Black History (1)
Maybe because exams were coming up next week, the weekend flew by in a flash. Luna and Kara were busy strategizing with their teams and didn't come to see me, while I was occupied with chores in the forest. The one silver lining was that Ellie stopped by my dorm right when I was getting bored, keeping me company. She was swamped preparing for finals too.
"Studying? Aren't you studying?"
"Nah? The professor said no written test, just practicals. And those are brutal."
"That's normal?"
"Nope. Just me, apparently. Everyone else is doing theory classes."
Ellie really was overflowing with talent. How did someone like her end up buried in the countryside? Luna was from a rural area too, but she'd been scouted by a master. Ellie got in on pure merit.
But does Ellie even have friends?
That thought had crossed my mind before. I'd never seen her hanging out with anyone else. With her looks and figure, she should've been popular, but she was always scurrying around solo. Good thing no sleazy guys approached her just for her appearance. Maybe being alone was safer.
Still, not having even a single same-class girlfriend seemed off... maybe there was a problem.
I asked carefully.
"Ellie."
"Yeah?"
"No friends? In your major."
"Nope?"
Straight question, straight answer. She even looked at me like, What's wrong with that?
I was pretty thrown by her response, but she brushed it off like it was no big deal.
"At first, some people tried getting close. But they were all shady creeps. One even groped my chest while I was dozing off."
"Who?"
I'll go beat the crap out of him. That lit a real fire in me.
Ellie noticed my anger and waved her hands, trying to calm me down.
"Don't worry. They vanished after a while. Fried by lightning or something?"
"Lightning? Porori... no, Ratatosk?"
"Dunno that far. But every guy who approached me got zapped, so maybe? They started calling me 'cursed child blessed by Gulrak,' and no one came near after."
Porori was slacking off in style but actually working hard. Now I trusted him a bit more.
Just as I was genuinely relieved, Ellie grinned and dropped something pretty vicious.
"If it wasn't that, I'd have gone straight to the president myself. They'd all get expelled."
"......"
She was ready to call in the big guns. And with Grace's recent incident, she was extra sensitive. She might look fragile, but her resolve was steel-solid. That explained her guts to venture into the forest alone.
But her guts led to reckless stunts. Last time, she found some new herb and got poison ivy or whatever.
"Anyway, you were worried about me? That's so touching. Hug as a reward."
"Yeah."
She spread her arms wide, and I dove right in without hesitation. Soft, warm bliss enveloped my whole body. I wanted to stay like this forever.
"Brother Sivar really loves hugs, doesn't he."
Until Lize spoke up from behind.
As I said, Ellie had come to my dorm—with Lize in tow, of course. She was in saint form, not Kwonseong mode. And time had restored her massive holy power pouch to full.
"Yes. You know Sivar grew up wild, right Saintess? Seems like that's why he loves hugs like this."
Ellie stroked my head gently as she replied. Her embrace was saintly in the truest sense. (Ignore the actual saint right there.) Just a figure of speech.
"Fascinating. He never asked me once while we lived together."
"Really? Weird. You're just as huggable, Saintess. Any reason?"
"......"
I dodged the question hard. Hugging Lize felt... off. Her hulking Kwonseong form came to mind. That giant holy pouch probably wasn't soft—more like rock-hard.
And it's fake anyway.
Saying that outright would get me an earful from Lize. I pretended not to hear.
She couldn't read my mind, so she'd never know. Probably chalk it up to us not being close enough yet.
"He's quiet. Guess the Saintess still feels intimidating."
"I see. I'm available anytime—just say the word."
"Yeah."
I basked in Ellie's arms for a blissful while. No one to nag; pure relaxation. But all good things end.
Recharge complete, I slipped away. Ellie pouted regretfully. Tough luck—she'd endure.
"Ellie."
"Yeah?"
"Coming to the party after exams?"
"Oh, the freshman banquet? Gotta go. You and the others will be there, right?"
"Dress?"
In Soul World, Ellie showed up in casuals, not a dress. As a commoner, money was tight, but she said she just preferred comfy clothes. She didn't care for stares, and her looks drew enough attention anyway—no dress needed.
"Whatever I'm wearing. What about you, Sivar?"
"Getting fitted. Weekend after exams."
"Cool. Mind if I tag along? Curious how you'll do it."
Perfect. Natural as could be. Time to buy Ellie a dress. I had cash to burn. Should cover her dress, no problem. Bonus: grab one for Luna too.
Luna made bank from stocks, but formal wear wasn't cheap.
Casuals are one thing, but dress clothes are insanely pricey.
Even on Earth, proper clothing access came post-Industrial Revolution. Mass factory production enabled variety; before that, handmade only. Santia's tech had lowered commoner prices, but noble finery? Still exorbitant.
"The freshman banquet... I'd love to join, but I must sit it out. My presence would complicate things."
"What'll you do then, Saintess?"
"Pray for events that would please Lord Chaos."
"......"
Don't say ominous stuff already. It felt too plausible—scarier that way.
The weekend passed, and finals loomed. The exam site was like midterms structurally, but different locations. As the world's largest academy, they had plenty of venues.
"Attention all. Teams will split soon for the exam. It's important, but personal safety is paramount—stay sharp. Team leaders will also get paper for mapping."
Unlike midterms, they'd draw their own maps. Fun twist.
Luna and Kara, as team leads, received paper. Marlboro continued.
Key castle at center; outward, siege weapons and supplies maybe. Crucially, my position? Unknown—find me themselves.
"Sivar, follow me. Got a spot prepped till teams hunt you down."
As teams headed to castles, Marlboro took me aside. The site evoked medieval times: plains, forests, hills. And the all-important castle, visible from a hilltop fork.
Pretty tall.
Not called a castle for nothing. Mini version, but defensible for 10. High enough for ladders. No moat—dig post-capture, I guess.
"See that castle? Might be yours to take. Damage moderately—no total wrecking. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Haha. Godin slaved building it—poor guy's heartbroken."
They'd upped difficulty post-test. Bare-hand cannon toss? Probably impossible. But I had an ace up my sleeve—no sweat. Just pity the defending team.
We trekked long, entering forest. Chose it 'cause it felt like home?
"Here—your pad till end. Meals morning, noon, night. Toys too—no boredom."
"Oh."
But I was wrong.
A cozy lone cabin in the woods—like a hermit's hut. Sparked curiosity.
"Books for you, magic orb for music. How to activate?"
"Dunno."
"Easy. Channel a bit of mana like..."
Fwosh!
Marlboro touched the green orb; it lit up. First time seeing one—intriguing.
Then crackle—sweet song flowed out. Not just instruments; a singer. In this era, classics or opera norm—solo artist? Wild.
"Over 50 tracks—decent. Tap once: pause/play. Twice: next. Hold: previous. Clear?"
"Yeah."
"For immersion, wear this. New Santia invention."
He handed headphones—not earbuds, full coverage. Slipped on: crystal-clear sound, killer quality. Wireless? Fantasy tech rocks.
"Expensive—don't break. Though you'll probably smash it anyway..."
"Mm. Mm-hmm."
"Already hooked. First time hearing music?"
First. Never cared before—forgot it existed.
While I zoned into tunes, Marlboro explained odds and ends, then left. Last warning: leave forest, no return. Nodded—headphones still on.
"Eh~ Eh-heh~"
I lived with headphones all day. Long-overdue tunes hit different. Never dreamed it'd backfire later.
"Dah. Da-da. Da-da-da-da."
But damn, the songs slapped.
******
Meanwhile, the professors...
"Look at him dance. Kinda cute."
"Body of a man, actions of a kid."
"Hahaha. Live-viewing Sivar's goofy groove."