A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 155

Social status is a system that existed informally even before civilizations were established.

Even before humanity united, when people lived in tribal units, there was always a leader of the group, referred to as the chieftain.

After the construction of civilizations, numerous social statuses emerged, along with a variety of power classes.

Only a very small minority held high social status, while the majority lived as commoners.

Even if the caste system collapses, another form of hierarchy inevitably arises, as history has proven.

However, it is undeniable that the caste system inherently exhibits “discrimination.” Social status remains social status, even if its form changes.

If a commoner were to hurl insults at a noble, their life would essentially be forfeit.

This is, of course, assuming they have no backing—such is the nature of the caste system.

In that sense, the proposal Sivar made to the Hwan Empire Princess could be considered extremely “rude.”

“…Did you just offer me a drink?”

The Hwan Empire Princess asked, her expression one of bewilderment. She was clearly flustered.

Observing this, Luna’s thought process momentarily froze. She, too, understood well what the caste system entailed.

While she could interact casually with someone like Grace, crossing certain lines could lead to social ruin.

In the worst-case scenario, physical harm might even come to her. That is, in the absolute worst case.

‘This is bad! Sivar probably doesn’t understand the caste system…!’

For Luna, and indeed for most commoners, this was an entirely “common sense” social norm.

But not for Sivar. He likely didn’t even grasp basic social norms, let alone general common sense.

Even though it had been several months since he entered civilization, experiencing it firsthand was a different matter.

After all, even the highest authorities—Grace, Kara, Rod, and Rize—were on friendly terms with Sivar.

From Sivar’s perspective, he might think it was possible to befriend someone of high status.

No, he must have thought that way; otherwise, why would he have so casually offered her a drink? And on their first meeting, no less.

“S-Sorry! Sivar! How could you offer a drink to someone you don’t even know?!”

“Why not?”

“Of course not! She’s not only someone of high status but also someone you’re meeting for the first time! Apologize immediately!”

“No. It’s fine. In fact, I’d rather have a drink.”

At that moment, a woman’s voice reached Luna’s ears. It was slightly low yet melodious.

Since the voice came from nearby, there was no need to guess who it belonged to. Luna turned her head to look in that direction.

“I happened to be feeling distraught. There’s nothing quite like alcohol to soothe a troubled heart.”

The woman Sivar had offered a drink to responded with a smile. It was closer to a bitter smile than a genuine one.

She then raised her glass cup toward Sivar, signaling for him to pour her a drink.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and pour. Surely you’re not going back on your words now, are you?”

“N-No, of course not! Sivar, pour it quickly.”

“Okay.”

At her urging, Sivar began pouring wine into the woman’s glass cup.

The wine was as black as her outfit. Its color was so deep that it nearly obscured the glass itself.

“Hmm. Normally, you should pour with both hands. It seems you’re unfamiliar with this custom.”

“With both hands?”

“Yes. It’s proper etiquette to pour respectfully with both hands for someone of high status or an elder.”

The woman offered this unsolicited advice as she took a sip of the wine.

Contrary to her delicate appearance, she emptied the wine glass in no time, drinking it down smoothly.

“Phew. That’s a fine taste. Thank you. I feel a little calmer now, thanks to you.”

“Th-Thank you?”

“Haha. No need to be so stiff. I’m not of such a high position, nor do I particularly care about such things.”

“Aren’t you a princess? That’s what I heard.”

From her attire to her demeanor and even her refined speech, she was unmistakably a princess.

In fact, rumors had already spread about a princess from the Hwan Empire visiting, making it all the more convincing.

“A princess… Well, I suppose that’s accurate. Do you happen to know the phrase ‘cold reception’? It’s an Eastern metaphor.”

“Uh… No?”

“Look it up sometime. Then you’ll get a rough idea of my situation.”

Though Luna wasn’t sure what “cold reception” meant, she could tell it wasn’t a good thing.

While Luna was feeling somewhat uneasy, the woman suddenly seemed to realize something and spoke up.

“Now that I think about it, I haven’t introduced myself. Allow me to do so. I am Dan Yerin, the fifth successor of the Hwan Empire.”

“I-I’m Luna Estelle.”

“Luna Estelle, is it? I’ve heard you were the entrance top student. And you are…?”

The woman, who had introduced herself as Dan Yerin, paused briefly. During their exchange, Sivar had been drinking.

Though it was unclear how much he had consumed, his face, which had been slightly flushed, was now noticeably red.

Seeing this, Luna felt a sense of dread, but fortunately, Sivar seemed to realize it as well.

“…What’s your name?”

“Me? Call me Sivar.”

“Not ‘call me,’ but ‘please call me.'”

“No. It’s fine. I have a rough idea of who he is, so I’ll let it slide.”

Thankfully, Dan Yerin appeared to be a generous person. Luna let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

In such a short time, it felt like her life had been hanging by a thread. The added stress of alcohol only heightened her nerves.

“If you know who Sivar is… then you must also know he’s from the forest.”

“Of course. There are quite a few rumors about him.”

“Have those rumors even reached the Hwan Empire?”

“Naturally. I’ve heard he’s the main culprit behind various incidents here.”

“… …”

It was a reason that made a lot of sense. Luna felt a bit dazed.

Since the Academy gathered talent from all over the world, it was inevitable that attention would follow, and Sivar’s eccentric acts would have been exposed.

Moreover, since the Academy served as a kind of safeguard against war, it was likely that even high-ranking officials were taking notice.

“But how peculiar. Did I just speak in the common language? How did you understand me?”

Dan Yerin asked Sivar with a curious expression, wondering how he had understood her earlier words.

Luna, also curious, turned her gaze to Sivar. His response was remarkably simple.

“Huh? What?”

“I asked how you understood my words.”

“Oh. You mean the part about being distraught?”

“… …”

Sivar’s blunt words left Dan Yerin momentarily speechless, even catching her off guard despite her usual composure.

As for Luna, she was on edge, worried that Dan Yerin might take offense.

“…It seems you truly understood. You look like an Easterner with your black hair, but your features don’t match. Are you a hybrid, perhaps?”

“Th-That’s something neither Sivar nor anyone else knows. Other than the fact that he’s from the forest.”

“Hmm. How curious. He’s only just entered civilization, yet he understands the Hwan Empire language. Let’s try this: I am Dan Yerin.”

The latter part wasn’t in the common language, nor was it in the Hwan Empire language. It wasn’t even in the Matra Empire’s language.

To Luna, it was a language she had never heard before. Although, Antonio had occasionally spoken something similar.

“I am Dan Yerin? You already introduced yourself.”

“Oh. You even understand the Granada Empire language. Truly fascinating.”

“How do you understand all this?”

Come to think of it, there had been a similar incident before. Kara had muttered something in the Language of Tatars.

Sivar had understood it. He even pronounced “Ragnarok” correctly.

At the time, it was dismissed as Kara having taught him. But now, it seemed strange.

‘And during our first meeting, he seemed to understand roughly, didn’t he?’

If that’s the case, it means he could understand even back then.

He could comprehend but not speak. It felt as if something was fundamentally missing.

“I don’t know? I just understood. Does it matter?”

Sivar himself seemed entirely indifferent, aside from his flushed face from drinking.

Dan Yerin, finding Sivar’s demeanor amusing, gave a soft chuckle. Her laughter, hidden behind her hand, was quite elegant.

“You’re right. It’s not important right now. Besides, just because we can understand each other doesn’t mean we can truly communicate.”

Dan Yerin’s words carried a profound meaning, encapsulating the essence of what it meant to be a civilized person.

“You seem to handle alcohol well. Thanks to you, I feel a bit more cheerful. Let’s meet again sometime.”

“Ah, yes. Take care.”

“See you later.”

“Hehe.”

Was it because Sivar, waving his hand, looked adorable? Dan Yerin moved gracefully with a refined smile.

Luna, watching her figure grow smaller in the distance, let out a sigh so deep it seemed to sink into the ground. It felt like a storm had just passed.

‘Thank goodness. Nothing happened.’

It seems I’ll need to explain the caste system to Sivar soon. But with so many high-ranking individuals around, I’m not sure how well it will go.

While Luna was lost in thought, Sivar, holding a liquor bottle in one hand, began to walk away.

Considering he had almost caused a major incident just moments ago, Luna quickly asked,

“Where are you going?”

“The restroom.”

“Ah.”

Well, given how much he drank, it’s understandable. Luna nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Just don’t do anything weird and come back, okay?”

“Got it.”

Surely, nothing could happen just from going to the restroom. That’s what Luna thought.

‘…No, wait. What if he collapses on the way?’

Even when he’s sober, he’s a handful. In his drunken state, there’s no need to elaborate.

Momentarily clouded by the effects of alcohol, Luna’s judgment had been slow. She decided, belatedly, to follow Sivar.

Of course, she had no intention of following him into the restroom. She wasn’t a pervert, after all. There was no reason to go that far.

‘But why is this place so complicated?’

It had been a while since she’d been to the auditorium instead of the training ground, and the layout was confusing.

Apart from the entrance ceremony, there wasn’t much reason to visit the auditorium unless it was for training.

Even then, training was usually done in the private training ground, not the auditorium. Besides, the structure itself was intricate.

‘Sivar might get lost too. He probably has no idea where he’s going.’

Since it’s come to this, finding the restroom might not be a bad idea. Once she memorized the route, it would be convenient later.

And so, just as Luna was heading toward the restroom to look for Sivar,

Crash!!

A sudden noise reached her ears. It sounded like something glass had shattered.

The sound of breaking glass is something humans are particularly sensitive to. Luna turned her head at the noise.

‘What was that? What’s going on?’

Since she herself was wandering the hallways, there was no one else around. Yet, the sound had come from nearby.

Luna moved toward the direction of the noise, intending to just check and move on.

And then…

“…Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine.”

What she saw wasn’t a murder scene, but rather a scene of violence.

For some reason, Ellie was cornered against the wall, with Sivar standing protectively, concern evident in his demeanor.

Ellie’s face was quite pale, but as Sivar approached, her expression relaxed in relief.

At a glance, it might look like two lovers sharing a secret moment. But the figure lying on the floor told a different story.

“T-That person isn’t dead, right?”

“I don’t know.”

A man with gray hair was sprawled on the floor.

Near his head were shards of broken glass, and in Sivar’s hand was a shattered bottle.

Judging by the scene, it seemed Sivar had struck the man’s head with the bottle. His sheer strength had caused it to shatter completely.

‘What on earth…?’

Perhaps due to the alcohol, her thoughts were muddled. At a glance, it seemed like Sivar had saved Ellie from danger.

It was certainly praiseworthy. However, Ellie’s next words were utterly shocking.

“You can’t just not know. That man claimed he’s a prince. I don’t know if it’s true, though.”

“A prince?”

“Think of it as someone very high-ranking.”

The man whose skull Sivar had cracked was apparently a prince. What in the world had happened?

Just moments ago, he had been offering drinks to a princess, and now he had smashed a prince’s head with a bottle. This was absurd beyond belief.

“What’s going on? Hmm?”

However, there was no time to think further. A man silently approached Luna’s side.

His hair color was identical to that of the man lying on the floor. He surveyed the scene and the fallen man.

“What’s this? A murder scene? Why is my brother lying there?”

“… …”

His reaction was, to say the least, highly unusual.