The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 31

As usual, Mayme finished her service and sent Ash out of Evelyn’s bedroom first.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Mayme, who usually avoided unnecessary contact, subtly stroked my butt.

Perhaps it was because we hadn’t seen each other in almost a week. Considering it her way of showing affection, I stuck my butt out a little further for her to touch more easily.

Mayme stroked me for a while with her usual impassive expression before leaving the bedroom.

I looked around the bedroom, which felt like a safe haven, and sighed softly. To think I considered the black panther’s territory safe meant I was living in a truly threatening world.

Without thinking, I approached the terrace, then panicked and hid under the desk.

‘Good heavens!’

Beyond the glass window was one of Ahin’s messenger hawks from Endelus [a city or region]. It seemed I had gained another surveillance measure in just a few days.

I cautiously peeked out, my eyes flashing sharply. When the Grace family went for walks, a large hawk frequently crossed the sky.

‘That hawk…’

A hawk with piercing eyes and a nasty disposition. It would swoop down and snatch rabbits in an instant, and I would always hide near Mayme’s feet.

‘That hawk…!’

That must be the one. As I was engaging in a silent staring contest, I heard the bathroom door click open.

“Bibi?”

I instinctively tried to run out at Ahin’s call, but then I stopped.

‘This won’t do.’

Because I listen so obediently, that beast is probably thinking of exploiting me. With each passing day, this Bibi-nim [term of endearment or respect] is being taken for granted, summoned with a mere gesture.

“Bibi, where are you?”

Huddled under the desk, I pondered how to handle the situation. If I continued to be frightened by Ahin’s every action, he would likely look down on me even more.

“Should I make you into a rabbit steak?”

It took less than three seconds to leap out like the wind. Ahin’s back, pressed against the wall, trembled silently.

That cunning black panther. Realizing this belatedly, I buried my face in my front paws, feeling a sense of despair.

“Disappearing is becoming a habit.”

My body floated into the air and soon landed on the soft bed. I lifted my head, my expression hardening as I faced an overly seductive Ahin.

It wasn’t just the gown, with nothing but bare skin underneath the silk. Drops of water fell from his hair, past his chin, and darkened the white bedding.

‘Even if I’m just a rabbit…!’

Please, have at least a little sense of caution. It was a sight I couldn’t get used to, no matter how many months passed.

Then, my gaze lingered on his red lips, and I quickly burrowed under the pillow. I was worried my fur would turn red with blush.

“Why do you keep going somewhere?”

Unfortunately, I was caught by my hind legs just before I could hide. No matter how much I clung to the bedding, I was easily dragged out.

Ahin finally pulled me out and propped himself up on his elbow, facing me. I couldn’t help but see the curves of his upper body exposed through the gown, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

‘Ugh.’

Beast God, why do you keep testing me? As I mentally organized the history of the beastmen by year, Ahin’s slightly husky voice flowed out.

“What are you thinking about?”

‘About the significance of the territorial war that happened three hundred years ago.’

You’ll never understand my efforts, even if you die and come back to life. Resigned, I turned my back to Ahin and lay down.

“Just because we’ve exchanged a few words…”

Tap, Ahin’s finger lightly touched my ear.

“It’s become a little frustrating not being able to communicate.”

‘Actually, I feel the same way.’

In rabbit form, no matter how much I wave my front and hind paws, I can’t express what I could convey with a single word. Now that I’ve realized the convenience of it, I feel suffocated.

When I didn’t know, I was just upset, but now that I know, I feel incredibly stifled.

The bedding sank as he relaxed and lay down. Soon, Ahin’s fingers forced me to roll over.

It was a perfect distance, close enough to see all his features, but not too close. Ahin, lying diagonally with his arm as a pillow, curved his eyes into crescents.

“If I use pheromones now, will you turn into a human?”

‘That won’t do.’

Startled, I quickly got up and shook my head.

“Why?”

Because transforming is generally too exhausting.

The only time I didn’t feel much pain was when I swallowed the drug. But the drug caused a pheromone surge after the transformation.

Rather than endure that pain and temporarily become human only to revert, it was more important to find a clue to humanization starting tomorrow.

Last time, I rubbed my belly in front of Valence-nim [term of respect] and ended up eating my fill of hay….

This time, I tried a different method, pretending to choke myself with my front paws.

“Thirsty?”

That’s not it. I firmly drew an X and then pretended to choke myself again, struggling.

“It hurts.”

That’s it. My face lit up, and I applauded Ahin’s efforts, highly praising him. But unlike me, who was delighted, his expression didn’t ease.

“So, every time you transform into a human, it hurt this much?”

‘Well, something like that…?’

I sat back down and blankly nodded.

Ahin stared at me for a moment, then gently tickled my chin with his thumb.

“How did you express it when it hurt until now?”

I rested my chin on his finger and rolled my eyes.

Well, had I ever properly expressed it? To remember, I would have to go back to my time in the Rabian family, so I didn’t want to think about it.

“Did you suffer alone?”

I didn’t want to talk about such pasts. Unable to answer immediately, I cautiously watched Ahin’s expression.

“Shall we sleep?”

Whisk, my vision darkened as he suddenly pulled the blanket.

Still rude as ever. Trapped in the blanket in an instant, I hit Ahin’s body with my front paws. I was about to deliver a final kick with my hind legs when,

“I suddenly want to tear you apart and kill you.”

What. At the low murmur, I froze in place, my foot still raised.

* * *

The spacious conference hall was packed with people.

Early in the morning, black panther and lion clans gathered to discuss the Endelus drug issue, and a lively debate ensued.

“The knights captured several beastmen from the abandoned building and interrogated them, but they were just low-level merchants and didn’t know the source of the drug.”

A black panther noble turned a page of the document.

“It seems too sophisticated to have been developed by a gang or lower-level guild.”

“It’s also possible that nobles or wealthy merchants funded it. How is the drug investigation progressing?”

A lion noble raised his hand and spoke.

“The drug is currently being analyzed. One thing is certain: it’s a type that activates pheromones. We have someone skilled in poisons in our clan’s delegation, so they will be providing additional cooperation from today.”

The meeting was nearing its end.

It seemed like it was time to adjourn…. The nobles exchanged glances and glanced at the head table.

“The lion form was more impressive. It’s a shame, Lord Manients.”

“Were you quite envious of the mane that black panthers don’t have?”

Ahin and Rune, seated at the head table, were bickering as if to flaunt their animosity. Both of them seemed dissatisfied with something today, their smiling faces were eerily murderous.

The nobles, unable to even mention adjournment, quietly watched the two.

‘That cat bastard….’

Rune’s eyes narrowed as he rested his chin on his hand. Last night, while returning from a visit to a nearby city, about ten assassins ambushed him.

Attacks are common for someone of Ahin or Rune’s status, and if they belong to an assassination guild, the probability of finding out the client and the mastermind is close to zero.

However, considering the timing, the client was undoubtedly the petty black panther sitting in front of Rune.

Rune smiled wryly and raised one eyebrow as if to provoke him.

“I don’t know if you know this, but Lord Grace’s rabbit complained that life is hard because of the black panther.”

The lion clan’s side stiffened at the surprising fact.

No, how can a rabbit complain about life’s difficulties? There’s a limit to wordplay. The lion clan wanted to gag Rune if they could.

“…That can’t be.”

Ahin, unaffected, twisted his lips.

“The rabbit already commands the black panther with a single paw, so there’s no reason for it to be difficult.”

“Indeed. The day the rabbit-nim [term of endearment or respect] unifies the continent with its front paws is not far off.”

Evelyn, standing behind, stepped forward to defend Ahin. A solemn look was added to her serious face.

On the other hand, the faces of the black panther clan turned hot as they couldn’t speak.

‘Please, both of you….’

There’s a limit to jokes. Their novel nonsense was familiar, but the problem was that it was in a public place, even in front of the lion clan.

“That rabbit will dominate the continent…?”

“Lord Evelyn, is that true?”

What are you guys taking so seriously? Not only Rune, who muttered, but also Restin, who was making a fuss, made it so that the lion clan was no longer in a position to laugh at the black panther clan.

Meanwhile, Rune fell into deep thought.

In fact, the rabbit was different from ordinary beastmen. It was possible to stay in its true form for days, and it emitted a strange scent several times.

Moreover, whether it was a coincidence or not, the scar on his face disappeared without a trace after parting with the rabbit, which could not be overlooked.

If that rabbit had unimaginable pheromones. There was no reason why a herbivorous beastman couldn’t have them.

If the hypothesis was true, the Grace family was akin to gaining tremendous power.

“Continue talking.”

Rune, who had become more serious, opened his mouth.

At the same time, the lion clan covered their flushed faces with both hands. What should they talk about, what dazzling techniques will the baby rabbit use to conquer the continent?

“Ah, now that I think about it, our rabbit told me not to even talk to lions.”

“What?”

“Don’t you remember running away after seeing Lord Manients in Endelus?”

“Indeed, lions have always been the natural enemy of rabbits. It’s often mentioned in fairy tales.”

Evelyn, who stuck her head out, added. Ahin, who smiled like a well-fed beast, buried himself in the backrest.

“Black panthers don’t play such cruel roles.”

“Come to think of it, lions are mostly harmful characters.”

From the beginning, black panthers didn’t even appear in fairy tales. The lion clan sent signals to Rune with desperate eyes.

‘Ignore them, Lord Rune.’

It was close to a time-consuming teasing that no one could understand the purpose of. They looked at Rune with hope, but,

“Kuh….”

What part are you feeling wronged about? Following this, Ahin and Evelyn’s absurd exaggerations continued, such as our rabbit has the ability to increase its size, and even made a gorilla submit with one back kick.

Rune and Restin, who exchanged glances, listened seriously without taking it lightly. It seemed like an exaggeration at first glance, but if you kept in mind that the rabbit was a beastman and filtered it appropriately, most of it was close to the truth.

The black panther and lion clans, who did not know these inside stories at all, looked at each other with pity.

‘They must be having a hard time too.’

‘They must have suffered quite a bit in the meantime.’

It was a time to build a stronger sense of solidarity from the heart.

The familiar musty scent of the study tickled my nose after a long time.

After exchanging greetings with the security guards in front of the study, I crossed between the bookshelves with a determined look.

[B-02]

As soon as I arrived at the section where pheromone specialty books were collected, Mayme naturally lifted me onto her palm.

‘Mayme, Z floor!’

Understanding perfectly even with a small gesture, she stretched her arm upwards, helping me reach the Z floor.

I chose a thick book describing rare pheromones and took a seat in the middle of the study.

‘Mayme, step away for a moment.’

As I stretched out my front paw, Mayme kept her distance just enough so that the contents of the book were visible. Smart Ash came to my side and acted as a screen.

‘How could you be like this?’ I rubbed my head against his black fur and took a serious posture.

Finally, most of the keywords were gathered: delayed humanization, a body that changes when exposed to pheromones,

…and lastly, healing abilities.

Flap, flap, the pages I was quickly turning with my front paw stopped at one place. It was a description of healing pheromones that I had seen before but mostly passed over.

「The healing type is so vast, and beastmen with the ability are so rare, that it is not easy to obtain records.

The most common abilities in the healing type are sleep and anesthesia…」

‘Sleep and anesthesia?’

Sleep is an ability that has already been proven through practice with Ash.

‘Anesthesia, anesthesia…’

I opened my mouth slightly and repeated it.

As I was thinking carefully, I remembered the phenomenon of the wolf beastmen I met in the shanty town being unable to control their bodies. Could that have been an anesthetic ability?

「In particular, anesthesia often contains a scent that stimulates beastmen.」

A scent that stimulates beastmen. The front paw holding the book trembled.

‘Is this the rabbit that smells like bread?’

‘Butter, even.’

The description also matched my phenomenon, which may have had a prominent pheromone scent.

「There is a record of a lion beastman with outstanding healing abilities healing not only minor scars but also infectious diseases.」

Instantly, the scene of Ash and Rune’s wounds disappearing without a trace flickered in my mind.

Sleep, anesthesia, and even wound healing. The pieces were falling into place more and more.

‘But how?’

The probability of me having such abilities was very low.

Because it wasn’t the kind that a rabbit, especially a beastman of middle-class noble lineage, would have.

It was a level of pheromones that a herbivore beastman’s physical condition could not withstand.

As I was blankly burying my chin in the book, a certain hypothesis flashed through my mind like lightning. In the pheromone book that Valence had given me before, it was clear that,

‘A case of a fox beastman whose humanization was delayed because the inherent pheromones were too strong.’

Cold sweat ran down my temples.

If my body couldn’t handle the healing pheromones, and my body had been forcibly suppressing the pheromones, then that’s why humanization was impossible even after the coming-of-age ceremony.

‘No way!’

No, no, it makes sense. Because pheromones and humanization go hand in hand. My pupils trembling, I paced anxiously.

Perhaps because my appearance seemed precarious, Ash, who had approached, licked my cheek.

‘It’s okay. Calm down, Ash.’

I was the one who needed to calm down. I patted Ash and looked alternately at my front paws with dazed eyes.

‘…Then, if I can control my pheromones myself, maybe I can get closer to humanization.’

How am I supposed to handle such enormous pheromones? My head throbbed, and I touched my temples.

Thump, the sound from the entrance of the study made me prick up my ears and turn my head.

There, an old gentleman was staring at me, having dropped his cane.

‘Who is it?’

Judging from his red eyes, he was from the black panther clan, but he was a person I had never seen in this mansion.

Judging from his luxurious attire, he didn’t seem to be an experienced butler or chief servant, but someone of high status.

Not letting my guard down, I slipped under Ash’s tail.

A long silence passed. The old gentleman, who tapped the shoulder of the security guard next to him, opened his mouth after a long time.

“Hey, what is that?”

“I beg your pardon, it is a baby rabbit.”

“Are you stupid? Do you think I’m asking because I don’t know that? I’m asking if the scene I just saw was an illusion.”

The embarrassed security guard couldn’t answer easily. Tsk, tsk. The old gentleman clicked his tongue and raised his voice as if scolding.

“Didn’t I ask if that baby rabbit is reading a book, using a black panther like a servant, and touching its forehead is real!”

Even as he shouted, the old gentleman grabbed the back of his neck and staggered.

“L, Lilian-nim!”

At the same time, the short screams of the security guards and Mayme echoed in the study.

* * *

The Shrine Festival was a kind of sacrificial ritual held regularly every year.

The continent where only beastmen exist worships the only god, the Beast God Vestel, so on this day, a ritual is held in the great shrines throughout the territory.

As invited guests, Valence and Ahin, after exchanging greetings with the nobles, sat in the highest seats and looked down at the crowded scenery. The heads looked like dots from such a dizzying height.

“In the beginning, of the Bestia Continent…”

The meaningless greetings and speeches continued for nearly two hours.

Ahin, who quenched his thirst with wine, was about to fall asleep from boredom.

“If you’re going to be so bored, you should have come with the rabbit.”

Valence next to him said with a gentle smile. Ahin’s gaze, slowly shifting, reached her profile.

Even though she was his mother, she was an inscrutable person. While vaguely guessing that Bibi was a beastman, she always pretended not to know and referred to him as a rabbit or baby.

“I tried to do that too.”

He turned his gaze forward again and rested his chin on his hand. It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about putting him in his pocket.

The shrine doesn’t have the rampant sexual pheromones like a banquet hall, and Bibi also looks scared when leaving the mansion, but his eyes sparkle when he actually leaves.

He was already uneasy about keeping him in the mansion, so this morning….

‘Bibi, let’s go to the shrine schedule this afternoon,’

Before he could even finish speaking, he kicked off the ground with his hind legs and ran away. Even if he pretended to be sad, all he got back was a prickly snort.

“He’s been avoiding the shrine for a while now.”

“Oh my, that child and the shrine? Why?”

Why. Ahin, whose mind was momentarily blank, tilted his head.

“…I don’t know.”

What was the reason he desperately ran away from the shrine back then? The image of Bibi running like crazy flickered in his mind.

For Bibi, the shrine was more frightening than a beast, but at the time, he didn’t really wonder why, so he just let it go.

He really didn’t have any big questions about Bibi, it was just enough to keep him by his side.

Ahin, resting his chin on his hand, tapped the armrest with his other hand.

Bibi.

Sometimes he ignores you when you call his name, sometimes he shakes his front paws when he needs you. If he’s tired, he doesn’t kick you with his hind legs, and when he’s scared, he runs around the whole bedroom and hides.

It was just funny that the reaction was different every time he called.

‘It was just funny.’

But as time went by, he became curious about what he was thinking so hard with that little head. With eyes full of will to live, commanding Ash as Evelyn said.

A vague emotion settled on Ahin’s tired face.

Tap.

Every time his finger tapped the armrest, the scene in front of his eyes changed.

When he looked back at himself in human form in the shanty town, he felt quite strange. His tearful face was embedded in his eyes, lingering in his mind for quite a long time.

Tap.

Even when he had a frightened look.

Tap.

Even when he smiled awkwardly while avoiding eye contact.

The face that turned around with his pheromone scent all over it gave him a sense of fulfillment that seemed to press down on his sternum.

“Ahin, how many herbivore beastmen do you think there are in that crowd?”

Due to the sudden question, the swamp that had settled deeply in Ahin’s eyes disappeared.

Valence waved to the territory people with a relaxed look.

“You can count them on your fingers.”

“That’s right. Carnivorous beastmen can freely cross any territory, but herbivore beastmen don’t cross into our territory unless there is a special reason.”

As the head waved his hand, the territory people raised their arms high. Cheers and her voice were mixed together.

“I heard that he was picked up after being abandoned in the Forest of Boundaries. If it were us, we would have killed the rabbit directly to prevent trouble, but they passed the role of killing to us by abandoning him. That’s how rare death is in the territory of herbivore beastmen.”

“…….”

“The gap will not be easily narrowed. The rabbit will rely on you, but he won’t trust you.”

Valence, who slowly lowered his hand, smiled.

“You must have shown the rabbit a lot of your aspects that are already indifferent to death.”

Ahin, who repeated clenching and unclenching his fist, replied briefly.

“I’ll take your advice.”

“And I forgot to say, my father has arrived, so when you return to the mansion, try to see him.”

“Grandpa, no, Grandfather?”

“Yes, since your birthday is approaching, he has been staying since the day before yesterday. He will probably say something about the succession issue.”

Has it already been that long? Ahin, who was slouching, straightened up again, recalling the old-fashioned autocrat, Lilian.

“Mother.”

“That’s unusual, you’re calling me urgently.”

“How do you think Grandfather will see Bibi?”

“It was already brought up once. Since he’s such a stubborn person, if he happens to run into him, he might faint or…”

Instantly, the two people who had a bad feeling looked at each other.

Bwee-

Ahin’s gaze, hearing a familiar cry, turned to the sky. The hawk he had attached to Bibi circled greatly in the sky.

The crimson eyes that looked up at the flapping wings sank eerily. It meant that something might have happened to Bibi.

“Did you call?”

Evelyn, who received Ahin’s call, approached him. Ahin, pulling his cravat, gestured to the black uniform.

“Evelyn, change clothes.”

“…Could it be a substitute?”

“It’s a familiar thing, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t bring a wig.”

Shortly after, Evelyn, wearing Ahin’s clothes and sitting in his place, smoothed his hair. Fortunately, the distant public would not notice, and his mission was to leave before the Shrine Festival ended and the nobles came to greet him.

“Your hair is very beautiful. It’s a rare sight.”

Valence, holding a wine glass, praised in a soft voice.

“It is only an honor, Head of the Family.”

Evelyn, who paid respect to the head of the family, waved his hand while immersing himself in the role. The silver mop on his head fluttered in the wind.

* * *