I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 66

“What are you? What on earth are you? Tell me your identity!”
As Lorenzo gasped for breath and shouted in desperation, Ber stepped closer.
“The Sled Dog Knight Commander told me something. He said that all knights standing near death share one common trait. Do you know what it is?”
Lorenzo felt an inexplicable terror emanating from Ber as she stared at him with that riddling speech, and he backed away.
“Carelessness.”
With that brief word, her pale face broke into a wide smile.
“You should have been more cautious.”
“What…?”
“Would the head of the Grizzly Family really adopt a Beast-Human that wouldn’t even be useful? Even if I wasn’t a bear, what if I were some legendary predator like the Yeti from the legends?”
Well, I’m a rabbit with legendary abilities, so it’s not entirely different, all things considered.
Ber smiled with shameless audacity, and Lorenzo couldn’t contain his agitation, pointing an accusatory finger at her.
“That’s absolute nonsense—”
“Is it?”
Ber seized Lorenzo’s wrist and uttered a single word.
Thud!
“L-Lorenzo?”
Suddenly Lorenzo lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor.
“Sometimes impossible things do happen in this world.”
For instance, like me still being alive after fifteen.
The male students, pale and breathing raggedly, checked on Lorenzo’s condition. He had already fallen asleep.
“What exactly did you do?”
“I just used a little force.”
It was something she’d sensed the moment she grabbed Lorenzo’s shoulder just now. He was far more exhausted than she’d thought. Was something hurting him? Or was he spending considerable energy just maintaining the pretense of strength?
When she activated her Spring Power, she felt Lorenzo’s fatigue draining rapidly. If he slept it off, he’d probably wake up feeling wonderfully refreshed.
“F-force? What strange nonsense have you been spouting since before?”
“…What, do you lot want a turn at it too?”
The bell had rung long ago. She needed to wrap this up quickly. Ber smiled wickedly as she considered how to end it all at once.
“Fine then. I’ll show you something special—my true form.”
Light began pouring from Ber’s body. Her human shape warped and blurred, struggling to take on some other form. Or rather, it simply kept wavering indefinitely.
The transition between Humanization and animalization normally took mere seconds. But the Beast-Human before them whose identity remained unclear simply refused to take on any clear shape.
After several seconds passed, the light flared with far greater intensity.
“Aaaaah!”
One male student shrieked and bolted from the Corridor. As if that were a signal, the others joined in with anguished cries and fled the passage.
“…Phew.”
Only after silence settled over the Corridor did Ber exhale and withdraw the light pouring from her Humanization.
Because Humanization itself had been delayed, and because Pallas had subjected her to Instinct Suppression Training throughout two years of constant drilling, Ber had developed a peculiar ability.
She could now extend the intermediate process of Humanization or animalization for up to five minutes. In other words, she could sustain that state of wavering light without clear form for an extraordinarily long period.
‘It’s strange to even call this an ability.’
It wasn’t something anyone could do, so she’d succeeded in driving the students away regardless.
‘But still…’
Class had already run late, and now this mess.
Ber looked down at Lorenzo sprawled on the floor and Eanya leaning against the wall, unconscious, and muttered to herself.
“What should I do?”
Well, I suppose I should treat Eanya first and take her to the Infirmary.
As for Lorenzo…
‘Who cares?’
Looking at Eanya’s gaunt face, Ber nudged Lorenzo’s body with her foot.

***

So she’d saved Eanya, dealt with the troublemakers, kept her identity hidden, and thought everything had ended well.
“It’s true that releasing predatory pheromones to threaten someone within the school grounds shouldn’t happen. So I was only going to issue a reprimand to Porco, but…”
When Ber was summoned to the Professor’s Office, the General Department 1st Year Overseer Professor and Lorenzo Porco fixed her with their gaze.
“Ocli was unconscious, you say, and you were the only one fine—so we need your account. Porco was also found collapsed in the Corridor, after all.”
Lorenzo still held his chin high, his expression brimming with satisfaction and pride. The Overseer Professor, meanwhile, looked terrible—worn down by exhaustion so clearly that no effort was needed to see it.
Plainly the look of someone desperate to finish business and leave. If she failed to give a proper explanation, she might face punishment alongside Lorenzo.
Ber took a deep breath and answered with a cool expression.
“First, I’d like to apologize for causing trouble during your busy time. However, I feel I’ve been wronged. Porco attempted to coerce Eanya by using predatory scent to Reveal Identity without consent. As a result, Eanya fainted on the spot.”
As the Professor nodded silently, Lorenzo’s expression twisted immediately.
“Attempting to Reveal Identity of someone who hasn’t disclosed it is taboo in Beast-Human society. Eanya and I are the victims. True, I did put my hands on Porco to calm him down, but it was mere contact—I caused no actual harm.”
“That’s complete nonsense. People don’t collapse from a little contact.”
“Enough. I need to hear her account, so be quiet.”
When Lorenzo interjected with an agitated tone, the Professor quieted him and pressed his temples.
“Well, Porco does have a point. I’ll need a more detailed explanation of what happened.”
“Porco reached toward me mid-way through. I thought he meant to strike, so I grabbed his wrist to block him. Then he suddenly collapsed. I don’t know the cause. He’d been sweating profusely as though drenched by rain at some point, so I suspect Porco’s physical condition simply wasn’t good.”
“He wouldn’t just collapse out of nowhere like that!”
Lorenzo’s outburst prompted the Professor to plug his ears irritably and sigh.
“Truly an ambiguous situation. What am I to do…”
The Professor muttered in a hollow voice, his expression screaming that this situation was driving him mad with annoyance.
In fact, the Royal Academy’s default policy for student conflicts was shared responsibility. It was rare to punish only one party without substantial evidence. She’d known that much.
‘The standards are apparently stricter than I imagined.’
The Desk piled high with documents. The Professor’s blackened eye bags. If the situation dragged on even slightly, he’d obviously dish out punishment to both sides just to be done with it.
‘I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be punished?’
It made no sense. So Ber made a decision.
She would use a Cheat Key.
“I’ll acknowledge that my actions may have been somewhat forceful, Professor. But what I did was Self-Defense. I wanted to protect myself, my Family, and the honor of the Royal Academy’s General Department.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Lorenzo Porco made statements insulting the General Department. He said that Herbivorous Beast-Humans who faint from merely a predator’s scent have no business attending the Royal Academy.”
As Ber spoke, Lorenzo watched dismissively, as if wondering why she’d bring up such things now. But Ber had seen it—the exact moment the Professor’s expression shifted when the words “General Department” left her lips.
“Hmm. I see.”
The Professor stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned to face Lorenzo.
“That’s shocking and deeply offensive, Porco.”
There wasn’t a trace of warmth in his voice. Lorenzo’s eyes widened in bewilderment, and he tried to protest. But it was useless.
The General Department 1st Year Overseer Professor was a Herbivorous Beast-Human, and in his school days he’d endured severe ridicule from predators. Gritting his teeth, he’d worked his way to his position as a Royal Academy Professor and succeeded in exacting his revenge with pride.
…This anecdote was quite famous among the Herbivorous Beast-Humans of the General Department.
‘A prideful carnivore like him would never pay attention to such rumors.’
When you want to control someone, you touch what they love, their weakness, their pride.
She’d paid close attention to Heinz’s lessons on surviving aristocratic society.
“Lorenzo Porco. I’m assigning you ten demerit points as punishment and ordering you to clean the toilets for one month.”
Thus Ber achieved complete victory over Lorenzo.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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