#36

As soon as Zerakiel heard those words, he felt a surge of excitement. He muttered the words to himself several times before finally revealing his presence.

“Huh!”

Bianco was the first to notice Zerakiel and widened his eyes in shock. Chichi also looked surprised upon noticing him. Zerakiel approached the two of them with a leisurely pace.

Zerakiel, staring indifferently at Bianco’s trembling face, extended his hand to Chichi.

“You were late.”

“Ah.”

“I came to get you.”

When Zerakiel smiled brightly, Chichi bit her lower lip and placed her hand in his.

“Let’s go.”

Chichi nodded lightly without asking any questions. Her head was bowed so low that her expression was hidden.

At that moment, the man, summoning some courage, grabbed Chichi’s other hand.

“Whitey, no!”

His desperate cry was misplaced. Zerakiel had been displeased with the man’s continuous rough handling of Chichi. If it weren’t for Chichi, he would have severed the man’s wrist.

“Let go of that hand.”

Zerakiel, exercising patience, spoke with a hardened expression. The man, suddenly terrified, took a step back.

“Whitey…”

“Sigh.”

Who dared to keep changing her name?

Chichi had clearly asked not to be called that. Persistently using that name was an act of disrespect towards her.

Zerakiel was already annoyed that the man had given Chichi such an absurd name.

If white fur makes her ‘Whitey’, then should he be called ‘Blackie’? Who in the world comes up with such ridiculous names?

If Ivan were here, he would have cheekily said, “You call her Chichi because she sounds like Chichi,” but Ivan wasn’t here, so it didn’t matter. Even if he were, Zerakiel would have silenced him.

Zerakiel had already prepared a new name for Chichi. Zakari had insisted, and upon reflection, Zerakiel didn’t like the idea of everyone calling her Chichi.

If he gave her a proper name, the nickname Chichi would be his alone.

With that thought, giving her a new name seemed like a good idea. Standing next to Chichi, Zerakiel declared,

“Cersia Jabisi.”

“?”

“Her name is not Whitey; it’s Cersia Jabisi.”

Chichi looked up at Zerakiel, seemingly surprised by the unfamiliar name.

It was still too early to be surprised.

The voice was sharp as if it would show an example if someone here appeared weak.

For a moment, Chichi shrank her shoulders and stared at him. Zerakiel smiled slyly when he saw her pink eyes asking what he was up to.

He wanted to ruffle that white head, clearly thinking of him as a madman again.

“I’ll ask one more time.”

“……”

“What should I do, Chichi?”

If she asked to kill him, he would kill, and if she asked to beat him to death, he would do that too.

The man also realized the seriousness of the situation and stiffened, staring only at Chichi.

After a moment, Chichi looked at Bianco and spoke.

“For now, spare him.”

“Ha, Whitey!”

“Hmm.”

At Chichi’s words, the man’s face brightened, but Zerakiel was troubled. How could she be so soft-hearted? He thought he would have to kill him secretly.

“Anyway, you said we shouldn’t kill in Hebel.”

“Aha, that way?”

That meant it didn’t matter what they did outside Hebel. It seemed the man’s fate ended here. Zerakiel smiled.

“Leave it to me.”

It was a smile resembling a hellish gatekeeper. Seeing that face, Bianco turned pale and clung to Chichi.

“Whi, Whitey!”

But Chichi no longer allowed him to hold her hand. She twisted his hand. He thought she was just gentle, but now he saw she had firmness.

“Aargh!”

As Bianco screamed in pain from the sudden attack, Chichi spoke softly.

“Didn’t you hear? My name is Cersia Jabisi. Not Whitey or Blackie.”

“……”

“You seem very interested in Zerakiel, so it’s good. Have a serious conversation outside of Hebel.”

“Grr…”

Bianco groaned in despair. Seeing this, Zerakiel spoke with a satisfied face.

“See, Chichi is strong.”

Then he kicked Bianco away. He planned to lure him outside first with a kick.

* * *

We finished our journey in Hebel and returned to Jabisi Castle. I was nervous as it was my first time going there in human form, but only for a moment.

Ayla showed a shocking reaction upon seeing me in human form. She put both her fists in her mouth and whimpered.

‘You must have been really scared… a lot.’

How can two fists fit in one mouth?

It seemed like the lions’ mouths were like caves. Every servant we met looked at me with curious eyes, making me feel like a zoo monkey for a while.

Moreover, what was surprising was that I felt comfortable in the atmosphere of Jabisi Castle.

In Hebel, there were so many beastmen gathered that it was uncomfortable, but here I felt at ease as I knew everyone.

It’s quite amazing that Jabisi Castle, the place I used to live, feels more welcoming than Hebel.

Since the banquet, Bianco hasn’t been seen until we returned. It seems likely that Zerakiel chewed him up, tore him apart, and enjoyed it.

Whatever the case, I decided to stop worrying about Bianco. When I saw him treating me with contempt and getting red-faced with rage, it overlapped with a friend from my past life, and surprisingly, my mind became clear.

‘They say you can know the depths of water but not the depths of a person’s heart.’

Well, this time I had a rough idea, so it wasn’t a big shock. Since I decided to wield the black lion, I might as well use it properly.

This incident with Bianco has slightly increased my trust in Zerakiel.

So I’ve decided. I’ll marry Zerakiel!