Chapter 189
Chapter 189
I noticed it when I saw the monster Shia had just killed.
‘……It was a white snake.’
Unlike an ordinary snake, it was as large as a full-grown man.
Its tail, which it swung at enemies, was quite dangerous, but what required particular caution was its fangs. If bitten, one would be paralyzed.
But that monster was something that appeared only in the ‘Comprehensive Examination Episode.’
‘……So it was still left behind.’
The one constantly creating them was a boss monster known as the Giant White Serpent.
A mother body that proliferated monsters.
A problem that should have been dealt with during the Comprehensive Examination Episode was surfacing now. It seemed it had been left in an incomplete state instead of being fully handled.
According to the original storyline, that monster was supposed to reveal itself in the Central Area of the Island on the final day of the examination.
All the cadets were meant to join forces to defeat it.
……But it seemed that part had been skipped.
‘There’s no way Professor Ruber made a mistake.’
Before leaving this island, Professor Ruber, who had been in charge of this examination, would have eliminated every remaining monster.
And yet, if that boss monster was still lingering here…….
‘Monsters generated due to magical energy contamination.’
That seemed like the most plausible hypothesis.
‘In the end, killing those snake monsters is pointless.’
Unless the mother body—the boss—was eliminated, they would multiply endlessly.
Which meant…… we had to go to the Central Area of the Island and deal with the boss.
With that thought, I spoke to Shia.
“Judging by the way you look, you’ve been hunting monsters for quite a while without resting…… That snake just now, it wasn’t the first or second time you’ve seen it, was it?”
“…….”
Shia nodded silently.
As expected.
“The same monster over and over…… Then the answer’s obvious. Isn’t it always like this? A mother body that proliferates monsters. Unless we kill that, there’s no point.”
“You think I don’t know that?”
Shia answered sharply.
She wasn’t a fool.
Having encountered the same monster multiple times, she had already figured it out.
“I’m like this because I don’t know where the mother body is.”
“Exactly.”
I curled up the corner of my lips and stepped closer to her.
“I think I might know where it is.”
“……?”
She looked at me.
Her gaze seemed to demand an explanation.
‘How should I put this?’
I couldn’t exactly say it was because I had played <Yggdrasil>.
I needed a lie convincing enough to satisfy her.
“When I purchased this island, I heard something rather ominous. They told me to be careful because an ominous presence could be felt in the Central Area of the Island. I didn’t understand what they meant at the time of the transaction, but now it feels like the pieces are falling into place.”
“…….”
Shia didn’t refute me. Though she didn’t withdraw her suspicious look either.
Well, that reaction was natural.
But what could she do? I was the one who bought the island.
“So here’s my proposal. Let’s go to the center of the island together and kill the mother body.”
“…….”
After a long moment of contemplation, Shia spoke again.
“You know where it is?”
“Yes. In detail.”
“If you’re lying, be prepared.”
“I have no intention of deceiving you. I’m the owner of this island, remember? I want those monsters gone even more than you do.”
“……Enough talk. Lead the way.”
“Of course.”
Before taking a step, I looked at the stag.
The closer we got to the Central Area of the Island, the more frequently we would encounter monsters.
Protecting this stag as well would multiply the effort several times over. We couldn’t bring it with us.
Pruung~?
At the stag tilting its head, Rapin approached.
“Yeah, Lotti. Don’t worry. We’ll be back soon. Go to the Log Cabin and wait.”
Pruuung…….
With Rapin translating, we sent the stag back.
“Let’s go.”
As I took the lead, Rapin and Shia followed silently behind me.
‘……We’re communicating better than I expected.’
I had thought there was a possibility Shia would reject my proposal and act on her own. But she seemed determined to kill the mother body no matter what.
Probably to protect the stag.
That was likely why she decided to travel with me.
Clink, clink…….
As we advanced toward the Central Area of the Island, my ‘Danger Detection’ Skill activated without pause.
It seemed the proliferation was still ongoing.
‘If we leave the mother body alone like this, the island itself will be in danger.’
Sure enough, as we approached the center, we encountered the snake monsters more frequently.
But—
Boom!
The moment a monster appeared, Shia rushed ahead and sliced it cleanly in two.
‘With this level of power…… she’s far beyond cadet level.’
Shia’s physical abilities were bizarrely exceptional.
‘She’s wrapped in bandages from head to toe, looks frail, and doesn’t even appear muscular.’
Despite looking sickly, her strength was overwhelming.
Of course, Heidel and Kayrin also possessed monstrous amounts of magical energy beyond student level, but in a one-on-one combat situation, Shia would likely have the advantage.
‘She’s probably better than most knights.’
However, Shia clearly had a weakness.
“Haah…… haah…….”
After killing several monsters in succession, her breathing gradually grew heavier.
Her stamina could not keep up with her tremendous strength.
She consumed a great deal of energy, and fatigue seemed to accumulate throughout her body.
I glanced around.
Not far away, between two large rocks, there was a gap.
A small cave. It looked sufficient for a brief rest.
“Let’s take a short break there.”
“……”
Shia silently shook her head.
“Why? I want to rest.”
“……Don’t bother pretending to be considerate.”
It was a facade so she wouldn’t appear weak.
Shia had already suppressed even the sound of her breathing, clearly trying not to show fatigue.
But her face was flushed red, and her shoulders trembled noticeably.
If her fatigue accumulated further, something serious might happen.
We had to make her rest.
I was thinking of how to persuade her when—
Grrrgl…….
Right on cue, Rapin’s stomach growled. Only then did Shia close her mouth.
Grrrgl…….
“Billet, I’m hungry.”
“Yeah. I’m on it.”
What I was making was cinnamon baked apples.
On the frying pan, apple slices cut into round cross-sections were browning nicely.
Butter Blessed by the Goddess Lv.1
I melted butter from my farm with sugar in the pan and cooked them together. Rapin’s eyes began to sparkle intensely.
The butter was my farm produce, but the sugar had been purchased from the market.
‘I wish I could make sugar receive the Goddess’s blessing too. What a shame.’
Once the monsters were dealt with, I planned to grow sugarcane here as well.
‘Anyway, that should do it.’
Golden on the outside, crisp and sweet on the inside—cinnamon baked apples.
Brown cinnamon powder was evenly sprinkled across the surface.
I plated it and handed it to Rapin.
“Thanks for the food.”
She speared a slice with a fork and brought it to her mouth.
“Mm…….”
With each bite, as if overwhelmed with emotion, Rapin trembled slightly and her eyes sparkled.
After watching her, I extended the plate to Shia.
“Hey, you eat too.”
“…….”
She deliberately avoided my gaze and didn’t even glance at it.
I lightly shook the plate.
“My arm’s getting tired. Take it already.”
“……I’m not eating.”
Apparently, she wasn’t hungry.
If she didn’t want it, I wouldn’t normally force her. I wasn’t her parent, after all.
But this situation was different.
“You’re our main combat force here. I’m giving this to you so you can eat, regain strength, and smash those monsters.”
“…….”
I deliberately stepped closer and shook the plate again.
Except for the sugar, everything was made from ingredients grown on my farm.
Objectively speaking, it smelled quite good. At this distance, it would be hard to resist.
In the end, Shia furrowed her brows irritably and accepted the plate as if she had no choice.
“……Persistent.”
“I don’t want to eat it, but it’s all for Lotti.”
Shia casually speared a slice of apple and brought it to her mouth.
And the moment she took a bite—
“……!”
Her eyes widened.
……It was delicious.
A pleasant sweetness spread across her tongue.
Perhaps because it was baked? The raw tanginess of the apple had disappeared, and the scent of cinnamon reached her first.
Sweet—but not sweetness that came solely from sugar.
It wasn’t overly sweet, and behind the sweetness lay the rich flavor of butter, gently supporting it without overwhelming.
……Delicious.
It was so good she wanted another bite.
In the end, she finished every slice on the plate.
She wanted to ask for another serving…….
But her cursed pride wouldn’t allow it.
“Want another plate?”
She didn’t realize how welcome those careless words from Billet were.
But Shia suppressed her expression and looked at him.
“Hmph. I have no intention of eating amicably with you. It’s just…… I might collapse if I’m hungry.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
“……I’m only eating for stamina management.”
“You’re asking for more, right? Got it.”
As if he roughly understood her meaning, Billet readily served her another portion.
Shia pretended to accept it reluctantly and continued eating.
……It was bound to be surprising.
But what was even more surprising than the dish was the fact that Billet had made it.
‘How can Billet make something like this?’
Shia rummaged through her memories.
Billet, who once seemed to take pleasure only in tormenting cadets while leading a group of delinquent students.
But at some point, that group had dispersed, and instead Rapin began following him around.
Rapin was neither outstanding academically nor in practical magic. She was a quiet, ordinary student.
Yet somehow, Billet had become close with her.
He seemed different from the atrocious Billet of the early days of admission.
Shia hated Billet.
No—more than hate.
It was closer to contempt.
When it came to entrance grades at Yggdrasil Academy, Shia was not particularly outstanding.
Nor was she a noble.
Because of that, she had once become Billet’s target and been picked on.
She still remembered it.
The cold, vile smile as he looked down at her.
The misty eyes that concealed his true thoughts.
A man who enjoyed hurting others simply because of the position he held.
‘Cold-blooded’ wasn’t enough to describe him.
As if he had something wrong with his mind…….
A dangerous individual lacking emotions.
What he enjoyed was merely purposeless amusement.
Despite such antisocial tendencies, he remained in this academy only because of his high noble bloodline.
Human trash.
That was how Shia had always thought of Billet.
But…….
“Hey, Rapin. You’ll choke if you eat like that. Drink something.”
“……K–kh.”
“I knew this would happen.”
Rapin had choked, clutching her chest. Billet gave her water.
It was merely a simple act—giving water to a friend who had choked—but to Shia, it felt strangely unfamiliar.
‘This isn’t the Billet I knew……?’
The Billet she remembered would never have done something like that.
Normally, instead of offering water, he would have kicked someone as if amused by their suffering.
Shia didn’t consider herself a good person. If anything, she was closer to evil.
But she had never considered herself the same kind as Billet.
Billet was pure evil.
A man who toyed with others for simple curiosity and amusement ……yet he had completely changed.
No.
He was no longer Billet.
It wouldn’t be strange to think of him as an entirely different person.
……His eyes.
Even the way he looked at others was different.
The current Billet’s eyes were no longer dull and aimless.
They shone like gemstones.
Clear and vivid, reminiscent of the noon sun—like yellow heliodor.
“Cough, I’m okay now.”
“So eat more slowly. No one’s going to take it from you.”
Billet said with a slight smile.
His impression was still unpleasant and cold, but at least it didn’t feel fake.
Shia knew. Eyes symbolized a person’s conviction and purpose.
……Billet now had a conviction and a purpose.
Seeing his gaze, Shia became certain.