Why Do We Care So Much About What He Thinks

The afternoon sun had grown a bit sluggish, spilling across the desk through the window and making everything feel drowsy.

For Kuma the Mad Beast, this was undoubtedly the darkest moment of her life... or rather, her life as a demon.

It was more grueling than the three days and nights she had spent lying in ambush on the Polar Ice Plains, and more painful than facing the Holy Judgment of the Church.

Because right now, she was being subjected to a form of mental torture known as literacy.

Come on, Kuma. This word is pronounced loyalty.

Lynch held a quill, writing a slightly complex word in the Common Tongue on the paper. He tapped the table patiently. Have you memorized it yet? This is a key point that will be on the test later.

Kuma slumped over the desk. Her once-lively animal ears were now pinned flat against her head, and her entire being radiated an aura of utter despair.

Her eyes were spinning in circles as she stared at the word, which looked like gibberish to her. She felt as if her soul were departing her body.

I can't do it... my head is spinning...

Kuma groaned weakly. Brother Lynch, I think my brain structure might not be suited for processing such high-level information... How about we go chop wood instead? I'll even go grind that giant boulder on the back mountain into powder if you want...

No. Lynch was firm. For the sake of those three free attribute points, he was determined to be a strict teacher. How many words have you actually learned? Eat, sleep, obey, and now loyalty. That adds up to less than ten.

As long as you learn these ten words, you can take a ten-minute break.

Ten words?!

Kuma's eyes widened as if Lynch had just told her to go fight a dragon single-handedly.

This is abuse! This is the oppression of the beastkin nature!

She roared inwardly. As a warrior who relied on instinct and muscle to fight, being forced to memorize these twisted symbols was practically the death of her.

Ow! My stomach hurts...

Kuma suddenly clutched her stomach, writhing in her chair with some very exaggerated acting. It must be because I moved too many bags of flour this morning... I can't take it, I need to go to the bathroom! I'll be right back!

Before Lynch could even react, the clever beast-ear girl turned into a streak of red lightning and bolted out of the room.

Hey! Kuma!

Lynch called out, but the child ran faster than a rabbit. In the blink of an eye, she had vanished beyond the courtyard wall.

That kid...

Lynch shook his head helplessly and put down the quill. What a terrible student. It seems just using incentives isn't enough; I need to find another way.

He sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. Seeing that rich quest reward right within his reach, only for it to be delayed because his student skipped class, was truly a depressing feeling.

Just then, the bedroom door opened softly.

Felsy, having just woken from her nap, stepped out. She wore a soft wool shawl, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders in a lazy tumble. With her eyes still half-lidded from sleep, she looked less like her usual cold, distant self and more like a gentle, domestic beauty.

What happened?

Felsy walked over to the desk, glancing at the empty chair before looking at Lynch’s troubled face. Where is that noisy creature?

She ran off.

Lynch spread his hands and gave a bitter smile. Teaching her to read is just too hard. We hadn't been at it long before she claimed her stomach hurt and slipped away when I wasn't looking. That child... she just doesn't understand that learning more is for her own good.

Looking at Lynch’s expression—a mix of disappointment and the feeling of having his efforts wasted—Felsy paused for a moment.

She could feel that Lynch truly wanted to teach Kuma.

Though she couldn't understand a human's obsession with literacy—in her eyes, only the weak needed words to communicate, while the strong could convey their intent through mana fluctuations—there was one thing she did understand.

He was unhappy.

Because of that idiot Kuma’s escape, the man who always found ways to make her delicious food, who gave her massages before bed, and who always put her first, was now frowning and sighing.

A wave of inexplicable irritation suddenly rose in Felsy’s heart.

This irritation wasn't directed at Lynch, but at that ungrateful deserter.

I’ll go bring her back.

Felsy dropped the sentence coldly and turned toward the door.

Oh? No, it's fine. Lynch waved his hand quickly. She's just a kid; it's normal to want to play. She'll come back on her own when she's tired. There's no need to go looking for her...

I’m going for a walk.

Felsy didn't look back, though her pace quickened slightly. Incidentally.

Lynch sighed helplessly.

Wait, did she just say she was going to catch her... Can Felsy really catch Kuma? I feel like their levels of agility are in completely different leagues.

Oh well, Felsy won't wander out of the village anyway. The village is safe enough, filled with neighbors who look out for each other. This is what a peaceful life is all about.

...

On a towering tree at the edge of the village.

Kuma was lying comfortably on the highest branch, dangling her short legs and chewing on a piece of foxtail grass.

Phew... I finally escaped.

Kuma hummed a little tune as she looked at the scenery below. Trying to force this Pillar to study? In your dreams! Whoever wants to learn those agonizing symbols can go right ahead!

I’ll just hide here until dinner time. When I go back, I’ll just say I got lost. Hehe, Brother Lynch is soft-hearted; he definitely won't have the heart to scold me, and I’ll still get to eat dinner.

Just as Kuma was feeling smug about her perfect plan...

A familiar chill, one that made her very soul tremble, suddenly enveloped her without warning.

The sound of birds chirping in the vicinity vanished instantly.

Even the wind stopped blowing.

Kuma turned her head stiffly.

There, on the trunk behind her, a slender figure had appeared out of nowhere.

Felsy stood there quietly, her toes resting lightly on a thin, fragile branch as if she were standing on solid ground. Her arms were crossed, and her purple eyes looked down at Kuma, her gaze as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

Have you had enough fun?

The cold voice drifted into Kuma’s ears with the wind, making every hair on her body stand on end.

M-M-Madam Witch?!

Kuma nearly fell off the tree in fright. W-What are you doing here? Are you out to inspect your territory? This humble subordinate will clear the way for you immediately...

Go back.

Felsy cut off her nonsense, her words short and concise.

B-Back where? Kuma played dumb.

Back to your lessons.

!!

Kuma’s face instantly collapsed into a look of pure misery.

Madam, please spare me... Kuma wailed. That stuff is just too hard! I’d rather go to the Abyss and solo a Balrog, I’d rather chop wood for that human for the rest of my life! Please, just don't make me learn to read!

That is Lynch’s request.

Felsy ignored her wailing, simply stating a fact.

But that’s an unreasonable request! Kuma tried to argue her case. I’m a warrior! An assassin! I don’t need to know how to read!

Felsy remained silent for a moment.

She stared at the subordinate who actually dared to talk back to her. In the past, she would have silenced her with a single Gravity Spell without a second thought.

But now, she felt no anger.

Instead, her mind drifted back to the way Lynch had sighed so helplessly before she left the house.

"He wants to teach you."

Felsy’s voice softened, tinged with a complexity she hadn't even noticed herself. "He hopes to be able to teach you. It is his... wish."

"Huh?"

Kuma was stunned.

Just because of that?

Just because that human wanted to teach, the supreme Witch herself had personally come out to hunt her down and force her general to study those wretched human characters?

"My Lady... why?" Kuma couldn't help but ask, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. "Why do you care so much about what that human thinks? It makes no sense! Aren't we just using him?"

Why?

Felsy was at a loss for words.

Indeed, why?

According to her original plan, she only needed to maintain the facade of a marriage and use his home as a sanctuary to recover from her injuries. Whether he was happy or not shouldn't have mattered to her in the slightest.

But...

The mere thought of dragging Kuma back and forcing her to sit at that table—and seeing the warm, slightly goofy smile that would return to Lynch's face when he saw it...

It made Felsy’s heart skip a beat for no reason at all.

The sensation was like drinking a cup of hot milk laced with honey—warm, comforting, and sweet.

Could it be...

Had that ordinary human, who could do little more than cook and give massages, become something more than just a landlord or a cover to her?

Did she actually... want to go out of her way to fulfill his wish?

Did she want to make him happy?

A sudden flush of crimson bloomed across Felsy’s usually pale, cold cheeks. Flustered, she averted her eyes from Kuma’s searching gaze and turned her back to her subordinate, attempting to mask her embarrassment with a stern tone.

"Stop asking so many questions."

"I am your superior, and my orders are absolute."

"Besides... if you can't even learn a few human characters, it will be a disgrace to the Scorched Earth Guard."

Despite her dignified excuse, Kuma could clearly see the tips of the Witch’s ears peeking through her silver hair. They were so red they looked ready to bleed.

"Come back with me."

Felsy reached out, and an irresistible wave of telekinetic force instantly enveloped Kuma.

"If you don't take your studies seriously, I'll hang you from a tree and spin you until sunrise."

"Waaaah... I get it! I'll learn! I'll learn, okay?"

Kuma flailed her limbs helplessly in the air, weeping tears of bitter regret.

If she had known it would come to this, she never would have tried to run!

Was this what they meant by "when a couple is of one mind, they can cut through metal"? Why was it always the single dog who ended up getting hurt!