Chapter 76

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Lucy looked at Agrevan.

“A rabbit beastkin?”

“Yeah. According to the memories of the souls, a rabbit beastkin girl was brought here. But it seems she escaped.”

“Ah.”

Anna glanced around at the rescued women.

“Now that you mention it, I don’t see that girl…”

The girl who had been dragged away by the men in the alley wasn’t among them.

The whole reason they had come here was to save her.

Lucy asked Agrevan,

“Can you find that rabbit beastkin?”

“It’s not hard.”

Agrevan snapped his fingers.

A lizard about the size of a fist appeared on the ground.

A lizard made of crimson flames.

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this?”

“This is Leon. A lizard I made.”

“…”

Agrevan crouched down and patted Leon’s head.

“Leon, find the rabbit girl.”

The lizard named Leon nodded and immediately started moving.

It had the slow, deliberate gait typical of lizards.

Finn, perched on Lucy’s shoulder, crossed her arms.

“Isn’t it a bit slow?”

Agrevan smirked.

“Leon’s naturally laid-back. Don’t worry. When needed…”

Just then, Lucy stepped on Leon’s tail.

Leon flinched and started running at full speed.

Its pace had instantly quickened.

Its tail was still trapped under Lucy’s foot.

Agrevan’s eyes widened.

“Gasp! Leon’s tail…!”

Lucy began chasing after Leon.

◈

Sophie was crouched inside a small hole.

Her heart was pounding.

Afraid that her breathing might give her away, she covered her mouth with her hand.

The surroundings were shrouded in darkness.

Sophie thought about how she had ended up here.

Originally, Sophie had lived in a forest untouched by humans, alongside other beastkin.

The forest was always covered in a black mist, making it hard to distinguish day from night, and undead roamed its edges—a terrifying place.

Of course, that was only the forest’s boundary. The interior was very peaceful.

Ironically, the black mist and undead served as protectors of the forest’s borders.

The beastkin called the inner part of the forest “Harmonia”.

It was a name given to signify the harmonious coexistence of various beastkin.

In Harmonia, there were rabbit beastkin like Sophie, as well as cat beastkin, wolf beastkin, fox beastkin, bear beastkin, and more.

But their numbers were few.

They had been driven to the brink of extinction by humans in the past.

Humans coveted the fur and pelts of beastkin, and some even captured them to keep as pets or as sexual slaves.

As a result, there were hardly any beastkin left on the continent.

Even if you combined all the beastkin in Harmonia, their numbers wouldn’t reach fifty.

Still, Harmonia was peaceful.

Since humans never ventured there, there was no fear of being captured, and the forest was abundant with fruits, plants, and animals.

There were lush green meadows and a large river, and the weather was always mild.

For the beastkin, it was nothing short of paradise.

Sophie had been born and raised in Harmonia, so she had never seen the outside world.

According to the adults, the outside world was dangerous, but Sophie couldn’t quite grasp what that meant.

In fact, it only made her more curious.

‘I’ll just take a quick look and come back.’

With that thought, Sophie left Harmonia.

Passing through the black mist surrounding the forest wasn’t difficult.

At first, she couldn’t see anything ahead, and the eerie atmosphere made her hesitate, but she quickly adapted.

There was no fear of getting lost either.

Beastkin were naturally familiar with forests.

Even if she couldn’t see, she could sense the direction instinctively.

The first time she saw an undead, it was quite frightening.

She was so startled that her ears stood straight up.

The undead was made entirely of bones, and its eyes emitted a blue glow.

Fortunately, the undead only tilted its head at Sophie and didn’t attack.

It just stared blankly for a moment before turning and walking away.

Other undead did the same.

Whenever they encountered Sophie, they would stare for a bit before turning and leaving.

Even when Sophie, out of curiosity, poked one, it didn’t react.

She didn’t know why, but it was a relief.

Sophie eventually passed through the black mist and stepped into the outside world.

But the outside world wasn’t much different from Harmonia.

It was just more forest.

If she wanted to see something interesting, she’d have to go where the humans were.

With that thought, Sophie ventured further from the black forest and soon came across a group of humans.

‘Wow.’

Sophie’s eyes sparkled as she observed the humans.

In Harmonia, humans were often described as demons, but to Sophie, they looked just like beastkin, only without animal ears or tails.

‘So that’s what humans look like…’

Sophie hid in the bushes and continued to watch the humans.

The humans were talking among themselves, but they were too far away for Sophie to hear.

‘What are they saying?’

Unable to contain her curiosity, Sophie gradually moved closer to the humans.

Eventually, she locked eyes with one of the men.

For a moment, Sophie hesitated.

Should I greet him?

Maybe he’s a kind human.

Just then, the man spoke first.

“Hey there, kid?”

His voice was gentle.

Sophie lowered her guard and slowly stepped out of the bushes.

“Ah, hello…”

“Where are you from?”

The man’s eyes scanned Sophie’s ears and tail.

“Um… from far away.”

Sophie gave a vague answer.

No matter what, she couldn’t reveal the location of Harmonia.

If she did, the peace of Harmonia might be shattered.

Even Sophie knew that much.

“Why don’t you come a little closer?”

The man gestured.

Sophie shyly smiled and approached.

Just then, the man’s hand shot out and grabbed Sophie’s arm.

“Gotcha!”

“!!”

Sophie was startled and tried to pull away.

But the man’s grip was too strong.

“Haha, I caught a beastkin! This is a jackpot!”

“L-let me go!”

Sophie bit the man’s wrist.

“Ah!”

The man screamed and let go, giving Sophie the chance to run.

“Damn it, catch her!”

Sophie ran frantically.

Her heart felt like it would burst.

Regret washed over her—she shouldn’t have approached the humans.

But if she could just escape now…

Swish—

A sharp sound came from behind.

Thud!

A searing pain shot through her thigh.

“Ahh!”

Sophie collapsed to the ground.

A dagger was embedded in her thigh.

“Haha! Bullseye!”

The sound of the men’s footsteps grew closer.

Sophie tried to get up, but her leg wouldn’t obey.

The pain was so intense that tears streamed down her face.

“P-please, spare me.”

Sophie pleaded with the approaching men.

“I-I didn’t do anything wrong…”

“Heh heh, that’s right, you didn’t do anything wrong. Just accept it as your fate. It’ll be easier that way.”

The men tied Sophie tightly with ropes and dragged her away.

Sophie was taken to a damp, dark place.

There were iron bars nearby, and behind them, human women were imprisoned.

“Lock this rabbit girl up separately and keep a close eye on her. She’s top quality—we can’t lose her. And treat her leg wound.”

“Understood.”

Sophie was thrown into a room-like space and huddled in a corner.

A man approached and examined her leg.

“Stay still. I’ll treat you.”

The man poured some liquid onto Sophie’s wound.

Smoke rose from the injury, and it healed instantly.

“How’s that? Doesn’t hurt anymore, right?”

Sophie nodded slightly at the man’s question.

The man chuckled darkly and looked Sophie over.

“You’re really something special. I’ve never seen a beastkin before. You’re quite cute, huh? Let me see how soft your fur is…”

The man reached out to touch Sophie.

Sophie dodged his hand and scrambled to the side.

“Oh? You’re quick!”

Sophie tried to escape the room.

But the door was locked.

“Heh heh, give it up.”

The man shook the keys in his hand and laughed.

“You can’t run away.”

“…”

Tears welled up in Sophie’s eyes.

“Why… why are you doing this? I want to go home. Please let me go.”

“Behave, and I’ll let you go.”

The man reached out to Sophie again.

Just then, a voice called from outside.

“Jackson! The boss wants to see you!”

The man stopped and sighed.

“Damn it. I’ll be back soon, so stay put.”

He left the room.

The lock clicked back into place.

◈

The man returned the next day.

“Heh heh, were you good?”

The man approached Sophie with a sinister smile.

“Today, if you behave…”

At that moment, Sophie pushed off the ground and bolted out of the room.

She had been waiting for this moment since yesterday.

Her leg was completely healed, so running wasn’t a problem.

“Catch that brat!”

The men chased after her.

The surroundings were pitch black, but Sophie knew where to go.

Thanks to the beastkin’s exceptional sense of direction.

Sophie ran through the winding alleyways and escaped the building.

Bang!

A loud explosion echoed from the sky.

Sophie looked up in shock.

The sky was lit up with bursts of light.

The lights were beautiful, but it was the first time Sophie had seen such a sight.

Sophie was momentarily captivated by the lights.

“Gotcha!”

She was caught again by the men chasing her.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
The next cover will be uploaded alongside the next chapter, look forward to it!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Subtle foreshadowing there, heh