Chapter 256

The incident involving Kara’s stalking was not exactly resolved… or rather, it definitely wasn’t. I thought it would be sorted out easily at first, but it turned out to be a mess.

That little pest, Tommy, whom I thought would gracefully step back, actually reported me to the committee.

The reasons? Violence and infidelity. While I could understand the first one, the latter was so absurd that I immediately countered it.

Luckily, the committee members also found the infidelity claim ridiculous, essentially saying, “What kind of nonsense is this?” and ended up adding stalking charges against Tommy instead.

“…Do I really have to write this?”

“Yes. You must write it. Otherwise, your guilt won’t disappear.”

And now, here I am, being summoned to the committee room to face the music. The punishment: write a letter of remorse.

Tommy will read what I’ve written and potentially reduce my penalty. Honestly, I can’t even express how absurd that made me feel.

According to the committee chair, it’s a stroke of luck that it ended with just a letter. Usually, it would’ve entailed community service as per regulations.

It’s no surprise since it wasn’t an organized duel but rather violence in everyday life. Academy students are seriously strict about violent conduct.

I mean, there are plenty of people out there capable of knocking someone unconscious with just their fists. Not to mention, the target was a non-combatant!

Kara didn’t make a fuss about sparring for no reason. If we’d boxed, it would’ve vented my frustration.

‘But Kara’s supposedly been violent a lot? It’s surprising she’s never been suspended.’

What kind of person was Kara back in the day? I hear she often received community service sentences.

That aside, I was curious about Tommy’s situation. If we’re talking about charges, he’s the worst of the lot.

“So, what’s up with Tommy? He’s not facing any consequences?”

“Well, he’s currently receiving treatment, but we’re planning to enforce a restraining order. From what Kara said, it sounds pretty serious.”

Would it be better to just suspend him? I feel like he might start harassing other girls if not Kara.

Of course, if he pulls that stunt again, there’s a solid chance he’d be expelled instead of just suspended.

But more importantly, since he only stalked Kara, other women might not be enough to satisfy him.

There’s Eli for now among the non-combatants, though her reputation has taken a bit of a hit recently.

‘She might end up getting roasted by lightning…’

Thanks to Porori’s excellent work, there are barely any men approaching Eli.

The problem? Women haven’t approached her either. I believe it’s due to her being seen as the cursed child.

Still, Eli doesn’t seem to mind much. She’s the type that can have fun on her own, especially with Jane around now.

“If this were the usual situation, I would’ve added public disorder to the list. So hurry up and write.”

“Just one page?”

“Yes. Just one. And by the way, Tommy will also see the content of your letter, so please put in genuine effort.”

“…”

Great, now I really don’t want to write it. I sighed internally.

The truth is, there’s a high chance that Rod helped me out with just writing one page for this.

Most of the crap I’ve done tends to get to his ears. He probably knows all about this mess, too.

I can work things out with other issues, but violence is a tough nut to crack. It’s quite impressive to settle it with just a letter.

‘Did he say his nose was smashed to bits?’

It makes sense; I basically stuffed my fist into his face.

A man’s nose is his lifeline, and now that his is flattened, his life’s gonna be rough from here on out.

Even if it’s not about the nose, the bad rumors must be spreading like wildfire. More people started to look at Kara with pity.

Even the barbaric types think it’s lame to get involved with a weirdo. A perception is emerging that he’s just a person before being a barbarian.

“It’s totally fine if I write it. But does he have to read it?”

“Yes. That’s the essence of the letter of remorse.”

“Can’t I just submit it?”

“No.”

She’s as picky as an old granny. I mean, writing a letter of remorse for Tommy? Really?

I only defended a friend from a stalker. Just a beast in civilized clothes.

*Sigh. I guess I just have to accept my fate.*

I should write this quickly. But I really don’t want to bow down to Tommy.

I stared blankly at the clean white paper and started writing.

There were times I hesitated about what to say, but it didn’t take long.

After all, it’s just one page, and the paper isn’t that large. It’s not like we live in an age of standardized A4 sizes.

“I’m done.”

“Did you finish that already?”

“Yup.”

The letter of remorse is incredibly easy. Just convey the ‘sincerity’ to the person I’ve harmed.

Talking is tough for me, but writing isn’t. So, I could breeze through it quickly.

“Hmm… It doesn’t seem like there’s a huge issue here. I’ll send this as is.”

“Cool.”

“However…”

The chairperson trailed off, looking at me. Confusion was evident on her face.

“Do you really need to include this at the end…?”

To that question, I immediately replied.

“I put my name down, didn’t I?”

“Hmm… I see.”

******

While stalking Kara, Tommy got the lesson of his life from Sivar and now finds himself lying in the hospital.

It was just a simple punch, but it landed squarely, completely shattering his nose.

He can recover somehow through surgery and divine power, but there are some marks that can’t be erased.

In the end, he’ll have to live with a flat nose for the rest of his days. You reap what you sow, as they say.

So, did Tommy clear his head from this experience?

‘That barbaric little punk. I’ll never forgive him.’

Not by a long shot. People are inherently selfish animals who seldom recognize their own mistakes.

In fact, it’s quite rare for someone to realize their wrongdoing and genuinely reflect on it.

‘Princess Kara. I will rescue you from the clutches of that wicked barbarian, come what may.’

He didn’t reflect at all; even knowing the restraining order was issued.

If this continues, he would quickly be on the path toward expulsion, but Tommy doesn’t seem to care about that either.

He thinks ignoring it all is the romantic way to go. But romance requires capability to be considered romantic.

Striving for romance without ability or awareness makes one a total fool.

‘…I’ll just have to wait and see if that barbarian feels any remorse.’

Yet, the pain branded on his body couldn’t be ignored. Today, a civilized person finally realized something.

You can get hit for just flapping your mouth. As they say, laws are distant while fists are close.

A whip works wonders on beasts. And since humans are essentially beasts, they instinctively fear the whip.

Tommy did regain a tiny bit of his senses after the punch, but just barely.

He’s likely still scheming something from behind the scenes. It’s gonna take him a while to truly come to his senses.

Or he might just end up expelled after violating the restraining order. His fate is not looking good.

Knock knock—

[Tommy! The committee is here. Sivar has finished writing the remorse letter.]

“Oh.”

As I was simmering inside, quite refreshing news dropped in. Tommy immediately permitted entry.

Next, an individual from the committee handed Tommy a sheet of paper. Naturally, it was Sivar’s letter.

‘Hmph. What’s a barbarian gonna write anyway? I might be lenient if it has some effort put in.’

In truth, he had no choice but to accept it. He was too scared of getting punched again.

It was merely a mental trick to deceive himself; due to being schooled hard, his instincts screamed at him.

If he kept messing around, it wouldn’t just be his nose that ends up smashed. He’d be in for something worse.

Rumor has it that a student who ran his mouth got his tongue cut off. He definitely wanted to avoid that.

Tommy reassured himself as he glanced through the remorse letter. Surprisingly, it was quite densely packed with content.

[Yes. Hello. I am Sivar, studying in the combat department. I will solemnly reflect upon the injuries caused to Tommy.]

[In an attempt to protect my dear friend, I resorted to violence, and I have come to understand that it was wrong to do so. In the future, I will cultivate the habit of thinking again whenever such situations arise.]

[Once more, I vow to do my utmost to prevent such incidents. Growing up in the Chaos Forest, I have many shortcomings. Furthermore, I often struggle with my impulses, which was akin to this case.]

[All I wanted was to protect my friend, but in the end, I caused irrevocable harm to Tommy. I sincerely apologize. If possible, I plead for leniency so that I may start anew. I possess nothing of value, yet I vow to engrave this lesson into my mind as I strive to live well. I’m truly sorry.]

“Hmm…”

Surprisingly comprehensive for a barbarian. Enough to somewhat dampen the fire in Tommy’s heart.

Despite being a wildling with no education, the grammar was surprisingly coherent, and the neat handwriting was surprisingly impressive.

If a stranger read it, they might believe it was written by someone of considerable education. Quite the unexpected twist.

‘Well, I guess this is acceptable.’

Since he bowed first, it’s only fair for this side to show some leniency. However, he can’t forgive Tommy for shattering his nose.

If he reduces it to a poster, it would definitely be humiliating. I plan to hang it on the public bulletin board for everyone to see.

People might question if it’s against the rules, but it’s similar to a form of public execution.

Essentially, it’s designed to force them to feel shame to the extent that they can’t even raise their heads.

Kara had a similar experience in the past, which was one of the reasons the bad rumors spread about her.

Of course, Kara just grumbled and moved on. She focused solely on community service.

‘By the way…’

Just as I was patting myself on the back for an impeccable plan, Tommy contemplated his remorse letter with a puzzled expression.

On the surface, it was a seemingly perfect letter of remorse. At least by the twisted standards of a barbarian, or rather a wildling.

But the final words he wrote stuck in his mind.

[From the wildling, Sivar.]

‘Was it necessary to call yourself a wildling?’

It’s funny if you think about it. He called himself a wildling instead of a student.

But that question didn’t last long. Tommy smirked and chuckled.

‘Well, it’s clear he recognizes he’s lacking.’

And no one, not a single person, was aware of it.