A weasel-faced handsome man.

Though his build and height were much smaller than Regan, who easily exceeded 2m, he still had an impressive height approaching 190cm and a sleek, sturdy-looking physique. Yellowish-brown hair that gave off the characteristic feeling of a furry animal.

Of course, compared to Regan, it was like the difference between the sun and a firefly… but still, this was quite decent.

Though she didn’t know how long he had been in here, his face was covered in dirt, making her want to wipe the smudges with a handkerchief.

Were all Hume this tall and handsome? Haniel unknowingly gaped.

Having bought that problematic game in her previous life, seduced by handsome male characters and loneliness, yet showing no signs of improvement, she inhaled sharply again when she saw something swaying behind ‘Rel’.

‘Gasp, he has a tail!’

A smooth, gently curving tail!

Come to think of it, some of the Hume corpses they had seen on their way here had tails and ears despite looking human.

But then why doesn’t Regan go around showing his ears and tail in normal times? Haniel licked her lips. If he had wolf ears or a tail, perhaps they could have spent an even more special time together… it’s truly regrettable.

Then, watching the standoff between Regan and Rel, Haniel quietly marveled.

The presence or absence of a tail and animal ears. The realization dawned on her that it might be due to the difference in power.

‘They’re on different levels.’

A difference in aura and class.

It was Rel who moved hesitantly, poised to attack at any moment, while Regan was simply holding his sword pointed at him.

But even so, the difference in their aura and killing intent was so clear that one could plainly see the outcome without them fighting.

One might mistake Regan for taking a defensive stance while standing still, but beneath his clothes, muscles were writhing that could tear the body of the person in front of him into pieces at any moment.

It was like a mouse standing before a tiger.

Sensing this too, Rel’s smile, which had been there when he first provoked Regan, was withering.

He was struggling even to breathe properly.

“Kuk, stupid fools. I heard you were injured, so I thought at least an arm or leg had been severed… Captain, what the hell did you eat? You were already a monster before, but now… kugh.”

“As for you, Rel, you’ve gotten weaker since I last saw you.”

“…Tch, an ungrateful dog who bit his master and ran away, how dare you…”

An ungrateful dog who bit his master and ran away.

But even as Rel said those words, he must have known that such a description was terribly unsuited to a man like Regan Fenril.

Because Regan was the kind of man who was destined to be the leader of a pack rather than someone who would serve others and then bite their heel and run away. It felt like that was his very nature.

Like a gardener who cuts away the rotten parts of a tree without any personal feelings, Regan showed every intention of cutting Rel down immediately if necessary, completely disregarding the fact that Rel had been his subordinate until recently. The only way for Rel to survive here was to back down.

Swallowing his curses, Rel smiled somewhat obsequiously and offered words of apology.

“…Captain. I think my words were too harsh. Actually, I’ve been in the Rift for so long that I’m not in my right mind… it’s been quite some time since I came to the Nightmare Forest.”

It could be seen as a very quick change of attitude.

Regan narrowed his eyes at him and asked.

“So, Rel. Did you come all the way here after receiving Sol’s order to capture me?”

“Still getting straight to the point, I see. Yes, Sol really wants to capture you. He’s even believing in strange superstitions now.”

“Superstitions?”

“Something about a black wolf and a sun with a cut ear bringing the downfall of the country… I didn’t hear it properly. The moment I heard the bounty on your head, I forgot everything else.”

Rel twisted the corner of his mouth and shrugged.

His eyes are cold. Haniel, looking at the man’s eyes, realized that even though he was momentarily cowering, he still hadn’t given up on Regan.

If he knew Regan’s identity and that his strength wasn’t even comparable, running away would be the best option, but there must be a reason he was staying, even continuing to chat.

Regan probably had the same thought, given that he hadn’t lowered his guard at all.

He was clearly waiting for Regan to let his guard down.

But a bounty on Regan… would it be possible to make Sol abandon his pursuit if that money was given to him?

If she needed to raise such money, how many cabbages would she have to sell?

Would there be a market there?

While Haniel was pondering, a heavy, formless killing intent prickled her skin.

“…Regan?”

As Regan’s piercing killing intent reached her, she unconsciously grabbed the hem of his clothes.

Looking ahead, Haniel realized that ‘Rel’ had already discovered her hiding behind Regan.

Regan’s killing intent was a fierce warning directed at Rel.

But…

“…Uh…”

Despite directly receiving Regan’s killing intent, the man called Rel, upon meeting her eyes, could only stare blankly with wide eyes.

The attitude that had been chattering away until just now and the face with a hint of cowardice instantly transformed into a blank slate as their gazes met.

Rel stared at Haniel blankly, like someone who had discovered a valley in a hot desert.

Looking foolish, as if he had forgotten all about the tense conversation he had been having with Regan and the entire situation of being inside a Rift.

Confused by the sudden flood of attention, Haniel rolled her eyes.

‘What’s going on.’

Perhaps he had received some kind of shock from being exposed to too much killing intent.

Rel, who seemed to have forgotten even Regan’s presence, took one staggering step closer to Haniel.

“Excuse me, you are…”

“Stay back.”

With more killing intent than ever before, Regan bared his teeth.

“Someone like you has no business showing interest in her.”

“What? T-this person is…”

As Regan’s sword was pointed at him—a blade poised to cut him down completely—Rel’s face contorted.

“Captain… please. Please, step aside.”

His voice carried a desperation incomparable to when he had been talking about the bounty.

Rel looked at Haniel earnestly and pleaded.

“…My mate. She must be the other half of my soul.”

What? Haniel’s lips formed a perfect circle.

“Why would I be your mate…”

No, wait.

It wasn’t long before her ability came to mind.

The special ability ‘Constitution that is loved (limited to non-human living beings)’.

That man Rel, like other living beings, was clearly drawn to Haniel by her ability and felt love for her. That’s why he was saying things like “other half of my soul” despite meeting her for the first time.

Yes, just like that ‘bear’.

Haniel wrinkled her nose bridge and shuddered.

Living beings that loved her. Beasts trying to make her their mate… While Rel was certainly much more handsome than what would typically fall into the category of ‘beast’, it was still creepy.

His flushed face. Those eyes staring at her obsessively and the faint madness within them.

If Regan hadn’t been there, Rel would have attempted to mate with her right then and there, regardless of the circumstances, claiming her as his mate.

Just like that bear earlier!

At that moment, a growling sound leaked from beside Haniel.

It was a threatening rumble that made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up instantly.

“Such nonsensical b*llshit…”

Mate, the other half of his soul.

Those words from Rel became a magical spell that instantly blew the lid off Regan’s head, who had been making great efforts not to kill him until now.

With pupils shrunk to dots, Regan revealed his pointed teeth and said:

“I’ll kill you right here so you can’t spout any more nonsense.”

“C-Captain!”

The now-urgent Rel finally revealed the weapon he had been hiding, faced with Regan’s attempt to kill him.

“Kuk, is there no other way…”

Haniel could see Rel taking out something like a glass bottle from inside his clothes.

It looked more like a potion or poison than a weapon.

Whatever it was, he intended to throw it at Regan!

Just as Haniel was about to shout, “Regan, be careful!”

“……”

For a very brief moment, Haniel thought she saw something… extremely strange behind the soldier called Rel.

At the same time, Regan, who had been attacking Rel, also noticeably flinched before quickly retreating and pushing Haniel behind him.

In that short time, less than a second, before Haniel could properly understand what was happening…

“Uh…”

Rel’s unfocused eyes looked down at his own upper body.

And his lowered head separated from his body and rolled onto the floor.

Thud. Roll…

“……”

Haniel only belatedly realized that Rel’s blood had splattered on her face and Regan’s body.

She had no time to focus on anything else because of the scene unfolding where Rel’s body stood.

Where the man’s neck had been just a moment ago, there was now something like a giant spine.

A spine-covered joint that had extended from the darkness behind the unsuspecting Rel.

Creak, thud. As Rel’s headless body collapsed to the floor, the ‘thing’ standing behind him was fully revealed.

Haniel and Regan were speechless as they looked at that bizarrely enormous something… someone.

It was a giant insect of amber color.

The hard exoskeleton of the insect, wearing nothing, stood in stark contrast to the blood flowing thickly from the chunk of meat.

Sharp spines and serrated joints and claws arranged in rows. A waist impossibly narrow.

It was a giant ant, probably three or four times Haniel’s size.

Haniel, frozen, stared at the strange hair hanging from the ant’s head.

Why would hair be there?

Looking at the ant’s face with trembling eyes, Haniel soon met the gaze of a pretty face and her lips quivered.

A giant ant. If there was one peculiar thing about this insect that suddenly appeared from the darkness of the tunnel, wouldn’t it be that?

This ant… had a human head where there should have been a giant insect head.

An ant with a strange human face was smiling at Haniel.

“…Waaaaaah!”

It was impossible to hold back a scream.

So she didn’t hear what Regan was muttering beside her.

“…An Elf?”

Regan quickly examined the giant ant’s body and rapidly withdrew his initial judgment.

No, that’s not an Elf.

While Elves have many similarities to insects in many aspects, they generally have a form similar to Haniel’s race ‘humans’ or Hume in external appearance.

“This is a hybrid created by this Rift.”

Regan concluded.