Academy’s Barbarian

In the monotonous daily grind, even the smallest changes become a cause for excitement.

It didn’t take long for the news that I had brought back a Ka`har girl, who looked like she had some kind of story, to spread throughout the castle.

Upon hearing the news, my companions, unable to contain their curiosity, rushed over to me, which was entirely in character for them.

“So, this girl is your half-sister?”

“She’s cute. Totally different from you.”

Leonor and Freide, amused, smirked as they looked down at Ima-ra, who seemed oddly nervous, perhaps due to being surrounded by several high-level warriors.

Her appearance, resembling a mix between a leopard and a cheetah—similar to mine but with noticeable differences upon closer inspection—seemed to leave quite an impression on them.

“I thought all Ka`har women wore only short tops that barely covered their chests… Guess I was wrong. Turns out that was just Ha-shal-leur’s preference…”

Nigel, rather than focusing on Ima-ra’s looks, seemed surprised that she was wearing a full-body traditional Ka`har outfit.

From the way he spoke, it seemed he thought Ka`har women only wore chest coverings. Thinking about it, it’s understandable why he’d assume that.

After all, the only Ka`har woman he’d encountered until now was me, and I usually wore tank-top-level leather outfits, flaunting my collarbone and navel.

In fact, even by Ka`har standards, my attire was considered somewhat vulgar.

Of course, the reason I dressed like that wasn’t because I had some exhibitionist tendencies, but because my instincts found proper tops too stifling.

Also, during battles, my body temperature would rise rapidly, drenching my upper body in sweat.

Perhaps Hersela also insisted on such short tops for similar reasons?

If not…

‘Don’t tell me…’

Unlike me, she might have genuinely found liberation through exposure.

[What nonsense are you thinking?! Whatever you’re imagining, it’s all a misunderstanding!]

Hersela, now under suspicion of being an exhibitionist, hastily defended herself in a flustered tone.

[It’s not like I don’t know how to wear normal clothes. But those kinds of outfits are just cumbersome in battle, and with even a little movement, they tear and become rags! So, it’s unavoidable!]

‘Yeah, yeah. Calm down. If you say so, then it must be true. Who’s arguing?’

Her explanation was somewhat convincing, so I nodded along.

Considering the strength of this body, even lifting an arm or twisting the waist would cause ordinary fabric to tear like tissue paper.

If I were wearing a full-body outfit like Ima-ra’s, made of fur and cloth, even taking a deep breath might cause the front to burst open.

In other words, Hersela had no choice but to wear such short tops.

Now, with Ryu-rik’s hide reinforced with fairy hair, I can withstand considerable pressure, but back when I was living on the Great Plains, the best I had was wolf or bear hide.

So, she had no choice but to endure such skimpy outfits, and over time, her body adapted to them, making longer tops unbearably uncomfortable.

Probably.

—

“Ai-shan Gi-or Ima-ra?! Why are you here…?!”

Ja-han’s reaction was truly a masterpiece.

His shock was unmistakable. His expression was so dumbfounded, it was as if he’d just seen the girl he’d been secretly in love with walk out of the men’s restroom.

Unlike the others, Ja-han knew exactly what kind of relationship Hersela and Ima-ra had, so he couldn’t have imagined Ima-ra suddenly joining our side.

“How rude. Have you forgotten that the person before you is a member of the Golden Clan?”

Ima-ra frowned and snapped at him. Ja-han’s blatant wariness and informal speech were clearly irritating her.

“Even if we’ve taken refuge with the Westerners, we are still children of the grasslands. Before the name of Ai-shan Gi-or, the rightful ruler of the Great Plains, you should show proper respect—”

“…Ima-ra, that’s enough.”

I gently grabbed Ima-ra’s shoulder, cutting off her lecture on proper etiquette.

“This is not your concern. Ja-han is not a warrior of Ai-shan but *my* paladin, and this is not Ai-shan, so the name Ai-shan Gi-or holds no meaning here.”

On the Great Plains, Ja-han’s status was merely that of a centurion, so he had no choice but to be respectful before a direct descendant of Ai-shan Gi-or. But here, this was not Ai-shan but Hestela.

If she wanted to adapt to life as a refugee, Ima-ra needed to understand and accept that her family name held no value here.

Only then could she shed the arrogance and sense of superiority that had naturally ingrained itself in her as a child of Or-han.

“Ah! Yes, sister! My apologies!”

Ima-ra flinched and bowed her head. Whether she truly understood my intentions or was just trying not to upset me, I couldn’t tell.

—

I briefly explained the situation to Ja-han—why Ima-ra had come to me as a refugee and the strong possibility that Mei-harin was the mastermind behind Ai-mel-ra’s curse killing.

“Hmm… Is ‘Ha-shal-leur’ alright with this? Trusting Mei-harin’s daughter, of all people…”

Ja-han, now aware of the truth, glanced suspiciously at Ima-ra and cautiously asked me in the Western language.

Specifically, he was asking for Hersela’s opinion, as she was listening in my mind. The emphasis on “Ha-shal-leur” made that clear.

“It’s fine. We’ll need to keep an eye on her for a while, but… I don’t think she’s lying. Probably.”

[Ima-ra isn’t the type to hide her emotions or fake goodwill like her mother. She’s not that cunning or capable.]

According to Hersela, Ima-ra wasn’t the kind of person who could deceive others.

In short, she wasn’t very bright, so her acting skills were equally lacking.

The fact that her lack of intelligence made her trustworthy was almost like a backhanded compliment. It must have been humiliating for her.

Hearing Hersela’s assessment, I felt relieved that I was at least somewhat intelligent. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about being called a blockhead behind my back.

“Well… we’ll still need to verify. So, for now, stick close to Ima-ra and keep an eye on her. Use teaching her the Imperial language as an excuse.”

“Me…?”

Who else would do it?

Ja-han knew Hersela and Ima-ra’s past well, was at the peak of his combat skills, and was one of the only two Easterners who had learned the Imperial language despite being a refugee.

“Or should I do it?”

If Ja-han refused, I was the only option left. Unfortunately, I was too busy preparing to attack Ordos to waste time on something like teaching the Imperial language.

War wasn’t something that could start immediately after declaring an attack on Ordos.

“…No. If it’s your command, I’ll obey.”

So, for now, Ima-ra would have to be left in Ja-han’s care.

[Hmm. Ja-han is trustworthy. He was the one who generously taught me, a young and weak girl, how to become a model warrior.]

…Hearing Hersela’s muttering made me a bit uneasy about this arrangement.

—

After deciding Ima-ra’s treatment, I went to the office and wrote five letters.

One was to Leopold, another to Damien and Milia, who were busy hunting monsters. The third letter was for Lacey, who was staying at Exra-shapel Cathedral.

Well, the content was mostly the same.

/The situation in the East is unusual./

/According to a refugee who fled to Hestela, the Sahallyeon faction occupying Ordos has deep ties to heretical sorcerers and is preparing for a large-scale ritual of unknown purpose./

/Therefore, I plan to gather available forces and launch a surprise attack on Ordos to disrupt their ritual and, if possible, annihilate them completely./

In the letter to Leopold, I added that I might not be able to assist the Empire for a while. To Damien and Milia, I sent what amounted to an order to come to Landenburg as soon as they finished their monster hunt.

Finally, to Lacey, I added that their sorcery seemed closely related to soul extraction techniques and speculated that Peirus might be involved.

Of course, I couldn’t base this on my knowledge of the original story, so I phrased it as a speculative guess. Still, I was certain that Mei-harin and the other sorcerers were collaborating with Peirus.

Most of the Eastern sorcerers were under the Third Apostle’s command.

So, naturally, they would have a mutually beneficial relationship with Peirus, the First Apostle, right?

Of course, since the sorcerers served the Third Apostle and not the First, their relationship with Peirus was indirect, and they wouldn’t pledge loyalty to him personally.

In other words, Peirus wouldn’t go out of his way to protect the sorcerers under the Third Apostle’s command.

He might even abandon the Third Apostle without hesitation. That guy’s skill at cutting ties was truly impressive.

Therefore, even if we attacked the sorcerers in Ordos, Peirus or his subordinates wouldn’t show up.

On the other hand, what about the Third Apostle herself?

In my opinion, if we attacked Ordos and slaughtered the sorcerers, including Mei-harin, the Third Apostle would likely reveal herself.

Unlike Peirus, who could simply cut ties with the sorcerers, the Third Apostle considered the Eastern sorcerers her siblings, subordinates, and disciples.

She might tolerate a few deaths, but if we started wiping them out en masse, she would eventually show herself.

Could she really stay hidden while her people were being slaughtered?

So, my plan was to lure her out, then retreat with my companions back behind the barrier.

What if she never showed up? Well, then we’d just have to settle for killing Mei-harin and burning Ordos.

It would be a bit disappointing, but even that would deal a significant blow to the Third Apostle.

Secret organizations might sound impressive, but they still need external support to function. No matter how smart the brain in the jar is, it can’t do much without a body.

A secret organization is like a parasite—it manipulates its host for gain but can’t do anything without one.

In other words, without Mei-harin and Sahallyeon, who controlled the massive Ai-shan forces, the Third Apostle’s influence would greatly diminish. She might still cause chaos with her personal power, but she wouldn’t be able to stir up national-level turmoil.

That alone would be satisfying enough for now.

—

While the letter to Leopold was to seek his understanding, and the others were invitations to gather in Landenburg, the remaining two letters had entirely different purposes.

One was to Knut, the new King of Dane.

As a paladin of the Bølberg Church Order, he was a legendary figure who had defeated Ragnar, the kinslayer, and ascended to the throne of Dane.

The letter to him was a kind of warning about the Bølberg faith itself.

Despite Ragnar following not Bølberg but an ancient god named Alfodr, he had been able to wield the Bølberg Church Order’s signature power, the “Spear of War.”

In other words, Bølberg might be in league with Alfodr—or might even *be* Alfodr. The probability was over 90%.

/…As the Saintess of Order, I cannot ignore this possibility and must report it to the core members of the Astraea Church Order and other orders./

/If my suspicions are confirmed, the Bølberg Church Order will be declared heretical, just like the Grimnir Church Order./

/To avoid religious conflict, you must act before the heresy proclamation and persuade the people of Dane to abandon the Bølberg faith./

…In short, I was telling him to abandon the national religion of Dane, but there was no other way.

If Bølberg was indeed linked to the ancient god faith, as I suspected, then all believers of Bølberg would be declared heretics.

In other words, Dane, where the majority of the population worshipped Bølberg, would become a kingdom of heretics.

Whether Knut, who had been a paladin of Bølberg, would accept my advice was uncertain…

But at least Frigg and Hrapun, who were by his side, would understand the gravity of the situation and do their best to persuade him. I had to trust them.

If the people of Dane continued to worship Bølberg even after the faith was declared heretical, the only outcome would be war.

—

The last letter, unlike the others, didn’t contain anything particularly special.

It was a letter to Grand Duke Valdemar of Pailoon Castle.

The contents were a status update on Freide and a request to send Ereneisia, who was imprisoned there, to Landenburg.

Originally, I planned to leave her to rot in the northern prison, but Ferne was extremely curious about what had happened to a guardian who had lived for over 1,500 years being captured by humans.

She even swore to give up alcohol until Ereneisia was brought here, so I had no choice but to grant her wish.

Seeing her lose her strength and become more depressed than ever, I thought this small gift might bring her some comfort.

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