LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 179
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 179
Once again, I caused a huge mess, but somehow managed to clean it up.
The training site was more or less a private residence, so as long as the aftermath was handled properly, it was fine.
However, there was nothing I could do about Porori’s food supply issue. The trees were completely destroyed, leaving no way to salvage them.
“But why were you gathering acorns? Preparing for winter?”
“That too, but they were offerings for the sky! Soon, I’ll be able to spread my thumb wide!”
Porori was so furious that he was stomping his feet.
Come to think of it, he still remembered the thumb I mentioned last time.
Not that it mattered—what significance could bending a thumb have on such a tiny body?
Still, I couldn’t deny the fact that I had rendered all of Porori’s efforts meaningless in an instant.
‘So what.’
Porori’s affairs were none of my business. After all, I had my own tasks to deal with.
Namely, kneeling with my hands raised as punishment while Rod handled the cleanup.
And not just with bare hands—I was holding the Bloodstained Greatsword. Its considerable weight was starting to make my arms ache.
“Phew… This should be enough. Good work, everyone.”
“··· ···”
“Sivar, you can lower your arms now.”
“Phew.”
Thankfully, the punishment ended just before my arms gave out.
Even for me, holding my arms up for that long was quite exhausting.
Afterward, I picked up a few acorns and handed them to Porori. Though he seemed dissatisfied, he accepted them.
“Shall we take care of our meal now? Headmaster, would you like to join us?”
“I’ll pass. My presence might make things uncomfortable. Besides, I’ve already prepared a healthy meal for myself.”
“Oh, Unnie, then can I invite the new friend I made this time?”
After Rod, it was Luna who made a suggestion to Kara. Surely, that friend wasn’t Erica.
Kara seemed curious as well. With a puzzled expression, she asked Luna.
“A new friend? Who’s that? Does Sivar know?”
“Yes. Her name is Erica, a student from another class…”
“Is it a girl?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if it’s a girl.”
“Uh······ yes. Why?”
As soon as I confirmed it was a girl, Kara shot me a sharp glare. Her expression screamed, “Another girl?”
But I shook my head vehemently, denying it. It wasn’t like that—it was just a coincidence.
Whether she read my thoughts or decided to let it slide for now, she seemed to move on.
“What kind of person is she? Can you explain a bit more?”
“Yes. So, here’s what happened······”
Luna collected herself and began explaining about Erica. Meanwhile, I sighed inwardly.
Let me just say, Kara and Erica are a terrible match. Their compatibility is as bad as oil and water.
Kara grew up in an environment where life wasn’t taken unless necessary, while Erica cherishes life unconditionally.
Just from that, you can tell how incompatible they are. In fact, even in Soul World, they fight whenever they get the chance.
‘It’s fine if they achieve emotional growth, but······’
What if an unsuspecting player recruits both and progresses the story?
Sure, their physical workload might lessen, but their mental state would deteriorate. They’d constantly have to mediate their fights.
While I can let their words go in one ear and out the other, they can’t. Every word will hit them like a nail in the chest.
‘And the choices they’ll make you take.’
The moment you side with one, the other’s affinity drops significantly.
Naturally, most players tend to support Kara. Erica’s convictions are borderline nonsensical.
Besides, not having Erica doesn’t majorly affect the story. The demon-related arc becomes slightly harder, but it’s still manageable.
“So, we’re planning to have a meal together. What do you think, Unnie?”
“She’s not lacking in any way, is she?”
See? The blunt questions are already starting.
“She’s not lacking, but, uh······ just think of her as a bit odd. It’s not like we don’t already have plenty of odd people around us.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
“… …”
Wow. The chaos-inducing big mouth is hard at work again today!
But Kara accepting it so easily was unexpected. Surely, I was included in that “odd people” category.
“Anyway, it’s fine if she joins us, right?”
“It’s fine. I have a few questions for her, too.”
And so, it was decided that we’d have a meal with Erica. For the record, we looked for Ellie, but she wasn’t around.
Apparently, she was studying in the library. Even during vacation, she wasn’t slacking off.
Talented and naturally gifted people tend to work even harder. Ellie was a prime example of that.
‘No wonder she kept growing stronger as time passed in Soul World.’
These little details weren’t depicted, so I hadn’t known. Everyone was putting in effort behind the scenes.
“Hey, Barbarian?! Why is a Barbarian here······!”
“··· ···”
Could you at least insult her where she can’t hear you?
As soon as Erica saw Kara, she blurted that out to her face, complete with a look of shock.
Although Kara’s reputation was slowly improving, the prejudice still lingered.
Moreover, her reputation was limited to our class. Erica, being from another class, naturally retained her preconceptions.
“Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve been called a Barbarian.”
“Doesn’t it bother you?”
“Not really. I’m learning to just let it go.”
At my cautious question, Kara shrugged and responded with composure.
She definitely gave off an air of emotional maturity. It was a good sign, though no one knew when she might snap.
I could only hope Erica wouldn’t say anything unnecessary. Luna seemed to share the sentiment as she barely managed to stop Erica.
“Erica, no matter what, you can’t say things like that outright.”
“B-But······”
“Do you know how kind Kara Unnie is? As long as you don’t say such things, she won’t hit you, so you’d better watch your mouth.”
“··· ···”
At Luna’s warning, Erica clamped her mouth shut. But she couldn’t help glancing at Kara.
While their first meeting was off to a rocky start, we headed to the restaurant to have our meal.
As a vegetarian, Erica only ordered a salad. Though calling it a salad was generous—it was just lightly seasoned greens without even mayonnaise.
“Oh Gaia, provider of life. Thank you for today’s meal and······”
Well, even if Erica was a bit unlikeable, she did exude a solemn atmosphere during her prayers.
Whenever she prayed, everyone else refrained from touching their utensils and quietly listened to her prayer.
Kara, too, seemed intrigued and watched with interest. For some reason, she seemed to view Erica more favorably than expected.
It was much better than the constant bickering in Soul World, but I still felt uneasy.
It was like sitting next to a ticking time bomb. I could only hope it wouldn’t go off.
“Do you pray to Gaia before every meal?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, yes······?”
“That reminds me of Lord Gulak. We also pray to him before battles.”
“······Ah. Now that you mention it······”
Erica muttered as if she had just remembered. She must’ve forgotten that Kara and the Tatar Tribe worshipped Gulak.
After that, Erica nibbled on her salad while cautiously glancing at Kara. She seemed to have something she wanted to say.
Kara, noticing this, spoke with a faint smile.
“If you have something to say, just say it. You were so bold earlier, calling me a Barbarian to my face.”
“······Are you sure?”
“I’ve met all sorts of people in my life. A believer of Gaia is no big deal.”
I was certain I was included in that “all sorts of people” category. I could guarantee it.
As I thought about that and took a bite of my meat, Erica, who had been hesitating, finally spoke up quietly.
“Um······ Princess Kara, what do you think about life?”
“It’s precious.”
“I heard that the Tatar Tribe used to commit plunder in the past······”
“That’s right. And we’re still being cursed for it to this day.”
“Then, um······”
Was it Kara’s unique charisma that overwhelmed her? Or was it the mature atmosphere that left her speechless?
This situation was far too different from the Soul World. Normally, Erica had enough nerve to confront Kara head-on.
But look at her now. Anyone could see that Kara held the upper hand, while Erica was acting submissively.
Since this was a side of Erica I had never seen before, I watched with interest. What kind of conversation would unfold between the two?
“If you know life is precious, then why did you do things that harm it?”
“Because back then, I had to survive. Otherwise, I would have died.”
“Was there really no way to resolve things peacefully?”
“That’s why my father founded our nation—to shed as little blood as possible.”
Surprisingly, Kara answered kindly. Despite the sensitive topic, she didn’t waver at all.
Her words carried a lot of weight, especially because they reflected the experiences of someone who had been through countless trials and hardships.
Even Erica, who was usually as stubborn as a bull, found herself swallowing her words here and there. This was completely different from the atmosphere I was used to.
“Now it’s my turn to ask a question. You said life is precious, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, would you consider the life of the person who murdered your mother to be precious and worth protecting?”
“······What?”
Erica’s pink eyes widened at Kara’s question. Her reaction clearly showed she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
Luna had a similar reaction. Sensing that the conversation was about to take a serious turn, she set her spoon down for the moment.
As for me······ since I already knew the gist of the story, I just kept chewing my food. Still, I maintained a posture of listening attentively.
“I asked if the life of the enemy who murdered your mother is precious to you. For now, I’ll just tell you that I killed him.”
“Ah, no matter what wrongs someone has committed, l-life is precious······ isn’t it?”
“Hmm······ so you’re saying you forgive him?”
“Forgiveness is out of the question. I would ensure he is punished without taking his life.”
Erica firmly clarified her stance.
In truth, that was also a form of resolution, so Kara simply nodded without further comment.
“Alright. Next question. You think plants are life too, don’t you?”
“Of course. Plants are life personally nurtured by Goddess Gaia.”
“In the end, life cannot sustain itself without taking other life. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s······”
Once again, Erica was at a loss for words. In fact, her convictions could be entirely countered by that statement.
Life must consume other life in order to continue. It’s an unchanging law of nature for anything born as life.
Even though Erica tries her best to stick to a vegetarian diet, it’s still no different from consuming life.
“If you were born into an environment where you were starving, all of this would sound like nonsense. When you’re dying of hunger, life or ideals don’t matter—you eat to survive.”
“I-I believe helping such people is the right thing to do!”
“Of course. That’s exactly it. It’s a mindset only the well-fed can afford to have.”
Kara sneered sharply. In truth, Erica belonged to the well-fed category.
Born into nobility, she had lived her entire life without worrying about starvation, and even at the Academy, hunger was never an issue.
On top of that, as a believer of Gaia, she would have received care and support wherever she went. There was no way she could have experienced hunger.
“I grew up in an environment of hunger, but now I live in an environment of abundance. Maybe that’s why I can’t relate to anything you’re saying.”
“But you’ve come to understand that life is precious, haven’t you?”
“That’s a separate matter. Life is precious? Sure. Life can’t be assigned a specific value? Also true.”
Kara pointed out sharply in a cutting tone.
“But that doesn’t mean you can ignore its essence. Otherwise, why would Goddess Gaia have created life in such a way?”
“Th-That’s······”
Her words touched upon the very essence of Gaia, who governs life. Yet Erica had no rebuttal.
As Kara said, if life had been created perfectly from the beginning, there would be no issues. But Gaia didn’t do that.
Therefore, Erica’s convictions inherently raised significant doubts about Gaia’s existence itself. It was, in a way, blasphemy.
Just as Erica’s pink eyes began to waver in confusion, Kara wiped the smile off her face and spoke.
“Above all······ there’s one thing that irritates me the most.”
“··· ···”
“The idea of cherishing life? At first glance, it sounds altruistic. And it is, in a way.”
Kara then drove a sharp dagger into Erica’s chest with her next words.
“But you’re just f*cking selfish.”
Hearing that, I realized something. Kara had matured a lot mentally.
Normally, she would have started throwing a tantrum by now, but not this time. She was calmly ‘persuading’ her instead.
Kara herself seemed to realize this, as she let out a bitter laugh and murmured softly.
“Ha, seriously. I guess I’ve become a civilized person now.”