Chapter 50: Barbarian’s Arder
"Woah, wait, are you trying to destroy the room?!" Caelum exclaimed, stepping back slightly as he felt the surge of energy gathering around Bonjour.
Realizing his mistake, Bonjour immediately withdrew the dark orange aura surrounding him, though the intensity in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
"I will not take no for an answer this time," he said firmly, his voice carrying determination.
Caelum had avoided sparring with him on multiple occasions, but this time, he had no intention of backing down.
After witnessing Caelum’s battle against the undead knight in the dungeon, Bonjour’s fighting spirit had unknowingly reached a new peak.
"I swear by the Combat God, if we do not fight, I will tear this place down myself," he declared with absolute conviction.
Caelum, however, remained more curious than intimidated.
"Before that, can you explain what that orange energy was?" he asked, his interest clearly piqued.
"Let me explain that!" Paul chimed in eagerly.
"Paul, let him speak. Are you saying you understand the Barbarians better than an actual Barbarian?" Caelum replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I... I still haven’t awakened my Arder," Sénior added with sadness from the side.
Bonjour let out a breath before answering, choosing his words carefully.
"That orange energy is our Arder, it is similar to your aura and magic, but it is something innate to us, I cannot explain it properly... it is just how we are."
"I think I get the idea," Caelum said after a moment of thought.
There was no need to overcomplicate things.
Aura was Aura, Arder was Arder.
He was human and would follow the human path of Aura and Magic, but it was still interesting to learn that Barbarians possessed a completely different system of power.
Until now, he had assumed everyone simply cultivated aura and magic in different ways, yet reality proved otherwise.
"How about this, we fight tomorrow. I am honestly exhausted right now, but believe me, I am much stronger than before... especially compared to when you secretly watched my fight with that undead," Caelum added casually.
"What secret fight with an undead...?" Ryan immediately arrived, his eyes lighting up with excitement, as anything related to battles or danger fascinated him.
"So that’s why the PDD was suddenly canceled? You should really share the details," Skyler added, casually lifting his pouch of gold coins as if to emphasize his presence.
Then, turning toward Bonjour, he continued.
"And you, why didn’t you tell us anything?"
Skyler attempted to look imposing, subtly flaunting his wealth as though it would give him an advantage, but unfortunately for him, Rwa coins held no significance in Barbarian culture.
"Hehe... little Skyler, why don’t you start by sharing those coins with me?" Bonjour replied with a grin, clearly having learned a bit of human cunning himself.
Skyler, whose height barely reached Bonjour’s shoulder, trembled slightly.
"J-just you wait! In the future, I will suppress you!" he declared with forced confidence.
"Ha... hahaha," Paul laughed, and soon the entire room joined in.
"Kaha-! just you wait! I really will suppress you one day!" Skyler added again, his face turning slightly red as he realized he had become the target of everyone’s amusement.
"By the way, I still do not understand why all of you are gathered here," Caelum finally asked, glancing around the room.
Sénior answered slowly, struggling slightly with his words.
"Well... Paul told us that you had run away from school, so we came here to search your room and find you."
"..."
Caelum stood there in silence.
At that point, he did not even know what he should say anymore.
***
The next day arrived, and Caelum once again prepared himself for school, following the now-familiar routine.
’From what those ancient novels said, everything is supposed to start at an academy... but then why am I at a school?’ he thought idly as he walked alongside Paul toward their classes.
’Maybe everyone just gets home schooled before entering an academy...’
Classes proceeded normally, and among them, one new subject stood out [Summons].
During this session, they were introduced to the concept of summoning, including its various types and classifications.
While many students listened with curiosity, Bonjour and Sénior appeared noticeably disinterested, clearly finding the topic less engaging compared to direct combat or physical training.
However, the moment Professor Will mentioned that real summoning practice would take place over the weekend, the entire class lit up with excitement.
What they failed to realize, in their enthusiasm, was that the Evil School had deliberately scheduled this session on the final day of the week.
Which was supposed to be their holiday.
The realization had yet to sink in.
Meanwhile, Caelum had something else to look forward to that day.
His duel with Bonjour.
Once classes concluded, the group made their way toward the public training grounds, where the match was to take place.
Ryan, as usual, had taken it upon himself to loudly announce the duel to anyone willing to listen, which resulted in nearly half the class gathering to watch.
Even Anastasia and Loreal showed clear interest in witnessing the outcome.
To maintain order, Professor Will himself decided to supervise the match.
However, before the group could even reach the training grounds, they were stopped.
A massive figure appeared in their path, towering over even the tallest among them, his presence alone commanding immediate attention.
His upper body was bare, revealing intricate tattoos etched across his skin, while heavy ornaments rested upon his shoulders and the hide of a powerful beast draped around his neck.
His snow like hair was tied into warrior braids, and his long beard was neatly bound, giving him a dignified yet imposing appearance.
"So this is where you are," the man muttered, his voice deep.
Bonjour and Sénior immediately recognized him.
"Elder Gurath," they said in unison, their tone carrying both respect.
’So this is the one they sent...’ Professor Will thought, observing him carefully.
Since the students would soon begin practical summoning, it was necessary to also guide Bonjour and Sénior through the process, as they were mostly here to experience human culture.
However, as Barbarians did not follow the conventional summoning paths practiced by most races, the school had requested the Barbarian Council to send someone capable of instructing them directly, ensuring they would not feel out of place.
"I will need these two for a while," Elder Gurath said, glancing toward Professor Will.
"Alright," Professor Will replied calmly.
Without further discussion, Gurath turned and left, with Bonjour and Sénior following him without hesitation.
The remaining students watched them go.
’So... the duel is canceled?’
The thought spread silently among them, and a wave of disappointment followed soon after.
