The Academy’s Barbarian Chapter 276

Chapter 60. Road to the Desert (3)

6.

Letter from Istan El Deorg.

The beginning of the letter began like this:

『Probably by the time you are reading this letter, I will be on the southern front. So, let me write down what I want to say and send it to you in a letter.』

Like Istan, who hates unnecessary comments, the letter went straight to the point.

『To put it bluntly, I do not recommend passing through the southern front right now. The reason is the summons issued from the imperial castle.』

A summons from the Crown Prince Chartrand.

Accordingly, the empire’s masters and magic tower wizards are currently gathered on the southern front.

In particular, it is said that Limer Yen Lapidis, the eastern light sword that Ulan attacked to kidnap Perticia, has also recovered and arrived at the front.

‘This might be a bit dangerous… … .’

Noah’s complexion darkened.

Of course, Ulan said that his identity was not discovered when he kidnapped Perticia.

However, people called Masters have a very good sense of touch and sense. So it would be better not to meet even if just for the sake of it.

‘I need to come up with a plan.’

Avoid encountering Rimmer as much as possible.

Noah’s eyes twinkled as he thought about that.

However, this was just unfounded news. Because Istan prepared measures first.

『So we prepared a detour. I have prepared all the supplies I mentioned last time there, so I hope it will be of help.』

That’s how the letter ended.

Attached to the bottom of the letter was a map depicting the entire southern front.

The detour marked by Istan is located at the eastern end of the southern front. It is a border area with the Principality of Arpen along the road to the desert.

“what?”

And the moment I saw this.

Ibella opened her eyes wide. As if belatedly she realized something.

“Wait a minute, this place must be…” … .”

“This is the place where Tisha and I promised to meet.”

Delia’s eyes also narrowed.

This is because the detour prepared by Istan and the place where Perticia was supposed to meet were very close.

I don’t know if this was a coincidence or if Istan had intended it, but that wasn’t the important thing right now.

“So, what do you want to do?”

Should we head to the desert through the southern front?

Or should I follow Istan’s advice and take a detour and head to the desert? When Delia asked him about his choice, Ulan immediately gave an answer.

“I think it would be better to follow the advice.”

“that’s right. In a situation like this, it would be better not to do anything that would draw attention.”

“Yes, I agree.”

From Ulan and Noah to Ibella.

Opinions soon became unanimous.

Instead of heading to the southern front, we decided to head to the desert through the detour prepared by Istan.

Around the time that decision was made.

“Okay, if the conversation is over, let’s get up. “They say dinner is ready.”

Hearing Idelin’s words, Ulan and the others immediately followed her to the restaurant.

To enjoy a dinner that will probably be my last feast before I return.

7.

Some time after that.

After dinner, Ulan and his party continued to have various conversations with Idelin.

From what I experienced at the academy to what happened on the school trip. As the night grew deeper, Delrin suddenly glanced at her watch.

“Oh my, when does time pass like this…” … .”

It’s almost midnight already.

Idelin, who opened her eyes wide, immediately looked back at the group and slightly lowered her head.

“I’m sorry. “I think I kept it for a long time because I was a little excited because I had a guest for the first time in a long time.”

“no. are you okay.”

“Then please make sure you get some rest. Oh, I also prepared bath water, so feel free to use it.”

“yes! Thank you for your consideration.”

Immediately after realizing that it was late, Idelin immediately ended the conversation. In response, Noah walked straight toward her bathroom.

After soaking in warm water, I want to go to bed feeling refreshed. However, not everyone thought like Noah.

“what? Ibella?”

Right now, Ibella had moved towards the backyard of the mansion, which was in the exact opposite direction from the bathroom. Noah asked back with a puzzled look on her face.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

“Ugh, I’ll take a shower later. “I’m feeling a little bloated because I overate earlier.”

Ybella smiles awkwardly.

Looking at his stomach the same as usual, it didn’t look like he overate that much, but Noah didn’t bother to ask for the details.

‘I might want to talk more with my mother whom I met after a long time.’

So let’s not intervene without notice.

Noah nodded silently.

Then I looked around again. To find someone to go to the bathroom with. It wasn’t long after that that I was able to find companionship.

“Let’s go take a shower together.”

It was Delia.

Noah nodded and headed to the bathroom with her. Because two people are better than alone.

Meanwhile, around that time.

Ibella came out to the backyard and headed north along the forest path. Eventually, she arrived at a fairly large training ground.

It was Count Deorg’s private training ground. As she made her way past the guards and into the heart of the training grounds, she quickly grabbed hold of her wooden sword.

“Whoa.”

After taking a deep breath to catch my breath.

She swung her sword fiercely.

Whoop! Whoa!

A sword strike that cuts through the air.

Like this, whenever Ibella was worried, she would always swing her sword. Then, for some reason, she felt her mood calming down.

‘but… … .’

For some reason, today was different from usual.

This may be because her worries are not small or light enough to be swept away with a swing of a sword.

Perhaps that was why Ibella’s sword cut through the air even faster and more fiercely. She wanted to forget about her worries.

Then.

“Ibella.”

Ibella almost dropped her sword when she suddenly heard a voice calling her name.

It’s because I didn’t feel any sign of it.

However, for a moment, Ibella smiled as if she realized who the owner of the voice was.

“Ah, Ulan.”

Ulan, a barbarian youth, appeared from a corner of the training ground covered in shadows.

He arrived here, avoiding the eyes of the guards, and immediately asked a question to Ibella.

“Is there anything you’re worried about?”

“Ugh, no. “There is nothing in particular.”

Ibella shook her head.

A very calm expression. If you look at it from the outside, it really looks like there are no worries at all.

“Besides, what’s going on here?”

“I came because I heard the sound of a sword being swung.”

“… … “This sound was heard all the way to the mansion?”

“Sven told me exactly.”

Well, if it were Sven, it would be possible.

That Myokin hunter who is good at tracking and guarding would be able to hear the sound of a sword being swung from this distance.

So, I was nodding my head silently.

“Ibella.”

Ulan called her name again.

He made eye contact with turquoise eyes and spoke in a calm tone.

“Do you remember when we had the tryouts?”

“huh? If it’s a tryout… … .”

“I’m talking about the time I tried to withdraw from the match after being threatened by Himmel de Org.”

Of course I remember that.

Since the incident that occurred at that time, the world surrounding Ibella has completely changed.

Ulan turned Himel into a muksabal, which became an opportunity for Istan to come to the academy.

‘and… … .’

After that day, thanks to Ulan intervention, Ibella’s relations with Istan improved only slightly.

Countess Deorg, who had been harassing Ibella and Ideline, was tried and kicked out of the estate, and Ideline became the new countess.

As I was quietly reminiscing about the past, Ulan continued speaking in a calm tone.

“You said it was okay at the time, but you couldn’t hide it by holding on to the sword tightly.”

Bright red eyes that move slowly.

Soon, Ulan’s eyes landed on the hilt of the sword that Ibella was holding tightly.

“Like right now.”

“… … ah.”

Ibella looks like she’s going to miss it.

Actually, she knew it too. When she says something she doesn’t mean or tells a lie, she has a habit of holding her sword tightly like this.

“Ha, you can’t fool Ulan after all.”

After being vainly exposed to his true intentions.

She sighed softly. Ulan then continued speaking.

“If you have any concerns, tell me. “Even if I can’t solve it, I can listen to you.”

“… … “I’m worried.”

Of course there is.

If I didn’t have any worries, there would be no reason to come to a place like this and swing a sword alone.

‘But the problem is… … .’

The point is that there is not just one problem.

So Ibella thought of the two biggest concerns. First of all, the first worry began with the appearance of Sven.

‘To be exact, it started when Sven revealed that he had passed the hero’s trials.’

With this, a total of four people have passed the ordeal so far. Of the seven warriors, more than half have already passed the warrior’s ordeal.

The ones left are Ibella, Laurea, and Ian.

Is that why? For some reason, Bella felt nervous about her current situation.

‘Of course, if you look at it this way, you could say that there are still three people left… … .’

Laurea and Ian are different from Ibella.

Although they were the same in that they had not yet gone through trials, they both possessed the strengths of being a saint and a master paladin, respectively.

On the other hand, Ibella is at the level of an expert.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the weakest among the warriors. In other words, my first concern was the feeling of being left behind compared to other warriors.

‘But I don’t want to talk about this.’

I didn’t want to appear weak, at least to Ulan. She worked on herself and became stronger, so she wanted to confidently stand by his side.

Therefore, I decided to reveal the second concern, not the first concern. Bella took a deep breath and pursed her lips.

“Actually, my concern is about Sirpi.”

“Sirpi Ludrik?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how to deal with it.”

Ibella’s second concern.

The point is that after finding out Sirpi’s identity, I don’t know how to deal with her.

Of course, I now know that Sirpi is more of an ally, but I guess it was because we had a war of words that I felt quite awkward.

“So I was just a little distraught.”

Ibella summed up her concerns like this.

Meanwhile, immediately after her answer, Ulan spoke as if it was no big deal.

“There is no need to worry about that.”

“uh? What are you talking about?”

“Because all relationships change.”

Ulan calmly answers.

He immediately said something meaningful.

“Just like our first meeting in my last life wasn’t very good.”

“Yes? first meet?”

Curiosity appeared in Ibella’s eyes.

It was a natural reaction. Because Ulan barely heard the story of her past life as he remembered it.

So I looked at him with a mixture of interest, curiosity, and anticipation and asked.

“How was our first meeting?”

“We had a fight in a bar, hitting each other.”

“… … what?”

Ibella asked blankly.

The answer I received was completely different from what I expected. Meanwhile, Ulan continued to talk, reminiscing about that time.

“Perhaps the trigger was a minor disagreement. Anyway, since we were both so energetic, we didn’t hesitate and got into a fistfight.”

“Lord, fist fight? Me and Ulan?”

“okay. “At the time, we had a difference in weight class, so I had the advantage when it came to physical fights.”

No, I don’t think it’s a little bit.

Ibella made an absurd expression as if she were saying that. On the other hand, Ulan continued to explain the situation at the time in an indifferent tone.

“Maybe that’s why, when the fight was nearing its end, you pulled out your sword and attacked.”

“Really? “I said that?”

“To be exact, it’s you from the past life.”

Seeing Ibella asking back in surprise, Ulan corrected his answer. As if it’s not this current Bella’s fault that she doesn’t remember her past life.

On the other hand, is it because of the fact that a sword was drawn in a fist fight due to a disagreement? This Bella gently lowered her head as if she was being ignored.

“Sorry. “I’ll apologize instead.”

“No, I have nothing to apologize for.”

“but… … .”

“Because I hit your head with a chair too.”

“… … Eh?”

Ibella blinked blankly.

As before, Ulan’s answers were always far beyond expectations. While Ibella looked blank, Ulan finished the story.

“Anyway, our argument ended with you fainting. And it was natural that our relationship became extremely bad after that.”

But it wasn’t bad forever.

At that time, Ulan and Ibella encountered each other several times on the battlefield, and their relationship gradually improved as they crossed numerous lines of fire together.

“We, who were enemies, became comrades in arms who could trust and have each other’s backs.”

This wasn’t just Ibella.

It was like that when I first met Delia, and it was like that when I first met Laurea.

Except for Perticia, who was kind to everyone, Ulan mostly had friction with the warriors. But as time passed, the relationship changed.

“Relationships like this are bound to change. So don’t worry too seriously.”

“… … .”

After Ulan’s story is over.

Ibella was silently lost in thought.

It was because I felt like I knew what Ulan was trying to say. After a while, she opened her mouth with a faint smile.

“thank you. “I feel like I’ve got things sorted out.”

“Then you are lucky.”

Ulan grinned.

As if he was glad that his worries were resolved.

Meanwhile, Ibella, who was looking refreshed, suddenly looked back at Ulan as if she remembered something.

“Oh, by the way.”

“hmm?”

“Is there anything particularly memorable about being with me in your past life?”

“It was a memorable event… … .”

“Nothing like a fist fight.”

Anything related to the abyss is excluded.

I was just curious about the most memorable things that happened between myself and Ulan.

Looking at Ibella, whose eyes were shining brightly, Ulan traced back memories of his past life. Then something suddenly occurred to her.

“Now that I think about it, before we parted ways after the war, we had a drink together just the two of us.”

Relationships made on the battlefield tend to disappear after the war ends.

Feeling somewhat regretful, the two drank together until their memories were half gone.

“Then I opened my eyes only after the sun rose in the sky, and coincidentally, we were in the same bed.”

“Go, same bed?!”

“okay. “I think I probably stayed until the bar closed, but that wasn’t enough, so I stayed in a room and drank.”

However, nothing special happened.

She wasn’t even taking off her clothes in the first place, and Ybella had even fallen asleep with the mask she always wore on her back.

“Afterwards, we barely came to our senses and were exchanging goodbyes, but just before we left the room, we both received simultaneous requests.”

The client’s name is Delia Arpen.

The request was an escort mission.

Just as Ulan recalled the incident and was about to continue the story.

“Now, wait a minute!”

Ibella hurriedly stopped the conversation.

Then, for some reason, his face turned red and he asked to change the topic of conversation.

“The story I told you earlier. Well, I’d like to hear more details about the story about waking up in the same bed after drinking… … .”

“All I did was drink and sleep.”

“But tell me in detail!”

Blue-green eyes that sparkle like stars.

It seems like he doesn’t seem to be backing down until I tell him the story. Ulan nodded his head and continued talking again.

Meanwhile, around that time.

There were people watching this scene from a considerable distance away from the training ground.

“Hmm, I guess I guessed wrong.”

A Myoin hunter with a deep hood.

Sven shrugged his shoulders as he observed Ulan and Ibella in the distance. Then he looked back at Delia and Noah nearby.

“Then can I go back now? “I don’t think anything you worry about will happen.”

“… … .”

On the other hand, no answer came back.

However, since he wasn’t specifically hoping for an answer, Sven disappeared right away. Then Noah sighed deeply.

‘How did this happen?’

After taking a bath with warm water.

Noah and Delia went to visit Ulan.

It was to discuss tomorrow’s schedule. However, Ulan was not in the room, and Sven, who happened to be passing by, said this.

“Ulan? “You were with Ibella?”

As soon as those words were finished, Delia’s eyes rolled back and she started scolding Sven, which is how she came here to keep an eye on the two.

‘But fortunately, nothing serious happened.’

Ulan and Ibella only talked, and there was no physical contact that Delia had feared.

Relieved by this, Noah looked at the place where Sven had disappeared and then immediately looked back at Delia.

“Hey, Delia?”

“… … why?”

“Now that we’ve confirmed that nothing has happened, can’t we go back soon?”

Maybe it’s because I just got out of the shower, but I feel sleepy.

So I spoke in a pleading tone, but Delia shook her head as if she refused.

“Not yet.”

“Uh, why?”

“Because you can’t let down your guard.”

Of course, Ibella is not as aggressive as Laurea or Perticia, but she still can’t let down her guard.

And the result.

Delia’s surveillance continued.

However, it didn’t last very long.

I saw Ibella, who was talking to Ulan, secretly leaning her head on his shoulder.

“joy! “I knew I would do that!”

She walks as if she has been waiting.

With Delia’s intervention, the quiet training ground quickly became noisy. In this way, the night in the County of Deorg became deeper and deeper.

fantasy,