“What’s the matter, dear? You didn’t go to the castle?” [Myra]

“Actually, I just had to send a message real quick.” [Taniel]

Myra and Snow had woken up early and prepared a delicious breakfast for Taniel who was almost never home. Once they were done eating, they sent him off at the door and went about their own business. However, it hadn’t even been a minute that the fox-eared beastman showed up again. Moreover, behind him were two dog-eared guards from the team that was assigned to protect them. The mother-daughter pair watched the trio, puzzled, as they stood in the living room.

“Then, daddy, you don’t have any work today? Even though last night you said that you had to leave in the morning?” [Snow]

When his cute daughter innocently asked him while tilting her head, Taniel couldn’t help but smile wryly. He warmly gazed at her and fondly thought back on the few times he spent with her. It had been sixteen years since she was born, and in that time, she had grown splendidly. Snow resembled her beautiful mother with each passing year more and more. However, unlike the gentle Myra, she was rather naïve and always full of energy.

“… I really tried.” [Taniel]

Taniel said as he then stared at his wife who was wearing her usual white apron. He didn’t deserve such a wonderful woman. She was too good for him. The way she would put a hand to her cheek and softly chuckle was really charming. Her warm and caring personality that accepted everything about him always made him feel at ease.

“I tried to forget… But, I just couldn’t.” [Taniel]

But, it wasn’t enough.

“… I was happy… Having a family… A wife and daughter…” [Taniel]

Neither being a husband nor being a father helped him at all.

“When you two returned, part of me was genuinely happy…” [Taniel]

Taniel spoke in a low volume, so his voice barely reached the triangular ears on top of Myra and Snow’s heads. His cryptic words and his troubled smile made the teenage girl puzzled, but her mother was starting to feel uneasy.

“Dear… What are you saying…?” [Myra]

She asked her husband who was acting strangely, standing there with the two guards behind him.

“I’m saying that this country, no, our race needs to change. This is what I strongly believe as the prime minister, and as a beastman.” [Taniel]

He matched gaze with both his wife and daughter as his smile slowly fell from his face.

“For that, sacrifices are necessary.” [Taniel]

He became completely expressionless as he made his resolve. No, he already steeled himself when Myra and Snow were kidnapped and sold as slaves. There was no change in his determination. He just needed to kill his emotions for what was to happen next. Taniel raised his left hand and the guard who was on his left side unsheathed his sword. Both of the soldiers in armor shared his belief and had made their choice as well.

“… Taniel?” [Myra]

Myra, wary of the drawn sword, grabbed her daughter’s shoulders and took a step back, but was stopped by the couch behind her. A table and couch was between her and her husband who was followed by the two soldiers. Snow, who was finally feeling the tense atmosphere in the room, gulped audibly.

“D-daddy? Geez, w-what are you doing? If you don’t leave now, y-you’ll be late for work.” [Snow]

She said, trying to sound cheerful, but her voice faltered and her smile was cramped. Furthermore, she didn’t take one step forward and remained rooted on the spot, staying away from her father.

“Myra, Snow…” [Taniel]

Taniel ignored his daughter’s attempt at trying to lighten the mood and spoke to them using an emotionless voice. The two of them had never seen him like that before and chills ran down their spine.

“Please, be sacrifices for the country… And die for the future.” [Taniel]

The armed guard raised his sword.

“… Eh? D-daddy…?” [Snow]

Snow, dumbfounded, could only stare at her father, wondering what he was saying, or rather, she knew, but didn’t want to believe it. Myra, on the other hand, was hugging Snow and looked left and right, trying to find a way to escape. Now that the danger was evident, she was searching for a way for her and her child to survive. However, every time her husband’s face came into view, her expression would waver.

Her eyes were fearful, yet resolute as she refused to let her daughter die here. But, there was no way she could easily swallow the fact that her husband, the man she fell for, ordered their deaths. Unlike her daughter whose thoughts seemed to have grounded to a halt because of excessive shock, she was on the verge of crying.

“Taniel… Why?” [Myra]

She asked in a trembling voice as the guard took a step forward. Taniel didn’t respond to her, who was wondering why he suddenly wanted them dead.

“… Do it.” [Taniel]

The guard was now right behind the prime minister. His daughter, who heard her mother’s question, finally comprehended the reality that was before her. Her eyes turned moist and tears spilled from them. Myra hugged her closely and turned sideways as if she planned on protecting her with her own body. Time was running out. The distance between them could easily be covered by a trained soldier in a moment.

However, just as she thought that the armored beastman would pounce at them, something unexpected occurred.

“GUH!” [Taniel]

The sword stabbed into Taniel’s stomach from behind. Myra and Snow, seeing this happening before them, couldn’t even let out their voice. They could only stare with wide eyes as the blade was pulled out from him and he fell to the floor.

“… Ta… Niel…?” [Myra]

Myra barely muttered his name, calling out to the blonde-haired man who was collapsed face-up. They thought he had ordered his henchmen to kill them, but he was stabbed instead. They couldn’t keep up with the turn of events.

“Myra Elking. Snow Elkind.” [Guard]

The guard who just stabbed him approached the two with his bloody sword. His friend also pulled out his weapon and followed suit.

“For our goal, the two of you must die too.” [Guard]

He grabbed the table with one hand and flipped it to the side. The mother-daughter pair finally stopped staring at Taniel as if the loud crashing sound of the table broke them out of their stupor.

“Please understand.” [Guard]

He raised his sword while his friend stood right behind him, ready to jump in if their targets tried to flee. Myra, frozen because of the ghastly scene she just witnessed, was cornered. It would appear that these two soldiers were not on her side as they still desired her death.

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“… P-please, don’t… A-at least, Not my daughter… Please…” [Myra]

She tightly embraced Snow and pleaded for them to at least spare her little girl’s life. As for Snow, she was utterly terrified and shook in her mother’s arms. Even the thought of escaping couldn’t enter her mind that was in complete chaos.

“I’m sorry, but… This is to kill all humans, and finish the war from seventy years ago.” [Guard]

Ignoring the mother’s plea and the daughter’s crying face, the soldier breathed in deeply and put strength in his grip. He glared at the two and proceeded to swing down his sword.

However, at that moment, the door was spectacularly blown away.

Before they could react or flinch out of surprise, a black bullet hurled itself at the soldier that was about to cut Myra’s back, who was shielding Snow with her body. Much like the door that turned into pieces, he was sent flying, smashed up some furniture, broke through the walls and rolled on the ground with his limbs twisted at an odd angle.

“““……””” [Everyone]

Complete silence reigned in the house except for the sounds of small debris that fell and hit the ground. Myra, Snow and the remaining guard stared agape at the large hole that just opened up before turning their gaze to the one responsible for it. Standing right in between the victims and the attacker was a black and white wolf. News that he was transformed into an animal wasn’t spread around, so the dog-eared beastman didn’t know who he was.

But, the two Elkinds did.

“… Ryner…” [Snow]

“Woof? (What’s up?)” [Ryner]

Snow reflexively whispered his name in a sobbing voice while Myra stared at him as hope formed in her eyes.

“… W-what!?” [Guard]

The armored soldier, stunned by the unexpected interruption, finally reacted a beat later. He pointed his sword at the wild canine and prepared to skewer it. However, he was much too slow for his opponent. Ryner had leaped at him before he could attack and pinned him to the floor. Then, he bit his exposed throat, sanking his fangs in his flesh. The guard used body strengthening to protect himself, but the level was too low not to mention that it was useless resistance before his foe.

“(Hard meat.)” [Ryner]

The taste of blood soon filled the wolf’s mouth as it freely flowed from his victim who was floundering madly. When Ryner tore out a chunk of meat, the beastman suddenly stopped moving his limbs erratically like a puppet with its strings cut. He lied on his back, twitching slightly with gurgling noise coming out of his mouth. His bloody throat was missing a piece and blood completely flooded the gaping wound, forming a puddle around him.

“(… Huh, what do you know…)” [Ryner]

Once Ryner confirmed his death and that there was no more enemies around, he spit out the chunk of flesh and turned his gaze towards the mother-daughter pair. Barely ten seconds had passed since he blew away the door and eliminated the soldiers.

“(I actually made it in time.)” [Ryner]

He though in his mind, not caring about the blood of his victim that stained his mouth.

“(Well, almost…)” [Ryner]

He then stared at the body of the prime minister who was on the floor and dying. Myra and Snow, who noticed where his gaze was directed at, finally snapped out of it and ran to the fallen Taniel.

“TANIEL!” [Myra]

“DADDY!” [Snow]

They kneeled next to him, hesitated to touch him, but still called out to him. Myra called out to the husband that she married and Snow called out to the father that spoiled her. He had already lost a lot of blood which was evident from the puddle of blood around him. Faint wheezing sounds could be heard as his eyelids trembled before he opened them.

“… You two…” [Taniel]

He said in a hoarse voice.

“Dear! You… Why…?” [Myra]

“Daddy! *Sob* Daddy!” [Snow]

When the two heard him, they didn’t know what to say. They asked why or repeatedly called him in a sobbing voice. They felt love and anger for him. Sadness and relief that he was dying was clashing inside them. As tears flowed down their face, Ryner stayed a bit away and watched this with slightly narrowed eyes. From a third person’s point of view, the scene was the very picture of a man dying with his loved ones crying, not wishing for his death. However, he saw the subtleties of emotions in their every action.

The questions that went unanswered.

The tears that fell for a very different reason.

The eyes that contained a certain emotion other than love.

He was familiar with them and saw these in the fox-eared beastmen. As such, he chose to only be a bystander.

“… I… With the king…” [Taniel]

Taniel said, causing Myra and Snow to suppress their voices and look at him. At death’s doors, he saw his life flashing before his eyes. He remembered about his family that he never once forgot. He remembered about his father, mother and big brother. They were all kind and energetic people, and they were all killed by the detestable humans.

“… Humans…” [Taniel]

He thought about them. As life seeped from his body, the prime minister, surrounded by his wife and daughter, thought about the humans.

“… I… Will… Kill them… All…” [Taniel]

Then, after uttering his final words, Taniel Elkind died with his desire unfulfilled.

“Daddy! DADDY! NO!! NOO!! UWAAAAAAAAHH!!! *Sob* UWAAAAAHH!!!” [Snow]

When he breathed his last breath, Snow wailed like a child. She was distressed by her complex feelings that swirled inside her and she wasn’t sure whether she loved or hated her father at this point in time. Still, right now, she cried. For the man that she had fondly called “Daddy” for the past sixteen years, she cried for him.

Myra, who was doing her best to weep silently, held her daughter to her chest. Just like Snow, she wasn’t sure how to feel about the person that had just betrayed them. But, right now, instead of anger, she was overwhelmed by grief. The two shed tears and hugged each other tightly, shaken up by the attempt on their life, Taniel’s betrayal as well as his death.

“(Myra and Snow nearly got killed by beastmen guards. Taniel is dead, stabbed. His killer was probably the first one I killed, the one with the bloody sword. Said his goal is to kill humans. Could be achieved by killing his family. How? He’s often at the castle, yet he was here when the humans attacked. The fireballs that seemed to be the signal also came from around here, at his house. Too much of a coincidence. A premeditated assassination on the family of the prime minister, by the prime minister. Reason?)” [Ryner]

In this tragic mood, one person, or rather, one animal was analyzing the information he just learned from the dead man like a computer.

“(Taniel doesn’t like humans. Wants to eradicate them. Humans sneaked in as slaves and were unleashed. Beastmen are helping them to cause more damage. Lack of personnel? This incident is possible because of his power as prime minister. Direct cause is more hostility between races. Desires war? Said he’s acting with the king. Leodor? Unlikely.)” [Ryner]

Adding it to what he had seen in the city that was under attack by humans and turncoats, he reviewed what he knew so far to understand the situation.

“(Doesn’t appear to be so from our meeting. King not an enemy. Someone from the royal family? No malice seen in them either. Taniel only greeted and left. Hostility visible, but was told he hated humans in advance. Proceeded to leave right after. Was accompanied by one other who only greeted too.)” [Ryner]

His mind was going through the data and trying to draw a conclusion from what was available to him.

“(Leonhart Ofauvra, older brother of the king. Possesses influence. First impression is a capable man. Sharp mind and strong body. Was suspicious of me. Reason?)” [Ryner]

In the process, he recalled his meeting with the royal family of the beastman capital city of Ofauvra. More specifically, he recalled Leonhart, whom he had barely talked to and had left right away with Taniel.

“Now then, I’ll be going back first to take care of some work.” [Taniel]

“I’ll also be going. I’ll help out with whatever I can do.” [Leonhart]

“Thanks. It’s hard being a king. My shoulders always feel stiff and the throne is so uncomfortable to sit on.” [Leodor]

From the conversation he heard between Taniel, Leonhart and Leodor, Ryner knew that the king happily entrusted his work to the prime minister and his older brother.

“(Trusting someone too much is a great way to get killed.)” [Ryner]

If he turned a blind eye to them while they acted using the resources and connections of a kingdom that was at their disposal, it was possible to gather allies and pull off this attack.

“(Goal? War against humans. Reason? Personal hatred. Means? Increase hostility between races. Attack on the capital by humans supported by beastmen traitors. Death of the prime minister and his family during the confusion. Possible masterminds? Taniel and Leonhart. Proof? None.)” [Ryner]

Although he had no proof, he believed he uncovered the reason behind Ofauvra’s current predicament. Right after realizing it, he chose his next course of action right away.

“(I’ve got a bad feeling.)” [Ryner]

Leonhart was part of the expedition that had gone inside the ruin last night. The entire royal family was there along with the Terdims to protect them and, more importantly, Evelyn and Maya. The restless wolf didn’t know if Leonhart really was behind the turmoil as well or if he had other plans. But, if Ryner was the mastermind and wanted to usurp the throne, then killing the opposition inside the ruin and blaming it on the monsters was something he would do.

“(No time to take it easy.)” [Ryner]

His body was instantly covered by black smoke that crept up out of nowhere. It shrouded his form, preventing anyone to see his appearance except for his general outline. However, even that changed as his shape distorted and became vague, no longer resembling a wolf, but a humanoid creature on all four legs. Then, the smoke blew outward with Ryner at the center and dispersed, revealing his figure that had completely changed.

“Gotta go all out.” [Ryner]

The distraught and weeping pair, startled, turned their heads towards the voice they hadn’t heard in a while. Myra and Snow looked on, agape, as a horned being slowly got off its hands and stood up. With white feathers for hair, his body was clad in darkness and his right eye was of a glowing golden color, like a phantasmal beast. It was like nothing they had ever seen before.

A tense and heavy pressure had descended on them. The fur of their tail was bristled and their ears were flat on top of their head. Something was squeezing their insides. Their instincts screamed. It was similar to feeling the presence of death, but different. What they felt was something more basic, more primitive.

It was like standing before a being of absolute, overwhelming power.

“You two, stay here.” [Ryner]

Ryner said in a tone that was neither commanding nor forceful, but they felt compelled to obey.

“I’m gonna go to the ruin for a bit.” [Ryner]