A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Chapter 200

There was a bit of a mishap, but fortunately, it was glossed over without much trouble.

The committee didn't assume I wouldn't cause any incidents at all, or so they said.

However, paying for the broken glass remained unchanged. I personally covered it instead of Grace.

I already caused trouble, so if she paid for it too, my conscience would feel pricked. Besides, I have plenty of money.

"Alright. That wraps it all up, more or less."

"Yeah."

After fixing the glass, we each packed our belongings.

As for me, my luggage only consisted of a few outfits, including the school uniform.

However, Grace had a lot of clothes, probably because she was a noble or maybe just because she was a woman.

My belongings could fit in a single wardrobe, but Grace's required an entire wall.

'Not that I can say much when it comes to the refrigerator.'

Instead, the refrigerator was packed full of food I had brought.

Starting with top-grade meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, snacks, ice cream, and so on.

Since there's no computer or internet in this world, there's quite a lot of free time. I usually pass the time by cooking.

Of course, that's only during 'leisure' time. No matter how busy I am, I make sure to have some relaxation.

"First, we need to buy Mr. Sivar's clothes. The only decent one you have is the one you bought for the freshman banquet?"

"I'm fine with it."

"That's not the point. How often do you do laundry?"

"Every day."

I do laundry every single day. Since I don't own many clothes, I have no choice but to do it daily.

There's something like a washing machine, and drying and dehydration are done with magic.

'It was pretty rough.'

When I first used drying and dehydration magic, something unexpected happened.

The clothes weren't just wrinkled; they actually turned into sand, that's how severely dried they were.

Fortunately, it was just a normal dress shirt. If it had been the school uniform, it would've been quite problematic.

"From now on, let's do laundry once every five days. That means we'll go buy clothes tomorrow."

"Are we mixing it together? Both of ours?"

"Of course. Do you really think we'll do laundry separately? We're living in the same house."

I answered confidently, but Grace's face turned slightly red.

I couldn't help but tilt my head at her reaction. Wouldn't it be better for each to do their own laundry?

There could be an awkward situation. What if our underwear ended up lying around?

"So, it's much better to leave the laundry to the laundry service than to do it ourselves. Even if it's a hassle to walk there, it's worth it."

"Ah. The laundry service."

Come to think of it, there was a laundry service. Most dormitories usually had one.

It ranged from basic laundry to various repairs. You could think of it as a kind of specialty shop.

Since I only cared about basic laundry, I had never visited the laundry service. I had completely forgotten it existed.

"You're doing it too, right, Grace?"

"Of course. Mr. Sivar isn't my servant; he's my bodyguard knight. It's natural for us to share general housework."

"Hmm......"

Even though I wasn't sure, Grace's words somehow made sense.

Even if an awkward situation arises, I'll just have to deal with it. It's something I'll have to accept.

"And always check if someone is in the restroom before entering. Mr. Sivar, you've learned how to knock, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Another thing is......"

Grace started talking on and on. Most of it was related to privacy rules.

Letting each other know before going to wash, informing each other before going somewhere, and even asking politely for simple tasks.

There were many other details, but to sum it up, it was similar to having a roommate.

Except for two things: laundry and sleeping arrangements.

"When sleeping, stay by my side. If I fall asleep first, you can quietly leave. Otherwise, stay near me. Got it?"

"Yeah."

I don't need sleep, so I could easily agree to that.

Grace nodded in satisfaction at my response.

"Excellent. I'd love to teach you etiquette and basic academics if I could......"

Grace trailed off and glanced at the clock.

After moving in and organizing everything as soon as class ended, it was slightly past evening.

It was an awkward time to settle dinner at the restaurant. Looking at the clock, she quietly spoke.

"We'll have dinner at home. It's quite late."

"I'll do it."

At least when it comes to cooking, I'm confident. When I was alone, I always handled it in the dormitory.

Grace seemed surprised by my confident reply, her eyes widening.

"You, Mr. Sivar? Cooking?"

"Yeah. I'm good at it."

"Hmm...... Alright. I'm not very skilled at cooking."

It's probably because she's the young lady of a duke's family and has never had to cook. Her family must have a private chef.

At the academy, she likely ate at the restaurant rather than cooking herself.

As soon as Grace granted permission, I immediately opened the refrigerator door.

As I mentioned before, Grace's clothes filled the wardrobe, while the refrigerator was packed with my food.

'Always meat.'

Top-grade meat, no less. I took out the aged meat I had prepared in advance.

Thanks to having salted it the day before, all the moisture had been removed. How do I know that?

I read it in a book. I often read books when I was bored, and some of them were cookbooks.

In the forest, I had used every herb I could find to add flavor.

'Though I mainly filled my stomach with innards.'

It didn't matter. I prepared various cooking ingredients.

For spices, I used herbs I personally picked from the Forest of Chaos. They were less polarizing in taste.

Next, I used ridiculously expensive cooking oil. I can't describe how shocked I was at its price.

Apparently, it's been only a few years since oil started being mass-produced from cotton. A shopkeeper told me it used to be five times more expensive just three years ago.

Finally......

"......Why are you adding so much garlic?"

"Tastes good."

"I know that, but you should only add three or four cloves...... Even in the East, they don't use this much......"

I added a handful of garlic. Grace, who was watching from the side, looked flabbergasted, but I didn't care.

It seemed like I threw in every possible ingredient, but it didn't matter. It's all about nailing it with my personal cooking.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle-

"...Gulp."

Meat cooked golden brown on the pan. Grace, watching from the side, audibly gulped.

Well, no wonder—the aroma was incredible. Usually, herbs have a distinct, sharp smell, but the garlic covered it completely.

It even gave off a fresh scent, stimulating one's appetite. It's one of the things I learned while living in the forest.

"Wow......"

After the cooking was done, Grace exclaimed in admiration. The plating was terrible, but that couldn't be helped.

Even so, the steak neatly placed on the plate was a sight to behold.

The golden-brown surface and the juices oozing out were mesmerizing.

If there was one thing missing, it was the sauce. I planned to make it separately later.

"......It's so, so delicious!"

"Tasty, right?"

"Yes! It's much better than what I've had in the family!"

It couldn't be that good. I watched Grace enjoy her meal and smiled with satisfaction.

Honestly, the quality of the meat was the real cheat code. My cooking skills are just average.

While I've gained knowledge from books, I'm no match for professionally trained chefs.

"Whew. This is the best steak I've ever had."

"Nom nom nom."

Even after Grace finished her meal, my meal wasn't over. The amount we ate was just too different.

What I'm eating right now isn't top-grade meat like what I gave Grace—it's just regular pork.

I gave her the best of what was left. There was no need to mention it, so I just stayed quiet.

"... ..."

Grace stared at me as I ate.

Her face, framed by her hands like flower petals, wore a gentle smile.

Contrary to her fierce expression, affection overflowed from her. Anyone could see she was brimming with happiness.

"Mr. Sivar."

"Nom nom nom. Hm?"

"Um... ..."

Grace stared at me intently, then gave a bright smile.

"It's nothing. Never mind."

It was a really bland response, to say the least.

*****

It was fascinating. That was the feeling I had since starting to live with Sivar for the first time.

Honestly speaking, Academy life lacked in every way compared to my family home.

First, the basics of everyday life. While there was a laundry service available, just going there felt like a hassle.

At home, the servants or maids would personally take care of the laundry. Everything was handled in my room.

Other than that, food, transportation, and so on... Academy life was inconvenient overall.

'But, for some reason, I didn't feel that way today.'

However, as soon as I started living with Sivar, all those feelings vanished.

It wasn't like my lifestyle had changed. In fact, living with someone brought its own restrictions.

I couldn't freely toss off my clothes, and even when bathing, I had to be cautious.

Yet it wasn't uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, it felt as though something in my heart was being filled.

'Now, all that's left is a good night's sleep. If I can sleep comfortably...'

Grace sat on the bed, staring at her palm. In it was a small sleeping pill she always took.

A small pill made by rolling up sleep-inducing herbs. Nightmares from that time haunted her every night, making it a necessity.

'Will I be okay?'

When alone in the dormitory, she would sometimes glance over her shoulder without realizing it, wondering if anyone was there.

Even though she knew no one was, her anxiety didn't let her relax.

That's why she made an effort to stay out of the dormitory and meet people as much as possible.

However, this was only possible with women. Interacting with men was still too difficult.

Recently, even assisting Professor Godin with research had become a struggle.

While Godin was a real professor, unlike Delphoi, he still didn't put her at ease. After all, she initially thought Delphoi was trustworthy too.

'...It doesn't matter if I'm not okay.'

Grace gave a bitter smile. She felt that as long as Sivar was by her side, she'd be fine.

But this was just her assumption. Just having him nearby brought her immense satisfaction.

To be able to sleep peacefully might be asking for too much. But it was worth trying.

'Oh, is my outfit weird?'

The thought of sleeping together brought her attire to mind. Grace quickly checked her clothes.

Living with Sivar was only for protection. It wasn't akin to living together as lovers.

Thus, her pajamas weren't seductive or mature. They were simple pajamas with an overall purple hue.

The outfit covered everything, falling all the way to the ankles. While her figure naturally showed some curves, it wasn't revealing.

'Why am I so embarrassed... It's just sleeping, after all.'

It wasn't her first time sleeping alongside a man... Actually, no. During training, she had once camped out next to someone.

But at that time, Lee Yeonju had been with her. This was her first time sleeping alone with someone.

'Surely Mr. Sivar won't act like a typical man, right? If he did...'

Clunk-

While Grace was lost in her thoughts, the firmly shut bedroom door opened.

Sivar, fresh from a bath, stepped in. His outfit was, how to put it, scruffy yet cute.

An oversized shirt stretched out of shape and casually worn pants—the perfect loungewear for sleeping.

With his signature blank expression, he was even drying his hair. While ordinary, his unique personality still came through.

"Oh, you're here?"

"Yeah."

"Let me dry your hair for you."

Grace put the sleeping pill from her palm into the drawer beside the bed. Then she moved behind Sivar, who had taken a seat on the bed.

Using wind magic to dry his hair wouldn't take long. Drying magic might damage his hair, after all.

Once she finished drying Sivar's hair, all that was left was to lie down and sleep.

"C-Can you turn off the light?"

"Okay."

With the lights out, the room was instantly swallowed in darkness.

Grace lay on the bed, trying to calm her pounding heart.

C-Come to think of it, has Mr. Sivar ever had sex education? Maybe Ms. Ellie taught him?

The moment she lay down, intrusive thoughts swirled in her mind. It felt impossible to fall asleep for a different reason now.

But those thoughts didn't last long as Sivar slowly lay down beside her. Grace vividly felt his presence.

"... ..."

"... ..."

Sivar's face right in front of her. Even in the dark, his face was clear to her.

When was the last time she'd seen him this closely? She couldn't recall, which meant it was probably the first time.

"Um... Mr. Sivar?"

"Yeah."

At her call, Sivar answered. He looked completely unbothered, with his usual blank expression.

Because of that, Grace felt a little calmer. He seemed so innocent(?) that she felt silly for having strange thoughts alone.

There was no way Sivar would do such things. He probably didn't even have a proper concept of sexuality yet.

Sometimes he hugged Ellie or buried his face in her chest, but it wasn't out of lust. It was more like he craved human warmth.

'Though I'm the one being hugged this time.'

Grace slowly moved closer and cautiously touched Sivar. She, too, missed the warmth of another person.

Sivar opened his arms slowly, making it easier for Grace to snuggle in. Thanks to that, she could comfortably embrace him.

"Sniff... Sigh..."

Nestled against Sivar's broad chest, Grace took a deep breath and exhaled.

Was it because he'd just bathed? A sweet and calming scent emanated from him.

Alongside that was Sivar's unique body scent. Perhaps due to his time in the forest, there was a faint smell of grass.

"Grace."

"Yes."

"Good night."

"...Yes."

Grace gently closed her eyes. Her racing heart calmed, and comfort wrapped around her.

When sleeping alone, her anxiety would make her heart race like it would burst. And the nightmares from that time would torment her relentlessly.

Physically and mentally exhausting nights. But tonight was nothing more than an ordinary, peaceful night.

A night where she could focus solely on sleeping, free of any distractions.

'Because Mr. Sivar is here...'

All animals, including humans, are at their most vulnerable when sleeping. Yet without sleep, they would die.

To be able to fall asleep so comfortably was a blessing. And the one who gave her that blessing was Sivar.

To her, Sivar was a symbol of fortune and a knight straight out of a fairy tale. A knight who protected her no matter what.

Tomorrow, I'll teach him the basics of academics... manners... There's so much to do...

Grace felt her consciousness sinking into the depths. And at the same time, she realized.

That her own little fairy tale had begun. Today was the first day.

'Sex education... should be included, right?'

Just that.

"Practice is more... effective..."

"?"

The theme was an adult fairy tale.

[Faith Increases!]