Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Why Are You Coming Out From There?
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Ullan, who had passed out, didn't regain consciousness until quite some time had passed.
To be exact, it was thanks to the inspector who came to deliver dinner and woke him up. The man stared at Ullan with utter bewilderment.
"Why leave a perfectly good bed and..."
He was probably wondering why Ullan was sleeping on the floor.
Guessing the rest, Ullan replied in a nonchalant tone.
"I fell asleep reading a book."
"...On the floor?"
"That's right."
The inspector wore a complicated expression.
But he quickly made sense of it. Coming from a barbarian background, the floor might feel more natural than a desk.
Having cleared up the considerable misunderstanding,
he looked at Ullan again.
"Your statement has been properly relayed to the higher-ups."
While Ullan had been unconscious,
the inspector had completed his duties. He'd handed over all the collected materials to Dean Berze and even finalized the date for the committee assembly.
"The committee convenes in two days. We'll push for as much leniency as possible to reduce your punishment, so just behave until then. No incidents."
"Understood."
Ullan nodded obediently.
Unlike their first meeting, Ullan had been reasonably compliant lately. Trusting him, the inspector turned to leave.
"Rest up, then. See you in the morning."
With that farewell,
the inspector exited the room. Ullan then wolfed down the meal in the blink of an eye.
Cleanly, without leaving a single crumb.
He drained every drop of water too, but Ullan still looked somehow dissatisfied.
The reason was simple.
"...Not enough."
The portion was pathetically inadequate.
Of course, it wasn't the inspector's fault.
He'd thoughtfully packed more than two servings. The issue was that Ullan normally scarfed down over five.
And so,
grrrroooowl!
his stomach kicked up a fuss, demanding more.
Ullan smacked his lips wistfully.
"Wish there was more to eat."
He wanted to hit the cafeteria for seconds, but that wasn't an option.
It would violate the restrictions against leaving the dormitory area or encountering others.
"But even staying put like this..."
It's a problem. Hunger sapped his focus and, worse, made sleep elusive. As he pondered repeatedly,
whoooosh!
a cool breeze wafted in through the window.
Bringing the scent of the forest.
"Ah."
Ullan reflexively looked up.
His gaze fixed beyond the window on the vast forest stretching behind the dormitory. The sight jogged a memory.
"Right. Come to think of it..."
A fact he'd learned on a past stroll:
deep in that forest grew trees heavy with fruit—including some Ullan favored.
The kind where one big bite unleashed a sweet, fragrant burst of cool juice. Just recalling them made his mouth water.
"Maybe fill up on those."
Ullan rose.
He briefly wondered if it broke restrictions, but decided no. The forest abutted the dormitory directly, so it counted as "surroundings."
No risk of running into anyone either.
It was 7 p.m. now.
Professors had clocked out hours ago; students were in dorms, the cafeteria, or the library. No one wandered the dark, deserted woods.
With that,
Ullan grinned in satisfaction.
"A quick trip should be fine."
Logic secured,
he threw open the window.
Wind thick with forest aroma. Breathing it deep, Ullan leaped out.
Thump! Rustle-rustle!
But not a blatant drop to the ground.
Noise might draw someone. Instead, he hugged the wall and descended swiftly.
Once grounded,
Ullan vanished into the forest.
His target: the depths.
The heart of the Eastern Forest.
Around the same time,
Noa headed for the library.
Her plan had been a quick visit to Ullan for a check-in, but it fell through.
Thanks to his suspension.
'Guess I won't see him for a while.'
Thirty days total.
A whole month without Ullan? Noa felt oddly hollow.
But only briefly.
At her destination, she brushed aside distractions and bowed to Erban, the librarian seated on the first floor.
"Hello, sir."
"Ah, Noa."
The keeper of the freshman library,
Erban welcomed her with a smile.
Naturally so. Noa had stamped her presence daily these past few days.
Always with polite greetings.
A stark contrast to students who ignored librarians. How could he not take a liking?
"Good timing. That material you requested just arrived."
"Really?!"
Noa's face lit up.
Four days prior,
Noa had visited for research: probing links between Cirpi Rudric and Kazan Rudric.
'Wasn't available here.'
So she'd put in a request at the academy's largest, the Central Library. Today, day four, it arrived.
Meanwhile, Erban rummaged shelves and produced a book for her.
A somewhat tattered, worn volume.
The title soon came into view:
【The Life of Kazan Rudric】
Noa's eyes sparkled.
Not a perfect match, but records on Kazan might yield clues.
As she clutched it,
Erban suddenly spoke up.
"Fine to read here, but if borrowing, tuck it in your bag. Everything on the Desert Kingdom is Empire-forbidden."
She got it instantly.
Could draw bad looks from Empire faculty or students.
Noa nodded promptly.
"Thank you for the heads-up."
"No trouble. Study well."
With his warm send-off,
Noa headed to the second-floor reading room. Borrowing for the dorm would've been easier, but she had no urge to return today.
Her roommate,
Belkina Rudishant, had been extra prickly. Recalling her furrowed Noa's brow.
'Ugh, really want a room change.'
Better off with Ullan.
At least he didn't nitpick or meddle. Grumbling inwardly, Noa took a seat.
'Alright, now...'
Time for Kazan Rudric's biography.
Eyes alight with curiosity,
Noa opened the book.
Kazan Rudric.
Hero of the ancient Desert Kingdom.
Born with a blessed physique, he wielded not just battle prowess but the gift to commune with beasts, records say.
Thus he formed a beast legion, earning the moniker King of Beasts. Noa looked mildly surprised reading this far.
'What? A hybrid type?'
Kazan: great hero, great warrior.
She'd assumed pure fighter like Ullan, not druid-warrior mix.
Quite the twist. Fascinated, Noa read on.
Master-level combat.
Beast-commanding power besides.
With his legion, Kazan swept the desert, folding scattered tribes into the kingdom, uniting them.
The outcome?
In three years, the Desert Kingdom ballooned to unprecedented size—rivaling the Empire of the era.
But glory was fleeting.
The 'Seven Days of Calamity' struck the desert. Here, Noa's gaze darkened.
'One of the continent's great catastrophes.'
Seven Days of Calamity: original work's biggest hook.
A desert-wide event; records claim seven nights with no dawn.
'...That's all they say.'
No further explanations anywhere. Nobody knows what transpired.
Noa refocused calmly. Clues might lurk here.
But no details. Only that post-calamity, over half the kingdom vanished root and stem.
The Desert Kingdom entered decline.
Civilization Empire-bright withered in a week; population halved.
Worse: plagues followed, then droughts, undead raids.
Disaster upon disaster.
The kingdom splintered into tribes anew. Then Kazan began changing.
The Desert Kingdom's great hero, Kazan,
abandoned the lost realm to wander the sands. Shunning humans, bonding solely with beasts.
Years passed.
When Kazan resurfaced, no former beasts trailed him. Instead: mana-shrouded monstrosities.
Magic Beasts.
'Huh? Magic beasts out of nowhere?'
Noa frowned in confusion.
Obviously. Magic beasts differ in species, nature from beasts.
Egoless, mana-rampaging destroyers of all around.
Magic beasts: untamable, wholly unlike beasts. Accepted fact.
Yet Kazan tamed them.
Controlled flawlessly. Astonishing alone, but the real shock was elsewhere.
"...Huh?"
Noa blinked hard.
The next line: 'He transformed beasts into magic beasts.'
Possible, sure.
Flood a beast with mana, trigger rampage: magic beast born.
But Noa reeled not from method, but the deed.
Because this was...
'Just like the heretics.'
Empire-south heretics.
Desert Kingdom descendants, hounded by Empire and Holy Kingdom.
Not mere faith clash—their creed harmed humanity. Noa recalled their aim.
'Turn every beast into a magic beast.'
Why unknown.
Heretics lived for it alone, scheming to corrupt Empire beasts and beyond.
Hence their original-work portrayal: irredeemably vile.
'So... connection between Kazan Rudric and heretics?'
New question in tow,
Noa read further.
Little of note.
Wandering five years with magic beast legion, Kazan vanished smokelike after muttering, "The time has come."
End of book.
Noa felt oddly unsettled.
Small wonder.
No Cirpi Rudric link found; only more riddles piled on.
Then,
"Noa?"
A voice called her.
Erban, setting a thick tome on her desk.
"Returned today. Seemed related to your research."
As Erban explained,
Noa glanced reflexively—and her eyes bulged like she'd struck treasure.
"Brought it on a hunch it'd help."
Hearing that,
Noa's lips quirked up. Moments later, she bowed deeply to Erban.
"Thank you so much, sir."
Heartfelt gratitude.
Noa eyed the book.
The near-pristine cover bore:
【Desert Heretics: The Rudric Bloodline】
Answer key to the puzzle.
Beaming, Noa said,
"This is exactly what I was after."
More thanks exchanged,
Noa cracked it open. Eyes glittering with curiosity and hope.
Meanwhile,
as Noa buried in books,
Ullan swung through trees.
More accurately: vine ropes linking trunks as he harvested fruit.
Plop! Plunk!
Ullan plucked with deft ease.
Time passed—not brief.
He'd gathered plenty. Sack of tangled vines brimmed.
"This'll do."
Ullan grinned.
Perched atop a tree towering dozens of meters. Precarious spot, yet comfy pose.
He dug in at once.
Crunch! Nomf!
Rich juice dribbled down his chin.
Ripe flesh sweetened his mouth. Ideal for banishing hunger.
"Takes me back to kid days."
Pre-warrior trials,
Ullan'd scaled trees thus, snacking on fruit often.
"Thought everyone did it then."
Wrong, as learned later.
No warrior outclimbed him. Nostalgia flowing as fruits vanished,
his belly filled.
Good enough. Ullan polished off the last and quit.
"Fruits to spare."
Not loads.
Three, four maybe.
Waste not: pocket them. Snack later or gift tomorrow's inspector.
Ullan turned to go.
Mission done, dorm-bound. But he froze. Odd presence from forest depths.
'Presence?'
Someone there?
Curious, he activated Spirit. Senses flared wide: footsteps, breaths clear now.
Sharply defined.
Curiosity piqued.
Who ventures so deep, so late?
'No way...'
Ullan squinted.
Plausible hunch. He nodded gravely.
'Didn't peg anyone else fruit-picking but me.'
Presence deep where fruit trees abound. Same goal as his, then.
'Not supposed to meet folk, but...'
Glimpse from afar? Harmless.
Ullan veered. Kinship—and cheer—stirred inexplicably.
Tree-leaping onward,
he spotted the source. Eyes widened faintly.
'Hm? That one's...'
Familiar silhouette.
Forest shadows hid the face. Then clouds parted; moonlight banished gloom.
Revealing the girl's visage.
Slender as a puff might topple her, porcelain skin. Cute face framed by wind-tossed ash-gray locks.
A face from memory.
"Silpi?"
Fellow trial-comrade.
The girl: Silpi Rudhina.