A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Chapter 179

Once again, I caused a huge mess, but somehow managed to clean it up.

The training site was more or less a private residence, so as long as the aftermath was handled properly, it was fine.

However, there was nothing I could do about Porori’s food supply issue. The trees were completely destroyed, leaving no way to salvage them.

“But why were you gathering acorns? Preparing for winter?”

“That too, but they were offerings for the sky! Soon, I’ll be able to spread my thumb wide!”

Porori was so furious that he was stomping his feet.

Come to think of it, he still remembered the thumb I mentioned last time.

Not that it mattered—what significance could bending a thumb have on such a tiny body?

Still, I couldn’t deny the fact that I had rendered all of Porori’s efforts meaningless in an instant.

‘So what.’

Porori’s affairs were none of my business. After all, I had my own tasks to deal with.

Namely, kneeling with my hands raised as punishment while Rod handled the cleanup.

And not just with bare hands—I was holding the Bloodstained Greatsword. Its considerable weight was starting to make my arms ache.

“Phew... This should be enough. Good work, everyone.”

“··· ···”

“Sivar, you can lower your arms now.”

“Phew.”

Thankfully, the punishment ended just before my arms gave out.

Even for me, holding my arms up for that long was quite exhausting.

Afterward, I picked up a few acorns and handed them to Porori. Though he seemed dissatisfied, he accepted them.

“Shall we take care of our meal now? Headmaster, would you like to join us?”

“I’ll pass. My presence might make things uncomfortable. Besides, I’ve already prepared a healthy meal for myself.”

“Oh, Unnie, then can I invite the new friend I made this time?”

After Rod, it was Luna who made a suggestion to Kara. Surely, that friend wasn’t Erica.

Kara seemed curious as well. With a puzzled expression, she asked Luna.

“A new friend? Who’s that? Does Sivar know?”

“Yes. Her name is Erica, a student from another class...”

“Is it a girl?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if it’s a girl.”

“Uh······ yes. Why?”

As soon as I confirmed it was a girl, Kara shot me a sharp glare. Her expression screamed, “Another girl?”

But I shook my head vehemently, denying it. It wasn’t like that—it was just a coincidence.

Whether she read my thoughts or decided to let it slide for now, she seemed to move on.

“What kind of person is she? Can you explain a bit more?”

“Yes. So, here’s what happened······”

Luna collected herself and began explaining about Erica. Meanwhile, I sighed inwardly.

Let me just say, Kara and Erica are a terrible match. Their compatibility is as bad as oil and water.

Kara grew up in an environment where life wasn’t taken unless necessary, while Erica cherishes life unconditionally.

Just from that, you can tell how incompatible they are. In fact, even in Soul World, they fight whenever they get the chance.

‘It’s fine if they achieve emotional growth, but······’

What if an unsuspecting player recruits both and progresses the story?

Sure, their physical workload might lessen, but their mental state would deteriorate. They’d constantly have to mediate their fights.

While I can let their words go in one ear and out the other, they can’t. Every word will hit them like a nail in the chest.

‘And the choices they’ll make you take.’

The moment you side with one, the other’s affinity drops significantly.

Naturally, most players tend to support Kara. Erica’s convictions are borderline nonsensical.

Besides, not having Erica doesn’t majorly affect the story. The demon-related arc becomes slightly harder, but it’s still manageable.

“So, we’re planning to have a meal together. What do you think, Unnie?”

“She’s not lacking in any way, is she?”

See? The blunt questions are already starting.

“She’s not lacking, but, uh······ just think of her as a bit odd. It’s not like we don’t already have plenty of odd people around us.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

“... ...”

Since this was a side of Erica I had never seen before, I watched with interest. What kind of conversation would unfold between the two?

“If you know life is precious, then why did you do things that harm it?”

“Because back then, I had to survive. Otherwise, I would have died.”

“Was there really no way to resolve things peacefully?”

“That’s why my father founded our nation—to shed as little blood as possible.”

Surprisingly, Kara answered kindly. Despite the sensitive topic, she didn’t waver at all.

Her words carried a lot of weight, especially because they reflected the experiences of someone who had been through countless trials and hardships.

Even Erica, who was usually as stubborn as a bull, found herself swallowing her words here and there. This was completely different from the atmosphere I was used to.

“Now it’s my turn to ask a question. You said life is precious, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then, would you consider the life of the person who murdered your mother to be precious and worth protecting?”

“······What?”

Erica’s pink eyes widened at Kara’s question. Her reaction clearly showed she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Luna had a similar reaction. Sensing that the conversation was about to take a serious turn, she set her spoon down for the moment.

As for me······ since I already knew the gist of the story, I just kept chewing my food. Still, I maintained a posture of listening attentively.

“I asked if the life of the enemy who murdered your mother is precious to you. For now, I’ll just tell you that I killed him.”

“Ah, no matter what wrongs someone has committed, l-life is precious······ isn’t it?”

“Hmm······ so you’re saying you forgive him?”

“Forgiveness is out of the question. I would ensure he is punished without taking his life.”

Erica firmly clarified her stance.

In truth, that was also a form of resolution, so Kara simply nodded without further comment.

“Alright. Next question. You think plants are life too, don’t you?”

“Of course. Plants are life personally nurtured by Goddess Gaia.”

“In the end, life cannot sustain itself without taking other life. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s······”

Once again, Erica was at a loss for words. In fact, her convictions could be entirely countered by that statement.

Life must consume other life in order to continue. It’s an unchanging law of nature for anything born as life.

Even though Erica tries her best to stick to a vegetarian diet, it’s still no different from consuming life.

“If you were born into an environment where you were starving, all of this would sound like nonsense. When you’re dying of hunger, life or ideals don’t matter—you eat to survive.”

“I-I believe helping such people is the right thing to do!”

“Of course. That’s exactly it. It’s a mindset only the well-fed can afford to have.”

Kara sneered sharply. In truth, Erica belonged to the well-fed category.

Born into nobility, she had lived her entire life without worrying about starvation, and even at the Academy, hunger was never an issue.

On top of that, as a believer of Gaia, she would have received care and support wherever she went. There was no way she could have experienced hunger.

“I grew up in an environment of hunger, but now I live in an environment of abundance. Maybe that’s why I can’t relate to anything you’re saying.”

“But you’ve come to understand that life is precious, haven’t you?”

“That’s a separate matter. Life is precious? Sure. Life can’t be assigned a specific value? Also true.”

Kara pointed out sharply in a cutting tone.

“But that doesn’t mean you can ignore its essence. Otherwise, why would Goddess Gaia have created life in such a way?”

“Th-That’s······”

Her words touched upon the very essence of Gaia, who governs life. Yet Erica had no rebuttal.

As Kara said, if life had been created perfectly from the beginning, there would be no issues. But Gaia didn’t do that.

Therefore, Erica’s convictions inherently raised significant doubts about Gaia’s existence itself. It was, in a way, blasphemy.

Just as Erica’s pink eyes began to waver in confusion, Kara wiped the smile off her face and spoke.

“Above all······ there’s one thing that irritates me the most.”

“··· ···”

“The idea of cherishing life? At first glance, it sounds altruistic. And it is, in a way.”

Kara then drove a sharp dagger into Erica’s chest with her next words.

“But you’re just f*cking selfish.”

Hearing that, I realized something. Kara had matured a lot mentally.

Normally, she would have started throwing a tantrum by now, but not this time. She was calmly ‘persuading’ her instead.

Kara herself seemed to realize this, as she let out a bitter laugh and murmured softly.

“Ha, seriously. I guess I’ve become a civilized person now.”