Basra looked Alec up and down when he arrived at Moira's greenhouse. He was a little out of breath since he ran, but that wasn't why.
"You've finally awakened to Aether," She commented.
"I'm not sure you had to emphasize 'finally' like that, but yeah."
"Good. That means we can finally get past the warmup and start training you for real."
"Huh?" Alec's expression blanked as he processed what she had just said.
"Yeah, no more taking it easy, lazybug," Moira said from her spot in Basra's lap. She usually only sat there after dinner, but they had waited for Alec to arrive, so she indulged a little before eating as well.
"Hihi!" She tried to maintain a serious expression before bursting out in a fit of giggles.
"If we make some space in here, you can also train with us, Moira." Zach smiled with a playful glint in his eyes.
"No…I shan't." Moira turned her shoulder and snobbishly rejected his offer.
"Who's the lazybug now?"
Moira hastily turned to give Zach a sharp look.
"I am no lazybug! I am…a delicate flower who needs to treasured. Taken care of. Not made to sweat and suffer. Do I make myself clear, Lazybug?" She asked sternly.
'Shit, did I make that my nickname now?'
"Perfectly, Ma'am."
"Good." Moira nodded with satisfaction and gestured at the table.
"Now, eat. You still haven't put on any muscle. Clearly, you aren't eating enough."
Alec nodded in agreement. He was hungry most of the time. He should probably be eating more. But at the same time, he was eating even more than Basra.
Sure, she was eating two breakfasts and dinners, but he was eating at least three times as much as she did during their meals together. He felt like a balloon after each meal from how much he ate.
"I try. It's just…I'm worried I'll eat all your food if I continue like this." Zach poked at the pile of jerky and diced fruit on his plate. He couldn't say they were the most delicious meals he had eaten, but mostly because of the pieces of jerky. The fruits and vegetables were exquisite beyond compare to anything he had found on Earth.
Basra waved dismissively.
"You're still growing. You don't need to be worried about that. Just eat as much as you want, and if you somehow manage to empty this greenhouse, the basement, and the storage room of foodstuffs that Moira and I have built up over the years, I'll just go into the forest and hunt some fresh game."
Alec raised an eyebrow.
"The forest behind the Academy that's forbidden to enter because of the monsters?"
"Forbidden for students. Teachers have to enter and trim the monster population every now and then."
"Are you going to hunt monsters, then?"
"I will be killing monsters along the way most likely. But I will be hunting animals." Basra's eyes narrowed as she looked at Alec, thinking about what he had just said.
"Would…you have eaten monster meat if I served that to you, Alec?"
'Aren't monsters just mutated animals?'
"Would…that have been bad?" He asked.
"Yes."
"Very," Moira chimed in.
"Oh. I must have missed that. Would either of you mind telling me why?" Alec asked in between mouthfuls.
"Although it's not a hundred percent guaranteed, eating monster meat is very likely to contribute to the monsterification progress."
Alec blanked, and his mouth stopped moving.
"Are you telling me monsters can transform into humans?" He asked before realizing that it might have been common knowledge that he was supposed to know.
"Yes. Rarely."
"Oh, I'd better lay off the monster meat, then."
"..." Basra and Moira gave Alec a stern look.
"Just kidding. But that's a shame, I guess."
"A shame?" Basra asked doubtfully.
"Yeah. I mean, there are a lot of monsters out in the world. Some have useful parts for crafting. But as far as I know, there aren't any monsters whose meat is useful for anything.
"Well, it's not like it's a complete waste. The bodies decompose and return to nature, giving nourishment to the next generation.
"But if you compare it to, say, a deer, there's so much meat that just gets left behind to rot—meat that could be used to feed countless hungry mouths."
"That's…not necessarily a bad way to think, Alec, but it is dangerous. Instead of turning those hungry mouths into sated bellies, monster meat is more likely to turn them into hungry monster mouths.
"Even if you try it and don't feel anything, monsterification isn't something that happens overnight, and it isn't something you notice happening until it's too late. So…"
"Don't even think about it, Lazybug. If you're hungry, plant a tree or a bush and live off its fruits."
Alec nodded.
"Got it." He probably shouldn't press the issue that ended up being more serious than he thought.
"Speaking of monsters, though, I haven't been able to find anything in the library about what exactly happens to the bodies of the victims during the monsterification process."
"That's no surprise. It's a complete mystery. Some animals are affected by it while others aren't. It's the same with humans. The only thing that seems to be some kind of rule is that humans are less likely to transform. But at the same time…"
"Human monsters are scary," Moira finished in a low voice that clearly hinted at a horror-filled encounter with a human monster.
Alec wanted to know more, but he could tell that this was one of the things that Moira wouldn't talk about.
Over the past week and some days, he had learned a couple of things about her. She is a teacher of botany at the Academy. In his second year, he can take her course.
She never leaves the greenhouse. She doesn't eat unless she has someone to eat with.
Those were the things he had learned about her. Everything else was a complete mystery. And it was more likely to stay like that with her than with other teachers.
"Got it."
'It seems more and more like the mystery of monsters may be behind this world's end. It's still too soon to draw any conclusions, though. System, any thoughts?'
[I can't say…]
'Got it.'
Alec, Basra, and Moira finished the meal in silence, after which it was time for Basra to help Alec burn through the calories he had just stuffed himself with.