Home/I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family/ch66

Chapter 66

"You—what are you! What is your real identity!"

As Lorenzo gasped and shouted desperately, Ber took a step closer.

"I heard from the Captain of the Sled Dog Knights—that all knights who've brushed with death share one thing in common. Do you know what that is?"

As she spoke enigmatically, staring straight at him, Lorenzo felt an inexplicable fear and stepped back.

"It's letting your guard down."

With those words, her white face smiled broadly.

"You should have been more careful."

"What...?"

"Do you really think the head of the Grizzly family would adopt a useless beast-person? Even if I'm not a bear—what if I were the legendary yeti? What would you have done then?"

Since I'm a rabbit with legendary power, it's not that different, really.

As Ber smiled impudently, Lorenzo, unable to contain his agitation, pointed at her.

"What nonsense—"

"Who knows."

Ber grabbed Lorenzo's wrist and said—

Kwoong!

"L-Lorenzo?"

Lorenzo suddenly collapsed, unconscious.

"Sometimes impossible things do happen."

For instance, me—still alive past fifteen.

The pale, breathless male students checked on Lorenzo. He was fast asleep.

"What did you do to him!"

"Just used a little force."

When she'd grabbed Lorenzo's shoulder earlier, she'd sensed it—he was far more exhausted than he appeared. Perhaps he was ill, or perhaps pretending to be tough was draining his energy.

Activating spring's power, she felt the fatigue within Lorenzo rapidly diminish. He'd probably wake up feeling great.

"S-since when have you been spouting such strange nonsense!"

"...What, do you want a piece of me too?"

Class had long since ended. She needed to wrap this up quickly. Smirking as she devised a plan, Ber spoke:

"Fine. I'll show you—my true form."

Her body began to emit a glow. Her human form warped and blurred, trying to take shape—no, it kept shifting without settling.

Humanization and animalization actually took only seconds. But before their eyes, the beast-person refused to take a clear form.

After more than ten seconds, the light flared intensely—

"Aaaah!"

One student screamed and fled. As if on cue, the others ran off with howls.

"...Hoo."

Only after silence fell did Ber sigh and stop the animalization glow.

Having delayed humanization and undergone Pallas's endless instinct-suppression training for two years, Ber had acquired a curious ability: she could stretch the transition between human and animal forms up to five minutes. In other words, she could keep glowing and shifting without a fixed form for a long time.

It's a bit grotesque to call this an ability.

Still, it wasn't something just anyone could do—and it had successfully chased the students away.

Anyway...

Classes were missed, and now this.

Ber looked at Lorenzo collapsed on the floor and Einja leaning against the wall, unconscious.

"What now."

Well, she'd heal Einja first and take her to the infirmary.

Lorenzo—

Who cares.

Noticing Einja's gaunt face, Ber lightly kicked Lorenzo's body.

---

She'd saved Einja, gotten rid of the annoying brats, and kept her identity hidden—she thought everything had turned out well.

"Releasing threatening pheromones within the school is unacceptable. So I intended to discipline only Porco..."

Called to the faculty office, Ber faced the General Studies first-year supervisor and Lorenzo Porco.

"Oakley was found unconscious, and you were the only one unharmed—so I need your account. Porco was also found collapsed in the corridor."

Lorenzo still held his chin high, smug and defiant. The supervisor, on the other hand, looked unwell—clearly exhausted, without needing to say a word.

His expression screamed let's get this over with. If she didn't explain properly, she could face discipline along with Lorenzo.

Taking a deep breath, Ber answered calmly:

"First, I apologize for causing trouble when you're busy. But I feel somewhat unfairly treated. Porco threatened Oakley with predator scent to find out my identity. As a result, Oakley fainted on the spot."

As the supervisor nodded silently, Lorenzo's expression twisted.

"Trying to uncover someone's undisclosed identity is taboo in beast-person society. Oakley and I are the victims. I did touch Porco to calm him down—but it was a minor scuffle, not an assault."

"What nonsense—does a minor scuffle make someone collapse?"

"Enough. I need to hear her statement—you stay quiet."

When Lorenzo interrupted angrily, the supervisor restrained him and pressed his temple.

"Well, Porco does have a point. I need a more detailed explanation."

"Porco reached for me. Thinking he was about to strike, I grabbed his wrist to block him—and he suddenly collapsed. I don't know why. He was sweating profusely—perhaps his condition was poor."

"That doesn't explain sudden collapse!"

Lorenzo shrieked, and the supervisor sighed, irritably covering his ears.

"This is a tricky situation. What to do..."

The supervisor muttered with a drained voice, clearly desperate to be rid of this annoyance.

In truth, the Imperial Academy's default was shared responsibility in student disputes. It was rare to discipline only one side without solid evidence. She knew that, but—

The standards seem stricter than I thought.

The piled documents on the desk. The dark circles under the supervisor's eyes. If this dragged on any longer, he'd likely discipline both sides just to be done with it.

Why should I be punished for something I didn't do?

Unacceptable. So Ber made a decision.

She'd use a cheat code.

"I admit my actions may have been somewhat rough. But, Professor—what I did was self-defense. I wanted to protect myself, my family, and the honor of the Imperial Academy's General Studies department."

"What do you mean?"

"Lorenzo Porco insulted General Studies. He said herbivore students who faint from predator scent have no business being here."

As Ber spoke, Lorenzo stared at her dismissively, wondering why she'd bring that up now. But Ber saw it—the change in the professor's expression at the words "General Studies."

"Hmm. I see."

The professor murmured, stroking his chin, then turned to Lorenzo.

"That's shocking and deeply unpleasant, Porco."

His voice held no warmth. Lorenzo, bewildered, tried to protest—but it was useless.

The General Studies first-year supervisor was an herbivore beast-person. As a student, he'd been severely looked down upon by predators—and had gritted his teeth, worked hard, and become an Academy professor, achieving his sweet revenge.

...This story was well-known among General Studies herbivores.

A prideful predator would never care about such rumors.

When you want to move someone as you wish, target what they love, their weakness, or their pride.

Heinz's lessons on surviving noble society had paid off.

"Lorenzo Porco. I impose a penalty of 10 demerit points and one month of latrine duty."

And so Ber won a complete victory against Lorenzo.

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