57 Chapter Fifty-Five

(Demeter's Office)

After finishing off his little picnic basket full of food, Muichiro now wondered what else he could do for today and the next few days.

He thought about the bookstore he had visited with Anya not too long ago and definitely wanted to go again.

He had already eaten so he wasn't hungry, so maybe he could do some training.' I guess I'll go practice some of my breathing forms, but which one...' After thinking for a while Muichiro had a form he was interested in.

After leaving Demeter's Office Muichiro made his way to his room. Opening the door with his key, he made his way to one of the drawers at his desk, and took something out.

'These should do for now.' Muichiro thought with a gentle nod, before making his way to the training grounds at the back of the manor.

As he strolled through the well-maintained pathways, his usual air-headed demeanour intact, he suddenly bumped into a familiar face.

It was Betty Salatin, an 11-year-old member of the Demeter Familia.

She was a trainee farmer and food seller, and they had met when Muichiro first arrived at the manor three weeks ago, at his welcoming party.

If he remembered correctly Betty was a sweet and kind girl by nature.

"Muichiro!" Betty exclaimed with a bright smile, "It's been a while. How's everything going?"

Muichiro returned her greeting with a nod. "Everything's been… eventful," he replied, his voice monotone as ever.

Betty's cheerful demeanour soon shifted to a bit of frustration as she began to rant to Muichiro.

She explained that she had recently accepted additional training but was struggling with it. Muichiro listened attentively, even if his facial expressions didn't quite reflect it.

As they walked and talked, Muichiro and Betty suddenly came to a dead stop. Confusion washed over Muichiro's face, while Betty's expression shifted to shock.

"..."

Right there in the middle of their path lay a human corpse, facedown in the dirt.

The two stared at each other for a moment, silently contemplating what to do next.

Then, with a rather comical turn of events, Betty suggested that Muichiro should check it out.

However, Muichiro, remembering a zombie movie he had seen at some point, refused and instead grabbed a very long stick from nearby to poke the lifeless figure.

At first, nothing happened, and both of them watched the motionless body intently. Then, to their surprise, one of the fingers twitched. Betty let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least they're not dead," she said, her annoyance at Muichiro's refusal to check the body fading.

However, the peaceful moment was shattered when the supposed "corpse" suddenly gasped for air and exclaimed, "Demon!" Betty's frustration flared, while Muichiro looked at the person in confusion, trying to understand why he would say such a thing.

"Who are you calling a demon, you no-good pallum? You ran away, but you're not getting away this time!" Betty scolded the individual.

Panicking, the boy cried dramatically, "Nonono, I'm not planting another rice paddy, I'll die before I do that, it's too hard!" He then spotted Muichiro and gasped once more, moving with surprising speed as he stood up and hid behind Muichiro as if seeking protection.

"Who are you..."

"..."

"How could you forget who I am so quickly, we've already met...Twice!!"

"..."

Curious, Muichiro asked the boy for his name, and he reluctantly Re-introduced himself as Alan.

It suddenly clicked in Muichiro's memory.

They had met not too long ago in front of the dungeon, and Alan had expressed his desire to join the Demeter Familia.

It seemed that he had succeeded in his goal, although his arrival was certainly more dramatic than expected.

...

As Alan cowered behind Muichiro, Betty began to explain the predicament to Muichiro.

She was responsible for training the newbie in all things related to agriculture.

However, no matter what they tried, Alan always seemed to mess up one way or another.

The only skill he seemed to excel at was running away.

Muichiro looked at Alan, who sheepishly chuckled but couldn't meet their gazes, fully aware that everything Betty said was true.

An idea popped into Muichiro's mind, and he asked Betty if he could borrow Alan for a little while.

Betty hesitated at first, but after Muichiro promised to do all of Alan's work for the next week, she happily agreed, skipping away with a final glare at Alan.

"Thanks, man. You saved my behind," Alan said with genuine gratitude. "That demon is even scarier than those adventurers that beat me up."

Muichiro nodded and, without saying anything, threw Alan over his shoulder and carried him to the training grounds.

Alan was initially bewildered, not reacting until he suddenly felt himself airborne and landed flat on his rear end.

"Hey!!! What was that for, I'm sensitive you know, plus I bruise easily..."

Chastising Muichiro, Alan demanded to know what the big idea was. It was only after he complained did he realised the odd surroundings.

He was trapped in a makeshift cage that stretched about 50 meters wide.

Confused and a bit panicked, he questioned why he was there. Muichiro, with no trace of mercy in his tone, simply stated, "Training," before pulling a lever on the ground.

On the other side of the barricade, a cage opened, revealing a cute and colourful chicken.

"That's...a chicken," Alan began with a scoff. "What do you want me to do, cook it?"

"No, Alan, meet Ripper," Muichiro said. "Ripper, meet Alan. Your goal is to survive for an hour."

Alan couldn't hold back a laugh, thinking this was a joke. "Survive? Hey, Tokito-Kun, you must be kidding. Who names a chicken Ripper? This will be a piece of ca—"

"CU-CAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!"

Before he could finish the sentence, Ripper, sensing Alan's weakness, lunged forward and began pecking at his face, ruffling his clothes.

Alan's bravado vanished, replaced by sheer terror. He screamed in horror while cursing Muichiro and begging him to save him.

Muichiro simply turned around and said.

"You have 59 minutes left. My suggestion... run."

"B-Betty, my angel, take me back. I'll be a good boy. I won't complain anymore..."

Alan's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears as he did his best to survive the relentless chicken, which, in his mind, had emerged straight from hell to torment him.

Meanwhile, Muichiro casually proceeded to his side of the training area, completely ignoring the girly shrieks that echoed in the distance.

....

(Alan - Picture)