#24

Ella discovered the holy relic in the central plaza of Hebel. In the plaza stood a gigantic statue of a divine beast, with a well behind it that no longer produced water.

While waiting for Hiscleif there, Ella got into a scuffle. Beastfolk who had long harbored feelings for Hiscleif had lured her with a fake note, intending to humiliate her.

Thanks to the mischievous beastfolk, Ella ended up trapped in the well, where she accidentally discovered a secret space. There was a hidden passage in the well.

The passage led to the ancient holy beast altar, but it was too narrow for a human body to pass through.

However, Ella, being a small beastfolk, could easily pass through it if she transformed. To escape the well, Ella transformed and attempted to remove something blocking the passage, only to be swept away by a great surge of water.

What had been blocking the passage was a holy relic known as the “Pearl of Purification,” and she was forcibly summoned to the “Chamber of Choices.”

The Chamber of Choices was a space where the relic tested its potential owner, and failing to gain its approval meant certain death.

Ella managed to earn the right to be its owner and safely escaped the well.

Fortunately, the method was detailed in the original work, so as long as I found the relic, it would be mine.

Seizing the moment when Zerakiel was summoned by Zakari, I headed for the central plaza. My ferret ears were hidden under a hat.

I worried that if Zerakiel followed me, he would interrogate me on how I knew the relic was there.

It was better to quickly find the relic and return.

It should be around here.

Following the map Merina had provided, I walked up the plaza. Ahead, I saw the white statue and the closed well.

“Found it!”

I hurried past the statue toward the well. It hadn’t been used for a long time and was sealed.

I struggled to open the well’s lid, but it wouldn’t budge. It seemed impossible for a child to lift such a heavy lid.

What should I do?

As I was straining, I heard a voice beside me.

“Need some help?”

“Eek!”

Startled, I almost fell backward, but Hiscleif caught me.

Why is he here?

As I held my pounding heart, Hiscleif spoke.

“Don’t misunderstand. This time, I was here first.”

“Oh, I don’t misunderstand.”

Though he had a history of trailing me, the male lead was supposed to be bad at lying. Moreover, Hiscleif often strolled here, which was why Ella had fallen into the trap without suspicion.

As I instinctively distanced myself, Hiscleif brushed his lips with a faint smile.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d seen him since he had taken human form. It was a bit surprising that he recognized me right away. Given my current appearance, it shouldn’t have been easy to identify me at a glance.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I cautiously asked.

“How did you recognize me?”

“There’s only one beastfolk who carries the pheromones of the young master of Jabisi so strongly.”

Hiscleif answered, narrowing his eyes.

“Come to think of it, it’s even stronger than before. It’s almost like…”

Trailing off, he shifted his gaze to my wrist. Following his line of sight, I saw the lace bracelet Merina had tied for me.

Would Hiscleif know about this?

The people of Jabisi were tight-lipped whenever they saw this pattern. It clearly had some significance.

Zerakiel, who had left the strange bite mark, just laughed, while Ivan looked at me with pity. And Merina was desperate to hide it.

There’s definitely something going on.

Resolute, I untied the ribbon around my wrist and showed it to Hiscleif. If the people of Jabisi wouldn’t tell me, then I’d just have to ask the male lead.

“Do you know what this means?”

“Ah…”

“You do know.”

I stared at him intently, urging him to explain. Hesitantly, Hiscleif began to speak.

“It’s a kind of territorial mark.”

“Territorial mark?”

“As long as you bear that mark, no one will touch you. It symbolizes the black rose of Jabisi.”

So it wasn’t just my imagination that it resembled a black rose. I gently stroked my wrist.

The black flower on my wrist gleamed with a vivid hue, drawing the eye. I stared at it blankly, then asked,

“What if someone still tries to touch me?”

“That would make the family a target of Jabisi. Attacking you would be considered an attack on Jabisi itself.”

So, the mark was left to protect me. As long as I had this mark, even if I returned to the wild, I might avoid threats from predators.

This meant I had gained a tremendous advantage!

But the joy was short-lived, as a nagging unease remained.

Why did Ivan and Merina react the way they did?

While I puzzled over this, Hiscleif dropped a bombshell.

“Another way to describe it is an imprint.”

“!!”

I gaped at him, stunned.

An imprint! He should have told me that from the beginning!

I couldn’t even close my mouth, frozen like a statue.

To beastfolk, an imprint was like an indelible brand. It wouldn’t disappear unless the one who made the imprint died.

Usually, this was done only to a mate. Once imprinted, it couldn’t be undone!

Why on earth would he do this to me?

“T-This is ridiculous…”

I already knew Zerakiel Rune Jabisi was crazy, but this was too much!

This wasn’t something he even did to the female lead in the original story. Why me? What did I do?

“So, you two are special, right?” Hiscleif misunderstood the relationship between me and Zerakiel. But now that I was imprinted, any explanation would sound like an excuse.

I muttered in despair.

“My perfect escape plan…”

It had turned to dust in an instant. With this mark, that guy could find me easily.

An imprint contained the other’s pheromones, making it easy to find someone nearby and possible to locate them at a distance with enough time.

The sinking feeling I had when I first asked had become reality, leaving me dazed. As I clutched my head in distress, Hiscleif spoke.

“I was worried when you left so suddenly that day. I wondered if you were okay.”

“Well, as you can see, I’m fine.”

Thanks to your explanation, my mind is in shambles, but still.

“I was afraid you might have gotten hurt because of me.”

“I almost died.”

At that time, I really thought my life as a ferret was over. Smiling awkwardly, I pointed to the well.

“But why are you trying to open this?”

“Ah.”

“There’s nothing inside, anyway.”

Remembering why I came here, I tried to pull myself together and asked,

“Can you help me with this?”

If it was Hiscleif, he could easily open such a lid.

* * *

Zakari sighed deeply as he looked at Zerakiel, who was smiling nonchalantly. It was too composed an appearance for someone summoned to be reprimanded.

“Do you understand the gravity of what you’ve done?”

“I assume Ivan has already reported everything.”

“Yes. Now explain. Why did you imprint on that girl?”

When he first heard that the ferret had succeeded in transforming into a human, he thought the madness was finally over. Keeping a transformed beastfolk as a pet didn’t make sense.

But Zerakiel was crazier than he thought. Who would have expected him to imprint on that beastfolk?

His son was impossible to understand. Zakari looked at him expectantly, waiting for an explanation. And the words that followed made him grab the back of his neck.