Marking Territory (3)
***
Luna’s remark briefly made the atmosphere awkward, but it didn’t last long. Having t with Ratatoskr, we decided to plan things gradually.
The territories needed to be distributed as evenly as possible without overlapping. For that, Ratatoskr needed to understand the map.
“Do you know how to read a map, Ratatoskr?”
“A map? What’s that? Is it sothing you eat?”
…ure it out.
Afterward, Ratatoskr went off to find a new mate, and we had no reason to stay in the forest any longer, so we returned.
“You’re back. Can you tell what the Principal said?”
As promised, I t Grace upon returning. Lee Yeonju wasn’t around anymore.
I pondered whether to tell Grace everything or not and then looked at Luna. It seed better to leave it to her.
Luna, understanding my intention, nodded and began explaining. Grace didn’t seem to mind.
“We discussed stabilizing the outskirts of the forest. Sivar’s help is crucial. This will likely happen every weekend.”
“Every weekend… Alright. We’ll need to coordinate the schedule.”
Grace, sensing the secrecy, didn’t press further. She seed satisfied with just this much.
With our discussions wrapped up, I headed towards the ongoing Usk dismantling.
It was almost lunchti, so the baby Usk should be fully butchered by now.
“Perfect timing. How would you like to handle the paynt?”
“With the leftovers.”
As expected, the baby Usk was completely butchered and waiting for .
The freshness of the at was crucial, but with a temporary butcher’s station set up, there was no issue.
I received all the edible parts and handed the rest over to the butcher.
Unlike an adult Usk, dismantling a baby one doesn’t yield much. It could be used for research.
“Even though it’s a baby, there’s still a lot of at.”
“Are you going to eat it right away? It’s a sha to eat it in the dorm.”
The at from just the baby Usk was over several dozen kilograms. However, I planned to finish it all today.
Saving it would reduce its freshness, and I didn’t intend to eat it alone. This should be shared.
Besides, there’s still plenty of Usk at left. The partially dismantled adult Usk alone could last several als.
‘The issue is where to cook this.’
I looked at the box of Usk at. The only problem was finding a place to cook it.
Cooking in the dorm lacked other ingredients, and leaving it as it was felt wasteful.
“If you’re struggling, may I suggest a place? If you cover the cost, you’ll get a fantastic al.”
“Is there such a place?”
“Yes. It’s a bit pricey, but worth it for Usk at.”
Ah, I think I know where. There’s a place nearby that cooks provided ingredients, just as Grace ntioned.
In Soul World, it’s rarely used. Early on, it’s too expensive, and later, it’s not worth the cost.
“What do you think? I can cover the price for you. It’s better than cooking yourself.”
“Let’s go.”
“Alright. Then…”
“Let’s eat together.”
“Pardon?”
Before Grace could say anything, I made a suggestion. She looked wide-eyed with surprise.
She glanced at the others and then pointed at the box of at.
“Everyone. Let’s eat this together.”
“You caught this. You can eat it alone.”
“You don’t have to share.”
As expected, everyone initially refused. But I had prepared my argunt.
“I caught it. I decide.”
“…”
“Let’s eat together.”
My poor language skills made it sound like a command. But my intention should be clear.
Starting with Kara’s amused smile, the others also smiled warmly.
“If Sivar insists.”
“We have no choice. Let’s eat together. I hope there’s enough.”
Food always tastes better when shared. I headed towards the restaurant Grace ntioned, carrying the box.
‘But what about Yeonju…’
I’ll treat her separately later.
*****
Since entering the academy, Luna had been experiencing a series of diverse events in real-ti.
eting Sivar and Ratatoskr, fighting Hector, a visit from the saintess Rize, the midterm terrorist incident, and now the Usk.
All of these were connected to Sivar, bringing her no end of troubles. No wonder she often felt like going ho.
‘I want to eat that again…’
However, all her worries vanished after eating the Usk dish.
It was the most delicious food she’d ever had. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
She had been skeptical about cooking Usk, but the result was superb.
Juices burst in her mouth with each bite, the texture was tender, not tough, and the flavor was similar to beef.
Back ho, they occasionally cooked beef from butchered cows, but this was far better. In summary, it was a superior version of beef.
‘The adult Usk is a bit tougher, but similar to the baby one?’
After the feast, Sivar ntioned that if she wanted more, she just needed to ask. There was still so adult Usk left.
Normally, she’d feel too guilty to ask, since Sivar had hunted the Usk alone.
But the taste was irresistible. Plus, Usk at is beneficial for health.
If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be used in alchemy or potion ingredients. Every part is valuable.
‘I feel bad just taking… Is there sothing I can do for him?’
She felt guilty for always receiving and never giving back to Sivar.
The request for the blade tusk and the at only added to her guilt.
‘…That incident doesn’t count, does it?’
She recalled that rare experience of stepping in Sivar’s territory marking. At first, she thought it belonged to a beast, but now she was sure it was Sivar’s.
Sivar kept denying it, but Ratatoskr’s testimony confird it. She had to throw away a shoe because of it.
Sivar felt a bit guilty about it, so maybe she could use it as leverage. But getting the blade tusk might be too much.
‘Forget the at; I should focus on getting the blade tusk.’
Sivar had said she needed to be as strong as Kara to receive the blade tusk.
She hadn’t understood why at the ti, but thinking about it now, it made sense.
Without Kara’s skills, she’d struggle to wield the weapon. Sivar was looking out for her in his way.
To reach Kara’s level, she had to train diligently. With this resolve, she was focused on her training.
“Luna.”
“Yes?”
Gloria, noticing Luna’s change, asked curiously. Not out of worry, but genuine curiosity.
Had Luna seed desperate, she would have been concerned. But Luna was just more serious than usual.
“Is there sothing different about you?”
“No, not really.”
“Look in the eyes and answer. Your gaze has changed.”
Luna tilted her head. It was true she was more serious, motivated to get the blade tusk.
Gloria, being her ntor, probably sensed this. Luna turned her gaze to look at Kara, lightly sparring with Chronos.
Sivar wasn’t participating in today’s training, having gone to et Godin with Grace.
“If I said nothing’s wrong, it would be a lie.”
“Seeing you looking at Kara… Could it be…?”
“?”
Gloria’s expression turned to realization. Luna found it puzzling.
After a mont’s thought, Gloria placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder and offered serious advice.
“If sothing is bothering you, we should stop training for today. Overworking can harm you.”
“I’m not troubled at all. I just have a reason to get stronger.”
“A reason to get stronger… Can you tell more? We share secrets, don’t we?”
Sharing secrets. Gloria was likely referring to her affair with Chronos.
Luna smiled and nodded. She could share this much.
“Actually, here’s what happened…”
If it were anyone else, she would have explained everything to avoid misunderstandings.
But Luna’s words often caused misunderstandings. She slowly explained, looking at Kara.
“You heard that Sivar defeated an Usk, right?”
“Of course. The academy is abuzz because of it.”
“Yes. And Sivar gave one of the blade tusks to Kara.”
“Really?”
Gloria was shocked, knowing how valuable the blade tusks were.
Sivar probably didn’t know their market value, so it was understandable.
“Yes. So, I asked for so too. I knew it was a bit shaless, but I wanted to use any leftovers.”
“Did Sivar refuse?”
“Yes. He said I could have it only if I beca as strong as Kara.”
“Oh my.”
Gloria’s mind raced, understanding the situation.
The skill gap between Kara and Luna was evident. Luna had been overwhelmingly defeated in a duel.
Kara had lost to Sivar, but she had landed several significant hits.
“Using Kara as a standard… Is there sothing between Sivar and Kara?”
“Yes, sort of… Otherwise, why would Sivar give her a gift?”
“Hmm…”
Gloria pondered. It seed Sivar and Kara were closer than expected.
This could place Luna in a precarious position, always playing catch-up.
All Luna could do was get stronger, but that would take ti.
No matter how talented, without combat experience, it was aningless.
“Luna, have you had any special monts with Sivar?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because you might use those monts to your advantage. Be clever.”
“Well… there is sothing…”
It was related to human dignity, so she couldn’t say. Luna answered awkwardly.
“It’s a bit embarrassing for both of us…”
“Embarrassing for both of you?”
“Yes. It’s hard to talk about.”
Once again, Luna’s words caused confusion. Gloria’s expression grew more positive.
Gloria glanced at Kara sparring with Chronos.
“That’s it.”
“Excuse ?”
What is she talking about? Luna looked at Gloria, puzzled.
Gloria placed a hand on Luna’s shoulder and spoke kindly.
“Use that to get closer to him. If you show your effort on top of that, he’ll give you a gift out of guilt.”
“…”
Really? Luna tilted her head, confused yet sowhat convinced.
“I’ll help you. It’s hard to get stronger quickly, but you can surprise him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. This will be fun… I an, I find you admirable. Motivation is key to effective training.”
Gloria wasn’t finished.
“Plus, that experience is sothing Kara hasn’t had. Don’t you agree?”
“…Yes.”
Luna muttered internally. She never wanted to go through that again.
Gloria, unaware of Luna’s true feelings, continued with a bright smile.
“So let’s give it our all. Your experience will be imnsely helpful.”
“…”
Luna remained silent. She decided to keep her mouth shut.
End of Chapter
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