A Wild Man Has Entered the Academy

Chapter 110: Food Chain (2)

Chapter 110: Food Chain (2)

Upon hearing Ellie would be joining us out of the blue, I asked for more details about the situation.

For non-combat specialists like Ellie, the supply of materials such as herbs and leather is crucial.

Normally, they would gather supplies themselves by exploring the relatively safe outskirts, but currently, even the outskirts are dangerous.

Therefore, it has changed to non-combat personnel participating when the combat teams go out for investigations or monster subjugation.

For Ellie, who collects a variety of herbs, it's a breather of sorts.

"Hello! I'm Ellie from the Herbology Department! Nice to meet you!"

The next day, I introduced Ellie to the team that would enter the forest together.

A bright and friendly greeting, coupled with her pretty looks, couldn't help but leave a good first impression.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Grace Aria del Berche of the Berche Duchy."

"I'm... Lee Yeonju..."

Grace and Lee Yeonju also greeted her in their own way. However, their gazes wavered slightly.

They tried their best to keep their eyes fixed on her face, but occasionally, their gaze would drop.

Ellie's ample assets aren't something easily overlooked. Regardless of gender, one can't help but stare.

"You're on the same team as Sivar, right? I'll do my best not to hold you back! But don't worry, I'm good at spotting herbs!"

Meanwhile, Ellie's bright personality helped lift the team's mood.

Grace seemed to like her cheerful nature, giving a satisfied smile.

Occasionally, her gaze would drift downward, but she tried her best to hold back like a proper noble.

"Miss Ellie, you seem quite knowledgeable about herbs. You appear to be a commoner, so may I ask where you're from?"

"You probably wouldn't know even if I told you. Have you heard of Batonto Village?"

"Hmm... I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with it due to my lack of knowledge."

"You can think of it as a very rural village."

As expected, women become friends quickly. I watched the two of them already chatting away.

Grace's high-handed atmosphere and sharp features make it difficult to approach her.

But thanks to Ellie's easygoing personality, they were able to strike up a conversation earlier than expected.

"Miss Grace, your eyes are really stunning. They're as pretty as a cat's."

"Excuse me? My eyes?"

"Yes. I think they're beautiful."

Moreover, she even complimented Grace's eyes. Grace touched her own eyes with a dumbfounded expression at the praise.

If anything, people would call them sharp, but never stunning or pretty.

However, Ellie seemed to like them. It's not a twisted aesthetic sense, but simply a matter of taste.

"Th-thank you. Miss Ellie, your eyes too..."

Grace paused mid-sentence and lowered her gaze. I could roughly guess where she was looking.

Then, she made an expression as if forcibly swallowing the words that had risen to her throat, barely managing to continue.

"...Your eyes are truly beautiful. I've never seen eyes that shine like gold before."

"Hehe. Thank you."

It's great to see them complimenting each other. I'm glad to have only good people around me.

Ellie then asked about Lee Yeonju's background. Naturally, Lee Yeonju revealed the name of her region, not the Hwan Empire.

Ellie didn't pay much attention to this part and moved on without much thought. Instead, she showed a different side.

"I apologize if this is rude upon our first meeting, but may I hug you?"

"Pardon...?"

Perhaps she found Lee Yeonju's small stature and cute appearance endearing. Ellie asked if she could hug her.

Lee Yeonju was taken aback by the unexpected question, and Ellie, realizing it was rude, smiled awkwardly.

"I guess I can't, can I? I'm sorry."

"It's... it's okay...! Here!"

Lee Yeonju spread her arms wide, flustered. It seemed like she wasn't just acting but was sincere.

Ellie, not missing this chance, gently hugged Lee Yeonju. Ellie was of average height, but Lee Yeonju fit snugly into her embrace due to her petite frame.

"Phew..."

Lee Yeonju let out a sigh at the soft and fluffy feeling, her expression as if all the worries in the world had vanished.

I knew that feeling too. Any remaining wariness must have completely melted away.

The two stayed in each other's arms for a while before slowly parting. Both had satisfied expressions.

"I hope it wasn't uncomfortable."

"It was... really comfortable..."

"...To that extent? Entrusting your life to him?"

"Of course. This is what I was taught. If you owe someone your life, dedicate that life to them. My parents taught me that."

Isn't that too extreme? I was at a loss for words.

It's the same on Earth, but in this world, home education is crucial. Without things like the internet, society is very narrow.

The narrower the society, the easier it is to be influenced by strange ideas. There are quite a few people like Ellie who seem ordinary but hold extreme beliefs.

‘Ellie also considers violence as a means.'

It's okay to use violence against criminals. Ellie agreed with this and didn't deny it.

The person themselves is kind. It's just that there are many unavoidable aspects due to the times.

"I see. Then, should I also offer my chastity to Mister Sivar?"

"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"

"Actually... there was a recent incident where my chastity was nearly compromised. Fortunately, Mister Sivar helped me escape the crisis."

The problem was that Grace was no pushover either. She brought up the recent incident herself.

It must have been traumatic, but she disclosed it calmly, perhaps because it was a common topic(?). It was surprising even for me to hear.

"According to Miss Ellie's words, shouldn't I also offer my chastity to Mister Sivar?"

However, it seemed to be a kind of eye-level education. It was far from what I had expected.

But there was a part that even Grace didn't anticipate.

"Weren't you going to offer it?"

"Pardon?"

"From what you're saying, it sounds like you're ready to offer it anytime... am I wrong?"

Ellie seems perceptive yet not at the same time. It's probably due to her unique optimistic personality.

What's even more difficult is that it's not what you'd call a suggestive act. Ellie asked out of genuine curiosity.

"That... I can't say no, but... this, this requires both parties to be ready...!"

"Ready? Ready for what?"

"There, there are things like that! This isn't important right now, so let's move on!"

In the end, Grace raised the white flag. No matter how capable she was, this topic must have been tricky to explain.

"This is confusing..."

Lee Yeonju, who had been quietly following behind, muttered softly. She seemed to find the situation perplexing as well.

Amidst the confusing situation, I don't know how long we walked. As we collected herbs along the way, we discovered some traces.

"This is..."

"It's a Nol."

We found the corpse of a Nol that seemed to have died recently. A humanoid monster with a hyena head.

It's one of the monsters that can be found in forests, grasslands, mountain ranges, and so on. I also killed quite a few when I lived in the forest.

However, it's not a species that would live in the outskirts. It seemed to have been pushed to the outskirts after losing in competition.

‘But why is there only one?'

Nols, like other monsters, live in groups. It's a bit strange for there to be only one lying around.

As I tried to investigate further, I noticed something odd.

"Why are there burn marks only on the lower body?"

"You're right. It doesn't seem to have been burned by fire, though..."

Only the fur on the lower body was charred black. The other parts seemed relatively intact.

It seemed to have died from the shock of its lower body being severely burned.

‘But this... it's not burned by fire?'

The marks were closer to being struck by ‘lightning' than being burned by fire. I could differentiate it after being burned by lightning so often recently.

Then why was it electrocuted only on the lower body? I used a branch to thoroughly examine it.

And before long, I noticed ‘traces' mixed with bright red blood.

‘...This guy, could it be?'

It wasn't certain yet. I needed more detailed evidence.

After finding a few more traces, I realized one thing.

"Monsters that died cleanly and monsters with only their lower body burned... what could this mean?"

"I'm not sure. I don't really..."

He said his mating season hit hard.

Fortunately, he seemed to be targeting only the furry ones.