Chapter 151

The final exam usually lasts for a week, but this time it wrapped up in just five days.

Once Kara, the commander and a key figure in the power structure, was captured, the game was essentially over.

Instead, negotiations began for a decisive finish. If they were just pillaging supplies rather than actually controlling the occupied territories, they wouldn’t be able to hold out.

The price for failing to set up proper defenses was exceedingly harsh. But, realistically, it was the fault of the students who were on guard duty at the time.

Anyway, as the opposing team drafted a surrender document, the professors declared the end of the exam.

“Great job, everyone. The exam ended earlier than expected, but since there won’t be any classes for the remaining time, feel free to relax.”

“What about vacation?”

One student raised their hand to ask. Normally, once the final exam concludes, vacation naturally begins.

Malboro, hearing that question, seemed to realize it belatedly, nodding his head with a “oh.”

“I totally forgot. Vacation starts next week, so keep that in mind. The report cards will be sent to each student’s dormitory.”

“Oh. Finally, vacation.”

“What are you planning to do during vacation?”

“Well? I guess I’ll just go back to my hometown for starters?”

Once the final exam ends, vacation follows immediately. It seems this rule hasn’t changed with the times.

Additionally, even for academy students, vacation is always something to look forward to. After all the hardships, they’ll get some time to rest.

‘I’ll be visiting Byzantium with Rize, so I’ll probably be gone for about two weeks. After that…’

The academy’s vacation lasts quite a long time, similar to that of college. Around a month and a half to two months.

During this time in the Soul World, they could wander outside the academy and participate in various activities.

However, since mentors also return to their homeland, training can be a bit tough. If they weren’t involved in stocks, they’d be working hard to make money during this period.

‘Maybe it’s about time to go deal with that demon, right?’

Although not directly related to the academy’s collapse, ignoring it now would lead to headaches later.

The demon itself is strong, and the weapon he possesses is undoubtedly overpowered. It’s a weapon that synergizes with the demon’s traits.

So, after visiting Byzantium, I plan to seek out where he is. I can also check out the cities near the academy while I’m at it.

“Kara, are you going back to your hometown during vacation?”

“No. Just the round trip would take half of my vacation. There’s a train, but it doesn’t go all the way to Tartar. I’d have to rent a camel to cross the desert.”

“Camel…?”

It was around the time when Malboro finished all his words and each started to head back that Luna tilted her head at Kara’s mention of riding a camel. She looked confused.

In response, Kara chuckled a bit and teasingly said, “You don’t happen to not know what a camel is, do you?”

“I don’t know.”

“……”

Kara looked bewildered at Luna’s genuinely clueless reply. Given the period, that response was actually quite normal.

On Earth, thanks to the internet, ordinary people can see what’s happening in distant countries.

But not in this world. If one isn’t interested in books, they might not know about other countries’ creatures.

Kara seemed to recognize this, hesitated for a moment, and then explained in detail.

“You can think of it as a horse that operates in the desert. Camels are specialized for the hot weather of the desert. A feature would be that they have humps on their backs.”

“Hmm… Still, I’m not sure. Does Grace know?”

“I’ve seen it in a book. It looks a bit bizarre.”

Calling a camel bizarre? I don’t quite see it that way.

If you think about it, giraffes are way more bizarre. How can a creature exist with a neck longer than two meters?

One might even joke that if there are giraffes, there must be unicorns, right?

‘Are there giraffes here too?’

I should look up an animal encyclopedia later. In a world with monsters, there’s no way there wouldn’t be giraffes.

There’s even a squirrel that can shoot lightning. It would be strange if there weren’t any.

“Oh, right. Speaking of which, we decided to have Sivar custom-make our outfits for this weekend, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

As we stepped outside the examination ground, Kara brought that up. The plan for the weekend to have my formal attire made was coming up.

Initially, it was decided that only Grace and Kara would go, but I added Eli into the mix.

I figured since we were going, it made sense to go together.

“Eli.”

“Hmm? Why Eli?”

“Eli is coming with us. I told you.”

“Um. Really?”

Kara shrugged it off when she heard that Eli would join. It didn’t seem to bother her much.

Grace, on the other hand, reacted somewhat differently. Raising her eyebrows in slight doubt, she asked us,

“Eli? Is that the person I saw last time? The one with golden eyes and an enormous chest…?”

“You remember it exactly. That’s right.”

“Hm. I don’t mind making her a dress, but it’ll probably be hard.”

“Why?”

Both Kara and Luna shared in my confusion. Why would making Eli’s dress be a challenge?

Grace simply stated a very straightforward and clear reason.

“Given Eli’s size, it’ll have to be custom-made. And custom orders usually take about a week, so it’d be difficult for her to wear it to the banquet.”

“Oh. So that’s the problem.”

“……”

It was such a realistic issue that it left a sense of disappointment. Not being able to see Eli in a dress? What kind of nonsense is that?

Somehow, it seemed like Eli was often the only one not dressed up even during the Soul World gatherings. It wasn’t just a lack of money; she had no fitting clothes.

Moreover, getting a custom dress would probably cost a fortune. She really had no clothes to wear.

“Eli probably won’t care much, right? She’ll be happy as long as she gets a Sivar outfit.”

Luna chimed in. It seemed she meant that we didn’t have to worry about Eli.

The problem was that I was included in that worrying. There were many ways to interpret that.

Grace seemed to have caught on too; she flinched slightly and looked at Luna with a peculiar expression.

“…That should be the case. Eli did say she owes her life to Sivar. Since it’s come to this, checking it out wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something like that. Luna, aren’t you going to get a dress made?”

“I’m thinking about it, but the money… I did earn some from stocks, but I heard the formal attire is incredibly expensive.”

For reference, the protagonist—Luna—came to the freshman banquet dressed casually instead of in a dress.

Even if she made money from stocks, she might manage to get something decent at best, but it would still require a hefty payment.

The cost of clothes is decidedly high. There’s a reason why so many commoners either sew their own clothes or wear them until they fall apart.

“I can cover the cost of the clothes. My family sends unnecessary support, so it’s all good.”

“You’re not going to borrow it, right?”

“Do I look like such a miser to you?”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Grace’s words, Luna turned her head. Her gaze was directed straight at Kara.

If it were Kara, she’d probably offer to lend some money. But let’s reiterate, it’d be more like lending than giving.

“What are you looking at, you idiot? Do you think I’m a miser?”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You’re saying it with your face! Come here!”

“Ah, I haven’t said anything yet! Aaaah!”

Kara wrapped her arm around Luna’s small head in a classic headlock move.

Given the significant difference in height and strength, no matter how much Luna flailed, she was easily trapped in Kara’s grip.

‘Why’d I open my mouth… No, it wasn’t even talking, they just know how to get me now.’

That’s some impressive talent right there.

*****

The students returned to their respective dormitories, but the professors were busy organizing grades.

Between midterms, finals, and various practicals throughout the semester, it would naturally take a while to consolidate everything.

Most importantly, there’s the report. Typically, they wouldn’t report to the principal, Rod, but this time, there’s a special student involved.

Therefore, after about two days of processing grades, the professors headed to the principal’s office to make their report.

“Besides Sivar, are there any other noteworthy students?”

“As mentioned before, it’s Luna Estelle. This student’s growth rate has been noticeably increasing.”

“Hmm.”

Rod nodded at the report. He had been focused on Luna’s growth as well.

When he first saw her, there seemed to be many things seriously off. It felt as if someone intentionally suppressed her talents.

Fortunately, she was now gradually correcting herself through various trainings and practicals. Her unique talents were beginning to blossom as well.

‘If a year passes, she might catch up to Kara student in terms of pure skill.’

Being skilled is always relative. It just means they’re getting closer, but without real battle experience, you can’t compare her to Kara.

However, the fact that she can rise to that level purely through talent is significant. Once she accumulates real-world experience, she’ll be even more terrifying.

‘The real question is whether she’ll be able to handle that.’

No matter how outstanding a talent is, if they lack the resilience to bear it, it’s meaningless.

In reality, many gifted individuals have been crumpled by such pressures. This could be a world where killing beyond just life and death is necessary.

“What else?”

“Everyone is recording solid grades. However, students who slacked off during guard duty all received the lowest score.”

“I expected that. So…”

Rod paused for a moment before diving into the core of the matter.

“What about Sivar?”

“Sivar student is…”

Malboro, representing the group, hesitated, then looked at the other professors.

Upon making eye contact, the other professors nodded in silent agreement.

Malboro shifted his gaze back to Rod and, with a somewhat heavy tone, began to speak.

“As you might have anticipated, he is very dangerous.”

“Dangerous, you say…”

“Yes. His regenerative abilities surpass those of an average human. Despite not receiving formal training, he infiltrated the tower. Above all, his tremendous physical ability and magical power. He is a student with no shortcomings, if I may put it that way.”

Rod immediately understood what Malboro was trying to convey. As a student, he was extraordinary, unmatched.

But if he steps out of the bounds of being a student, he becomes extremely dangerous. His unpredictable personality and various behaviors add to this.

Even those behaviors demonstrate Sivar’s level of danger. During the finals, wasn’t there the human catapult?

“Furthermore, as you know, Sivar is an exceptional student. Even after barely adapting to civilization, he showcased various ideas. Particularly during this final exam, he captured Kara student and solidified his victory.”

“Many students attempted to capture prisoners, didn’t they?”

“Yes. The problem is that it was Sivar, who has just adapted to civilization and grasped the concept of siege warfare.”

Some people, even if they grasp one concept, fail to realize multiple others.

Sivar belongs to the former group. Even with a simple explanation, he could come up with various ideas.

“From this, if Sivar ever has a bad intention… we wouldn’t be able to stop him.”

“So, you think I need to step in.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“I’ve been thinking the same way, so don’t worry about that.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

Malboro still wore an expression of unease. The other professors looked similarly concerned.

Rod seemed to catch on, his brow raised in question.

“Is there another problem?”

“It’s about Sivar student’s relationships with others.”

“Relationships?”

“Yes. Normally, we keep a student’s personal matters confidential, but given Sivar…”

This had been mutually agreed upon with the professors. While Sivar’s individual issues were private, his connections with others posed the most concern.

In a completely unrelated third-party situation, it would have been popcorn-worthy entertainment. But digging deeper makes it a serious matter.

Grace from the Verche Duke’s family, Princess Kara of Tartar, and lastly, the recently blossoming Luna.

If all three had rational affections towards Sivar, Rod’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really? Those three?”

“Yes. I can be sure of it. They wouldn’t engage in any physical contact with someone they hold no romantic feelings for.”

“Hahaha.”

Rod burst out laughing heartily. A hearty laugh indeed.

It felt almost prideful. The other professors seemed to share in this realization, blinking in surprise.

“Ah. Well, a man should be like that. Good for him.”

“Umm, Principal? This isn’t something to laugh about. It could get very serious…”

“We have clear solutions for that, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Solutions… you say?”

“Indeed. Solutions.”

What Rod presented next was remarkably simple.

“Get a reputation like mine or Rize’s. I’m talking about titles like Sword Saint, Saint, or Gwonseong.”

“…”

“Honestly, with Sivar’s skill, isn’t it possible?”

Gaining a reputation is the key. After all, Rod himself is the prime example of that.

Being distant from politics means no one can treat him without respect. At least not unless the nation gets involved.

“If it comes down to it, I can help him directly. So don’t worry too much about it.”

Rod said so with a smile. The professors could say no more about it.

[Faith is rising!]

“?”

Meanwhile, Sivar at home, munching on bread, merely blinked in confusion.

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