The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 28

The Symbiotic Relationship Between a Rabbit and a Black Panther 28 (28/75)

Ahin and the beastmen he led moved further away from the city center.

According to the map, continuing in this direction would lead them to the Merchant Guild building, which was currently for sale.

Restin, who had been following at a distance, turned to Ivelin. The blue eyes visible beneath his black hair were gradually turning red.

Sensing Restin’s gaze, Ivelin touched his eyes with a calm expression.

“I took the medicine made by the raccoon beastmen. Does it suit me?”

“It doesn’t suit you. More than that…”

His golden eyes were filled with curiosity. Hesitating, Restin couldn’t resist the urge and spoke.

“Excuse me, Sir Ivelin. That rabbit…”

“Please refer to him as Rabbit-nim [a respectful honorific].”

“What…! No, never mind. What exactly *is* that… Rabbit-nim?”

Was it just an animal, or another race entirely? Faced with Restin’s overflowing questions, Ivelin silently stared ahead.

Clearly, Ahin knew something but kept his mouth shut. All Ivelin really knew was that the rabbit was a beastman.

Other than that, the rabbit seemed to know a certain level of etiquette. Every morning, he would greet Valence, the head of the family and the highest-ranking person in the mansion, and he didn’t seem awkward around Mayme, who served him.

“Sir Ivelin?”

Due to Ivelin’s silence, Restin’s expression became suspicious. Fearing that he might persistently ask about Vivi, Ivelin waved his hand and made a vague excuse.

“Sorry. I sense a unique scent.”

“Now that you mention it… I’ve been smelling a strange odor for a while now.”

“Really?”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

In fact, Restin’s claim was not a lie.

Ivelin, Restin, and the escort knights, with their heightened senses of smell, frowned at the fishy smell coming from somewhere.

It was a different smell from the fragrance that filled the streets, a smell that seemed to come from a decaying corpse.

Following the scent, they turned into an alley and found a beastman lying on the ground. Mio, the escort knight who approached first, examined him and shook his head.

“He’s already dead. But his skin color is a bit strange. He doesn’t seem to be a hyena beastman… His skin is partially stained gray.”

‘Drug poisoning,’ Ivelin thought, forming a grim hypothesis, and narrowed his eyes. Gently pushing Restin’s back, he said in a heavier voice.

“Sir Restin, check the pheromones by touching the corpse’s wrist.”

Although his expression was usually serious, his eyes were quite intense.

Instinctively bending his knee, Restin grabbed the wrist and focused on the pheromone energy. Indeed, the pheromones that had not been suppressed were scattered in a tangled state.

“Hmm, the pheromones are quite tangled.”

“He must be a drug addict. There have been reports that some beastmen die from taking it.”

Turning away from the corpse, Ivelin looked at the guild direction with a troubled expression.

He didn’t need to worry about Ahin or Rune, but he was quite concerned about Vivi, who was a herbivore beastman. Although he had the appearance of a rabbit, he couldn’t be sure that he wouldn’t be affected by the drug.

Thinking that he needed to hurry, Ivelin stopped Restin, who was examining the corpse.

“Let’s go. Sir Restin’s pheromones could also be disturbed, so please stop touching it.”

“Ugh!”

Restin, horrified, took his hand off the corpse and glared fiercely. Ivelin must have been worried about his safety and ordered him to touch the corpse instead.

‘That petty bastard…!’

Restin’s fist trembled as he swallowed the curse that rose to his throat.

“Sir Ivelin, you’re really becoming more cunning every day.”

“Your praise is too much.”

Mio, the escort knight who was watching the two people bickering and going ahead, was lost in thought. Mio, like the other employees, regarded the rabbit as a mysterious animal.

But he was definitely the person who was being held in Ahin’s arms when he opened the door of the shack. The more he thought about her, the stronger his conviction that she was a beastman became.

The dense pheromones from an unknown source, and the disheveled appearance could be explained if the rabbit had turned into a human on the spot.

Moreover, there was a bite mark on her neck that Ahin seemed to have made.

For a predator beastman to bite the neck was no different from marking their prey. It was also included in the act of showing a kind of possessiveness.

“Sir Mio?”

“…Oh, I’m sorry!”

At Ivelin’s urging, Mio, who had been spacing out, quickly followed and wet his lips.

What on earth was the next head of the family thinking? Being nosy, Mio was worried about the future of the unknown rabbit.

* * *

To think Rune swallowed a drug that even transformed him into a lion… my back bristled with goosebumps.

Ahin, who was untying Rune’s ropes, looked at me coughing repeatedly with a puzzled expression. Suddenly, his gaze rested on the carrot left behind by the burly man.

‘Isn’t that because you choked on that!’

It’s not a carrot….

I shook my head and pathetically tapped the floor. The fact that I couldn’t convey my intentions was so frustrating.

‘It would be better to set a signal. So I can understand Vivi’s intentions.’

While coughing, I recalled the signal I had made with him like lightning. The right forepaw was for calling Ahin, the left forepaw was,

“Vivi?”

…For emergencies.

Without hesitation, I raised my left forepaw, and Ahin immediately abandoned Rune and approached me. Kneeling down and touching the ground, he hardened his expression in dismay. He seemed to have found a small amount of gray powder scattered on the floor.

“Did you swallow the drug?”

Ahin, who had lifted me up in an instant, forcibly opened my mouth.

“Where does it hurt?”

He grabbed my cheeks and turned them from side to side as he asked. Having barely stopped coughing, I blinked with my mouth open.

In his eyes, which had already turned red, my cotton-like appearance was reflected.

“Vivi.”

His voice, urging an answer, was tinged with emotions that had not yet been refined. Facing his fierce expression, I flinched.

‘…Come to think of it, it doesn’t hurt?’

The cough has stopped, and I feel better than I thought. As I was about to express my intentions with gestures, I gagged. It was because the pheromones in my body suddenly stirred.

It was strange. It wasn’t painful, but it felt foreign and even familiar, as if I had experienced it sometime before. Ahin, with an even more hardened expression, whispered lowly.

“Your pheromone state is strange, don’t tell me….”

Our pupils, meeting in the air, trembled finely.

If the drug had any effect on my pheromones. If I were to turn into a human here.

‘That can’t happen!’

No! With my ears perked up, I made an X with my forepaws. Leaving aside being naked, the fact that I was in the middle of enemy territory was the biggest problem.

“Manientsu-kyung [a nonsense phrase, possibly used as an exclamation].”

Ahin, standing up straight, picked up a cloth that was lying haphazardly in the warehouse.

“The plan has changed. The drug issue is on hold for now.”

Rune, flustered by the unilateral notice, jumped up and down.

“We’re going to escape from now on, so you guys survive on your own… No, please die.”

Ahin, not allowing any objections, left a footprint right in the middle of the lion’s face. Rune, caught off guard and kicked, rolled around in a pitiful pose.

‘Oh, that must hurt….’

His treatment was too insignificant. How was he going to handle it after Rune turned back into a human?

I, who was watching with worried eyes, soon realized that I was not in a position to pity others.

Bang! Before I could come to my senses, Ahin had smashed the warehouse entrance.

‘He broke that thick door with his bare body….’

No sooner had I stared blankly at the wreckage of the shattered door than the screams of the beastmen guarding the entrance were mixed together.

“Aah!”

“What is this crazy bastard!”

Ahin, who had kicked them down with his feet before they could counterattack, began to cross the hallway.

I, with my head shaking in Ahin’s hand, pressed my temples with my forepaws. Before worrying about Rune, my uncertain future was a big deal.

* * *

The building I was trapped in was large but close to being abandoned.

Ahin, who was running down the hallway, felt like he was avoiding fighting as much as possible today.

I didn’t have time to think deeply about this, and I was breathing heavily. It wasn’t as painful as when I came into contact with other people’s pheromones, but strangely, the pheromones in my body couldn’t be controlled.

Thump.

The pheromones stirred strongly again. Instantly, Ahin, who had stopped running, entered an empty room.

Hiding in a narrow closet, he leaned against the wall. The space was so narrow that Ahin’s height required him to crouch.

It smelled of damp wood. A faint light leaked through the slits in the closet door.

“How much of a time difference is there?”

Before I could even adapt to the darkness, Ahin lifted me up and faced me.

‘Time difference?’

Not properly understanding the meaning, I shrugged my forepaws.

“Isn’t it that you turn into a human when stimulated by pheromones? I’m asking about that time difference. Even now, your pheromones are running wild.”

At the same time as hearing the question, I was suddenly able to realize why Ahin had avoided fighting. It was because he was considering my condition of turning into a human when I came into contact with pheromones.

He must have noticed most of the facts.

How much does he know? As I swallowed a wary breath, Ahin poked my nose.

“Answer quickly. I can’t hide here forever.”

‘What can I say as an answer….’

Looking down at Ahin, who was sitting in an uncomfortable position, I pondered.

The time difference was always arbitrary, and now I had only swallowed a small amount of the drug, not even coming into contact with pheromones, so it was uncertain whether I would turn into a human.

Even though it was difficult to control the pheromones, my body was still fine. I tried to express my intentions by waving my feet, but Ahin’s expression only became distorted.

“…I don’t understand what you’re saying at all.”

How nice would it be if telepathy was possible. Sighing, as I let out a heavy sigh, Ahin suddenly brought his index finger to his lips.

“Shh.”

Bang, immediately a rough noise and the door opened.

“What? Even the lion ran away?”

“I’m going crazy, the guild leader will be furious if he finds out.”

The voices of the beastmen looking for us could be heard clearly from the hallway.

Judging from the conversation, Rune seemed to have escaped safely, but there was no room to be relieved. Because someone had entered the room.

‘What to do.’

Quickly burrowing into Ahin’s hand, I paid attention to the sound.

Step by step, the sound of unknown shoes echoed. Despite the urgent situation, Ahin smiled foolishly as he looked at me, who only had my face out between his two fists.

‘This is not the time to laugh!’

Just as I felt the footsteps getting closer, a bright light poured in and a shadow fell.

My heart sank, and I checked the person who opened the closet.

There, the man who looked like a gorilla, who had brought me here and offered me a carrot, had a troubled face. Ahin, who looked up with me, brought his index finger to his lips again.

“Gorilla, shh.”

It’s already ruined from the moment you called him a gorilla. It would be a relief if he didn’t scream right away. Looking back and forth between the two, I put my forepaws together and sent a pleading look.

‘Please.’

The man, whose pupils were visibly trembling, turned his face black due to the statement heard from the hallway, “Let’s just find them and kill them all.”

Squeak, the closet door closed again and darkness fell in an instant.

“Rill, what about you?”

“…Nothing. Have you finished searching the lower floor?”

“Not yet. You’ll be in charge of the backyard.”

The sound of footsteps faded away until it could no longer be heard. As I caught my breath and regulated my breathing, Ahin whispered lowly.

“Was the gorilla friendly to the rabbit? It doesn’t suit him at all.”

I haven’t even heard of such a story. In the first place, it was difficult to be sure that the grateful beastman was a gorilla beastman, just because he looked like a gorilla.

“I see. A gorilla and a rabbit….”

Not even being grateful for the kindness, he fell into his own world.

‘Even if he might not be a gorilla.’

Moreover, a black panther walking around with a rabbit would look stranger to others.

‘More than that, let’s get out of this scary place quickly.’

I tapped Ahin’s finger and pointed outside with my forepaw. He raised one side of his mouth and nodded.

“Okay, let’s go… Vivi?”

I, who was showing enthusiasm for escaping, suddenly curled up. The pheromones that had been crawling inside my body felt like they were expanding.

For a moment, the vision flickered as if it was dark and bright repeatedly.

Ahin’s figure, pulling the cloth hanging on his shoulder, flickered dimly.

“Heu….”

I let out a small groan and stroked my throbbing head. It was a dizziness that seemed like it would lead to fainting.

As I intermittently gasped for breath, I grabbed my neck.

‘M-my voice came out?’

It was difficult to grasp the situation properly because it was an unconscious event. As I lowered my gaze, I met Ahin’s eyes, who was staring up at me.

As I blankly blinked my eyes, the senses that I had not realized belatedly began to rush in. The heightened vision, the hair tickling my cheeks, and even the body temperature that touched my whole body.

‘…Why?’

I wondered if it was possible that I had turned into a human as a reaction to the drug that stimulated pheromones.

Dugun, dugun, the shifted gaze went back and forth inside the closet.

It was the first time I had turned into a human in front of others, so I couldn’t hide my embarrassment. Moreover, it was in front of Ahin, of all people.

I, wrapped in cloth, almost on top of him, as if checking his mood. It was a distance where the curves of the body could be felt intact.

Several seconds, which felt like dozens of minutes, passed. I wished he would say something, but Ahin kept silent while staring up at me.

The red eyes with shadows cast on them felt particularly dark. For some reason, it was ominous like that of a hungry beast, and my gaze naturally fell to the floor.

“Th-….”

It was frustrating that I couldn’t see his expression, which was half-covered in darkness, in detail. What should I do, should I smile first? Wetting my dry lips, I wore an awkward smile.

“…Hello.”

The humid air unique to the closet stuck to my skin. The touching skin brought not warmth, but a cool sense of crisis.

‘He was talking well a little while ago, why doesn’t he say anything?’

The distance, where even breaths were mixed, made my nerves sensitive as time passed. He used to say that he had a lot to say, should I shoot him a sharp word?

“Ahin.”

As I raised my eyes, my courage quickly disappeared to the other side of the continent as soon as I met his red eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?”

Thud, he leaned his head against the wall and smiled mischievously.

“Why are you looking so sharp?”

Oops. I, who was still clumsy at managing my expression, pulled the cloth wrapped around my body up to my face.

“…I was born like this.”

“Do you even know what you look like?”

I had no words to refute and made squinting eyes. The first and last time I properly looked in the mirror was around the ballroom, and even then I was out of my mind, so I didn’t remember my appearance well.

“More than that….”

“Huh?”

“I wish you would give me a warning when you’re about to transform. Like dancing when you feel like you’re about to turn into a human.”

How can I warn you about that? He was talking so easily as if it was someone else’s business. I was about to open my mouth in amazement, but Ahin made the first move.

“Think about it. What would it be like if Ash suddenly turned into a human?”

Rolling my eyes, I thought of Ash. Ash was one of the black panthers with particularly prominent skeletons, and his impression was also fierce. If such Ash turned into a human….

“…I’d be surprised.”

“And?”

“I’d be embarrassed.”

“That’s how I feel now.”

Ahin, who took a handful of my white hair, stroked it as if rubbing it.

“A ferocious rabbit has become a human.”

I’m not ferocious. I swallowed the words that lingered in my mouth and pondered.

Certainly, as he claimed, it would be much easier to convey my intentions if I set a signal.

“Okay. Then from now on, I’ll dance….”

What dance…! There are plenty of other signals. For a moment, I, who was about to be swept away by the beast’s seductive eloquence, suddenly got up.

Thud, at the same time, something touched the top of my head. It was Ahin’s hand that wrapped around my head so that it wouldn’t hit the ceiling.

Belatedly recalling that I was in a narrow closet, I swallowed hard. I could feel the solid body intact with both hands touching Ahin’s chest.

‘It’s too close.’

Gulp, the gaze that went up from the chest stopped at the neat features, passing the clavicle and jawline.

The usually ascetic face looked strangely turbid, making my spine tingle. The wavering gaze stopped at the plump lips, and at that moment,

“Vivi, you just looked at me with lustful eyes.”

“…I didn’t.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying!”

“…….”

“……You.”

I, who had lengthened the end of my words, shook my head repeatedly and denied it. However, Ahin’s expression was only filled with disbelief.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

I, who was enthusiastically making excuses, pricked up my ears due to the sound of footsteps heard from somewhere.

Without hesitation, I covered Ahin’s mouth and paid attention to the outside sound. At the same time as his red eyes widened, a rough voice echoed from the hallway.

“An intruder in this situation?!”

‘Intruder?’

“I don’t know the details either, let’s go to the entrance first!”

Tak, tak, the sound of footsteps quickly faded away.

An intruder, could it be Ivelin who followed? As I vaguely speculated, I turned my head and looked down at Ahin.

He, whose mouth was covered, was surprisingly just blinking his eyes quietly. A strange silence passed.

“……!”

Only then realizing the soft sensation of the palm of my hand, I hurriedly took my hand away.

‘Oh my god!’

I touched the beast’s mouth. If I opened my mouth, I might get bitten by fangs. I, who looked back and forth at both hands, trembled.

“How many?”

“Four people, and a crazy lion is rampaging.”

“What?”

Whether it was true that an intruder had appeared, the outside was still noisy. As I anxiously glanced at the closet door, I pulled Ahin’s hand.

[Let’s,]

Swish, swish, several lines were drawn on his palm.

[Go back.]

I don’t like it here. The strangely humid air, the dark scenery with red lights hanging down, and even the beastmen who reveal their hostility. There was not a single safe element.

Ahin, who smiled silently, pulled my hand in the opposite direction. Soon, a ticklish sensation was conveyed.

[Where to?]

I, who was dumbfounded, pulled his hand again.

‘Where else, home,’

…Is it.

Stutter, the fingers that were about to write the letters froze stiffly.

Could I really express Grace(家) [Grace, using the Chinese character for ‘home’] as home? With drooping eyes, I carefully looked at Ahin’s mood.

I like Bibi because she’s a rabbit.’

If I’m no longer a rabbit, what will you do? The question I’d kept hidden rose to my throat.

‘If you were human, it would be more troublesome.’

Without moving, only holding my hand, Ahin tilted his head and looked up at me from below.

“What’s wrong?”

Strangely, like someone who had forgotten how to speak, my lips wouldn’t part.

What if I become unnecessary? Will I be abandoned again? Unpleasant thoughts kept flooding in.

“…Bibi?”

I don’t have time for this. I know getting out of here is the priority, but somehow, I couldn’t control the overwhelming emotions.

“The scent is too strong.”

Ahin frowned and quickly patted my cheek.

“Bi,”

Before I could even realize it, the pheromones surging within me stirred like a wave. At the same time, my hands and feet trembled, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Gag, I covered my mouth and dry heaved.

“Bibi!”

My nose stung. The same phenomenon as when I couldn’t control my pheromones in the shanty.

He seemed to be shouting something, but I couldn’t understand properly.

A deep sorrow, rising from the bottom, gradually gnawed at my heart.

* * *

The overflowing lamplight illuminated the night.

If I return to being human, I will destroy Ahin Grace. Having made that resolution, Rune let out a loud roar, venting his anger on an innocent spot.

“Is this lion crazy!”

“Aah, my boots!”

At the entrance of the overgrown building, beastmen with torches and lamps were bustling about in confusion.

Pheromones don’t work on him, and he dodges weapons with godlike footwork. They were in a truly desperate situation, being chased by Rune.

Meanwhile, Ivelin’s group, who had arrived at the guild building in pursuit of Ahin, wore dumbfounded expressions.

“Ugh!”

“Get out of the way, I said!”

There was no need to even lie in wait. How could they explain the sight of a lion and beastmen playing tag?

Moreover, the fact that it was not just any lion, but the son of a territory’s leader, complicated their feelings.

Lestin, his pupils shaking madly, shouted, “Lord Rune, where are you-!” and ran towards the opposite side. It was a desperate struggle by a subordinate to maintain his master’s dignity.

Leaving the receding lion and Lestin behind, Ivelin instructed his escort knights.

“Follow those two and retrieve the drug.”

“Understood.”

Ivelin, who was dodging the rushing beastmen, suddenly raised his head. His red eyes narrowed as he spotted something.

At the window on the third floor of the building, Ahin, holding a huge bundle of cloth, climbed onto the windowsill.

‘A bundle…?’

He couldn’t even imagine what the bundle of cloth was. With his hands behind his back, he asked Ash, who was also looking up, “Lord Ash, what is that?”

Before he could solve the question, Ahin stepped over the windowsill in one stride. Watching him, Ivelin briefly thought he looked like a nimble thief.

Thud, Ahin landed lightly, straightened his body, and readjusted the bundle.

“Lord Ahin.”

Ivelin, who was approaching, was momentarily speechless.

The identity of the bundle was neither a bundle nor a blanket, but a woman wrapped in a cloth. Moreover, her eyelids looked as if they would close at any moment, and her ragged breathing seemed very precarious.

“…Who is it?”

Ahin glanced briefly at Bibi in his arms. Bibi’s breath, leaning on his shoulder, tickled the back of his neck. Her already pale skin was deathly pale, and she didn’t even feel heavy.

According to the investigation, a small amount of the drug only intensifies emotions. Bibi had such a weak body that even that was life-threatening.

It seemed like a pheromone outburst like last time, but he couldn’t rashly touch her.

“Ivelin, the horse or carriage?”

Ahin’s expression was calm, without a trace of a smile.

“I regret to say that I did not bring them.”

Ivelin replied with the most polite posture and tone he had ever used. According to his long experience, his superior was currently in such a low mood that he would kneel if told to kneel and die if told to die.

Ahin looked around the building entrance. It was a mess due to their escape from the warehouse and the sudden arrival of Ivelin’s group.

His wandering red eyes stopped on a man running out from the backyard.

The beastman who had shown Bibi unconditional kindness.

Ahin approached without hesitation and blocked Lil’s path.

“Take me to the nearest doctor here.”

“You are….”

Lil’s brown eyes trembled in astonishment as he discovered the panting Bibi.

The tiny baby rabbit that had been with him just a moment ago was gone, replaced by a woman. The white hair flowing out from between the cloths confused Lil.

“Lil, what are you doing? Deal with it… Cough!”

Ash, who had leaped in the meantime, bit one of the rushing beastmen. Ahin, taking another step closer, pointed at Lil and released a faint amount of pheromones.

“No time.”

“Huk….”

The pheromones, as if crushing his entire body, rose along Lil’s toes.

He tried to defend himself with his own pheromones, but they were mercilessly trampled. As if he had fallen into a deep swamp from which he could not escape, a vague fear soared.

Lil’s vision blurred, and he suddenly felt an urge to kneel before the man in front of him. Even if not, he had a chilling premonition that he would be killed if he refused the request.

Lil, moistening his dry throat with saliva, manipulated the pheromones in his body. His body glowed, and soon he transformed into a white horse.

Clip-clop, the approaching horse lowered its body without any sign of resistance.

“Ivelin, follow along on your own.”

Ahin, readjusting Bibi in one arm, climbed on without hesitation. Neigh, the horse neighed loudly, kicking up a sandstorm as it left the building entrance.

What had happened in the last few minutes? Ivelin, covered in the dust kicked up by the horse, muttered.

“Lord Ash, let’s run.”

The place where Ash had been was empty. Startled, he turned his head and saw Ash already chasing after the horse’s rear end.

“…How am I supposed to chase a horse with human legs?”

Wouldn’t it be impossible unless I had wheels on my legs? Ivelin sighed quietly and returned to his true form for the first time in several years.

A black panther that appeared with a flash of light prowled in place.

He carefully picked up the clothes that had fallen on the ground and immediately leaped into the darkness.

* * *

Rune, who had walked out of a dark alley, rubbed his temples.

It was fortunate that he had naturally returned to human form as time passed, but shame and anger enveloped his entire body.

Not only was he naked outdoors, but he even had the experience of wearing briefs. If Lestin hadn’t appeared in time to bring him clothes, he might have become the pervert of the century.

“Damn it, that bug-like cat….”

Ahin Grace. He recalled the hateful face and muttered as if chewing.

Thanks to putting his emotions into the final kick, his burst mouth tasted bitter with blood.

“Lord Rune, how on earth did you return to your true form?”

Lestin took a step closer to Rune, who was burning with fighting spirit. Rune, annoyed, crumpled his cravat into his pocket and muttered.

“That drug, it’s the kind that forcibly activates pheromones. So my pheromones triggered a defense mechanism to push out the drug.”

“That…!”

“The drug is one thing, but that rabbit….”

“Are you referring to Lord Ahin’s pet?”

“Yeah, it occasionally gives off a strange smell.”

Should I call it a sweet smell that attracts beastmen? Especially after swallowing the drug, the scent became much stronger, though only momentarily.

“Rabbits groom themselves, so they hardly have any odor,” Lestin said.

“No, not that kind of smell… If I had to pick one, it’s like a butter smell?”

Rune licked his lips, unable to explain it precisely. What was certain was that Ahin Grace had masked the rabbit’s pheromones with his own scent.

“It also smells like freshly baked bread.”

Lestin’s expression became serious.

“Excuse me.”

He suddenly reached out and touched Rune’s forehead.

“…You don’t have a fever. Why are you saying strange things like Lord Ivelin?”

“Ivelin? Aren’t you being too harsh?”

Rune, who had turned cold, pushed Lestin’s shoulder. Lestin, pushed back by the reaction, advised out of concern.

“You seem to have forgotten, but we are currently staying at the Grace estate. If we cause friction with Lord Ahin and the alliance falls through….”

Lestin recalled Rune’s sister, the angry bull-like next head of the Manients estate, and swallowed hard.

She was the one who dispatched the delegation to the Black Panther territory, but if the alliance was broken for absurd reasons…. Lestin, looking tearful, covered his face with both hands.

“I’m so, so afraid of her. She’ll definitely slap me first and ask for the reason later.”

“So. Are you saying we should just let Ahin Grace slap us because we’re afraid of my sister? Do you know how that bastard treated a weak lion who couldn’t even use his strength?”

“If Lord Rune had been weak, the building wouldn’t have ended up like that.”

The abandoned building at Lestin’s fingertips was in almost rags. Rune, who had nothing to say, obviously changed the subject.

“Anyway. It’s just my hypothesis, but that rabbit might have a unique ability.”

“Of course, it must be, since it understands words. It’s the king of rabbits.”

“…What’s that supposed to be?”

“Well. Probably the leader of the rabbits.”

For a moment, a baby rabbit and the rabbits following behind it flashed through their minds.

“Who said such crazy things?”

“Lord Ivelin.”

“Just ignore what that guy says. He’s full of hot air whenever he opens his mouth.”

Rune spat out the blood pooled in his mouth and turned his body in the opposite direction of the building.

“No, Lord Rune. Where are you going? We need to retrieve the drug.”

“The knights who were following us will take care of it. I’m busy, I’m going to kill that cat.”

Before he could ask again, Rune started running somewhere.

Who is the cat that he hates so much….?

“No, Lord Rune! Please!”

Several seconds later, Lestin’s frail scream, having arrived at the answer of Ahin Grace, dyed the night of Endelus.

* * *

My body swayed aimlessly with the clattering movement of the horse.

It hurts….

The pain of my whole body being torn apart was so severe that it was difficult to think normally. It was all I could do to hold on to the thread of consciousness.

Recognizing that my life was in danger, I somehow felt very wronged. How could I have endured as a baby rabbit who couldn’t do anything?

Every day at the Rabian estate was like walking on thin ice.

I was always hiding whenever I heard footsteps, pretending not to see even when I saw, pretending not to hear even when I heard, and I gradually became accustomed to crouching like a non-existent being.

Very occasionally, when the employees forgot to feed me, I would go hungry for days.

When I went outside, I had to watch out for hawks and eagles passing through the sky, and the employees spilling teacups or dropping things was a threat to my life.

Eventually, I was abandoned in a basket, and even after coming to the land of beasts, I struggled solely to survive.

Then, I barely turned into a human, but soon I turned back into a rabbit, and now I’m in so much pain that I’m about to die.

Maybe I’m really cursed because I incurred God’s wrath. Standing at the edge of despair, I couldn’t even cry.

Panting, I looked up at Ahin’s profile, which was visible through my blurred vision. His silver hair, exposed to the night breeze, fluttered like waves.

Ahin was the opposite of me. Both physically and mentally. It’s right to say that he was different from birth.

Compared to me, who couldn’t even open a door, he had the power to easily escape even from enclosed spaces, and unlike me, who was abandoned by my family, he was an indispensable presence in the Black Panther territory.

Even if I had undergone humanization and was a proper member of the Rabian estate, he would have been an unattainable person. I might not have even had a chance to meet him in my entire life.

In fact, his unrealistic appearance contributes to the sense of distance.

Struggling, I reached out and pinched Ahin’s cheek. Thanks to that, his face, which had lost its composure, brought a small pleasure.

“…You know, Ahin.”

It was natural for him to rule over someone, and I envied the composure that came from that naturalness.

This person, located at the top of the food chain, will never know these feelings in his life.

“Why did you pick me up?”

A dry, cracked voice came out. At the same time as the hand pinching him lost strength, Ahin pulled me closer. Then, he buried his chin on my head and said bluntly.

“To eat you.”

Yeah, what normal answer would I expect from a nasty beast? Whether it was because of anger or because I was suffocating, heat rose to my face.

“I’m not kidding. I still feel the same way.”

Every time he moved his mouth, a small vibration was transmitted to my head.

“If I hadn’t picked you up, you probably would have been eaten by Ash’s pack.”

A sharp truth flew back like a boomerang and pierced me.

Black panthers hardly live in packs, but I heard that there are uncontrolled black panther packs roaming in the forest of the border.

That was Ash’s pack. Moreover, what does it mean that he hasn’t changed his mind? I shouldn’t have opened my mouth and encountered a truth I didn’t want to know.

The horse accelerated its pace. As I struggled to hold on to my fading consciousness, I heard a voice that was unusually low compared to usual.

“Don’t lose consciousness, it’s dangerous.”

I want to, but it’s not working as I want. Gritting my teeth, I slowly opened and closed my eyelids. Just as I was about to lose my mind, something prickly touched my head.

“I’ll bite you the moment you faint.”

The identity of the sharp object was none other than Ahin’s upper teeth, his canines.

No, where are you biting right now? I shook my head, pale, but the canines stubbornly followed.

‘Is he really crazy….’

Unable to even scream, I widened my bloodshot eyes. Thus began my fight with myself to avoid fainting.

* * *

The place where the horse stopped was a small cabin located on a quiet roadside.

Knock knock knock, Ahin knocked on the door, and the doctor, who came out scolding, “No manners in the middle of the night!” froze like a stone.

“Bl, Black Pan…[Black Panther, referring to Ahin’s beast form].”

She hesitated, then discovered Ash at her feet, and even broke out in a cold sweat.

“Come in, come in quickly.”

She opened not only the cabin door but also the door of her heart wide open. I felt a strange sense of kinship in her series of actions towards the beast.

Inside the cabin, the view brightened as we lit the firewood and lamps.

Lying on the bed, I twisted and turned incessantly. The excruciating pain that bound my body showed no signs of subsiding.

“You said you ingested a drug?”

The doctor’s hand, which was uncovering the cloth wrapped around my body, stopped. Bewilderment crossed her dark eyes.

“Would the party mind turning around? I need to take off the cloth.”

Ahin turned around without complaint. The doctor waited until he was facing the wall, then clicked her tongue as Ash approached.

“Shh, shh!”

She chased Ash to the doorway and busily gathered medical tools.

“When did you take the drug? Ah, please answer without looking this way.”

“Two hours ago.”

The doctor lowered the cloth and began the examination. The sensation of the medical tools brushing against my bare skin was terribly eerie. My toes curled up from the cold.

“That’s strange…. There’s no sign of a drug reaction. Have you had any previous exposure to drugs? I need to consider the possibility of tolerance.”

‘Tolerance?’

That can’t be. How could a rabbit that has only eaten hay have taken drugs? I grabbed the doctor’s sleeve and barely shook my head.

“Hmm. When taking the drugs that are rampant in Endelus, most people experience heightened emotions or, in severe cases, their skin turns gray. But the patient doesn’t show any similar symptoms, let alone a drug reaction.”

She tilted her head, grinding herbs with her other hand.

“Perhaps it’s such a small amount that there’s no reaction. Your pheromones are unstable, but it seems like the problem is related to your own pheromones rather than the drug.”

Listening to the endless explanation, I felt dizzy. The doctor, who had taken my pulse, pulled up the cloth and covered my body.

“Party, you can turn around now.”

Ahin, who had been facing the wall, sat down on the bed. His index finger lightly swept past the sweat on my forehead.

“If it’s not a drug problem, what should we do?”

“You need to administer a pheromone stabilizer, not an antidote.”

The doctor opened the cupboard and took out a small bottle.

“Occasionally…. When you have pheromones that are difficult to handle on your own, seizures can occur.”

She turned the lid and looked back at me and Ahin with a somewhat stiff face.

“In my opinion, the patient’s pheromones were activated by the drug’s stimulation, but the body seems unable to handle its own pheromones.”

“So.”

“Pheromone stabilizers are not a good method in the long run. I would like to recommend that you watch the progress until it stabilizes on its own, and administer it only when it is really dangerous.”

It was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

I have to endure this pain? No way.

I tossed and turned, reaching out towards the medicine bottle the doctor was holding. But my fingertips hovered in the air due to Ahin grabbing my wrist.

‘You don’t even know how much it hurts.’

In the midst of the chaos, his hazy expression, like fog, was both sad and hateful. I wanted to cry and shout that it hurt, but even that was difficult, and only ragged breaths flowed out.

‘Just this once….’

Let me take it just this once, and I’ll try to control my pheromones well from now on. I no longer had the confidence to endure the pain of my blood vessels swelling and bursting.

“I, a little….”

I forced myself to continue the broken voice and grabbed Ahin’s sleeve as if begging. He looked down at me without moving and slightly pulled the cloth around my neck.

“If it’s not related to the drug,”

Cool air touched the still unhealed wound on my neck.

“It’ll be okay if I just suppress the pheromones.”

“Yes? Oh, that’s true, but-….”

The doctor slurred the end of her words with a suspicious expression. She didn’t seem to fully grasp Ahin’s intentions.

He didn’t add any further explanation and suddenly bent his body towards me.

“What are you doing…. H, hey! Are you crazy?!”

The doctor, horrified, grabbed his shoulder and tried to stop him.

“Stop doing such arrogant things as trying to suppress it with other pheromones!”

“It’s possible enough, let go.”

“It’s not possible with ordinary pheromones, you could kill the patient!”

“My pheromones,”

Thud, Ahin brushed off her hand on his shoulder.

“Are of the dominant type.”

“Huh….”

She couldn’t help but be shocked and messed up her hair. Ahin, not caring, reached out and supported my neck. Just as he carefully raised me,

“Ju, just a moment, just a moment.”

Again, the doctor waved her hand several times and intervened. He slowly moved his gaze and said as if spitting it out.

“It’s not good for you to drag this out any longer.”

It was nothing short of a clear warning. Understanding the meaning, she audibly gulped.

“Of course, it’s definitely safer to let the pheromones flow inside rather than outside, but….”

The doctor’s gaze reached me and then fell.

“I found a bite mark near the neck during the examination… I can’t allow that kind of method. You shouldn’t see herbivore beastmen’s bodies the same as carnivore beastmen’s.”

Her dark eyes were expressing a firm will.

I, who was looking at her over Ahin’s shoulder, bit my lip. I would rather be bitten on the neck like then and escape from the current pain.

Ahin’s faded red eyes lingered on my neck. The insensitive face and the warmth of the hand touching my neck brought a strange gap.

Eyes met in the air.

Thump.

The moment the pheromones in my body surged once again, Ahin pulled me. At the same time as our faces drew closer, an unfamiliar sensation touched my lips.