Just before the border guards were strengthened, at the moment the sunset painted the sky. Rabbit beastmen, their identities hidden by black masks, entered the territory of the black panthers.
As they walked down a bushy path, they covertly exchanged glances. On the side of the path, bones presumed to belong to a beastman were scattered.
‘This is…’
The leader, who was leading the rabbit beastmen, furrowed his brow. It seemed that even the investigators sent twice recently from the Rabian family had not returned. Apparently, they had been hunted by black panthers here.
‘Strange.’
The leader’s gaze grew curious as he examined the bone fragments. They should not have been easy prey for just a few black panthers. Moreover, the task of checking on a single rabbit’s life or death was unusually delayed.
“Crossed the boundary on your own accord again.”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind, causing the rabbit beastmen to swiftly turn their gaze. There, Ahin and Everine were present with several black panthers.
“Who are you!”
“I should be asking that.”
The rabbit beastmen’s eyes trembled as they faced Ahin, who had a refreshing appearance. The red eyes of the two men and the black panthers around them clearly belonged to the black panther clan. Moreover, they hadn’t noticed any sign of them until they spoke, indicating considerable skill.
‘Could it be.’
The leader swallowed dryly, his eyes landing on the bone fragments again. If these were the craftsmanship of the black panther clan… A chill of tension swept up his back. Then, the leader’s gaze shifted, scanning the swords hanging at the waists of Ahin and Everine.
“…It’s none of your concern,”
“Looking for the rabbit?”
Ahin interrupted, causing the leader’s shoulders to twitch.
“I picked it up.”
Picked up. A sense of doom clouded over the rabbit beastmen’s eyes. The Rabian family had hoped for the rabbit to be killed, but here it was, apparently alive.
The black panthers beside Ahin and Everine, possibly hungry, bared their teeth.
“Trying to take it back?”
Ahin stopped the growling black panthers with a slight smile. His smile didn’t feel entirely benign, prompting one of the rabbit beastmen to speak.
“If you are protecting it, perhaps we could—”
“Look at yourselves, no different from night guests. Suspicious as you are, we cannot hand over Miss Rabbit to you. It has now perfectly adapted as Lord Ahin’s emergency food supply, so give up.”
Everine’s words flowed like a flood, creating a sudden eerie silence. Despite the bizarre content, his expression was utterly serious.
‘Miss Rabbit…?’
‘Emergency food?’
For the rabbit beastmen, it was a title they had never encountered before. Moreover, emergency food. It took some time for the leader to understand his words, and he asked in a daze.
“Emergency food… no, then the rabbit’s status of being alive or dead is…”
“Do not speak lightly of death. Just today, it kicked this Everine with its back legs, starting the morning with vitality.”
When he claimed to be emergency food, and now telling them not to inquire about death, what was he thinking?
The rabbit beastmen’s mouths slightly opened in astonishment. As the atmosphere grew increasingly strange, Ahin clicked his tongue and looked back at Everine.
“Everine, what exactly are you trying to say?”
He asked the burning question the rabbit beastmen wanted to. Yet, Everine, still not softening his cold expression, put his hands behind his back.
“I could not contain my frustration that they dared to covet Miss Rabbit, who is Master Ahin’s emergency food.”
“You’ve mixed in too many unnecessary words.”
“Who knows? Maybe they intended to kidnap Miss Rabbit.”
“So you came to kill it yourself.”
Their conversation, though seemingly in jest, carried a chilling undertone. Amid the exchange between Ahin and Everine, the rabbit beastmen exchanged glances, having confirmed the rabbit’s state.
‘…Leader, what should we do?’
‘We retreat for now.’
‘After coming all this way?’
‘Given that we haven’t sensed any clear signs from them, they must be highly skilled. Prepare to scatter and escape back to our territory.’
‘Indeed. That strange conversation could very likely be a ploy to make us let down our guard.’
Taking the unseen rabbit by force was impractical, and it seemed better to return to the Rabian family to report this encounter first. As the rabbit beastmen scoped out their escape route, a peculiar pheromone wafted into their noses.
“Gah!”
It felt like their entire bodies were stretching like wet cotton. Realizing it was the pheromone of a predator, they quickly tried to elevate their own pheromones, but it was insufficient.
“Ghk,”
They had already lost control of their actions. One by one, they collapsed to the ground due to the overpowering ability that had taken over their bodies.
“Haaargh.”
Eventually, unable to withstand the strong pheromones, one of the rabbit beastmen rolled his eyes back and fainted. As they crawled on the ground, Ahin nodded to the black panthers.
“Finish them off.”
No sooner had the command been issued than the black panthers lunged forward, baring their sharp teeth.
“Aaaaah!”
“Gah!”
The dense scent of blood spread through the bushes. As Ahin crossed the scene of merciless hunting, he drew the sword from his waist. Approaching the leader who had been directing from the front, he slowly aimed the sword at him.
“I have a few questions. Were you planning to take the rabbit back?”
“Th-that…”
The leader’s voice trembled as he faced the threatening blade. Incapable of moving, he felt as if his neck might be severed at any moment.
“Ah, since you’ve fallen into my hands anyway, that doesn’t matter.”
Ahin turned towards the mansion, his lips curling up subtly. Recognizing the dark smirk that sometimes appeared, Everine advised him.
“Master Ahin, you’re making a face no different from a villain.”
“Shut it.”
“Yes.”
After silencing his constantly babbling mouth, Ahin turned back to the leader, who had also collapsed. He had released too much pheromone, nearly foaming at the mouth. Reducing the intensity of the injected pheromones, the leader finally caught his breath.
“Haaah, huff,”
“I have a question about that rabbit.”
“Wh-what…”
“Its identity, it’s not just an ordinary rabbit, is it? First off, whether it’s a beastman.”
Smoothly, the tip of the sword pulled down the mask hiding the leader’s identity. Despite the cold air touching his exposed face, he continued to move his mouth nervously. As the hesitation dragged on, Ahin let out a sigh of disappointment.
“If you don’t want to talk, I can’t force you.”
In a flash, the sword pierced the leader’s thigh. As sudden intense pain washed over him, he screamed and writhed.
“Aaaaah!”
“Seems like your kind might cross the boundary again in the future, I’ll ask then.”
The blade withdrew from the thigh and was raised high. The blood dripping down the blade splattered onto the leader’s bare face. Overcome with fear, he shielded his face with his arms and yelled out.
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
The sword, which seemed poised to split the leader’s head in two, halted abruptly. Looking up at Ahin’s emotionless smile with frightened eyes, the leader quickly opened his mouth.
“Th-the rabbit is indeed a beastman.”
Ahin, who had suspected as much, lost the smile from his eyes upon direct confirmation. The sword, urging a quicker answer, grazed near the leader’s neck.
“Ugh,”
“It doesn’t transform into a human. Is it still a child then?”
Even as he asked, Ahin thought the question ironic. The rabbit, despite being called a child, had acquired both the continental language and the knowledge necessary for a beastman.
Moreover, it was astonishing that when it met Valence, it greeted her using its forepaws. Observing Ahin’s renewed smirk, the leader continued to speak.
“No. It is already eighteen.”
“Eighteen, you say?”
“An anomaly who hasn’t undergone humanization despite passing the age of maturity.”
* * *
The leader, who had been merely trying to confirm the rabbit’s life status, did not live much longer.
His throat was cut by the swift stroke of the sword, and the last of the rabbit beastmen’s head fell to the ground. Licking the blood that splattered onto his hand slowly, Ahin voiced his regret.
“…I forgot to ask about Vivi’s family.”
Everine, who had been in shock the entire time, suddenly looked startled.
“My apologies. I was too surprised myself and only just remembered.”
Their startled eyes lingered on the leader. His body, now impossible to get any answers from, had turned into food for the black panthers rushing towards it. Watching the black panthers greedily devouring the body, Ahin waved his hand dismissively.
“Ash, let’s go.”
Ash, the leader of the pack, nodded. After a short while, having finished their feast, the black panthers scattered through the bushes. As Everine watched their retreating figures, he muttered,
“Eighteen, that would make it around our age, wouldn’t it?”
An eighteen-year-old beastman, not just any rabbit. Pondering the leader’s testimony, questions arose in his red eyes.
“It’s nonsensical. A beastman who hasn’t undergone humanization even after reaching adulthood.”
“Then, does it make sense for a rabbit to know the continental language or to read books?”
Ahin chuckled briefly, sheathing his blood-stained sword at his waist. His demeanor was too relaxed even after hearing such remarkable facts. A weary sigh escaped Everine as he faced Ahin.
“You were certain from the beginning that the Miss Rabbit was a beastman, weren’t you?”
“Somewhat.”
“…Why did you pretend not to know when I guessed it was a different species?”
“Because it was funny to watch you struggle.”
Everine muttered about Ahin’s bad taste, his expression becoming complex. Even though it was just a young rabbit, the fact that Ahin had shared a bed with a beastman of his age was ambiguously unsettling.
“Really…”
While he was lost in his own thoughts, Ahin sat down on a nearby rock. Everine, who had not yet fully encountered Vivi’s pheromones, naturally reacted this way.
“Even so, a beastman who can’t undergo humanization… If it can’t become human, it means it has to live as an intelligent rabbit.”
“That’s not necessarily bad.”
Ahin casually brushed off the concern, dangling his legs teasingly.
“Lord, why?”
Frustration peaked as Everine visibly furrowed his brow. Then, Ahin, who had been laughing softly, suddenly wore a more serious expression.
“Everine.”
“Speak, please.”
The atmosphere turned chilly in anticipation of the main topic. Sensing this, Everine tensed up, waiting for the following words.
“That rabbit…”
“Yes.”
“Makes me want to devour it when I sleep.”
“I see. …What did you just say?”
“Devour it?” Everine’s shoulders slumped, drained by the unexpected statement.
“I almost actually bit it once.”
“Ah, yes-… That is indeed surprising.”
Ahin gave an ambiguous explanation but then remembered the pheromones that he felt at night. The rabbit emitted a much stronger pheromone when asleep than when awake.
It was a scent that no one but a beastman could possess. There had been more than one occasion when he instinctively wanted to devour it.
Moreover, if his suspicions were correct, the pheromone abilities that the rabbit possessed could be useful over many years. They were of irreplaceable utility value.
‘It’s already eighteen.’
‘An anomaly who has not undergone humanization despite having reached adulthood.’
The age of eighteen was unexpected, but regardless, this fact was like killing two birds with one stone. If it was a rabbit whose movements were limited, not a human, it would be easier to keep an eye on.
Although there were still many uncertainties, these were matters they could figure out in time. Facing Ahin, who was unknowingly pursing his lips, Everine urged him.
“Lord Ahin, please, I beg you for a detailed explanation.”
“It’s tiresome.”
“Truly, there is no pettiness like yours.”
Normally, Everine would have responded with flattery like, “If that is Lord Ahin’s wish.” However, this time his curiosity had gotten the better of him, resulting in a rather irreverent reply. Ahin let out a faint laugh and snapped his fingers with a crack.
“Seems like you want to run for a change?”
As soon as he said this, the black panthers that were under his command once again emerged through the bushes. The sight of several black beasts gathering was chillingly atmospheric.
“Dessert.”
At his command, the black panthers showed fierce aggression towards Everine. Blood, not yet dried, dripped from their exposed teeth. Sensing the threat, Everine extended his arms and responded calmly.
“Gentlemen of the black panthers, please calm down. I have been with you for some time; how could you treat me as if you don’t know me?”
“Might as well tear out that noisy mouth of yours.”
“To threaten something as precious as my life, really too much.”
Accustomed to such situations, Everine sprinted away with all the speed he could muster. It was a swift reaction for someone who usually disliked messing up his tidy black hair. Ahin waved his hand lightly, sending off Everine and the black panthers as they began a game of tag.
* * *