Chapter 412

Sivar and Hector’s clash started to spread all over Tartar. It was a highly interesting matter to begin with.

Even if it wasn’t just the two of them dueling, Tartar could firmly engrain the name ‘Sivar’ in their memories.

The talent of Tartar in the Dongnai era couldn’t even hold a candle to his skills. Not to mention, the scars all over his body.

Although it was a pity that he was just an Academy Student, Tartar was a place that revered the strong.

If people liked him, they liked him; nobody outright hated him. In fact, all sorts of stories started pouring out.

“He had red eyes? Didn’t he drink a ton here?”

“Not just drinking. He practically cleaned out all the food we had.”

“Did he even pay?”

“Gave a lump sum and said he didn’t need change!”

“What a great friend!”

Even though he was an outsider, everyone was praising his neatness and kindness, claiming that our culture suits him well, and all that jazz.

Especially since he looked just like a local, most people treated him as a mixed-blood.

While the locals’ fondness for Sivar was on the rise, there were folks experiencing a decline in their reputation.

“By the way, did you hear about the head of the Bouar family?”

“I heard he got completely wrecked.”

“Rumor has it he asked His Majesty for Princess Kara?”

“What? No way! Did he really ask for the princess after losing so pathetically?”

That was none other than Uro, head of the Bouar family, who got his ribs nearly crushed by Sivar.

As of now, he was recuperating in the hospital. Usually, he’d be stuck there for at least a few weeks.

But maybe because rumors about him were usually not good. Or perhaps it was because he dared to mention Kara, who knows?

The locals mocked Uro.

“I heard His Majesty is going to personally admonish him. They said there’s no such thing as patient privilege.”

“Hah! That’s a comforting thing to hear. That young lad keeps wanting to fight.”

Most of those holding poor views about Uro were older locals.

They were mostly people who had experienced the tribal integration ‘war.’ They understood well how precious the peace they had gained was.

“Still, what the head of the Bouar family said makes some sense, doesn’t it? Why do we have to keep worrying about the neighboring countries?”

Of course, that wasn’t the case for all Tartarians. Especially amongst the younger folks, the hotblooded youth supported Bouar.

These were people who poured their passion into a heart full of pride and self-respect. There were quite a few who supported him.

“Then are we going to live like tribes did ten years ago? If so, I’ll personally see to it.”

“That’s different. I certainly respect our magnificent Majesty. But aren’t we bowing our heads a bit too much…”

“Hey! You! Didn’t I tell you to stop saying such things? You’ve clearly seen how strong the Academy Students are!”

“…”

But due to this recent duel, those talks diminished to some extent. They had clearly witnessed the power of the Academy Students.

Especially Sivar’s emergence dealt a huge shock to the young folks. To think someone so young could fight evenly with Hector?

As they say in the East, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times. The effect was clearly evident.

“Our country? Hah! We’ve got nothing except water and resources. We can only farm near rivers, what happens if trade is cut off?”

“What happens then?”

“Of course, you starve, you fool! Have you ever gone hungry during a war, or suffered from dehydration? Don’t say such things again!”

At such times, the voice of the hardliners dwindled drastically, but there was one particularly quiet place.

So quiet that silence descended. Strangely, it wasn’t in Tartar.

It was the Academy professors who had come to Tartar for experiential learning.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

In the makeshift conference room, a silence as still as a grave fell.

Not one person easily opened their mouth. Their faces were stiff, firmly reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

How long did time pass in such silence? After a while, one of the professors, who had been staring down, finally spoke.

“…I think we all share similar thoughts.”

It was Malboro. Stern before students but friendly in private.

However, this was a public matter that was quite serious, so he couldn’t help but be serious.

“There’s going to be enormous pressure on us from all sides moving forward.”

“…Do you really believe that?”

Yeonhwa cautiously began to speak. Her tone had the hint of searching for hope.

In response to that question, Sara spoke in a low voice.

“We have no choice but to believe it. There’s already far too much that’s been shown.”

“The Destroyer King being lenient…”

“Does it look like he was lenient?”

“…”

With Sara’s clear rebuttal, Yeonhwa was left speechless. She had also thoroughly witnessed the duel.

Initially, it seemed like Sivar was the one pushing, but once the lightning struck, everything changed.

It wasn’t a duel; it was combat. And that combat was so intense that everything around was left in ruins.

After the professors evacuated all the Academy students, they all sat down to watch until the end.

However, as the fight dragged on, the effects of the lightning began encroaching on the audience’s area, forcing them to evacuate again.

“Even if it’s said he showed leniency, it doesn’t change the evaluation of Sivar.”

“I wouldn’t last three minutes against the Destroyer King.”

“Red Lightning was unexpected too.”

The professors nodded at Godin’s words. Above all, Red Lightning was the most shocking.

They all knew that Sivar’s magic power was red. They were just silent, thinking about the strange rumors that might circulate.

But this time at the duel, he had showcased Red Lightning. The lightning was a blessing and ability granted by the deity Gulrak.

“Didn’t you say you were from the Gaia sect?”

“I did. That’s why there’s been less pressure until now.”

“Well, now Gulrak himself has proved that he’s his father…”

Until now, the Gaia sect had kept a close watch, so they couldn’t approach carelessly.

Even with the protection of the Saint, Rize, there were still uneasy feelings.

However, with this incident, it became evident that even Gulrak was backing him.

From now on, the Gulrak sect would refer to Sivar as ‘brother.’ If the Gaia sect maligns him as a demon, they would counter immediately.

“What do you think will happen next?”

“It’s safe to say we’re in deep trouble, right?”

“It’s sad that it’s undeniable.”

It’s not just about religion, but Sivar’s military might would spread across the world.

Not just a lottery ticket that hasn’t been scratched; it’s a guaranteed winner now.

Plus, considering his age, he would only grow stronger from here, making him a drool-worthy talent.

The professors teaching that talent would face various political pressures. Among them, there was one they were particularly worried about.

“Yeonhwa.”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to be okay? The East will surely be watching closely.”

Yeonhwa, who’s from the Eastern Johan, and is also Yeon-joo’s sister, was the professor in question.

However, the current state in the East was unusual. Yeonhwa would face even more severe pressure than others.

Being the professor teaching Sivar, it was unavoidable. Yeonhwa seemed to have anticipated it, giving a wry smile.

“If it gets tough, I’ll just resign. And…”

“And?”

“…Forget it. It’s family-related.”

“Hmm.”

Upon mentioning family, the other professors didn’t pry any further.

They were faced with a problem much more significant than that. They continued their meeting diligently.

“Can we truly teach Sivar, though? He’s so strong.”

“Maybe if we think of it as personality education, it would be easier?”

“But Sivar is nice. You want to teach personality education to a nice guy? How?”

“Well… he did pull out a tongue last time, but…”

“…That’s true too.”

The professors also felt firsthand that Sivar was benevolent.

Not sometimes, but he often caused property damage; however, he had no issues with human relationships.

Most of the incidents that could be problematic were mostly due to the other side’s fault.

“Couldn’t we just let him graduate early?”

“Unfortunately, there’s no system for early graduation at the Academy, only for repeating.”

“There have been talents stronger than professors before.”

“But not as strong as Sivar.”

“…”

The professors’ meeting stretched on for a long time. Sivar’s treatment was more complicated than expected.

But no clear solution arose. The biggest hurdle was that he had no background.

If he were from some country, the professors would do their jobs more easily. But Sivar had no background at all.

Not just no background; he had come from the Chaos Forest to civilization. This was an unprecedented situation.

“If one of the students marries him…”

“Marry? In this situation? It’s a miracle if he doesn’t get assassinated.”

“Still, wouldn’t the Verche Duke’s Family show some interest?”

“Seeing as Kara’s got her eyes wide open?”

Rebuttals were exchanged back and forth. Malboro, taken aback, replied incredulously.

“How come he can only charm highborn ladies? At this rate, they’ll say he charmed the Eastern princess too.”

“The Eastern princess? You mean Danyerin?”

In response to Godin’s question, Yeonhwa looked up, appearing thoughtful.

Then, after recalling Danyerin, she shook her head with a smile.

“Oh no, it’s probably not. You might as well say he charmed the Frozen princess.”

“Our princess…”

Sara paused as if struck by a memory. Suddenly, she recalled the time Sivar and Reina were chewing on a bear. Considering that, they might actually get along quite well.

But still, this was not the time. Sara quickly shook her head and spoke again.

“From just hearing it, it sounds like Sivar is a womanizer. Isn’t it just the rumors clouding our judgment?”

“Rumors aside, haven’t we often seen them bickering?”

“…”

Going through thoughts over and over, there was still no suitable solution. The storm had already begun to rage.

In truth, Sivar was calm like the eye of the storm. He must be the one feeling the most at ease right now.

Malboro let out a long sigh, then spoke in a weary voice.

“…For now, we just have to focus on work. Let’s try our best to deal with whatever pressure comes our way.”

“That sounds like the best method. But if Sivar struggles…”

“Then the Chancellor will step in, so there’s no need to worry.”

When Malboro mentioned the final line of defense, everyone nodded in agreement. In any case, Rod’s status was solid.

Then once again, Malboro sighed and muttered quietly.

“Life was way easier back when he was just a wildling.”

“What do you mean by a wildling?”

At Yeonhwa’s question, Malboro chuckled and responded.

“A total troublemaker.”

No one dared to counter that.

*****

And so time passed by, and the day after the duel arrived. Normally, it would have been the last day of experiential learning.

“Do you confess to your crimes?”

“…”

“If you don’t speak, I will force you to.”

In the Tartar palace, what was effectively a punishment began to unfold.

---