Practically being dragged along by the insistent boy and Ash, I walked cautiously down the hallway. At least it was a short distance, so we didn’t encounter anyone, which was a small relief.
‘Rune might be looking for me…’
Yesterday, Rune hadn’t asked why I had stayed in the form of a baby rabbit for such a long time. Even if he had refrained from asking to avoid raising suspicion, it would be best to minimize our encounters.
‘Maybe I should just go to Ahin.’
The scratch on my hand wasn’t severe enough to warrant treatment.
As I continued to mull over these thoughts, I entered a guest room that smelled of herbs. A lady, sitting at a table with her back to the door, was rummaging through something.
“Professor Jasnana.”
The boy rushed towards her before I could even process how familiar her silhouette seemed. With my wrist and Ash’s tail still in his grip, we were both pulled along.
It wasn’t until we reached the table that the boy finally let go of my wrist and poked the lady in the back.
“Professor Jasnana.”
“Russell, won’t it kill you to call me ‘Mother’? And even though it’s a safe place, you shouldn’t be wandering off like this…”
“There’s someone here who needs help.”
“What? What are you talking about—”
The lady turned around, suddenly rising to her feet in surprise.
“Well, if it isn’t you, my patient!”
“The physician?”
The mother, whom the boy had referred to as a healer, was the same physician I had met in Endelus. Now, however, she was dressed not in a healer’s robe but in a graceful gown befitting a noblewoman.
Back then, I had noticed something oddly noble about her, which had left me confused….
Although she seemed surprised, she wasn’t overly shocked and calmly dismissed the servants. It was the servants who, with pale faces, hastily fled the guest room.
‘Why are they so scared?’
“Let’s take a look at that injury first.”
Watching them with curiosity, I allowed the physician to guide me to a sofa.
“It’s just a minor bruise. Did you bump into something hard?”
She examined the scratch on my hand with a discerning eye.
“I got hurt without even realizing it…”
“You always seem to get hurt in unexpected places despite your sharp appearance. How did you end up here with Russell?”
Her question made me glance down at the boy, who was crouched next to Ash. He put a finger to his lips, signaling me to keep quiet.
I quickly came up with an excuse, saying we had just met in the hallway.
“Still, given how many times we’ve met by chance, it must be fate.”
As the physician treated the scratch on my hand, she introduced herself. She was a lower noble of the Capybara territory and held a professorship at Belhelm Academy.
Belhelm Academy? Isn’t that the only academy where herbivore and carnivore beastfolk are mixed? I knew only that it was enormous, and my eyes widened in surprise.
“Belhelm?”
“Why are you so surprised? Well, I guess I don’t really look like a professor or a noblewoman.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I know, I know. Belhelm Academy is just that big.”
She laughed heartily and playfully slapped my arm.
Rubbing my now-sore arm, I recalled the characteristics of the Capybara clan. They were known for their sociability, to the extent that, if exaggerated, everyone in the territory was somehow connected regardless of status.
Even after finishing the treatment, the physician continued chatting away.
“Even though the banquet is only for the high-ranking nobles from other territories and the nobles of the Rabbit territory, I have a separate friendship with Chief Amon. As for you,”
She paused, thoughtfully stroking her chin.
“Ah, I saw Grace’s carriage yesterday. You must have come with Lord Ahin Grace.”
‘She knows Ahin’s identity?’
In Endelus, they had definitely met for the first time. Not knowing what to say, I gaped like a fish. Noticing my shock, the physician provided further explanation.
“You didn’t know? It must have been just before you left Endelus. Lord Grace recognized me and generously compensated me.”
She formed a circle with her thumb and forefinger, indicating coins.
“I used it well for my research.”
“Recognized you? You were acquainted?”
“The headmaster of the academy where I work is Lord Grace’s grandfather.”
Ahin’s grandfather…
“That strict old man is the headmaster… Oh!”
My eyes widened, and I quickly covered my mouth. The way I had mouthed words like a rabbit had slipped out as actual speech.
“As I mentioned, the feline family tends to be a bit much.”
The physician’s lips twitched in sympathy.
“Anyway, that was the only time I met Lord Grace, when he was very young, but he has a sharp eye.”
That beast, always keeping things to himself and never properly explaining anything, even with the issue of the medication. A sudden burst of anger flared up. That’s why I’m now running around with no information, relying solely on my instincts.
“By the way, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I am Venshee Jisnana, the lady of the Jisnana family. You can call me Lady Jisnana or Professor, whichever you prefer. The boy who brought you here is my son, Russell Jisnana.”
My gaze dropped to the floor. The boy, who was playing with Ash’s tail, was surprisingly quiet for a child.
“He’s small for his age, but he’s a proper six-year-old. And you?”
“Oh, I’m Vivi. As for my family…”
I hesitated as I trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence about my family. Just then, the boy caught my eye. He looked up at me with those emotionless black eyes and softly murmured.
“You’re a hero.”
“Russell, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“A hero who can split rocks.”
With his short, lisping words, the boy returned his focus to Ash’s swaying tail.
“Split… rocks?”
The physician echoed the words, looking at my hand with a doubtful expression. Did she actually think the scratch on my hand was from breaking rocks? Regretting my earlier exaggeration, I just shook my head in denial.
“How… peculiar. Russell is usually so shy that he doesn’t say a word in front of strangers. You must have a very pure energy.”
“Pure energy?”
“In simpler terms, it means you have a good aura. Russell has pheromones that can vaguely sense the energy living beings give off.”
So, in short, she was saying I was being evaluated as a good person. Russell, you little…! I extended my fingers for a handshake, and the boy absentmindedly took my hand.
“It’s a pheromone that’s difficult for a capybara beastfolk to handle. He only recently shed his beast form and completed his humanization.”
“What?”
“That’s why he’s still clumsy in his behavior and speech. Of course, part of it is just his young age.”
Her tone was casual, but the information was anything but.
“Russell went through humanization… late?”
I looked between Russell and the physician, my face visibly tense. She smiled faintly and shrugged.
“Yes, just like you, Miss Vivi.”
“Uh…?”
How could she be so sure that I had gone through a late humanization? It didn’t seem likely that Ahin had told her. Feeling like I had been struck by a hammer, I asked again.
“…What?”
“Just like you, Miss Vivi.”
A tense silence fell, like the calm before a storm. I suddenly stood up and quickly stepped back.
“Who are you?”
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Ash wrapped her tail around me protectively. A low growl rumbled in my ears.
In an instant, the physician grabbed Russell and retreated behind the curtain.
“I’ve been meaning to say, but I’m personally a bit… uncomfortable with carnivores. Could you please move her away so I can explain?”
“Professor Jisnana, I’m okay.”
“Brave of you, Russell. You truly are a descendant of the sociable Capybara clan. But I’m the one who isn’t okay.”
Her reaction left me even more stunned, and I crouched down in disbelief.
“Ash, easy now—”
I gently stroked Ash to calm her down, and her tense breathing gradually softened.
‘Right, of course.’
How could I have forgotten? The people at Grace’s mansion were so accustomed to Ash that I’d completely overlooked how out of place he must be in herbivore territories.
‘How could I have forgotten that?’
They say humans are creatures of habit. I finally understood why the servants had looked so pale earlier.
Ash, it seems I’ve become a bit of a predator myself. Feeling conflicted, I softly scratched Ash’s back.
Apparently enjoying the large hand compared to her front paws, Ash playfully nibbled on my uninjured hand. My entire hand was enveloped in her mouth in an instant.
“…?”
Well, this is a new experience. The physician, who caught my eye at that moment, looked like her jaw was about to drop.
“It’s okay, she’s just… just playing around.”
I’m not scared at all. I tried to reassure her, smiling bravely as I wiped away tears.
The inside of Ash’s mouth was wet. As I felt the rough texture of her tongue, I instinctively touched my forehead and wobbled slightly.
“Miss Vivi!”
The shock was not unlike the time when Ash had casually brought me a dead mouse.
* * *
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