Chapter 331

Spring is the season of life and warmth.

The once bare trees start to bloom one by one, and the animals that had gone into hibernation stretch and awaken during this season.

Countless lives signal a new beginning. The warmth achieved after enduring the harshness of winter is sweeter than anything else.

This is true for civilization as well. Even in places where the weather remains similar all year round, most beginnings tend to happen in spring.

It’s the starting phase for upcoming plans. It’s a time when all life is active.

“Ah, the entrance ceremony is coming up soon. Kara, you had your entrance ceremony two years ago, right?”

“I didn’t have an entrance ceremony. I transferred midway, like a seasonal adjustment.”

As spring approaches after the winter, United Academy becomes increasingly busy.

The students who were once newcomers move up to the second year, and other newcomers take their place.

Naturally, since talent gathers from not just across the country but the world, the upper ranks also become extremely busy.

Still, the whispers of rumors pique the interest of many involved.

“I heard through the grapevine that a princess from the Frozen Principality will be enrolling. Other than that, not much has come up.”

Grace said this. Being someone who collects numerous rumors, she had managed to gather both big and small bits of information in advance.

However, whether it was due to a lack of talent or unstable global affairs, there wasn’t much noticeable information.

“Oh, there’s one more thing. Surprisingly, a lot of freshmen are coming from the Eastern Empire.”

“From the Eastern Empire? With all the rebellions and such going on, strange rumors are circulating over there.”

Kara expressed her confusion. The instability of the Eastern Empire was already a public secret.

While it’s better than the constant terror in Santiago, just the very fact of being unstable is remarkable enough.

Especially since there was a schedule to visit the Eastern Empire during the second-year curriculum, it was something to keep a close eye on.

“And that’s why so many are enrolling. The East is very conservative about bloodlines. They hide their seeds in safe places for dangerous times.”

“Just because it’s an academy doesn’t mean it’s safe, especially with the princess around.”

“That’s something they’ll figure out for themselves. Checkmate.”

“Oh.”

While talking, Grace’s piece captured Kara’s king. Kara made a surprised expression at that.

Currently, they were at Grace’s lodging sharing future plans and casually playing chess.

With nothing much to do before the entrance ceremony, constantly gathering at Rod’s Residence would be a nuisance.

Rod himself would be busy with preparation for the entrance ceremony. This was a time when everyone was busy, regardless of status.

“Geez… I saved my knight for situations like this, but now I’m regretting it.”

“You were too cautious. If your king gets captured, you should sacrifice something.”

“Ugh. Should I have done that?”

Kara scratched her head. Grace smiled and turned the chessboard.

Kara wasn’t really bad at chess; she just wasn’t familiar with it and didn’t know the rules well.

With time, she’d be able to sharpen her skills sufficiently.

“If you’re done, here, have this. Delicious cookies.”

“Oh! Thanks!”

Just in time, Ellie brought out delicious cookies as they finished their match. Kara lit up upon seeing them.

The cookies made by Ellie were perfect for Kara, who hailed from Tartar. That meant they were extremely sweet.

Grace also loved sweet snacks, so she had no qualms about munching on them.

“Oh, by the way, Kara.”

“Hm?”

“Is there someone coming from Tartar among the new students?”

“From what I know, there isn’t. But I think a few might show up by the time I graduate.”

Tartar is a young nation. Proper centralization hasn’t been achieved yet.

It’s tough just managing the complaints coming from here and there, so sending students to the academy isn’t an option for them.

Kara had sent them as a precedent, but Tartar is as unstable as the East.

“By the way, is Sivar good at chess? I’m kind of curious.”

Kara asked, munching on her cookie. Playing chess made her wonder about Sivar’s skills.

It was well-known that Sivar was smart. But speaking positively, that’s wisdom, and negatively, it’s cunning.

When he acts wisely, he’s incredibly wise, but when he schemes, it can get really clever. This has made those around him suffer more than a couple of times.

What would happen if he used that cleverness for something like chess? Thankfully, with Grace there, she could ask.

“Well… to be honest, he’s not that great at it.”

“Not that great?”

“He understands all the rules, though.”

Ellie’s question followed after Kara’s doubt. While it may have sounded dismissive, the truth was different.

Ellie herself didn’t even know the rules of chess. Memorizing and understanding are entirely different realms.

It’s not like you can move the pieces as if they were your own arms and legs. She thought Sivar might be in a similar boat.

“He understands all the rules. But ironically, the rules kill Sivar’s creativity.”

“Creativity gets killed?”

“Remember the exam that limited Sivar’s fighting?”

Of course, Kara nodded.

The shock and fear Sivar had caused during that time had become legendary in multiple ways.

So much so that new rules like ‘No Torture’ and ‘No Bomb Vests’ came into existence. That’s how shocking it was.

When the new students soon take that exam, it’s highly likely they’ll have Sivar as an example. A ‘don’t follow this’ kind of example.

“Even if Sivar is confined by the rules, as long as he’s free, he manages to come up with bizarre methods. That’s his greatest strength.”

“That’s true. The radio test was the most absurd in my opinion.”

“Even the professors were amazed by that.”

During the radio practice, the professors gave Sivar a perfect score. His strategy involved intentionally sending radio messages to lure others in.

He demonstrated wisdom, not cunning, on several occasions. It wasn’t that he lacked education; he was definitely not unintelligent.

“Because of that, he’s become a subject of study among the professors. Proving that environment and intelligence are unrelated.”

“I’ve heard a lot about that. Weren’t they about to publish a paper on it?”

“If he had been unintelligent, he wouldn’t have survived in the Chaos Forest.”

Now, a year has passed since Sivar enrolled. He has risen from a hot potato to a person of interest.

Even if he lived a life raw and primitive, with proper education and guidance, he could certainly become a person.

Also, just because he’s barbaric doesn’t mean he’s unintelligent. He just hasn’t been taught, that’s all.

“Didn’t it help Kara a lot too?”

“Well… with everyone focused on Sivar, it has made things easier for me.”

Kara shrugged. Thanks to Sivar, Kara had also received quite a bit of benefit.

Firstly, the attention was dispersed, and secondly, perceptions began to shift. People still saw Kara as a barbarian.

However, unlike the ruckus during the violence, more people started viewing her with a new perspective. Naturally, this was because of Sivar.

Thus far, every time Sivar had caused an incident of violence, it was always when the other party was at fault. Naturally, it was an act of self-defense.

Yet, it turned out that he was getting along quite well with Kara, leading to some delicate rumors, thus shifting perspectives.

Kara, who was once seen as a barbarian swinging a fist at any given moment, was often seen as someone who simply retaliated when deserved.

Kara’s own efforts were also a factor in the gradual fading of discrimination.

“But after all, it’s only among the students. A new student could come and hit me, right?”

“Wouldn’t Sivar hit them first instead?”

“No. Before that, we barely had any connection with new students.”

During their first year, outside of the assistants, they rarely encountered upper-classmen.

From third year onwards, it focuses more on practical activities, leading to more time spent outside the academy than inside.

At least in the second year, they’ll have connections with freshmen through their roles as assistants. But even then, it’s not a significant number.

“Well, I have a slightly different opinion.”

Grace’s view was countered by Ellie. Grace and Kara turned to look at her.

“With all kinds of strange rumors floating around, don’t you think someone would take even a little interest? Recently, one more has cropped up too.”

“Recently?”

“Yeah. The wild man enchanted people with strange footwork! Something like that.”

“Oh.”

At Ellie’s words, everyone nodded in understanding. It had happened during the festival on the day of the commemoration.

With countless outsiders coming in, rumors spread quickly, most concerning Sivar’s dance (?).

The talk of enchanting people with strange footwork and doing absurd wild dances suited a wild man.

Yet, the “culture shock” of it all had kept it in people’s conversations to this day.

“Back then… it was shocking. I thought it was a courting dance at first.”

“Ha ha! A courting dance, huh?”

“Honestly, it fits perfectly. The way he moved his hips totally looked like a courting dance.”

“It’s kind of oddly fitting. And…”

Grace frowned as a particular lyric came to mind while speaking.

A woman had a hot night and brought a kid claiming it was her child—lyrics that were a bit hard to accept.

She had completely forgotten about it, given that a monster attack occurred right after the performance. Her smile slowly faded.

“…Kara? And Ellie?”

“Hm?”

“Yes?”

“I’m just bringing this up because it’s relevant…”

Grace slowly looked back and forth between Kara and Ellie. The fierce competitors for Sivar’s affections.

All of them held feelings for Sivar that were more than just friendly and would comfort him wherever and whenever the circumstances allowed.

Though they were pulling back because of Rize’s warning, when the time came, they’d surely pounce on Sivar.

“So… how far has everyone gone with Sivar?”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone was taken aback by Grace’s sudden question. They exchanged confused glances.

Faces that clearly showed they couldn’t comprehend it. Kara was the first to speak up.

“Why are you asking that right now?”

“Because it could turn into an important topic.”

“An important topic?”

“Yes. So could you tell me the truth?”

“I only kissed him! You saw it yourself.”

– Twitch

You saw it yourself. That one line made Grace’s eyebrows twitch.

She still remembered it. How Kara had arrived first to capture Sivar during the exam.

Kara had practically devoured Sivar’s lips without hesitation. It was known that she had fainted from the impact.

“…I see. What about you, Ellie?”

“I just practiced with a peck… hehe.”

“….”

Ellie scratched her head, looking embarrassed. But nonetheless, she had certainly done it.

For Grace, that wasn’t very satisfying. The lyrics from Sivar’s performance began to replay in her mind.

Noticing Grace’s reaction, Kara raised an eyebrow.

“Why are you asking this suddenly? Planning to put us in a queue for kisses now?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just… the lyrics are bothering me.”

“The lyrics? What lyrics?”

“The ones Sivar sang while dancing. Doesn’t it feel a bit off?”

“Well…”

Kara pondered Grace’s words. Listening to just the lyrics certainly stirred a strange feeling.

If a stranger had heard them, they might have passed it off as nothing, but not they.

Considering they’re all keeping a close watch on Sivar’s purity (?), it’s natural they’d have questions.

“Now that you mention it, it is strange. Why did Sivar write such lyrics?”

“Don’t tell me Grace made a move first?”

“No, we slept together, but we haven’t done anything.”

“What? You couldn’t get any? Why not just give it to me?”

Kara chuckled as she teased Grace. From her perspective, Grace was acting foolishly.

If it had been her, she’d have jumped on it without hesitation. If there was a delicious cake sitting there, waiting would be foolish.

At that moment, Grace felt a wave of irritation but managed to calm herself down. It wouldn’t do any good to get angry now.

“Okay. I’ll let this slide just this once. Anyway, Sivar writing that lyric means… you get what I’m implying, right?”

“It means he has a secret woman, right? Like that?”

“Are you saying it’s Luna?”

Kara’s sharp comment prompted Ellie to chime in. She could only think of Luna right now.

Though they pretended to be indifferent, if you closely observed, you’d notice Luna and Sivar often chatting together, as if secretly.

To an outsider, it could easily look like they were having a rendezvous.

“Luna… she’s the most likely candidate right now.”

“I don’t think so. That idiot wouldn’t do that.”

“I think so too. Unlike others, Luna…”

While they say there’s no such thing as friendship between men and women, Sivar and Luna are exceptions. They could genuinely be considered friends.

It was easy to tell just from how they looked at each other. Distinguishing between a love-struck girl’s gaze and one devoid of feelings was simple.

Most importantly, considering Luna’s way of speaking, she’d probably strip everything bare.

“Hmm… if you all feel that way…”

Grace agreed with the opinions but raised a question.

“Oh, crap. Then who is it?”

*****

Meanwhile, at a similar time.

As the net of suspicion was tightening, Danyerin, cleverly avoiding detection, mused…

“The entrance ceremony is almost here. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Right?”

“This will be your first entrance ceremony, won’t it?”

“Yeah. It will be my first.”

“Looks like it’s our first together.”

Acting boldly, she was enjoying a secret meeting with Sivar in the adjacent room.

Danyerin lay on the bed, caressing Sivar’s cheek, giggling.

Can one be this happy just by looking? She slowly moved her hand from his cheek.

When her hand finally brushed against his lips, Danyerin whispered softly.

“There will be many firsts in the future.”

“Perhaps?”

“I wish to have your first, if possible.”

It was a double entendre, but…

“My first too.”

There was no way he wouldn’t understand what that meant.

Spring was approaching.

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