A hot summer night, thick with heat.

The tropical night showed no signs of abating. Even with the window open, the stifling air filled the room without a hint of breeze. Rudis wiped the sweat from her forehead and tossed in bed. The thin sheet clinging to her skin felt more like a prison. Throwing off the blanket made no difference. Even her underwear was soaked with sweat. A burning thirst tormented her continuously.

Rudis moistened her lips, got up, and looked around.

He wasn’t there. Iska was gone.

Only then did she notice the absence of the steady breathing she was accustomed to hearing beside the bed.

She stepped into the hallway to quench her thirst. From the moment she crossed the threshold, each step felt unbearably heavy. The air was stickier, and her feet seemed ready to adhere to the floor. The heat seeping through her thin undergarments made her body increasingly lethargic.

What’s happening… Why am I like this?

Her vision blurred and her breathing became shallow. Yet her senses were unnaturally heightened. The sound of her pulse pounded in her head, and a thick, sticky scent assaulted her nostrils from somewhere. It was Iska’s smell—the intense male musk underlying the scent of grass, earth, and damp forest.

“Hnngh.”

Rudis finally collapsed in the middle of the hallway and began to sob. Her entire body burned like fire. She tried to steady her breathing, but the heat only seemed to scorch her throat further. Sticky fluid trickled down between her thighs. Her panties had been wet for some time. She felt like a stranger to herself.

Something had changed. From some point onward…

Her mind was confused, and that confusion was overwhelmed by the relentless heat. Before she could collect her thoughts, she saw a shadow slowly approaching from the end of the hallway.

It was Iska.

“Where did you go!”

A tearful, sharp cry burst from Rudis’s lips. Like an abandoned child, reason had already left her.

Iska sat down facing her with a smile more tender and gentle than ever before. His blue eyes were calm like a deep sea, which only confused Rudis more.

“I was going to look for shadow mushrooms since it’s the full moon. You seemed to be sleeping early tonight.”

“Don’t go.”

Clinging to his massive body, Rudis whimpered like a child throwing a tantrum.

“All right. I won’t.”

Iska slowly reached out and gently embraced her. His warmth somewhat soothed Rudis’s confused senses, though it also seemed to encourage them.

Something… is wrong.

Instinct sent a warning. Even when she tried to suppress it, the feeling wouldn’t disappear. Instead, it became clearer.

Rudis buried her face in Iska’s embrace and sobbed.

“I feel strange.”

“It’s okay. It’s a natural phenomenon. It’s mating season.”

Iska whispered in her ear with a low, gentle voice.

“I’ll help you. What you need right now is me.”

Iska lifted her trembling body easily and headed toward the bedroom, as though that was the only place Rudis should be. His steps were slow and leisurely.

“I’ll take you to Grimnoir soon.”

He whispered in a voice both sweet and thrilling.

* * *

In the tavern basement, untouched by light.

A dim flame flickered and wavered. The damp air was mixed with the smell of aged alcohol.

Xenon sat leaning against an old wooden chair against one wall. The wine in his glass appeared to have been poured quite some time ago. The liquid had half-dried, leaving dark red marks on the glass walls. These marks resembled sticky bloodstains or traces of something dark.

Xenon slowly rubbed the glass with his finger. The grating sound cut through the darkness.

“Report.”

Xenon opened his mouth with a rough voice, speaking in a low, recitative tone.

“It’s about Lady Rudis’s situation.”

Jackson appeared from the darkness. With each short step, the floor creaked, gradually revealing his figure. He was visibly anxious. His palms were damp, and his lips were dry and cracked. Instinctively swallowing a sigh, he carefully bowed his head toward Xenon.

“She hasn’t left her home for weeks. The beast-person’s vigilance has increased, making internal verification no longer possible.”

Jackson’s voice was cautious. Though he tried to report calmly, a slight tension was evident. He paused briefly, gauging Xenon’s reaction. But Xenon continued to stare at his glass. The dark red wine swirled subtly inside, yet his expression remained impassive.

“Leave.”

His voice betrayed no emotional fluctuation. Xenon seemed to have predicted this entire situation.

Jackson bent his body, bowed his head briefly, and quietly turned around, disappearing into the darkness while minimizing his footsteps.

After Jackson vanished, the tavern basement fell into perfect silence. The red man’s fingers, steeped in darkness, slowly rubbed the surface of the glass. With a sound like tearing eardrums, Xenon sank into fragments of memories he thought he had forgotten long ago.

* * *

SCREEEECH———!

A horrific cry shook the forest, piercing eardrums. Each howl made the ground tremble. With every stamp of massive claws, the earth split and trees shattered. The forest itself seemed overwhelmed by the roar of a gigantic monster.

“Damn it. Fall back!”

“No one said it would be this strong.”

The monster’s size and intimidation transcended imagination. Its enormous shadow could swallow the entire forest.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

“Everyone scatter!”

The mercenary band that had set out on the hunt fell into chaos and scattered in all directions. Panic-stricken mercenaries instinctively fled for survival, leaving young Xenon alone.

Ah… So that’s what this was.

Only then did Xenon realize why he, who normally handled menial tasks like cleaning the kitchen or feeding horses, had been included in this hunt. There was only one reason.

To be a meat shield.

He had been brought along from the beginning to serve this purpose—a sacrifice to distract the monster and buy time for others to escape.

How foolish he’d been. Xenon had believed he was being recognized. When the captain called him and asked if he was ready to participate in his first hunt, his heart swelled with pride. He had been delighted, thinking he’d finally become useful, that he could earn money. But now, all those expectations were shattered.

I need to run too.

Though his mind was filled with instinctive warnings, young Xenon was too terrified to move a single step. The old dagger in his hand felt utterly powerless. Before this massive monster, he was nothing but a toy.

Red eyes glowing in the darkness glared at Xenon. With each step the monster took, the earth trembled, adding to its intimidation. Xenon felt a terror that threatened to burst his heart.

I can’t die like this.

Xenon gripped his dagger with trembling hands, but he couldn’t muster any strength. The closer the massive monster came, the colder his fingertips became.

Xenon gritted his teeth. Though he knew it was meaningless, he raised his dagger with shaking hands and struck at the monster’s claws.

It worked.

He was lucky. The blade of the old dagger broke and lodged in the monster’s tough skin. The monster howled in pain and writhed.

But Xenon’s luck ended there. The monster’s massive tail swept the boy’s body into the air in an instant.

“Guhk…”

When his body hit the ground, there was the sound of breaking bones. Bone fragments pierced through his skin. His entire body felt shattered.

Is this how I die…

Sticky blood flowed between his lips. Xenon’s consciousness gradually faded.

“…I don’t want to die.”

Xenon mumbled in a faint voice. With trembling hands, he clutched the soil, praying desperately and whispering for salvation.

“Not yet…”

That’s when it happened. A soft light gradually spread from the darkness. Xenon turned his gaze toward the light through eyelids he struggled to lift.

Someone was there. Someone walking out of the light in the middle of the empty forest.

A noble?

No. The woman looked more unreal than that. Her silver-shining hair swayed gently in the air, radiating nobility at first glance.

But the woman also looked like a child who knew nothing. Her eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity, as though everything was new to her.

“P-please save me. I don’t want to die. Please. Please.”

Though his entire body was drained of strength and he couldn’t move, Xenon barely reached out toward the woman. Whoever she was, she was Xenon’s only hope.

Though blood poured out, preventing him from speaking, the woman seemed to clearly understand his words.

“Is that your wish?”

The beautiful woman asked softly.