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Surely there was some way out. There had to be.

He chased after Belinda, begging her to reconsider as he kneeled on the floor, grasping at the hem of her dress.

The little girl stayed cruel and cold.

“All you have to do is pay me your debt. You still have time.”

She laughed at him condescendingly, as if he were just any other commoner.

If it were that easy, Nordi wouldn’t have been begging on the ground! Clearly, he was faced with a wicked, mean witch who entertained herself by laughing at others’ misfortune.

She left him with only one option.

Belinda had said that she would leave the next day and send someone to look over the inn on her behalf by the time the debt expired.

After that happened… He didn’t need to imagine much. He’d lose everything and roll around in the dirt in despair. Even if he found work elsewhere, wouldn’t she reappear and demand payment for some other debt?

It was a hopeless cycle – there was nothing left for him.

His best shot was settling down somewhere else. That made Belinda’s lack of escort a perfect opportunity for the innkeeper, and he was already enraged by her foolishness.

He was going to kill her today.

Belinda, aren’t you just a know-it-all blindly trusting in the power backing you…?

He’d kill that harsh, heartless woman and run away. Then he would be content even if he lost it all.

Of course, he had no intention to make it quick and painless. He’d take his time and ensure a torturous death that would last until the sun rose.

He checked his knife and hungrily licked his dry lips. His eyes were filled with hatred.

As he neared the room’s door, he reveled in the thought of the arrogant girl, fast asleep and completely clueless. She had no idea that today would be her last day alive.

He carefully pushed open the door.

Then, he heard a thump sound from the darkened window.

“Come on in. Just as I expected.”

It was a relaxing, sweet voice but carried a hint of danger.

Nordi stopped in surprise and turned his head. Who could it be?

Soon he faced the strange figure sitting on the windowsill.

As their eyes met, an electrifying fear ran down Nordi’s spine. The sight of the beast paralyzed him.

The cold moonlight lingering over his beautiful face gave him a unique atmosphere. There was a spark in his purple eyes.

The stranger smirked.

His time had come. He could finally secretly avenge Breedee, who was still asleep.

***

It was already around dawn. The unfamiliar smell in the air made Belinda toss and turn in bed. The cold night air blew in through the open window, mingling with the scent of blood.

Someone pulled up the blanket to cover her shoulders. Belinda smiled at the warmth and grabbed the corner of the fabric, still asleep.

She felt something brush against her cheek. Before she could react, the big hand covered her face.

“Close your eyes, Breedee. Good girl.”

A soft voice joined the stranger’s affectionate touch, and all her arising doubts melted away. Soon, she fell back to sleep.

The man began to carefully stroke her head.

His beautiful features radiated a calm atmosphere. His cool gaze flickered through his long eyelashes.

After a long moment of observing Belinda, he stood up. The muted sound of flowing water broke the silence, and the distinct bloody smell washed away from the man’s body.

The sun was beginning to rise over the village.

***

「Breedee. Wake up.」

“Hnghhhh…”

「Come on. I’m hungry.」

He started to nibble her earlobe before she could answer. She turned away, trying to avoid the annoying ball of fluff, but was forced to get up by the small tongue licking her neck.

“I was going to sleep in…”

Aymon was sitting on her long hair and was pretending to brush it with his claws, but he eventually jumped back down to the floor.

「If you’re up, take a shower and let’s go get some food. I’m hungry.」

“If you’re that hungry, go eat a rat. There must be tons in the alley.”

「That’s a shameful thing for a leopard to eat. A great body like mine can’t be fed with just anything.」

Aymon stomped for emphasis. Belinda finally sat up, laughing at the sharp comment.

“How come you’re so hungry today? Were you working out at dawn or something?”

Aymon suddenly stopped. Instead of answering, he rubbed his face with a paw.

「Hurry and wash up.」

“Mhm. I’m going.”

「Hurry!」

“I said, I’m going!”

Belinda got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Usually, Aymon would have played around and circled her legs, but today, the little leopard was sitting still in the middle of the room.

Belinda turned around as she opened the door.

“By the way, did anyone come in here during the night?”

「Not that I know of.」

“Ah, really? It must have been a dream, then.”

She had a dream about someone petting her head and a weird smell. It reminded her of the scent of blood that often surrounded her as a child.

But that stuff couldn’t happen now. Not with Aymon around. Nothing could escape the senses of a Shinsu.

Belinda entered the bathroom with Aymon still staring at her.

A bit later, Belinda stepped into the noisy lobby.

There were four or five men wearing guard uniforms walking around on the first floor and examining the door lock along with footprints on the ground. Something must have happened.

Mrs. Ribera also stood in the room, crying.

“In the morning… I just saw it in the morning… Uh… It… Blood… All over the place…”

Her sobs made the rambled words unintelligible. The serious garrison men nodded, listening carefully.

What’s going on?

She cautiously moved closer, fiddling with Aymon’s tail on her shoulder. She didn’t know what the fuss was about. They’d only come down to eat, but it seemed like something had happened.

A soldier approached her.

“What’s going on?”

“Good morning, miss. There’s been an incident.”

“An incident?”

“Yes. The owner is seriously injured. It’s a very cruel thing, so you don’t have to know the details.”

Belinda was surprised to find out that it had been someone more serious than a petty thief.

“What? Who did it?”

“It looks like a robber was responsible, but nothing is clear yet.”

Belinda shuddered. She had no sympathy for Nordi, nor was she sad, but she was certainly surprised.”

She didn’t know what was going on. It was unbelievable as Nordi had been fine last night, but he suddenly ended up like this. Maybe karma really did exist.

Aymon’s fluffy fur brushed against her stiff neck.

「Don’t mind it. Let’s go eat.」

He whispered, rubbing against her face.

After a few moments, he asked again.

「Breedee, are you sad because of what happened?」

Belinda answered quietly.

“No. Of course not. I’m just worried.”

「Worried about him?」

“I’m afraid he’ll die quickly. I didn’t want that to happen before he saw the inn slip away.”

Nordi was always very cruel to the poor. Belinda was kicked and beaten by him countless times as a child.

If she’d been just a little slower to react, or if she hadn’t been able to avoid his merciless beatings, she would have died.

One day, she was walking with Nordi when a beggar boy grabbed his sleeve. Nordi had lost a large sum at the gambling den that day.

The boy got a hard kick and badly injured his ankle. Too poor to afford treatment, he was probably still limping.

It would have taken a day just to recite all of Nordi’s wrongdoings. What happened seemed like a punishment for all that.

“It would be a waste if he died just like that. I wanted to see him suffer.”

Aymon wagged his tail at the half-hearted statement.

「He’s alive and well, don’t worry.」

“You don’t think he’ll die?”

「No. It takes more to do away with someone his size.」

Belinda turned to a soldier.

“Excuse me… the owner isn’t dead, is he?”

The man looked up from the floor and shook his head.

“He’s not dead. The robber seems to have had a conscience. He won’t be able to use one of his arms and a leg, but he should survive. No need to worry, miss.”

Belinda nodded roughly. She was never worried at all. Aymon was right – it must have been the Shinsu senses.

He couldn’t die that easily without pain. His survival was fortunate to her, too, but for a different reason.

The guard neared her again.

“What were you doing last night?”

It was more of a formality than an actual interrogation.

“I was sleeping.”

The man asked a few more questions, relaxed.

“Did you hear anything strange or see someone you didn’t recognize?”

“Well, no… I slept soundly.”

“I understand. In that case, please be careful.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

She bowed politely, putting an end to the generic conversation. A noble-looking woman with a pet cat looked like the last person to commit a crime to the soldiers.

Belinda left the inn.

Yesterday’s strange dream came to her mind. The warm touch of someone stroking her…