#95

At that moment, the patterns on the altar shimmered, and the golden statue of the Divine Beast spread its folded wings wide as if it had come to life.

Fwoooosh—!

A powerful golden light surged upward from the altar, enveloping me completely.

As I locked eyes with the Divine Beast’s statue, the world around me suddenly shifted.

Before I knew it, I had fallen into an unfamiliar place.

Where am I?

The Mishir River was still in front of me, but the surroundings were vastly different from what I knew.

The once grand temple had vanished, replaced by an endless, sprawling forest—this was Hebel, but not as I knew it.

I instinctively realized that I was witnessing the memories of the Divine Beast, imprinted upon the altar.

As my pheromones were accepted as an offering, I had been granted access to the Divine Beast’s past.

‘So this is what it feels like…’

In the original story, Ella had also experienced the Divine Beast’s memories after taking the Saintess trial.

Her first vision had been of the contract between the Divine Beast and the first Saintess.

‘But why is there no one here?’

I wandered aimlessly through the thick fog of Hebel, my voice nonexistent in this memory world.

No matter how far I walked, neither the Divine Beast nor the first Saintess appeared.

Instead, my eyes landed on something entirely unexpected—

A massive black lion, wounded and lying motionless on the ground.

The sight made me uneasy rather than fearful.

‘Huh?’

Why a black lion, of all things?

Where were the Divine Beast and the first Saintess?

Nothing related to a black lion had ever been normal in my experiences, so I instinctively tensed up.

As I hesitated from a distance, a woman suddenly appeared, approaching the injured lion.

Her long silver hair shimmered under the sunlight, and her crystal-clear golden eyes were filled with compassion as she gazed at the lion.

“You’re hurt again,” she sighed. “I told you to be more careful.”

The black lion let out a short, dismissive growl and licked the woman’s cheek lazily.

His attitude clearly meant: Just hurry up and heal me.

The woman chuckled and ran her fingers through his mane.

“For such a strong beast, you sure get injured a lot. So careless.”

The black lion rumbled in response, clearly enjoying her touch.

Then, the moment her hand rested over his wounds, her pheromones enveloped him, and the deep gashes vanished instantly.

“All done. Now stop being such a baby.”

The lion let out a huff before suddenly pouncing on her.

“Ah!”

Caught off guard by the sheer weight of the giant lion, the woman toppled backward.

His playful affection made her burst into laughter.

“Aha! Stop that! It tickles!”

Encouraged by her reaction, the lion nuzzled into her even more.

They continued like this for a while, completely absorbed in their moment—

Until a new voice broke the scene.

“So, this is where you’ve been.”

“Divine Beast,” the woman greeted softly.

“You’re with him again, I see.”

The man referred to as the Divine Beast gazed at the black lion with an indifferent, almost mechanical expression.

With his golden hair tied back in a half-up style, he looked otherworldly, like a celestial being.

His golden eyes narrowed slightly at the lion, making the woman awkwardly pull away from the massive beast.

“He keeps getting injured and coming to me,” she explained.

“He’s doing it on purpose. He just wants your attention.”

“Oh, come on. That can’t be true.”

The woman’s defense of the black lion made the Divine Beast’s expression harden.

“You shouldn’t trust beasts,” he said coldly.

“But I’m a beastman, too,” she countered.

“You’re an exception. I chose you.”

“You’re so cold sometimes, Divine Beast. A little kindness wouldn’t hurt.”

“What purpose would kindness serve for a mere creature? As long as I have you, that’s enough.”

The Divine Beast cast an indifferent glance at the black lion, his words dismissive and sharp—a mere creature.

In response, the lion bristled, pressing itself against the woman for comfort.

She wrapped her arms around the beast and scolded the Divine Beast.

“I appreciate your special treatment, but please don’t be so harsh on Bobby. You’re scaring him.”

“As if.”

“Divine Beast.”

The woman’s face turned serious.

With a heavy sigh, the Divine Beast responded,

“That thing is doing this on purpose. Don’t you see? Despite the fog that keeps beastmen away, he keeps returning.”

“But—”

“And you know that, don’t you?”

The woman only smiled, not denying it. She had known all along that Bobby was intentionally getting hurt just to see her.

I silently observed the three of them.

That woman… she must be Larien, the first Saintess.

In the original story, when Ella experienced the Divine Beast’s memories, she saw their first meeting.

But what I was witnessing now took place long after they had already formed their contract.

And this black lion…

He hadn’t appeared in the original story at all.

‘Bobby? That name doesn’t suit him at all.’

With a name like Bobby, I expected something small, cute, and doll-like.

But this lion? He was majestic. Just shaking his mane could probably knock a bird out of the sky.

As I was lost in thought, the vision suddenly shifted.

Larien was now sobbing, cradling Bobby in her arms.

The once lively lion lay limp, bleeding heavily. This time, his wounds were deep—far too deep.

The Divine Beast approached, and Larien pleaded,

“Bobby… he’s not breathing.”

“He’s already dead. Your power won’t work on him anymore.”

“Please, Divine Beast. Save him.”

Tears streamed down Larien’s golden eyes as she looked up at him desperately.

The Divine Beast gazed down at Bobby with the same indifferent, unreadable expression.

Yet, in front of Larien, his cold composure wavered.

After a moment of silence, he spoke in a low voice.

“You want me to bring him back? Do you understand what that means?”

“I do. And I’m sorry,” she whispered, bowing her head.

Her sorrowful response made the Divine Beast exhale deeply.

“If I save him, your bond with me will be severed. You will lose your immortality and return to being a normal beastman. Is he worth that?”

Larien bit her lip, then spoke without hesitation.

“Yes. He’s worth it.”

“……”

“So please… help him.”

As she bowed her head, the Divine Beast sighed again—like a father sighing at a child who wouldn’t listen.

“You are truly helpless, aren’t you?”

“……”

“I warned you not to grow attached… yet here you are, breaking our vow.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter. The choice is yours. Just remember, so are the consequences.”

Then, he reached out and placed his hand on Larien’s forehead.

She clasped her hands together as if in prayer, awaiting his judgment.

A radiant light enveloped them, and Larien’s power transferred into Bobby.

A single tear rolled down from her closed eyes.

The solemn atmosphere made me hold my breath.

Then—

Larien and Bobby were expelled from Hebel, cast out into the forest.

As Larien lifted her gaze, the Divine Beast’s voice echoed from the sky.

“Farewell, my child.”

And just like that, their connection was severed.

Larien turned to look at Bobby, who was breathing raggedly on the ground.

Moments later, the lion’s eyes fluttered open—and he transformed into a human.

So that was why he had always remained in his beast form before—

Inside Hebel’s fog, he must have been unable to fully control his strength.

Even as a lion, he had been huge, but as a human, he was just as imposing.

Standing tall beside Larien, he gazed at her with intense golden eyes.

“Larien,” he spoke for the first time.

Hearing him call her name, Larien’s lips curled into a radiant smile.

This was the first time she had ever seen him in his human form.

His long, jet-black hair flowed in the wind, shimmering under the sun.

His golden eyes, so similar to the Divine Beast’s, gleamed brightly.

But Larien’s eyes—having lost their divine power—had dimmed, turning dull.

Yet she didn’t seem to mind.

Instead, she reached up and gently caressed Bobby’s cheek, speaking softly.

“Did you sleep well?”

As if asking if he had dreamed of something beautiful.

Bobby’s face twisted with emotion.

He murmured in a low, pained voice,

“Why did you do it?”

“……”

“You should have just let me die.”

Even as he spoke bitterly, Larien simply smiled.

A long silence stretched between them before she finally answered.

“Because… you are—”

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