#39

 

“Zerakiel?”

“Yes. According to Melina, it was Lord Zerakiel who influenced your transformation into a human. Maybe exposing yourself to his pheromones again might provide a solution?”

“Are you telling me to get beaten up by Zerakiel right now?”

“I didn’t mean it in such an extreme way. I just thought it might help as a treatment…”

Ayla awkwardly smiled and avoided my gaze. Zerakiel’s pheromones were dangerous with a high mortality rate.

Even if I controlled the exposure, there would still be some effect on my body. It was sheer luck that I survived last time.

And now I’m supposed to get exposed to it again?

Do they think I’m an actual lion just because I live in the lion’s castle!

I looked at Ayla with reproachful eyes but had to admit there was no other way.

The problem was I didn’t know how Zerakiel would react if I asked him.

He wasn’t likely to agree readily. He’d definitely add some strange condition!

“Ugh.”

I was stuck, unable to decide, and pulled at my hair. Ayla continued eating, but I was genuinely distressed.

“The elders will be arriving soon. If you can’t hide your ears before then, they’ll find a reason to nitpick.”

“You’re right.”

The council was being convened because of the marriage. The letters must have already reached, and the elders would be arriving at the annex soon.

Even though family head Zakari had given his approval, I didn’t expect the elders to be favorable toward me.

I needed to prove myself to some extent. With no other choice, I got up from my seat.

Alright, maybe getting hit will give me an answer. Zerakiel’s pheromone control is incredible, after all.

I tried to convince myself and ease my tension as I headed towards Zerakiel.

“Where are you going?”

As if summoned by his own mention, Zerakiel opened the door and entered. He smelled of fresh pheromones, as if he had just finished training.

Feeling the intensity, I involuntarily shrank back.

‘It’ll be fine, right?’

Facing him, I couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He approached and lightly touched my twitching ears.

“They’re still here.”

“Ugh.”

“Not that I mind.”

Zerakiel didn’t seem to care whether I was incomplete or special. I appreciated that, but I doubted others would feel the same.

“Zerakiel!”

“Yes?”

“Hit me.”

“?”

“Just one good smack!”

Zerakiel tilted his head, not understanding my request. Then he reached for my forehead.

“Did you eat something bad today? I told you not to pick up and eat just anything.”

I shivered, feeling like a white weasel who had gotten sick from eating the wrong thing.

It seemed I hadn’t explained enough.

Ayla, who was beside us, added further explanation.

“Since Chichi transformed into a human thanks to your pheromones, we thought exposure to them again might help complete the transformation.”

“Aha.”

Zerakiel finally understood and grinned.

“If that’s the case.”

He reached out to my partially transformed ears. Unconsciously, I squeezed my eyes shut as he touched them.

“No need to be tense.”

“……”

“I’ll try to hit you gently.”

How can a hit not hurt?

Unable to watch, I clung to his clothes, trembling.

A moment later, I felt sharp fangs touch my ear, followed by a crunching sound. Startled, I opened my eyes to find I had already been bitten.

“Huh!”

At the same time, his pheromones surged through my body, creating a chilling sensation that made me feel lethargic.

Then, the moment his pheromones touched my deeply hidden ones.

Oh?

My vision started lowering—

“Squeak…”

Reverting to my animal form, I looked up blankly at Zerakiel.

* * *

In trying to solve a problem, an even bigger one arose.

“Squeak!”

“Good girl. It’s troublesome if you keep moving.”

Zerakiel patted me. Despite his comforting touch, I couldn’t calm down and bit his finger.

‘It’s your fault! What are you going to do now?!’

After being exposed to Zerakiel’s pheromones, my human form suddenly reverted. I tried to transform back into a human, but I couldn’t muster any strength.

It seemed there was an issue when my pheromones interacted with his.

Meanwhile, Melina, who had completed her examination, spoke.

“It appears to be a temporary maladjustment.”

Concerned about my unusual pheromones, she decided to stay at Jabisi Castle for a while.

As a doctor, I was a good research subject due to my unique pheromones.

After all, I had not one but two unique pheromones.

Not much was known about unique pheromones yet. So there was an endless amount of research to be done.

Originally, I planned to stabilize my human form and gradually discover my abilities through pheromone training. But this mishap had occurred.

“Considering that you accepted Lord Zerakiel’s pheromones without rejection, it seems your pheromone’s basic characteristic is permissive. If it were a closed-type pheromone, it would have repelled instead of accepting it.”

Pheromones were largely divided into permissive and closed types.

This classification depended on how well one could accept others’ pheromones. Closed pheromones were generally considered stronger because they had tremendous power to break everything.

In contrast, permissive pheromones were typically specialized in defense.

“But it’s the first time I’ve seen someone who could absorb my pheromones and still be fine.”

“You said Chichi recovered faster than expected after being exposed to pheromones last time, right?”

“Yes. I thought it was a coincidence back then…”

Zerakiel’s gaze turned to me. After a moment, he spoke quietly.

“It seems my pheromones don’t work on Chichi.”

“Is there such a creature?”

Ivan, who was listening, tilted his head. I, too, couldn’t easily agree with Zerakiel’s statement.

Zerakiel’s pheromones were at the top tier among closed pheromones, belonging to the enchantment type. The idea that his pheromones wouldn’t work was unheard of.

Though it was usually impossible, I did know one case where it happened.

‘They didn’t work on Ella.’

Zerakiel’s initial interest in Ella stemmed from his pheromones not working on her. Specifically, she was the first beastman to easily purify his pheromones, sparking his interest.

Recalling the first encounter between Ella and Zerakiel in the original story, I bit my lip. A sense of foreboding crept up on me.

Melina spoke.

“The enchantment type is a powerful pheromone that’s difficult to build immunity against. Even a permissive pheromone would struggle to block it without internal damage.”

“Normally, yes. But wouldn’t it be different if Chichi has a unique pheromone?”

“Right. Perhaps Chichi’s pheromone is…”

Melina hesitated as she looked at me.

I swallowed nervously, waiting for her next words. She averted her gaze and spoke.

“…healing type.”

Healing type!

That was Ella’s unique pheromone.

‘What is going on?’

Why do I have Ella’s pheromones in my body? In the original story, Ella was almost the only beastman with the rare healing pheromone.

It was so rare it might appear once in a hundred years, which is why many predators targeted it.

Healing pheromones could cure pheromone attacks and quickly restore exhausted beastmen from excessive pheromone use, making them like a panacea.

In “Ella’s Kingdom,” there was a time when she quickly recovered the crisis-stricken Hiscleif, turning the tide of battle.

Among the revealed unique pheromones, it was considered almost top-tier. Could it be possible for two of these pheromones to exist simultaneously in the same era?

 

TL/N: Sneal peak