Chapter 179

I caused a big mess again, but somehow managed to clean it up.

The training area was almost like a private residence, so as long as I handled the aftermath well, it should be fine.

But I couldn’t do anything about Porori’s food problem. All the acorns were smashed, so there was nothing to clean up.

“By the way, why did you collect acorns? Preparing for winter?”

“Well, that’s part of it, but they were also meant for offerings to the sky! Soon, I’ll be able to open my thumb!”

Porori was stomping their feet in anger.

By the way, they still remembered that thumb that I mentioned last time.

What’s the point of bending a thumb with that tiny little body anyway?

But it’s undeniable that I made Porori’s hard work go down the drain in an instant.

‘So what.’

Porori’s issues were none of my business. I had my own tasks to deal with.

That meant kneeling and raising my hands. While Rod took care of the aftermath, I was standing in penalty.

And not with empty hands, but holding a bloody greatsword. The weight was starting to make my arms ache.

“Phew… This should be enough. Everyone did well.”

“… …”

“Even Sivar, you can lower your arms now.”

“Phew.”

Fortunately, the punishment stopped just before my arms were about to fall off.

Even I found it pretty hard to keep my arms raised for that long.

After that, I picked up some acorns and handed them over to Porori. They accepted them, albeit with some dissatisfaction.

“Shall we deal with meals soon? Would you like to join us, Chancellor?”

“I’ll pass. I might make things uncomfortable if I showed up. Plus, I’ve already prepared healthy food.”

“Oh. Sister, can I invite my new friend over?”

Following Rod, Luna suggested the idea to Kara. I hoped her new friend wasn’t Erica.

Just then, Kara seemed curious. She asked Luna with a puzzled expression.

“New friend? Who’s that? Does Sivar know?”

“Yes, it’s Erica, a student from another class…”

“A girl?”

“Yes?”

“I asked if it’s a girl.”

“Uh… yes. Why?”

As soon as I said “girl,” Kara shot me a sharp look. Another girl, huh?

But I shook my head vehemently, denying it. It was just a coincidence, nothing more.

Whether she read my thoughts or just wanted to see for herself, Kara let it slide.

“What kind of girl? Can you tell me more?”

“Yes. So, here’s what happened…”

Luna collected herself and began explaining about Erica. Meanwhile, I sighed inwardly.

Just to warn you, Kara and Erica have a dreadful chemistry. It’s like oil and water.

Kara grew up in an environment where life could easily be lost, while Erica, on the other hand, dutifully values life above all else.

Just looking at that contrast reveals their terrible compatibility. In fact, they fight whenever they get the chance in the Soul World.

‘If they achieve mental growth, it’ll be okay…’

What if some clueless player tried to progress the story with both of them in the party?

Sure, your body might be a bit more comfortable, but your mind would be battered. They would be at each other’s throats, and I’d have to mediate.

I could let it slide with one ear and out the other, but these two wouldn’t. Each word would feel like a nail driven into their hearts.

‘How many choices am I expected to make?’

The moment I defend one side, the other side’s affinity takes a huge hit.

Of course, most players would naturally back Kara. After all, Erica’s beliefs were close to nonsense.

Moreover, the story wouldn’t suffer much if Erica wasn’t there. The demon-related storyline is a bit tricky, but it’s not something you can’t overcome.

“So, are we thinking about having a meal together? What do you say, sister?”

“Is she not lacking in any way?”

Here we go. A blunt question shot out right away.

“She isn’t lacking, but um… just think of her as a weird person. We have a couple of odd folks around us.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

“… …”

Wow. Chaos’s mouth is definitely working hard today!

But it’s ridiculous that Kara found that credible. I’m sure I’d be included in that odd bunch as well.

“Anyway, can we eat together?”

“Sure. I also need to ask a few questions.”

And so, we decided to have a meal with Erica. By the way, Eli was gone when I went to find her.

I heard she was studying in the library. Just because it’s vacation doesn’t mean she’s lying around doing nothing.

Usually, people who are good at studying and talented work even harder. Eli is just that kind of person.

‘No wonder she was growing more and more as time passed in the Soul World…’

I hadn’t realized much about those finer details. Everyone is working hard behind the scenes.

“Hey, barbarian?! What’s a barbarian doing here…!”

“… …”

Can you please save the insults for behind the scenes?

As soon as Erica met Kara, she blurted out something like that. Her horrified expression was a bonus.

Although Kara’s reputation was improving little by little, the prejudice remained.

After all, the reputation itself is limited to our class, while Erica comes from another class, so she wouldn’t escape those preconceived notions.

“Wow. It’s been a while since I heard the term ‘barbarian.’”

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“Not really? I’m just trying to let it slide now.”

In response to my cautious question, Kara shrugged her shoulders in a rather mature manner.

You could definitely see signs of her mental growth. It’s a good sign, but no one knows when it might explode.

I just hope Erica won’t say anything pointless. Luna seemed to have a similar thought, as she barely managed to keep Erica in check.

“Erica, you shouldn’t say those things out loud, no matter what.”

“B-but…”

“How could you say such things when Kara is such a kind person? As long as you keep quiet, she won’t hit you, so it’s best to keep your mouth shut.”

“… …”

At Luna’s warning, Erica sealed her lips. Though she couldn’t help but glance at Kara.

As the dislike stacks up from the very first meeting, we headed towards the restaurant to settle our meal.

Here, Erica, being a vegetarian, only ordered a salad. It might as well be called a salad, as it was just lightly dressed without any mayo.

“O life-giving Gaia, grant us our daily sustenance and…”

Well, even though Erica was a bit unlikable, she sure gave off a reverent vibe during her prayers.

When she prayed, everyone remained silent, even putting down their utensils to listen to her prayer.

Kara stared with a rather interested expression, which, for some reason, seemed to indicate she liked Erica more than expected.

It might be much better than fighting all the time in the Soul World, but still, I felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Like a ticking time bomb ready to detonate. I sincerely hoped that bomb wouldn’t go off.

“Do you pray to Gaia every time you eat?”

“Yes, yes? Oh, um… yes?”

“Seems similar to Gulrak. We pray to Gulrak before we head into battle.”

“… … Oh, now that you mention it…”

Erica muttered as if she had just realized something. It seemed she had forgotten that the Tartar people worshiped Gulrak.

After that, Erica nibbled on her salad while glancing at Kara cautiously. She seemed to have something she wanted to say.

Kara, noticing that, opened her mouth with a smile.

“If you have something to say, just say it. You called me a barbarian earlier, but now you’re quiet.”

“… … Is that really true?”

“I’ve met all sorts of people in my life; someone who worships Gaia should be alright.”

I’m sure I’d be included in that “all sorts of people” category. I’m almost certain of it.

Just as I was thinking that while munching on my food, Erica, who had been hesitating, quietly spoke up.

“Um… Princess Kara, what do you think about life?”

“It’s precious.”

“I heard that the Tartar people engaged in pillaging in the past…”

“That’s right. So we’re still being cursed to this day.”

“T-then…”

Maybe it was Kara’s special charisma that made Erica overwhelmed. Or perhaps the mature atmosphere left her speechless.

It’s a situation lightyears away from the Soul World. Normally, Erica would’ve been bold enough to confront Kara head-on.

But look at her now. It was obvious that Kara held the upper hand while Erica complied.

Even I found this new side of them fascinating. What kind of conversation would unfold between them?

“If you truly value life, then why did you commit acts that harm life?”

“I had to survive back then. Otherwise, it would’ve been me who died.”

“Was there truly no peaceful resolution?”

“To achieve that, my father founded our nation. To avoid shedding even a drop of blood.”

Surprisingly, Kara answered kindly. Despite the somewhat sensitive topic, she remained completely composed.

Her words, featuring the wisdom of someone who had been through thick and thin, were particularly persuasive.

So much so that even hot-headed Erica was swallowing her words occasionally. It was completely different from the vibe I had known.

“Now it’s my turn to ask a question. You said life is precious?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“Then will you also cherish the life of the person who killed your mother?”

“… … What?”

Erica’s pink eyes widened. She seemed incredulous at the question.

Luna also reacted similarly. It seemed like a serious conversation was about to emerge, so she momentarily set her spoon down.

As for me… well, I had a rough idea of what was going on, so I continued to chew. But I maintained an open-minded listening posture.

“I’m asking if you value the life of the person who killed your mother. For now, let me just say that I killed that guy.”

“Oh, no matter what they did, life is precious… right?”

“Hmm… So does that mean you forgive them?”

“Not really. I’ll ensure they get punished, but I won’t kill them.”

That much was clear. Erica stated it firmly.

In fact, that was a form of getting through, so Kara nodded without further remarks.

“Great. Next question. You do consider plants to be life, right?”

“Of course. Plants are the life nurtured directly by Lady Gaia.”

“In the end, it means life cannot exist without taking the life of another, right?”

“That’s…”

Once again, Erica’s words hit a wall. Her beliefs could be entirely refuted by that statement.

Life must take from another life to extend its own. It’s an unchanging natural law upon being born.

Even if Erica claims to eat vegetarian, it doesn’t differ much from taking life.

“If you had been born in an environment where food was scarce, you would have disregarded all this talk. When you’re starving, you gotta prioritize food before anything else.”

“B-but I believe it’s wrong not to help those in need!”

“Of course. That’s a mindset only the well-fed can have.”

Kara sneered sharply. In reality, Erica belonged to the well-fed category.

Born into nobility, she’d never had to worry about hunger in her life, and she wouldn’t have to starve at the Academy either.

Plus, as a follower of Gaia, she’d be taken care of everywhere. There’s no way someone like her would go hungry.

“I grew up in a starving environment, and now I live in a state of abundance. So maybe that’s why I can’t relate to your words at all.”

“But you realized how precious life is.”

“That’s a separate matter, you know? Is life precious? Sure. Can’t put a specific value on life? Sure.”

Kara pointed that out with a sharp voice.

“But you can’t ignore the essence itself. After all, why would Lady Gaia create life in such a manner?”

“W-well… that’s…”

Touching on Gaia’s essence—the very being that governs life. Yet, Erica couldn’t muster a counterargument.

As Kara stated, if life had been created perfectly from the get-go, that would have been the end of it. Yet Gaia didn’t do that.

Thus, Erica’s beliefs raise significant questions about the very existence of Gaia. It’s almost blasphemous.

Just as Erica’s big pink eyes were shaking and she looked utterly baffled, Kara wiped the smile off her face and spoke.

“Above all… there’s something that really irritates me.”

“… …”

“Your sentiment about cherishing life? At first glance, it may seem altruistic. And technically speaking, that belief is indeed altruistic.”

Then, Kara drove a huge dagger into Erica’s heart.

“You’re just incredibly selfish.”

Hearing that, I realized something: Kara had matured mentally by quite a lot.

Normally, she’d be throwing a tantrum right about now, but not this time. She was calmly trying to ‘convince’ Erica.

Kara herself seemed to have noticed this and murmured with a wry smile.

“Ha, seriously. I’m becoming a civilized person too.”

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