Chapter 31
“The Noel Knights…?”
“Yes,” Marlene replied smoothly. “The First Division, in particular.”
Her lips curled into a wider smile. Hearing her name his elite unit so casually, Edic’s expression soured.
The First Division of the Noel Knights was made up solely of predator-type beastmen that Edic had hand-selected himself — warriors exceptional in combat, tracking, and pursuit.
He had poured enormous amounts of money and effort into forming them. For his sister to so lightly suggest using them irritated him to no end.
“Sister,” he said tightly.
“Hm?”
“You have your own Wind Knights, don’t you? Wouldn’t it be more reliable if your men handled the investigation?”
Forcing a smile, he mentioned her personal, elite guard unit.
But Marlene didn’t even blink. Her tone stayed calm, almost pleasant.
“Oh, Edic. Weren’t the monster bomb and the tracker both your inventions? No matter how skilled my knights are, surely the original creator should be the one to verify them, don’t you think?”
“A-hem, hm!”
Edic cleared his throat. He couldn’t argue with that.
“Now then,” she said, waving a hand gracefully, “get to work. Soon, the Amur Empire will witness a most tragic day.”
“Yes, Sister! Just wait a little!”
Like a loyal hound, Edic bowed deeply before her. Marlene gave a satisfied flick of her wrist, dismissing him.
To any outsider, their conversation would have sounded dangerously suspicious — but neither worried about being overheard.
Before entering the room, all attendants had been magically deafened. Ordinary beastmen couldn’t even lift their heads in the presence of royalty.
Their only duties were to clean up whatever the royals threw away and to follow when permitted.
Cruel, yes — but for Marlene and Edic, this was ordinary life.
They were children of the Emperor — heirs to the empire blessed by the sun, rulers of endless lands.
If Edic’s monster bomb truly worked as planned, their chance at seizing power would rise dramatically.
Marlene smiled faintly at her sweaty, foolish brother. ‘Hopeless idiot,’ she thought, hiding her mockery behind that sweet expression.
The rest of the journey to Eclit was peaceful.
Ray’s driving had finally stabilized, and his once-reckless handling of the reins was gone.
During breaks at roadside inns or rest stops, they spent time together with Dia’s group.
Dia remained as graceful and charming as when they first met — elegant, warm, and effortlessly radiant.
Even though Perea had never seen her perform on stage, she had already become her fan.
Dia also adored the cheerful energy of Perea and Theo. The three of them soon moved everywhere together like close friends.
Surrounding them were Dia’s wolf escorts — and behind those wolves stood Ray.
The wolf beastmen grimaced whenever Ray’s black-cloaked figure appeared silently out of nowhere.
“So that’s the leopard beastman, huh? Sneaky guy…” they muttered under their breath.
Even though they outnumbered him five to one, they still remembered how easily he had intimidated them the first time they met. Since then, they had taken out their bruised pride through subtle hostility — which Ray completely ignored.
He didn’t care what they did. His mind was occupied entirely with one person — Perea.
‘When did I start misunderstanding her so much?’ he wondered.
He was annoyed, but there was no one to blame.
The worst part was, even though he told himself it was all just his imagination, he still found himself reacting to every little thing she did.
Under his cloak, his white tail flicked sharply — an irritated, restless motion.
“Sir Ray!”
Perea, who had been chatting happily with Dia, suddenly ran up to him.
As she moved, her faint floral scent spread in the air, and Ray’s ears twitched involuntarily toward it.
“What is it?” he asked.
“They said a market’s opening nearby later today. Can we go?”
“A market?”
Apparently, traders had already gathered to profit from travelers long before reaching Eclit.
Ray looked over at Theo, sitting beside Dia, kicking his legs happily. The boy was wiggling his rabbit ears with delight — clearly listening to the talk about the market.
“And you?” Ray asked.
“Me?”
“Do you want to go?”
The unexpected question made Perea blink. Ray flinched a little when he saw that blink.
A few days ago, he would have mistaken that look for another flirtatious gesture — a deliberate blink meant to tease him.
But now he knew better.
A human’s blink didn’t mean affection; it was just curiosity or thought.
He had always known that, of course — he had just… forgotten.
Or maybe, pretended to forget.
“Hmm? I asked if you want to go,” Ray repeated. “If you don’t, we’ll skip it.”
“Of course I want to go!”
“Alright then. Let’s go.”
He nodded calmly.
Perea tilted her head slightly, puzzled by the change in his tone.
Something about Ray felt different. She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly — just that he wasn’t the same as when they’d been in Timi Village.
Maybe he wasn’t feeling well? The thought came naturally to her — the instinct of someone trained in veterinary care.
So, without hesitation, she reached out and took his hand that was sticking out from the cloak — purely out of concern.
“Ah—!”
Ray froze as if struck by lightning.
In his world, this was an ambush.
He yanked his hand back and stammered, “W-what are you doing!”
His reaction made Perea blink again in shock. She had only been trying to check his condition — and now he looked at her like she’d done something outrageous.
Then it hit her. Oh right… he’s a snow leopard beastman.
It dawned on her that she might have crossed a line.
Sure, he used to take off his shirt without hesitation — even let her poke at his abs and muscles without flinching —
but feline beastmen were famously unpredictable.
They could be affectionate one moment and distant the next.
Ray was no exception; his moods changed like the wind.
Perea quickly accepted his reaction, but she still needed to clear the misunderstanding.
“What do you mean ‘what’? You’ve seemed off lately, so I just wanted to check if you were okay. I can’t see your face under that cloak, so I thought I’d check your pulse or something.”
She raised both hands in front of her, palms out — the universal sign of I come in peace!
“…I’m fine,” Ray said shortly. Then, embarrassed by his own outburst, he grimaced.
‘Ugh. Why do I overreact to everything she does?’ he scolded himself.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer again — just one step, but for him, it felt like a huge leap.
“If I start feeling unwell, I’ll tell you. Thanks… for worrying.”
“Ah, o-of course. It’s my job to worry,” she replied, flustered.
The tall, broad-shouldered man awkwardly mumbling thanks made her cheeks burn.
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had just snatched his hand away seconds ago.
Was this… the famous feline push-and-pull tactic she’d heard about?
Unlike Theo’s cute clinginess, this strange mix of distance and closeness gave her an odd thrill — a spark that ran through her whole body.
Feeling her face grow hot, Perea fanned herself rapidly with her hands, trying to cool down.
Meanwhile, hidden beneath his cloak, Ray’s lips curved into a faint smile — mirroring the small, shy curve of hers.
