The Academy's Barbarian

Chapter 66.1 - Let The Hunt Begin (3)

The next morning

Dilia woke up with a start; the sound of heavy rain pouring outside assaulted her ears.

"Ugh......." a low groan escaped her lips. She tossed and turned, as if she were complaining but the sound of the torrential downpour refused to let her go back to sleep.

Ugh, I want to sleep more...

She furrowed her brow. However, she was already halfway awake. In this state, it was better to get up than to try to go back to sleep.

So the first thing she did was blink her eyes; this way, her hazy vision would gradually become clearer.

After a few moments, her blurry eyes caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar ceiling; an exterior that resembled the ceiling of a cave.

'Why am I in this place.......'

Was it because the drowsiness hadn't completely dissipated?

Suddenly, she heard a loud noise from outside.

Kurrrung! Shoooooosh!

A thunderous downpour.

The moment she heard that sound, memories that had been forgotten came back as if a light had been turned on.

'Ah, right.'

She had entered the forest for the Practical Hunt exam.

And after finishing the hunt, returning to the base, she had been talking with Ulan and fell asleep during the conversation.

Huh? And where is Ulan?

Is he awake, or is he still sleeping? With a sudden question in her mind, Dilia gently moved her head to look around. It was to examine the surroundings of the cave.

And at that moment

"Are you awake?"

a familiar voice came from behind her. It was Ulan's voice.

For a moment, she felt happy, and she immediately turned around. However, her moment of happiness was short-lived as she let out a stunned gasp.

"......Huh?"

The reason was simple.

His face was closer than she thought; close enough to touch with just a stretch of her hand. No, even closer. Close enough that she could feel his breath if she leaned in a little closer.

What is this? Why is he so close?

As the questions raced through her mind, Dilia's eyes snapped open.

"......?!"

It suddenly dawned on her; the situation she was in.

"What, what, what......."

Stuttering and unable to articulate her words properly due to embarrassment. And with good reason. Right now, Dilia was in Ulan's arms. And she had been in this state since she opened her eyes.

Right after she realized it.

She pulled back quickly, furious.

"Why, why am I... here..."

The words were gibberish.

The crimson eyes in front of her moved; calm as a still lake. Ulan pointed to the opposite wall, his face devoid of any emotion, "You rolled down from there."

"R-rolled?"

What does that mean, rolled?

Dilia looked at the wall he was pointing to. And then, suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind. It was a memory of when she woke up in the middle of the night.

'Right. I slept there because the floor was uncomfortable...'

Now she remembered it clearly; that she had fallen asleep on that wall at first.

But Dilia couldn't adjust to the uneven floor, and she had tossed and turned a bit.

She had no idea she tossed and turned so much that she ended up rolling over here, making the noises that come with retrieved memories.

"Were you tired?" Ulan asked.

Of course she was tired.

The day before the exam, she'd had a sleepless night thinking about spending 72 hours with Ulan.

But why was he asking now?

"You snore a lot."

"......."

"I thought the cave was going to collapse."

Her face suddenly heated up when she retorted, embarrassed, "Th-that's not... that bad, right?"

"No, it was really bad."

"But still, isn't it a bit... exaggerated?"

"I swear on the name of a warrior."

No, he'd even swear?

Dilia clamped her mouth shut.

She must have snored pretty loudly to be able to say that. She pouted her lips in a slight pout.

"....Normally, not really."

Technically, Ulan was the cause.

Thinking about him kept her awake at night.

But her pouty expression lasted only a moment. Dilia looked at Ulan with a worried expression.

"By the way, are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because of me, you probably didn't get any sleep."

"Oh, that's okay," Ulan waved.

"Though it was quite loud, it wasn't bad enough to prevent me from sleeping. And..."

"And?" Dilia tilted her head, curious when Ulan grinned and said, "Your sleeping clothes were comfortable, so I slept well."

"......." Dilia clamped her mouth shut.

Because what Ulan had just said meant that he had been holding her while she slept.

Immediately after realizing that.

"Ugh."

She wrapped both hands around her ears. To hide her reddened ears, but not enough to hide her reddened face.

So she turned her body completely.

In the midst of this, the topic quickly changed.

"Oh, breakfast. I'll get it ready."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"You don't have ......, so there you go."

Absolutely don't look this way.

Without turning around, lest she be caught red-faced, Dilia prepared her meal.

In fact, there was nothing to prepare.

For breakfast, there were only the fruits she had gathered yesterday. However, it was still not enough for Ulan.

"If it's not enough, you can eat my berries."

"Is that okay?"

"Yes. I don't usually eat breakfast."

"Then, I'll gladly accept," Ulan didn't refuse.

While he devoured the fruits, Dilia caught some rainwater in a pot.

Then, she quickly started a small fire, and while waiting for the water to boil, she took out a small bag from her backpack.

"What's that?"

"Tea leaves."

After she gave a simple answer, she took out a few dry leaves; theyhad a light yellow color, much like the leaves of a blond tree.

Bubble! Bubble!

A few moments later, when the water boiled, she threw the tea leaves into the pot. Then, she swiftly poured the tea into a disposable cup she had prepared.

A clear golden color, like Dilia's eyes.

The aroma was refreshing, and the scent tickled her nose. A familiar fragrance. It was well-known among Arpen's Rangers as tea made by drying leaves of the blond tree, which they drank before starting their work for its refreshing effect.

"Tea brewed from the leaves of the blond."

"You really know a lot, don't you?" Dilia smiled wryly. As if it was the answer. Like he said, this was a tea made from blonde leaves that have been dried and brewed.

It smelled as refreshing as it tasted, and was a favorite among the Arpen Rangers to drink before they began their day's work.

"It's hot, so be careful."

"I'll drink it," Ulan accepted the cup. As he sipped the hot tea, he felt a refreshing sensation, like a mint in his mouth. His mouth also felt refreshed, and his head felt cool at the same time.

'I never thought I'd be able to drink this again.'

Ulan sank into the memories of his past life, sipping his tea leisurely. Dilia was the same. By the time they had finished their tea.

Shooaaah!

The rain poured even harder; it was as if a hole had opened in the sky.

As they watched the cool downpour, Dilia suddenly muttered.

"This is just as she predicted."

It was obvious who she was referring to.

There was only one person who had predicted rain in the Northern Forest during the exam.

"What is her identity, anyway?"

Dilia's eyes narrowed.

Noah hadn't just predicted the weather.

She'd also predicted that the rewards of the exam would be changed, and that five special forces agents would be assigned as escorts. All of her predictions were accurate.

Of course, I've heard stories about high-level shamans being able to foresee the future, but...

Even so, being able to predict the future in such detail was unheard of. So, with a curious expression, she asked.

Ulan, being from the same tribe, might know the story. However, Ulan, like her, was also unaware of Noah.

"To be honest, I don't know much either."

"What? You don't know either?"

"Like I said, I didn't get to know Noah until after we left the Grasslands. I know a little about her, but only in the sense of foresight."

Since leaving the grasslands and coming here, Ulan had already confirmed Noah's foresight time and time again. He recounted the events he experienced at that time, without missing a single detail.

Furthermore, he mentioned that Noah's prophecies had never been wrong.

A 100% accuracy rate.

Dilia furrowed her brow. Doubt crept in, wondering if such a thing was really possible.

However, she couldn't just doubt without reason.

Noah had already proven her foresight. After a moment, her complexion darkened slightly.

"Well, that, too, sounds true."

"Is that so?"

"......Abyss Worshippers."

Just the evening before, Noah had said.

On the second day of the Practical Hunt exam, which meant tonight. The Abyss Worshippers would pass through the forest. And for some reason, they would attack and kidnap students.

Right after she thought of this, Dilia's face stiffened.

'Abyss Worshippers are dangerous.

She hadn't actually seen them.

But just by reading about them in records and literature, she knew they were dangerous.

They're all high-level mages and shamans, and they're all said to use 'forbidden magic'.

Forbidden magic referred to magic that not only the use but also the learning of it was strictly prohibited.

This was partly due to the horrific effects on the surroundings when using magic but also because of the materials and catalysts required for the magic's activation.

'...The required materials are humans.'

Specifically, the kind of magic that uses human blood, body parts, or even life as an ingredient.

In other words, forbidden magic meant magic that used humans as ingredients. Just thinking about it made her sick.

Dilia bit her lip.

Then she looked back at Ulan and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Stop them."

The answer came without hesitation.

It was understandable. Unlike Dilia, who had never seen an Abyss Worshipper in person, Ulan had dealt with them to the point of exhaustion in his past life.

They are renegades who worship the Abyss.

Traitors who betrayed humanity and joined the side of the Abyss. And when they gained the power of the Abyss and became apostles, they became tricky to deal with.

'So.......'

Before they receive the grace of the Abyss, he must keep their numbers down while they are still worshippers. Even if it was for the sake of preparing for the time when the Gates of the Abyss opened.

His eyes flashed fiercely.

Ulan remembered Noah's prophecy.

'The expected time of appearance is late at night.'

He didn't know the exact time.

He was told that the Worshippers numbered six in total, and that they acted in groups of three, and would act separately.

Next, they would use forbidden magic to turn the entire northern forest itself into a maze, and then kidnap the students. This was all Noah had seen.

And one more thing.

Yesterday afternoon, in a chance encounter in the cafeteria, Noah spoke these words only to Ulan.

Please protect Dilia, Ulan.

Along with a heart-stirring statement that perhaps the goal of the Abyss Worshippers was Dilia.

Of course Ulan would, of course he would.

She was a valued ally, a mage he would need in any future confrontation with the Abyss.

Then, at that moment.

"Do you have a concrete plan?" Dilia suddenly asked; with an uneasy look on her face.

In response, Ulan nodded and said, "We can't pinpoint a location right now, so we'll just wander the forest at a reasonable pace and kill them as soon as we find them."

"......."

Kill. The word sounded frighteningly final.

Her pointed ears twitched; her golden eyes also trembled slightly. Realizing this, Ulan suddenly understood the reason.

'Right, was it still too early at this time?'

Sometime in his past life, he had a conversation with his comrades on this topic.

When was your first kill?

The reason for the conversation was to comfort the Bard who was tormented by the first murder he committed.

Ulan's first kill was at the age of fourteen.

He was fighting to defend his tribe from a raid by a hostile tribe. He didn't feel much guilt, though. It was merely a consequence of acting to survive.

'And the fastest.......'

Sven Isaac, a sniper in the Warrior Party.

He first killed at the age of nine, and the oldest was the aforementioned bard.

The next in line was Dilia.

She had stained her hands with human blood for the first time, just before the gates of the Abyss opened

In other words, Dilia's visible unease was an instinctive aversion to killing and fear. Currently, she was struggling with it, nervously biting her nails. This unease was evident when she tightly clenched the amulets she received from Noah with an anxious expression.

"Don't worry."

She felt a large hand on her head.

After lightly ruffling her silver hair, Ulan spoke with a serious face, "You have me before you."

"......Ulan?"

"It is my responsibility to be covered in blood."

As a warrior, it was his duty.

Dilia, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes.

She felt as if she'd been read, and strangely enough, the anxiety that had been gnawing at her chest washed away.

"Yes, thank you."

Soon enough, she regained her composure.

Her ears twitched, her eyes fluttered, and her gaze returned to normal. Ulan's words were reassuring.

By this time, her anxiety was completely gone

"The rain seems to be letting up."

the torrential downpour had slowed.

It would soon stop altogether. Dilia brushed herself off and stood up.

"Now, shall we move?"

"Yes," Ulan nodded. Grabbing the axe he'd left in the corner, "Let the hunt begin."

Monsters, and Abyss Worshippers alike.

Ulan's eyes flashed with ferocity.

(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . . )

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