Chapter 103
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Spreading the Good Word
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That night.
Having completed their arrival schedule at Arsen Academy, the students from Eloden headed straight to their lodgings.
They were tired, and they needed a good night's rest to prepare for tomorrow's agenda.
And so the students each took their rest in the rooms assigned to them. This included the next Saintess, Laurea, as well.
“Whew.”
Letting out a short sigh,
she perched on the balcony and lifted her head.
Bathed in the cool breeze blowing from beyond the forest, she silently gazed up at the night sky.
The poignant scene was as beautiful as a painting. Though Laurea's guard, Ian, didn't see it that way at all.
There was only one reason.
The bottle of liquor in her hand.
“...Senior.”
“What?”
“I have no intention of meddling in your drinking habits, but if you're going to drink, wouldn't it be better to do it inside?”
“Nah. It's stuffy indoors.”
She pouted her lips.
Like a child throwing a tantrum. Ian let out a sigh at her firm refusal to go back inside.
“Still, isn't it better than letting the other students see you like this?”
“So what if they do? It's not illegal.”
Laurea shrugged.
In the Holy Kingdom where Eloden Academy was located, seventeen was legally considered adulthood. Meaning it had absolutely nothing to do with her, at nineteen.
“No, it's not the drinking—it's your outfit, Senior.”
“My outfit?”
Laurea tilted her head.
She had just finished showering and was clad only in a single white bathrobe.
An undignified appearance for the next Saintess.
If anyone saw her like this, it was obvious her reputation would suffer.
Meanwhile,
Laurea stared fixedly at her own attire before suddenly flashing a playful smile. Pretending to adjust the front of her robe, she shot back,
“What? Having some naughty thoughts?”
“No, not at all.”
“Huh?”
“You're completely outside my type, Senior. I don't really like drinkers, or smokers for that matter.”
His response cut like a knife.
Whoosh!
An empty bottle came flying at him out of nowhere.
And Ian caught it deftly.
As if he had anticipated it perfectly. At that moment, Laurea glared at him with flashing eyes.
“...You wanna die?”
“I was just stating the facts. Why get mad?”
“You could've prettied it up a bit.”
“You'd just get mad either way, wouldn't you? Lies don't work in front of you anyway, Senior.”
The power known as God's own blessing.
Piercing Eyes.
Before eyes that pierced straight to the essence of a being itself, no lie could hold.
Ever since learning that, Ian spoke nothing but the truth. Laurea knew this too, so she quietly shut her mouth.
A brief silence passed.
Ian smacked his lips again.
“One last plea: starting tomorrow, there are a ton of scheduled official events. So please don't overdo it like you did yesterday.”
“Got it. That's why I'm finishing with this one today.”
Laurea pulled out a fresh bottle.
Considering her tolerance, two bottles of wine didn't even qualify as overdrinking.
As Ian sighed in relief,
Laurea suddenly spoke up.
“How about it? Want a sip?”
“I'll pass. I'm on guard duty.”
“Aw, come on. They say this is the safest spot in all of Arsen Academy.”
The lodging for Eloden's delegation was a VIP building at the academy's heart. It was renowned for its ironclad security.
Elite Arsen guards stood watch, bolstered by the magic faculty's special task force.
But Ian saw it differently.
“No, it's not safe at all.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because there's a monster here.”
Ian's eyes narrowed.
He had sharp instincts by nature, a keen sixth sense. More precisely, having spent his childhood on the streets had honed his survival instincts to a razor's edge.
And so?
Ian had developed an unparalleled ability to sense danger—especially beings stronger than himself.
'In that sense...'
The barbarian he'd seen during the day was dangerous.
He'd realized it the instant he'd laid eyes on him. A fight would be certain defeat.
Ian Marcus was an Expert.
And by fully unleashing his divine power, he could wield Master-level strength for a brief moment.
Yet even he judged there to be zero chance of victory. Which left only one possibility for the opponent's identity.
'...Master realm.'
A monster who possessed a domain.
A powerhouse walking a different timeline from ordinary folk.
He had no idea why someone of that caliber was at a mere academy, but unless they were a confirmed ally, they were a threat.
'That's why I was spooked during the day.'
Because Laurea had approached Ullan without a word. Even Ian couldn't properly bring his power to bear within a Master's domain.
In other words, if the man had harbored ill intent, he wouldn't have been able to protect Laurea.
So he asked outright.
“Why'd you do that earlier?”
“Do what?”
“Suddenly bolting out during the day.”
“Oh, that?”
Laurea chuckled.
“Just curious.”
“Pardon?”
“First time seeing two souls in one body. Ah, one was dormant, but still.”
The black-haired girl, Noa Darshen.
To Laurea, who possessed Piercing Eyes, she was an intensely alien presence.
As mentioned before, a person normally had but one soul per body. Yet Noa had two coexisting.
'And...'
Noa's essence was profoundly peculiar too.
An endless darkness.
Like peering into an abyss without even a glimpse of the bottom. Just confronting that essence sent chills down her spine.
She had never encountered anything like it before, so Laurea had dubbed Noa a monster.
Meanwhile, having heard all this, Ian muttered gravely.
“...She's not an Abyss entity, is she?”
“Could be, could not. I've never properly seen an Abyss entity myself.”
But as long as they were staying in Arsen, she was definitely someone to keep an eye on.
Plus one more.
There was another figure who had piqued Laurea's interest.
“That Ullan guy was intriguing too.”
“I agree. Even I found him curious.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. You're the one who spotted your hangover at a glance for the first time, right?”
“...”
She clamped her mouth shut and turned the bottle upside down.
Ian immediately shut up as well. Laurea set the bottle down with a furrowed brow before steering the topic back.
“That man—his outside matches his inside perfectly.”
“Meaning...”
“Nothing hidden.”
“Hmm, that's surprising. Didn't you say the only one whose outside matched inside was His Holiness the Holy King?”
Laurea nodded.
Even her mentor, the Saintess who would soon step down, differed inside and out. Ian did too, and Laurea herself was no exception.
Only the Holy King, lauded as a saint, truly matched inside and out.
'Yet...'
To think a mere barbarian would be the same.
Moreover, the essence Piercing Eyes revealed in him was flame incarnate. A blaze that proved its existence through nothing but pure burning, hiding nothing.
This bore striking similarity to the Holy King's essence of light. Having met such a person for the first time in her life, Laurea couldn't help but be intrigued.
And there was one more.
Another reason to pay close attention.
“You heard about it, right?”
“About what?”
“The recent rumor from the Empire about a barbarian designated as a 0th-grade management target.”
“Ah, I heard something vaguely.”
Ian nodded.
“And a month ago, when the Abyss monster appeared at the Mana Spring, a barbarian got mentioned then too.”
At the time, the Ruben Empire had declared thus:
The one who slayed the Abyss monster emerging from the Mana Spring was Marquis Seoric Al Gorfant, one of the Empire's Five Great Swords.
However, the Holy Kingdom's intelligence division had uncovered something quite different. Namely, that another individual had confronted the monster alongside the marquis.
And that entity was—
the aforementioned barbarian.
“Do you know that barbarian's name?”
“Not that far.”
“It's Ullan Bator.”
“...!”
The moment he heard the name,
Ian's eyes went wide.
“Wait. That monster's name was definitely...!”
“Exactly. ‘Ullan.’”
Laurea grinned.
That was the very reason she'd been shocked upon hearing Ullan's self-introduction earlier that day.
The Empire's military 0th-grade management target.
The warrior who repelled an Abyss monster.
A powerhouse of such prowess that even the Expert Ian Marcus felt compelled to stay on guard.
All of it pointed to one person. Ian's gaze turned deadly serious.
“...We need to make contact.”
“We do. Even from the intel we've gathered so far, he's undeniably important.”
Laurea nodded.
Somehow, she had a feeling that conversing with that barbarian might help her interpret the contents of the oracle.
“But simple contact won't cut it.”
“Why not?”
“You think you'd spill your secrets to a total stranger that easily? To extract the info we want, we need to get friendly first.”
Since the opponent was stronger, coercion was off the table. Befriending him first, then probing for info, made the most sense.
“Shall we go with the direct approach then?”
“Hm? What method?”
“Head to the dorms, say we've come to deliver good words, and strike up a conversation. Like missionaries do.”
“...Vetoed.”
No sooner had he finished than
Laurea shook her head.
“That'd just make him wary.”
“But? The textbooks all say missions succeeded that way.”
“Obviously. They only recorded the successes.”
“Ugh, it's like that?”
“Yep.”
After delivering that harsh reality,
Laurea sighed.
“Sigh, no helping it. I'll come up with a plan regarding him, so you just follow my lead.”
“Sure thing.”
Ian nodded readily.
It was far easier that way too.
“But, Senior.”
“What now?”
“I could've sworn you said you'd stop right there.”
Ian's eyes narrowed.
Because he'd seen her set down the empty bottle and pull out a new one. She replied nonchalantly.
“Eh, must've misheard.”
“But...”
“You ever seen me actually stop at two bottles?”
“...”
True, he hadn't.
Normally, Laurea downed at least five right there in her seat.
“Fine, do whatever.”
“Giving up already?”
“Yeah. The splitting headache tomorrow's gonna be yours, not mine.”
No sooner had Ian spoken than
Laurea's eyes narrowed.
“Hey, that reply's got thorns.”
“You can feel that? Good, means you've still got a shred of conscience.”
“You little punk?”
At the sarcastic tone, Laurea turned her bottle upside down again, and Ian silently assumed his catching stance.
As they bickered like that,
the academy's night deepened.
The next morning.
Arsen Academy's academic affairs office officially announced the visit of Eloden's student delegation.
But there was no particular commotion.
Most students already knew. In fact, the number of spectators who'd gone to gawk had exceeded a hundred.
“I assume everyone knows that Eloden's student delegation arrived yesterday.”
And so?
The homeroom professor for 1st-year Class 3,
Miel Gulakas, began his lecture under the premise that the students were aware of Eloden Academy's visit.
“The official exchange period is a full two weeks. During that time, we'll hold various cultural exchanges, joint classes, tours of the Mana Spring, friendly mock battles, and more.”
He skimmed the exchange schedule before flicking out his thin, elongated tongue. Then he turned back to the students and continued.
“Additionally, since this exchange prioritizes student interactions, one student from Eloden Academy will be assigned to each class.”
The moment his explanation ended,
anticipation lit up the students' faces.
They'd known about the exchange, but hadn't expected to share a class with one.
“However, due to the delegation's circumstances, some classes may get two. And ours happens to be one of those cases.”
With that,
Professor Miel suddenly turned. He strode to the door and flung it open.
“Come on in.”
There was no need to ask who he meant. No sooner had he spoken than a man and woman entered the classroom.
Step, step!
The pair swept in, white cloaks billowing.
Their entrance
instantly stirred the classroom into a buzz.
“Hello. Good morning.”
“Pleased to meet you, fellow Arsen students.”
Facing Class 3,
the pair began their self-introductions.
“I'm Laurea Ro Sharfel, a second-year at Eloden Academy.”
“I'm Ian Marcus, first-year. Though it'll only be for a short time, I look forward to getting along with you all.”
A strikingly beautiful girl exuding a pure aura and a gentle-looking boy.
The arrival of such attractive figures with their varied charms brightened the students' faces. However, a few showed slightly different reactions.
Namely, Ullan and Noa.