“Hmm…”
Tap, tap—the tips of Liss’s fingers drummed slowly on the table.
According to the report just delivered by Demon, Eil was in the annex chatting with the maids.
“She must know I’m waiting.”
It seemed some other priority had come up. Otherwise, Eil would never act like this.
“That won’t do.”
For Eil, he should always come first. Always be the priority.
After all, wasn’t everything she had here thanks to him? Naturally, that was how it should be.
“Demon, bring Del.”
“Young master, Lady Del only fell asleep ten minutes ago.”
Del particularly hated being woken while asleep.
If her deep sleep was disturbed, one could closely inspect the rare sharpness of the white fox’s fangs.
“Perfect. I needed a properly angry beast anyway.”
To forcibly tear something rigid apart, strength was required.
If the right tool didn’t exist, one simply made it.
“…I understand what you intend, but you could simply ask the maid chief for the key.”
Demon, who had already inferred Liss’s intentions without being told, cautiously offered an alternative.
Using Del just to break chains—he already knew his master’s nature, but it was still a strange personality.
Moreover, Del wasn’t just an ordinary beast, but a “divine beast”—a being said to be a vessel of something far greater.
A sacred existence with power akin to the divine itself.
“The maid chief is my father’s dog. If word gets back to him, it’ll be a hassle. Just wake Del.”
As Liss said, the maid chief was someone who reported everything to the Duke—loyally, or more bluntly, like a “dog.”
The Duke likely already knew about Eil.
Even if he hadn’t seen her, he’d heard so much that he could probably guess instantly: Ah, that’s the girl she was talking about.
Hearing Liss’s firm tone, Demon silently left the study without further argument.
Only Liss could disturb Del’s sleep without consequence, so Demon had no choice but to carefully carry the sleeping divine beast into his presence.
Soon, Del arrived, still asleep in his arms.
Without hesitation, Liss reached out and lifted Del’s soft eyelids.
— …You’re getting more insolent by the day.
Red light slowly returned to Del’s dull pupils as awareness flooded back.
Woken forcibly, Del bared her fangs and growled viciously.
“Aren’t we supposed to act friendly in front of others?”
Ignoring her complaints, Liss casually stroked Del’s head as she snarled.
Del’s crimson eyes flicked sharply to the side.
— That human is your follower. Not “others.”
“I’ll wait outside.”
Demon, who had been treated as both object and human at once by Del, left the study with a drained expression.
Truly, master and divine beast were alike. Though their relationship wasn’t exactly harmonious, they were strangely similar.
“With those strong teeth of yours, you can chew through anything, right?”
— Who are you calling weak? I, the great divine beast, can do anything!
She puffed her tiny shoulders proudly, overflowing with confidence.
Though she looked like an overly fluffy fox, so it wasn’t very convincing.
“Good. Then chew through the chain at the forest entrance.”
— Sure, anything…! Wait, what?
Before her question even finished forming, Del was already dragged to the black forest entrance and forced to bite into the thick iron chains wrapped there.
Scratches appeared instantly on her prized fangs.
— Among all the Cassio bastards in history, none have ever treated me like this! Using me to chew metal at such a young age!
“You’re lucky you’re old.”
— Waaah! Krraaah!
After finally tearing through the chains, Del whimpered while licking her damaged teeth, utterly devastated.
Her fangs would regenerate soon, but that didn’t erase the humiliation.
“Shut up. We need to get inside before Eil arrives.”
Liss grabbed the back of Del’s neck again.
He often entered the forest with Del, but during winter, iron-tight restrictions were placed on the entrance, forcing them to sneak in.
It was all the Duke’s order.
Though he didn’t fully understand why Liss went into the forest, he had grown suspicious and began restricting access.
Even strange rumors about “ghosts” had started circulating.
Fortunately, the restriction only applied in winter, but it was unclear when it might extend further.
“Since the gate is broken, they’ll replace it soon. It’ll be harder then, so eat a lot today.”
As they went deeper into the forest, thick fog began to obscure their vision.
But Liss walked as if nothing mattered.
He had walked this path thousands of times—he could traverse it with his eyes closed.
— But what if Eil comes here and finds you? She might come looking.
“So you still don’t get why I broke the gate like that.”
Stupid fox. The pleasant voice carried unpleasant meaning through the fog.
Del’s ears twitched irritably.
— What?!
“I’m telling her where I am. Very kindly.”
— That’s unexpected. I thought you planned to hide everything from Eil.
Once they reached the center of the forest, Del leapt into the mist as if it were familiar territory.
“You have to feed what you use.”
— Why are you looking at me when you say that? Gross!
With a sharp retort, the sound of something being torn apart echoed violently through the silent forest.
For a moment, the gnawing, bone-crunching noise continued, then Del reappeared.
“You still look unsatisfied.”
— Like I said before, this Black Forest is too long dead. I need proper divinity.
Remains were scattered on the ground.
A dried human corpse from the distant past and a recently killed small monster lay together.
It was far from what was typically called “divinity,” but it was the fastest and easiest way to obtain it.
Life becomes closer to god through death—by consuming bodies whose souls have departed, one could gain small fragments of divine power.
— Liss, find a way to go to “Terasia.” It’s the place with the sea closest to the origin of divine beasts. I can grow properly there.
The divine beast’s existence symbolized the legitimacy of the Cassio family.
The one chosen by the divine beast would become the head of the family, and so it always stayed beside the heir.
When a chosen lord died, the divine beast would be reborn for the next generation.
But memories of past divine beasts were retained, so they essentially lived hundreds of years.
However, to make a selection, the divine beast had to be in its “adult form.”
In human terms, it had to be grown up.
But Del was still only around fifteen years old like Liss.
She should have matured long ago, but conditions in the Cassio household had deteriorated too much.
Rather than sacred, it had become corrupted—making growth nearly impossible.
“…I’ll come up with a plausible reason soon.”
— Wait, Liss. Something’s coming. A monster?
Del, circling around him, perked up her ears sharply.
As Del activated her power, Liss’s reddened pupils turned toward the direction she indicated.
