The Academy’s Barbarian
Chapter 58.2 - The Visit (2)

Around the same time, Ulan arrived at his destination following Rodeil. At the entrance, the Special Operations Unit, who seemed to have arrived beforehand, was waiting for them.

"Where is the Count?"

"He's in the military studies department's infirmary."

"He contacted Professor Berge."

After a brief conversation in a language Ulan couldn't understand, Rodeil nodded silently. He then resumed walking; Ulan followed him quietly. Just as they were about to enter Zone 1...

Pause!

…suddenly, Ulan felt a strange sensation; a very subtle vibration occurred around his waist. Shortly after, Ulan realized the cause of the vibration.

'This is.......'

Gula, the Axe of Gluttony.

The axe itself was trembling slightly.

The moment he faced this phenomenon, Ulan recalled another piece of information he had read in a book.

「Magical weapons that have pairs since their creation resonate and vibrate when they encounter each other. And this vibration increases as they get closer.」

And Gula also had a pair.

Originally, its name implied that it was a twin axe.

'That means...'

The remaining twin axe, the Axe of Destruction, Ose, was likely to be in the vicinity. Realizing this, Ulan's eyes lit up with anticipation.

'Should I try to find it?'

The stay at the Fountain of Magic stretched out for a week, providing ample time for Ulan to pursue his newfound goal—the search for the mysterious axe. As he was lost in contemplation, Rodeil's voice broke his reverie.

"We're here."

Before him stood a hut, freshly built and surprisingly spacious, capable of comfortably accommodating a dozen people. A couple of knocks echoed as Rodeil gently tapped on the door, announcing their presence.

Knock! Knock!

"Professor, I have brought Ulan Bator."

"Yes, come in."

The voice was oddly familiar, sparking Ulan's memory.

Who was it?

He began to search his memory, but before he could find the answer, the door swung open, revealing the person behind the voice.

"Long time no see, Ulan."

A girl with a similar build to Noah; her apricot-colored hair fluttered in the wind, revealing pointed ears.

Although she had a cute appearance that would make people turn their heads at least once, Ulan's response was immediate, a skeptical hand scratching his face as he queried her presence, "......Why are you here?"

The girl was Deflyn Chernihiv, the Head of the Magic Department, someone Ulan didn't particularly like. On the other hand, Rodeil's demeanor stiffened at Ulan's attitude.

"You bastard, what kind of disrespect are you showing…”

"It's okay. He's special."

However, Deflyn seemed unfazed and didn't seem to care.

On the contrary, she quickly waved her hand — a signal to leave quickly. Rodeil hesitated, but eventually bowed his head.

"I'll be waiting nearby. If you need help, please call me anytime."

With a polite farewell, he soon disappeared.

Once the door to the hut was firmly shut, Deflyn turned her attention back to Ulan, "You asked me why I'm here, right?"

Ulan nodded in confirmation.

In response, Deflyn offered her explanation. "It's quite straightforward. I am the leader of this investigation team."

"I wasn't informed of that."

"Well, naturally, we kept it a secret. If you knew in advance, you might have refused to cooperate."

That was certainly true. Deflyn was the sort of person who concealed her true motives and lied—a type he found particularly distasteful. Furthermore, her very presence made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to be around her.

As Ulan glared at her with thinly veiled disdain, Deflyn's focus suddenly shifted downward. She tilted her head.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing. The shadow just looked a bit odd."

Her eyes narrowed; it wasn't Ulan's shadow that held her attention; rather, it was something beyond it.

'Could she have noticed the white wolf?'

As the auburn eyebrows twitched, Deflyn shrugged; as if she didn't care.

I guess it's just my imagination. But first, please sit down," Deflyn said, her tone composed. "I heard you skipped dinner because of me, so I hurriedly prepared some food."

When she opened the door, which had been tightly closed, a feast appeared, accompanied by a delicious smell that assaulted his nose — mostly meat-based dishes.

Among them were dishes that were hard to find in the student cafeteria. It became clear that Rodeil's words earlier were not lies.

"Well then, let me explain the tasks you'll be doing here for the next week. Oh, and of course, feel free to eat while I talk," Deflyn said, considerately addressing Ulan.

However, it wasn't necessary. Ulan had already found himself a seat and had started eating noisily. With a slight chuckle, she turned away.

"First, we'll be conducting a simple physical examination. We detected unusual magic in the ruins where you were staying."

Her calm eyes turned to the boundary between Zone 1 and Zone 2, where Ulan had been swept away by the waves and went missing.

"Just in case there are any harmful elements in your body, it will be a big deal, we'll be conducting a check of your internal mana flow and mana sensitivity."

Of course, all of this was a lie. It was just a pretext to create a reason for the examination. She turned away deliberately, as Ulan could gauge whether someone was lying or not just by looking into their eyes.

But that was a needless worry.

"After the examination is finished, we'll be re-investigating the ruins where the Trial of a Hero took place. The Special Operations Unit will also be participating in this investigation."

Crunch! Slurp!

"Third, we're going to explore the surrounding area to see if there are any other similar ruins. The exploration area is set to Zone 2."

Squish! Crunch!

However, all that returned were the sounds of Ulan noisily finishing his meal. Deflyn, with a wrinkled forehead, mumbled, "...Are you even listening?"

"I'm listening."

That was clearly a lie; In the first place, Ulan wasn't listening to Deflyn, but counting the remaining pieces of meat on the table.

Deflyn sighed deeply, outwardly at least. Internally, she felt a sense of relief.

'Perhaps this is better.'

It was much more comfortable to be indifferent rather than prying unnecessarily; her eyes sparkled like stars.

'This is a rare opportunity,' she thought.

In exchange for her intervention, preventing Ulan and Count Deorg from meeting, she had gained the privilege to collaborate on research with Ulan.

Moreover, the research period had been significantly extended. Initially, Deflyn had hoped for three days, but Berge had generously extended it to a week. The only condition was that the research had to be conducted during Ulan's stay at the Fountain of Magic.

'The timing doesn't matter.'

As long as there was space and time for research, that was enough. Deflyn meticulously prepared research plans, examinations, and experimental setups.

'The preparations are perfect.'

Every detail had been accounted for, including an ample supply of reagents and materials for the experiments. Deflyn had even spent her own funds to procure the best-quality mana stones — all for the sake of Ulan's research.

When her eyes twinkled once again…,

"I had a good meal."

…the meal was over in no time.

Plates emptied clean. Snapping out of her thoughts, she smiled and asked, "How was it? Is it delicious?

"It was delicious, but the amount was not enough." Sᴇaʀᴄh the NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

"Huh? Not enough? There are 5 servings in it, you know?"

"I eat 10 servings at a time."

"Ahahaha, that was my mistake. I'll prepare 10 servings for dinner then."

After a final round of laughter, Deflyn brought up the real business, "Now that the meal is over, I'd like to start the physical examination I mentioned earlier. Is that okay?"

"What kind of examination is it?"

"It's simple. We'll observe the flow of mana within your body and check if the flow is normal. It's just to ensure there are no potential risks."

Of course, there was a different reason, but this was the official explanation.

Deflyn's eyes gleamed.

The two vessels Ulan possessed.

After confirming the vessel created in the lower abdomen, she would observe the flow of mana within it to understand how it progressed. This was the real reason.

'And one more thing.'

There is something to investigate; this pertained to a newfound question that emerged the moment Ulan's status as a master was revealed.

'According to the prevailing theories, a master should not be able to create or activate mana vessels.'

The opposite case holds true as well.

However, Ulan, despite being a Master, possessed mana vessels; and not just one, but a staggering two.

Hence, the intention was to discover the reason through an examination. After concluding her contemplation, Deflyn immediately spoke up, "Then, let's start the examination."

"Okay. What do I have to do?"

Ulan asked bluntly.

He'd been fed, so he was willing to cooperate with a simple test. She smiled brightly, as if she was pleased with her cooperative attitude.

"Take them off."

"What?"

"Your clothes. Take them off."

A request completely unexpected.

However, Ulan responded with a composed tone; he tilted his head, a wry smile on his face, "I'm always naked."

"I mean, take off everything."

"Why?"

"So I can examine you more closely."

Her eyes were filled with a strong desire to research; she didn't seem to be lying.

As Ulan looked at her intently, she smiled and said, chuckled and said, "Come on, there's no need to be so embarrassed. At my age, I've seen plenty of men undressed, regardless of their race... My goodness."

Deflyn's eyes widened.

Apparently, Ulan had pulled down his pants.

A bold move that left no room for embarrassment. Deflyn found herself momentarily speechless but quickly gathered her composure.

"Oh, it's huge. I mean, in many ways."

"That's because I'm big."

Ulan replied indifferently; as if he had heard a silly remark.

Deflyn, meanwhile, could not tear her gaze away from Ulan's body. Her mouth slightly agape, she just stared at him absentmindedly.

"How long are you going to keep looking?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. What was I trying to do?"

"You said you were going to examine me."

"R-right. That's right. That's right," she stammered, looking flustered.

Ulan narrowed his eyes, "You said you've seen a lot of men's bodies."

"......I've never seen anything like this before."

With that excuse-like response, Deflyn lightly tapped her cheek; her cheeks quickly turned red. Regaining her composure, she let out a forced cough.

"Ahem! Well, let's go to the next room. The experiment, I mean, the examination materials are there."

"Sure."

Ulan quickly got to his feet, prepared to follow Deflyn to the other room when the front door burst open and…

"Chief! It's an emergency!"

…an agent burst into the room, his face full of urgency.

It was Rodeil, who was supposed to be waiting nearby. However, he couldn't finish his words. He had been stunned by the sight of Ulan, who was naked.

What the hell is going on? Just as he was furiously racking his brain to figure out the current situation…,

"What's wrong?"

… he heard a question that shattered his train of thoughts.

It was Deflyn's voice. Rodeil, regaining his composure, approached her with a grim expression and conveyed the report in a hushed tone.

"The Count ...... he has arrived nearby."

"What? What did you say?" Deflyn's eyes slightly widened, followed by a furrow of her delicate brows as if she was annoyed, "I distinctly heard that he was being monitored in real-time."

"I, I did, but he disappeared along the way, and then he suddenly appeared at the entrance," Rodeil explained, his answer sounding more like an excuse.

Deflyn shot him a displeased look, although it lasted only a moment. After all, it couldn't be helped; Count Deorg was a Master. No matter how skilled the Special Operations Unit was, it was impossible to perfectly monitor the presence of a Master.

"Sigh, it can't be helped." Deflyn sighed in resignation. It would only take a short while. She put on her coat, preparing to leave. Ulan muttered to himself, "It seems like there's some business."

"Yes, but it won't take long, so you'll just have to wait here," Deflyn assured him. Along with the promise that she would be back soon, she delivered a cautionary note, "Oh, and all the tools and materials here are needed for the examination, so don't touch anything."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"After all, especially the mana stones on the shelf are extremely expensive, so don't really break them, okay? Understand?"

"I understand."

After several firm warnings, Deflyn looked relieved. A while later, as Deflyn and Rodeil's presence faded away…,

Ggumulggumul!

…Ulan's shadow wriggled and soon, a hazy mist rose.

[Grrrr]

It was Bai Lang. It stretched its body as if yawning, then hopped forward; it seemed to already have a designated destination in mind.

[Garrr! Garyeong!]

The white wolf let out a satisfied laugh.

The place it arrived at was the area Deflyn had strictly forbidden from approaching; it was where incredibly expensive mana stones were placed.

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

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