After the Friday that taught the Chief the beauty of separation, the next day was Saturday.
[Thank goodness.]
‘Well, it is good, but.’
Fortunately, there were no direct repercussions from meeting the Chief.
After all, this place is public land, not private property.
Letting personal pets run loose here is naturally something that should be criticized.
Moreover, if that pet disturbed the ecosystem of public land?
It wouldn’t just end nicely.
‘If an ecosystem destroyer appears in the human world, they would be focused on.’
[Are you not also an ecosystem destroyer?]
‘What are you talking about? I’ve always been at the top of the ecosystem pyramid.’
[……Please don’t use the beasts’ ecosystem as a standard.]
If by any chance the pet were a cat, our crazy cat ladies would have fought to protect it.
Because those little furballs are adorable.
However, the Chief’s pet was no little furball.
A hideous and enormous wild boar that didn’t fit the name “Cutie” at all.
The only ones who would welcome it would be butchers.
So as mentioned earlier, there were no direct repercussions.
But perhaps the Chief, even if decayed, began to bother me in other ways.
“When will this end, f*ck.”
Today is Saturday.
A precious weekend for others.
And an arduous week for me to serve a punishment.
It felt unfair for only me to be punished, so I half-forced my party to come along.
However.
“Shinwoo, I really think I’m gonna die.”
“Husband… I’m really struggling too.”
“Gongja, when will this be over?”
We complained, exhausted from the grueling schedule, like.
“Shinwoo is everywhere!”
“Oh my, husband! Why are you stuck in the ground?”
“Gongja? If you are that deep, how can you breathe?”
“Hey, you bastards, don’t call my name while looking at trash!”
I had reached a point of confusion, mistaking garbage scattered throughout the mountains for myself.
[Isn’t it strange? What’s the difference between you and the trash?]
‘I’m still breathing, you f*ckface.’
The task started when the lizard beastman came early in the morning.
The lizard beastman abruptly handed me several items.
A large plastic bag, a claw, and a lunch box.
“Shinwoo student, please clean up the back mountain over the weekend for your punishment.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes, the reason for the punishment is a violation of decorum towards the Chief.”
That hit a bit too close to home.
If I protested, I wouldn’t even get back what I had before.
“……Can I bring others along without any issue?”
“Yes, just fulfill the punishment.”
The punishment was simple enough.
To clean up the trash behind the restaurant.
In other words, it meant picking up trash on the mountain all weekend.
The reason was a violation of decorum.
It’s a charge that can be applied anywhere at the drop of a hat.
And here I was now.
“Shinwoo, bring over the trash we’ve collected. Let’s burn it first.”
“Husband! Since this happened, let’s roast some sweet potatoes!”
“Elcia? Why on earth do you want to roast sweet potatoes over the trash fire?”
“If there’s fire, we can roast. Is there a problem?”
“…First off, get rid of that colorful mushroom. You’ll only get to eat it once in your life.”
As we set the collected trash on fire to make a makeshift campfire, a sudden hunger struck.
Looking at the time, it was already lunchtime.
Just in time, I remembered the lunch box the lizard beastman had packed for me in the morning.
Settling down to have a meal seemed just right.
“Let’s eat.”
The contents of the lunch box were better than expected.
Fresh warm rice, sautéed sausages, and various meat side dishes.
Fortunately, there were no insect side dishes that lizards liked.
“Husband! Can I have a little?”
“Sure.”
As soon as I said that and opened the lunch box, Elcia quickly grabbed the main side dishes and stuffed them into her mouth.
Almost literally all of it.
“…You said a little. Damn ear goblin.”
Then, as if coming to her senses, Elcia’s focus returned to her eyes.
She then wore a gloomy expression and apologized to me.
“Ah… I did it again… I’m sorry.”
“Well… it can’t be helped.”
I examined the remaining contents in the lunch box.
All that was left was plain rice and seaweed. Along with a slightly grilled chicken breast and some fried kimchi.
Still, there was something edible left.
Just as I turned my gaze towards Elcia,
I noticed her looking down at her right hand, muttering something.
“Why do you keep acting like this? It’s a safe place now, why?”
The content of her mumbling didn’t reach my ears.
But instead, I heard another sound.
– grumble
A primal sound expressing hunger.
It was coming from Elcia.
[Looks like she’s quite hungry.]
‘I see, looks like she didn’t bring enough food either.’
I handed Elcia half of my lunch box.
“What are you planning to do with all your money in cryptocurrency? Eat quickly.”
“Thanks, husband! But don’t worry! It’s definitely going to go up!”
“Yeah, sure it will.”
Meanwhile, Hyeji and Jeong Ahyeon were sharing the combat rations that Hyeji had brought.
After everyone had their meal, we resumed picking up trash.
But then.
“Why the hell are condoms and cigarettes the majority?”
So much garbage of the crappiest kind.
Whether it was an outdoor play or not, condoms and cigarettes were everywhere within just a little distance.
More than forgotten cup noodles or kimbap.
Some of the condoms weren’t even tied at the ends.
It was truly absurd.
‘Are you all the ones having sex, you f*ckers?’
[Everyone but you seems to be.]
Feeling a bit disillusioned, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“These colors are crazy. Are these infinity condoms?”
“Husband. Whenever I see such condoms, I think it’s incredibly filthy.”
Elcia, who had come close to me, looked at the condom remnants with a bit of disgust.
“Surprisingly, we’re on the same wavelength. Who does such a thing in this sacred place of education?”
“Pregnancy is proof of love. It’s not scary, so why use condoms?”
“……”
I’d heard those lines somewhere before.
‘That’s probably a line from the eye number.’
[Hey! A caution has been issued from me! Don’t go saying that again! It hasn’t even been 72 hours since you got plus-d!]
‘Ah, f*ck. Right.’
Because of Elcia’s comment, the mood, which should fit the light novel tag, suddenly turned heavy.
Meanwhile, Hyeji, who had started mumbling seriously from a distance,
Though I couldn’t hear her well because she was far away,
A strangely ominous feeling began to seep in.
“Is two children enough… or should it be three?”
“Hyeji? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
Regardless, we couldn’t stop here.
A punishment was a punishment.
Thus, the trash expedition team began to move forward once again.
*
“Husband! There’s something over there!”
After about two hours of picking up trash, Elcia suddenly raised her hand, pointing somewhere.
It was hard to see in the dense forest, so it was surprising that she identified it so quickly.
“Elcia? Where are you talking about?”
“Over there! The spirits told me!”
“Hey, Kkaenpo. If you’re speaking nonsense, I’ll roast you again.”
“No, Hyeji unni! This time it’s really true!”
Last time there was a sparring session between Hyeji and Elcia.
It reportedly ended in Hyeji’s overwhelming victory.
Naturally, I believe it.
Of course, Elcia isn’t weak either.
For now, she’s gold rank.
And she can manifest butterflies for various uses.
Mainly for ensnaring opponents or defending herself.
That’s quite a utility ability.
However.
‘…f*ck, Hyeji’s setting is way too strong.’
[Well, you should’ve started the novel properly then.]
‘No, did I write that? Which idiot bastard wrote that?’
Against overwhelming violence, she was utterly useless.
In the end, after that day, their titles changed.
Hyeji now called Elcia Kkaenpo.
And Elcia called Hyeji unni.
Anyhow, we began to walk towards the direction Elcia was pointing.
About 30 minutes later, just as I was about to stop Hyeji, who was about to set the forest on fire out of boredom,
We spotted a cottage that didn’t fit the surrounding environment at all.
“It was real?”
“I told you! It’s true!”
“Hey, Kkaenpo, to be honest, I didn’t believe it either.”
Then I suddenly thought of what Elcia said earlier about hearing spirits.
“But Elcia? When you say you hear spirits, does that mean you’re also a Spirit Master?”
“No. I’m not that close. They only cause a ruckus when they need something.”
“Hey, Kkaenpo. Aren’t elves supposed to have max affinity with spirits?”
At that moment, Elcia began to look quite vexed.
“When I tried to dissect them, they suddenly cut ties with me. It was ridiculous.”
“….What?????”
“……I think the reason you were discriminated against wasn’t your mixed blood but rather because you’re just a crazy person.”
“Oh! We’ve arrived!”
The appearance of the cottage was quite interesting.
At first glance from afar, it seemed abandoned, almost as if it were just left in the deep mountain.
The access was that terrible.
But as we got closer and saw the exterior, I had to acknowledge that my idea was wrong.
It had a very luxurious appearance.
Immaculately cleaned structures without a speck of dust.
It seemed like someone had managed it recently.
Just as I was getting tense in case we might meet a stranger, the cottage door opened.
And out came.
“Shinwoo student?!”
“…What are you doing there, sis?”
It was none other than the lizard beastman.
The one I had met briefly in the morning was now coming out from the cottage.
Dressed in a maid outfit with cleaning tools in hand.
She seemed to have been cleaning the cottage.
The lizard beastman started to panic, unable to predict this situation.
Even with a lizard face, I could tell she was flustered.
“How… how did you get here?”
“I was cleaning up some trash and ended up here. Is this your place by any chance?”
“No, that’s not it…”
The lizard beastman started to hesitate her words.
But I had heard enough.
At the moment I learned it wasn’t her place, we rushed into the cottage.
Only then did the lizard beastman rush to stop us.
“Uh? Ah! No! You can’t come in!”
Of course, we casually ignored such reluctance.
Who’s going to kick us out when you’re not even the owner?
We barged into the cottage without hesitation.
Inside was truly splendid.
Although I had never been to a high-end pension, it had most of the essential elements.
Perhaps it was insufficient, as there was even a library in one of the rooms.
However, there was one strange point.
Only the room with the library had a separate bathroom for washing up.
‘There’s already a bathroom outside, so why here?’
[Something seems off.]
Especially as me and Jeong Ahyeon wandered into the room that piqued our interest, the lizard beastman began to tremble.
The nervous look on her face made it seem as if there was treasure hidden in this room.
‘Treasure… The One Piece must be here!’
[Look for it! Everything in this world is here!]
The library was filled with many books.
There were various genres, but there was one common trait.
They were all male-oriented novels filled with harem elements.
Except for just one.
[Manual for Regressors]
That novel had shifted into a romance storyline with a male during an otherwise smooth progression.
Cautiously and lethally, it was sticking out like a sore thumb.
There was only that single book, but my inner sense of novel values could never forgive its existence.
‘I’m gonna kill it. You’re kindling material.’
[The only drift I tolerate is Mario Kart drifting!]
After condensing my inner rage, I pulled the book out as if I was going to rip it off the shelf.
But the book only came out to a certain point, unable to move any further.
Instead, I heard a clack sound from the bookshelf.
‘What???????? What the hell is this??’
[Ah???????? What is this??]
Part of the bookshelf began to rotate.
And inadvertently, we discovered a secret passage within the cottage.
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