Kate headed to the underground temple, and several days passed.
Until she returned, my daily life remained unchanged, but one thing had shifted in the meantime.
Rina had urgently returned to the imperial palace.
According to Mari, who attends the same classes as me, an unexpected incident occurred at the underground temple.
Coincidentally, the news reached me not long after Kate left, which made me a little concerned.
Her strength is undeniably formidable. As a High Inquisitor, she has dealt with countless heretics and demon worshippers.
With a title like “Azure Flame,” there’s no need to worry about her combat prowess.
“Dad, what kind of animal is this?”
“It’s a penguin. Usually, they live in cold regions, but occasionally, some live in volcanic areas. Most are gentle, but those in volcanic regions can be aggressive.”
“What about this one?”“This is a hammer rhino. Its face is shaped like a hammer, and it can easily smash trees. It inhabits forests and jungles.”
So for now, all I need to do is teach Ariel.
There’s no reason to go outside, and I can’t just leave her unattended.
Moreover, since the midterms just ended, Mari has some free time.
Since her room is next door, she comes to my dorm every day.
“Ariel, look at this. Doesn’t it resemble your dad?”
While lying on the bed and teaching Ariel, Mari pointed to an animal and asked.
It was a photo, not a drawing, so the animal’s appearance was clear.
The animal was none other than a penguin, the largest but cutest type in this world.
It closely resembled the emperor penguins from my previous life.
Still, am I really still being compared to a penguin?
“This one? The penguin with round eyes?”
“Yes, acting all dignified but unable to hide its cuteness—it’s just like your dad, right?”
“What are you teaching Ariel? And I’m not pretending to be dignified!”
Honestly, I was dumbfounded.
Maybe in the past, but there’s no trace of the “cuteness” Mari mentioned now.
Thanks to physical growth and divine power training since this year, my body has become much sturdier.
My shoulders are broader, and my height has grown to 185 cm.
With a father over 190 cm and an older brother, Dave, at 187 cm, I’ll likely stop growing around this height or a little taller.
With genetics like this, it’s clear how imposing Clark must have been.
According to my father, Clark’s physique surpassed even human limits.
Anyway, leaving genetics aside, I flipped the page while watching Mari chuckle over calling me a penguin.
Among the animals that live in cold regions like penguins, there’s one that resembles Mari.
“Here, here’s Mari’s mom. Snow-white fur and an adorable face. What do you think?”
“A bear? A white bear?”
It’s a polar bear, also nicknamed “cola bear” in my previous life.
Its appearance is identical to polar bears from Earth.
Its ferocity is the same, too.
Occasionally, there are house-sized polar bears classified as monsters.
“What? Are you saying I’m this big? My fur might be white, but I’m no bear.”
When I compared her to a polar bear, Mari let out a helpless laugh and protested.
I shrugged and answered playfully.
“Bears may look innocent and clumsy on the outside, but they’re the opposite—ferocious, quick, and unstoppable. It suits you perfectly.”
“So, does that include the fat? Are you saying I have the same fat as a bear?”
“That fat has gone to a good place. Besides, the polar bear’s main diet is penguins.”
“… …”
Mari’s face turned slightly red as she caught the meaning behind my words.
Ariel, sitting between us, looked confused and muttered, “Huh?”
Meanwhile, I patted Mari’s head at her adorable reaction and flipped to the next page.
Mari nudged my calf with her leg, as if to say, “What are you talking about in front of a child?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Usually easygoing and lovely, she completely changes at night, making the bear comparison spot-on.
“All right, next… it’s a unicorn?”
The next creature was a unicorn, the legendary horned horse.
However, unlike in my past life, they’re surprisingly common here.
After carefully masking their presence and scent, you can often see them deep in the forest.
However, their temperament is notoriously bad, and they even shoot lasers from their horns, leading to many casualties.
On the other hand, as in legends, they’re somewhat docile around virgins and remain unbothered unless provoked.
“Unicorns also serve as forest guardians. When they sense the forest becoming polluted, they move to purify it.”
“How does the forest get polluted?”
“Unicorn forests are home to rare herbs and animals, so poachers, meaning bad people, often visit.”
Unicorn-inhabited forests are untouched by humans, located in remote areas.
Unless someone is an explorer who enjoys adventure, there are many places in this world still untouched by humanity.
Even in the vast Minerva Empire, there are areas beyond control.
“Wouldn’t this lead to conflict with the beastfolk?”
The human population has already reached its limit.
Without an industrial revolution, it won’t grow further.
On the other hand, beastfolk are in a period of explosive population growth and require more food than humans.
This is likely to lead to conflicts.
While thinking about the future, I turned to the next page.
For now, Ariel’s education was more important.
“What are you looking at?”
While the three of us were happily studying animals from the encyclopedia, my father called out to us in a low voice from behind.
We all turned to look at him simultaneously.
He stood confidently, having just finished his training.
Behind him, Adelia, sweating profusely, was heading into the shower, signaling the end of their training session.
“I’m teaching Ariel about animals.”
“Animals?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, animals…”
As if reminiscing about the past, my father scratched his chin and muttered.
An amusing thought came to mind.
Though he served in the borderlands, a place teeming with wild animals and monsters, I wondered if he’d seen anything comparable to those in the encyclopedia. Ɍä₦ÖᛒĘṡ
“Father, do you remember any animals or monsters you’ve encountered?”
“Hmm? Me?”
“Yes.”
“I once caught a giant lizard.”
“… …”
Oh, right. This is the man who once defeated a dragon.
Father rarely mentions his achievements, likely because they bring back old wounds.
The “giant lizard” he mentioned is probably a dragon, but he’s downplaying it.
For a moment, I was stunned, then quickly shook my head to snap out of it.
Let’s ignore the dragon and focus on something else.
“What about other animals?”
“It’s something different… I’ve caught so many bizarre things that I can’t really say. If I had to guess, it’s about 2 meters tall…!”
At first, I thought, “Only 2 meters?” However, when I heard the name of the animal—or rather, the creature that followed—I couldn’t help but gasp.
“A moth?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I once saw a moth with a wingspan of about 2 meters. At first, I thought it was a bird, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a moth.”
“…”
“Even though it didn’t cause any harm, it was incredibly creepy.”
Just hearing about it made my skin crawl.
What would it be like to encounter one directly? Honestly, at that size, isn’t it basically a monster?
The scale of this fantasy world truly knows no bounds.
Just imagining such a terrifying creature made me shudder involuntarily.
“Dad, what’s a moth?”
“I’ll show you later with an insect guidebook.”
Fortunately, there’s a book similar to Fabre’s insect encyclopedia, so I could use that to show her.
I sighed and glanced at Mari.
It seemed she had also imagined the 2-meter moth, as her face had turned pale.
This was the same Mari who had fainted when a bug flew in front of her the other day.
Apparently, she even once fainted upon seeing a cockroach.
‘Cecilia didn’t seem to mind, though.’
Cecilia, as well as most of the demonkind, weren’t afraid of insects or bugs.
Perhaps it’s because in Helium, where all sorts of bizarre food exists, bugs are often considered a source of sustenance.
Even cockroaches are used as food, so that says it all.
Of course, it depends on the individual.
Besides, such diets are mostly commoners’ food; aside from that, things are relatively similar.
Shaking the thought of the 2-meter moth out of my head, I returned to teaching.
This fantasy world truly is home to all sorts of extraordinary creatures—except for one.
‘Why aren’t there any giraffes?’
Not just in this animal encyclopedia, but in others I checked as well, there was no mention of giraffes.
Dragons, hammerhead rhinos, and even unicorns were present, but the long-necked giraffe was nowhere to be found.
At first, I didn’t think much of it. However, as I continued teaching Ariel, the thought naturally came to mind.
Curiosity piqued, I quietly asked Mari next to me.
“Mari, are there any animals with really long necks?”
“Animals with really long necks? What do you mean?”
“Like this…”
I drew the outline of a giraffe in my notebook.
Mari and Ariel stared intently at the picture I sketched.
When I finished, Mari looked at it with an expression as if she’d seen something truly absurd and asked,
“What is this? A mythical creature?”
“You’ve never seen one?”
“Not at all. Why would such a bizarre-looking animal exist? Isn’t it a monster?”
Unbelievable.
To think a giraffe would be considered a monster.
Sure, giraffes can be surprisingly dangerous, but they’re not monster material.
What was even more shocking was that they considered it a mythical creature just because of its long neck.
In a world where the existence of dragons and unicorns is common knowledge, this was even more unbelievable to me.
Not to mention there are birds that breathe fire, lightning, and ice, Cyclopes with a single eye, and even sky whales that fly through the heavens.
Yet, no giraffes.
It made no sense.
Just in case, I asked my father, who had just come out of the bath.
“Is this another monster?” he asked.
“…No.”
“Why does it look so strange? It’s not like it uses its neck as a whip. If it’s so defenseless, it should’ve gone extinct long ago.”
“Well, actually, it does use its neck like a whip. It’s strong enough to send a lion flying with a single hit. Its kick is even more powerful than a horse’s.”
Even though I’ve lived in this world for 18 years since my reincarnation, there are moments like this that make me vividly realize I’m a reincarnate.
‘Unless… it really is extinct…’
Knock, knock, knock.
Just as I was about to start writing after finishing Ariel’s lesson, someone knocked on the door.
Turning toward the door, I heard a familiar voice from the other side.
“Ah, Isaac? It’s Kate. I’ve returned with the VIP I mentioned earlier.”
It was Kate, who had left for the underground temple a few days ago. It seemed she had brought the “VIP” Luminous had requested.
I hurried to the door, curious.
Click.
“Thank you for your hard work—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
It wasn’t Kate’s haggard appearance that caught my attention, but rather what was next to her.
Instead of a VIP, there was a massive wooden box.
Did she carry that all the way here by herself? Where exactly was the VIP?
As questions swirled in my mind, a deep voice emerged from within the box.
[Are we there yet? I hear a voice.]
The voice belonged to a robust middle-aged man, but oddly, it didn’t sound like it came from a mouth.
It was more like a recording being played back.
I blinked in confusion and turned to Kate. Upon meeting my gaze, she flinched and looked away.
Why? What’s going on? Why won’t she meet my eyes?
Before I could figure out what was happening, the voice spoke again.
[Can I come out now? I’d rather not break out unless I have to.]
“Is the VIP in there?”
“…..”
Kate silently nodded in response, still avoiding eye contact.
Something was definitely off. Why transport the VIP in a wooden box?
“I’ll carry this in for you.”
“No! I’ll…”
Kate was visibly startled when I offered to carry it. Her expression looked almost guilty, and her demeanor was completely different from usual.
It was clear that something significant had happened in the underground temple.
“No, it’s fine. Or better yet, why not just come out? There’s no need to stay hidden if we’re already here.”
[Oh! That makes sense.]
Crash!
As soon as I finished speaking, the center of the box broke open, and something emerged.
Seeing what came out, I was at a loss for words.
A pale, skeletal arm, wearing a bracer but devoid of any flesh.
What the hell?
Creaaak.
While I stood there, dumbfounded, the wooden box creaked open, like the lid of a coffin being lifted. Inside was…
[Phew. I thought I’d suffocate. Wait, I’m already dead.]
“…..”
A skeleton. A talking skeleton.
It was taller than me, entirely made of bones, and clad in battered, worn-out armor.
What the hell is this?
[Oh? Are you Isaac?]
“…Yes?”
[Judging by your reaction, it seems so. I’m your grandfather.]
“… …”
Who the hell are you? And why are you patting my shoulder like we’re close?
“What’s all this commotion—”
My father, hearing the noise, came to check on us, only to freeze at the sight.
The skeleton turned to face him and exclaimed joyfully.
[Ah, you rascal! Look at you, all grown up! You’re the spitting image of me!]
You’re a skeleton. What exactly did he inherit from you?
In any normal situation, this might be mistaken for an attack by a cultist, but the absurdity of it all left my father utterly dumbfounded.
In the most bewildered voice, he asked:
“Who are you?”
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