Chapter 183

Due to the beetle eating incident, Dun burst into tears for a while.

I just stood by and watched until Dun finished crying. All I could feel was the crunchy texture of the beetle.

After a while, maybe Dun finally stopped crying, because he shot me a piercing glare. His swollen eyes were quite the sight.

“I’m telling Dad everything!”

“Okay.”

“I’m never eating beetles again!”

Such a classic five-year-old response. I thought for a moment after hearing Dun’s words and then opened my mouth.

“I’ll find it first.”

“Huh, what?”

“You have to eat it all.”

“No, don’t eat it!”

I didn’t realize until now how fun it was to tease kids.

I discreetly followed Dun as he tried to protect his precious beetle.

There were some insects that looked pretty tasty, but this time I held back.

Otherwise, he would seriously sulk. Just one shattered childhood is enough.

“Oh! This is interesting…”

“Looks tasty. I’ll eat it well.”

“Ah, no!!”

Of course, insects or plants that are poisonous went into my mouth.

Even a small amount of poison could harm Dun. It could seriously affect his life.

Even if it’s okay, there’s a chance of permanent disability. I needed to prevent that in advance.

“Don’t eat that! It’s mine!”

“I don’t want to. I want to eat it.”

“Really!!”

Dun was stamping his feet in frustration. But it couldn’t be helped.

What Dun was just about to grab was a mushroom, and a spiny one at that.

Just putting it in his mouth could cause paralysis all over. But for me, it was just a unique texture.

‘Most poisons feel like carbonated drinks.’

Even if I ingest a bit of strong poison, I just get a little diarrhea the next day; it’s no big deal.

I followed Dun, feeling the popping sensation in my mouth.

Luckily, he didn’t touch any poisonous ones and was just playing around with ordinary bugs.

Sometimes he spent time playing with harmless creatures like squirrels.

“Let’s go now. I want a snack.”

“A snack?”

“Yeah. Ice cream. Do you want some too?”

I like ice cream as well. I nodded and replied.

“Beetles are tasty too.”

“I’m not eating that!”

That’s kind of disappointing. Beetles are quite delicious.

Eating them raw might make you queasy, but they’re okay when cooked.

Even when living in the forest, I treated them as snacks. I even prefer roasting cockroaches.

‘Delicacy.’

While ice cream or candy has a strong sweetness, insects have a crispy texture and a mysterious flavor.

They’re subtly addictive, so every time I enter the forest, I grab a few to munch on. It’s the same now.

But there’s a slight dullness in my mouth. So, ice cream is the perfect snack.

“Huh?”

“Well?”

But then, what a surprise! I ran into someone completely unexpected near the dog hole.

She didn’t expect to meet me here either, blinking her golden eyes before quickly breaking into a welcoming smile.

“Sivar?”

“Eli?”

It was Eli. I hadn’t seen her much recently because she’d been busy studying.

As soon as she saw me, she came over with a smile more radiant than sunlight.

Dun, who had been leading the way, grabbed my pants and hid behind me at the sight of the stranger. He’s a bit shy.

“Wow… that girl is pretty too.”

Or maybe he was just embarrassed.

While I chuckled to myself, Eli approached me closely.

She had a faint, refreshing herbal scent, her unique body fragrance.

And her potion pouch was as stunningly beautiful as ever. I felt a strong urge to hug her already.

“What brings you here? And who’s this little one?”

“This is Dun. The instructor’s son.”

“The instructor’s son?”

Eli looked at Dun with a confused expression. Dun shrank back even more when he met her gaze.

Eli works in a non-combat role, so she probably wouldn’t recognize the name. That’s why I only mentioned he was the instructor’s son.

Well, to be honest, it wouldn’t matter much to her. She would probably just think of him as a cute little boy.

“Hello. What’s your name?”

Eli bent down slightly to match Dun’s eye level. Dun, just like with Jane, hesitated before quietly opening his mouth.

“…Dun. I’m Dun.”

“Hi, Dun. I’m Eli. How old are you?”

“Five.”

“Just like Sivar.”

“…Huh?”

Wait a minute. Am I five years old?

When I looked at Eli with a baffled expression, she just smiled bashfully.

It seemed like a joke, but for some reason, it didn’t feel like one. Especially since she usually treats me like a kid.

“By the way, what are you doing in the forest? Isn’t it supposed to be off-limits?”

“I came through the dog hole.”

“The dog hole? You mean the one right here?”

“Yeah.”

“Interesting. I came through there too.”

No wonder she was in the forest; she found the dog hole. But I wondered how she found it.

Yet that question didn’t last long, as I quickly realized through their conversation.

“How did you find it?”

“A cute squirrel showed me.”

“A squirrel?”

It seems Porori showed her. He was always eager to help Eli out.

But it’s still dangerous. There might be Porori nearby.

Since we’ll be heading back to the Academy soon, it’s probably not that significant. It might be best to leave that dog hole alone for a while.

“I’m about to head back, but you and Sivar are coming too, right?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna eat ice cream.”

“Then let’s eat together. I’m bored too.”

“Sure.”

Somehow, the three of us ended up walking back side by side. We were close to the dog hole, so it didn’t take long.

But an interesting situation arose here. While it was understandable for Dun, the smallest kid, Eli was a different matter.

“Ugh… oooooh!”

“…”

Maybe because of her large chest, just getting through the dog hole was a struggle for her.

If I had known, I would have gone through first and pulled her along, but I hadn’t thought of that.

Still, somehow she managed to get through, though her clothes got a bit dirty, she appeared unconcerned.

“What did you do in the forest? I was gathering herbs.”

“I caught beetles.”

“Beetles?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I used to play with bugs back in the day. Sometimes I even roasted them.”

We chatted about this and that while buying ice cream. I, of course, picked chocolate ice cream.

Dun went with plain vanilla, while Eli chose strawberry. After getting our ice cream, we rested on a bench.

“But Eli.”

“Yeah? Do you have something to say?”

“Why are your boobs so big?”

Dun suddenly asked out of nowhere while happily enjoying his ice cream. It was an unexpectedly awkward question, even for a kid.

Eli looked slightly taken aback for a moment before cautiously asking.

“Why do you ask that?”

“All women have big ones. Mom does, and so does Jane. You’re the biggest of them all.”

It must have been pure curiosity. At that age, it’s understandable not to know any better.

Especially since Eli stood out so much, it would catch anyone’s eye.

Did Eli notice Dun’s innocence? After a moment of thought, she shrugged and answered.

“I don’t really know, either. I just ate well and slept enough. Oh, and sometimes I ate bugs in the mountains. I drank a lot of milk too.”

“Eww. Like Sivar?”

“Yeah. Do you want to try it sometime?”

“No way. Beetles are my friends. I’m not eating them.”

As Dun said that, he shoved all the ice cream into his mouth. Afterward, he jumped down from the bench and ran off somewhere.

I had to follow him, but since this was the Academy, he wouldn’t get lost, plus I could sense where he was.

As I shifted a little from the spot where Dun had been between Eli and me, Eli did the same.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to lie down?”

As soon as Eli suggested it, I lay down right away. The soft feel of her thigh reached my head.

Eli smiled at my cuteness and gently patted my head. I always feel at peace when that happens.

Thanks to my wilderness instinct, I’m quite sensitive. I react quickly to minor sounds and get wary when someone approaches from behind.

But if Eli hugs me with open arms or makes a pillow with her knee like this, everything changes. I just want to close my eyes.

“Are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

“You really are a kid. That’s why you’re cute.”

Eli said that while gently touching my cheek, making me inadvertently smile.

I opened my eyes and looked up. But a huge mound blocked my view.

No matter how I tried, I couldn’t see Eli’s face. This is a bit of a problem too.

‘I’m feeling sleepy…’

So I stayed still and slowly my eyes began to close. Thanks to her unique herbal scent, it felt like I was in the forest.

Most importantly, Eli was patting my head, which calmed me down mentally. What would happen if I closed my eyes and fell asleep like this?

“Are you tired? You can sleep for a bit if you want.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah. If anything happens…”

Eli’s words trailed off as if she turned her gaze somewhere.

At that moment, I heard a buzzing sound in my ear. Something felt off, so I quietly stood up.

“Hey! Get down from there! It’s dangerous!”

“Someone, please bring that kid down!”

It was Dun. As soon as I heard the sounds buzzing in my ear, I dashed off.

Eli yelled to come along, but Dun takes priority. I had to find out what trouble he got into this time.

Before long, I reached the central plaza. Instead of the monument, it was the place where the ‘Hero’s Statue’ stood.

While the monument is located in an external plaza, the Hero’s Statue is situated at the center of the main building.

Since it’s vacation, normally non-students can’t enter the main building, but wandering outside is fine.

“Wow! We’ve arrived!”

“…”

Before long, I was able to pinpoint Dun’s location. In that brief interval, he had climbed to the top of the enormous statue.

A statue crafted in the likeness of a warrior holding a sword aloft. And Dun was perched on the neck of the statue like he was riding a horse.

‘This is why kids can be dangerous when they’re quiet.’

Now I understand why adults make the kids wear those bouncy shoes. Here, there wasn’t such a thing.

I pushed my way through the bustling crowd toward the statue. The statue is actually one of those structures you aren’t supposed to get close to.

As soon as you approach, guards rush over to stop you. But since Dun is just a kid, it seems he got careless for a moment.

“Wait! You’re not supposed to be here…!”

“Just that kid.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll take him away quickly.”

I pushed past the guard and started climbing the statue.

It took a little longer to climb than I thought because the statue was bigger than I had imagined, but that’s okay.

Eventually, I reached the neck, looking at Dun face to face. He didn’t seem scared at all.

“Oh? You came too? It’s so high up here!”

“Yeah. It’s high.”

Now get down. Soon I’ll take you to a place even higher than this.

Muttering that to myself, I grabbed Dun’s clothes. My hand was large enough to handle him with just one grip.

Up to this point was fine, but there was an unexpected part to this. That was the unpredictability of a child.

As soon as I held on to his clothes, Dun began flailing around, as if telling me to let go. Given the precarious balance, he couldn’t help but wobble.

Slip—

“Huh?”

“Oh.”

Eventually, he slipped off the neck. Seeing Dun slide down, I immediately tensed my legs.

I dashed forward and caught Dun with one arm, while my other hand clutched the statue’s neck to brace for a fall.

In essence, I had my arm wrapped around the statue’s neck as if I was putting it in a headlock. If I just slowly make my way down…

Crack!

“Huh?”

But what just happened? The statue’s neck broke off cleanly.

It had been intact since the Academy was built, but time waits for no one.

With the head of the warrior statue tucked under my arm, I fell down. I quickly turned my body to protect Dun as much as possible.

The head of the warrior? That was already tossed aside. What mattered now was Dun’s safety.

Thud!

A massive impact jolted my back. Since I was prepared, it didn’t cause significant damage.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Dun looked dazed, his face blank as if he was surprised. I gently released the arm I had wrapped around him.

Peering sideways, I noticed fragmented stones scattered about. Unsurprisingly, it was the face of the warrior statue.

“Sivar! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yeah. I’m fine but…”

As Eli voiced her concerns, I shifted my gaze back to the statue.

The warrior statue was completely headless. It looked like it had gotten a violent decapitation.

‘Should I consider this a good thing…?’

Somehow, I had just undone the demon’s magic circle.

One that had been the most controversial among users.

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