The Symbiotic Relationship Between The Rabbit And The Black Panther [EN]: Chapter 38

The deeply asleep Bara stirred, sensing the presence of the black panthers inhabiting the Boundary Forest.

‘I’ll come back and punish you severely.’ Ash and I, promising a future reckoning, had no choice but to rely on the Manyantz family’s carriage.

Bumping along, the carriage crossed the border and soon passed through the Rabbit Territory’s capital.

Ahin’s carriage still hadn’t appeared. It was a difficult journey, unintentionally becoming ‘it’ in a drawn-out game of tag.

Sitting quietly on the carriage cushion, I stole glances out the window.

The Rabbit Territory’s distinctive flat roofs. My view was limited, but I could make out glimpses of vermilion [bright red] roofs stretching into the distance.

“Do you want to see outside?”

Rune, who was buying jerky from a merchant through the window, suddenly asked. I quickly lowered my gaze and shook my head. I knew his golden eyes had been following me the whole way.

“Here.”

In an instant, a large hand lifted me up to the window frame. My paws unintentionally landed on his palm, and I inadvertently looked out the window.

The entire vista of the Rabbit Territory spread out before me: rabbit beastmen with purple eyes, and shops overflowing with drooping fruits and vegetables. Colors flooded the scenes I had mostly seen in black and white.

“Is it true that rabbit beastmen enjoy carrot dishes?”

I, who had been gazing outside, gave him a dumbfounded look. Lion beastmen don’t just eat meat, do they?

“I quite like meat, though,” he immediately answered, somehow understanding my unspoken question. I avoided looking at the jerky between Rune’s lips and rested my chin on the window frame.

“The herbivore territory is peaceful. Weren’t you originally from here? Valence said that Grace picked you up.”

He yawned, his sleepy voice continuing, “You weren’t kidnapped, were you? He’s the kind of human who would do that, so wag your tail if you’ve been silenced.”

‘Why don’t you ask with a little sincerity?’

I glanced sideways at Rune with a hollow feeling.

He was a funny man. He had been listless for the past few hours, but his eyes sparkled only when buying jerky. His eloquence in asking questions he was curious about was still the same.

Being with someone who seemed so indifferent made me feel foolish for being so nervous.

“Rune-nim… Please don’t just talk to yourself and look over here,” Restin’s tearful voice echoed from behind.

“No matter how I dress him up, he doesn’t look like a pet.”

“Just do it yourself, what’s the problem?”

“No, look at this black panther’s appearance. Anyone can see he’s a wild predator. He’ll never get through the mansion, it’s hopeless.”

Restin, whose left cheek was puffed up like Rune’s, protested.

I wondered what kind of person Rune’s sister was to make their cheeks like that.

Troubled, I naturally looked down at Ash, who was in the midst of a wrestling match with Restin.

Ash, with a red cloth on his head, certainly looked more like a wild beast covered in blood than a pet.

I patted Ash, who was tilting his head innocently, and gritted my teeth.

‘Even so, calling him hopeless to his face…’

I was a little upset, but since I was relying on them, I suppressed my anger.

Restin, despite his impression of being someone who wouldn’t bat an eye even if pricked with a needle, was acting like a very sensitive baby deer.

“You suddenly jumped out of the carriage while sleeping, and now you want me to make a huge black panther look like a kitten. Why are you giving me such trials?”

“We have no choice; we have to pretend he’s a pet to get into the chief’s mansion.”

Thanks to my good hearing, Restin’s sharp scolding sounded like thunder. When I folded my ears in half, Rune, who had jerky in his mouth, covered my ears with another piece of jerky.

Of course, the noise was not blocked at all, and the debate continued on how to get me and Ash into the chief’s mansion.

“Didn’t the Raymond family head bring a carnivore last time?”

“It’s true it was a carnivore, but it was a cute weasel. Let’s just leave him on the street. If we bring such a wild beast, the other invitees will be horrified.”

As Restin’s words became more and more intense, Rune, noticing my trembling, argued, “…This black panther is sometimes cute.”

“When did you start liking black panthers? Are you blind? How can you say that when you see his physique?”

That lion is really hopeless. Ash, show him your physique.

Following the instruction, Ash threw off the cloth and immediately struck Restin with his tail. A shrill scream echoed from outside the carriage.

* * *

The flickering candlelight illuminated the guest room where Ahin was staying.

It was a night sky with not a single star visible. The pen that had been wandering over the documents stopped abruptly.

Ivelin, who was working at the makeshift desk, asked without taking her eyes off the documents, “Are you waiting for a messenger bird? I don’t believe there are any letters to be delivered separately.”

There was no answer to the question. Ivelin, who belatedly found the correct answer, raised her head.

“Ah, you told me to write a letter to the Rabbit before leaving the mansion. You must be waiting for that.”

“-Not really.”

Do people who aren’t waiting check the window every minute? Ivelin’s expression, facing the sulking Ahin, twitched slightly.

‘Bibi, make sure to write a letter once a day.’

Just before getting on the carriage, Ahin had notified Bibi, but… Bibi had listened with one ear and let it out the other, like a rabbit who had transcended the world for a hundred years [lived a long, carefree life]. Ivelin, who concluded that she would never receive a letter, added, “I will receive the letter for you, so why don’t you start preparing to go to bed.”

“I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“Shall I sing you a lullaby like in the old days?”

In his younger days, Ivelin was a passionate, budding aide. Ahin, recalling the days when she would finish her schedule by singing a sweet lullaby at his bedside, rested his chin on his hand irritably.

“You’re tone-deaf.”

“There are times when I sing well.”

“Then sing it to Bibi next time.”

Ahin, smiling crookedly, played with the pen. Silver hair slid over his skin as he tilted his head to the side.

It had already been more than half a year since he had slept with Bibi every day without fail.

Bibi’s absence meant that there was no subtle healing pheromone that had filled Ahin’s nights for the past few months. The suppressed, vast pheromones swam through Ahin’s body like snakes.

He pressed down on the pain in his chest that had begun to throb and rolled the pen without emotion.

Ivelin, staring at the seemingly bored Ahin, turned her gaze out the window. The shape of a bird faintly emerged in the night sky.

“It seems the Rabbit has not failed Ahin-nim’s expectations.”

Ahin, who jumped up as if he had been shot, threw open the window. A messenger bird flew in and landed on the window frame.

‘Hilla?’

A small suspicion crept into Ahin’s eyes. Although there was a letter pouch tied to its leg, it was Valence’s eagle owl, not Quinn’s.

“Where’s Quinn?”

The eagle owl blinked its bright yellow eyes and tilted its head.

‘Did Mother send the letter instead?’

Since Bibi would be with Valence day and night anyway, it wasn’t particularly strange.

Ahin, putting aside his small doubts, took out a letter. Judging from the neat footprints stamped at regular intervals, it was a paw-written letter that no one but Bibi could have written.

“…….”

He unfolded the letter and stared at it for a long time as if nailed in place.

Ivelin, who had peeked over his shoulder out of curiosity, gasped. Bibi’s suppressed feelings were contained in the short word.

[Crazy bastard]

A ripple spread across his calm eyes. It was a slang word that no one had dared to say to Ahin’s face.

Ahin blinked slowly and repeated the letter several times.

“…Is this an indirect expression of wanting me to devour her?”

Ivelin carefully covered her twitching lips. She was secretly relieved and sorry for her master, whose subtle expectations had been shattered.

“It was worth the wait. It’s a beneficial letter that makes you look back on yourself.”

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

Ahin folded the paper back up and put it in his inner pocket, then took his seat at the desk. It didn’t take long to write a reply.

The eagle owl, receiving the reply, crossed the night sky.

“Then I’ll have to meet your expectations.”

Ahin, determined to show her all the aspects of a crazy bastard when they reunited, saw off the departing eagle owl.

At the same time, in Rune’s carriage.

Bibi, who knew nothing of these circumstances, suddenly stood on two feet. An animalistic sense was sending a warning signal.

“Why are you suddenly trembling? Are you cold?”

Rune handed a handkerchief to Bibi, who was constantly looking around.

‘Is it because the weather is getting colder?’ Bibi, burrowing into the handkerchief, trembled with anxiety.

‘It’s ominous.’

It was an evening when a chill ran down her spine for some strange reason.

* * *

The carriage, traveling against the night breeze, gradually slowed down.

The mansion of the Rabbit Territory’s chief. Soon, the polite voices of the guards were heard from outside.

“We greet the honored guest of the Manyantz family.”

Rune, leaning on Ash, quickly hid me in his inner pocket.

“Excuse me, but may I see your identification pass and invitation?”

After the sound of the door opening, no other sound was heard. It seemed the knights had lost their words.

Rune was trying to play the animal lover, but perhaps they saw him as a beastly aristocrat with a screw loose.

‘Take the jerky out of your mouth first.’

From the start, the appearance of Rune and Restin, both with puffed-up left cheeks, was a problem.

Feeling suffocated in the inner pocket, I wriggled slightly. Ah, Rune, twisting his body from the ticklishness, helped me to poke my head out. It was a blind spot for the knights.

The knight, giving Rune a sullen look, checked the family crest engraved on the carriage again.

Rune, the crest, the identification pass. The knight, frantically checking back and forth, bowed his head in embarrassment.

“W-we greet Rune Manyantz-nim. I am very sorry, but, what is that black panther…”

“I hope you understand. He’s like a child to me, so I can’t be away from him for long.”

The knights’ gazes were fixed solely on Ash, who was wearing a red cloth. For now, they were rabbit beastmen, so they seemed wary of carnivores.

‘Stop fidgeting, it’s ticklish.’

Rune, whispering, twisted his body.

“Rune-nim is tired from the long journey.”

Lest the knights utter their refusal, Restin, who had taken the lead, winked at Ash as planned.

“Now, salute.”

With a snap, Ash brought his front paw to his forehead. It was a perfect, precisely angled salute. The knights reflexively raised their hands awkwardly.

“As you can see, he’s a gentle and intelligent child.”

“P-please wait a moment. I am sorry, but the accompaniment of a carnivore must first be reported to the higher-ups…”

“We will put an iron leash on him when we enter the mansion. And the invitation states that up to three companions other than the invitee are allowed, so please let us know if you have any objections.”

Restin’s golden eyes, now serious, shone sharply.

The knights could only open and close their mouths without knowing what to do. They clearly wanted to say that companions did not include animals.

“Then it seems there are no objections, so goodbye.”

Restin did not forget to send a piercing gaze until the door closed. He said he had an idea, but it seemed he was causing a scene with his power.

With a thud, the carriage, which had moved again, passed through the entrance of the mansion without any obstacles.

‘Finally….’

I put my front paws on the window frame and poked my head out. Passing through dense trees and statues erected at regular intervals, a domed mansion was revealed.

A place where Ahin is, and where I might be able to meet the truth. My mouth was parched as if sand was rolling around in it.

* * *

Restin, while muttering that his stomach hurt because of us, showed off his excellent cleanup skills.

Thanks to that, Ash, lying on Rune’s bed, slept soundly, full and warm. Perhaps he thought it was an important mission, he stubbornly refused to take off his backpack.

He could have slept comfortably. I, watching the hill-sized belly rising and falling, looked down at my front paws.

‘How to aim pheromones.’

I had succeeded by chance with Bara, but if I mastered it, I could get out of most dangers.

‘Was it this?’

Standing on two feet, I swung my front paws diagonally. I raised them high and stretched them out as if throwing jabs. Fortunately, the sensation of pheromones being shot from my front paws was clear.

“Are you doing gymnastics in the moonlight?”

Is that all you see? I glared at Rune, who was sprawled on the sofa with narrowed eyes.

“Don’t glare at me so much. It’s late anyway, and I’ll send you to Grace tomorrow morning, so let’s play with me today.”

He shook his legs while neatly gathering his hands on his stomach. His long legs hanging on the armrest dangled.

‘It would be better if we used the sofa.’

I sighed and walked to the edge of the bed and sat facing him.

I felt quite strange about Rune’s consideration, treating me like a person since earlier. It made sense since he had suspected me of being a beastman from the start.

“Still, Grace’s scent has faded a bit on the way, so it’s bearable. I thought my nose would rot.”

‘…Rot?’

When I brought my nose to my front paws, I only smelled mustiness. Sniffing, I suddenly realized something and stiffened. The fact that Ahin’s scent had faded meant that my pheromone scent might come out.

‘…Why?’

It usually lasted for at least a few days. I hurriedly rubbed my fur and suddenly my gaze reached the curly pink hair.

The moment I slowly moved my gaze, my eyes met Rune’s. Only his golden eyes shone clearly in the lamp-lit room.

It was a mysterious appearance. He was too free-spirited for the chief’s son, so it didn’t hit me hard, but in times like this, Rune was also an unmistakable high-ranking beast.

“I thought you were a little more comfortable, but now you’re wary again.”

Because I’m an unavoidable dangerous existence. Having my inner thoughts exposed, I slowly moved my butt back.

“Look at that, making such fierce eyes again. I’m so upset that I don’t want to do anything now.”

It was a line without any sincerity.

“I’ve lost the will to live because of the Rabbit-nim.”

‘You probably didn’t want to do anything from the start.’

I didn’t want to hear those words from someone who had ‘no will to live’ written on their face.

Fortunately, Rune, who didn’t mention Ahin’s scent anymore, continued to tell trivial stories.

He talked about the slander about his only sister’s violence, and the hidden story about not being able to follow me to the end in Endelus at that time.

Immediately after parting with me, he was surrounded by officers and dragged away thanks to Ahin, who had reported him as a kidnapper.

‘You scoundrel, tell me the truth!’

He even realized for the first time that his eyes were like that because of the officers who interrogated him, saying that his unfocused eyes were suspicious.

He even blushed in the middle of the story, saying that he had said that part for no reason.

Compared to dealing with Ahin and Ivelin, who took an attitude that had thrown shame far away, Rune’s attitude, which remained subtly within the realm of common sense, was quite refreshing.

Also, it was fortunate that he didn’t ask difficult questions, perhaps to avoid buying my wariness.

“…I feel strangely sleepy. Is it just me?”

As the dawn deepened, sleepiness hung over his golden eyes.

You’re always sleepy, aren’t you? I, who was secretly making an escape plan, gestured to go to sleep, bringing my front paws together to my cheeks.

“Crazy, really. …What is this.”

Rune, tossing and turning, lay down and buried his face in his arm. I suddenly felt uneasy when I heard his meaningful muttering.

“There was a reason why Grace put her scent all over me.”

Ah, I guess it’s because Ahin’s scent disappeared. Rune’s mumbling voice melted drowsily.

“The one-eyed black panther fell asleep too… Is it a sleep pheromone?”

The hypothesis became a fact.

It seemed to last at least a few days, but it was likely because I had used pheromones in the Boundary Forest.

Moreover, Rune was not an ordinary beastman, so he seemed to be intoxicated just by the smell that stimulated his nose.

‘What to do.’

As I was too agitated, even the pheromones I had gathered in my dantian [energy center] began to fluctuate.

I felt like I had to go to Ahin right away. I, sweating profusely, wrinkled my nose.

I felt a strange aura from the drooping Rune.

Pheromones.

It was clear that he had released his pheromones to push back the invading pheromones.

‘Could it be.’

A slight pheromone wouldn’t be a problem, but if it was Rune, who inherited the bloodline of the Lion Territory’s chief….

‘No, no. That’s not it.’

You lazy beast, wake up! I, who was so flustered that my eyes were dizzy, turned around.

“I feel like I’ve been given an anesthetic.”

Rune, turning his head while rustling, looked at me. He seemed to like sleep so much, his languid expression looked quite happy. So much so that I even suspected that he had been deliberately affected by the pheromones.

“…With pheromones like this, you wouldn’t be just a territorial citizen. What’s your family? Or is it your profession?”

‘No, no!’

That’s not the problem right now. I, foreseeing the pain that would follow, touched my cheeks in extreme fear.

Rune had no way of knowing the condition that he would turn into a human if he smelled pheromones. The thread of reason was becoming faint.

‘If I feel like I’m going to turn into a human, I’ll dance or something.’

‘Please understand.’

In desperation, I got up and wiggled my butt. Including the traditional dance of the rabbit tribe that I saw in the book, I did a whirl, a mid-air double rotation, and even a graceful landing.

“You’re dancing so well….”

Rune, who was staring blankly, made a jelly-like, soft voice.

“Ah, so your profession was a ballerina.” No wonder, is that why you grew your hair so long because you’re in the arts… Rune, who interpreted it as he pleased, closed his eyes and was conquered by sleep.

“Maybe I’ll receive the Crown of Aymond….”

What are you saying. The Crown of Aymond was a prestigious award given to continental dancers.

‘This is not the time to talk nonsense!’

Get up! I, who had been dancing the waltz to attract attention, belatedly regained my scattered reason. Unfortunately, there was no way Rune would recognize the signal I had matched with Ahin.

Thud, Rune’s head tilted completely. A snoring sound flowed from him, who had thrown himself into dreamland.

I couldn’t jump off the bed. My gaze, which had been going back and forth in a hurry, was fixed on Ash’s backpack.

‘…Perenium [a potent drug].’

The pocket watch that Ahin had shaken in front of my eyes struck my mind. Without looking back and forth, I kicked my feet and jumped into the backpack.

* * *

Dawn broke. Ahin and Ivelin, who had covered their entire bodies with robes, entered a building located at the end of the slum.

It looked like an ordinary house, but it was an information guild that handled the most information in the Rabbit Territory’s capital.

The inside was so dark that you couldn’t see an inch ahead. Ahin, sitting on a chair, took out a pouch of gold coins from his pocket.

Clang, clang, he repeated the action of throwing it and catching it with one hand, and stared at the opaque glass in front of him. He needed information that could not be obtained without the Rabbit Territory’s information guild.

“You’re from another tribe.”

The voice of an information merchant echoed from across the glass.

“It’s a structure that can only be seen from the inside. Quite sneaky.”

“The customer has also covered his entire face with a robe. I only judged by looking at your fangs.”

Soon, Ahin pushed the heavy pouch into a small compartment that a hand could fit through. It was a pouch containing gold coins and portioned gray powder.

“You know about the gray powder inside.”

“Of course. It’s a drug made from the sap of the Blum tree. It’s been a while; it’s hard to see in the Rabbit Territory.”

The merchant, quite satisfied with the generous gold coins, spilled the information.

“It was briefly popular in the herbivore territory ten years ago, but now it’s based in the beast territory. So we don’t have much information in our Rabbit Territory. What kind of information do you need?”

“A list of Rabbit Territory nobles who have handled this so far.”

“…….”

The voice beyond the glass stopped abruptly as the nobles were involved. The corners of Ahin’s mouth, revealed under the robe, drew an arc.

“I don’t need the upper class, just the lower to middle class families. It would be even better if there was a tribe with white hair.”

Thud, an even heavier pouch that came out of his pocket passed through the glass. The sound of gold coins rubbing together echoed as if counting the amount.

“…It is impossible to disclose the full names of individuals, and I can only tell you the list of families orally. Issuance of documents is also impossible.”

“Don’t be stingy and talk a little more.”

“We have to save our lives too, don’t we? As soon as we disclose information about the nobles, we have to move our base, so please understand.”
The information merchant, making a groaning sound, swept up the pile of gold coins.

“First of all, there are no merchants. The Rabbit Territory’s chief is so strict about drugs that even if you’re not a noble, you’ll be severely punished if you’re caught dealing with drugs. Most of those who handled it directly were lower-class nobles or gangs.”

The information merchant, wearing magnifying glasses, rummaged through a pile of papers.

“Well, everyone seems to be hoping to gain superior pheromones to win factional fights or expect a rise in status… There is no record of obtaining the awakening effect of pheromones. It’s also a very old story.”

The information merchant listed a few families who had handled the drugs while turning over the documents.

“Among them, the family with a tribe with white hair is.”

Thud, Ahin, who handed over more gold coin pouches, smiled faintly. The sound of turning pages quickened.

“Uh- just a moment. So… the Wiggings family and the Benzel family….”

“And.”

“The Rabian family would be about it.”