Food Chain (2)
Suddenly hearing that Ellie was coming along too, I got the full story. For non-combat types like Ellie, supplying herbs and hides was crucial. Normally, they'd stick to the safe outskirts for their own gathering, but now even those were dangerous. So they'd switched to tagging along when combat students went out on surveys or monster hunts.
For Ellie, who gathered all sorts of herbs, it was a real breath of fresh air.
"Hello! I'm Ellie from the Herbology Department! Nice to meet you!"
The next day, I introduced her to our forest team. Her greeting was so bubbly and bright. Add her pretty face to the mix, and everyone was bound to like her right away.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Grace Aria del Berche of the Berche Ducal House."
"I-I'm... Lee Yeonju..."
Grace and Lee Yeonju each greeted her in their own style. But their eyes wobbled a bit. They were trying to keep their gazes fixed on her face, but they kept slipping downward now and then.
Ellie's generous assets weren't something you saw every day. Man or woman, it was impossible not to look.
"You guys are on Sivar's team, right? I won't drag you down! And don't worry about the herbs—I'm great at spotting them!"
Ellie livened up the team's mood with her usual cheer. Grace seemed to like it too, flashing a satisfied smile. She couldn't help the occasional downward glance, but as a noble, she was holding back as best she could.
"You seem to know a lot about herbs, Miss Ellie. You look like a commoner—mind if I ask where you're from?"
"You probably won't know it. Ever heard of Batonto Village?"
"Hmm... My knowledge must be lacking. I haven't."
"Think of it as the countryside of the countryside."
Girls really hit it off fast. I watched the two already chatting away.
Grace had that noble air of superiority and a sharp impression that made her hard to approach. But Ellie's sunny personality broke the ice quicker than expected.
"Miss Grace, your eyes are so cool. Like a cat's—really pretty."
"Y-Yes? My eyes?"
"Yeah. I think they're pretty."
And she even complimented Grace's sharp eyes. Grace touched her own eyes, looking flustered. They were fierce, sure—no one would call them cool or pretty. But Ellie liked them. Not twisted taste, just preference.
"Th-Thank you. Your eyes are... pretty too, Miss Ellie."
Grace trailed off, her gaze dropping low. I could guess where. She swallowed hard, forcing the words out.
"...Your eyes are really pretty. Golden and sparkling—I've never seen anything like them."
"Hehe. Thanks."
Seeing them compliment each other was nice. Lucky me, surrounded by good people.
Ellie then asked Lee Yeonju about her background. Naturally, Yeonju named her region, not the Hwan Empire. Ellie didn't care, so they moved on. Instead, she showed another side.
"Sorry if it's rude since we just met, but can I hug you?"
"P-Pardon...?"
Maybe Yeonju's petite, cute frame charmed her. Ellie asked for a hug. Caught off guard, Yeonju panicked, and Ellie realized her mistake, giving an awkward smile.
"Yeah, probably not. Sorry."
"N-No, it's fine...! Here!"
Yeonju spread her arms wide in flustered earnest. Not acting—this was real. Ellie didn't miss the chance, gently hugging her. Ellie was average height, but Yeonju was so small she scooped right up.
"Whoa..."
Yeonju sighed in bliss at the soft, maternal warmth. All her worries melted away. I knew the feeling. Any lingering wariness was gone now.
They hugged for a while before slowly parting, both looking content.
"Not uncomfortable?"
"S-Super... super comfy..."
That was how she conquered them one by one(?). She probably didn't even realize.
"Want a hug too, Sivar?"
"Yeah."
Even knowing full well, Ellie's embrace was irresistible. I accepted instantly, leaning in gently. Standing, I couldn't bury my face, but the feel was satisfying enough. I'd ask when we sat for a break later. It'd been so long—my mind eased right up.
Lize would've been awkward to ask.
Lize was... hard to request this from. No clue why. Her Kwon Saint title? Something else? Same with others. No one let me act spoiled like Ellie.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Time to head into the forest—let's break."
"..."
I wanted more. I obeyed but couldn't hide my regret. Ellie found it cute, grinning as she pinched my cheek. Kara did this too—what was with everyone and my cheeks?
"Everyone assembled? Attention! As I said yesterday, today's mainly recon. No going deep without the guardian's say-so! The two appointed guardians yesterday get special compasses just in case!"
The forest entrance buzzed like a picnic, students milling about in casual clothes, not uniforms. Word of active monsters had them all armed. Same for me. Gripping Ragnarok after so long felt weird. Hadn't needed it lately.
"Ellie's here? Heard there'd be non-combat folks, but yeah."
After getting the special compass, Kara approached. She wasn't surprised by Ellie. Probably had non-combat in her team too—or heard already.
Ellie greeted her approach with her usual bright smile.
"Hi, Kara sis. Been good?"
"What, after a week? How'd midterms go?"
"Dunno. Wrote everything, but results aren't out. Non-combat's theory-heavy, so slower."
"Yeah? You'd ace it. We're heading in first."
"Okay. Stay safe."
Kara gave a quick check-in and led her team in. I watched her go. Hadn't noticed, but she was tall. Taller than most guys. Her solo figure drove it home.
"Where's Luna? Gone already?"
"First group went, so probably. Our turn now."
No Luna sighting. We'd run into her wandering the forest anyway. I handed the special compass to Ellie. Better with her.
Start with Porori's tracks?
Porori in rut. No idea where he was or what doing. Beasts got moody in heat—even prey attacked predators. Evolved spirit or not, animal instincts lingered. Humans too.
I'm weirdly calm, though.
Lived wild, entered civilization—no big urges. Not impotent, though. Mornings proved that, interest too. Just strong patience. Wonder how long it'd hold. I'd endure. Worst case, handle solo.
"By the way, Miss Ellie. How'd you meet Sivar?"
"Luna and I found him first. Know Monkey? Big gorilla monster."
"Yeah. Even skilled knights struggle."
I was scanning for notable tracks when Ellie and Grace started chatting behind me. Grace was curious since we seemed close. Made sense—I'd been friendly from the start.
"I almost died to a Monkey. Went deep for rare herbs and got jumped."
"So Sivar...?"
"Yeah. Saved me right before its fist hit. Like a fairy-tale prince."
Sackcloth only—not prince material. Still, glad she remembered fondly.
"Still gives me chills. I'm alive thanks to him—my life's basically his."
"...That far?"
"Obviously. Taught to use a saved life for the saver. My parents."
Too extreme. I was speechless. Earth too, but here family education mattered huge. No internet—society narrow. Narrow meant easy to pick up weird ideas. Even sweet Ellie had extremes.
She sees violence as okay for criminals.
She agreed. Good person. Just the era's influence.
"I see. So should I offer my purity to Sivar too?"
"Huh? What's that mean?"
"Recently... my chastity was nearly taken. Sivar saved me from it."
Grace wasn't slacking either. She brought up her trauma calmly—maybe the shared theme. Shocked even me.
"By your logic, shouldn't I offer mine too?"
Eye-level lesson, apparently. Far from what I'd guessed. But Grace hadn't expected this.
"Won't you?"
"Pardon?"
"Sounds like you're ready anytime... or not?"
Ellie had sharp instincts—or none. Her cheerfulness at play. Not teasing—just genuine curiosity.
"W-Well, can't say no but... we both need to be ready...!"
"Ready? For what?"
"Th-There's stuff! Not important—let's move on!"
Grace surrendered. Even she couldn't explain that easily.
"What a mess..."
Lee Yeonju muttered softly from behind. Even she found it dizzying.
How long in that chaos? Gathering herbs en route, we spotted tracks.
"This is..."
"A gnoll."
Fresh-killed gnoll corpse. Hyena-headed humanoid. Found in forests, plains, mountains. I'd killed plenty in my forest days. But not outskirts dwellers. Probably lost turf war, pushed out.
Why just one, though?
Gnolls pack like others. Lone one was odd. Checking closer, something weird.
"Why's only the lower body's singed?"
"Yeah. Not burned by fire, though..."
Just lower fur charred black. Rest intact. Lower body shock must've killed it.
Not fire, though...
Not burn—lightning strike. Recent zaps taught me the difference. Why only lower body?
I poked everywhere with a stick. Soon spotted red blood-mixed 'trace'.
...This bastard, no way?
Not sure yet. Needed more proof. Found a few more tracks, realized.
"Clean-killed monsters and lower-body-zapped ones... what does it mean?"
"Dunno. Me neither..."
Bad rut. At least targeting the furry ones. Small mercy.