Chapter 208

Since starting to live with Grace, many things have changed, but some things remain the same.

Among those, the weekends are prominently unchanged. Weekends mean Rod’s Residence has become my base of operations.

My main activity is managing the Chaos Forest. It’s slowly stabilizing, and now it’s just a matter of managing the dangerous animals.

Rod is expected to allow access to the Chaos Forest soon. Reports indicate the outskirts have become safer, just like before.

The areas outside are still risky, but they’re better than before. At least the number of animals and monsters being chased from within has decreased.

This means a new predator is ruling over the interior of Chaos. Of course, I have no intention of confirming that.

Provoking it would do no good. Unless it comes after us, it’s better to simply ignore each other.

‘Is there anything going on today?’

As the weekend rolled in, I stepped into the area I manage. I brought along the Bloodied Greatsword just in case.

Ragnarok can be summoned anytime, anywhere, but unfortunately, the Bloodied Greatsword cannot. It serves as a way to replenish my magic power, too.

The other half of the outskirts is managed by Porori, so I didn’t have to worry about that. I just planned to check up on it quickly.

“Grr…”

“Hmm?”

At that moment, I heard the growl of a beast near my ear. I turned my head to take a peek.

To my surprise, a small bear was glaring at me. But it was small enough to be assumed a cub.

‘That’s strange. Bears usually stick with their mothers, right?’

Bears are known for their strong maternal instincts and never leave their cubs alone. They would rather fiercely protect them.

There have been many cases where people have gotten hurt for provoking a bear with a cub. But its being alone means one of two things.

‘Either the cub has wandered off or the mother bear is dead.’

Unlike on Earth, bears aren’t typically dangerous in this world.

From the bear’s perspective, humans, along with other beings, pose more of a threat. So, we tend to just ignore each other.

Of course, the moment you invade their territory while they are with a cub, there’s no mercy involved. Even for ordinary folks, bears can be pretty terrifying.

“Roar!!”

As I approached, the little bear let out a mighty roar. Naturally, I completely ignored it and moved closer.

Eventually, I passed the cub, still on guard, and stepped into the underbrush, where I found what I suspected.

‘Yep, the mother is dead.’

Behind the bushes lay the dead body of a large bear. The cub must have been there to guard its mother.

Even now, it seemed to be struggling to distance me, trying to nip at my legs in a desperate effort to pry me away.

But what can a mere cub do? It should be grateful I’m not outright killing it.

A bear is a valuable predator in the ecosystem, unlike a wolf that’s been chased from its pack. Bears are omnivorous and can even feast on carrion.

‘I wonder if it will grow up fine.’

Ignoring the cub’s attempts to get my attention, I examined the mother bear. If something could kill a bear, it had to be a pretty dangerous animal or monster.

If she was still in decent condition, I was thinking of taking her whole. Not just the fur, but the gallbladder, or bear bile, has medicinal uses as well.

“Hmm?”

“Rawr!!”

While I was inspecting the bear’s body, I was oblivious to the cub that continued to gnaw on my leg and head. That’s when I noticed something strange about the bear’s corpse.

There didn’t seem to be any obvious injuries. It looked like it had been dead for a while, but there were no visible wounds.

It wasn’t a disease-related death. There were no signs of fur loss, and on the contrary, it had a glossy sheen.

‘Not even an internal injury?’

It almost looked like it died from a heart attack, the life force just abruptly gone.

There’s only one type of being that can do such a thing. The demons.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, demons sustain their lives by siphoning off the life of other creatures.

‘One bear isn’t enough.’

However, the evidence was still lacking for me to be sure. It could have died for another reason.

It was just a possibility. I needed to find similar cases to be certain.

‘For now, it might have been sick, so let’s just leave it be.’

I briefly considered taking the skin off but decided against it. If I ended up catching a disease, it would be a headache.

Finishing up my examination of the mother bear, I turned to leave. The cub continued to hang around, though.

Thwack!

“Get lost.”

“Rawr!”

So, I gave it a light kick. It was a gentle nudge, but it should recognize the pecking order.

Indeed, after taking a hit, the cub stopped being aggressive. It just circled around the now cold body of the mother bear.

The cub will manage to grow up well enough. But I should check on it every now and then.

As I mentioned before, predators like bears are surprisingly hard to come by. They’re high on the food chain in the outskirts.

Predators beyond that could disrupt the ecosystem out here. A bear is just the right fit.

‘Who killed the bear?’

The dead mother was over 2 meters tall. To take down such a bear without any wounds is rather suspicious.

I’m still in the suspicion stage, but should similar incidents happen again, I’ll be thoroughly investigating.

If it truly was the demons’ doing, then it’s a signal that it’s about time for action. I need to take measures before they invade the Academy.

‘Before that…’

I should gather medicinal herbs first. Thanks to the outskirts stabilizing, various herbs have started to grow.

To get better quality herbs, I’d have to go deeper inside, but I’m passing on that due to the lack of a compass.

Still, I managed to gather quite a decent amount. Of course, this is not for the sake of making money but to invest in Eli.

‘Rod has also regained quite a bit of strength, so I should give him something good for his cough.’

Currently, Rod is in complete recovery. He coughs a bit, but that’s just due to age—nothing can be done about that.

This lingering cough has been a chronic issue for him for quite some time. Unless he goes through a drastic change like Rize, it’s hard to cure.

However, it’s really a mild condition; it hasn’t caused any problems during combat.

‘Eli is also steadily growing. Overall, things are looking good.’

Most things are sailing smoothly. If things continue like this, we should be able to get through the Academy collapse without issue.

Luna plans to inform Rize just in case as well. I’ve heard she’s coming for the training this time.

‘Speaking of which, Rize has never been involved in any of the routes.’

I’m not exactly sure why, but it seems things just never lined up for her.

With the year-end being so hectic, it’s no wonder she might not arrive in time.

It’s an unavoidable circumstance since the events occur quite suddenly, making news slow to arrive.

‘This time will be different.’

I can roughly gauge when they will strike. First, I need to deal with the demon that comes scouting.

After gathering a decent amount of herbs, I set off towards the Academy. My destination isn’t the dormitory, but rather the office of the headmaster where I used to stay.

There, I expected both Rod and my acquaintances would be gathered. It’s basically a meeting place by now.

Rod’s personality is rather detached from authority, plus he hasn’t been paying attention because he’s busy training Luna.

Knock, knock—

“Rod, I’m here.”

I finally arrived at Rod’s Residence. Instead of barging in, I politely knocked.

I sensed someone approaching from the inside, and soon the door swung open. But the one standing there wasn’t Rod.

“Oh! Sivar!”

“Hey.”

It was Eli. It’s been such a long time since I last saw her.

With the social work I’d been doing and learning from Grace, I had no free time.

I would have loved to meet Eli in between, but I was the busy one. Eli was doing just fine.

So, I had to make do with showing my face on weekends. Maybe that’s why her face seemed so familiar and welcoming.

Squee—

“Did you not miss me, Sivar? I missed you so much!”

Eli hugged me and beamed. Given our height difference, I found myself looking down at her naturally.

The sensation of her chest pressing against me was quite striking, especially given how revealing her top was.

How can she carry around such a large “pocket” without issue? The word “overwhelming” really suits it.

Is there even a man in this world who wouldn’t be captivated by this chest? I suddenly wondered, but I realized I had to speak my mind.

Suppressing the impulse to touch her chest as best as I could, I finally spoke the words I had been holding in.

“I missed you.”

“How much?”

“As much as the sky, as much as the earth.”

“Hehe.”

At my response, Eli rubbed her face against my chest, letting all the affection we hadn’t expressed flow freely.

I reciprocated by wrapping my arms around her. Just hugging like this made all my worries and concerns melt away.

After some time spent hugging and savoring each other’s warmth, we cautiously pulled away. Eli’s face had a hint of a blush.

“I’m curious about what you’ve been doing. Can you tell me?”

“Sure, but what about Rod?”

“He’s back there training with Luna.”

Looks like Luna arrived while I was managing the forests. Eli has always been a frequent visitor.

She’s pretty much the only one who could heal Rod from his addiction. It’s not just about skill; it’s about trust.

After all, the closest ally of Rod, Dan, is entangled in a demon’s web. Who would you trust in that scenario? It makes sense.

“Eli, here are the herbs.”

I handed over the herbs I gathered from the forest. They were packed in a leather pouch.

Eli glanced at the pouch and gasped, visibly surprised.

“Wow, there are a ton! You want me to sell all of these?”

“No, Eli should use them.”

“Really? I feel like I’m always taking advantage of you…”

“It’s fine.”

Of course, it’s only natural to invest in a quality potion for the future. Not just potions, but elixirs as well.

Eli won’t just stop being an ordinary pharmacist as she grows. Given the right circumstances, she can evolve into an alchemist.

Though, to do that, she’d have to endure plenty of unfairness along the way. Not that I’d have to worry; Porori will be looking after her too.

“Is there anything you want? I feel bad receiving all this from you.”

“Nothing.”

“Really?”

Eli, while subtly straightening her back, looked at me intently. Naturally, my gaze fell to her chest.

It’s almost like she’s teasing, knowing exactly what I want. Perhaps she’s been spoiled a bit by me.

But did she think I would just relent? While I might have let her slide before, that’s not how it works now.

“Yeah, it’s all good.”

“Really?”

“…Yeah.”

After I reassured her, Eli looked at me with a pleading expression. Her golden eyes shimmered as if she was about to cry.

Her face was already beautiful, and the guilt started creeping in. Paired with that figure and those eyes, it felt truly unfair.

Ultimately, I gave in and stated my desires—one of those suppressed urges I had been holding back.

“I want to touch your chest.”

“Okay! Sure!”

Eli seemed truly delighted, and as ridiculous as the scenario was, I had my reasons.

Eli mentioned that it’s perfectly natural for men to want to touch women’s chests. But if you do that in civilization, you’d get some stares.

Such things require mutual consent between men and women, which we have, so it’s fair game.

I don’t remember when we agreed, but since Eli said so, I let it slide. It’s not a bad deal for me either.

‘Isn’t this a bit like gaslighting?’

It feels like she’s been installing some odd logic into my head, but let’s skip past that. Honestly, how can I resist this?

Sometimes you just have to succumb to your instincts. Plus, she was the one who granted permission first.

‘Wait a minute, thinking back, this is my first time actually touching, right?’

I’d only been hugging her all this time; I had never made direct contact. I had been too casual about it, forgetting it altogether.

I looked at Eli with a mysterious expression. She just smiled happily, appearing completely oblivious.

My wilderness instincts were yelling at me. Urging me to seize that beautiful chest and indulge freely in my desire.

But my reason pushed back against it. If I touched it even once, I’d be hooked. Therefore, I needed to hold myself back somehow.

When my feelings and reason were in a tangled battle, I chose to side with my instincts.

‘I’m not impotent.’

But I’m also not a piece of trash like Delphoi. I approached from behind Eli, opting to not go directly for a grab.

Eli looked confused for a moment but didn’t turn around. This was the perfect situation for me.

‘From the back, it’s still somewhat visible…?’

The size was indeed breathtaking. Even in her tank top, the shape was most certainly outlined.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there’s even a bra that fits that size. I toyed with that thought while moving my hands.

Instead of grabbing right away, I decided to support her chest from underneath.

Squee—

Staying rational and trying to be as logical as I could given the circumstances, this was the result. This alone was enough.

While hugging her, I felt it was truly soft and malleable. There couldn’t be anything more comfortable than this.

What’s even more surprising is the weight I felt when I lifted it from beneath. I casually asked in astonishment,

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“It’s super heavy. It’s uncomfortable to sleep with. My shoulders and neck hurt so much.”

With that much weight, it seemed challenging for her daily life. I pondered for a bit and supported her chest fully.

“Ahhh…”

Eli sighed in sheer relief. All the pressure on her neck and shoulders must have vanished.

I gauged the size of my hands against her chest. It was evident my hands couldn’t cover it entirely.

‘Is this even real?’

If I just closed my hands like a fist, would that work? I kept pondering to myself.

Right then, as if she sensed my contemplation, Eli carefully held my hand.

“It’s okay, Sivar.”

“…”

“We’ve already kissed, right? You really don’t need to hesitate.”

Eli, with her words trailing off, turned slightly to glance at me.

“You said if I made a promise, I needed to keep it. Isn’t that right?”

“…”

Just as reason was getting ready to submit to instinct, suddenly—

Bang—

The back door swung wide open unexpectedly. The shock made us jump away from each other.

“Ugh… I’m dying. Huh? Sivar’s here?”

“Uh, um… uh…”

It was Luna, looking all sweaty and drenched from her training.

“…Luna.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“Bad.”

“???”

At my remark, Luna looked confused, and

“Sivar’s right. Luna’s bad.”

“No! What did I do?”

“You ruined everything!”

“What did I do???”

I expressed my innocence at Eli’s accusation.

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