Chapter 97

She asked the raccoon in disbelief.

She had thought it would have followed Eched back to its home, the World Tree…

[Of course, I ran away!]

At its brazen response, her mind went blank for a moment.

A flurry of question marks filled her head.

“Why would you run away? You were going home…”

Thinking perhaps it had taken a liking to staying here, she looked at the raccoon.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case, as the raccoon’s expression was stiff with tension.

[Home… You mean home?]

“Yes, home. Your home. The World Tree.”

When she confirmed it firmly, the raccoon looked utterly shocked.

[So you weren’t going to eat me…]

Hmm… 

It seemed there had been a significant misunderstanding between the raccoon and Eched.

She pictured Eched’s stoic face in her mind.

He wasn’t the type to kindly explain things; he’d more likely toss the raccoon into the carriage like luggage without a word. He probably realized midway that the raccoon had disappeared but decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to look for it and simply continued on his way.

That’s probably why the raccoon was still in the Imperial Palace.

The raccoon, overwhelmed, plopped down on the floor.

She picked it up.

Lately, it had been eating well, and its plump body was heavier than before.

“You should question the right things.”

It was only causing unnecessary trouble.

Now there was no way to send the raccoon back home.

Once again finding herself the raccoon’s caretaker, she sighed.

“Let’s head back to the Counseling Office.”

She had grown tired of searching for new information about the World Tree in books.

With the raccoon cradled in her arms, she left the library.

In the meantime, the rain had intensified. The sound of it pounding the ground was deafening and stung her ears.

“Well, maybe it’s for the best. Once this rain ends, winter will come.”

It would be hard for the raccoon to survive the winter in the mountains, so staying in the Imperial Palace for now might be better for it.

“By the way, don’t you have any family?”

[Family… Divine Beasts don’t have such things.]

At its grumbling response, she chuckled softly.

“You might. You could find a lovely raccoon mate, have children, then grandchildren…”

[Hmph. That’s a luxury for Divine Beasts.]

Though it scoffed, there was a hint of bitterness in its tone.

Living an eternal life, it seemed the raccoon had long grown accustomed to parting with others.

‘You must live quite a lonely existence.’

Feeling a pang of sympathy, she ruffled the raccoon’s fur, which it swatted away in distaste.

Walking down the corridor, she opened the door to the Counseling Office and saw Pell talking with Masetike.

“I’m back… Raccoon?”

She felt the soft body of the raccoon in her arms suddenly stiffen.

It even began trembling like a leaf.

“What’s wrong all of a sudden… Ah!”

Before she could react, the raccoon scratched her hand and leapt out of her arms, darting down the corridor.

Clutching her injured hand, she watched the raccoon disappear.

“What’s with it…”

It was as if it had seen something it shouldn’t have.

‘Or maybe… it’s more like fear?’

She scanned the Counseling Office.

Masetike and Pell.

Nothing seemed out of place…

“There’s nothing here to be afraid of.”

“Chief, shouldn’t you treat your hand?” 

Pell asked.

“Oh…”

Looking at her hand, she realized the scratch was deeper than she thought, and blood was dripping from it.

“I’ll head to the infirmary.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“No, I can walk just fine.”

Declining Masetike’s offer, she made her way to the infirmary alone.

Thanks to the sacred healing, her wound healed completely without leaving a scar.

Flexing her now pain-free hand, she set off to find the runaway raccoon.

She found it hiding in the bushes of the garden.

Its small body shivered as it sat in the rain.

Without an umbrella, she approached the raccoon, getting drenched in the process.

“What are you doing here?”

If it wanted to hide, it could’ve chosen a spot out of the rain. Or perhaps its instincts had drawn it to a place resembling its natural habitat.

Squatting before the raccoon, she poked its unresponsive body with her finger.

Startled, the raccoon looked up and, upon recognizing her, let out an angry squeak.

[Why do you keep that human around?!]

“What? Who?”

[That red-haired man!]

Crash! Boom!

Thunder roared as lightning illuminated the sky.

She looked at the still-shaking raccoon in confusion.

“Red-haired… Masetike? What about Masetike?”

What could it have sensed to be this terrified?

[He’s a dark sorcerer!]

“What…?”

A dark sorcerer? Masetike?

“Wait…”

She blinked, stunned by the raccoon’s sudden claim.

“So… you’re saying Masetike is a dark sorcerer?”

[Yes!]

“Why… How?”

Her mind spun. She struggled to process the raccoon’s words.

It felt as though her brain was desperately refusing to accept this revelation.

“But I’ve never sensed anything suspicious…”

[Of course not. Do you think humans can sense the aura of a dark sorcerer?]

The raccoon explained that the realm of dark sorcerers was entirely different. Only Divine Beasts like itself could detect their presence.

But she still couldn’t understand.

If Masetike were a dark sorcerer, it would mean he used dark magic, which drew its power from monsters or demons.

His family had been killed by monsters.

That’s why she found the raccoon’s claim so hard to believe.

How could Masetike, who had every reason to despise dark magic, embrace it?

Yet, she couldn’t entirely dismiss the raccoon’s words.

After all, she had harbored some doubts about Masetike herself.

What if Masetike really was a dark sorcerer…

What would I do?

The thought terrified her.

But she knew she had to face the truth.

“Let’s go back. I need to confirm this.”

[I’m not going! No way!]

“I need you to help me. If Masetike really is a dark sorcerer, we can’t just leave it be.”

[Fine…]

Reluctantly, the raccoon agreed, though its expression was far from pleased.

She smiled faintly and picked it up.

“Thank you.”

Just as she was about to leave, a voice called out.

“Shaterian. There you are.”

An umbrella was held over her head, shielding her from the rain.

Masetike’s voice rang out warmly, blending with the sound of the rain.

“I was worried, so I followed you. Why are you out here in the rain? You’ll catch a cold.”

His tone was kind, as if he hadn’t overheard her conversation with the raccoon.

But she couldn’t move.

For the first time, she felt the vile stench of dark magic emanating from Masetike.

The raccoon in her arms trembled violently, letting out a low growl.

“Masetike…”

There was only one reason she could suddenly sense his dark magic.

He was letting it leak on purpose.

He knew they had discovered his true identity.

“Why…”

She stepped back, out from under the umbrella. The rain poured down, obscuring her vision.

“When did it start? When did you begin using dark magic?”

“After my family died.”

For a moment, his face wavered. She bit her lip, watching him.

“Then why did you return to the palace? What are you planning…”

“To kill someone.”

“What?”

Masetike smiled faintly.

“Oh, but I didn’t think I’d be discovered so soon. I thought I was hiding it well, but I didn’t expect a Divine Beast to show up.”

His eerie red eyes shifted to the raccoon in her arms.

The raccoon trembled harder, and she looked at it before meeting Masetike’s gaze.

“Who are you planning to kill?”

“Who else?”

He didn’t elaborate, but she knew exactly who he meant.

Eched Astrea.

Masetike had returned to the palace to target Eched’s life.

“Why… Why?”

“If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have come here.”

Suddenly, she thought of the wolf that had led her to this place.

How Masetike knew about that wasn’t important right now.

His answer didn’t clarify her confusion.

“Stop dodging and give me a straight answer.”

Masetike smiled gently, as he always did.

“I know, Shaterian. I know your soul came here from another world.”

“….”

“Why do you think monsters suddenly left their territory? Why do you think dark sorcerers are appearing?”

“Well…”

“All of it started because of him. Because of what he did to bring your soul here.”

She frowned at his cryptic words.

“So what does that have to do with this?”

“Don’t you get it? Your arrival caused all of this. Because you came here, dark sorcerers awakened. All of this is the result of your past mistakes. If you hadn’t come, my family wouldn’t have died, and none of this would’ve happened.”

All of this began because of the mistakes of your past.