Iska’s blue-tinged eyes grew cold at the realization that another male had been here. He slowly raised his head and quietly inhaled the surrounding air. His heart pounded increasingly violently against his ribcage.

Iska’s brow furrowed slightly. How could he have missed such a scent? There were clear traces of someone attempting to conceal their presence. Though they had tried to cover it with deceptive means, they couldn’t hide it completely.

Why?

Iska exhaled sharply and clenched his fist. He couldn’t understand it. His eyes burned red with anger and shock.

She had fled. His mate had. Rudis, whom he had devoted everything to protect, had deceived him and run away. And with another male, no less.

Iska’s eyes flashed coldly. His mind was clouded with confusion and betrayal. He let out a great howl. His scream-like cry echoed through every corner of the empty house. A profound despair, deeper than what he felt when his sun left Grimnoir’s forest or when he was banished from Grimnoir, completely engulfed him.

He had wanted to give her everything, to give her more than enough. The power of the Tarkar and even children. Despite knowing she couldn’t conceive immediately, he had planned to pour himself into her countless times over many years.

Without holding back. He had intended to take her as his mate despite knowing Rudis wasn’t a complete beast-person. No. Rudis was his only mate. But Rudis had left. Abandoned him.

It was all lies.

Iska bit his lip and muttered softly.

Rudis had told him. That she found his beast-person form cute. That she loved this part of him too.

Rudis had promised. That she wouldn’t hate him. That she would protect him. That she hadn’t abandoned him.

Was this also human deception? What his ancestors had warned about was true. Humans couldn’t be trusted. Iska knew this fact yet still believed in Rudis. Believing she was his sun and hope.

But in the end, he had been betrayed.

Iska gritted his teeth as he surveyed the empty house. His muscles swelled with rage, pulled taut, and blue light flashed in his eyes. The surrounding air turned frigid as his heart raced wildly like a beast’s.

Iska traced Rudis’s faint scattered scent in the air. The familiar and longed-for fragrance of the woman who had fled with another male while carrying his abundantly planted seed.

You cannot escape.

Iska clenched his teeth and slowly stepped forward. Finding where Rudis had gone wouldn’t be difficult. All his senses were clearly tracing her trail.

Iska raced through the darkness with fierce strides to reclaim his runaway mate. His eyes were filled with cold madness after losing everything in an instant.

3. Autumn – Season of Harvest.

“This is…”

Rudis opened her eyes on the large altar in the center. A familiar scene came into view. The large altar, pure white pillars, and the familiar scent. It was Noah’s house. Rudis blinked, looking up at the familiar ceiling.

Why am I here?

She turned her head to look around, but her memories were disconnected like an empty puzzle. Her memory had been cut off from some point. No, thinking about it, it seemed to have been from a very long time ago.

No matter how hard she tried to recall, her mind remained foggy like it was shrouded in mist. Simultaneously, a splitting headache surged through her.

“Ugh.”

Rudis clutched her head and trembled in pain. Then she discovered something that shouldn’t be there.

“Huh?”

Feeling an unfamiliar sensation at her fingertips, Rudis hastily examined the top of her head. Standing upright on her head were pointed ears covered with soft fur. When she tugged at them, they hurt, confirming they were indeed her ears.

What on earth is this?

Rudis was confused. She truly couldn’t understand what was happening.

What happened all this time?

With trembling hands, Rudis opened the system window. When she checked the quest list, she found twelve quests marked as expired. Rudis despaired.

When did this happen?

Checking the calendar, she realized it was already the last day of summer. Not only were the quests expired—which was enough to make her go crazy—but she had no idea what had happened to the crops she had so carefully planted. The huge gap in her memory plunged Rudis into deepening confusion.

“Are you feeling better now?”

Just then, a silver-haired man approached Rudis. It was Noah, the owner of this house.

Upon seeing Noah, Rudis reflexively reached for her bag. Or rather, tried to. Instead, she discovered she was n*ked without even a bag.

“Kyaa!”

Rudis screamed like a crow and covered her body. However, Noah showed no reaction, displaying no interest in a woman’s body. He truly embodied the priestly symbol of abstinence. Rather embarrassed by his calm response, Rudis cautiously asked.

“Where are my clothes?”

“Don’t you remember anything?”

Her question was met with another question. Rudis shook her head.

“I suspected as much. Powerful drugs have side effects. Your memories might have disappeared completely.”

“What do you mean?”

Rudis asked, pulling up the cloth beneath her to cover her body. Using a temple item so carelessly felt somewhat sacrilegious, but she had no choice.

“That beast-person. Do you know what he did to you while you were caring for him?”

Noah’s voice was as cold as ice. His eyes stared at Rudis, piercing through her. Rudis momentarily shrank back.

“…Iska?”

Seeing her genuinely clueless expression, Noah let out a brief sigh and silently handed her a mirror.

Rudis instinctively took the mirror. She saw pink hair and short, round ears sticking up on her head. Rudis slowly raised her hand to touch her ears. Short, soft fur met her fingertips. It was real. These were definitely her ears.

They’re cute.

Rudis inadvertently muttered at her reflection in the mirror. Unlike Iska with his large ears, Rudis’s ears were small and rounded. They looked just like cat ears. When she gently played with them, her ears fluttered, seeming to have a mind of their own.

Every time she touched the short, soft fur, it tickled all the way to her chest. Rudis stroked her ears with fascination and burst into laughter.

“What are you doing?”

Noah frowned deeply at Rudis’s reaction, his brow furrowed. Rudis quietly put down the mirror and belatedly observed Noah’s expression.

“What exactly happened?”

Rudis asked with an awkward smile. It seemed like a very delayed question, but one she needed to ask nonetheless.

“Do you know what you’ve been happily eating all this time? Shadow mushrooms that captured the full moon’s shadow. What did you trust about that person…”

Noah’s voice suddenly became heated. Then, with a deep sigh, it turned cold again.

“Long-term consumption of those mushrooms can turn you into a beast-person.”

“What?”

It sounded absurd. How could eating mushrooms change one’s species? But it was somewhat convincing too. This was inside a game, after all, and she did have ears on her head now.

“Your memory loss is also because of that. As the beast-person instincts gradually awakened, they erased your sense of self. I’ve administered emergency treatment, but it’s temporary—once night falls, you’ll be consumed again.”

Rudis’s expression finally turned serious. She had thought it was just a cute skin or something. But consumption? While the pink ears were adorable, she didn’t want to lose her sense of self and memories.

To think shadow mushrooms had such an effect…

She had eaten them diligently without knowing. Rudis recalled the foods Iska had prepared for her—delicious dishes full of shadow mushrooms. And how she had eagerly eaten them every time.

Then suddenly, a question arose.

“How do you know I ate shadow mushrooms?”

Was it Rudis’s imagination? For a moment, a sinister aura flashed across Noah’s face.

“Because I’ve been watching.”

“What?”

It was a rather absurd statement. Rudis rolled her eyes in bewilderment.

“How else do you think I saved you every time you collapsed?”