Inside a carriage that was prepared for them, Evelyn and Maya were sitting face-to-face as they stared outside through the window. They were heading towards Suky’s place, where Ryner was staying at, to tell him about their plans.

“Remember, once we make our report, we’ll prepare immediately. So, we won’t stay long.” [Evelyn]

Evelyn said as she watched the row of trees lined up next to them, on the side of the road. She had one leg over the other and was using the back of her left hand to support her chin. In front of her, Maya was drinking alcohol like usual, though her appetite for her drinks decreased a bit recently. When the vampire reminded her for the umpteenth time, she smiled bitterly.

She knew that her incessant warnings were more for herself than for others. The king had allowed them to research their archives which recorded all of the information they could gather on the relic. Unfortunately, the documents didn’t contain any useful information that could help them turn Ryner back to human. Most of them were about the individuals that received beastification.

The names of the lucky ones were written down as well as their appearance and strengths when they beastified. From the looks of it, their physical and healing abilities increased drastically, but that was about it. There were no other special skills nor were there any side effects to attaining that strange power. Though, all of the cases were with beastmen and there were no precedents of a human reaching the relic since they weren’t allowed in.

With no worthwhile information, Evelyn and Maya decided to go investigate the relic themselves. Oddly enough, when Leodor heard that they wanted to go to the ruin, he offered to help them and even told them that he would be personally coming along. In fact, his family would be tagging along too. It made them worry about what they were thinking since the entire royal family was going somewhere dangerous.

But, Leodor heartily laughed off their questions and said that Taniel, the prime minister, would be handling things while they were gone. To ensure their safety, supplies and weapons would be prepared and many fighters of the Terdim clan, which rival the Catallard, would be accompanying them. Their investigation team was turning into an all-out expedition group because the royal family was tagging along to help. Though, how much help they would be, one couldn’t tell exactly.

Evelyn and Maya wanted to leave as soon as possible, so after telling Ryner where they were going, they would prepare and head out immediately. They had found time to visit him every day to check up on him. But, to save up on time, they thought of staying inside the ruin, right next to the relic, for maybe a few days until they got useful information.

This would mean that they wouldn’t be able to see Ryner which made Evelyn depressed, though she didn’t show it. Maya found it a bit cute and was a bit jealous at how much she treasured Ryner compared to her who was fine with not seeing him for a while. Then again, after getting to know her more, she realized that her love felt a bit like obsession, which made her worry in a corner of her mind.

“I know, Evelyn~. I’ll be sure to play with Master after he’s back to normal~.” [Maya]

“If by ‘play’ you mean that kind of ‘play’, then remember to get my permission first and to tell me what you two did in detail later on.” [Evelyn]

The blonde-headed vampire was truly obsessed. If Maya tried to monopolize Ryner, something horrible would definitely happen to her.

“Oh my, I’d be too embarrassed to talk about it~.” [Maya]

“Even though you happily bragged about your first time when I asked you?” [Evelyn]

Evelyn huffed, put her hand down and looked at Maya who had a hand on her cheek.

“Besides, we’ve seen each other’s embarrassing side more than enough.” [Evelyn]

The red-eyed woman said, referring to the night she had her first time with Ryner. The excitement made her drink the aphrodisiac and the aphrodisiac made her act a bit unlike herself. If she was alone, she would blush every time she remembered what she did with Maya.

“That’s true~. Evelyn, you don’t look like it, but you’re actually really aggressive~. I was shocked~.” [Maya]

Maya, feeling like teasing her a bit, said while giggling. The vampire ignored her and closed her eyes.

“You told me that you were from a noble family of vampires. But, would a lady of nobility really act like you did~?” [Maya]

Evelyn crossed her arms under her chest, looking uncomfortable.

“You totally lost control~. I didn’t think you’d be so loud either~. You even kissed me~.” [Maya]

Her right eyebrow was twitching and Maya didn’t miss it. She smiled playfully, seeing that her teasing was working.

“If the men saw the gap between your face now and the one you made that night, they would all feel like mating~. I mean, Evelyn, aren’t you a nymphomaniac in bed~?” [Maya]

“No.” [Evelyn]

In a confident and somewhat forceful voice, Evelyn denied her claim. Maya thought that she might have gone too far and made her angry. But, the next words told her that she was wrong.

“I am only a nymphomaniac when Ryner is involved. Every other man can either die or serve Ryner.” [Evelyn]

She declared in a completely serious tone which left Maya a bit at a loss.

“Anyway, our first priority is to find a way to turn Ryner back to normal. Do not assault him until we do.” [Evelyn]

“… Isn’t Master a wolf right now?” [Maya]

“It is still possible to do it with a wolf.” [Evelyn]

“…” [Maya]

Now Maya was really at a loss for words and froze. Her playful, casual smile turned stiff just like the rest of her body. This vampire was definitely obsessed with Ryner, on a dangerous level. Then again, she spent nearly six hundred years to find a way to reunite with him all while betting on the faint possibility that he was still alive in another world. To accomplish something like that, one needed time, talent and determination that bordered on obsession.

Perhaps guessing her turmoil, Evelyn elaborated with a serious expression.

“Even if Ryner’s form changes, he doesn’t. If you love him, then it won’t matter what his appearance is.” [Evelyn]

She said, full of confidence. It might sound beautiful from a third person’s point of view, but the one who spoke such words assaulted the man she loved after getting him drunk. She also kept pictures of him, stole his clothes and whispered in his ear every time they slept together with a scary smile. The contents were aimed to make him feel more attracted towards her as a member of the opposite sex which was a lot like brainwashing.

“… T-that’s true~.” [Maya]

That was why, Maya, who knew a bit about her real face, nodded her head and agreed stiffly. There was a moment of silence between them as they both watched the scenery outside.

“… About your instincts, your, intuition that told you to become my accomplice…” [Evelyn]

It only lasted for a short while before Evelyn spoke up once again.

“Do you still feel like it was the right thing to do?” [Evelyn]

“… Are you regretting it?” [Maya]

Maya turned her eyes towards Evelyn, but the blonde-haired woman was still staring at the window.

“It’s because of regret that I decided to do it a long time ago. It’s just that, recently, I have been contemplating my behavior.” [Evelyn]

She had planned to forcefully make love with Ryner hundreds of years ago. She had dreamed of her first kiss and fantasized about her first night. When she succeeded, there was satisfaction and there was fulfillment. But, after some time passed and now that Ryner was in a pinch, her feelings cooled down. Even though she had prepared herself, from somewhere, a small pang of guilt was born inside her.

“… Master will definitely get mad at us. He might even want to cut ties with us.” [Maya]

When Maya said her thoughts with a small smile, Evelyn instinctively clenched her fists.

“But, helping you was what I wanted to do, since I saw you cry in Master’s arms. And, it felt like the right thing to do. No, maybe, it felt like it was necessary.” [Maya]

“… Necessary?” [Evelyn]

She turned her gaze to the beastman sitting in front of her and the dark blue-haired woman looked down. She hesitated. Her bottle of alcohol was still in her hands, but it was forgotten. She was choosing her words to best convey what she felt. It was something that she didn’t notice at first and that she didn’t believe later on. But, it was what her intuition told her, and she couldn’t ignore it. It was a preposterous thought that she told no one, but now, she was going to share it with her accomplice.

“I think… It’s necessary for Master. It’s like a line that needs to be crossed. I feel like it is, for him, and us, because…” [Maya]

She took a deep breath.

“I think, sometimes… Master is afraid of us.” [Maya]

“… Eh?” [Evelyn]

A dumb voice came out of Evelyn which was unlike her who always held her composure. Her eyes went round and her mouth was opened. After a few seconds, she faked a cough to regain her calm and to gloss through her dumb reaction.

“… He, he is afraid of us?” [Evelyn]

“It’s what I felt after spending time with him for a while.” [Maya]

“That man who taught me everything I know? Who taught you that technique called mana purification that made you a powerful fighter? Don’t be absurd. How could he possibly-.” [Evelyn]

When she tried to deny it, the words got caught in her throat. Ryner was a being that could be considered, in a way, immortal. Furthermore, he possessed knowledge unheard of, weapons never seen before and power that others could only dream of. She never forgot that otherworldly form he took when he dealt with the traitorous hero brat in Elura. From his body that was cloaked in black clothes as if made of darkness itself, innumerable golden strings came forth.

They bounded everyone present and completely restricted all movements, no matter how strong the individual was. Whether it was her, Maya, the knights or the heroes, every single person was at his mercy. The human filth that wore glasses and dared touched her head was reduced to a crying, screaming infant in a matter of moments. Then, he became nothing more than a bag of meat that only breathed and drooled.

It wasn’t even a fight. Or rather, he wasn’t good enough to fight Ryner. Without using a weapon or inflicting an injury, he utterly obliterated him. When she saw Ryner’s powerful, beautiful and mesmerizing appearance, she realized that this was his true power. She knew few, if not no one, could threaten him in this world. That was how she felt about Ryner.

He was a peerless existence who held unimaginable power. No man could compare to him or even reach the soles of his feet. And yet, such a being had nightmares every night. Such a being cried every night. That was why a doubt rose in her. Was what Maya saying really improbable? But, no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with an answer. In the end, the trip to Suky’s house continued in silence.

Once the two reached their destination, they informed Ryner of their intentions, politely refused Suky’s invitation to drink with her and left to make preparations.

When night fell, a certain person paid a visit to the Elkind residence, a house he hadn’t been to for quite some time.

“Daddy!” [Snow]

“How are you, Snow?” [Taniel]

Snow, although initially surprised, ran and hugged her father, Taniel.

“Oh my, dear, welcome home.” [Myra]

Her mother soon joined them and the family of three happily enjoyed each other’s company.

“Are you okay? You’re not working yourself too hard? You look thinner than the last time we met.” [Myra]

Myra asked her husband worriedly as she put her hands on his cheeks and examined him.

“I’m fine. I just finished everything I had to do to make some time to visit. I’ll need to go back to work tomorrow morning though.” [Taniel]

The blonde-haired beastman reassured his wife while gently holding both her hands and lowered them.

“Really?! You’ll be staying for the night?!” [Snow]

Myra smiled happily since her husband would be able to spend some time at home. Her daughter, Snow, was excited and her tail was wagging about.

“Then, let’s sleep together the three of us!” [Snow]

She suggested to which Taniel nodded.

“Fufu, Snow is still a child.” [Myra]

Myra said as she put a hand on her cheek and softly laughed. In front of her, her husband was patting their child’s head.

“It’s not a bad idea. We’ll be parting tomorrow morning, so we should spend as much time together as possible tonight.” [Taniel]

Late at night, several individuals were suspiciously talking to each other inside a cage.

“Oi, are we really gonna do it?” [Suspicious guy]

One of them asked his friends that were in the same cage as him. Since they were in a basement, the place was dark and he couldn’t see their figures well. But, he knew that they were sitting there, all wearing a hooded robe like him with a slave collar around their neck.

“Of course we are. Don’t get scared after coming this far.” [Suspicious guy]

“Yeah, we’re already inside the capital. A damn BEASTMAN capital, mind you. It’s my first time infiltrating one. I’m a bit excited, really, but the food sucks.” [Suspicious guy]

“Bear with it until we get out of here. Then, it’ll be like usual. Another race, but same old thing. We kill anyone we see, cause a ruckus, deal with the soldiers that show up and make a run for it.” [Suspicious guy]

“And that’s why I’m worried. There aren’t a lot of us here while they have an army.” [Suspicious guy]

“And I keep telling you, we’ll have reassuring reinforcements. Some of the beastmen will be fighting on our side. Apparently, there are some pretty strong ones among them.” [Suspicious guy]

One of them said as he thought back on the guard who was verifying the cargo of the slave dealer that smuggled them inside Ofauvra, mainly them. He was probably in on the plan too since he did such a sloppy job. It was the same with the slave merchant that would soon let his group out of their cages once the sun rose.

“Besides, did you forget who our employer is for this job?” [Suspicious guy]

Another one said as he slightly leaned forward.

“It’s the damn king of this country. The king himself.” [Suspicious guy]

He grinned at the young man that was getting cold feet at the last minute.

“We’ve got the support and permission of the king to mess up his own city. We’ll be fine. If we do it like always, we’ll leave this place as rich men.” [Suspicious guy]