Chapter 26

To clear the Academy Collapse event smoothly, Rod needs to be in tip-top shape.

But there’s a catch: Rod can’t ‘personally’ investigate.

If he gets directly involved, the demons will catch wind of it, making an already tough challenge even tougher.

So, before revealing whether there’s poison or not, the Protagonist must go through an event that involves consulting with Rod to ensure a smooth victory.

After that, they inform Rod that the tea is poisoned and, without the demons catching on, keep receiving herbs to deceive them.

Who would believe that the tea is poisoned if you just blurt it out? You need to raise suspicion before Rod will believe it.

When Rod suggested the tea before, I struggled to explain it because I couldn’t write, but not anymore.

The issue was that even after I wrote to inform him about the poison, he didn’t really believe me. It was a frustrating situation.

I figured it was because I, not Luna, was the one telling him.

“Are you really not a total dimwit?”

By the way, how the hell does this little rat talk?

I stared at Porori, who was speaking so naturally. Not just talking, but fluent too.

At first, I couldn’t grasp the situation, but then it hit me—Porori is a spirit creature. It wouldn’t be strange for it to speak.

‘It’s not like there aren’t any speaking spirit creatures in the Soul World…”

But it learned to talk in such a short time. Not even a month, much less half a month.

I was struggling to articulate a single word, while this little guy was chattering away.

“……Damn.”

“How do I talk? It’s simple—I’m way more awesome than you.”

“Damn.”

This little shit is just asking for it.

As I furrowed my brows and spoke menacingly, Porori crossed its arms and even chuckled.

It had that arrogant face that made me want to punch it in the face so bad.

“Then why can’t you talk? You’re worse than a puny rat.”

“……”

“Why don’t you give it a shot? Oh, that’s right—you can’t talk even if you have a mouth?”

Kekekekek!

Porori let out a unique laugh and continued to mock me. Its front teeth were especially prominent like a squirrel’s.

I stood there gaping, then burst into a hollow laugh. It was absurd enough to make me chuckle.

I couldn’t figure out why this little bugger spoke before I did.

“……Ratatosk?”

“What do you want, miss?”

At that moment, Eli cautiously called for Porori. Porori stopped laughing and addressed her politely.

It had a rude voice when it mocked me, but now it sounded normal.

It was even showing a bit of manners—seriously, was this really a beast?

“Uh… I have a lot to say, but I’ll ask this first. Can you understand Sivar?”

“I understand everything a beast says. I even know what the sparrows outside are saying! That one probably knows too.”

“Uh… I see. So how did you learn to speak?”

“I just listened to you humans and imitated you guys.”

Porori was looking at me with a face that seemed to be saying, ‘Why can’t you do something so simple?’ Eli’s expression became even more complicated in response to that.

Feeling it wasn’t explaining itself well enough, Porori moved with its typical squirrel-like agility to my side.

It made its way to my shoulder, where it began to explain the situation.

“Well, if you’re talking about when I gained ‘wisdom’, it started back when I desperately prayed to the heavens to kill this guy.”

“……Heavens?”

“Yeah. I nearly got struck by lightning once, you know? I called out to the heavens, asking for the power of thunder. It was about a hundred days of that, I think?”

Eli’s expression turned even more bewildered at that explanation, and the others were no better off. Only Rod, who had the most knowledge and experience, was keeping it together, but he too was flabbergasted.

“I offered my precious acorns daily for exactly a hundred days. Then, on a day that was exceptionally fine, lightning struck me. I passed out for a bit and when I woke up, I could wield the power of thunder. That’s what happened.”

“And right after that, you met us and fought Sivar?”

“Exactly. The ability to talk came from meeting you all first-hand. You have to hear how it works to really get the idea.”

Porori made a simple yet precise explanation.

Less than two weeks had passed, and it explained it so damn well. That’s what made it even more humiliating.

“……Sometimes, there are spirit creatures that can talk. There was once a time when they were revered as guardian deities in the Eastern Empire.”

“Did you meet the headmaster?”

“I saw one in the Eastern Empire once. It was living with an immortal.”

“Oh really? Was it a squirrel like me? Maybe a female?”

Porori expressed deep interest in the existence of talking spirit creatures.

Rod shook his head and answered.

“No. It was a tiger with white fur.”

“Aww. What a bummer. Seems like there’s no such thing as a female squirrel spirit.”

“Damn.”

What good would that do if it existed?

When I asked that, Porori crossed its arms and boldly said,

“Naturally, reproduction! Did you need to ask?”

“……”

Even as a spirit creature, it’s still a beast at heart, huh?

Yet here I was, failing to measure up to a beast. The feeling of defeat was weighing heavily on me.

“Anyway, you old human. Don’t eat those herbs for a while; they’re poisonous. The poison must already be building up in you, so detoxify first.”

“……Is there really poison in them?”

“The herbs themselves aren’t toxic. It’s when mixed with water that they become poisonous. If you don’t believe me, you can check later.”

“Hmm…”

As Porori explained, Rod stared intently at the wet wall.

On the floor below, there were the chewed-up herbs Porori had spat out.

“Then Sivar knew the herbs were poisonous?”

Luna, who understood the situation, asked in a slightly panicked voice. I nodded in response to her question.

Then she frowned, looking like she couldn’t believe it, and said to me:

“Couldn’t you have told us earlier? Even if you couldn’t write, you could’ve communicated through drawings or gestures.”

It’s because if Rod stepped in personally before consulting, the difficulty would spike significantly.

Rod has to remain an assistant for a smooth clear.

If he initiated the investigation, a hellgate in the truest sense would open, and Rod would surely die.

I wanted to say all that, but not only could I not speak, but I didn’t plan to enlighten them. Admitting I knew the future would only complicate matters further.

‘He probably wouldn’t have believed it from the beginning anyway.’

Seeing Rod’s reaction, even if I told him there was poison, there’s a high chance he would just laugh it off.

After all, the main reason is that he trusts the primary doctor, Dun.

If you ask who to believe—trustworthy experts or wildmen meeting for the first time, the answer is obvious.

“Damn.”

So, I replied that he wouldn’t believe it even if I told him, with a hint of sulking in my tone.

“You’re saying he wouldn’t have believed it even if you told him?”

Then Porori, who was sitting on my shoulder, naturally translated my words.

The only thing I spat out was ‘damn’, and yet it totally understood.

“That’s true, but…”

Both Luna and Rod seemed to have nothing to say in response. The first time, sure, but the second time as well—they didn’t believe it.

While they were taking that attitude, Porori poked my face with its tiny paws.

“Seems like they trust me more than they trust you? After all, animals communicate through speech. Right?”

“……”

This little bastard is definitely mocking me. It’s clearly having a laugh at my expense because I can’t speak.

As I grimaced at it, Porori dashed away. It’s annoyingly fast at times.

Once on the floor, Porori appeared to cross its arms and spoke in a solemn tone.

“By the way, you know? If you’d thought differently, things might have been a bit easier?”

“Damn?”

What the hell does that mean?

When I asked, Porori started explaining in front of everyone.

“If you had drawn a picture like that blonde lady suggested, maybe I would’ve raised a bit of suspicion. This old human has seen plenty, so he would’ve probably investigated a bit.”

“……”

“But you didn’t. I wonder why a guy who’s good at drawing didn’t do it.”

“Does Sivar draw well?”

Porori’s comments caught Eli’s attention. I’ve never drawn in front of them.

It seemed he was referring to the cave paintings I made. Mentioning that here would be troublesome.

“Oh. The ladies might not know. Before you came, I smashed them all.”

“Can you tell us what they were about?”

“I don’t even know. They were huge and hard to comprehend with my eyesight.”

Thank goodness there’s an issue of height. I sighed in relief inwardly.

“Phew.”

But why are you sighing in relief?

Seeing Luna’s face, which looked grateful, made me curious.

I secretly sighed, but everything was still in my field of vision.

‘Did she see?’

Since I had gone into the cave first, there was a chance she might have seen them. It’s just a matter of how she accepts it.

It might be a relief if she was the only one who saw it. She doesn’t seem like the type that would just blabber about it.

“Now back to the main topic; as someone who’s fought you fiercely, it’s strange that you can’t use that brilliant brain of yours.”

In the meantime, Porori continued with the explanation it had been giving.

Now everyone’s attention was on it.

“When we fought, you used such outrageous tactics; now you just seem to go around in circles. It’s like you’re only acting as if the answer is predetermined.”

“……”

Is this little bugger seriously a squirrel? Why does he seem smarter than me?

Honestly, I was impressed by how easily he pulled out an answer I didn’t even know myself.

As he said, I had been acting based on predetermined answers; I just had minor issues in the process.

Still, Rod being in a supportive role and not directly investigating is enough.

‘……Looking back, I could’ve messed this up.’

But looking back, there could have been issues from the start. Take my relationship with Kara, for example.

Ideally, I should be growing closer to Luna, yet I’ve gotten closest to her. That’s something I hadn’t even recognized.

‘I need to be careful.’

I had let my guard down since the answer was so clear. Would this count as advice, I wonder?

What a surprise to hear helpful words…

“Guess it’s thanks to not being able to speak. From what I heard, the foundation of civilization is language, right? A guy like you who can’t do that is bound to have a simplified way of thinking. Right?”

“……”

“Living in the wilderness, eating, sleeping, waking up, hunting, fighting, just repeating that—what would you know? Ogres aren’t just idiots for nothing.”

“Damn.”

This tiny little shit just blabbers like it’s an open mouth.

I couldn’t hold it in any longer and marched over to him. At that moment, a startled Luna hurriedly stood in my way.

“Calm down! Sivar! We can’t fight here!”

“Damn!”

That guy provoked me first, I shouted. Porori peeked out from behind Eli’s leg, grinning.

“Seems like a language-less barbarian. Civilized folk solve things through conversation.”

“Ratatosk!”

Eventually, unable to hold back, Luna yelled at him. Porori didn’t seem to care at all.

“Ratatosk. If you keep this up, I won’t give you any acorns.”

“Hmm. Was I too harsh? I apologize. Sorry.”

Yet, he seems to listen really well to Eli. I suppose he considers her a benefactor.

Watching the whole scene unfold, Rod just chuckled it off.

Honestly, even if Porori teamed up with me, we couldn’t win against Rod. That level of composure comes from confidence.

“By the way, this squirrel named Ratatosk talking is quite fascinating. Could it really be a blessing from God?”

“That’s quite likely. He’s integrated language into magic to make it easier to use.”

“So what about Sivar…”

At Rod’s question, everyone turned to look at me, including Porori.

If my language disability truly is a curse from God… honestly, I’d have nothing to say.

After throwing jabs at him daily, my faith hit rock bottom. They were the ones who dragged me here first, after all.

“Damn.”

But I could totally improve my speech without divine help.

Even though I lost to a tiny beast! I’ll take it step by step, starting with basic words.

Did he notice my determination? Porori perked its ears up, scratched its chin, and wore a knowing expression.

“Hmm… really? Hey there, miss.”

“Yeah?”

“That guy can’t even say his own name?”

“He keeps talking.”

“No, not that.”

At Eli’s response, Porori shook its head.

“That guy speaks in two letters, while the ladies and others say three. He says ‘damn’, and you all say ‘Sivar’. Got it?”

“Uh… kinda?”

“Let’s start with having him say his own name first. That’s where it all begins.”

Is this little guy putting together another scheme? As I narrowed my eyes at Porori, it kept staring at me.

Eli seemed to think his words were somewhat reasonable, nodding in agreement.

“That’s not a bad idea. You heard that, Sivar?”

“……”

“You have to endure your discomfort. It’s the only way you can learn to speak sooner.”

True. It’s not bad advice, really.

Porori will definitely regret this later. You’ll be in a world of hurt.

I squeezed my eyes shut, then slowly opened them to look at Eli. She’s pretty cute up close.

Moreover, if I lower my gaze just a bit, her ample chest would be there. I kinda want to lean on it once.

But if I stare like a perv, Eli might get the wrong idea. So I tried my best to focus on her face.

“Okay. Let’s take it slow. Say ‘si’.”

“……si.”

“Good. Next is ‘ba’.”

“……ba.”

“Whoa!”

Not ‘bal’ but ‘ba’, and Eli’s golden eyes widened in surprise.

Maybe he intended to tease me, but even Porori looked surprised. I was finally getting one over on that little guy.

“Great job! Want to try saying it all together? Let’s go again: ‘si’!”

“Si!”

“Then ‘ba’!”

“Ba!”

“Nice, nice. We’re almost there!”

It wasn’t just her who was excited. I felt a thrill of hope that I might finally be able to speak too.

Everyone else was showing deep interest too. I had to deliver!

“Alright. Here we go again. ‘Si’!”

“Si!”

“Now ‘ba’!”

“Ba!”

“Finally, the last one—’ru’!”

This is it. Just one word left to say…

“Al!”

“……”

Ah, damn it, seriously.

My life really sucks balls.

Kekekekek! Ugh! Haha! Wooohooo!

In the dead silence, only Porori’s laughter rang out, rolling on the ground in amusement.

Eli’s once-expectant eyes now trembled pitifully, while Luna and Rod did their utmost to stifle their laughter.

Nothing was more despairing than hearing Porori mock me with words. The fact that I was worse than that little beast was too much to bear.

“Si, Sivar? Where are you going?”

“……”

I trudged past the frozen Eli with weary steps.

I walked right by the rolling Porori and into the room.

Inside was my neatly made bed, soft and inviting.

And right now, it felt like the perfect hideaway for me.

Flop—

I lay back on the bed and pulled the blanket over my head.

I didn’t want to do anything right now. Shame had zapped all my energy.

I didn’t even feel like kicking Porori to the curb. I just wanted to do nothing.

“……Maybe it’s best to leave it be.”

“Yeah… I hope you won’t be too hurt.”

It already hurts. Please don’t talk to me.

I dove deep into the blanket, ignoring whatever those two women were chattering about.

It wouldn’t have hurt so much if I hadn’t lost to Porori.

I had no idea my inability to speak would weigh so heavily on me. Should I go pray at the Church later, maybe?

‘Those bastards started it first…’

[You have blasphemed against God. Faith decreases.]

Here we go again, with the nonsense.

In the Soul World, there’s never been a case of faith going down to zero.

The criteria for decreasing faith are incredibly strange and have a limit after all.

Swish—

Just then, while pondering faith, someone approached quietly and gently lifted my blanket.

Thinking it might be Rod, I looked up, but instead was greeted by a face that made me want to puke.

“Hey.”

It was Porori.

With a grinning face, it delivered the final blow.

“Are you seriously crying?”

“……”

I should have just left it be.

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