Chapter 65
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: The Butterfly Effect Starting from Milk (2)
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“Hweeeeng... I'm gonna get eaten...”
I looked at the kid making that bizarre crying sound and said,
“I'm not gonna eat you.”
Not in the normal sense, and definitely not in the sexual one either.
My strike zone might be a bit wider than most people's, but this kid was way beyond that.
Fundamentally, I believe women should have a properly womanly figure.
Someone might ask, what about Bianca then?
Bianca was...
Just Bianca.
“...L-Liar... Daddy said everyone else wants to eat me!”
“...”
What kind of upbringing makes something like that come out so naturally?
“Hweeeeeeng!”
Hearing that indescribably weird crying nonstop was starting to mess with my head.
“Stop crying, and if you promise not to run, I'll let you down.”
“...Hweeng... I won't run! Let me down, please.”
The kid sniffled and agreed to my terms, so I set her down on the ground.
And...
Whoosh─
She bolted in one second flat.
Is this what they mean by betrayal faster than light?
Watching her dash off without a hint of hesitation made the back of my head tingle.
“...”
Of course, I caught her again.
No way those stubby little legs could outrun the range of my telekinesis.
“Hweeeeeeng! Caught again! This time I'm really gonna get eaten!”
“I said I'm not eating you! Quit your yapping and stop crying already.”
“Hweeng! Liar! Daddy said everyone's a liar!”
Earlier it was everyone wants to eat her, now it's everyone's a liar.
Already brimming with distrust for humanity—what a worrying future ahead.
I let out a short sigh and asked the kid,
“You don't know me?”
“...Nope.”
Instant reply.
I figured after all the gifts I'd brought over time, even if we weren't friends, we'd at least be acquaintances. Guess I was wrong.
“What's your standard for 'knowing' someone?”
“...You have to know their name.”
“Eugene Calliope. That's me.”
I told her my name, then set her down again.
“Now that I've said mine, your turn. You're gonna get caught anyway, so don't even think about run─”
Whoosh─
Before I could finish, off she went again.
“Haa...”
Is she just incapable of learning, or is she messing with me?
I grabbed her fleeing legs with telekinesis and dangled her from a tree branch like a ornament.
“Hweeeeng! Let me down!”
“Say your name, and I will.”
“Hweeeeeeng!”
Instead of answering, she cried even louder.
I sighed shortly and shook her around with telekinesis to dust her off.
“Heuk! Deuk! Keuk! Det!”
A moment later, I set down the kid with eyes spinning like saucers and asked for her name again.
“What's your name?”
“Uegh... I feel like puking... My tummy hurts...”
“...No answer? Guess I'll have to do it again.”
“Eek...! I-Izold!”
Finally, I heard her yell it out, and grinned.
“Alright then, Izolde. Now you know my name, and I know yours—so we're not strangers anymore, right?”
“...Huh...? Is that... how it works...?”
While Izolde pondered that with a blank look, I pulled out my secret weapon from my bag.
[Donut Filled with Strawberry Jam]
One of the officially tastiest snacks in Academy's Tamer, a limited edition that's super hard to get—only ten sold a day. But in this world, money opens most doors.
I split the donut in half and handed it to Izolde.
“Eat up.”
“...B-But they said not to eat from strangers...”
“We're not strangers anymore, you and me.”
I squeezed my fingers, and thick, sweet strawberry jam oozed out from between the halves.
“St-Still...”
As Izolde kept hesitating, I shoved a piece right into her mouth.
“...!”
If the marshmallow chocolate milk earlier had made her think, If this world's got flavors like that! then this donut had her face screaming, Who knew the universe held such taste!
One bite, and all reason flew out the window—she snatched the offered half and wolfed it down.
Still looking hungry, I gave her my half too, and it vanished into that tiny mouth.
“...Thank you. It was really yummy.”
Izolde bowed politely after demolishing a whole donut in seconds.
Her face was smeared with jam from scarfing it, but she was cute enough—and her escape attempt still irked me—so I said nothing.
“Alright, sit here.”
“...Okay.”
I pointed at the campfire, and she scampered over to plop down.
...She'd been trying to flee just moments ago. Donuts, huh.
...Works like a charm.
As Izolde sat staring like she wanted more, I pointed toward the barrier and said,
“Your house is in there, right?”
“...?! H-How'd you know?!”
“I know everything. See? Your daddy's Tristan, yeah?”
“...R-Really?!”
Once a suspicious person's doubts are cleared, they fall for cons even easier. Spot on.
Trust skyrocketing, Izolde gazed at me with sparkling eyes.
I leaned in and whispered,
“Hey, Izolde. Wanna be secret friends?”
“...Secret friends?”
“Yeah, secret friends. Sneak in there with me—no one has to know—and we can play.”
“...Eek... But Daddy said no letting anyone inside...”
“I'll give you a candy.”
“St-Still...”
As Izolde wavered, I grabbed a fistful of candies from my bag and showed her.
“All of these.”
“This way!”
A trash heap luring a kid with candy...
That was me.
─Rustle
Holding Izolde's hand as she sucked on her candy, we passed through the barrier. It felt like spiderwebs clinging all over my body—unpleasant as hell.
Just as it got unbearable, a new area appeared—one I'd never found no matter how hard I searched.
A wide clearing with two cabins.
...Right one's the workshop.
The cabins looked nearly identical, but spotting the workshop was easy.
The left wooden house had warm smoke curling from its chimney, considerate of Izolde. The right one looked ice-cold by contrast.
“No one's ever come here before.”
Izolde said, a bit excited.
Makes sense.
Who'd she invite when taught everyone wants to eat her?
“This way.”
As expected, she headed for the left house.
I followed, but suddenly Izolde collapsed.
“...?”
At first, I thought she just tripped.
But she wouldn't get up, no matter how long I waited.
Thinking it was a prank, I approached—and realized it wasn't.
Cold sweat poured from her face; she wasn't normal.
Her forehead burned hot to the touch.
Pulse faint, breathing ragged.
...What's this?
I couldn't figure why she'd collapsed so suddenly.
No—priority was saving her first.
“...Haa... haa...”
That's when I heard ragged breathing behind me.
Tristan.
His face hardened gravely as he took in the scene.
I replayed it from his view:
─Barrier breached by someone.
─Daughter collapsed on the ground.
─Suspicious guy standing beside her.
“...I'll kill you.”
Tristan growled.
I got it, his feelings.
If it were me, I'd attack first too.
But that didn't make it any less unfair for me right now.
“W-Wait a sec...!”
“Shut up!”
Wind Blade
Flame Arrow
Tristan unleashed spells in rapid succession.
Lucky for me, they were low-tier ones aimed carefully to avoid hitting his daughter, but a Carnea professor's skill wasn't to be underestimated.
“...Some... misunderstanding...!”
Boom─!
The spells whizzed past me—he clearly wasn't in the mood to talk.
I dodged desperately, but even optimistically, my stamina would give out before his mana.
Think! Think!
A way to stop rampaging Tristan...
No such thing.
To halt a frenzy like that, you'd need equal power—and at this point, only the princess could match a professor.
Then it hit me.
A truly scummy method, but...
It was all I had.
Screech─!
I halted my retreat and charged back toward the spot.
Tristan faltered briefly at my approach.
But he quickly guessed my intent and tried to spam more spells—too late, I arrived first.
“Stop!”
I pressed a finger to Izolde's throat in threat.
No real intent to hurt her, but it was necessary to calm Tristan.
Grind─
Even from this distance, I heard his teeth gnash.
Shaking off the goosebumps, I yelled,
“If you don't want to see Izolde hurt, back off first!”