Chapter 83

I was drilled in manners by Rod. I kind of expected this outcome, but I couldn’t even land a decent hit.

Even worse, Rod is still not fully healthy. He’s slowly recovering from poisoning, but his body must still be stiff.

Yet, we couldn’t even manage a fight without him going berserk. It was literally a one-sided battle.

Even someone with blue magic felt distant; I couldn’t even imagine how far behind I was from someone with purple magic. I realized just how high the sky really is.

‘How can I close this gap, even just a little?’

Let me clarify, there’s no need for me to grasp the heavenly truth. Those who do are extremely rare.

For example, if Hector and Rod went all out against each other, Rod would win with an 80% probability.

But flip it around, and that means Hector has a 20% chance of winning.

Hector is quite strong in his own right, trained through uniting tribes.

As someone who was merely an ordinary person, it’s practically impossible for me to discover the heavenly truth, so I need to grow stronger itself.

“Just to clarify, Sivar is definitely not weak. I fought him with all I had and put my heart into it,” said Rod.

“You mean the move where you zip across in a single step and counter lightning?” I replied.

“Exactly. If I were half-hearted, I would have just dodged.”

Rod defended me after I got beaten like a dog on a hot day. He was subtly proud of instilling some etiquette in me.

I almost complained that I might have hit a bit too hard, but then again, I enjoyed the comfort afterward.

“By the way, how hard did you hit Sivar to make him come back looking like a puppy?” Eli protested to Rod. She quietly hugged me when I stretched my arms out in silence.

After that, as expected, we all took a moment to relax. I rested my face on Eli’s broad heart.

Eli accepted my childishness without any complaints. I can assure you, she’s like an embodiment of an angel.

“You used that technique you were told not to use on me. I trusted your skills, but that’s a dangerously powerful move. It can hurt the user too. So I had to give you a bit of a warning,” he said.

“That warning seemed pretty intense,” I replied.

“It was a love tap. I had to sneak in some manners too.”

“I see… But please, don’t do that again. And Sivar, you should listen well to the principal, got it?”

I nodded vigorously at Eli’s request. I didn’t genuinely defy Rod; I just wanted to test things out.

I wanted to see if my lightning would even work against someone as strong as Rod. So far, I learned it did work.

But I got countered and felt the power directly. Just then, Eli started playing with my hair.

“Why is your hair so burnt? We’ll have to manage it later,” she said.

“Manage? Are you going to cut it for me?”

Kara’s question pierced my ears. There was a touch of dissatisfaction in it, for some reason.

I couldn’t see her expression since my face was buried in Eli’s chest, but it probably looked somewhat uncomfortable.

“Usually, I’d just visit a barber. But I think I can handle this much. The bangs and the tips are the only parts that are burnt, right?”

Swoosh—

Eli brushed my face away from her chest for a moment. I blinked and met her gaze.

Her delicate smile and brilliantly shining golden eyes drew me in.

“It’s funny how you don’t have much facial hair. Last time we met, you had long hair and looked like a total bushman.”

“Sivar had long facial hair too?”

“Yep. When I first met him in the Chaos Forest, he looked like a caveman. The beard even reached his chest.”

“I can’t imagine that. A clean-shaven guy now with a beard?”

Kara expressed her disbelief while looking at my face. I too found that a bit puzzling.

I have no idea how long I was stuck in the Chaos Forest, but considering how fast facial hair grows, I must have been there for quite a while.

Unless… there’s only one possibility. The Chaos Forest seems to have a weird flow of magic, which could’ve affected me.

All sorts of predators gather there due to the magical energy, and it’s the place where even Porori can become a spirit creature, so it’s plausible.

Anyway!

“Still, don’t handle him with the whip next time. Just teach him manners instead. And Sivar doesn’t have zero manners, does he?”

“Not zero, just a little lacking in sociability, that’s all.”

It was a fact, so I couldn’t argue. Technically, it’s not that I lack sociability; it just appears that way.

With demons constantly lurking around the academy, I have to pretend not to have any sociability to prepare.

This was made possible by cleverly manipulating my own perceptions. The problem is that this perception is deeply rooted now.

I won’t be able to change it even if I try. But for me, that’s actually a good thing.

‘I can act without worrying about what others think.’

I can do whatever I want without regard for others. That alone is a huge benefit.

Of course, everyone around me would probably be pulling their hair out. I’m not completely oblivious, so I’ll keep some boundaries.

“Anyway, since I’ve instilled some manners into Sivar, he probably won’t act rudely towards adults for a while. Has anything like that happened recently?”

“No, not at all. I’m listening to the professor’s words obediently,” I replied.

“That’s a relief. But then why aren’t you following my instructions?”

Rod seemed to be smoothly transitioning but then noticed something odd. He looked genuinely curious.

Feeling the weight of his curiosity, I didn’t respond. My priority was getting comfort from Eli.

“Uh… Maybe it’s because the principal hasn’t given me any candy?”

“…That’s strange, but it makes sense.”

Fortunately, Rod conceded to Luna’s highly credible assertion. But even if he had given me candy, I probably would have acted out just the same.

“But candy is a no-go. Anyone would think it’s drugs with how you’ve been acting.”

“Isn’t it about time to loosen up? There are plenty of options other than candy.”

“Candy can be hidden in your pockets. If you start indulging now, you could be setting yourself up for problems later.”

What a total old-timer move. I muttered to myself.

Thanks to Kara secretly giving me candy, I was saved, otherwise, I’d already be experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

There’s only one reason he keeps refusing: because I’ve caused him so much trouble, he’s keeping an eye on me.

“And it’s time to assess the results of Sivar’s adaptation period, so you should tone it down.”

“Adaptation period? Has that much time really passed?”

Eli asked in a slightly surprised voice. The adaptation period usually lasts around a month.

It didn’t feel like much time had passed, but apparently, that much had gone by. There’s a reason Eli is surprised.

‘When everyday life repeats, time flies by quickly.’

Since I adapted to life in the forest, I lost track of time.

I might have marked around three years, but after surpassing 1000 days, I just stopped keeping track altogether.

“Yeah, it seems everyone is leaning towards accepting Sivar now. Though some professors still have issues with it, it’s at a manageable level.”

“What reasons did they give for rejecting Sivar? I have a rough idea.”

“Surprisingly, for the same reasons as Kara. In Sivar’s case, it was a bit worse. They said he was better off than others.”

“Unbelievable. Nothing has changed.”

Kara scoffed, clearly astonished. Given she went through the adaptation period herself, she would know how things flow.

“Anyway, is it a positive sign?”

“Indeed. Sivar has caused a few mischiefs, but mostly related to property damage.”

As Rod said that, he shot me a piercing glare. The moment I caught his gaze, I dove back into Eli’s chest.

I only tried to gauge the mood for a moment, but it was way too harsh. I’m not trying to get into trouble here!

“Ultimately, the fact that he hasn’t hurt anyone is a huge plus. During duels, even during the Survival Training, everyone let things slide. Well, there were comments about using excessive force due to the power disparity, but they forgave him.”

While I was enjoying Eli’s head pats to relieve my grievances, Rod continued.

It was clear he was trying to dig up dirt on me. But I swear, I’ve never used violence against people.

To be precise, I did use violence; however, it was contextually appropriate—I never swung without reason.

‘Actually, there was one person I targeted.’

Delphoi, who had crossed the line with Luna, doesn’t count. He had it coming, so I intervened.

If the one trying to dig dirt is Delphoi, I can sort of understand why. I just hope he doesn’t cling to that one incident for dear life.

“Looks like the period’s over, so you’ll be busy for a while. You’ll have to get a school uniform tailored and Sivar’s freedom will increase.”

“Increasing freedom means…”

“It means no more guardians. And most importantly, you’ll be assigned a personal dormitory.”

Personal dormitory. As someone who had lived under the same roof with Rod, that’s truly a mind-boggling statement.

Moreover, this means no one will always be attached to me. I can start as a civilized individual.

“Doesn’t Sivar still need some protection? If he’s left alone without a care, who knows what might happen…”

Eli wrapped her arms around my head, expressing her concern in earnest.

Her point is valid; sudden shifts in situations can lead to unexpected outcomes.

I’d be fine with having more alone time, but anyone looking from the outside would surely be fretful.

No one knows where I might wander off next or what trouble I might cause. Thus, guardians were assigned to stay by my side.

“Other professors share those concerns. However, they insisted on needing to differentiate and must assign personal dormitories. If things don’t change after admission, rumors of favoritism may arise.”

“Favoritism? They’re probably just waiting for me to mess up.”

Kara voiced her negative opinion. She had a point.

There are countless people who view even her negatively. If she’s facing that, I can only imagine what they would say about me.

I’m like a ticking time bomb; if it blows up, they’ll be ready to pounce.

“So, I’ve thought of a solution. Sivar.”

“?”

At Rod’s call, I lifted my head with a confused look.

“How about spending some time with Rize for now?”

“…What?”