We Need a Volunteer

"Ethan, there are actually plenty of benefits to becoming a werewolf."

Ivy seemed to have completely forgotten that she was facing an expert who had carefully studied werewolf ecology. "Great strength, lightning-fast speed, and unparalleled regenerative abilities. Those followers of the Goddess of the Hunt have to imitate wolves' lives for years and eat human flesh to become werewolves, but all you need to do is put on this collar!"

Her eyes sparkled like those salespeople in television commercials promising, "Don't pay 19,998—take it home today for only 998!"

"But you become stupid," Ethan immediately exposed Ivy's sales pitch.

He had always considered himself an intelligence-based hero. To a mage, strength and agility were secondary attributes.

Ivy picked up the collar and displayed the "product" to Ethan. "Don't you think this collar is exquisitely made? It's much prettier than many expensive pieces of jewelry."

"Once you become a werewolf, you can't turn back."

Ethan remained unmoved. "The old Demon Hunter August wrote in Understanding 100 Dark Creatures that he had never encountered anyone who turned from a werewolf back into a human."

"That's fine. I can raise you."

How could that possibly be fine?!

Ethan saw through Ivy's little scheme at once. This follower of the Enlightenment Society merely wanted to study the Cursed Object and the changes it brought.

He glared at the Golden Hair atop Ivy's head, conveying with his eyes, Can't you keep your girl under control? Golden Hair could not stand it either. It gathered all its strength and rammed Ivy's head, but to little effect. It was nowhere near enough to interrupt Ivy's chanting.

She went on and on about the benefits. "You'll move into a big house, much bigger than this one! You'll be served the finest beef at every meal, and I can even hire a professional chef just for you. If you'd like, you can also have a groomer to tend to your fur. I'll hire specialists to regularly care for your teeth and claws too."

"I refuse."

Ethan's stance was firm, but then he changed the subject. "However, I have a plan. We can recruit a volunteer."

This was a problem he would have to face sooner or later. Before the shelter staff arrived in town, properly storing the Cursed Object would become a difficult issue.

Just as the book stated, once something went wrong during storage, the resulting casualties would be catastrophic.

Based on the characteristics Ivy had summarized, the most appropriate method in theory seemed to be arranging several groups in the guild to take turns guarding the collar. In practice, however, it was not so simple. Besides the shelter, this world also had a black market. The Empire's Nobles always liked collecting unusual objects to display their distinctive tastes.

As long as they could sell this suspected Third-tier Cursed Object, they would never have to live on the edge of a blade again for the rest of their lives.

When Ethan considered that the guards might start killing one another over ownership of the Cursed Object, he felt that the fewer people who knew of its existence, the better.

Constantly guarding against the Cursed Object's "attraction" was exhausting and thankless, so he adopted the opposite approach—if a volunteer put on the Cursed Object first, its "attraction" would no longer affect anyone else.

That left only one final question.

Who would be suitable as this volunteer?

After all, once the collar was put on, there would be no possibility of changing back.

Ivy looked up at Ethan and quietly waited for the next step of his plan.

"Miss Chloe is an excellent candidate. She is the only child in her family, and her parents died early in an accident, leaving her only a shabby little house. More importantly, even if she suddenly disappeared, no one would notice."

After all, in these chaotic times, everyone knew that a lonely girl like Miss Chloe would not live long. "Rather than dying pointlessly from hunger or illness, she might as well devote herself and contribute to the town. When the time comes, people will carve her name into the monument at the center of town. That should align with the Society's principles."

Just as Ethan expected, Ivy's furrowed brow relaxed. It was obvious that she was very pleased with the proposal.

As for any condemnation from her conscience...

That had never been something the followers of the Enlightenment Society considered.

Ethan immediately said, "I'll find a way to persuade Miss Chloe."

He brought the good news back to the guild in only half an hour. When he entered, Ivy was sitting in a corner on the first floor, holding a Parchment Book.

The moment she saw Ethan walking toward her, she asked, "Where is Miss Chloe?"

"Miss Chloe is an understanding girl. Once she learned why I had come, she quickly agreed."

"How much compensation does she need?"

Ivy answered smoothly. Clearly, this was not the first time the Society had dealt with such matters. "If we list researching the Cursed Object as the subject, I can apply to the Society for funding."

In an era where most people lived below the poverty line, the Enlightenment Society could always easily find many volunteers willing to sell themselves for a good price.

"There's no need. I already paid the compensation. Miss Chloe is waiting for us outside town."

Ivy nodded and generously praised Ethan. "I've always thought you had the potential to join the Society."

It was merely a polite remark. Ethan only smiled and walked out of the guild.

The Enlightenment Society belonged to respectable people. Most who joined came from Noble and wealthy merchant families.

People with empty stomachs had no leisure to seek the truth.

There was a small wooden cabin near the river at the southwestern edge of town. An old Hunter had once lived there, but it had stood vacant since his death. Ethan had seen it in the guild records. When he first practiced the Fireball Spell, he had borrowed the cabin. Later, after increasing his Fireball Spell proficiency enough to unlock remote casting, he rarely came here anymore.

The understanding Miss Chloe was waiting outside the dilapidated cabin.

A thick rope was tied around her neck. Hearing the pair's footsteps, she eagerly ran toward them, letting out an excited call of "Cluck Cluck Cluck."

Miss Chloe was a gentle girl. When Ethan carried her here, she had quietly rested on his forearm without struggling or pecking him.

Her compensation had been half a piece of wheat bread, which Miss Chloe had happily eaten.

"This is the Miss Chloe you were talking about?"

As she watched the cheerful little hen, Ivy's expression darkened. The Golden Hair atop her head stood on end as it too looked at Ethan suspiciously.

"I watched Miss Chloe grow up. Ever since her parents met with an accident, she had been left all alone in the chicken coop."

The cause of the accident was simple.

A year ago, a harsh winter had struck the town, at a time when food was scarce. On a snowy night, the townspeople broke into her home...

Ethan looked down at the little hen hopping over to his feet and cast the unpleasant memories from his mind. Chickens in this world were no different from those on Earth. If you raised one from childhood, it would always follow you around.

"I think this is the best solution for now. Even if the Cursed Object twists Miss Chloe's soul, it will minimize the harm to the town."

Except that it was not good for Ivy's research.

But Ethan believed people were prone to compromise. If he asked a follower of the Enlightenment Society to give up their curiosity, they would certainly refuse. But if he suggested they settle for the next best option and even found them a small animal to cooperate with their experiment, they would compromise.

Ivy remained silent for a long while before finally taking a deep breath.

She still took out her notebook and handed the collar to Ethan.

"You put it on her. I'll record everything."

Ethan admitted that when he held the collar in his hands, his heart was still full of unease.

Especially when he met Miss Chloe's innocent eyes, he was suddenly overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of guilt.

"I'll carve your name into the town's monument."

He made this promise to Miss Chloe, then personally put the collar around her neck.

The change happened almost immediately.

Her gentle clucking turned into a shrill screech. Miss Chloe's body suddenly swelled to several times its original size, and with a mere shake of her body, she knocked Ethan away. Her downy feathers grew at a visible rate.

The entire process lasted nearly a minute.

The Miss Chloe standing before him had become an enormous creature that reached his waist.

The man and the chicken stared at one another for a long moment.

Then, for the first time in his life, Ethan was pounced on by a chicken.