But if she said so, he would surely say, ‘I’ll show you what a real beast is like,’ or ‘Beasts come in different kinds. As a member of the Hume race, I’m not the kind of beast you’re thinking of… but if you want, I can pound you like a beast right now just as you want,’ and then pounce on her?

Although Haniel’s intelligence stat had decreased significantly while living with Regan—this was solely Haniel’s own thought—she still had some wisdom left, so she just shook her head.

“I have things to do today.”

“Things to do?”

“Yes.”

What could she do with legs trembling like a newborn deer’s?

But Haniel, with a rather confident face, rummaged through her inventory… and took out a gathering bundle.

Swoosh.

“Ta-da!”

In the blink of an eye, tools including a hoe and an axe appeared in her hand where there had been nothing.

Gathering tools that Haniel had been using for a long time.

The “things to do” she mentioned were hunting and gathering activities that she had been neglecting for a while.

Regan, rarely surprised by this phenomenon that seemed like magic, opened his eyes wide.

“Is that… magic?”

“Uh… not exactly… no, is it magic? Anyway, I’m going to go into the forest for a bit with these gathering tools. I have materials I need to collect.”

Haniel hung the gathering tools at her waist and scratched her cheek.

The reason she suddenly decided to gather in the forest was none other than because the house had been feeling too cramped lately.

The house they were living in now.

Haniel’s spacious nest built on 5,000 pyeong of land, exactly to the size she wanted.

Too incredible to believe she built it herself, this palace-like beautiful house was 100% tailored to Haniel from design to construction.

My house, my build. DIY house.

House omakase.

My custom-built house!

A structure arranged with optimal flow lines for the lifestyle of Haniel, a single-person household head in all aspects.

The size of doors, thickness of walls, even furniture sizes were perfectly fitted to her like a magic wand—that’s what this house is.

Rather, because of that, it has become a problem these days.

For example, the size.

“Go sleep in your room.”

“I will protect your side.”

“D-don’t press! Ah… w-wait. Don’t lick!”

Since Haniel rarely spent a night without sharing a bed with Regan these days, waking up in the same bed had become commonplace… But Regan’s height and build were completely mismatched with the size of her bed.

His legs and limbs sticking out of the bed was the norm.

When he stood up straight, he nearly touched the ceiling, and he naturally had to duck when passing through doorways.

Although the bed and other furniture had recently been remade with existing materials, which provided some relief, this house was essentially like a tiny dwelling for someone of Regan’s size.

He could fit if forced to squeeze in, but the original design was simply too small…

‘No, wait. Is this really about the house….’

Haniel shook her head.

Either way, it was foolish.

To build a house perfectly sized just for one person, assuming she was the only human in this world.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have expanded the house in advance.’

Who could have imagined that there would be other intelligent beings in this world, and that they would be so large?

Thinking about it further, it wasn’t just Regan’s size that was an issue—the interior of the house was also a bit cramped for bringing in various appliances and other items.

She had only brought in a washing machine from the “Life Shop” (cash shop) so far, but to accommodate future additions like a dryer, electric oven, bubble bath, and other things, the interior space would need to be at least twice as large as it currently was.

After careful consideration… expanding the house was the answer.

‘Of course, all of this assumes that Regan will stay in this house longer…’

Without Regan… there would be no way to obtain life force… and no need to expand the house…

Crunch. Haniel bit her lip.

The thought that the large black wolf-man might suddenly disappear from the forest just as abruptly as he had appeared made her feel empty inside.

Though she complained and showed reluctance whenever Regan pounced on her like a beast, Haniel was clearly enjoying their time together.

To the point where she felt somewhat disappointed that he wouldn’t properly tell her about his personal history…

So, this feeling was…

‘My dog.’

It must definitely be the feeling toward a dog she had taken in!

That’s what Haniel thought.

Of course, Regan was a bit too large to be simply called a dog, more wolf than dog, and had the peculiar habit of pouncing on her far too often… but he was still a being she had taken into her territory.

She had treated his wounds and even extended her hand to help him get this far. There was no way she hadn’t developed feelings for him.

He’s my dog, my dog!

Haniel clenched her fist at the sudden surge of emotion.

Did he think she would send him elsewhere now?

Regan had already entered her territory and become her beast. If necessary, she would put a leash on him to prevent such a thing from happening.

Haniel made this resolution without knowing Regan’s true feelings—that he already considered her his female companion and mate.

…For better or worse, Regan’s heat had subsided considerably, but it seemed far from completely over.

He would probably stay here for at least a few more months.

So the conclusion was that she needed to expand the house for the dog she had taken in.

And for that, she needed special materials.

Using the gathering skill that her status window had shown her, she needed to cut down the tree that would become the entire framework of this special house.

‘Golden oak.’

That special tree, which could only be gathered in that forest, was her goal.

However…

Despite Haniel having worked everything out in her head, Regan’s face hardened terrifyingly when he heard her words.

“You’re going… into the forest?”

Forest, Haniel.

His heart pounded unpleasantly.

The more Regan tried to understand Haniel’s words, the more his pointed ears gradually began to lie back.

The leaf-shaped ears that had been elegantly extending toward his temples gradually tilted backward, as if he were facing an enemy.

As if the peaceful relaxation he had enjoyed in this tranquil territory had never existed.

The hair on his nape stood up, and his pupils contracted to tiny dots.

But Haniel, failing to notice Regan’s ominous demeanor, answered in her usual voice.

“Yes. I need some materials.”

“…What materials?”

“Golden oak.”

Golden oak? What kind of lumberjack’s fantasy was this?

No way. Regan narrowed his eyes with rising suspicion.

The thought crossed his mind that perhaps Haniel, tired of their continued lovemaking, was trying to avoid him with this cute little scheme.

After all, even Regan, who had access to vast information from his homeland of Soleil, had never heard of such a species of tree. And in the Nightmare Forest, of all places?

Could she be making this up?

“This is coal, and this is what we call hard oak. Both can be used as firewood…”

Haniel already knew about numerous plants and animals that he didn’t, and her world was composed of elements slightly different and unfamiliar from the outside world.

Regan looked down at Haniel’s innocent face.

It was a clean face that seemed to insist she wasn’t lying.

A face that said she naturally had to enter that forest regardless of whether it was dangerous or not because she needed materials, and Regan’s opinion didn’t matter at all…

“Ha…”

Seeing her expression, Regan inadvertently let out a hollow laugh.

Should he tell Haniel about “imprinting” right now?

What it meant to him that he considered her an “imprinting target.”

And how it affected him when Haniel, his female and mate, his companion, said she would go alone to that dangerous place without him.

Regan narrowed his eyes.

There’s a limit to innocence.