popped it into her mouth. As soon as it hit her taste buds, a refreshing lemon scent spread through her.

It seemed to awaken her weary body from the intense training.

Although she wasn’t usually one for candies, the situation made it too tempting.

“It’s delicious. Aren’t you going to have any?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Huh? You don’t have any at all?”

“Yeah. That was the last one.”

Luna was dumbfounded by his response of it being the last candy.

Normally, when someone said it was the last one, they’d butt in with something like, “Are you sure it’s okay?” or hesitate a bit.

But Sivar handed over his last piece of candy without a second thought. Instead of feeling touched, she felt confused.

“Can I really have this? Isn’t it the last one?”

“You asked for it.”

“… …”

The unexpected wave of guilt washed over her. After a moment of hesitance, Luna chuckled softly.

How could this nice guy have beaten Professor Delphoi so badly? He had even made it so that Delphoi could never play the role of a man again.

Of course, Delphoi was a scummy character, trying to push a promising student into a pit of despair.

“…Thanks. I’ll buy you some candy later.”

“Okay.”

“What’s your favorite flavor?”

“Anything.”

Luna chatted with Sivar about a variety of topics. She wasn’t the best conversationalist, so diving straight to the point would be tough.

Still, they had a lot of time left. Even if Rize returned soon, at least 15 minutes remained.

Although it was a delicate topic to broach, there wouldn’t be another chance if she didn’t do it now.

“…Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“That… the mural we saw in the cave.”

After easing the awkward atmosphere a bit, she finally mustered the courage to ask. This was a chance to clear up a question that had lingered for a month.

After all, she had endured all sorts of hardships over that time. If not today, she might not get another opportunity.

Luna mentioned the mural while glancing at Sivar. He wore his usual blank expression.

It seemed like he was saying he knew nothing at all, and his face had a childlike innocence about it.

“Did you happen to… paint it?”

“The mural?”

“Yeah. The cave mural. The one in the cave you stayed in while living in the forest.”

Well, it was worth asking. Luna had willed herself to voice the question.

How long had she waited to ask that? A mixture of relief and tension washed over her.

What kind of answer would Sivar give? Would he claim ignorance, or would he respond differently?

If it turned out as she suspected, then the mural must have depicted the ‘Future.’ It wouldn’t make sense otherwise.

Back then, Sivar had lived only in the cave, meaning he hadn’t even known of the existence of the United Academy.

“There was also the academy symbol drawn, and someone that looked like a demon fighting was depicted. Was that you?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… um, what?”

Luna nearly nodded but paused. What had Sivar just said?

As her eyes widened in surprise, Sivar confirmed, “I drew it.”

“… …”

It was either absurdly mundane or shockingly revealing; Sivar’s answer left her speechless.

She’d had some inkling about it, but to hear it directly left her stunned.

‘Sivar drew it? How? Based on what? No, more importantly, who are you, really?’

Perhaps that’s why. Luna’s mind filled with confusion and uncertainties. She couldn’t figure out what to say first.

She was literally in chaos. Nothing was certain, and most came from mere conjecture.

Why had Sivar been in that cave? Why had he been living in the forest?

She let out a long sigh to calm her racing heart.

For now, it seemed best to tackle her questions systematically.

“…You really drew it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then what were you drawing? The academy’s symbol was definitely there.”

“Um…”

Sivar paused, thinking about Luna’s question. It was something that puzzled him too.

The Soul World had countless branching points, but the storyline itself was clear. They all connected to a single thread.

How the fruit would blossom at the end depended on the player’s choices. Rod was a clear example, not too far off.

If nothing was done, Rod would be a character that croaked midway due to addiction. However, if given some action, he could remain a supporting character in the latter parts.

‘This is vague.’

What if this world was a game, and you, the protagonist, would you believe it? You’d probably brush it off as nonsense.

While he would like to reveal everything outright, it still wasn’t quite sufficient.

‘And I don’t know why I ended up here either.’

His very existence was a mystery. Luna probably thought the same.

There was no downside to getting closer to her. But it would be wise to share only what she could understand.

After pondering, Sivar lifted his gaze to meet Luna’s. His blue eyes reflected a hint of anxiety.

Finally, Sivar spoke, after what felt like an eternity of silence, “Future.”

“… …”

Just as she expected. The mural had shown the future.

This alone weighed heavily on her heart, but Sivar’s words didn’t stop there.

“It was.”

“…It was?”

“Yeah.”

Luna narrowed her eyes. “It was the future.” What a vague answer indeed. It felt like another question in itself.

Futures were fluid, and even gods didn’t speak of prophecies carelessly.

Yet, Sivar spoke as if he had seen the future. That filled Luna’s mind with even more questions.

“How did you know it was the future? Where did you see it?”

“… …”

“Or did you just draw it from intuition? Like you usually do?”

This time Sivar remained silent. He just blinked, staring at her with those big eyes of his.

It seemed like that was a difficult question for him to answer or maybe he didn’t even know. Given Sivar’s personality, the latter seemed more likely.

A wildling that was almost an empty slate. Yet, that wildling knew a future that no one else did.

Having finally unraveled one riddle only to have it spiral into more confusion was vexing. Luna sighed inwardly.

‘Even the reason why Lord Chaos chose Sivar remains unknown.’

What on earth was Sivar’s identity? Like an onion, the more layers she peeled away, the more questions sprouted forth.

Ultimately, there was nothing more she could do right now. Visiting the Holy Kingdom of Byzantine later might be a good idea.

“…Sivar.”

“Yeah.”

“What we just talked about is a secret, okay? Don’t casually mention it to others.”

If others overheard, she would definitely be perceived as a crazy person. They wouldn’t even lend an ear.

Still, it was best to keep a secret like this under wraps. If not, things could spiral out of control, potentially causing harm.

“Why?”

“Because it’s a complicated story. For now, let’s focus on academy matters. Alright?”

“Okay.”

Thankfully, Sivar seemed inclined to honor the secret. Based on the fact that he had never even mentioned it thus far, he might not be very interested anyway.

Luna’s mind grew complicated as she looked at Sivar, who was gazing back at her. How on earth had she gotten herself into this situation?

Of course, she could simply ignore it and focus on her tasks. But considering matters like the demon’s magic circle, ignoring them could spell disaster.

“Sivar.”

“Huh?”

But this she knew for sure. Luna called out to Sivar in a serious tone.

As he turned his head from whatever he was looking at back towards her, she continued.

“I don’t know who you are, and you probably don’t know who you are either.”

“… …”

“But… I want to know more about you.”

There was no way she could lose interest in Sivar now. The moment she did, something unpredictable could occur.

Besides, Sivar held the knowledge of the future. Perhaps he might unknowingly provide her with a warning.

“I might end up bothering you a bit. You may not realize it, but the situation could endanger others too.”

“… …”

“Is that okay? If you don’t like it…”

“It’s fine.”

Before Luna could even finish her sentence, Sivar granted his permission. She looked straight into his eyes.

“Luna is fine.”

“… … I’m fine?”

“Yeah.”

The brightness of Luna’s expression made her feel a bit lighter. It felt like some heavy burdens lifted just a bit.

She wouldn’t have to endure unfair hardships anymore. After all, she had gotten direct permission from the person involved.

With a bright expression, Luna clasped Sivar’s hand, feeling like her insides were clearing out.

“Thank you! If I find anything, I’ll make sure to tell you too! It’s a promise!”

“Promise?”

“Yeah! A promise! We’ll stick together and learn about each other!”

It felt like something had suddenly piled on. Sivar wanted to say something but held back.

Luna’s face looked so pleased that he couldn’t find the right words. It seemed he had held back a lot for quite some time.

‘But how do I bring up the bodyguard situation?’

What would happen if Luna learned about Grace’s bodyguard duties? Sivar wondered a bit.

In the end, this curiosity would only be resolved after the weekend, on a school day.

“Luna, Sivar is my bodyguard. So, that means he has to stay by my side for a while.”

“B-but I made a promise with Sivar…”

“What promise?”

“We promised to learn about each other!”

“… …”

There’s no doubt that this girl was a problem with her mouth.

[Faith is rising!]

Please stop watching morning dramas.

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