Chapter 43

“Oh, right. I forgot about this.”

Right after announcing the start of the lecture.

Stella scratched her head awkwardly.

“Actually, there’s a question I ask the freshmen every year. Can we start with that first?”

There was no reason to refuse.

The students nodded.

Then Stella’s question began.

“Hey, student, what’s your name?”

“Ah! Vale Taylor!”

“Vale. Why do you want to become a hunter?”

“To hunt monsters and demon beasts!”

“Eh, that’s obvious.”

After bursting into laughter.

Stella waved her hand.

“Seems like my question’s intent wasn’t conveyed properly. Then, how about we ask our top student this time?”

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to Ulan. At the same time, Stella’s question continued.

“Ulan, why do you want to become a hunter?”

“I…”

I have no intention of becoming a hunter.

It’s just that I had no classes to apply for, and I remembered Stella, so I applied for this class.

That’s the real reason I applied for this class.

‘But…’

I can’t say that honestly.

That answer would ruin Stella’s honor and dignity. After a moment of contemplation, Ulan quickly made a decision.

“There are many monsters in the prairie where I lived.”

I’ll just make something up.

So he continued his answer.

“If we don’t hunt them periodically, their numbers will keep increasing. To the point where they become a threat. So our tribe needs hunters.”

“Hmm, good. That’s a model answer.”

Stella seemed satisfied too.

The smile on her face was proof.

Meanwhile, the other students seemed to have caught on and nodded.

“Now that everyone seems to understand the intent of my question, I’ll ask again. Why do you want to become hunters?”

“I…”

Starting with Vale, who was called first, the students each revealed their reasons. Stella listened seriously to all of them.

Some time later.

“Now there’s only one person left.”

The person whose reason we haven’t heard yet.

A silver-haired girl standing alone, slightly apart from Ulan. Stella stared at her and asked.

“In a way, I’m most curious about her reason. I never thought the famous genius mage princess of the Arpen Duchy would take my class.”

Delia Arpen.

The moment her name was mentioned, all eyes in the room turned to her. If it were Noa, she might have fainted twice from the gaze.

But Delia was unresponsive.

Her face showed no change in emotion. She answered without shrinking back.

“Premise, wrong.”

“Huh?”

“I, no intention, of becoming a hunter.”

What is this about?

Stella frowned.

“What? Then why did you apply for my class?”

“Because, I, from Arpen.”

The Arpen Duchy is a mountainous kingdom.

Surrounded by mountains, the area is teeming with monsters and demon beasts. Every year, many hunters and rangers lose their lives.

“So, I want to know.”

About monsters and demon beasts.

Their habitats, habits, weaknesses, and how to hunt them while minimizing damage.

Delia wanted to learn.

At this, Stella narrowed her eyes.

“But you’re royalty, aren’t you?”

With a somewhat displeased expression.

Her question continued.

“Then even if you learn how to hunt, you won’t have a chance to use it, right? You won’t be allowed to fight on the front lines in the first place.”

As Stella said.

Delia is the princess of Arpen. Moreover, she’s a genius mage called the hope of the duchy. She wouldn’t even be allowed to go out and fight.

“Still, I want to learn.”

“Why?”

“Because, it’s the duty, of royalty.”

Just because you won’t be on the battlefield doesn’t mean you don’t need to know about monsters. Rather, because of that, you need to know even more about them.

Only then can you understand the efforts of the hunters and rangers fighting on the front lines and provide them with various help in the future.

Some time after Delia’s answer.

Stella scratched her cheek subtly.

“Hmm, that’s a pretty fresh reason.”

But her displeased expression had completely disappeared. Instead, a somewhat satisfied smile had quietly taken its place.

“At least your attitude is very pleasing. If the higher-ups understand monsters, the hunters on the front lines will have an easier time.”

Even if you don’t intend to become a hunter, your motivation ultimately helps hunters. That’s why Stella was satisfied.

“I’ve heard everyone’s reasons. Then let’s move on to the next question. Has any student fought monsters or demon beasts outside the academy? If so, raise your hand.”

Stella raised her hand.

But the only one who raised their hand after her was Ulan.

“Just you, as expected.”

After laughing as if she expected it.

Stella’s question continued.

“Do you know the difference between monsters and demon beasts?”

“Of course I do.”

“Good timing. Can you explain it to your friends?”

Stella jumped down from the podium.

Meaning he should go up and speak.

But there was no need to go that far, so Ulan simply turned his body silently. Then he tapped his left chest.

“Magic Core.”

That was the entire answer.

After all, that was the biggest difference between monsters and demon beasts.

Meanwhile, perhaps because the answer was too short.

An awkward silence filled the room. Then Stella quickly intervened to lighten the mood.

“Well, although a lot was omitted, the answer is correct. The most fundamental difference between monsters and demon beasts is the presence of a Magic Core.”

Demon beasts are beasts or monsters that have gone berserk due to some reason or have been corrupted by evil forces.

In other words, monsters are a broad category of beasts or entities that pose a threat to humans. And demon beasts are a special type of monster within that category.

“To add to the explanation, there’s one more difference between monsters and demon beasts.”

Unlike monsters, whose strength is determined by their species from birth, demon beasts’ strength changes depending on how long they’ve existed as demon beasts.

In other words, most monsters stop growing after reaching adulthood, but demon beasts don’t.

“If you leave a demon beast alone, it will absorb a lot of mana from the atmosphere and become uncontrollably strong.”

So there was once a demon beast that was only 3-star level but rose to 7-star level. Hundreds of soldiers lost their lives trying to capture it.

“Therefore, the first thing we hunters need to kill are demon beasts rather than monsters. These are the ones that will become a threat to humanity if left alive.”

Along with Stella’s explanation.

The students’ faces also hardened.

They realized anew.

How dangerous the monsters and demon beasts they need to hunt are.

“Of course, there’s no need to worry right now. The demon beast hunting class is in the second year. So for now, let’s steadily learn how to hunt monsters first.”

After changing the heavy atmosphere.

Stella shifted the topic elsewhere.

“By the way, did everyone eat a good lunch?”

With a sudden question.

Stella started stretching her body.

“If you’re full, you’ll get sleepy, so to help with digestion, how about a simple mock hunt?”

“Huh? A mock hunt?”

“What’s that?”

“It’s similar to tag.”

Stella grinned.

“The rules are simple. One person plays the monster, and the rest play hunters. The goal is to stick stickers on each other’s bodies.”

The stage is the entire eastern forest.

The time limit is 30 minutes.

“If a hunter gets a sticker on any part of their body, they’re immediately considered dead. On the other hand, the monster needs five stickers on their body to be considered hunted.”

She waved colorful stickers.

About the size of a fist.

Bright red, so they’re easy to spot.

“The reason we’re doing this is to test your sense as hunters. Most of you have seen each other in the aptitude test, but there are also some new faces.”

With a convincing reason.

One student raised their hand.

“Will this affect our grades?”

“No, it won’t. This is just a mock test. But motivation is important, so if you hunt the monster, I’ll give everyone bonus points.”

The same goes for the opposite case.

At this, the students’ faces brightened.

Bonus points will come in handy someday.

“Then who will be the monster?”

“Originally, it’s my role.”

Stella tapped her chest.

“But I had a happy event yesterday, so I drank a lot and still have a hangover. Honestly, my head still feels like it’s ringing. So…”

After groaning.

She walked lightly.

Like a cat taking a stroll.

After a while, she stopped in place. Then she looked up at the young man in front of her and smiled.

“Can I leave the monster role to you?”

The muscular young man reflected in her yellow eyes.

The man who fits the monster role better than anyone else here. It was Ulan.

Meanwhile, Ulan tilted his head.

He didn’t immediately understand the meaning of being assigned the monster role. Realizing this, Stella quickly added an explanation.

“You said earlier that you’ve hunted monsters outside the academy, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then you can imitate their habits, characteristics, and movements to some extent, right?”

“It’s possible, but…”

“Then it’s settled! You’re the monster!”

With a lively answer.

Stella handed over a pouch full of stickers. Of course, she didn’t forget to explain.

“Your mission is simple. Just stick these stickers on everyone except yourself.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes, then you win.”

After the detailed explanation.

Ulan finally had an understanding expression.

Meanwhile, when it was decided that he would take the monster role, some students voiced their concerns.

“Um, professor.”

“There’s something I’m worried about.”

The students who approached Stella spoke in a small voice, as if whispering. Words like entrance ceremony, cheers, and fainting were heard in between.

After a while, when the whispering ended, Stella nodded as if she had guessed.

“Ah, that’s fine. In the mock hunt, all forms of violence are prohibited.”

Using tools is prohibited.

Swinging fists is also prohibited.

The only allowed attack is sticking stickers on the opponent’s body. Any other violent act will result in a penalty.

“But this also means that as long as the opponent isn’t hurt, you can do anything.”

With a meaningful answer.

Stella looked back at Ulan.

“One last thing. I’m going to add a penalty to Ulan.”

“A penalty?”

“Yes, I feel like if we proceed like this, it’ll end in your one-sided victory.”

There was no particular reason.

Just a hunter’s intuition whispered that.

“The penalty for you is to protect a specific person. If we add a setting, it would be like a monster protecting its young.”

A monster protecting its young.

Hearing this, it immediately made sense.

“So an additional loss condition is added?”

“Exactly.”

Stella grinned.

Ulan, in turn, fell into thought.

‘Then to win…’

Either survive without getting stickers on your body until the time limit, or stick stickers on all the students in the hunter camp.

Ulan’s eyes flashed sharply.

As if he fully understood the mock hunt.

“Now, who will you choose?”

It seems the person to protect is chosen from among the students. Meanwhile, the students all avoided making eye contact with Ulan.

The reason was simple.

They judged it more advantageous to be in the hunter camp. Also, the psychological pressure of being chased by many students played a part.

‘Anyone but me!’

‘Please, not me…’

So they were reluctant to be on Ulan’s side.

But their worries were unnecessary.

Because the moment he heard about protecting someone, a person immediately came to mind.

“Delia.”

The moment her name was called.

Her eyes widened.

Like a startled rabbit, her eyes became round. Facing her, Ulan immediately reached out his hand.

“Come to me.”

“…Okay.”

Delia hesitated for a moment but soon agreed.

There was no reason to refuse.

While the other students were relieved by this choice.

“I didn’t expect this. Out of all the students, I never thought you’d choose the princess.”

Stella’s eyes widened slightly.

As if Ulan’s choice was unexpected.

“Ah! If you were thinking of getting help with magic, you should forget it. Using magic is also prohibited in the mock hunt.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Huh? Even if you can’t use magic?”

“That’s right.”

“Really? Is there a special reason?”

As soon as Stella’s question ended.

Delia also looked up at Ulan.

It was natural to be curious. Without magic, she would just be a burden.

‘But knowing that…’

He still chose her?

Why? At the moment when a hint of curiosity and a tiny bit of expectation filled her golden eyes.

Ulan’s answer continued.

“If there’s anyone among them that I must protect, it’s only Delia Arpen.”

“…!?”

The moment she heard this.

Delia couldn’t raise her head.

Her face burned hot from Ulan’s bold statement.

‘To say something like this in front of so many people…’

And so confidently.

Moreover, saying something so embarrassing without even blinking. It must mean he’s truly sincere.

As soon as that thought came.

Her face burned again. Delia hurriedly covered her face with her hat.

‘Good thing I brought my hat.’

Ulan is a man who can read her thoughts just by looking at her expression. If she didn’t have her hat, he would have seen through her completely.

Delia quietly sighed in relief.

Meanwhile, around that time.

Ulan silently looked at Delia. Suddenly, a story from his past life came to mind.

‘The saintess once said this.’

If only one of the seven heroes could survive, it should be the Star Witch.

The reason was simple.

Only she, who has reached the pinnacle of magic, can close the Gate of the Abyss. That’s why Ulan said what he did.

Meanwhile, the students who didn’t know this all widened their eyes. Especially the female students, who all had flushed faces and whispered non-stop.

Stella also smiled subtly.

“What? Are you two already that close?”

“Not yet.”

Ulan shook his head.

That close. In other words, becoming comrades who trust each other’s backs is a distant future.

After the situation was settled.

“Well, fine. If it’s your choice, I’ll respect it.”

Stella shrugged.

As if it didn’t matter.

“Anyway, the monster role is decided, so let’s start.”

With a smile that somehow resembled a cat.

The mock hunt began.

Chapter 13. You Shouldn’t Have Done That

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