Chapter 222

Not every vegetarian practices fasting, but most do.

However, this is only true for humans; large herbivores consume massive amounts of food to sustain themselves.

Take elephants, for example. An elephant needs to eat up to 100kg a day to survive.

It’s only natural to maintain such a colossal physique, and humans aren’t much different.

“Do you really eat all of this? Is that even possible?”

“There’s nothing impossible, right?”

Honestly, I could devour a huge amount of food myself, and even my delicate sister Luna can put away quite a bit.

While magic power can be replenished through breathing, consuming food is the most efficient method.

Except for Erica, who has managed to pile up a mountain of vegetables and fruits.

Moreover, unlike meat, vegetables can fill you up quickly, making it hard to eat.

‘What on earth happened during that time?’

I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. It’s understandable that she only eats vegetables since she’s a vegetarian.

But consuming such an enormous amount is an entirely different story. It’s like she’s turned into an elephant, eating an unbelievable quantity.

“Oh. Could it be due to nutrients? You don’t have to worry; there’s tofu and beans hidden under all of this.”

Erica flashed a bright smile, revealing the beans and tofu buried under the vegetables. It looked like a mountain of cake.

I mean, it’s already a huge pile of veggies and fruits, and now she’s adding that? How on earth does her stomach handle it?

I stared at Erica with a look of utter disbelief. I had way too many questions to ask her.

“Sivar. We’re eating right now, so ask later. It’s rude to interrupt meal time.”

Just then, Kara stopped me. She insisted we should focus on our meal and nothing else.

I had no choice but to comply with the valid point and turned back. But I made sure to leave a comment for Erica.

“Finish your food first. I’ve got questions.”

“Got it. I’ll be waiting.”

I wondered whether I’d be the one waiting, or if it would be Erica. I placed my bets on the former.

And just as I expected, once the meal was over, Erica was still munching away.

However, in that short time, more than half of it had disappeared. Before long, she finished her meal as well.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. But the Saint asked me to chew my food very thoroughly.”

“The Saint?”

“Yes. The Saint you introduced me to, Sivar. Oh, should I call her Gwonseong?”

She told me not to dawdle while eating, yet here she is, eating all those veggies.

Anyway, that’s beside the point; it’s amazing how all that mass went into her stomach. What on earth is that stomach structure like?

“Were you always this much of an eater? And it seems like something’s… changed over the vacation?”

Kara seemed to notice Erica’s transformation, her gaze flicking to Erica’s chest repeatedly.

Originally, Erica was flatter than even Luna. But now, that’s certainly not the case.

In terms of fullness, she’s definitely holding her own against others. Though not quite on par with Eli or Rize.

“Her chest seems to have grown a lot… doesn’t it?”

Unlike Kara, Luna asked outright. After all, she had used to tease Erica about her flat chest when chaos reigned.

“You noticed.”

“What did you do?”

Luna asked with curiosity, her voice tinged with half jealousy, half genuine interest.

After all, someone who used to be smaller than her had surpassed her in just a month. I silently cheered for Luna.

“During the vacation, I received teachings from the Saint. I realized how foolish and ignorant my beliefs were.”

“…Really? So, you’ve abandoned all that nonsense about life being precious?”

“Life is indeed precious and valuable. That is an unchanging fact.”

Kara’s expression upon hearing that was quite something. Her face scrunched up as if to say, “Here we go again.”

However, what followed from Erica was markedly different from before.

“But we are beings that survive by consuming life. There’s no way to live in this world without harming life.”

Previously, she used to make us furrow our brows with her insistence that life should be valued above all.

But now, her perspective has shifted to something more realistic. One can treasure life, but there’s no way to exist without impacting it.

“The Saint said: if you think about it, what about soldiers? They stain their own hands with blood to keep ours clean. Protecting life means eliminating external threats.”

“That’s true. That’s the nature of being a soldier.”

“And it’s why they deserve respect. Just because they are human doesn’t mean they enjoy harming life.”

The reason humans organized ‘armies’ is quite simple. To prepare for external threats.

Without an army, we’d be powerless against invasions and could do nothing.

When the Japanese Empire invaded Korea, the first thing they did was disband the army.

That shows how vital a military is to human civilization; without it, we would have been living in primitive tribes.

“But it feels odd to convince someone with just that, doesn’t it? Wasn’t there anything else?”

“The Saint threw me into the forest.”

“Oh.”

Nothing beats hands-on experiential learning. It fits Rize’s personality perfectly.

“At first, I thought I could survive eating just grass. There weren’t many threatening animals, after all.”

“Still, that must’ve been tough.”

I said. Even without dangerous animals or rich food, forests are perilous.

Plus, even with plenty of food, you’d always be hungry. The reason is quite simple.

“Yes. Since I had to do everything ‘myself’, fatigue piled up, and I was always hungry. I learned the value of civilization and the importance of the strength that protects that civilization.”

That’s because you must do everything on your own. In civilized areas, there are people who do all the hard stuff for you.

They are compensated for their labor, allowing us to acquire many goods.

There’s nothing you can get for free in this world, except for air. All food and shelter come at the cost of someone’s blood and sweat.

“But how does that relate to your increased food intake? You’re not some elephant, yet you’re eating like one.”

“After gaining that insight, the Saint told me. There are many ways to exist without harming life, but without strength, they’re all futile. So, I learned about strength from her.”

“…”

Please don’t tell me that strength isn’t some chaos power. The thought of Erica turning into a JoJo-esque muscle giant is a bit terrifying.

Then again, that’s not to say I wouldn’t like it; just the prospect of having someone like Rize around is enough to worry me.

As I said before, it’s more like “Why is there another one of those in this world?” It feels like someone was ruined.

“Speaking of which, a brawl is coming up soon. I’ll show my strength then.”

“That sounds exciting. Are you going to fight directly?”

“I will fight myself if necessary, but my role is to protect life. If someone can fight in my place, I’ll provide support both materially and morally.”

I kind of got the gist of her mindset. It’s about helping those who’d stain their hands with blood in her stead.

It’s not a bad heart at all. She respects those who have no choice but to harm life like a soldier does.

“But what happens if you trust Chaos? What about Gaia?”

It dawned on me suddenly, but since it’s a sensitive matter, I didn’t ask directly.

Changing religions is never an easy task across time and cultures. It’s that sensitive.

Afterward, I chatted with Erica and a few others for a bit before we parted ways. Erica said she was off to the personal training room.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I’m thinking of going back to the dormitory. What about you, sister?”

“Me too. I want to take it easy today. Sivar, how about you?”

“I want to meet my grandfather.”

Just for your information, Grace went back to the dormitory as soon as she finished her meal. She probably had personal classes or something to prepare.

As for me, I absolutely detest mathematics, so I need to buy time however I can. Therefore, I plan to head to Rod’s Residence.

Today’s a weekday and not a weekend, so I wonder if Rod will be around, but I’ll go anyway. You gotta do what you gotta do to slack off.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Take care, sister.”

We all dispersed to our respective places, and I made my way to Rod’s Residence.

If Rod’s not there then, well… I’ll just wander around. I really don’t want to study.

“Sivar brother?”

Yikes—

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind me, making my body tense up.

Hoping it wasn’t what I thought, I turned around, and lo and behold, standing there was none other than the person we had just been discussing a moment ago.

“It really is you, Sivar brother.”

She had shiny silver hair, bright wall-like eyes, and a stunningly beautiful figure with a chest to rival even Eli’s.

Wearing a resilient nun’s habit that suited her shape, she oddly dispelled any lustful thoughts, only giving off an unexplainable air of intimidation. An unexpected guest.

“…Rize?”

“It’s been a while. Have you been doing well?”

Saint Rize appeared before me. I had received no news of her arrival.

Wait. Has Rize ever sent news about her arrival? I thought she just showed up unannounced before.

But I knew she wouldn’t attend the brawl event. So, it seems like there’s another reason for her visit.

“I’ve been well. How have you been, Rize?”

“Thanks to Chaos’s providence, I’ve been doing well. By the way, you introduced me to a fascinating person, didn’t you?”

Are we talking about Erica? If I were the one to introduce someone, it could only be her.

No matter how much Erica is a vegan nun and dense, she must be utterly useless in front of Rize.

As I mentioned earlier, she tossed Erica into the forest for some hands-on learning.

“Why are you here? To watch the brawl?”

“Yes. I’m curious about Sister Erica’s skills, and I wanted to catch up on how you’ve been, Sivar brother. But…”

Rize stared intently at my face, then tilted her head curiously.

“It seems like your face has changed. What happened during this time?”

“…I was a bit unwell.”

“Unwell?”

“Growing pains.”

I had been coughing up blood and all sorts of mess, but I brushed it off as growing pains. Rod would surely fill her in on the details.

Rize seemed to understand that I didn’t want to talk about it and nodded, moving on.

“I see. I just met Rod, and what about you?”

“I’m here to see Grandpa. Where is he?”

“Grandpa? Are you referring to Rod?”

“Yes.”

Now that I think about it, Rize doesn’t know yet. Of course, since she was away during the vacation.

Rize gave me a subtle look, a thinking expression on her face.

“Grandpa… it’s been a while since I heard that.”

“Rize?”

“It’s nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

I tilted my head in confusion but let it go. People can have spaced-out moments.

Anyway, Rod seems to be in his office instead of his residence. I wanted to chat with Rize, but…

“Well, I’ll be going now. I have a promise with Sister Erica.”

“Busy?”

“Not really, but a promise is a promise.”

The moment I mentioned having prior engagements, her face fell slightly. It looks like I have no choice but to go back and study.

I absolutely hate mathematics, but there’s really no other choice. Wandering around is also boring.

“See you next time.”

“Yeah, take care.”

“Oh, and…”

Just before we parted ways, Rize called out to me. I turned to face her.

Then she smiled and made an unexplainable joke.

“Just don’t refer to me as ‘grandma’, okay? Understood?”

“…Got it.”

I wasn’t even thinking that; why on earth would she say that? Is she perhaps feeling sensitive about something?

As I pondered that in confusion, Rize’s smile slightly changed.

“May you be blessed.”

It might have just been my imagination, but that smile felt a little bitterness to it.

[Faith is declining.]

“???”

What the heck?

I didn’t say anything rude!

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