Chapter 219

When is the happiest time in the world?

Is it when you enroll in the academy you wanted? Or when you get to eat the food you’ve been craving? Or maybe when you’re doing something you love?

Sure, all of those are true, but for Eli, the happiest time is right now.

Spending time doing what she loves with the person she likes. Just the two of them.

“Sivar. I’m over here. Let’s take this with us.”

“Okay.”

“You need to be careful when picking this. If you hurt the roots, it could lose its effects.”

Following Eli’s advice, Sivar cautiously began to gather herbs.

A bulky man squatting on the ground picking herbs. Eli couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

‘So cute.’

And not just his looks, but every little thing Sivar did felt adorable to Eli.

But it wasn’t like he was just childlike either. The occasional display of strength made her heart flutter.

Wasn’t it the same when he saved her from that monster? Like a prince from a fairy tale, he dashed in and rescued her.

‘If Sivar hadn’t been there, I would’ve been dead, right?’

She was almost certain of it. Luna was too far away, and she had been frozen in fear, unable to move.

Maybe that’s why she felt even fonder of Sivar since then.

Honestly, looks didn’t matter all that much. She thought of him only as her lifesaver.

And it’s only right to repay a lifesaver.

‘Unlike others, I come from a plain background…’

She was just a student from a remote countryside, while Luna had at least the title of top student, but she had nothing.

Just look at Grace and Kara, who were both expressing interest in Sivar. Their backgrounds were intimidating.

Grace was a lady of the Verche Duke’s family, and though Kara was more laid-back, she was a princess of a nation.

It was incredibly disrespectful to compare herself, a mere commoner, to them. Even their looks were attractive.

‘At least my chest is big…’

Eli’s gaze dropped. Something undeniably large caught her eye.

If it’s genetics, then it’s genetics. The only advantage she had was that one thing.

Knowledge about herbs? Please! Kara’s strength and Grace’s wealth were far more impressive.

And even their figures were above average. They possessed all the parts that would captivate men.

‘Ah, whatever.’

But she could brush it off. If she were an average person, she would’ve been gloomy or given up easily.

But Eli didn’t. In fact, she breezed past it and didn’t see them as rivals at all.

Not rivals but good friends. Friends who liked the same person.

‘Mom said friends shouldn’t fight each other.’

It’s true she liked Sivar, even loved him. It was also true she was driven by jealousy and wanted to keep him to herself.

However, Eli reasoned. Ultimately, the choice was Sivar’s, and could she really interfere?

Then let’s just confirm their feelings. It’s okay if he likes other girls, as long as she knows he has feelings for her.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“How much do you like me?”

“As much as the sky and the earth.”

“Hehe.”

Just like that. Eli felt a little warmth in Sivar’s blunt reply.

Still too young (?) to fully understand the concept of love, but she figured it would be fine to learn slowly.

As long as she could give that love, she would be more than satisfied.

“Sivar, you still don’t know what love is, do you?”

“I do.”

“You know the word, but you don’t really know the feeling, do you?”

“Um…”

Sivar showed signs of pondering over Eli’s question. His expression was still so blank that it was hard to read his thoughts.

But that was fine. Even if he didn’t feel love, he surely had some affection for someone.

Eli began to slowly explain to draw that emotion out.

“Sivar, what do you think when you see a girl like me?”

“Pretty?”

“That’s true, but what about something else? Doesn’t your heart race or feel tense?”

“Only when I’m about to fight.”

“Um…”

Eli realized that explaining this was difficult. She eventually decided to give up neatly.

As time passed and Sivar deepened his human relationships, he would naturally figure it out.

How sweet love is, and how lovely it is to have someone you love by your side.

‘But I can’t just have a kid with him unilaterally.’

Her parents taught her that there are many beast-like people in the world, and many who would forcibly take what they desire.

She didn’t understand it then, but after hearing about Grace’s incident, it hit home. There really are worse humans than beasts in this world.

At least Sivar knew that it was “wrong.” Whether it was learned or just instinct, she didn’t know.

But as the saying goes, “All men are wolves,” Sivar’s desires might erupt at any moment. That was something to be cautious about.

‘…Honestly, I wish he’d let it out on me.’

Eli stole a glance at Sivar. He was diligently foraging for herbs.

In reality, there had been a considerable amount of contact between them, more than just skinship, almost like caresses.

While it was to relieve Sivar’s desires, she secretly wanted it too. It was sort of a plea for attention.

‘How treacherous is the human heart?’

She knew she couldn’t compete with Grace or Kara. But she wanted to one-up them.

After all, she was the first person Sivar met. She had claimed the sweet treat first, and now she felt it was slowly slipping away.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“How many times have you practiced kissing so far?”

So, with a little nudge, she asked Sivar while trying to keep her real intentions hidden.

Sivar blinked in surprise, then shifted his gaze upward, deep in thought.

“None.”

He replied, looking back at Eli. Since the freshman party, he hadn’t kissed anyone.

“Really? Even living with Grace?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, that’s surprising.”

Eli gasped, her eyes wide with disbelief. Living with Grace, she thought he would have at least shared a kiss.

But now that they lived under the same roof, maybe he lacked the courage. Grace had barely ever touched him.

Was he too relaxed because they were close, or was there another reason? She wasn’t sure.

“Then will you practice with me every weekend? Even though I told you during the party, we haven’t had the chance since.”

“….Is that okay?”

“Yeah. I like Sivar, you know. You like me too, right?”

“I do.”

“Then kissing is fine. Like I said, it’s just practice before we become a couple.”

If anyone else, especially Grace or Kara, had seen this, they would have told her not to talk nonsense.

But they weren’t here. In this forest, it was just Eli and Sivar.

Having this time alone was rare. Since Sivar was silent, Eli took that as his permission.

She sneakily approached him, carefully cupping his face with her hands and said, “You’re going to hear this a lot from now on. So be prepared.”

“What do you mean?”

“I like you.”

With those words, Eli stood on her tiptoes. Gradually, she leaned her face towards Sivar.

If this continued, she could share a sweet kiss like before. That was precisely what Eli wanted.

Swish—

But what was going on? A situation unfolded that was completely different from Eli’s anticipation.

Normally Sivar would just accept it, but instead, he gently pushed her away. A clear rejection.

“….Sivar?”

Eli blinked, staring at him. It was more confusion than shock.

Why did Sivar push her away, showing he didn’t want this? The mood had been so nice.

“Not now.”

Sivar said firmly. His voice was so resolute, it was almost too harsh.

Eli felt her heart sinking as worry crept in, her voice trembling with shock.

“Why, why? Have you started to dislike me?”

“No, I like you too.”

“Then what?”

“What are you eating?”

“…?”

Sivar’s answer about what he was eating made Eli tilt her head in confusion.

Could it be that while foraging for herbs, he found and ate some bugs? She asked with curiosity.

“Did you eat bugs? I don’t mind. I prefer your mouth more.”

“It’s not that, I ate a mushroom.”

“…Wait a minute. A mushroom? What kind of mushroom?”

Eli was knowledgeable about herbs. And since mushrooms can also be used as herbs, naturally, her expertise expanded to mushrooms too, and she started to feel uneasy about Sivar’s words.

Meanwhile, Sivar was hesitating while rolling his eyes and finally extending his hand. In it was a tiny red mushroom.

“Red with white spots… Ah, no!! Spit that out! Spit it out right now!!”

“It’s tasty.”

“This is a poisonous mushroom!! If you eat even one bite, you could die!”

Eli gasped and rushed towards Sivar. Didn’t he just get sick last time from eating bugs?

The memory of that event surged back, leaving her with no choice but to react fiercely. Naturally, Sivar didn’t listen.

“This one tastes good. It’s really tangy.”

“That’s all poison! Hurry, spit it out!”

“No way. I’ve eaten it before.”

“Come on, seriously…”

In the end, after much pleading, she had to give up. It was impossible to win physically against Sivar.

“You better not collapse later. I won’t be nice then.”

“In what way?”

“I won’t let you touch my chest. For the rest of your life.”

That statement was extremely effective.

“Ugh! Ptooey!”

Sivar immediately spat out the mushroom he had in his mouth. Not only that, but he discarded the rest of the mushrooms as well.

Eli watched him, her expression oddly amused. But she soon came to a realization.

“Sivar really likes my chest, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Then… do you want to touch it now?”

“Maybe later. My hands are dirty.”

“How nice. So nice.”

He really is good at saying sweet things. Eli smiled gently at him.

Was this all thanks to his upbringing? Or was it just Sivar’s nature?

Whatever it was, one thing was apparent: Sivar was genuinely kind.

“Sivar.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“…”

That might be why she was sinking deeper. Eli suddenly confessed her feelings.

Sivar’s expression went blank, and in that moment, Eli playfully poked his nose with her index finger.

“This is also practice. You’re going to hear it a lot from now on.”

“…Who from?”

“From me.”

“…”

Sivar’s mouth was sealed shut. He couldn’t meet Eli’s eyes, his gaze stealthily avoiding hers.

Was that reaction cute? Eli held onto Sivar’s arm and pressed herself against his chest.

It was a classic way for women to play cute. But Eli was completely unaware.

It felt almost instinctive. The desire to cling to the person she liked.

“How about it? This feels nice too, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“I’m going to do this a lot more. But it’s better to only do this when it’s just the two of us, not in front of others. Got it?”

It didn’t feel like that was the only thing she wanted.

Thus, the two young lovers enjoyed their sweet time in the forest.

They didn’t separate even for a second, remaining entwined until they returned to their dwellings.

“…”

And the Hunter silently observed this scene.

He could gather the personal information about his target through their dialogue, but there was just one thing missing.

‘It’s unfortunate I couldn’t confirm if there’s Red Magic… But I guess I’ll head back now.’

And he melted back into the shadows.

*******

Back at the main camp, the Hunter reported all he had observed.

He relayed where Sivar came from, what he was doing, how strong he was, and so on.

The Blue Demon nodded along as he listened to the report, for some reason wearing a contented smile.

“And unfortunately, I couldn’t identify the Red Magic. I apologize.”

“No, it’s fine. But more importantly… he had a girlfriend?”

“Yes. It was undeniably a girlfriend.”

From the Hunter’s perspective, there was no way it wouldn’t appear to be a girlfriend. Though there were other girls, they were only in the forest.

The Blue Demon nodded at that. A smile still lingered on his lips.

Then he produced a question that caught the Hunter slightly off guard.

“Children?”

“Excuse me?”

“Biological children? Or any conversations that may suggest a possibility?”

“Um… When I was listening, there wasn’t any.”

“I see.”

The Blue Demon wore a genuinely regrettable expression at that.

“That’s unfortunate. Be sure to report again next time.”

“Oh, and…”

He added a command.

“Don’t touch the human girl who seems to be his girlfriend. Understood?”

“Yes. I will obey.”

“Just observe as much as possible. If it’s absolutely necessary, just ask questions that aren’t threatening.”

Surprisingly gentlemanly.

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