#65

Before I could even react, a beastman from Hebel, who seemed to be a priest, raised his voice.

“That—that must be the Guardian in charge of the Pearl of Purification. Ugh. A Guardian that only appears in myths is standing before my eyes…”

*Thud.*

With a bubbling noise, an elderly priest from Hebel fainted and fell backward. The priests who hurried to catch him alternated glances between the whale and me.

Judging by their expressions, it was clear they had seen me summon Tabi.

I had hoped to quietly pass over this situation.

Who could have known that Tabi would grow to such a massive size?

Avoiding the gaze of Hebel’s followers, I quickly hid behind Zerakiel’s back.

*Bwooooo.*

The whale’s cry shattered the silence, making me break out in a cold sweat.

Could you be a little quieter?

I wished Tabi would just vanish now that the danger had passed. Yet, it seemed there was still some purification left to do, as Tabi showed no signs of shrinking.

In the meantime, one of Hebel’s followers approached me respectfully.

“I am Isaac, a servant of Hebel.”

His persistent gaze bore into me. It was obvious he looked at me with a sense of awe, and it made me a bit uncomfortable.

“We’ve met in Hebel, haven’t we?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Is it true that you summoned the Guardian, Lady Cersia?”

At his direct question, I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

“Please answer. That Guardian is a protector of Hebel’s sacred relics. We have a duty to confirm why it has appeared at Jabis Castle.”

His rapid-fire, logical reasoning left me speechless. My thoughts drifted back to when I had “borrowed” the Pearl of Purification from Hebel—something I was now suddenly very aware of.

‘So, there really is no such thing as a perfect crime, huh.’

It seemed too easy when it was first given to me.

As annoyed as I was at Tabi for appearing out of nowhere and throwing chaos into my life, I couldn’t deny that the whale had helped stop Zakari’s rampage.

When I felt something snap inside me earlier, I had sensed danger, and Tabi’s intervention had felt like a divine move.

Yes, things might get more complicated, but as long as I had a contract with Tabi, Hebel couldn’t exactly hold me responsible.

After all, even Ella hadn’t been granted ownership of Tabi in the original story.

With this resolve, I stepped forward confidently.

But before I could take another step, both Zakari and Zerakiel blocked my path, their swords drawn.

“Hold it. Are you threatening my daughter-in-law?”

“W-What? I never…”

“I saw it clearly too. You directed killing intent at Cersia.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

Zakari and Zerakiel volleyed back and forth, accusing the poor priest of intentions he never had. The flustered priest looked on the verge of tears as he protested.

“K-Killing intent! I was merely asking about the presence of Hebel’s sacred relic outside our borders!”

“Go home.”

“But…!”

Before the priest could protest further, Zakari scooped me up and tucked me under his arm like a sack of potatoes.

“?!”

Completely bewildered, I could only stare at Zakari in disbelief.

What on earth are you doing?

I had so many things to say, but it didn’t seem like the right time, so I stayed silent. Fortunately, Zerakiel voiced exactly what I was thinking.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I’m taking her with me.”

“Huh?”

“You handle things here. I’ve got some urgent matters to discuss with her.”

Zerakiel glared at Zakari in frustration, but Zakari looked impatient, eager to talk to me.

Watching the two of them, I felt like I was in a nightmare.

What exactly is happening here?

After a tense standoff, it seemed as though the two of them reached some unspoken agreement. They turned their backs to one another.

“Well then, I’m off!”

With that, Zakari took off with me in tow. Startled, I glanced back to see the priest jumping up and down in frustration.

“W-Wait! You can’t just leave like that! You need to answer meeee!”

Despite the priest’s loud protests, Zakari didn’t slow down. Zerakiel stepped in front of the priest, blocking his pursuit.

I wriggled under Zakari’s arm and looked up at him pitifully.

“Are we really just leaving like this?”

I glanced at him with a look that said, *Is this really the best option?* In response, Zakari flashed a grin.

“When things go south, the best plan is to run as fast as you can.”

I was at a loss for words at his shameless reply. That was definitely not something you’d expect the head of a prestigious family to say.

But won’t this just make us look even more suspicious?

I wanted to argue, but by then we had already put a good distance between us and the scene.

And why is he so fast?

Feeling my body bounce up and down as he carried me, I buried my face in my hands.

Good grief, you crazy lions.

Can we please act normal for once?

I was seriously regretting this marriage from day one.

—

* * *

Meanwhile, Victor Orban stood trembling, far away from the scene of the rampage.

‘W-What just happened?’

He had followed instructions and laced Zakari’s suppressant with a pheromone-reversing agent.

The beastman who gave him the drug had assured him it couldn’t be detected. It was a colorless, odorless powder that would leave no trace once absorbed by the body.

Victor had no choice but to do it—he would have been killed otherwise. Betraying his own kin and spiking the drink had been the only way to survive, and he had planned to quietly slip out of the castle.

He should’ve escaped long ago.

But that pink rabbit had followed him, and it had taken twice as long to shake it off. He had chased it to retrieve the pouch containing the powder, but it had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Given that he couldn’t sense any pheromones, he assumed it was just a harmless rabbit and quickly gave up the chase. Getting caught by his own family would’ve been much worse.

Victor was on the verge of safely escaping Jabis Castle when an unexpected scene made him stop in his tracks.

He saw the deadly pheromone toxin, which had been spreading throughout the area, suddenly being purified by a giant whale that had appeared out of nowhere.

Shocked, Victor turned back to the castle and was stunned to see Zakari alive and well.

‘Why… why is he still alive?’

The massive whale continued to swim through the sky above them. Rumor had it that the white weasel, Cersia, who had recently married into the family, had summoned it.

‘No one told me she had this kind of power!’

He had no idea where she had summoned such a strange creature from, but it had completely derailed his plan.

“N-No, this can’t be happening,” he muttered frantically.

He fumbled for his communication device, knowing he had to report the situation before his superiors found out. He needed to come up with an excuse.

*Trururu.*

The device rang softly as he dialed. His cold, sweaty hands trembled so much that he nearly dropped it several times.

Then, with a click, the line connected, and the deep voice on the other end made Victor’s heart constrict with fear.

“Did you succeed?”

The abrupt question about the success of the mission drained all color from Victor’s face. Success? If anything, the situation had only gotten worse.

“Well, he, he took the drug and, and went on a rampage, but…”

Sweating profusely, Victor stammered through his explanation. Technically, the rampage had happened, but the overall objective had failed miserably.

As Victor continued to hesitate, the voice on the other end became more menacing.

“So, he went on a rampage. What’s the problem?”

“Th-There’s been a complication.”

“A complication?”

The cold tone of the voice made Victor feel as though pheromones were being shot through the communication device. He knew that was impossible, but the oppressive aura was that intense.

Unable to bear the pressure, Victor dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground as he spoke.

“It—it seems the white weasel was hiding her power. She managed to suppress the leader’s rampage.”

A long silence followed Victor’s report. Then, after a brief pause, the man spoke in a chilling voice.

“She stopped the rampage? That weasel?”