Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: New Story (2)
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“Ah, ahh, ah...”
Ji-hye let out repeated sighs.
For losing just one wolf leg, this was an awfully thick despair.
“N-no, no, uwaa...”
Her mind was pretty much gone.
Well, it had been a proper meal after a whole month, so it wasn't all that strange.
That said...
“Haha, this is fun. Crawl some more.”
Why was Sitla toying with Ji-hye like this?
I was pretty sure I'd just told her to feed her.
I sent a telepathic message to Sitla, who was giggling beside me.
─I said feed her, so why are you messing with the kid?
─I figured this would be better.
A glance.
At her words, I looked at Ji-hye sprawled on the ground.
She was so hungry she couldn't even complain, just sobbing pathetically.
Yeah, it was definitely a good state for getting her cooperation.
─Did I mess up?
─No, you did great.
Sitla's tail flicked happily.
I knew what that motion meant now—she wanted more praise.
I stroked her silver hair, avoiding her horns.
Sitla's tail flicked even more vigorously.
“Heh, hehe.”
How did she end up like this?
Well, now even if I released her oath, she'd probably stick with me.
Anyway.
Now it was time to make good use of the stage Sitla had set.
I picked up the wolf leg and went over to Ji-hye.
How had she survived this long, anyway?
Could an ordinary human dropped into a fantasy world really last a month?
I'd say no.
Definitely impossible.
You couldn't equate the forests of a fantasy world to those in the real one.
In the real world, at worst you'd run into a bear that might tear a person apart, but here an orc that tears bears apart would pop out.
She must have slept under trees or on cave floors.
If she couldn't find fruit, she'd have caught and eaten bugs.
She could barely drink when it rained, and even then she'd constantly be chased by monsters.
I'd basically kept her alive by force.
According to Sitla's regular reports, Ji-hye had attempted suicide three times.
It was that harsh for a normal person.
“Hungry?”
“Please, just one bite...!”
“I'll give it to you.”
Which was why this 'roasted wolf leg' was such a powerful weapon.
“If you answer my questions.”
Like the whip and the carrot.
Make them suffer so much that even resentment fades, then give them what they need most.
For someone from the 'modern world,' there was no way they wouldn't fall for it.
“And if you answer sincerely, I'll help you out.”
“H-help me?”
“Yeah. I'll find you a home, a job, whatever. Sound good?”
Ji-hye didn't hesitate.
Her head bobbed up and down so hard it nearly fell off, so I immediately handed over the wolf leg.
Ji-hye started devouring it ravenously.
No seasonings, just grilled meat—yet she crammed it into her mouth like it was the best thing ever, even when it choked her.
I smiled brightly and handed her a cup of water.
A moment later.
With her belly full and bloated, Ji-hye leaned against a tree.
“W-what do you want to know?”
“You're the author, right? Tell me about the story from here on.”
“...Now?”
“If you want to puke up all that meat you just ate, sure, don't tell me.”
“B-better than nothing! What story do you want...?”
“The Great Forest episodes.”
“Oh, th-that...”
Ji-hye started glancing around nervously.
I could tell right away it wasn't a great storyline.
“You know there's a World Tree at the center of the Great Forest, right...?”
“Yeah.”
“And you know that's super valuable material...”
“Obviously.”
“S-so, the Demon King's army targeting it and starting a war isn't that weird, right...?”
“...”
Silence.
Ji-hye still glancing nervously, me barely holding back a sigh.
The precariously aligned situation created an uncomfortably heavy quiet.
“It's only been a month since we dealt with the grand mage incident, and now war breaks out?”
“I-it's the episode where you stop it!”
“How?”
“By aligning interests well... Ah, but now that the legion commander died, it might not work. The Demon King side might be pretty sensitive too.”
A sigh finally escaped.
How did everything have to piss me off like this? Bad news piling up like this was starting to feel surreal.
“Keep going for now.”
“Uh...”
Ji-hye shared everything she knew.
Why the elves hated humans, the Demon King's guards stationed in the Great Forest, etc.
Some decently useful info, so the trip had been worth it.
“W-what are you gonna do?”
“What I have to.”
Honestly, I couldn't see a breakthrough right now.
I'd love to just let the Great Forest and the war sort themselves out, but...
“I-if the World Tree gets taken, the world ends.”
“Why?”
“It's the World Tree.”
“You didn't set it up properly, did you?”
This hack writer who scribbled stories on the fly was the type to stretch settings without thinking.
“...The elf hierarchy is based on combat strength. Roel's strong enough, so getting cooperation should be easy.”
“Didn't you say they hate humans?”
“That's separate. It's custom. And the Academy was invited by the elves anyway.”
I stared at Ji-hye silently.
So, elves who despise humans specifically invited the Academy?
Looked like I couldn't expect proper settings from this author.
“Th-this isn't like that?! It's properly set up!”
“Yeah, sure it is.”
“I-it's because of the Demon King! From the elves' perspective, they want the Hero born ASAP. So they're helping!”
Ji-hye's desperate excuses fell on deaf ears—too late.
Once trust was gone, it didn't come back easy.
“I'm out.”
“W-wait, what about the house?”
“She'll take care of it.”
I'd leave the rest to Sitla.
Ji-hye made a face like she hated the idea, but I ignored it.
This was mercy enough already.
“I'm going. Keep her alive.”
“Yep!”
“Come when I call.”
“Yessir!”
With Sitla's enthusiastic reply, I tried to retrieve my avatar.
“Wait!”
The annoying author stopped me again.
“What now?”
“...I just remembered something.”
Ji-hye looked serious.
Hard to ignore that.
“What?”
“Tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, tomorrow.”
The wide training grounds.
The usual trio who stayed latest were sitting on the ground, resting.
They were the 'famous three' now known to everyone at the Academy.
“The Great Forest out of nowhere... You think it'll be okay?”
It was impossible for every student at the Academy to go.
So only the most 'promising' among the 1st Grade cadets were heading to the Great Forest.
Roel, Sera, Laila—naturally included, but...
“Yeah, I hate being singled out.”
“Not sure the Academy handled this well either.”
They weren't exactly thrilled.
It started with the dungeon exploration.
Demons that shouldn't have been there were, and the three nearly died.
Second was the Academy attack.
Third, the village incident.
Fourth, finals...
All near-death major events.
Whenever they tried anything, disaster struck like clockwork—no matter how prepared, they couldn't stop it.
The cadets losing trust was inevitable.
“Feels like something's gonna blow up this time too, doesn't it?”
“Definitely.”
And this wasn't limited to Sera and Laila in this conversation.
Probably most students had lost faith.
“St-still! Let's trust them this time! Just entering the Great Forest is a rare experience!”
“True, but...”
Roel hurriedly mediated.
As students, they couldn't lose trust in the school.
“Let's give it our best shot.”
But Roel wasn't much less anxious.
Her awkward smile proved it.
Sera stared at her for a moment, then sighed deeply and stood up.
“You're right. It's mandatory anyway—might as well think of it as an experience.”
“Right?”
“Yeah.”
Sera started packing their scattered gear.
She sheathed her sword, folded towels.
“And the elves invited us, right? No way they'd discriminate against guests.”
“Good point.”
Call it fortunate.
The gloomy talk ended on a somewhat hopeful note.
“Maybe we'll even get VIP treatment. I hear elf salads are amazing—now I'm curious!”
“...I need meat.”
“Me too.”
The three would sleep well tonight.
Thanks to worries turning into anticipation.
And so, the next day.
Arriving at the Great Forest via three spatial transfers with the Mage Tower's help.
“Take that back right now!!”
For some reason, a furious Roel was causing a scene among the elves.