#3

With that, Zerakiel left to wash up. He was feeling quite uncomfortable with all the dust on him.

His appearance seemed quite disheveled, as if he had rolled around somewhere.

The owner, who had turned one full circle more than the usual human, had a rather peculiar case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Even during hunting, he disliked sweating, and he would capture his prey in one swift motion.

It was unusual for such a persnickety owner to flip the dust around and let a ferret soil it with its saliva.

He even considered raising the ferret further, despite its cute appearance.

‘It’s clear that he’s gone mad.’

Who in their right mind would raise a ferret, especially an abandoned humanoid ferret?

It might seem like he was raising it because it was cute now, but if the ferret were to succeed in humanoid transformation in the future, it would be a big problem.

If it was the Zerakiel he knew, he would quickly lose interest in the appearance change and just swallow it down or discard it.

Perhaps Zerakiel considered it an emergency food supply.

When Zerakiel had that peculiar look in his eyes, no one could stop him. Even Ivah, who was used to daily extravagances, would avert his eyes during those moments.

So, it was the ferret’s misfortune to have crossed paths with the wrong humanoid.

In any case, once Zerakiel had set his eyes on the ferret, its life was either bound to him or nothing.

Its owner had a habit of not letting go of a target once he had set his sights on it.

“Stop it.”
As if being abandoned wasn’t enough, now he had to buy into that lunatic’s favor.

This was undoubtedly the worst thing that could happen in the ferret’s life. Ivah covered the ferret with his handkerchief, all the way to its head, as if he were mourning the dead.

He even went so far as to pray with his hands together.

At that moment, the ferret, which had been covered, seemed to twitch, and the sleeping ferret peeked out.

* * *

I had a terrifying dream.

A dream where I was being chased and eaten by a lion.

It was a dream I never wanted to experience again.

I found myself mumbling without knowing who I was talking to. I was relieved that it was just a dream. It was the first time I had such a vivid dream in my life. Even now, my legs feel weak, as if it were real.

But if it had been real, I wouldn’t have been able to nap comfortably on this soft cushion. It felt like I had returned to being human. It had been so long since I had slept somewhere other than the grass.

‘Wait, a cushion?’

I suddenly felt a sense of unease and groped the ground. There was no doubt that this was a cushion. The sensation was so soft, like silk, and as cozy as an unshakeable bed.

I finally realized that I had been dreaming of being chased by a lion. I quickly opened my eyes, but when I did, there was nothing in sight.

‘What, what’s going on?’

Who covered me with a blanket all the way to my head? I’m not dead yet!

I struggled to remove the blanket that covered my head, and then I saw a blond lion shifter.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

The guy smiled as if he were glad to see me. When I saw his sharp teeth between his grinning lips, I realized that he was also a lion shifter.

I growled as if I were getting up.

“Chu, Chuuu!” (Back off!)

Go away! Get lost!

I bristled up, my fur standing on end, radiating an aura of caution. Seeing the lion immediately upon waking up was unpleasant, and for some reason, his expression made me feel uneasy.

The man reached out his hand and said, “You don’t need to be so guarded. I won’t eat you, not yet.”

Not yet?

“Chu, Chii, Chuuuuu!”

So, you mean you’ll eat me later? Nooo!

I buried my face in the blanket, tears streaming down my cheeks.

This can’t be real! Spare the ferret’s life!

Seeing me desperately crying, the blond man was taken aback and asked, “Why are you crying?”

You said you’d eat me, grr!

I was causing a ruckus, wailing loudly and even trying to bite him, all while weeping with bitterness.

Someone pulled the blanket off me and lifted me up.

At that moment, a familiar scent teased my nose. It was the same pheromone that had made me faint earlier.

“Why are you crying again?”

The boy asked, pulling my face closer to his with a puzzled expression.

His jet-black hair was still moist, as if he had just washed it.

‘Wow!’

I gasped as I took in his face up close. I hadn’t noticed because I was scared earlier, but he had strikingly handsome features.

His glossy, bluish-black hair shimmered with vitality. His skin was flawless, with not a single blemish, and his lips were a rich, plum-like color.

Furthermore, his lazy and languid golden eyes conveyed a predator’s ease.

‘What’s his deal with me?’

Even though he hadn’t eaten me yet, it was clear that he was not planning to do so anytime soon.

Maybe he considered me as emergency rations, or maybe he just hadn’t decided what to do with me.

As the thought that I might be eaten at any moment crossed my mind, tears welled up in my eyes, and I involuntarily cried.

“Stop crying.”

“Chuuuu…”

If you spare me, I won’t cry. I mumbled to myself, knowing he probably wouldn’t understand. But despite my expectations, he didn’t seem to get the hint.

Frustrated, I gently bit the boy’s finger. He said, “Maybe it’s not a regular ferret, considering how courageously it’s bearing it’s fangs it must be an assassin sent by the Paige family”

‘What? Paige?’

I was trembling not from torturing the boy’s finger but from hearing the name of my familiar family in the ferret Clan for the first time since entering this world of ferretfolk.

‘It can’t be, can it?’

The unease of thinking that this place might not be what I had read in novels increased when a familiar family name appeared.

My mouth dropped, and the gesture of me biting the boy’s finger came to a halt.

At that moment, an unexpected incident occurred. The boy, having been displeased with my biting, suddenly furrowed his brow and glanced over at the blonde lion.

Then he snapped at the lion.

“It’s because of you that this one doesn’t bite.”

It seemed as though he was expressing his regret that I didn’t bite him this time.

With a look in his eyes that seemed to say, ‘Why didn’t you bite me earlier?’ he extended his finger as if urging me to do so. I could sense madness in his gaze.

‘Is he…crazy?’

I struggled even harder to resist the boy with all my might, but I was stuck in his grip.

The boy breathed a sigh that seemed full of disappointment. “You were ripping and chewing like jerky earlier.”

As I had thought, he’s clearly insane. I continued to struggle fiercely against the boy. Then, the blonde lion, who had been silently listening to the boy’s conversation, chimed in, nonchalantly offering his opinion.

“Is that your preference? If you had told me earlier, I might have asked you if I could take a bite too.”

He had an expression on his face that showed he was almost driven to madness by his intense desire to bite, but then the boy replied, hiding his fangs behind his lips, folding his arms behind his back.

‘No, I’m just saying I like biting.’

“Sorry, but I have no taste. It would be better for you to have the ferret over there.”

“Chuu, Chuuu, Grrrr!”

Why am I the one being gambled with all of a sudden?

In anger at the sudden turn of events where I had inexplicably turned into prey, I raised my hind legs in frustration. It was urgent for me to get away from these two lions.

At that moment, the blonde lion changed the subject to the previous topic, pointing at me. “Look at that. His kicking technique is quite graceful, don’t you think? It’s clear that he’s an assassin.”

“Right. He’s definitely not the kind of ferret we expected. What could he be?”

The boy gazed at me with a curious look.

“What are you looking at?”

I stopped my angry posturing, turned my eyeballs away, and tried to avoid the boy’s gaze, but he adjusted his position and refocused his eyes on me.

“Grrr…”

Can you please look away?