Lessons in Letters and Manners
The day after his health checkup, formal education truly began. Lord started teaching me how to read and write. Aside from mealtimes, I didn't step outside. Even when we did go out, Lord kept a sharp eye on me at all times. It was probably because of that incident with the church steeple and the rock. Sure, I'd only tossed it in passing as a greeting, but to everyone else, it must've looked insane. No regrets, though. I brushed off the status window saying my Faith had dropped. Nothing else went down, so who cares?
Normally, there's a stat penalty for that kind of stunt.
Throw a rock at a church steeple just for kicks? Your stats get permanently shaved off. Since it's the Faith stat, plenty of players who weren't in Faith-related jobs did it for fun. Me? I was just pissed. They turned me into this, so I had to insult them at least once.
"Repeat after me. Apple."
Anyway, Lord's lessons proceeded ordinarily. Having confirmed I could understand speech after the checkup, he started with basic words.
"Shit."
"Apple."
"Shit."
"Ap-ple."
"Sh-it."
"……"
Of course, understanding speech didn't mean I'd pick up the language overnight. Language disorders aside, even learning to read was a struggle. Words were especially tough. If I couldn't comprehend spoken words, my future would've been pitch black.
Grammar's fucked, though.
Words were manageable. But grammar? That was true despair. I had to claw at it desperately just to grasp the basics. Listening was fine; reading and writing were the killers. I could barely pick out a few words.
"Words come with effort. Let's try again. Do you understand what this is?"
"Shit."
"……I'm realizing I have no talent for teaching."
Still, as Lord saw me gradually picking up letters, he focused on the lessons. He didn't shove aside his regular duties, though. From what I gathered, he was the type who finished work before playing. He grumbled about not even getting playtime because of me, stuck doing unwanted tutoring.
"Hello, Sivar! What'd you learn today?"
"Shit (lots)."
"Same as ever. But you must've learned plenty, right?"
After lessons ended, Ellie would visit to teach me letters, Porori in tow as a bonus. While receiving her instruction, I glanced at Porori. The squirrel was cracking some acorn it'd scavenged from who-knows-where. True to form, it devoured it neatly. Cute and chubby as it looked, its temper was foul.
"Ellie, you're bringing that spirit to class too?"
"No, I leave him outside during lessons. He comes back to me on his own after."
"Being a spirit, no worries there."
I'd do the same. It had the confidence to return on time. As I eyed Porori enviously, its reaction was a sight.
"Kahng (idiot)."
One corner of its mouth curled up mockingly. I wanted to smack it. But doing that here could spell trouble. Ellie might scold me. Swallowing my rising anger, I endured the lesson.
"Wow, you wrote exactly what I said? Already at this level? Sivar, you're a genius!"
A day in, I handled simple spelling and dictation with ease.
"Candy? No can do. Your teeth might rot out."
Two days later, I could write words on my own without dictation.
"Conversations are starting to click a bit, right?"
"Roughly. As long as he picks words carefully, it won't be impossible."
By the third day, shaky communication was possible. Sentences remained tough. As mentioned, listening was easy; reading and writing dragged me down. Still, basic communication was massive progress. My language disorder lingered, but it'd improve with time—no issue.
Time to hint about the poison in the candy, slowly.
I doubted they'd believe me outright. Lord trusted the herbalist doctor enough to make her his personal physician. No way he'd buy a few words from me. Better to plant seeds of doubt gradually than blow it up at once. Then Lord would naturally suspect demonic meddling. But since the academy collapse targeted him specifically, I had to proceed carefully for his safety. Top-tier demons were tough even for him. The moment he investigated directly, the demons would notice, and difficulty would skyrocket. Even in the game, that delicate tug-of-war was a pain.
"Knowing words is one thing; understanding our speech is key. He needs to grasp the meaning of actions."
"That doesn't seem solvable short-term."
"Hmm……"
Mastering words was good news, but a tougher task loomed: teaching me the meaning of behaviors and basic common sense. Essential for normal life. Without it, endless troubles awaited. But even that didn't guarantee social skills.
"How about teaching forbidden actions first, before full understanding? Sivar still struggles to judge for himself."
"Setting up stopgaps first, eh."
"Yes. I read in a book about someone raised wild……"
Whatever they chattered about, I buried myself in the fairy tale Elvin had given me. Per Ellie, it was about a hero slaying a demon king. Since real history had a hero banishing one, it could pass as a history book. I pieced together known words for context, studying diligently.
"Sivar."
As I read intently, Ellie called me. I turned her way. Her softly glowing golden eyes met mine directly. Her beaming smile was charming.
"I'm gonna teach you what not to do from now on. You'll follow along, right?"
She emphasized with an outstretched index finger. Unlike Lord's dutiful tone, she seemed genuinely enjoying it. I already knew it all—play dumb or go along? Either way, befriending Ellie was fine. Flatfish face aside, she was a walking potion. Plus Porori meant safety.
I turned fully, ready to hear her out.
"First, no hitting people without reason. Especially you, Sivar—you're strong, so control it well. Got it?"
I nodded at her explanation. No reason to use force unless provoked first. Even if I did, Lord would shut it down instantly. That's why he kept me close.
"Good. And…… right! No stealing. You know what stealing is?"
Ellie diligently listed more no-nos: don't say hurtful words carelessly, don't act on whims, etc. Mostly morals, so nothing new. But I listened. She explained with real effort. For some reason, she felt responsible. Makes sense—she brought me here, convincing reluctant Luna.
I owed her for escaping that damn forest.
"Hmm…… anything else needed? President?"
"Speak."
"Have you given Sivar sex ed by any chance?"
"……"
Her enthusiasm even flustered Lord. We decided to handle sex ed slowly. From there, basic morals to simple common sense. For quicker adaptation and story involvement, I feigned keen interest. They loved it since I "knew" it all.
About a week into their tutoring……
"Repeat. Ellie."
"Shit."
"El-lie."
"Sh-it."
Words progressed steadily, but my language disorder showed no sign of budging. I tried, but no dice. Ellie puzzled over my stagnant vocabulary.
"Weird. The book said consistent talk fixes it."
"What book is this? Now I'm curious."
"A guy born wild grows up with monkeys, later meets a civilized explorer."
Sounds like Tarzan. But Lord's reaction suggested no such tale here.
"Maybe it varies by person. Still, he understands speech, so good teaching should suffice."
"Enrollment still tough?"
"Enrollment's hard…… but if he listens well……"
Lord trailed off, eyeing me. I met his gaze. How to convince them? My disorder made them hesitant. Solution: write it out, slip in demands too.
I painstakingly wrote words on paper, one letter at a time, then showed Lord the finished sentence.
Give candy. Obey quietly.
"……Haha."
Lord chuckled heartily at my note. Amused, but with a hint of pride. My real goal was story access, not candy—just baiting the misconception.
"See? That work now?"
"Of course not."
"Shit?"
Why not? Candy makes me obey. As I feigned confusion, Ellie looked equally surprised at Lord's refusal. He tugged his neat mustache, listing reasons.
"Sivar needs adaptation time. Force enrollment and he fails? Trouble all around. He'll go through an adaptation period with field experience for now."
"Adaptation period? Like that?"
"Tatar princess did it once. Officially enrolled this year."
Right, that setting. Kara was about two years older than other characters because of it. The period was just a month, which she passed smoothly for enrollment. She caused post-enrollment headaches, but her heart was good. Unless provoked.
"She was supposed to enroll last year, but homeland issues delayed it."
"So if Sivar passes adaptation, he enrolls?"
"More debates than for the Tatar princess. But candy for obedience? Promising."
"Thought your recommendation sealed it……"
"Adaptation's for special cases only. Sivar's one."
Behave a month straight? Tricky. No clear "adapted" benchmark. I'd pull quirky stunts midway. Unavoidable for smooth first arc clear: academy collapse.
Act as normal as possible.
As I resolved inwardly, Lord scanned me top to bottom, nodded, and spoke.
"Combat track's set. Need someone to watch him closely……"
He soon summoned the obvious choice.
"Top student makes sense, but why me……?"
My future excellent shuttle, Elvin, came bundled in. He looked baffled at his inclusion. Figured Luna would handle it solo.
"You know Sivar best anyway. Luna alone couldn't manage him. Right?"
"……"
Luna, first to arrive, gave an awkward smile without answering. Unlike Elvin's confusion, she seemed unsurprised—maybe foresaw it. She glanced at me, wryly smiling.
"We'll do our best."
"Good, good. Elvin?"
"……I'll follow orders."
Lord beamed alternately at them. Like a veteran sergeant flexing on green recruits. A fine sight.
"Finish adaptation well, and I'll personally teach you two fine techniques. How's that?"
"No other needs, sir?"
"As ordered."
They couldn't resist that. Both snapped to disciplined tones at Lord's offer. Almost burst out laughing at the skit.
"Monitors set…… now need a reporting professor……"
"Report to you, President?"
"I'm not always free. Consider my absences too. Who……"
Lord pondered, staring at the ceiling. No one came to mind.
"Ask Sivar?"
"Hm?"
"Someone he knows a bit would be comfy. Professor Malboro even bathed him."
Ellie chimed in timely with a solid compromise. Lord approved, eyeing me. All gazes followed.
"Heard? Which professor?"
"Sivar doesn't know professors' names."
"Faces he'll remember."
I knew well. Distinctive faces, unforgettable. Good chance to bond with one.
Obviously the pushover—no, Godin.
The kind professor who rewarded any kindness manifold. I started writing his name, then paused. Did I ever hear professors' names? Ellie was right—uncertain. Tricky for others, but Godin had a clear trait. I set paper and pen aside, placed index fingers at eye corners.
Steeetch—
Pulling to mimic Godin's signature squinted eyes. Probably near slits now.
"Uh……"
"Hmm……"
"……"
But reactions were off. Lord and all looked horrified. Sensing the mood, I dropped my hands. What went wrong? In the weird tension, Elvin spoke first.
"……Thank heavens no Easterners here."
Ellie next.
"……Sivar seems Eastern-ish anyway? Pale skin, but features fit."
Luna scolded her last.
"Ellie. Race aside, that's a no-go. We must teach anti-discrimination properly."
Ah, right. Racism existed here. Game avoided controversy visually, but text-hinted it. Slant eyes at an Easterner? Instant life-or-death. Westerners had their own racist gestures too.
"Sivar, never do that to folks like us. Watch."
Ellie placed hands on cheeks, stretched downward. Her cute face turned comical. Unlike slow-aging Easterners, Westerners wrinkled fast. That mocked it. Hilarious, really.
I listened silently, then wrote and showed my point.
Racist. Hit. Okay?
New word, spelled rough. If they got it, fine. Ellie nodded vigorously.
"Obviously. Deserves it."
"Ellie."
"What? Uneducated scum don't belong in the academy. Right, President?"
Lord shrugged at her question.
"Sivar might not grasp it, but yeah, acceptable. Racists get expelled anyway."
"Hear that?"
"Haa……"
Luna sighed deeply. Instinct said trouble brewing. I wouldn't rampage unprovoked. As long as they didn't start it.
……This'll be rough.
Even I thought so.