Chapter 22
“Haa…”
Ray sighed again.
That someone with such genius was stuck in a tiny snow rabbit village treating stomachaches was… shocking in its own way.
What were the professors at the Royal Academy even doing?
They’d let a mind like Perea’s stay hidden away in a countryside clinic instead of bringing her to the capital. The thought made his fur prickle with irritation. And yet, those same professors were still comfortably collecting their pay from the Empire. Unbelievable.
Perea’s ridiculous memory had convinced Ray — one day, he was going to pay that academy a visit and shake it up properly.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when Perea finally stood up, stretching her back with a soft pat.
“How’s this? Looks about right, doesn’t it? I arranged the monster bomb and the tracking device to look like they exploded under the wagon. I can’t make it look like I stepped on them, right?”
“Yeah. You did well.”
There really wasn’t much else to say besides “good job.”
When Ray praised her, Perea grinned broadly, her eyes curving like a cat beastman’s when it was pleased.
The sight made his stomach feel strangely ticklish, and he cleared his throat to hide it. Then he went to pick up Theo, who was still digging the ground like he meant to make a tunnel. He walked slowly, showing the boy around the scene carefully — just in case it reminded him of the accident and scared him.
Thankfully, Theo didn’t panic when he saw the wrecked wagon. Instead, he perked up, wriggling his little body and pointing around eagerly.
“This was where Theo was sitting! Right?”
“Yeah, you remember?”
“Uh-huh! I remember everything! But isn’t it weird if only the wagon’s here and we’re gone?”
Both Perea and Ray blinked at that.
Now that he mentioned it — of course traces of the two of them should be left behind. Even if the explosion was powerful, it couldn’t have completely erased every sign of life.
They both rubbed Theo’s soft hair proudly. What a smart little prince — they’d almost made a huge mistake.
Taking his suggestion to heart, the three of them quickly set about leaving traces.
They cut off small pieces of clothing and a few strands of hair, scattering them among the debris.
If the pursuers came, they wouldn’t bother digging up the wreckage; they’d likely bury it altogether. Because of that, they didn’t bother adding fake blood — it wasn’t necessary.
It felt a little strange to take pride in such work, but soon the “accident scene” looked completely flawless.
No one would ever doubt that a tragic explosion had happened here.
Ray double-checked everything for inconsistencies, then climbed onto the wagon.
“We’ll head out now. We probably can’t make it back to the village tonight, so we’ll camp at the same place as yesterday.”
“Sounds good!” Perea said cheerfully.
“Me too!” Theo echoed, raising his little hand.
The three of them were in perfect agreement — that campsite had been ideal for resting.
Ray cooked a simple but hearty meal with the ingredients he’d brought. After finishing their difficult mission, both Perea and Theo ate with joy. Even Ray felt relaxed for the first time in a while.
As he sat beside the fire, cutting meat into smaller pieces for Theo, Perea hesitated for a moment before moving closer.
She fidgeted with her fingers, then lightly tapped his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was suddenly checking on him — his wounds had healed long ago.
He was about to tell her he was fine when Perea spoke first.
“Sir Ray, thank you.”
The unexpected words made his brow twitch upward.
“Uh, eat more.”
Maybe she just liked dinner a lot.
He answered casually and slid a chunk of roasted meat toward her.
If his cooking was good enough to earn a thank-you, he didn’t mind — it was actually kind of nice.
As Ray lazily wagged his tail and helped serve her food, a sudden loud laugh broke the quiet evening.
Without warning, Perea burst out laughing — a bright, genuine laugh that startled both Ray and Theo. The two beastmen’s ears flicked sharply in sync.
Meanwhile, Perea couldn’t stop laughing, tears welling in her eyes.
“What’s funny? Theo wants to laugh too!”
Holding bacon in both hands, Theo toddled over on his short legs and plopped down between them, glaring at Ray as if he’d stolen something.
Seeing the fierce glint in those golden eyes, Ray let out a weak chuckle.
Apparently, Theo thought the two adults were sharing some private joke without him.
The irony was — even Ray had no idea what was so funny.
Both beastmen stared straight at Perea with gleaming eyes.
After laughing for a while, she realized how awkward the silence had become. She cleared her throat quickly. Ugh, even just being stared at by them feels intense. If they ever held a grudge against me… I don’t even want to imagine it.
“Um… could you two maybe look somewhere else?”
“What?” Ray asked bluntly.
“It’s just… you’re both staring too much. It’s kind of scary.”
“Haha…”
Perea laughed awkwardly and scratched her head.
Ray looked away as she’d asked — but Theo leaned in even closer.
His playful expression was pure childlike mischief. There was no trace of the noble prince at all.
“Perea, why’d you laugh? Huh? What’s funny?”
His endless curiosity and habit of repeating questions were typical of young beastmen. Perea hugged him gently and explained.
“I said thank you to Sir Ray, but I think he misunderstood.”
“That’s what’s funny? Huh? Why’s that funny?”
It wasn’t the words themselves — it was Ray’s reaction that had made her laugh. But it wasn’t worth explaining in detail, so she just smiled.
Not getting a clear answer, Theo puffed his cheeks, then stuffed his bacon into his mouth. He lost interest quickly since it wasn’t that exciting.
But Ray didn’t.
If she hadn’t meant “thank you for the food,” then what had she meant?
He turned his cold blue eyes back toward her, silently urging her to continue.
Under that sharp gaze, Perea sighed and spoke again.
“I just meant… thank you for everything you’ve done for our village. You and Theo are the biggest victims in all this, and yet you still helped us so much. I’m really grateful.”
“…It’s nothing.”
Ray’s voice was gruff. Embarrassed, he poked the campfire with a stick and busied himself tidying Theo’s leftovers.
Perea also fell silent, feeling the air grow awkward. Maybe I sounded too serious…
Then Theo suddenly shouted, “Theo’s sleepy! Wanna wash and go to bed!”
“O-oh, yes! Let’s do that! Come on, Your Highness.”
The boy’s cheerful voice cut through the heavy silence like sunlight.
Grateful for the distraction, Perea quickly scooped him up and carried him away.
Ray glanced toward the spot she’d left, clicking his tongue quietly.
He almost wished he’d responded a little more warmly to her thanks — something that wasn’t like him at all.
When the three finally returned to Timi Village, they went straight to the village chief’s house.
They reported everything they’d done in Lium Forest and asked whether anything unusual had happened while they were away.
“I just hope nothing else happens…”
The chief sighed softly. Even after all their precautions, it was impossible not to feel uneasy.
Ray, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke.
“It seems our very presence makes people uneasy.”
Without another word, he turned away.
It wasn’t because he was offended or ashamed — he had simply finished his duty and was ready to move on to the next.
Unfortunately, his timing made it sound cold.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…” the chief stammered.
“I was going to leave soon anyway.”
“Wait, please — hold on a moment!”
The chief couldn’t just let the heroes who had saved their village leave like that — especially when his careless words might have sounded insulting. His heart pounded with regret.
Perea agreed with the chief’s concern. Leaving immediately wasn’t the problem — their destination was.
They planned to head for Eclit, a city famous for tourism and safety. That part was fine.
The real problem was that anyone could tell at a glance that Ray and Theo were people of noble — maybe imperial — blood.
If they appeared in Eclit as they were now, all their efforts to disguise the “accident” would be wasted.
“You’re right, Sir Ray! We need to prepare first!”
“…Prepare?” he asked, puzzled.
The chief and Perea each grabbed one of Ray’s arms and pulled him inside a small storage room.
There, piles of strange items were stacked up — things whose purpose wasn’t immediately clear, but which looked like they might just be perfect for what came next.
