A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Byzantium (4)

***

At first, I had no idea what knocking me out had to do with discovering my identity.

But now that I’m seeing this scene, I think I might understand.

‘Is this a dream?’

Just a moment ago, I was at the Papal Palace, specifically in the training grounds. But now, I’m not.

It’s an expansive plain. The grass, which reached up to my ankles, swayed gently in the cool breeze.

On felt off.

‘The sky…’

But the ground was different. While the sky was certainly night, the grass on the ground was bright green.

It was as if they were glowing. The contrast between the dark sky and the bright ground was stark.

‘…But what am I supposed to do?’

I get that they made me pass out to force me to dream, but now that I’m dreaming, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. Is this supposed to reveal my identity or something?

As I was grumbling to myself, something strange happened in the dark sky, in contrast to the bright ground.

One of the already-bright stars suddenly began to shine even brighter.

To be more specific, out of all the stars, one particular star was shining more intensely.

It was a star with a pure white hue. Before long, that star slowly started to move.

As the star moved across the sky, the grass on the ground began to change as well.

The grass beneath my feet suddenly started to grow, wrapping around my body until I was tightly bound.

Panicked, I struggled to move, but it was no use. The grass was so strong that I couldn’t budge.

Meanwhile, the star gradually descended toward the ground. Its size remained unchanged, as if someone were plucking a fruit from a tree.

Eventually, the descending star reached directly above my head.

I barely had time to register this before it continued descending, finally reaching my chest.

The brilliant, glowing star then began to sink into my chest.

As soon as the star entered my chest, the grass that had been binding me receded.

With my body freed, I instinctively touched my chest. The star in the sky had definitely entered my chest.

What could this possibly mean? How is this connected to the reason I’m here?

As these questions swirled in my mind, I heard faint, indistinct voices.

-Madness… freely…

-I am alive… existence.

-We are intruders…

.

The only thing I could infer was that a man and a woman were having a conversation.

-Chaos is… fear.

-Do it… we are…

-We? No…

I couldn’t figure out the content of the conversation, but one thing was certain. The man and woman were fighting over something.

Although I didn’t know the reason for their fight, their tone suggested that it was pretty intense.

I shook my head, trying to clear the voices echoing in my mind. I was starting to feel dizzy.

“Ugh…”

While I was clutching my head in pain, the voices suddenly disappeared.

At the same time, an unfamiliar sensation washed over me. It wasn’t something I felt with my five senses; it was a feeling that resonated directly in my chest. 𐍂

‘But why do I feel…’

That feeling was none other than…

‘…Sad?’

An inexplicable sense of guilt.

*****

I woke up. It might have been a forced sleep through unconsciousness, but sleep is sleep.

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. Not metaphorically, but literally.

It took me a moment to piece things together, but I soon remembered why the ceiling was unfamiliar.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Rize knocked me out by striking the back of my neck. And then I had that strange dream.

I blinked and stared at the ceiling for a while before sitting up. I realized I had been lying on a makeshift bed.

“You’re awake.”

“?”

As I sat up, I heard a familiar voice. I turned my head to see Rize sitting calmly nearby.

She wasn’t in her bulky Holy Sword form but her Holy Warrior form, which emphasized her overwhelming chest. She wore the same outfit as before, which made her stand out even more.

Her short shorts revealed her muscular thighs, and the combination of the shorts and the sleeveless top was impressive.

“Everyone, Sivar is awake.”

Rize’s gentle yet firm voice carried across the room. In response, those who had been sparring nearby turned their attention to us.

The people sparring were Luna and Kara, with Rod standing off to the side, observing with his arms crossed.

I wasn’t sure when Luna had woken up, but I could tell that I had been asleep for quite a while.

“You’re awake? You were asleep for so long that I was getting worried.”

Kara wiped the sweat from her brow and spoke in her usual cheerful voice. She always exuded an aura of brightness.

Next to her, Luna was staring at me intently. Her wide-eyed gaze was a bit unsettling.

“So, what did you dream about? Did Chaos speak to you?”

“Um…”

I furrowed my brow at Kara’s question. Was it because it was a dream, or because I couldn’t remember it clearly?

My memory was hazy, and I couldn’t recall much. I only remembered the star from the sky entering my chest and the strange voices I had heard.

‘Even that lingering sense of guilt at the end…’

I still didn’t understand what any of it meant. It was probably best to just tell them what I remembered.

Using my limited vocabulary, I did my best to explain. I skipped over the fragmented conversation since I couldn’t make any sense of it myself.

uilt at the end.

“So, to summarize… A star in the sky entered your chest. Is that correct?”

“Yeah.”

“There’s a lot left open to interpretation… And the sky was night while the ground was day…”

“Is this how Chaos usually communicates?”

Just like Luna’s question, everyone else seemed to share a similar sentiment. There were too many possibilities for interpretation.

I didn’t even understand what this was supposed to mean, so how could anyone else? Rize nodded in response to the question.

“Yes. Chaos has never communicated directly. I, too, was led to visit the academy through a dream.”

“What kind of dream did you have?”

“It was a dream where Sivar became a great follower of Chaos.”

If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. But because it was Rize, there was a strange sense of trust.

However, something about the idea that Chaos couldn’t communicate directly seemed odd. Just look at the messages that appear.

Whenever I do something ridiculous or influence those around me, I get a message saying my faith has increased. It’s hard to figure out how this works.

‘Even in the Soul World, Chaos didn’t say a word, like a mute.’

Gaia and Gulak at least communicate when you reach their temples.

Of course, they usually send their subordinates to speak on their behalf.

These subordinates aren’t human; they have a distinct aura. Each god, except for Chaos, commands two subordinates.

Only someone like Rize or Rod could probably communicate directly with the gods. Maybe Kara can communicate with Gulak as well.

“So we’re still lacking in clues. Could it be interpreted as some kind of blessing that the star entered his chest?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s clear that the gods are taking an interest in Sivar. However, I don’t know the reason for that interest.”

“Can’t we just ask the various sects?”

“That’s a reasonable approach, but it might not be very helpful. Even if they can hear the gods’ voices, if your faith isn’t strong enough, it’s just a simple prayer.”

“I’ll ask Gulak about it later.”

While everyone was offering their opinions, Luna remained silent, staring at me.

She was still observing me with wide eyes, as if studying me. I began to wonder if there was something on my face.

“Luna.”

“Luna?”

“Uh, yeah?”

“Why are you staring at me?”

I decided to ask directly. Luna blinked her large eyes a couple of times before scratching her head awkwardly and responding in a quiet voice.

“Oh, it’s nothing… Just, something’s been bothering me.”

“What is it?”

“Um… Your eyes?”

“My eyes?”

At the mention of eyes, I touched the area around my eyes. What could possibly be the issue?

As everyone knows, Luna has a special ability related to ‘eyes.’ I wondered if something had happened to me.

If there was a problem, that would be a headache. Especially since I had just had that weird dream.

“Is there something wrong? The color hasn’t changed or anything.”

“No, it’s just… I was wondering if anything had changed.”

“I don’t get what you’re saying.”

Fortunately, it seemed there was nothing wrong. At least, that’s what Kara’s words suggested.

Or maybe Luna was hiding something. I should ask her about it later when we’re alone.

“In the end, the mystery just deepened. I guess we’ll have to wait for time to solve it?”

“That seems to be the case. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.”

“No need to apologize. There’s no issue with adding more mysteries to an already enigmatic situation.”

“At least we’ve confirmed that Sivar is connected to the gods. That’s something.”

Indeed, it’s more than enough. It’s almost certain now that the gods are the ones who brought me to this world.

I’m tempted to storm into a temple and start cursing them out. But I’d probably get banished permanently, so I should hold back.

The immediate task is to visit the various temples. I’m not sure if their subordinates will show up and talk to me.

‘Let’s see… my faith…’

I briefly focused my gaze into the air. I wanted to check the faith I had accumulated so far.

[Sivar]

• Strength: 145

• Agility: 143

• Stamina: 148

• Magic: 145

• Luck: 110

• Faith: 287

[Traits]

• Wild Instincts (???)

• Rampage (Ex)

• Tenacity (SS+)

• Iron King (SS)

• Poison Resistance (SS)

• Digestion (S+)

• Dexterity (A)

[Skills]

• Stealth (Ex)

• Throwing (Ex)

• Martial Arts (A)

[Abilities]

• Red Magic (Ex)

• Regeneration (SSS)

• Thunder (S)

There were two notable changes. The increase in faith and the evolution of Rampage.

Faith had steadily increased to its current level, and Rampage had evolved during my training with Rize.

I hadn’t used it properly yet, but I had a rough idea of what it could do. It’s a mindless charge using pain suppression.

Meanwhile, my agilies.

‘The minimum faith required to talk to a subordinate is 300… So close.’

I’ve been diligently playing the clown, but I still haven’t met the conditions. It’s a bit disappointing.

…I feel a little guilty, but it’s not like I did any of this on purpose. I definitely didn’t intentionally cause any of those incidents.

“It’s best to visit the Temple of Life first to check on Sivar’s wrist.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention. Sivar’s wrist is fully healed. There’s no need for any additional treatment.”

Rize suddenly interjected as Rod spoke. It seemed she had examined my wrist while I was unconscious.

When it comes to the ‘body,’ there’s no one better than Rize. So her diagnosis is probably accurate.

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

“Yes. So feel free to visit the temples at your leisure.”

We have plenty of time. Just as Rize said, there’s no harm in taking it slow.

But it’s still better to get things done quickly. After a bit of rest, we decided to visit the Temple of Life first.

I’d love to have a conversation with a subordinate if possible, but I don’t have enough faith for that. So I’ll just settle for visiting the temple.

‘At least I didn’t come away empty-handed.’

As I mentioned earlier, I’m dying to curse them out to their faces. But with my lack of faith, what can I do?

Initially, I thought I could just visit the temples and that would be enough. Only later did I remember the need for faith.

So, we were heading out of the Papal Palace to grab some lunch. Rize, in her Holy Warrior form, was with us.

Crash!!

Suddenly, her level.

I turned my head to see someone jumping out of a window with their arms crossed in an X shape. I swear, it was like a scene from a movie.

“I’m escaping! From this crazy place!!”

Someone was breaking out of the Papal Palace. What on earth am I witnessing?

“Hahaha! Where do you think you’re going, Your Holiness!”

And then someone else jumped out after him, as if trying to catch the escapee.

What followed was a chase scene as they plummeted to the ground. Watching those burly men run around like that was surreal.

“That’s the Pope and Brother Gaspard.”

“It happens all the time, so don’t worry about it.”

This place is definitely insane.

End of Chapter

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