“Ah, I’m sorry…”
“No. You did well.”
Kaniel’s body was drenched in cold sweat. Taeyon looked at him like that, then carefully wiped away the sweat beading on his face with his sleeve.
Kaniel, his complexion pale, slowly raised his gaze.
“Taeyon…”
“Yeah.”
“Did I… do well…?”
“…You did very well.”
At Taeyon’s answer, Kaniel grinned bashfully.
That smile awakened the beastkin who had frozen in shock, thinking something serious had happened to the benefactor who had saved them. The first to come to his senses was the rabbit beastkin Kaniel had tried to save.
The rabbit beastkin came running over and poured out words with a flushed face.
“That was amazing, hyung! Hyung, do you have an ability? Is this happening because you used your ability just now? What should we do in situations like this… Oh right, a Tuner! They said you need a Tuner after using an ability!”
“What’s an ability?”
“Huh…?”
There couldn’t be an ability user who didn’t know about abilities. That’s because abilities weren’t something that awakened naturally, but rather something that people born with such power acquired through training.
“You’re not… an ability user?”
“I’m a mage.”
“A mage…?”
“Yeah, a mage.”
He had absolutely no idea what that was. But like the simple beastkin he was, he seemed to decide to just let it slide for now, and the rabbit beastkin asked what he was most curious about.
“Then why are you so weak right now, hyung?”
“It’s because I used that magic earlier.”
“To protect us?”
“Mm-hmm… But I’ll be fine if I rest. It’s nothing serious.”
He said that because he felt a bit embarrassed about making a big deal of it, but the rabbit beastkin shook his head.
“You ended up like this trying to save me… Thank you, hyung.”
“No. You helped me too.”
“How does that even compare? I’m much more grateful to you, hyung. I survived because of you.”
“…Yeah.”
Somehow his chest felt ticklish inside. The pain that still gripped his entire body and the feeling of complete exhaustion as if all his strength had drained away—it all felt like nothing.
He didn’t know how to express this elation. But one thing was certain—he felt incredibly happy and joyful.
That’s when it happened.
“Um, thank you.”
“I would have died if it weren’t for you.”
“Thank you.”
“Thanks.”
The beastkin who had been inside his protective barrier began to express their gratitude one by one.
“I, I’m sorry about earlier. Thank you for saving me.”
With a face colored by shame and guilt, the deer beastkin bowed his head. Just moments ago, he had been one of those who called Kaniel a cursed bastard, despising and keeping him at a distance.
Surrounded by words of gratitude, Kaniel felt an indescribable emotion welling up inside him. He wasn’t quite sure, but he felt like he might cry at this rate.
Kaniel grasped Taeyon’s arm tightly with trembling hands. Then Taeyon scooped up his body in one swift motion, just as he had when jumping off the cliff.
“You should rest now.”
As Taeyon said this and scanned their surroundings, the beastkin who had approached hesitantly stepped back. It was because of the unique sense of intimidation he possessed.
Kaniel, resting his head against Taeyon’s chest, fortunately remembered there was something he needed to tell him before they left the marketplace.
“Taeyon. I saw something strange earlier.”
Kaniel raised his upper body slightly and pointed at the top of the cliff.
Taeyon’s eyes widened as he turned his gaze in that direction.
“A demon beast…?”
He could tell the moment their eyes met that the white wolf atop the cliff wasn’t just a simple animal or monster, but a demon beast. Its eyes were glowing red beneath the moonlight.
Demon beasts were far more powerful enemies than monsters could ever compare to. Even a single demon beast couldn’t be faced by just one or two ordinary knights, and this white wolf even commanded monsters.
Then did that mean all the monster attacks up until now were the work of that demon beast? Taeyon clicked his tongue. This village wasn’t prepared to face a demon beast.
Taeyon carefully checked his body’s ability wavelength. His ability wavelength was still dangerously boiling. If he used his ability to fight the demon beast in this state, he might go berserk.
If he went berserk from using his ability to catch the demon beast, it wouldn’t be the demon beast that massacred the village, but him. That was something that absolutely must not happen.
Then what should he do?
Would he die here?
No, if he were alone it might be different, but he couldn’t decide on death so easily in a place with this many people. He had to at least struggle and try.
Right. If worst comes to worst, I’ll lure the demon beast toward the forest and use my ability there. That way the village can be safe.
Taeyon glared at the demon beast with wary eyes while whispering to Kaniel in his arms.
“Kaniel. You should stay in the village…”
Just then, the demon beast rose to its feet. But contrary to what he’d thought, instead of immediately charging toward the village, it sat still and watched Taeyon.
Quietly and calmly, with unfathomable red eyes.
“…What the?”
Taeyon had faced countless demon beasts until now. But this was the first time he’d encountered a demon beast with eyes like those. Eyes that weren’t filled with the desire to take other creatures’ lives and violence, but seemed to possess reason.
Moreover, as they locked eyes, he even felt like he’d seen those eyes somewhere before.
What followed was thick discomfort.
To recall his hyung from a demon beast—it was a ridiculous thought.
When he glared with hostile eyes, the demon beast rose completely. Then countless gray wolf monsters revealed themselves behind it.
The moment of tension with nerves on edge was brief. The demon beast blinked slowly, then turned its body and disappeared into the forest through the bushes. The monsters that served the demon beast did the same.
Only a chilling wind remained where they had vanished.
Taeyon couldn’t hide his confused state of mind. He continued his thoughts while glaring at the empty cliff, then adjusted his hold on Kaniel, who had fallen asleep as if unconscious, and turned toward the inside of the village.
Deeply absorbed in thoughts about the demon beast, Taeyon was completely unaware that his raging ability wavelength was being gradually absorbed by Kaniel.
* * *
When he opened his eyes, Kaniel was beneath an unfamiliar ceiling. The reason he felt pleased for a moment was because he hadn’t seen a ceiling at all recently.
Kaniel pulled the blanket and hugged it tight. The blanket was also something he hadn’t had in a long time. The pillow too. The bed too. Everything.
Being in a place like this must mean everything worked out well.
Kaniel grinned to himself as he recalled what happened before he fell asleep. There wasn’t just one or two good things. He’d helped Taeyon by telling him that the bear demon beast’s weak point was its knee, he’d saved the beastkin from monsters with his protective barrier, and lastly, he’d figured out how to use magic without it hurting.
Finding out a safe way to use it meant he’d become more useful. It also meant he could stay more confidently by Taeyon’s side, who had said he kept him around because he was helpful.
“How long are you going to keep grinning?”
Startled, Kaniel shot up from the bed. Taeyon was sitting on a chair by the window, tending to his sword.
“Oh, you were here? Why?”
“Because I have business with you.”
“With me? What is it?”
He tried to get out of bed, but his legs buckled.
Wow, I have no strength in my body at all. Even though he hadn’t done any physical work. It seemed he’d tensed his body too much while using the protective barrier magic.
Kaniel, thinking that far, realized he was only wearing a light shirt and comfortable pants. Someone must have changed his clothes.
And that someone was probably…
“Come here.”
He looked over in surprise while clutching his shirt, but Taeyon called Kaniel over with an expression that showed he didn’t care about that issue at all. Of course, since they were both men, it wasn’t a problem at all.
But Kaniel had never shown his naked body to others because he’d had no friends. Of course, it happened while he was unconscious, but still…!
Kaniel approached Taeyon slowly, feeling somehow wronged.
“Sit.”
“What business do you have…”
Unable to be truly curt, he grumbled instead, and Taeyon pulled out a chair as if it were nothing. Kaniel ended up sitting next to Taeyon.
When Kaniel looked at him with eyes that showed he had no idea what was going on, Taeyon smirked and gestured with his chin toward the window.
“Ah…”
Below the window was the marketplace. The very marketplace that had been destroyed and broken by the monster attack yesterday.
But the marketplace visible now wasn’t the chaotic and disheveled sight from yesterday. The completely wrecked marketplace was even more lively than last evening. The beastkin were dismantling the partially destroyed stalls, clearing away wooden beams and stones scattered everywhere, and cleaning the ground.
The really diligent ones had already finished clearing and had even begun work on constructing new buildings.
How could they move so energetically already when that happened just yesterday? If that incident had occurred on the Floating Island, no one would have wanted to come to that gloomy space. Then much later, demolition teams and cleanup crews would have come to start clearing things up.
Perhaps this was the biggest difference between humans and beastkin, he thought. Beastkin overflowed with vitality.
