EPISODE 16

Marcus's low voiced surprised Seigan.

Only after ordering food did Seigan, who had received assassin training, realize he was being watched.

Those guys are at least 3-star knights. It's an understatement to say they lack dignity in the eyes of Master Marcus.

How will Master Marcus deal with such guys?

Seigan's thoughts were cut off as the attackers began their assault.

Whoosh!

The sound of a fist slicing through the air was heard. The sound was intense. It was clear that even a single blow from that fist would be fatal.

However, Seigan couldn't block the fist flying towards Marcus. His attention was caught by a flickering throwing knife from the side.

From behind, a fist, and from the side, a dagger.

Both were aimed directly at Marcus. They were flying towards Marcus, not Seigan.

Seigan immediately jumped up and embedded into the wall. The guy pulled out another dagger from his belt.

"This bastard."

Just as Seigan was about to throw himself at the guy...

Thud! Thwack! Thump! Three consecutive heavy sounds were heard, followed by a scream.

"Ugh!"

Marcus was stomping on the guy who had attack him with his fist.

Then, with a sudden swooshing sound, the dagger flew.

"Danger...Huh?"

There was a clicking sound, and the dagger was caught in Marcus's hand.

"Wow!"

"Heh, holding a knife with bare hands."

Not only Seigan but also the restaurant's customers were surprised at Marcus's triumph over the guy trembling at his feet.

Crack! The sound of a broken jaw echoed.

"Oh, my god!"

A desperate groan spread throughout the restaurant.

However, Marcus didn't stop there. He dragged the guy outside while shouting.

"The guy in black clothes standing in front of the fabric store, and the guy in front of the leather workshop, listen up!"

The guys froze in place.

Marcus threw the guy that he was dragging outside and yelled.

"Tell your boss this. If he bothers me again, he won't be able to walk on two feet. Got it?"

Marcus glared at the guys once and then closed the restaurant door.

The restaurant was as quiet as a mouse.

Seigan also looked at his owner, Marcus with a bewildered expression. As Marcus walked back to his seat, he said, "Innkeeper, my food is cold. Bring me another one."

***

Our plan to leave Ahtuvek the next day was thwarted. The reason being...

[Hehe! This cookie is really delicious!]

[Mmm! It's soft and moist. I wish I could eat it every day.]

Tinger and Bella were nestled inside a cookie jar.

[Mmm, the juices are still there, This is the most delicious meat I've ever had.]

[Ugh! I'm stuffed to the brim. I need to digest quickly so I can eat more...]

Even Roykan and Spica.

It was all because of these guys who had fallen head over heels for the food here. Well, since the Healing Tower isn't too far from here, it wouldn't be a big deal to take a break and leave. But I turned my gaze to Roykan, who was suffering because of me.

With Roykan's flying speed, it would take about two days from the Ulysses territory to the Healing Tower. Maybe three days at most.

But he's willing to accommodate my desire to leisurely sightsee along the way.

What a nice guy.

-Roykan, if you want more, just say so.

Instead of answering, Roykan flicked his wings once.

[If you're going to buy more, bring another jar of these cookies.]

Tinger didn't even bother to raise his head as he spoke. After being absorbed in the cookie jar for a while, Tinger finally raised his head.

[Hey! Marcus.]

-What?

[How about commuting from here to the Healing Tower?]

-Don't tell me me you forgot that I'm on my way to take the entrance exam?

But these guys didn't even pretend to listen to what I said and continued their conversation.

[Roykan can take you there every morning. Then we can have this delicious food every day. Isn't that great, Roykan?]

[That's a good idea.]

[Master, I can give you a ride too.]

These guys who have sold their souls to food!

-What are you talking about?

-It's not possible. I heard it's mandatory to live in the dormitory.

I also interjected into the conversation, as I had naturally assumed that I would be attending as well.

Well, I had also been thinking about enrolling anyway.

[Ugh, what kind of oppressive place is that?]

And as expected, the exam was easy, and of course, I received a notice of acceptance.

During the week of waiting for the results, the guys came to like Atuvek even more. Of course, it was because they were indulging in Atuvek's food.

[Hey, Marcus. Are you really going to live in the dorm? Leaving such a nice place behind?]

Tinger grumbled as he flew to the dorm.

But once he entered the dorm, his attitude changed 180 degrees.

[Wow, the apples here are amazing. Hey, Marcus, buy more of these.]

[Hehe, I want this!]

After Tinger's apple rant, Bella smiled with strawberries in her mouth.

[Yum! This place is really nice. The mountains look close, and the air is amazing.]

Spica wagged her long tail while looking at the view from the living room. It seems Spica also likes it here.

We are now in the dormitory that was prepared for us at the Healing Tower.

I'm not sure if I can call this a dormitory.

The door opened, and Seigan came in.

"Master, I think we've been assigned a nice room."

"Really?"

"Yes. I don't know who it was, but someone went to the supervisor and complained, asking to be moved to the 5th floor royal floor because their dorm is too small. But our room is on the 5th floor, so it must be considered the royal floor. Hehehe."

With three rooms, a spacious living room, and a kitchen, this place is even bigger than the apartment I used to live in. And this is supposed to be a dormitory.

Anyway, this is the space where I, Seigan, Spica, Tinger, and Bella will live.

Roykan decided to live in the forest visible from the 5th-floor living room.

[Hey, let's start by taking the initiative! Don't get lost and explode while wandering around.]

-What do you mean explode? Are you trying to fight?

[Anyway, always aim to win in territorial battles. Otherwise, get lost.]

[Marcus, if anything happens, call us! Okay?]

Following Tinger, Bella also declared herself as a fighter.

[Master, please call us anytime! We will run to you no matter where you are.]

-Phew, okay, okay, Just don't get lost and have fun.

Ignoring their nagging, I headed towards the main building.

The main building was further away than I thought.

"It's much bigger than I thought."

Since yesterday, I had been guided from the entrance to the dormitory, so I was surprised as I explored the campus.

While walking, I noticed a crowd of people gathering in a building.

"That must be the main building."

I moved my steps towards where the people were gathered.

Hmm...

Although there was a lot of hustle and bustle, the street seemed strangely wider.

Is this not the place? Should I ask that person over there?

"Is this where the new students gather...?"

***

"Wow!"

"Hehe!"

Marcus's appearance caused a commotion in the infirmary.

A few days ago, rumors spread among the students that they saw the third master of the Ulysses family, Marcus, in a nearby city.

He must have come here for some business related to the Ulysses family.

The movements of the monsters were unusual, so I came to check.

No, he's a new student at the academy.

Opinions were divided, but there was one consensus.

<If you provoke a mad dog, there's no hope, so let's just avoid him at all costs.>

Marcus's infamous reputation spread all the way to the northern region, which takes over three weeks by carriage to reach from the Ulysses territory.

As the Ulysses Eagle Knight's influence spread throughout the empire, stories about Marcus also spread.

"Did, did you see that?"

"Marcus Ulysses? So the rumors were true."

"I thought it was just a rumor. Seems like it's not."

"I said I saw him Atuvek. He was eating at a restaurant and suddenly collapsed. He casually killed half of the people there." (Note: I'm not too sure how to translate this part.)

"Is he really that strong?"

"Yes, really. It seems like we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

"Ugh, what's with this one problematic junior?"

"Just think of it as bad luck. Or maybe bad karma."

"If you had that kind of ability, would you be in this situation?"

Recently, there have been reports in daily newspapers and social circles about Marcus's impressive exploits, such as his invention of the Terry treatment and his grand finale at the Captain Griffin event.

However, in the minds of the students, Marcus was just a crazy lunatic.

And such articles were probably paid for to improve his bad image.

"But he must have some talent. He made it after all."

"Well, for now, he's a member of the great Ulysses."

While some people reluctantly agreed, there were others who had different opinions.

"He probably donated a lot of mana stones and got admitted. Suri Mountain's mana stones are famous. Our professors would do anything for mana stones."

"You might be right. After all, he's the guy who got expelled from the academy."

This way, Marcus unintentionally became a famous figure in the academy as soon as he enrolled.

"...At our healing tower, all students are equal. Please keep this in mind... The healing tower will do its best to help you all develop your intellect, imagination, and ability to take action. Finally, welcome everyone!"

Hmm, equality, it's been a while since I've heard that. In other words, they won't discriminate between nobles and commoners here.

But that only goes so far, as skill is the true class distinction.

After the entrance ceremony, I realized this when I was called to the tower office.

"Well then, we looked forward to the achievements of young master Ulysses."

"I will study hard."

I couldn't help but give a wry smile as I left the office.

"So, my dorm room was the result of being the top student."

The teaching style at the healing tower was interesting.

Instead of studying theory and taking exams, they started with practical training.

Of course, it wasn't the students themselves who were treating and diagnosing patients, but rather a time for them to think about why healers are needed and what they should study.

We were all assigned to the healing clinic.

For new students, it was a mandatory tour.

"For the next month, you will be learning in the field by assisting senior healers here. In this clinic, the patient and non-patient come first. Nothing else. That's all."

In other words, there are no distinctions between nobles and commoners, only patients and non-patients. This is the mission of healers. Put the condition before the purse.

They were stating the obvious, but I started to develop affection for this healing tower.

The assistant guided us and introduced the clinic.

First, the building for treating humans.

Reception, emergency room, treatment room, preparation room, and ward - it had a similar structure to the hospitals I knew.

Next, we were guided to the animal clinic, which was divided into small animal and large animal clinics.

The large animal clinic was huge.

It was so spacious that Roykan would look small if he lay down here.

I liked it.

I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities but in the distance, I heard the sound of hooves and rolling of wheels.

Someone was coming this way, and they seemed to be in a hurry. In that case...

"Emergency!"

"What?"

The assistant who was leading us through the clinic turned around. Our eyes met.

That's as far as my observation goes. As the assistant mentioned, in the clinic, the patient and the non-patient come first.

"We should prepare to receive emergency patients."

"Huh..."

The assistant's face twisted. This is the kind of expression someone makes when they think someone like me exists.

And on top of that...

"I guess they were right about you being crazy."

"Hmm, it seems like what the seniors said was true. Don't mess with that Marcus Ulysses."

After speaking, the assistant walked away.

This was whispered very quietly, almost timidly. But still.

"There's no helping a stupid person. No matter how much they want to stand out, if they make such obvious mistakes, what can they do?"

They were also those who spoke confidently enough for everyone to hear. There was no need to turn around to find out who the voice belonged to. The person confidently stepped forward and spoke.

"Marcus Ulysses, are you trying to make a fool out of all of us?"

The person who spoke while glaring at me lowered their head towards the assistant.

"I apologize for the reckless behavior we have shown. I hope you don't think all new students are like that."

Already getting into politics? Even though I didn't know who it was, I thought they must be good at socializing, but I also had mixed feelings.

Because.

"We don't have time. Two patients, and three injured. We need to prepare quickly. They're coming over there."

I urged them and ran towards the large animal emergency room. Two carriages were coming in, raising dust as they entered the entrance.

The front carriage must be for the patients. The animals must be in the back.

No one had come out of the building yet.

"Assistant, contact the teachers."

And I shouted loudly towards the approaching carriages.

"Bring the injured over here. I will take care of them."

***

Tillen, the assistant in charge of guiding the new students, was completely overwhelmed.

One of the new students was talking nonsense, and suddenly two carriages rushed in.

Caught up in the chaos, Tillen ran to the emergency room and shouted to the medical staff. Just like what the person said.

"Emergency patients! Two of them!"

Then, the trained medical staff appeared at the entrance in an instant.

"Put them here!"

"And the soldiers, come this way!"

Seeing the medical staff carrying the patients inside, Tillen immediately rushed to the animal clinic.

"That guy!"

Even though he was injured and weakened, he was approaching a Cohorde. He must be crazy.

"No, don't!"

But it was already too late. Marcus had already reached out to the Cohorde.

Tillen's heart sank.

Please, don't die.

It was a momentary thought, but Tillen silently prayed in his heart.

The torn arm can be taken care of by Wolftop.

Tillen, overwhelmed with despair, ran towards where Marcus was as fast as he could. He had to minimize the injuries as much as possible.

But.

"The black one, his breathing is irregular. It seems like pneumothorax. The brown one has a wound on his neck. We need to secure the airway urgently. And the spotted one, check his right hind leg. The cruciate ligament may be torn."

"What?"

As soon as Tillen heard Marcus's words his eyes widened. But it was only for a moment, then Tillen furrowed his brows.