High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 1049: Chapter 111: The Acorns that Fell from the Tree

”Jiang Da Headmaster was truly the first to describe a mouse in a green vest as the ’Little Guy in Blue.’

However, Zheng Qing didn’t quibble over this detail, instead he felt somewhat helpless about the question the witch had asked.

What the mice love doing during their holidays is their business; how could he possibly know? Besides, for all he knew, the mice’s idea of fun might be catching bugs during their downtime!

Although he inwardly sneered at the witch’s question, he certainly couldn’t voice that out loud.

Zheng Qing furrowed his brows, pondering for a moment before seriously replying, ”Maybe they’re planning to stock up on some food for winter? There are lots of insects in spring, so whether they’re dried or pickled, they should last quite a while... Ouch!”

Before he could earn the witch’s praise for his earnest reply, he was interrupted by the little guy in blue himself.

Ding Dong Ear, who had been watching the bear-mouse battle on the side, became infuriated by Zheng Qing’s nonsensical rambling. With a flick of his tail and a leap forward, he landed a mousey punch on Zheng Qing’s knee.

It felt like being poked by a pair of chopsticks, and instantly changed Zheng Qing’s expression.

”Ouch?!” The young scholarship student gasped in pain and looking down at the little creature by his feet, he exclaimed, ”Have you lost your mind? Be careful, or I’ll dock your salary for this month!”

Ding Dong Ear looked at the warlock with utter contempt, ”The ledger is managed by Fox Five, you understand nothing about it, you... My blow was just to remind you, ’to know what you know and not know what you do not know’ is better than feigning knowledge!”

From what it was hinting at, could it be that there was indeed a reason for them catching venomous insects in the middle of the night?

Zheng Qing also became interested, no longer dwelling on the fact that Ding Dong Ear had punched his knee, and pressed on, ”What do you mean? You guys go capture venomous insects in the dead of night not just for a snack?”

Ding Dong Ear twitched his whiskers, his slender face becoming serious.

”We do eat them, but not that much,” it said, swishing its tail and explaining irritably, ”Actually, we catch venomous insects because of an order from our ancestor... a few days ago, the ancestor issued a decree, commanding us to clear the Five Venomous Insects that have infested the island, to be completed before the Dragon Boat Festival.”

Upon hearing about the Mouse Clan’s ancestor, an image of a chubby, wrinkly mouse sitting in a little palanquin immediately popped up in Zheng Qing’s head. That Rat Immortal had once visited his shop when D&K first opened.

Standing to one side, Jiang Yu seemed lost in thought, murmuring softly, ”After the ’Dark Tide,’ the Five Venomous Insects breed,’ Professor Li mentioned this to us during the last Magic Potion class.”

”Perhaps helping to clear those venomous insects is the reason these mice are allowed to stay at the school,” Zheng Qing shared his own speculation, which he felt was quite logical. There were many venomous insects, tiny and with high magic resistance, a troublesome lot for wizards to clear, leaving it to the equally petite Mouse Clan was just perfect.

Ding Dong Ear clearly disagreed with the male and female wizards.

”We have a cooperative relationship with wizards! It’s mutually beneficial, understand?” the little mouse retorted loudly, his voice sharp.

Zheng Qing nodded repeatedly, indicating that it was right.

Jiang Yu watched Zheng Qing patronizing the little creature and smiled subtly.

Of course, as a lady, she couldn’t let others see her snickering. So when Zheng Qing looked up at her, she had already regained her usual cool demeanor.

”So, how do we start investigating that Faceless Monster?” Zheng Qing steered the conversation back on track.

Jiang Yu bit her lip, glancing at him with some hesitation.

Zheng Qing made an exaggerated expression on his face, ”No way, are you planning to investigate alone?... I mean, I do have a hunting team here. We need to be prepared for some real combat practice!”

The witch couldn’t help it and burst into laughter.

”There’s no time like the present; let’s start today,” she didn’t refuse Zheng Qing’s offer and shared her plan, ”I’m busy with classes during the week, and time is tight; practice classes on Friday afternoon might result in injuries, making it inconvenient... So, how about Saturday night, we can search quietly until one or two in the morning. It won’t affect our rest the next day.”

Zheng Qing thought it over and nodded in agreement, accepting the witch’s arrangement.

Then he pulled out the Colt Silver Python from the grey cloth bag, spun it around in his hand a few times, pointed it upwards, and pulled the trigger, firing a shot into the air.

”Pop!”

A faintly visible, semi-transparent glow shot out from the barrel, whizzed past the branches of an old willow tree, barely missing the tail of a squirrel peering down curiously from above, and ascended into the night sky.

”Boom!”

The sound of an invisible magic fluctuation exploded in the night sky, muffled as if a firecracker had gone off underwater. If she weren’t paying close attention, Jiang Yu felt that she would never have noticed the disturbance.

”What’s that?” she asked the wizard curiously.

”It’s the new signaling method of the Absolution Hunting Team!” The Colt Silver Python twirled in Zheng Qing’s fingers as the proud state-funded student boasted, ”The Doctor just figured it out... we were planning to practice it soon... hiss!”

While he was showing off, an acorn unexpectedly fell from above, hitting him on the head.

Zheng Qing looked up angrily, ”Who has no sense of public decency?!”

Compared to him, the grey squirrel hopping angrily up on the tree seemed even more irritated. It chattered sharply, leaping and bounding on the thin branch, its bushy tail spinning like a wind fire wheel.

Zheng Qing blinked.

He easily spotted the grey squirrel’s bushy tail, which, for some reason, had a large scorched bald patch, making it look quite ugly.

”Ahem,” the wizard coughed twice, sheepishly putting away the charm gun, his face carrying a tinge of embarrassment, ”Um, such a lively little squirrel... such a good acorn, it’s a pity to lose it.”

Saying so, he bent down, picked up the acorn, and even went so far as to dust it off, cleaning the dirt from its surface.

Then he raised his hand, motioning for the grey squirrel to come get it.

While the grey squirrel hesitated about whether to retrieve its food, Zheng Qing felt something tugging at his trouser leg.

He looked down—bending one’s neck while holding up an arm was quite a strain—and saw Ding Dong Ear pulling on his trouser leg, tugging hard.

Realizing the wizard’s gaze, the mouse in blue robes rubbed its little paws together.

Zheng Qing paused for a few seconds before realizing that the mouse was asking for an ’information fee,’ a condition confirmed back when Fox Five sent him the Flying Paper Crane.

”Not now,” the young state-funded student shook his head earnestly, refusing the mouse’s request, ”We haven’t even seen the monster you mentioned. Paying just based on a few words of yours, even the Fraud Division wouldn’t dare do that... At the very least, you have to take us to see that monster.”