Chapter 6
The girl strode towards him and stopped abruptly.
Glancing at him, she asked point-blank,
“Is it you?”
“…?”
For a moment, Luke was speechless. He was taken aback by the girl's unexpected appearance.
And for good reason…
—Twitch!
Pointed ears standing rigidly upright, a silver tail swaying at her waist, and large, sparkling eyes.
Could this be…
'A Beastman?'
A Different Race.
And among them, a Beastman, known for its ferocious nature.
Beastmen are inherently proficient in combat.
No, to be precise, they're a race born obsessed with combat.
A race that enjoys fighting, reveres strength, and bows to no one.
Due to their diametrically opposed nature to humans, who value harmony, they generally live in communities separated from human settlements.
That's why Luke couldn't comprehend the current situation.
It was extremely rare for Beastmen, known for sticking together, to wander around alone like this.
Especially in Blackmore, a place notorious as a Magical Boundary.
“Hmm.”
Luke stood still, observing her.
No matter how he looked at it, wasn't she a typical Fox Beastman?
At least as far as he knew, their Territory didn’t border this area.
Was she ostracized from her pack?
But she was too young and her limbs were intact for that.
Or maybe she was captured as a slave and escaped?
Who was she?
No matter how many times he thought about it, no one came to mind.
'I don't know.'
He really didn't know. As he was thinking this, a chillingly low voice reached him.
“Did you not hear me?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if it was you.”
“What was?”
Tap. Tap.
The girl nudged the broken sign dangling precariously with her fingertip.
“This sign. Did you put it up?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I helped too.”
Rudine said proudly.
Right, good job.
He lightly patted her head, and her face flushed crimson.
“…Found you.”
Ignoring them, the Fox Beastman curled her lips after hearing his answer.
And then she said—
“Take responsibility.”
What?
“Responsibility? For what?”
“Because of you, I couldn’t die.”
“???”
Couldn't die?
Because of him?
Could that mean…
“Suicide?”
“…”
Her silence seemed to confirm it.
This was unexpected.
He had seen many Beastmen die fighting, but never one who tried to take their own life.
“So, you’re saying you came all the way here to die, but you couldn’t because of the sign I put up?”
“…”
Nod. Nod.
The girl readily admitted it with a disgruntled expression.
Rudine, who was watching this, widened her eyes and whispered to Luke.
“That sign, does it really work?”
“I told you. Seeing that makes even suicidal thoughts disappear.”
“But what does she mean by take responsibility? Does she want you to kill her?”
“Shh! What if she hears you…”
“Hey! I can hear you!”
Oops.
Sharp ears, like a true fox.
“Do you know how I feel, coming all the way here?!”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then let me explain!”
“Not interested.”
“Grrr…!”
The fox clenched her fists and fumed angrily.
Even her swaying silver tail stood on end as she expressed her rage.
It looked so fluffy that he suddenly wanted to touch it.
“Anyway, take responsibility!”
“Why should I?”
“I told you, you interfered with me.”
She thrust the sign in his face.
The phrase 'Are you a good swimmer?' caught his eye.
Luke stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Why was she so agitated by that phrase?
Unable to contain his curiosity, he finally asked her,
“You can’t swim, can you?”
“…!”
“Is that why you couldn’t jump?”
“…”
A crimson face. A fierce glare.
Aha. He hadn't thought it possible, but she was actually intimidated by the sign.
A sudden sense of accomplishment washed over him.
As expected, the power of the sign was potent.
It was a good thing he had taken the time to meticulously place them everywhere.
But regardless of that, he couldn’t agree with her words.
“Why is that my responsibility?”
At his words, she wore a bewildered expression.
“Why?! Because if you hadn’t put up that sign…!”
“Or maybe you’re just a coward?”
“What?”
Gnash.
The sound of grinding teeth echoed clearly.
“…How dare you.”
A voice filled with rage.
From her voice and expression, she was clearly expressing hostility.
At the same time, a faint Killing Intent brushed against his skin.
The hairs on his arms began to stand on end.
'Huh?'
He suddenly realized his mistake.
Wasn't 'coward' the most humiliating insult to a Beastman?
He had deliberately pressed her buttons, so it was natural for a competitive Beastman to be enraged.
It was then.
“Luke.”
Rudine tilted her head.
“Is she an enemy?”
A short but impactful question.
No sooner had Rudine finished her question—
*Gooooooooooo—*
The air around them grew heavy, making it difficult to breathe, and his legs buckled as if an immense weight had suddenly pressed down on his shoulders.
'What is this…'
He wasn't the only one affected.
The Fox Beastman in front of him also grimaced under the tremendous Pressure.
'What kind of Killing Intent…'
A thick, immeasurable Killing Intent enveloped the entire area, and he could feel his heart pounding violently.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
The startled Fox Beastman's gaze slowly shifted towards a single point.
Her eyes widened as she saw Rudine, her lips curled into a predatory grin.
The Fox Beastman tried to muster her own energy in response.
However, it was suppressed by Rudine's Killing Intent, rendering it ineffective.
‘Of all the…’
The situation had become complicated. Each side recognized the other as an enemy, yet none showed any sign of backing down.
Rudine was one thing, but this fox was the real problem.
Look at her gritting her teeth, stubborn as any Beastman.
Just like her crazy race, she probably sees dying in battle as an honor.
*Keeekiiiik—!*
Colliding auras exploded in the air.
At the same time, the ear-piercing screech of tearing space assaulted my eardrums.
*Gulp.*
It was truly a critical moment.
That's when it happened.
-*Thud.*
“Huu…!”
The fox girl trembled.
She hiccuped—*hic!*—and collapsed onto the ground, shaking.
‘What the… why is she like this?’
Drooping triangular ears, half-folded in dejection.
A silver tail, limp and clinging to the ground.
This little…
Could it be?
“Hey.”
*Flinch!*
“Are you okay?”
“……”
Reddened eyes.
Bright red ear tips.
It was certain.
This one, she was scared shitless.
“???”
Suddenly, it was absurd.
Wasn't she a Beastman?
Did it make any sense for a race obsessed with fighting to be on the verge of tears from being pressured by killing intent?
I didn't see any Beastmen like that in the original…
‘Wait a minute.’
Although I didn’t remember every single detail of the original, I definitely remembered the main storyline and the important characters.
And among them, there were Beastmen.
That name was definitely…
‘Adina.’
Adina.
The Fox Beastman who later occupied one of the seats of the Beast King, the pinnacle of Beastmen.
‘Could this scaredy-cat be her?’
Did it make any sense?
But most of Adina's descriptions in the original matched her perfectly.
‘Fluffy triangular ears, silver tail, violet eyes…’
And that wasn't all.
If she was the same Adina as the Beast King Adina, I could guess why she was hiding alone in Blackmore, separated from her clan.
Adina, who had been hiding in Blackmore for countless years, later joined the protagonist’s party. At that time, she revealed the reason herself—
‘Abandoned.’
She was abandoned by her clan.
The reason she was abandoned.
It was because…
‘Scaredy-cat.’
Yeah.
A scaredy-cat.
Because of her aversion to fighting, her fearfulness, and her timid nature, she was severely bullied in her group.
Eventually, abandoned by her clan, she had no choice but to leave for Blackmore on her own.
‘The only Beastman who hated her own kind.’
It was something I’d glossed over when reading the original.
But I never knew.
I never imagined the reason she hid in Blackmore was to… commit suicide.
“Hey.”
“…!!!”
*Cringe.*
Her silver tail shot up, tense.
Like a frightened wildcat, she cowered and gulped.
“P-Please forgive me!”
“Huh?”
“Let’s pretend this never happened, *hic!*… *hic!*”
“Really?”
“Y-Yes! It’s totally fine! Just… please do something about that monster… *hic!*”
What a scaredy-cat.
I barely managed to swallow down the rising tide of astonishment.
“So we can go now?”
*Nod nod!*
Adina desperately nodded.
Her silver tail swayed in time with her nods.
“Rudine!”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s go.”
“Okay!”
As I beckoned, Rudine, retracting her killing intent, trotted over.
Adina, who had been watching us in dismay, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’re leaving.”
“…”
I turned around without a second thought.
Beast King or not, I was in a hurry.
I needed to finish the exploration as soon as possible, return, and enjoy a leisurely rest.
I needed to…
“…”
*Thud thud.*
“…”
*Thud thud.*
‘What’s this?’
Slow footsteps.
And they were getting closer.
Could it be?
“!!!”
*Whirl!*
“Eek!”
Sure enough.
I made eye contact with Adina, who had been following us like a petty thief, keeping her distance.
“What are you doing?”
“…”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if she had something to say. Finally, she spoke in a voice that seemed tightly locked.
“……S-Scared…”
What?
“I-I don’t want to be alone……”
“…”