Chapter 72

A sudden chill sent shivers down she’s spine, raising the fine hairs on their body. Despite being mentally prepared, the unexpected sensation startled them.

[Ahhh!]

Startled by a sudden scream, they turned their head. Eched was gripping the air, and from between his fingers, a light accompanied by the scream emerged.

The light condensed and took on a shape. A long body with relatively short legs, round ears, and a thick coat of brown fur. A plump tail with black stripes swayed gently.

“What is this furball? It doesn’t seem like a dog…”

[How dare you! Calling me a furball, a dog—how insolent! I am a Divine Beast! Do not compare me to such insignificant animals!]

Every time the Divine Beast scolded them, its plump, striped tail wagged furiously from side to side.

The Divine Beast assumed a threatening posture toward she, raising its front legs and baring sharp teeth from its elongated snout. However, the action was more adorable than intimidating, with its eyes, buried in fur, looking round and gentle.

[Let me go!]

The Divine Beast squirmed in Eched’s grip, but there was no chance of being released.

After struggling for some time, the Divine Beast suddenly went limp, stopping all movement and closing its eyes tightly, as if it were dead.

“They say raccoons are good at playing dead.”

[I am a raccoon dog!]

The Divine Beast, having its intentions exposed, snapped its head up.

“Raccoon or raccoon dog, it’s all the same…”

She trailed off, noticing the menacing glare of the animal’s eyes glowing in the dark.

The Divine Beast tried to bite Eched, twisting its snout this way and that, but Eched skillfully avoided it, refusing to let go. After a prolonged struggle, the Divine Beast eventually gave up, exhausted.

“So, it really is a Divine Beast.”

She muttered in awe, intrigued by how natural it seemed for an animal to speak human language without any sense of discord.

“But why is a Divine Beast in the Imperial Palace? And why is it harming people?”

[I did no such thing!]

The Divine Beast quickly denied the accusation, eliciting a scoff from she.

“Do you know how many people have quit their jobs because of you? If causing so many people to lose their livelihoods isn’t harm, then what is?”

[No! I… I had nothing to do with it…!]

Despite its denial, the Divine Beast appeared visibly flustered.

“How shameless. I wonder if the Goddess would think the same.”

[Eek!]

Divine Beasts that harmed humans were punished by the Goddess. With a living witness beside them, this fact was undeniable.

[Did I… really harm humans?]

The Divine Beast’s round, black eyes quivered as if tears were about to fall. Its anxious demeanor was pitiful, but the fact that it had caused harm to the soldiers was undeniable, leaving no room for sympathy.

More importantly, there was something far more pressing than comforting the Divine Beast.

“So, how did you get in here?”

[I don’t know…]

“You don’t know?”

She frowned in confusion at the nonsensical claim.

[When I opened my eyes, I was here! I want to return to where I came from too!]

Suddenly, the Divine Beast shouted, seemingly overwhelmed by its situation. It spoke with a heaving breath, making it clear that it neither knew how it arrived nor the reason behind it.

She sighed deeply.

“Then why did you drain the soldiers’ divine power?”

[I… I didn’t mean to…]

“Don’t even think about denying it.”

When she cut off its excuse, the Divine Beast glanced at her nervously before lowering its head in resignation.

[I was just… hungry…]

“You were hungry, so you drained divine power?”

[To return to where I belong as quickly as possible!]

The Divine Beast shouted in frustration, grumbling about how annoying humans were for interrogating it so thoroughly.

‘What a temper.’

She couldn’t believe she was now using the words Orgon often directed at her.

[You’re cursing me, aren’t you?]

…Could it read minds?

“No?”

[You totally had the face of someone cursing me…]

Feeling guilty, she avoided the Divine Beast’s suspicious gaze.

[But what are you? You don’t seem like a human who can’t wield divine power.]

The Divine Beast turned its head sharply to scrutinize Eched.

“Well, as you said, he’s half a Divine Beast. If you don’t recognize that, maybe there’s something wrong with you.”

[What do you mean by… Eek!]

Suddenly, the raccoon dog’s fur bristled noticeably. It seemed to have just realized it was in the arms of another Divine Beast—a carnivorous wolf, no less.

Even though they were both Divine Beasts, the raccoon dog’s fear of the wolf was understandable, given its animal instincts.

She, who had been itching to touch the raccoon dog’s paw, reached out and patted it, trying to calm it down. The paw was rougher than expected but plump and soft.

“Don’t be scared. He doesn’t eat just anything.”

At this, Eched’s brow furrowed in displeasure.

“So, if you gather divine power, can you return to where you came from?”

The Divine Beast turned its head away instead of answering.

[I’m not sure.]

“…Then why did you take divine power?”

[I was looking for a way.]

Such audacity. While it made sense that it didn’t know how to return due to its mysterious arrival, its brazen behavior within the Imperial Palace left her speechless.

“If you want to go back, wouldn’t seeking out a priest be the fastest way? Or leave the palace and find a temple.”

[Do you think I’d accept help from humans?]

“Then stay here forever.”

And risk being eaten? 

She glanced at Eched, who returned her look, causing the raccoon dog to yelp in fear.

Eched’s sharp gaze then turned toward her, who shrugged off the intensity.

“Behave yourself if you want help returning.”

The Divine Beast stopped arguing and calmed down.

“To help, we need to understand the situation better. Can you explain what happened?”

The Divine Beast hesitated before slowly recounting its story.

[Before I ended up here, I was heading toward the river as usual. There were good fruits in the mountains, and I needed to wash them before eating.]

She imagined the raccoon dog washing candy floss, unable to resist the silly thought.

[But the river was swollen from the rain the previous night. My fruit floated away, and when I tried to grab it, I was swept up by the current… Then I woke up here. The first place I opened my eyes was over there.]

The raccoon dog pointed a paw toward the end of the corridor, where a staircase led to the second floor.

They stood before the staircase.

“You woke up here?”

[No. Below it.]

“Below?”

Eched released the Divine Beast, which stretched before placing its paw against the wall. The wall slid back, revealing a hidden space.

“What is this…?”

When they brought the lantern closer, they saw stairs leading down.

[Come on, follow me!]

The raccoon dog’s eyes gleamed in the darkness. Being nocturnal, it descended the dark stairs with ease.

While the Divine Beast likely had no ill intentions, she hesitated to step into the unfamiliar darkness.

Seeing her reluctance, Eched took the lead, grabbing the lantern and holding her hand firmly. Without words, his actions conveyed trust and reassurance.

As they descended, the air grew colder, and faint breezes hinted at other passages.

At last, they reached the bottom, finding a cave-like space. Despite being underground, it was dry, with layers of dust covering everything.

[This is where I first woke up.]

The lantern illuminated the center of the cave. Despite searching the area, nothing seemed unusual.

“There’s nothing special here… Do you see anything?”

She turned to Eched, who was inspecting the walls. He shook his head.

“There are traces of condensed divine power.”

Eched ran his hand along the wall, dust sticking to his fingers instead of moss. It seemed unlikely they’d learn anything more by lingering.

Sighing softly, she watched the raccoon dog wander the space as if it were its home. Dust clung to its fur, charged with static.

“If we can’t figure it out, we’ll have to move you physically.”

[Physically?]

“We’ll take you to the temple where you belong, using human transportation.”

Wouldn’t it be fine as long as one reaches the destination, no matter which path they take?

In the darkness, the eyes of an animal shone more brightly, glimmering.

[Human! You are a genius!]

The raccoon expressed pure admiration, and at that moment, it lowered its guard and approached, closing the distance.

“Wait a moment…”

As the raccoon came closer, dust rose, tickling the tip of the nose. Soon, a loud sneeze erupted.

“Stay still for a moment…”

[Humans are so fragile.]

The Divine Beast muttered in disapproval. Holding back another sneeze, the raccoon Divine Beast was glared at.

Oddly enough, it was an annoying feeling reminiscent of Eched from before. Though ‘before’ was merely a few months ago…

“If you want to return, obey.”

At any rate, it was she who held the leash of this Divine Beast now.

It only listened when threatened. Watching the Divine Beast finally settle down, she sniffled.

At that moment, Eched pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

“Oh, thanks.”

As she took the handkerchief and covered her nose, a small sense of incongruity came over her.

Since when did Eched carry things like this…?

The disparity between Eched’s usual stoic expression and the floral-patterned handkerchief was astounding.

Of all things, why a floral-patterned handkerchief? 

It was clear that Eched, who would have only focused on the handkerchief’s functionality, hadn’t cared about the design at all.

Covering her nose and mouth with the handkerchief and coughing lightly, the floor, which had been hidden under the dust, came into view. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be some sort of drawing engraved on the floor.

Kicking away the thick layer of dust with her foot, a large circle was revealed. Among the various patterns drawn along the circle, the shape of a bird stood out.

“This…”

It felt familiar, as if she had seen this pattern somewhere before. Not on a floor, but on something narrower and longer…

“Ah. This is the pattern engraved on the pillar of the Goddess of Justice’s temple in the Astrea Empire.”