Jayden’s eyes widened.
“We can hunt and eat meat whenever we want.
Every single day, without ever running out.”
He looked as if he’d just had a profound revelation.
His head turned, and his gaze on Mister Paul instantly transformed, seeming to say, ‘You… you might actually be useful.’ The hostility vanished.
Sensing the shift, Mister Paul let out a hollow, defeated laugh.
Elena released Jayden’s wrist.
This time, the fist didn’t fly.
“Alright, so it’s decided,” she announced, quickly taking control of the situation.
“I’ll give you the pot, and you will teach this man how to hunt.”
Jayden nodded in agreement.
Mister Paul remained silent.
The gazes of the other two fell on him, expectant.
Mister Paul panicked.
He hadn’t made up his mind yet, but the moment for a decision had arrived.
He went hunting every week, but he was on edge every single time he left the village.
There were always close calls, and he had survived more than once only through the help of his comrades.
He needed trustworthy people with him outside the walls.
Elena’s demanding stare was frightening, but the other man’s was downright chilling.
It held the arrogance of a predator sizing up its prey.
Still, he hadn’t survived this long as a hunter for nothing.
He could stand up to a look like that.
‘I can’t risk going into the mountains with a novice and no backup.’ The man bravely opened his mouth.
“…F-fine.
I’ll teach him.”
“Wonderful!
Now we can finally eat meat!” Elena cheered.
“I like meat.
I’ll catch a lot,” Jayden added, a rare hint of excitement in his voice.
“Then I’ll cook you a fantastic meal.”
Watching the two of them celebrate, Mister Paul subtly averted his gaze.
He hadn’t agreed out of fear, he told himself.
It was a transaction.
A brave hunter never yields to threats.
He promised to teach Jayden on his day off and left, trudging away with his new pot.
His retreating figure looked a little pitiful.
‘I feel bad that Mister Paul won’t have a day off for a while, but…’
Elena couldn’t help it.
Meat was a crucial part of their diet.
And since Jayden loved it so much, it was especially unavoidable.
“Jayden, sit here,” Elena said, patting the spot next to her.
When the blank-faced man complied, she returned to the topic she had postponed.
“You can’t just attack people recklessly.”
He just blinked, as if he hadn’t understood a word.
She couldn’t tell if he was acting or not.
Life was precious; you couldn’t just harm people without reason.
She felt at a loss, unsure where to even begin teaching something so fundamental.
Elena decided to take a different approach.
First, a rule.
“Jayden, starting today, there’s a new rule.
You cannot attack others without provocation.
Understand?”
‘Look at him, pretending not to hear because he doesn’t like it.’
“Promise me.
Now.”
“What if they attack first?”
Even Elena wasn’t saintly enough to forbid self-defense.
“…You must not attack unless they strike first.”
“So, if they attack first, I can fight back, right?”
His insistence on confirming it left her with a strange sense of unease.
Still, she couldn’t forbid that.
‘It’s not right to just take a beating and do nothing.’ The old Elena had endured far too much.
She had swallowed every injustice.
She was sick and tired of being a victim.
She had sworn never to live that way again.
“In that case, don’t just take the hits.
Hit them back.”
Only then did Jayden finally nod and give his promise.
“I understand.
I will be more careful about attacking first.”
“No, it’s not a matter of being careful…”
‘You need to abandon the very thought of attacking in the first place,’ she was about to say, but a sudden warmth enveloped her, as if something intangible had brushed against her before passing through.
The sensation vanished in an instant, leaving her unsettled.
Elena scanned her surroundings.
‘What was that?
I swear I felt the same thing a few days ago…’ But it was just a feeling.
There was nothing to see.
Jayden was watching her placidly, a silent question in his eyes.
“Did you feel something strange just now?”
“Strange?” he repeated.
“Like a sudden warmth…”
He only stared, his expression unreadable.
It must have been her imagination.
“Never mind,” she sighed.
“More importantly, we need to read more books from now on.”
She resolved to add more lessons to his schedule, determined to expand his grasp of the world.
Just then, the children’s book Jayden had been reading caught her eye: ‘Toto the Hero Rabbit’.
It was a nostalgic story from her own childhood.
A baby rabbit named Toto loses his mother to the evil Demon Wolf King, awakens as a hero, and ultimately vanquishes his foe.
While its primary themes were hope and courage, she figured it could still be a useful tool.
“Reading this will help you understand different emotions,” she explained, sitting beside him and opening the book.
“Once upon a time, there lived a baby rabbit named Toto.”
Jayden’s gaze followed her finger, tracing the words.
“Baby Rabbit Toto lived happily with his gallant father, his loving mother, and his adorable siblings.
Then one day…”
Sensing his gaze had drifted to her face, Elena gently turned his head back toward the book.
“A terrifying presence appeared in their home.
Startled by the beast with its large, fierce teeth, Toto froze in fear.
A huge mouth opened, ready to swallow him in a single bite.
But just then, his mother leaped out and pushed him to safety.”
“Gulp!’ The wolf devoured the mother rabbit.”
Seeing Jayden so engrossed, Elena smiled with satisfaction.
“Now, what do you feel after hearing that?”
Her expectations were simple.
She was hoping for an answer like, ‘That’s sad,’ or ‘The wolf is evil.’
“The rabbit sounds delicious,” Jayden declared.
“Huh?”
“You’re the one who said the rabbit sounded delicious.”
Only then did Elena recall their brief exchange from earlier.
“The wolf ate the mother rabbit?”
“Yes.
This animal is the wolf, and this one is the rabbit.”
“The rabbit looks delicious.”
“You’re right.
The rabbit does look quite delicious.”
So that’s what this was about.
“I will hunt a rabbit for you,” Jayden announced, his eyes shining with fervor as he clenched his fists.
“I’ll catch ten of them!
We’ll have a feast!”
Staring at his earnest expression, Elena was utterly speechless.
She had a very, very long way to go.