episode_0028

Even if my memories of my past life came back after my father dropped me and hit my head, those memories did not overwrite all the memories I had of living here.

There were quite a few instances where I suddenly felt uncomfortable because I remembered things I used to find comfortable, but that doesn’t mean I forgot the teachings of my family.

Nature doesn’t lie.

All animals that walk in nature eat and are eaten. And they do their best not to be eaten, and they do their best to be eaten.

The same goes for even growing plants. They stretch their stems straight up and upward to receive a little more sunlight, and they spread their roots wide to the side to prevent other plants around them from taking up nutrients.

And in order to somehow survive under those trees, they extend their trunks and climb up the trees, and constantly evolve to be able to survive with just a little sunlight.

You don’t survive because you’re strong. Those who survive are strong.

Those who are not fit for survival are eaten and disappear, and those who survive survive for generations, leaving behind descendants. We still do not know the exact reason why the giants disappeared, but in the end, it can be said that they also survived by mixing with humans to adapt to nature. .

That’s the law of the North.

No lies, literally the visible truth.

Behind the silence of Amelia and Prince Evan, who froze as they looked at the squirrel in my hands, the sound of wolves chewing on deer meat played like background music.

“Squirrels at this time of year… … No, all animals preparing for winter sleep gain a lot of weight to avoid starving to death while sleeping. Even during winter sleep, they store food so that they can eat it when they wake up, but they prepare steadily before going to sleep.”

“No, but… … .”

At my words, Amelia looked down at the squirrel in my hands with a reluctant expression.

I understand. Even by my standards, which puts squirrels in the category of food, the squirrels looked pretty cute.

And piglets, calves, chicks, and foals are all cute. The same goes for newly born fawns.

But we eat them all.

There may be beasts that catch the eye of some people and are raised with affection. There are always exceptions, like the wolves that would normally be humans’ competitors but are now staying by my side.

But exceptions are always just exceptions. Making such a small number of exceptions and saying, ‘It’s against the law’ or ‘It’s different from what you say’ is just stupid. If you can take responsibility for it yourself, what’s the problem with doing something like that? Is it possible? Whether you raise birds, deer, or a pack of wolves, if you can avoid starving and are confident that you will not take other people’s food, then you can do it.

Well, that doesn’t mean I have any intention of raising a squirrel.

“What about the prince?”

“Huh?”

I showed the squirrel in my hand to the prince, who was with his mouth slightly open and a blank expression on his face. He was in a deep sleep and was suddenly dragged out to a cold place, his body caught and swung in the air. The squirrel also seemed to come to its senses little by little, forcing its eyes open and looking around. I was looking.

After just a little while, you will realize how dangerous the situation you are in is and will struggle to get out of my hands.

If it does, it might bite my hand, and if I miss it, the squirrel will run at high speed and run away into the forest.

I wasn’t agile enough to quickly chase a running squirrel, and I wasn’t strong enough to hit a small squirrel. If the squirrel succeeded in escaping like that, the squirrel would survive and I wouldn’t be able to eat it.

Of course, there is no way to know how long a squirrel that loses all its accumulated resources ahead of the real winter will survive. Rather, it may die slowly from hunger and cold, much more painfully than being decapitated and eaten all at once.

“I, I… … .”

As I stared at the prince’s face, he stuttered several times.

Could it be that the prince also has a negative reaction to eating squirrels? Even though he is a boy, he is only ten years old.

When I was young, I wanted to catch something like a lizard and raise it. I didn’t even know what food was. And I didn’t know that in fact, most of the wild animals that could be caught in the mountains of Korea were species whose collection was prohibited.

So, if you have that feeling, I think you can understand.

“I will refuse.”

The prince, barely able to get over the shock, said that.

“Well, that can’t be called hunting.”

“If this isn’t hunting, what is?”

When I asked that question while tilting my head, the prince seemed to be at a loss for an answer.

“So, this is… … .Yes, gathering. It’s gathering. It’s not much different from what women do outside picking berries. It’s not a manly job. ”

“The men in my family go out hunting and pick the fruits they see, and they also catch small animals like this. They skin them, prepare them, and smoke them whole.”

“Smoked… … .”

Amelia muttered blankly after hearing the words.

“I don’t know how you knew the word ‘hunting’ and told me about it, but this is what hunting in Delkisi means. Catching animals and making them into food. Of course, there are some dogs that I don’t touch because it is more inconvenient to prepare them for eating. Basically, it doesn’t matter whether it’s big or small or the method of hunting.”

“… … .”

I continued speaking to the prince who was speechless again.

“If you can tell me what the ‘hunting you want’ is, I will try my best to make it happen. However, if the prince said that when he told my father that he wanted to go hunting, because he wanted to learn ‘the ways of Delkish,’ then this is also Delkish. It is an excellent method of hunting. Some hunters return with dozens of animals on a string each day.”

“Put it on a string… … .”

I heard Amelia mumbling again.

“… … .”

The prince looked at the squirrel in my hand. The squirrel was now completely awake and was looking around in confusion. Its bright eyes were cute.

“So, if I catch just a few squirrels and go back—”

“No one in Delkish would make fun of the prince. If there is such a person, he or she is not from Delkish.”

It is commendable that you have secured dry food in some way, and even more so if it is more than you can eat, because it means that you have helped other people living with you in Delkisi.

“… … Okay, then… … .”

When the prince stretched out his hand to receive the squirrel I held out—

“No!”

Someone shouted and snatched the squirrel out of my hand.

In fact, there was no need to say ‘someone’, it was Amelia. Right now, there are only three people here, me, Prince Evan, and Amelia. There were wolves, but I don’t think the wolves would ‘take’ this piece of meat ‘to save’ it.

“… … .”

“… … .”

As Prince Evan and I looked at Amelia, she held the squirrel with both hands and hugged it to her chest and said,

“I cannot agree with eating this child.”

“Child… … ?”

As I mumbled those words, Amelia’s cheeks turned red. It seems like she said that without realizing it, but she must have been a little embarrassed for saying that at the sight of an animal.

“That… … If you really want to take that squirrel, I won’t stop you, but wild squirrels are often more ferocious than you think. If you hold them with both hands like that, you might get bitten.”

Well, it’s okay if you find the prey again, but it was difficult to catch the squirrel with its face facing towards your hand. Even if my hand was bitten, it wouldn’t be seriously injured, but the hand of the Grand Duchess, who has never done anything bad in general, would be a hole if bitten by the long incisors unique to rodents. Because it will break through.

“Oh.”

And Amelia also noticed this possibility and belatedly pushed the squirrel away from her chest, but—

“… … Take a picture?”

Sitting with its butt on the outstretched palm, the squirrel just tilted its head and made a sound typical of rodents.

Oh right.

I was a druid, although I often forgot about it because I always led a pack of wolves when hunting and the prey went crazy.

That squirrel was held captive by Druid Patience for a long time.

“I’m not running away.”

I shrugged my shoulders at the prince’s words.

“Ears, cute… … .”

And Amelia seems to have already fallen in love with the squirrel.

… … Wouldn’t you faint if you knew how many squirrels there are in this forest?