“This ecosystem... it is unlike anything I know. Strange does not even begin to describe it.” This thought fills most of Marianne’s head as she traverses the strange woods alongside Alpheuse. When she first arrived, she wasn’t in the mental state to properly process that fact, despite being vaguely aware of it. She first witnessed some of the wildlife before meeting Alpheuse, who himself is yet another example of that. The animals she has seen so far have resembled those she was familiar with from her own world.

Rodents who look like squirrels and rats.

Amphibious creatures resembling frogs.

She could associate some of those creatures with the wildlife with which she was vaguely familiar. Yet they possessed attributes that she had never seen in the wildlife from her world and any creature, period.

She saw squirrels near a lake and thought they had something resembling fins on their bodies. That suspicion was confirmed when she saw them swimming in the water as though it was their natural habitat. Come to think of it, she may have seen this species when she first arrived in this world.

However, it wasn’t nearly as strange as the other creature she had noticed. The creature seemed to be a frog, but it was half her own size. It moved around by jumping around very fast, but upon further inspection, she realized that it had never actually hit the ground and had kept floating up and down.

“Was... it actually levitating?” Marianne contemplated with genuine concern.

“Wow... that little guy is... quite the jumper.” She said jokingly to hide her concern. “Is that creature friendly?” She asked, directing her question towards the goblin next to her.

“Uh, no, they don’t seem to attack other creatures. They’re safe, I think.” For an actual resident of this world, he didn’t seem to know much about the wildlife here.

“Alright, but I think it would be best not to approach them. Their size is intimidating, so I would rather avoid a direct encounter." Marianne said, and Alpheus did not protest the idea.

It took her a while to notice all of this, and upon realizing it, her expression turned quite grim. It is one thing to be thrust into a completely unfamiliar environment where you don’t know what dangers lurk here and what resources you can use for survival. This is a small issue. Trivial, even, as she is used to the process of familiarizing herself with a completely foreign environment. And while this certainly is a “special” case, she is confident in her abilities. However, it does not help that the two of them are in danger of being pursued by actual humans with tools at their disposal to dispatch both of them easily.

She must also teach the much less experienced Alpheus about all the techniques at her disposal. That is why she is teaching him, as they wander the area, whatever she currently can.

“Avoid clear roads, since humans are more likely to travel on them.” She instructs him as he listens intently. He does not respond with words, but feverishly nods his head to convey that he is listening.

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“On that note, also look out for footprints.”

“Foot...prints?” He asks uncertainly. He is unfamiliar with the concept. Marianne has a tough time determining his level of knowledge, but it is safe to assume that he never learned how to survive in the wild.

“Just what is his background? Humans are actively hunting him, yet he has never lived in the wild until recently.

His proper understanding of human knowledge.

His worn-out yet well-made clothes.

It is an enigma to her. Not to mention, why does he travel all alone? She has yet to see another goblin like him. Does this mean that they are solitary creatures? She will have to interrogate him on that matter once they find a proper resting spot.

For now, she continues.

“Yes, footprints.” She demonstrates this by placing her foot on the ground and lifting it. “Notice the peculiar shape that was left by my foot? That is a footprint. Anything that walks on the ground leaves those behind, and the shape of it is different for each species. This way, we can determine whether humans or other kinds of animals walked across those paths."

“I see! I will keep this in mind!” he nods vigorously after intently studying the footprint she left behind.

Marianne is glad to see him listen to her instructions so eagerly. It shows that he is learning. Knowledge and keenness to gain knowledge are two completely distinct characteristics. A person willing to acquire new knowledge will have a far higher chance of survival when thrown into a completely unfamiliar environment. Adaptability is the most essential trait a person could ever possess.

“Make sure to pay attention to those. We need to avoid paths that other people take.” He continued to listen intently, but...

“Additionally, it helps you track down animals for hunting.”

Upon saying this, she noticed Alpheus tensing up. He looked very uncomfortable yet tried to look normal. It seems like he is unaware of how badly he is hiding this. That reminded her of the first time they met.

The way he clumsily held his knife to ambush her.

The way he hesitated while his body shivered.

And the moment he gave up, the look of resignation plastered all over his face.

The two traveled for a while but luckily found a suitable resting place. It was a small cave, ideal for hiding since the trees densely surrounded it. It was also near a river, so they wouldn’t have to worry about finding a clean water source for now.

It was still long before the arrival of dusk, and it hadn’t rained yet. That meant that they would have to act quickly.

“Alpheus, may I take your knife?” The question caught him off guard. The knife that rested inside the pocket of his pants stuck out like a sore thumb, and yet it seemed like he forgot that he even had this thing on him. He’s quite the clumsy one, isn’t he?

He took it out and held it before his face, looking back and forth between the knife and Marianne.

“W-Why do you need it?”

“Don’t worry; I won’t use it to attack you,” she said gently. Obviously, he would feel uneasy about letting go of his only means of self-defense to a woman, who at this point may very well still be a stranger.

“I need to gather food for us both.” She responded.

“But... do you need the knife for that? There are plenty of plants here that we can gather. We don’t really need to use it!” He says in a panicky voice.

“Alpheus, in the long run, plants alone will not suffice and-“

“N-no! I can...manage without...” With each word, his voice grew weaker and weaker, and yet, at the same time, the desperation grew as well.

He must really be against the idea for him to have such a strong reaction. She wonders why he seems so opposed to it. She didn’t have the time to continue arguing because he fell to the ground while she contemplated how to calm him down.

“Alpheus!?” Marianne couldn’t suppress the panic in her voice and immediately rushed down to check on him. Thankfully, he was still breathing. It seems like the exhaustion and lack of food caught up to him.

She quickly carried his unconscious body inside the cave and laid him down on the floor on his back, after which she gently placed her jacket over his body.

“I’m sorry, but now is not the time for me to be polite,” she said in a grave tone as she pried away the knife from the hand that was still clutching it strongly.