Episode 41

Zakari smiled mischievously, feigning malevolence. His downfall had been inevitable ever since he drove Rachel away.

‘At the very least, I should die after Zerakiel reaches maturity.’

There was a risk that madness could erupt before Zerakiel even reached maturity.

He was not yet mature enough to deal with Zakari. Of course, Zakari had no intention of letting his son meet a tragic end. He planned to end his own life before that could happen.

Nevertheless, he constantly worried about Zerakiel, who would succeed him in leading the Jabisi family after his death.

With the current suspicious atmosphere among the Pages, a sudden generational shift would bring confusion and gaps to the family.

Meanwhile, Duke had much to say but kept his mouth shut. Zakari had been his master since childhood.

He could not suppress the antics of his master as he withered away. Duke smiled faintly with a sigh.

“Indeed. I am more worried about the head of the family than the young master.”

“I’ll handle my own worries, so you worry about your gray hair. It seems to have increased since the last time I saw you.”

“It’s because the master I serve is so particular.”

“If only you could hold your tongue.”

Zakari chuckled and stood up. As he stepped outside, Herman, who was waiting, spoke.

“The elders have all arrived at the annex and are awaiting your call.”

It was time for him to take action. Zakari grinned widely.

“They’ve finally gathered.”

* * *

On the day of the council meeting.

The elders, who had been staying in the annex of the Jabisi castle, headed towards the main castle one by one. Judging by their determined expressions, they were clearly displeased with the current agenda.

“Welcome.”

Zakari, the head of the Jabisi family, greeted the elders while seated at the head of the table. To his right, Zerakiel sat with a sleepy expression, cradling a white ferret in his arms.

The peculiarity was the ferret’s face, which was full of mischief.

The ferret didn’t even glance at Zerakiel, as if they had fought. Instead, Zerakiel was staring intently at it.

‘Mischief?’

To maintain such boldness even in the grip of the black lion. Any other animal would have fainted from intimidation by now.

The elders judged that the ferret was no ordinary creature just from this display. They were also puzzled as to why a ferret was present in the meeting room.

‘Could it be… an untransformable beastman?’

If so, it was a significant problem. Given its small size, it was clear it had been coerced by the direct line of the family.

Looking closer, it seemed more like a desperate plea for help rather than mischief.

If they did not wish to bring ruin to the family, it was an impossible situation. It was impossible to understand what was going on in the minds of these black lions.

Balzac, the head of the council, tore his gaze away from the ferret and greeted them on behalf of the others.

“Greetings to the master and the young master of Jabisi.”

“You’ve worked hard to come.”

Once everyone was seated, they got straight to the point. Zakari spoke.

“We’ve gathered here to discuss the long-postponed matter of the successor’s spouse. I appreciate everyone attending on such short notice.”

“Of course, we had to come since you summoned us, master. But…”

Balzac’s gaze shifted to the ferret.

“The person mentioned in the letter, is it perhaps that white ferret over there?”

Surely not, right?

Balzac asked with a slight smile, and Zakari readily answered.

“That’s correct.”

Balzac, having been silenced and now stern, spoke forcefully.

“Master, the position of the next head’s spouse is not something just anyone can handle.”

“Just anyone, you say.”

“It’s obvious. Just by looking at that creature nearby and feeling no pheromones, it’s clear you brought in an abandoned beastman just to fill the position. Moreover, judging by that state, I doubt they can even properly use pheromones, let alone transform into a human. Dodging the succession issue in this way is an insult to us elders…”

“Watch your words, Elder Balzac.”

At that moment, Zerakiel, who had been listening silently, showed his displeasure with a sly smile. He spoke while tying one of the ferret’s ears together.

“Our Chichi has a bad temper and won’t tolerate such words.”

“Chichi!”

The white ferret cried out in agreement. Although it was actually saying, ‘Don’t talk nonsense, you crazy lion!’ it appeared to Balzac as if it was agreeing.

It was evident that the ferret had been thoroughly threatened. It seemed like a scripted line.

When Chichi roughly untied the tied ear, Balzac was taken aback.

“Goodness.”

“See? Quite a fierce kick.”

“You speak as if you’ve been on the receiving end.”

“I’ve been kicked countless times.”

“Surely not. Who would dare… What did you just say?”

Balzac’s expression turned blank. Had he heard wrong? The black lion, living at the mercy of a mere bite-sized ferret?

“Impossible, right?”

“I got hit today too.”

Zerakiel showed his cheek, which seemed to bear a faint pink paw print.

“Don’t lie.”

“Even this?”

Zerakiel glanced downward. Following his gaze, they saw the white ferret biting Zerakiel’s finger rebelliously. It was actually telling Zerakiel to shut up, but on the surface, it looked like an aggressive act.

“That… such a…”

Balzac, who had boldly raised objections, was now at a loss for words.

A ferret biting a black lion? Such an unheard-of combination.

The unexpected development left not only Balzac but all the elders in the room wide-eyed. Their eyes looked ready to pop out with a single touch.

Zerakiel looked lovingly at the creature biting his finger and spoke.

“Moreover, not feeling the pheromones doesn’t necessarily mean they are weak, does it?”

“Are you saying that the ferret’s pheromones are so strong that I can’t sense them?”

Beastmen with strong pheromones were adept at hiding them. Letting pheromones spill everywhere would cause prey to flee before they could even hunt.

Thus, it was a common belief that one could not sense the pheromones of a stronger beastman unless they revealed them first.

“Well, you could say that.”

Zerakiel smiled, implicitly confirming it. It was actually a result of Chichi drinking something from a well, but he didn’t intend to tell the elder that.

He had deliberately misled them. If he didn’t, they would underestimate Chichi.

As Balzac fell silent, another elder, Rainway, spoke up.

“That trick won’t work. We already know that the ferret has been Zerakiel’s pet. We heard it was an abandoned beastman.”

“So what?”

Zerakiel tilted his head as if it was no big deal.

“Of course, that means…”

“I didn’t call everyone to get permission.”

“What…!”

“Anyway, you can’t change it.”

“?”

“I anticipated this, so I marked her.”

Zerakiel grinned and lifted Chichi’s front paw. All eyes turned to the inside of the ferret’s paw, where a small black dot resembled the shape of a black rose.

Zerakiel provocatively waved the paw, causing the elders’ eyes to shake violently.

“That…!”

“Did you really mark her?!”

The elders stood up, trembling. Zerakiel yawned, looking bored.

“Yes. I can’t do without Chichi.”

“…”

“So, if you want to oppose it, you’ll have to deal with me directly.”