Chapter 4: Chapter 4: A Curious Cat

Later after a few days under Alum’s harsh treatment, they all have somewhat gotten used to it, and to be honest, they found it a little scary that they did. 

After the incident at the shed, they found a village where ghouls and other monsters roamed, such as undead creatures. 

Animalistic dead corpses that moved weren’t on everyone's list of “Hey, let’s go check that out!” 

Good thing: Alum didn’t force them to explore. 

Bad thing: their leader was somewhat of a tyrant, and he instead loured the individual monsters to find their way to them. This resulted in them fighting said monster, and more often than not, it was a walk in the park but a stressful one. 

And after some thinking, Alum came to the conclusion that the forest is probably safer in a lot of cases. 

They would have easy access to food, and the trees would hide them from sight. And so began the project: Advance camp. 

First, they needed a safe place to set everything up. Thus they snuck around and explored the forest, although not too deep in. 

After finding a relatively spacious place surrounded by large trees, about 50 meters, they renovated the area, transforming it in just a few hours. 

It was also great since there was a nearby river. So they had easy access to water and edible vegetation around them. 

There were also some animals around in the area, but as long as they didn’t frighten them, they didn’t attack. Thus, they also had access to meat. 

They built shelters up in the trees with the help of Oliver and Maya, who bent the branches and created platforms for them to walk. They also made elevators in different places so they didn’t have to climb all the way up. 

And after a few days, it was looking good. 

As everyone personalises their own shelters. Alum watches and notes things down in his notebook. 

[Day 7, and things seem to be going well, they were a little too stressed out not too long ago but seemingly enjoy building a base, though… I received some complaints that there was no clothing to change into. 

Especially from the girls, thus I’ll go to the village to search for things during the next heavy rain. That way, I can freely explore the village that is deemed too dangerous to explore. 

Another major problem is that some males and females start to get along a little too well in this situation. Of course, that makes sense since they spend much time together in this harsh reality, which intimacy and romantic tension help to relieve. Although… It could cause future problems… and I’m no relationship expert. But to forcefully stop it… that, in itself, has consequences. 

Still, if some are to bear children, then that’s fewer workers and more mouths to feed, and it could start other conflicts within as well. 

That aside, housing seems to go well as each individual has their private space. Thanks to Oliver’s and Maya’s control over plants, the bridges are sturdy, and we even got a lift up to the tree tops. 

The food situation is also pretty decent as things are frozen and stored away. 

That should meet most of the basic needs for now….] 

As Alum finishes his notes, he looks up at the sky, clouds forming, and it seems there will be rain tonight. 

[That is faster than anticipated.] 

Noel, who was close by, starts to speak to him. 

“Hey, Al, the boys wonder if it's okay to celebrate a little extra since today’s hunt went well.” 

“Then, I’ll let you handle that,” Alum replies as he has a faint smile. 

“Your expression is slipping, you know?” Noel points out. 

“I see… it's not an issue since they aren’t paying us any attention.” 

Noel can’t help but chuckle a little. 

“Pff, aha, I see. By the way, Miu wants to speak to you. Got time?” 

“....She wants to speak? Where is she then?” 

“Near the river,” Noel replies as he makes a quick motion with his head, pointing to where. 

“Got it.” 

Alum nods and strengthens himself with the unknown force inside his body, he doesn’t know exactly what it is, but he does know it's a supernatural energy of some sort that can be manipulated at will. 

And before Alum jumps, Noel stops him. 

“...What is it?” Alum asks. 

Noel glances to the side a little awkwardly. 

“...Can you treat her extra gently? She’s been feeling quite down since the day before….” 

“I see….” 

Noel’s expression softened a little, but… it wasn’t like Alum said yes, though he neither said no. 

“Thanks….” 

— :::: — 

Miu stares at the flowing water along the river as her heartaches, her chest filled with weight as she waits for Alum. 

During the past few days, he’s been very harsh toward everyone. Even his guardian wasn't immune to it. And seeing this side of him made her scared. 

[....Do I still like him?] she ponders before taking a deep breath. 

She leans back and lies down to look at the sky. It was getting darker. Perhaps there will be a heavy downpour tonight? 

She thinks that the sky is beautiful yet frightening at the same time. And, of course… that comparison is to none other than Alum. 

‘I still like him,’ she softly mutters. 

[Despite being afraid of him from time to time… he’s kind. Or maybe that is the illusion I put myself under…. But ever since I got these powers. I just know he doesn’t see me that way. Maybe if he keeps treating me harshly… perhaps, that is for the best.] 

Thinking back on that night, she followed him because she was curious about why he had decided to wander alone. After all, they were in an unknown place, and it was dangerous to do so. She didn’t exactly know what she was thinking at the time, but she followed. 

She manipulated water the way he did and covered herself so that she didn’t get wet and started to follow him. 

Although she wanted to catch up, he was walking too fast for her to simultaneously control the water as she walked. 

But, after a while, she got the hang of it but lost him. It wasn’t like she wanted to tail him. More like she tried to catch up, but he was already far away. 

She then saw something bright and headed there since she thought it might be him. Of course, he was there, along with a morphed creature eating another person. But she knew that screaming would lead to her death, so… she held it in with all that she could muster. 

However… On the other hand, Alum killed the creature and later killed the man it was eating. She felt horrified that he could take someone's life so easily, but she also understood that he was just ending their pain. 

Once the creature was gone, she could still not believe what she saw. 

[Is he really the person I know?] 

The one she knew was a distant yet adorable person who liked to read and eat sweet things, would spend time with those close to him and be considerate of others. Though there were bad rumours about him on campus, none were true, except that he was indifferent to most people. 

In other words, she liked him more than she wanted to admit. 

And as she thought of that night, she heard someone’s footsteps…. It was Alum. Even though she was expecting him, her heart beat faster, and she felt uneasy. She knows that she will get rejected. 

“....Hi, Alum….” she meekly greets him. 

“...Hi…..” Alum replies as he sits down beside her. 

They’re both quiet, and the silence is pretty awkward as Miu glances back and forth between him and the river.

‘I like you….’ Miu blurts out in a low voice. 

“...I know,” Alum gently replies. 

“.....How did you know?” Miu asks as she plays with her hair while looking the other way. 

His reply was a little unexpected since she thought he was relatively dense regarding romance. After all, she’s been approaching him regularly on campus, and he didn’t seem to notice at all… or maybe he did…. But that wouldn’t explain him suddenly asking when overhearing Lena and Julia talk…..

“I had a little talk with Noel…..” Alum replies. 

Miu freezes in an instant as she nods. 

[...Oh.]

“....I’m sorry, Miu… I’ve known for a while now.”

Alum awkwardly pauses before continuing. 

“...I do like you,” he says. 

But…

Miu knew it wasn’t in a romantic way. 

Tears start to build as her heart sinks, but… she also feels relief at the same time. Miu has been very stressed recently as all her emotions are bottled up. And not only that, people came for emotional support from her… and for better or worse, Miu is very empathic. She not only carries her own burdens but others as well. 

“...When I see you, it makes me happy, and when you’re down, I feel the urge to comfort you and be there for you.” 

Alum pauses again and, this time, gently places his hands on her shoulder, turning her to face him, and their eyes would meet. 

“But… th—” 

Miu abruptly stops him as she tearfully stares into his golden eyes. 

“As someone close… right? You feel that way toward Professor Emely and Noel as well… right….?” 

“...Yes….”

“I’m glad I got to know how you feel, Alum,” Miu says as she gently smiles with tears overflowing. 

The heavy feelings inside her seem to magically lose weight as her worries disappear. She started questioning his feelings toward them since his treatment never softened after that incident. Even when they were alone, but… what changed his mind? 

“....Alum, everyone knows at this point… the fact that you aren’t a bad guy…..” 

As he hears this, Alum awkwardly averts his eyes. 

“Please… go back to normal, it hurts…. It hurts so much….” Miu pleas. 

And seeing her clench her hands and press them against her chest as tears dripped down her chin, Alum knew he was hurting the closest ones to him. 

“...Understood.” 

“...Al, can you hug me,” Miu asks as she looks into his eyes shyly. 

“Miu, I don’t see you that way… sorry,” he says. 

But… Miu shakes her head while she meekly smiles. 

“...I know, but I’m sad, and you comfort Professor like this, right? If so… maybe you could comfort me like that as well….?” she asks while cutely tilting her head with uncertainty. 

“...If it’s just that… then….” 

Miu closes her eyes as she leans towards him, and as Alum wraps his arms around her, she firmly embraces him. 

She could hear his heartbeat. They are calm and rhythmic, and she wished they would beat as fast as hers. 

[...I’ve told him how I felt…. And got rejected. Still… I wanted to give up and move on, but as it turns out… I can’t.] 

As she’s in deep thought, her feelings overflow again and everything that has been pent-up bursts.  

They would stay like this for a long time, until the evening when everyone gathered again to celebrate the hunt. 

Everyone was surprised when Alum and Miu came back. Since Miu seemed more lively than ever, they were happy since they all knew she was feeling down and forcing herself to smile. 

And seeing her genuinely cheerful like this made them happy. 

They sneaked a glace at Alum, and his expression seemed softer. 

Noel grins and wraps his arm around him, and seeing this, everyone panics as they think Noel has a death wish. 

But Miu just lightly giggles as she watches them. 

“Yo, Al, are you and Miu dating now?” Noel asks in a loud voice. 

Everyone is surprised as they look back and forth between Alum and Miu. They also have pity in their eyes since they think Noel is done for…. 

But, to their surprise, Alum just let Noel do whatever he pleased. 

“No… I rejected her,” he states. 

And as he says that, Miu hits him on the chest playfully multiple times as she is utterly red to her ears. 

“Al, you dummy, please don’t say that in front of everyone! Noel, you too; why did you say that out loud!” 

And seeing the commotion, Emely softly giggles to herself as she watches them. 

[I see… I’m glad you’re back, Al.” 

As they watch the fun, the other girls also join in. 

“Alum, how could you reject her!” 

“That’s right!” 

“She was in love with you since our first year!” 

“G-guys, stop it. It's embarrassing!” Miu cries.

Some guys join in too. 

“Hey, Alum, why did you reject her?” 

“...I think she is gorgeous, and you two seem close….” 

“Yeah, I don’t see a reason to not date her,” Oliver comments. 

Alum has a surprised look on his face. The mood is light, and even Oliver, who doesn’t particularly like him, joins in on the teasing. 

Noel then sends him a sneaky glance. 

[I’m doing great work, aren’t it?] 

Alum responds with a nod. 

[I see… you read the notes.] 

Noel then awkwardly scratches his cheek.

[....C’mon, I just happened since it was left open as it was.] 

Alum sighs as he looks at everyone around the campfire. 

“On a serious note… I’m not saying relationships are banned, but… do consider seriously that raising a child in this state isn’t good for anyone,” Alum says calmly. 

His tone was soft and gentle as it was previously, unlike the eerie, calm and stern one. 

However… his words were met with silence. They knew… so some of them hid the fact they were intimate. 

Hence, his following words sent them shivers.  

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“Despite how dense many of you think I am, I’m very aware. And I want to warn you to seriously evaluate our current situation. That’s all.” 

““.....”” 

“Seriously…?” Kurt asks. 

“Yup, seriously,” Noel comments. 

Lena glances at Kurt and shyly turns away. 

Seeing this, everyone would chuckle and cheer.

“GET TOGETHER ALREADY!” everyone shouts in unison. 

As they all have some fun, Alum approaches Emely. 

“Sorry about everything Emy,” Alum awkwardly says as he glances to the side. 

But Emely just smiles. 

“...You did what you thought was appropriate in the situation, right?” 

“....There was probably a better solution.” 

“There is always a better solution, so don’t dwell on it.” 

“....Thank you, Emy... and… I want to tell you that I love you.” he awkwardly says as he scratches his cheek and faces away from her. 

Emely’s eyes shot wide open. She feels very happy as she launches onto him with a tight embrace, as tears flood her eyes. 

“I’m so happy! I love you too, Al! You’ve grown so much and made a girl cry, but… she doesn’t seem sad... I raised you well!” She says as she buries him in her chest, stroking his hair. 

[....I can’t tell her Miu was the only girl I rejected this way…. Can I?] 

— :::: — 

Later that night, heavy rain hit the plains and forest. Thus making it the perfect trip to the village. 

[....I’ll just sneak out and be back by the morning….] He thought as he jumped down from his hut. 

With an enhanced body, he dashes through the rain while maintaining camouflage. 

After a short while, he gets out of the forest he propels himself high into the air as he creates platforms of water to stand on. With this, he could avoid encounters with creatures on the ground while also having an easy time traversing. 

Soon enough, he sees the village, and the creatures are still roaming around. 

[A village this size should be able to hold about 500 people; from the looks of it, it's an agricultural village…. The buildings do seem pretty modern, but… there are no roads. At least made out of asphalt, do they use air transportation?] 

And as he looked around more, he stumbled upon a relatively large building. It was a garage that hosted a vehicle that didn’t seem to travel by land. 

Of course… it wasn’t intact since he saw blood stains and broken pieces. 

[No corpses left… these creatures would consume rather than make more of its own…. Right… let’s see if I can find any clothing and weapons.] 

Alum drops down on the ground and creates a highly condensed pressurised water barrier. In case they manage to see through his illusion, it will buy him time to escape while the barrier explodes and ejects deadly spikes.  

As he casually walks on the streets and past the abominations and eventually stumbles upon what he is looking for. 

[Oh…? Broken windows.]

He walks closer and looks in, and sees some clothing. 

[This should do….] 

He jumps in through the broken window and creates a barrier in the whole room to isolate any sound and light from escaping as he creates electricity and geometrical mirrors to shatter its light, brightening up the room. 

He stores the clothes in the bag he got from the man and looks around the shop. He then sees something that resembles a switch inside one of the cabinets. 

[...What’s this?] 

He knows that he has finished what he came for, but…. 

[They say curiosity killed the cat, however. I am not a cat.] 

Thus he turns the switch, and on the floor, stairs revealed themselves. 

[Hidden behind an illusion… how does it work?] 

Rather than the stairs, he takes more of an interest in the mechanism behind the switch. 

But… he glances at the stairs and decides to walk down to see what's there. 

And as he descends down, he arrives at a well-lit hall, the illusion covers the stairs, and a mechanism later closes the gap. 

[....This may be a problematic situation….] He thinks as he shrugs it off. 

He camouflages himself and walks around. There are some blood stains on the walls and some dead creatures along the way. As he walks in the halls, he hears footsteps and…. 

[Humans? Is that armour? Hmm…they seem to be about 15-17 age-wise…. A little too young to be guards….]

“Are you sure the was an activation?” 

“I am certain of it… regardless, is it a monster…?” 

“....It could possibly be a survivor, however… we would’ve met them by now….” 

“Uh… I… I’m not that confident if it's a huge one…..” 

“How would they possibly fit through?” 

“....You’re right.” 

They kept talking and… came to a halt. 

“Who’s there!” 

One of them shouts. 

[....They’re aware? How…? I do know this energy leaks, so I ensured it would be as minimal as possible…. Also… I understand their language? Do they understand mine? Well… let’s find out.]  

Alum removes the illusion and puts both of his hands up. 

“I apologise. I did not mean to frighten you,” he says softly and calmly. 

Taken by surprise, the two people in armour points their weapon at him. Well… obviously, he’s suspicious. 

“Who are you! Name yourself!” 

“....Alum Miller,” Alum replies. 

And as Alum states his name, the two glance at each other. 

“Which cult do you belong to?” the other asks. 

[....Cult?]

“Cult?” Alum asks. 

‘He isn’t one?’ 

‘...We can never be too sure. Well, judging by his clothing, he isn’t one. Heck, he doesn’t look like he is from the empire.’ 

‘....Right, maybe he came across this place by accident?’ 

‘That’s very likely.’ 

They then lower their weapons a little and stares at him. 

“State your reason for being here,” they ask. 

Alum looks at them and ponders before answering. He could kill them and get out of there, but… if he killed people without a proper reason, he’d feel guilty. 

“Well, this town was in ruins, and my companions and I needed some clothing and some other things. However… monsters are everywhere, and as I looked around, I accidentally found myself here.” 

As Alum finishes, a spear is pointing toward him. 

“You!” 

“Wait! Calm down, Mina!” 

And before they react, Alum binds both of them and surrounds them with needles. 

Striking fear into the two, he stares coldly at them. And before he is about to finish them off, the girl cries, and the man has a depressing defeated look. Of course, neither wanted to die, and they were a little younger than him from the looks of it….

[.......]

“....I have no intention of harming you unless you try to harm me,” Alum says. 

He then coldly glances at the girl called Mina, who just recently pointed a spear at him. The guy beside her would rapidly nod his head. 

And as alum releases them, they take some distance from him. 

“....Mina, you almost got us killed…..” the man says. 

“...Sorry… I acted rashly….” she apologises to the man. 

“...Well, I’ve introduced myself, and your names are?” Alum coldly asks. 

The two stare at each other before awkwardly replying. 

“...I’m Igos Eminesin, and this is my sister Mina….” 

As Igos introduces them, Mina hides behind him. 

[A pair of siblings…] 

“Are you guards of some sort?” Alum asks.

Igos nods. 

“...We’re trainees… and our mission during the outbreak was to guard the tunnels with other trainees…..” he replies as he averts his eyes from Alum’s cold gaze. 

“Are there rescue on the way?” Alum asks. 

“....We don’t know. All our communication devices were destroyed right before the outbreak occurred.” 

“I see. When was that?” 

“....A little more than a week ago.” 

“How long is a week?” Alum asks. 

Igos was taken aback by his question and answered with a little confused expression. 

“.....How long is a week? Uh… it's 7 days, sir….” 

[.....So it’s the same. It’s been a few days since our arrival, and the outbreak occurred a few days before our arrival. Now that I think about it… there weren’t any monsters when we first arrived, but when I was traversing through the plains now… it was filled with them…. Did our arrival push the monsters away from where we were by chance?] 

“....What caused the outbreak, do you know?” 

And as Alum asks, both of their eyes turn cold and lifeless. 

“It was cultists… they had somehow deactivated our barriers, destroyed all communication devices and ways for us to escape… though they were all killed, many morphed undead creatures attacked afterwards….” 

“...My condolences,” Alum softly says. 

Mina, who isn’t hiding behind her brother anymore, asks him a question. 

“....Are there any survivors on the ground?”

“Not that I could find.” 

With sad faces, they accept that their seniors died protecting the town. 

“I see. Thank you for telling us….”

“I didn’t do anything.” 

“....Would you like to come to the shelter?” Igos asks. 

“....Well, I was actually thinking of eliminating the undead.” Alum casually says. 

They both look at him in shock. 

“....By yourself?” Mina asks. 

“Yes, I am by myself, after all.” 

“....It’s dangerous, even if you’re strong….” Igos adds. 

[I don’t have a lot of choices after all…. Since leaving them may cause some trouble for us later on.]

“Want to join me then?” 

They look at him and at each other… later a grim expression shows on their faces. 

“....We don’t have enough weapons for us all to fight… but if you get a hold of some, it would be very appreciated.” 

“You don’t have any in the shelter?” 

“....All the ammunition is used up, and our magic cores are running low…..” 

[Magic cores?] 

“And you aren’t getting new ones?” 

“.....Some were sent out to get more… but none has returned.” 

“Do you know where they are then?” 

“....You would help us?” Mina asks.

“Of course, not for free, though,” Alum replies. 

“....Understood, we can guide you there. However, can you follow us to the shelter so we can get more people to help?” 

[A trap? Hmm….] 

“Sure.” 

As he replies, their eyes brighten since they are getting desperate, and this stranger may be the key to their survival. 

““Thank you,”” both said as they led the way. 

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