Chapter 143

The weekend flew by, probably because I had final exams coming up next week.

Luna and Kara were busy strategizing with their teams, so I hardly saw them, and I was occupied with my own tasks in the Soul World.

Fortunately, just when I was feeling bored, Eli visited my dormitory to keep me company. She was also busy preparing for the final exam.

“Studying? Aren’t you studying?”

“Not really. The professor told us to skip the exams and focus on practice instead. And that practice is super hard.”

“Is it usually like that?”

“No. It’s just me, apparently. Everyone else is doing theory classes.”

Of course, Eli was overflowing with talent. How could such talent be stuck in the countryside?

When you think about it, Luna is also from the countryside, but she was discovered by her master, so that’s different. Yet Eli got in purely on her own skills.

‘But does Eli not have any friends?’

I realized I had never seen her hanging out with anyone.

If I just look at her face and figure, there’s no way she wouldn’t be popular, but more often than not, she was buzzing around all by herself.

Of course, it was a relief that there weren’t any creeps approaching just because of her looks. Maybe it’s actually better that she’s alone.

But to not even have a same-gender friend in the same class… isn’t that a bit of a problem? I cautiously asked her.

“Eli.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you have any friends? In the same major.”

“None.”

That was a question with no follow-up, and her answer was just as lacking. She even looked like she didn’t see the issue at all.

Just as I was beginning to feel somewhat flustered by her response, Eli casually mentioned that it wasn’t a problem.

“There were people who tried to get close to me at first. But they all turned out to be creeps, so I didn’t like them. One even tried to grope me while I was dozing off.”

“Who?”

I should go and smack him! Forget anything else, that made my blood boil.

Noticing that I was getting angry, Eli waved her hand to brush off my concern.

“Don’t worry. They all disappeared after a while. Maybe they got fried by lightning or something?”

“Lightning? Porori… no, Ratatosk?”

“I don’t know about that. But since all the guys approaching me seem to have gotten fried by lightning, it’s possible? Thanks to that, no one approaches me since I’m supposedly cursed and also favored by Lord Gulrak.”

Even though it sounded like she was slacking off, Porori was actually working hard. I was starting to trust her a bit more.

Just when I was genuinely relieved, Eli smiled and dropped a rather ominous statement.

“If it weren’t for that, I would have had to tell the principal myself. It would’ve led to everyone getting expelled.”

“………”

She was planning to set off a Buster Call. Moreover, with recent events involving Grace, it was quite a sensitive time.

Despite appearing fragile in many ways, she was pretty tough when it mattered. That must be why she had the guts to venture into the Soul World alone.

But often, her daring moves landed her in dangerous situations. Last time, she supposedly discovered a new herb but ended up with poisonous rash or something like that.

“By the way, were you worried about me? I’m genuinely touched. As a reward, I’ll hug you.”

“Okay.”

When Eli spread her arms wide, I immediately dove into her embrace.

A soft, warm sensation began to envelop my whole body. I wanted to stay like this forever.

“Brother Sivar really loves hugs, huh?”

That was until Rize spoke up from behind. As I mentioned earlier, Eli had come to my dorm.

Naturally, Rize was there too, but she was maintaining her Saint form rather than her Gwonseong form.

Also, by now, that impressive divine power pouch had returned to its original state.

“Yes. Saint Rize, you know that Sivar has lived in the wilderness, right? That might be why he enjoys hugging like this.”

Eli gently stroked my head as she answered. Her embrace was just as comforting as a true saint’s.

Even though a real saint was right in front of me, let’s just let that slide. It’s a metaphorical expression, after all.

“That’s interesting. You never made that request when we were together.”

“Really? That’s strange. You’re just as good at hugging, Saint. Any reason why?”

“………”

I tried to dodge the question as much as possible. I felt a bit reluctant to hug Rize, to be honest.

I associated it with her Gwonseong form’s imposing appearance. That enormous divine power pouch seemed like it wouldn’t be soft and squishy at all.

‘Besides, she’s a fake.’

If I said that out loud, I’d definitely get lectured by Rize. So I pretended not to hear.

Rize, not being able to read my mind, would never know. She’d probably think it’s just because we’re not close yet.

“You’re awfully quiet. Looks like the Saint is still a bit uncomfortable around you.”

“That’s true. I’m always available, so just let me know.”

“Okay.”

For a while, I enjoyed my happy time nestled in Eli’s embrace. No one was there to judge, so it was incredibly relaxing.

But like everything, there comes an end. Now that I had fully recharged, I gently pulled away.

When I moved away, Eli had a disappointed expression on her face. But, I had to endure that.

“Eli.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you coming to the banquet after the exams?”

“Oh, the freshman banquet? Of course, I’m going! You and the others will be going too, right?”

“What about clothes?”

Eli had come dressed in casual wear rather than a dress from the Soul World.

Her lack of money was one reason, but she said it was just comfortable for her.

Moreover, she didn’t care about how others saw her, and given her appearance, she certainly didn’t need a dress.

“I’ll just wear what I have. What are you going to wear, Sivar?”

“I’ll be getting fitted. After the exams, over the weekend.”

“Really? Then I want to join too. I’m curious about how it’ll turn out.”

Nice. That was smooth. I would buy her a dress just like that.

I had more than enough money to spare. I’m sure I could afford a dress for Eli.

It’d be a good chance to buy one for Luna too. If she made money off stocks, her dress wouldn’t come cheap either.

‘Everyday clothes might be fine, but formal wear is ridiculously expensive.’

It wasn’t until after the industrial revolution that clothing and housing became manageable on Earth.

With explosive productivity from factories, a variety of clothing started to emerge, while before that, it was all handmade.

Even though thanks to Santiago, prices for commoners’ clothes dropped, the formal wear of aristocrats certainly commanded a steep price.

“For the freshman banquet… while I’d love to participate, I think I’ll have to pass. If I step in, things might get complicated.”

“What will you be doing then, Saint?”

“I’ll be praying for something that Lord Chaos would like.”

“………”

Please don’t say something unsettling so early.

It’s even scarier because it sounds like it might really happen.

*****

The weekend passed, and the time for finals approached. The venue for the finals was the same as the midterms.

Only the structure was the same; the actual place was different. As the world’s largest academy, there were plenty of examination grounds.

“Everyone, pay attention. We will soon split into teams for the exam. While the exam is important, personal safety is the highest priority, so please be cautious. Additionally, we will distribute papers to each team leader for drawing a map.”

This time, it seems we had to draw the map ourselves, unlike during the midterms. Quite an interesting setup.

The team captains, Luna and Kara, received their papers next, followed by Malboro’s explanation.

With the castle as the focal point, the further you move outward, the more effective siege weapons will be, and there might also be supplies available.

Above all, the most crucial thing was my position. No one knows where I am, and ultimately I would have to find it myself.

“Sivar, follow me. I’ve prepared a space for you to stay until the teams arrive.”

When the teams headed to their designated spots, Malboro led me somewhere.

The overall atmosphere of the examination ground reminded me of old medieval times. There were places with plains and also ones with forests and hills.

Finally, at the most important castle. When I climbed the hill, I could finally see the castle with my own two eyes, which could serve as a junction point.

‘That’s quite high, huh?’

It wasn’t for nothing that they called it a castle. While it wasn’t as vast as a real castle, it resembled a scaled-down version.

It was just the right size to defend with ten people or so. It was high enough that I’d need a ladder to climb it.

However, there wasn’t a moat around the castle. It seemed we would have to dig one ourselves after conquering it.

“See that castle? That’s a building you might have to conquer in the future. Don’t completely demolish it—just break it enough. Got it?”

“Heard.”

“Haha. Godin must have had a hard time building that. He’ll be sad.”

Since there would be a test, they’d probably ramped up the intensity. Tossing bomb shells with bare hands might be hard.

Of course, I wasn’t worried since I had my own trump card, just concerned about the team defending the castle.

After walking for quite a while, we entered the forest. Did I choose this spot because it felt familiar to me?

“Alright. This will be your new home. Food will be provided daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and there will be plenty of activities, so you won’t be bored.”

“Oh.”

But that was a huge miscalculation. Inside the forest was a solitary, comfortable little house.

It looked like a place where a recluse would live, which piqued my interest even more.

“Here are books you can read and a magic orb to listen to all kinds of music. Do you know how to turn on the magic orb?”

“Nope.”

“It’s simple. Just let a little magic flow like this…”

Pah!

When Malboro touched the green orb, light erupted. Since I had never seen such an item before, my curiosity grew.

Soon enough, sounds crackled from the green orb, followed by a soothing melody.

To my surprise, the music wasn’t just made with instruments; it was in the form of a singer performing.

If we were to classify it by era, classical music or operatic singers would be typical, but to have a singer… that was truly astonishing.

“There are about fifty songs in there, so it should be decent. A single press pauses and plays, two presses skip to the next song, and a long press will play the song that was previously played. Got it?”

“Yeah.”

“Lastly, if you want to focus on the music more, wear this. It’s a new invention from Santiago.”

Malboro handed me headphones. They weren’t the in-ear type; they covered the entire ear.

As I put them on, the music flowed clearly. The sound quality was exceptional.

What kind of structure could this be if it didn’t involve any wires? Seems just like a fantasy world.

“That’s expensive, so don’t break it. I mean, saying that feels a bit redundant, but… ”

“Mmm. Mm mm.”

“You’re already enjoying it. By the way, is it your first time listening to songs?”

It was indeed my first time. I had never been that interested in music, so I had completely ignored it until now.

While I immersed myself in the music, Malboro left to explain this and that.

Before he left, he emphasized one thing: if I left the forest, I wouldn’t be able to return.

With just that to keep in mind, I nodded. I still had the headphones on, though.

“Eh~ Eeeh~”

I spent the entire day with the headphones on. It felt great to listen to music after a long time.

But little did I know, this would later turn out to be a poison for me.

“Da. Da da. Da da da da.”

But man, the music is truly great.

******

Meanwhile, the professors…

“Look at him dance. Quite cute!”

“The body’s adult, but the actions are childish.”

“Hahaha.”

They were watching Sivar dance in real time.

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