Chapter 19
Perea let out a small laugh at Ray’s reaction. Sometimes, when she looked at him, she couldn’t help but think he resembled Theo in strange ways.
They were completely different species, of course — but maybe because both were predator-type beastmen, there was something similar about them that couldn’t quite be explained.
She didn’t dare say it aloud though; if she did, Ray would probably scold her for “disrespecting a knight” or something like that. So she just kept the thought to herself.
“That’s right! Ray is amaaazing!”
Theo cupped both his cheeks with his little hands and wriggled around happily. He looked delighted that his bodyguard was being praised.
Perea burst out laughing at his cute, honest reaction.
Ray, too, smiled faintly as he gently ruffled Theo’s golden hair.
The awkward and tense air between Ray and Perea from the previous night had completely vanished.
As the sun set and the moon rose, the surroundings quickly grew dark. They had to hurry and prepare camp before night fell completely.
Ray laid down a large blanket first and sat Theo on top of it.
Theo begged to help, but Ray replied bluntly, “If you help, it’ll only slow me down. Staying still is helping,” which made the boy sulk.
Perea was shocked. He talks like that to the prince he serves?
If Theo had asked her for help, she would have let him assist no matter how clumsy he was.
But strangely enough, Theo didn’t argue back when Ray said things like that. Except for the time he’d thrown a tantrum about wanting to go with Perea, Theo usually listened to Ray very well.
Maybe it’s because, no matter how high your status is, beastmen still recognize strength…?
Perea’s scholarly curiosity began to spark.
Even while smoothing the ground and setting up the sleeping bags, she kept glancing at the two predator beastmen.
Since she was already traveling with them, she decided to use this chance to collect data about predator beastmen.
She knew everything there was to know about rabbit beastmen — their culture, habits, biology — but her knowledge of other races was mostly theoretical.
Especially predator beastmen, who were usually high-ranking nobles — she’d had little chance to study them up close.
So she didn’t mind being with Ray and Theo for a while.
Besides, as a human, she wasn’t bound by the beastmen’s strict hierarchy. That made things much easier.
Of course, even as a human, she sometimes found Ray frightening.
There were moments she honestly wondered if he was a beast wearing a human’s skin.
Still, he was a royal knight, sworn to protect the prince.
As long as she didn’t do anything stupid or suspicious, she’d be fine.
“…I hope so,” she murmured under her breath.
“What?”
“Ah! N-nothing!”
Perea flinched — she hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud.
At some point, Ray had silently appeared beside her, adjusting the supplies.
No matter how many times it happened, she still couldn’t get used to how he could move without making a sound.
I should really ask him how he hides his presence so well one day, she thought.
“This… has the royal crest.”
Ray’s brows rose as he pointed at her sleeping bag.
In the center, the symbol of the royal family — a tiger’s head above two crossed swords embroidered in gold — shone brightly.
For some reason, Ray’s gaze lingered on the crest longer than she expected.
“Yes,” Perea explained. “The academy I attended was funded by the royal foundation. Didn’t I tell you that before?”
“You didn’t.”
“Well, that’s probably because you pointed a terrifying sword at me the moment you woke up! I didn’t exactly have time to explain!”
She shuddered at the vivid memory of that blade near her throat.
Ray, however, just replied calmly, “I see,” without the slightest hint of guilt.
His expression was so casual that anyone who overheard might never guess he’d once threatened her life.
Perea let out a silent gasp of disbelief and muttered inwardly about men being impossible creatures.
“I can hear that,” Ray said flatly.
“Eek?!”
Perea froze and covered her mouth with both hands, realizing she hadn’t actually spoken out loud.
She peeked at him suspiciously — he was clearly teasing her, judging from the faint smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.
“Ugh!” she huffed, glaring at him with exasperation.
Night soon fell completely.
Under the blanket of darkness, Perea and Theo lay inside one sleeping bag, sleeping peacefully side by side.
Nearby, Ray kept watch over them.
He knew this forest was as peaceful as Timi Village, but a knight could never afford to relax completely.
His eyes fell on the royal crest again.
Though he served the royal palace, Ray had never once felt that he truly belonged there.
His real family had never been those of royal blood — they were his fellow soldiers, the comrades who had lived and died beside him.
That was why, when he first saw the crest, he’d unconsciously released a sharp aura.
But Perea hadn’t even noticed; she had just continued talking calmly.
If she’d been a beastman, she would’ve immediately sensed it and either fled or trembled in fear.
Humans, he thought, were troublesome beings — always needing words to communicate.
Yet, when he was with Perea, that trouble strangely disappeared.
Even when he let out killing intent, she still treated him kindly.
It made his chest itch in a strange, uncomfortable way — but not unpleasant.
He glanced at her sleeping face.
Perea was holding Theo tightly in her arms like a mother clutching a beloved child.
The sight was both absurd and oddly heartwarming.
He’d seen people sleeping countless times before, but tonight, he felt strangely thoughtful.
Why am I thinking so much all of a sudden…?
Ray shook his head, trying to clear it, then leaned back against a rock.
The soft wind carried the faint scent of Perea and Theo — and he felt his body relax despite himself.
Then—
“Grrr…”
A low animal growl broke the silence.
Ray immediately stood up and walked toward the sound.
Parting the bushes with his long strides, he soon found three wolf-like monsters — Wulphira.
They weren’t large for monsters, and their habits were similar to ordinary wolves, so they weren’t particularly dangerous.
What puzzled him was why forest-dwelling beasts like them were here, near a peaceful area.
Still, that wasn’t important.
What mattered was finishing them quietly before they could make noise and wake Perea or Theo.
After checking that the two were still safe, Ray approached the monsters without hesitation.
Sensing his movement, the Wulphira crouched low, preparing to attack.
Ray almost laughed at their foolishness.
Even without releasing any killing intent, they couldn’t gauge his strength at all.
That’s why you’re just beasts, he thought.
He drew his sword — and the instant the blade glinted, the three Wulphira lunged.
They sprinted fast, saliva dripping from their fangs, crazed with hunger for fresh meat.
But before their jaws could even close, their heads and bodies were already separated — falling lifelessly to the ground.
They didn’t even realize they’d died.
Thud.
Ray watched the bodies fall with calm indifference, then sheathed his sword.
It hadn’t even been worth using aura for.
His sword hummed softly in complaint, as if dissatisfied with such a dull battle.
Ray tapped the hilt lightly to quiet it, then began cleaning up the corpses.
Theo would surely notice the smell of Wulphira blood if he didn’t.
If that happened, the boy’s curiosity would delay them for hours in the morning.
Killing monsters was easy.
The harder part was making it look like nothing had ever happened afterward.
Sweat trickled down Ray’s sharp jawline as he silently dug into the earth.
