The Academy’s Barbarian

Barbarian | Interlude.2 - Signs of Change

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Meanwhile, after the battle concluded, Ulan was taken to the General Hospital.

This was to treat the wounds sustained during the battle with the Frost Dragon. Dilia was also hospitalized due to the depletion of her mana.

After some time passed, when various examinations and treatments were completed, and evening approached, the pervasive pain covering his body gradually subsided.

It wasn't just the pain that was gone. The wounds, major and minor, were virtually completely healed.

"I'm almost recovered."

His stamina and strength had returned to normal; all within a day of the battle.

This unusual resilience was all thanks to the Mark of a Hero on Ulan's back.

Mark of a Hero, Kazan.

As he recalled this, a sudden memory flashed through his mind; a voice from the other side of the abyss. Ulan narrowed his eyes and muttered.

"......,Heir to Kazan Ludric."

The Abyss clearly spoke those words.

And the Kazan mentioned here matched the name engraved in Ulan's mark.

This couldn't be a mere coincidence.

Then, who was this Kazan Ludric? Could there have been warriors who faced the Abyss besides the Seven Warriors?

So many questions arose. However, unable to find answers through contemplation alone, Ulan quickly cast aside all distractions.

Instead, he remembered what had happened before he came here.

After the Abyssal Rift closed.

Deflyn and the special forces arrived at Zone 2.

After a brief summary of the situation, Deflyn stayed for investigation, and Ulan's group, under the special forces' escort, left the Fountain of Magic.

'And Seoric.......'

He left the Academy, promising to report to the military on what had happened in Zone 2; to let them know that the Abyss was real and not a mere legend.

This did not happen in my last life.

It was only after the Gates of the Abyss opened that humanity became aware of its existence.

This time, on the other hand, they know that the Abyss exists before the Gates have even opened.

If this knowledge spreads across the continent.......

It would yield much better results than the previous life; it means that they learned about the existence of an enemy that threatens humanity 20 years earlier.

However, this alone is not enough.

Merely raising military strength was insufficient; to completely prevent the invasion of the abyss, all Rulers of the Abyss must be eliminated.

And to destroy them, they need seven warriors who have passed the trials. As soon as he thought of this, Ulan's eyes flashed sharply.

'I have to gather my comrades.'

The four warriors who were not here the Paladin, the Saintess, the Sniper, and the Bard. And among them, the Paladin and the Saintess were absolutely necessary.

Because among the remaining Rulers of the Abyss, there was one who was impervious to physical attacks.

The Wraith Knights.

Comprising ninety-nine Wraith Knights, they were one entity and simultaneously individual monsters.

Furthermore, they were specifically vulnerable only to holy power. So, to face them, the Saintess and the Paladin were indispensable.

'The only problem is.......

How to summon them to this place.

Unlike the previous life, Ulan currently had no contact with them. Even if he wanted to summon them, he couldn't.

And just as he was thinking about it again, suddenly, the door to the hospital room burst open.

"Ulan!"

A familiar voice resounded, and instinctively turning his head, he saw a face as familiar as the voice. A girl with light blonde hair and turquoise eyesIbella.

Soon, she locked eyes with Ulan and exclaimed with a face full of horror, "How, how much did you get hurt?!"

It was no wonder.

Ulan was now covered in bandages all over his body, including his face, neck, arms, and upper body.

As Ibella fidgeted and shuffled her feet, Ulan shrugged it off, "Don't worry. I'm fine now."

"What do you mean 'fine'?" Ibella shouted with a quivering voice, as if she might burst into tears any moment.

Seeing a reaction similar to Dilia's from earlier, Ulan silently patted her shoulder.

Did it work?

Ibella quickly calmed down her agitated emotions. At the same time, Ulan changed the topic, "But what is that?"

He pointed to the basket she had brought. It was covered with a white cloth and had a smell that appealed to his sense of smell.

She held it out to him with a smile, "These are chicken sandwiches. I thought you might be hungry, so I brought it with me."

As soon as the identity of the food in the basket was revealed, Ulan's stomach growled. His eyes lit up and he asked, "Can I eat them?"

"Of course. You can eat all of it."

"Then I'll be grateful."

Because he was hungry anyway, Ulan gobbled up the sandwiches. It took less than five minutes for more than two dozen sandwiches to disappear.

After finishing the meal as if closing his eyes, Ibella spoke again, "But more importantly, what happened inside?"

"To put it bluntly, it's a long story."

"Still, I want to hear it."

Her turquoise eyes stubbornly glowed.

Meeting her gaze, Ulan nodded before long. Ibella, after all, was one of the Seven Warriors. She had the right to hear the story about the Abyss.

"Alright. I'll tell you."

After quickly organizing his thoughts, he began recounting the events that took place in Zone 2 and went on to talk about the Abyss.

Ibella looked at him with serious eyes, and listened intently as Ulan told his story.

In the meantime, not too far away, there was someone observing them intently. The owner of smooth black hair like silk, Noah.

"......."

Fixating her gaze on Ulan, as she casually listened to the story, Ulan suddenly mentioned the name 'Frost Dragon' again.

The moment she heard it, Noah's eyes narrowed.

'It's certain.'

She hadn't misheard it earlier.

Ulan knew exactly what the Frost Dragon was. When she confirmed this, her head was confused again.

How?

Not to mention the name of the Frost Dragon, at the current moment, the existence of the Rulers of the Abyss should not be known.

But how does he know this?

As she continued to ponder the question, it suddenly occurred to her.

'Could it be that Ulan is also...'

Maybe he's a gamer from Earth?

Suddenly, such a speculation came to mind, but Noah shook her head horizontally. It probably wasn't the case. If it were, it would have been noticeable much earlier.

'I'd like to ask him straightforwardly.'

How does he know about the Frost Dragon?

But she can't do that either. As mentioned before, it was strange that Ulan knew about its existence at this point in time.

In other words, the moment Noah asks the question, Ulan would probably ask the same thing.

Then how do you know?

Just like this.

Then Noah, too, would inevitably have to spill the beans about the secret she was hiding.

Only then will Ulan be convinced.

But.......

It was not easy to reveal the secret; to say that this place was just a game compared to the world she came from, and that they were just game characters, was not something she could easily utter.

More than anything, Noah couldn't fathom what would unfold if she were to reveal this secret. Clasping her hands around herself, she pursed her lips.

......I'm scared.

The thought of what might happen when the secret came to light.

How Ulan, Ibella, and Dilia would perceive herNoah found the prospect too daunting. The fear of their attitudes changing made it impossible for Noah to utter the truth.

'I'm curious about Ulan's secret, but...'

She didn't want to go so far as to reveal her own secret; the fear of damaging their relationship outweighed the desire to satisfy her curiosity.

'Instead, let's investigate in a different way.'

Maybe there was a way to find out Ulan's secret without revealing her own.

After making a decision in her heart

taking a deep breath and regaining her composure, Noah approached Ulan and Ibella with a smile on her face

as if nothing had happened.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, that time

the Holy Kingdom, in the northeastern part of the continent

in the center of the blindingly bright Grand Temple, twelve cardinals knelt in unison, their heads bowed.

Standing where their heads were facing was a figure said to be the agent of the gods.

It was the Holy King.

How much time had passed?

After a considerable amount of time had passed, the Holy King, who had been maintaining a dignified posture, suddenly swayed, his body sinking into the throne as if released from tension. The cardinals were taken aback by this unexpected reaction.

"H-Holy Father!"

"Are you all right?!"

The Holy King nodded, his face full of wrinkles, as the cardinals propped him up. After wiping the sweat from his forehead, his lips curled, ......The divine revelation has been delivered."

As soon as the words of the divine revelation were uttered, the cardinals once again knelt on the floor with respectful expressions, for this meant that the Oracle had descended.

"The day the gates of the Abyss open, the age of men will come to an end. Prepare and fight to prevent the world from succumbing to the Abyss."

The prophecy flowed from the lips of the Holy King, and the expressions of the cardinals darkened.

"Hoo, once again..."

"The content seems the same as last time."

The Oracle descended once a year.

However, from ten years ago to the present, the content of the divine revelation had not changed even once. The warning to prepare for the day the Gates to the Abyss would open. However, this was a well-known prophecy and legend that everyone knew. It was not something special, even if it was not delivered as a prophecy.

In other words, there was nothing special about it.

That's why some of them even showed an obvious look of disappointment. But then, the Holy King, who had refreshed his throat with cool water, shook his head.

"No, this time is a bit different."

"You mean......."

There was a new message.

"......!"

A new divine revelation after a decade.

The cardinals gasped and hurriedly knelt on the floor again, ready to listen to the oracle that would soon flow from the mouth of the Holy King.

After a moment, the Holy King spoke again.

"Since the fragment of the Abyss has crossed the rift and flowed out into the world, the day the Gates to the Abyss opens is not far away. Gather the scattered stars, and become a beacon that will illuminate the Abyss.

After the new prophecy was over.

Fragment of the Abyss?

"What does that mean?"

What is the scattered star again.

Was it because of the somewhat esoteric content? The cardinals tilted their heads

At that moment, the doors of the Grand Temple suddenly creaked open.

"Urgent news! Urgent news!"

"A creature suspected to be a monster of the Abyss has appeared in the Fountain of Magic! The subjugation has been completed!

Shouting with pale faces, the Paladins delivered the unexpected report and the cardinals all widened their eyes at this sudden report.

"What?"

"An abyss monster?"

A prophecy had just descended through the Holy King and a report that the Abyss Monster had already appeared.

The coincidence was too good to be true, and the cardinals shouted in excitement.

"We must send out an investigation team immediately!"

"That's right. Since the Holy King mentioned the fragments of the abyss, it surely refers to that monster!"

"Holy Father! Please issue the command!"

However, not everyone shared this enthusiasm and contrary opinions emerged.

"But if it's the Fountain of Magic, isn't that under the jurisdiction of the Arsene Academy?"

"Is there any problem with that?"

"There are many problems. As you probably know, the Arsene Academy is a neutral zone."

"If we were to march troops in there, it would be a clear violation of international treaties."

The opposing view was a kind of concern.

The Arsene Academy was the only neutral zone on the continent.

Sending troops there could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and, worse, could be interpreted as a declaration of war against other nations.

"No, now that the prophecy has been delivered, what is the big deal about that international treaty?

"That's our own opinion.

"There are also many forces in the Arsene Academy that are dissatisfied with the Holy Kingdom. That means we could be caught up in a trifle by this incident.

"No matter what, the prophecy comes first!

The hall became noisy in an instant.

As the debate was about to heat up, the Holy King, who had been silent, pursed his lips, "Then let's hold an exchange meeting.

"What? An exchange meeting?"

"What do you mean by that all of a sudden.

"Through Eloden Academy, let's negotiate a sisterhood agreement with Arsene Academy. Then we can officially hold an exchange meeting.

Thinking that if it was a team of students, there wouldn't be any conflicts or problems, the Holy King proposed this idea.

While it was a reasonable suggestion, most of the cardinals expressed concerns.

"Well, we understand your thoughts, but..."

This is a major matter related to the prophecy.

"Isn't it a bit too much to entrust such a task to students?

"It's okay. There happens to be a suitable candidate." However, the Holy King remained steadfast in his attitude and he immediately revealed the identity of the candidate, "Let's send Laurea.

"......!?"

"You mean the next Saintess?!"

"Yes. Don't you think it's a good opportunity?"

The Holy King nodded, "Since she is a student at Eloden Academy, and she needs to expand her horizons before becoming a Saintess, I think she is a suitable candidate."

The next Saint, Laurea Lo Charpel.

Raised as a Saintess from an early age, she possessed intellect far superior to her peers, as well as a holy power rivaling that of a cardinal.

In other words, she was more than qualified to lead the investigation.

On the other hand, even though the identity of the candidate was revealed, the cardinals still could not hide their concerns.

"Isn't it still dangerous?"

"Even if the Arsene Academy is a neutral zone, as I said before, there will be a fair number of groups who are dissatisfied with the Holy Kingdom.

Then I'll send Ian with her, The Holy King added in reply and all opposition vanished in the blink of an eye.

It was understandable.

The student he had just mentioned, Ian, was by far the most skilled Paladin the kingdom had seen since its founding.

An expert in swordsmanship alone.

If he also used holy power, he could be considered a Master.

With someone of his caliber as an escort, they need not worry about the safety of the next Saintess.

"If there is no objection, let's do it immediately."

In order to approach the Fountain of Magic through the exchange meeting and grasp the hidden meaning of the new prophecy

the wrinkled eyes of the Holy King shone fiercely.

On the day the Abyss rift opened

Eloden Academy, the top academy in the Holy Kingdom, had sent an official envoy to Arsene.

Along with the agreement for sisterhood.

End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .

Translator's Notes:-

Does anyone know how to add the text resize button on blogspot website? I tried and couldn't and I am not that good with this field.

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