Warm sunlight was shining down on the southern castle.
Hopper, the central figure of the leadership, was constantly sweating profusely while catching up on overdue work.
"Where on earth is the leader and what is he doing...!"
He lightly slammed his hand down on the desk.
Taking over the head's duties was no ordinary task.
There is a limit to how much you can boss an old man around; our leader really is...! It was around the time the heat swirling in his body was gradually turning into rage.
Phut!
The door opened with a loud noise. Hopper's gaze followed the source of the sound.
The person who rushed in was Camel. Hopper frowned and adjusted his glasses.
"What? Who told you to come in so recklessly without any fear?"
“Great, Minister...!'
He gasped for breath. He had run so fast that he was short of oxygen. Once again, he began to turn red from head to toe.
Camel, who had been squealing for quite some time, finally managed to compose himself. His body color also returned to normal.
As he swallowed his dry saliva, he shouted in a loud voice.
"It is a great victory! It is a joyous occasion! We are all saved!"
Camel's face flushed with joy, but Hopper narrowed his eyebrows even further and asked back.
"What on earth are you talking about? Anyway, look at the state of you!"
"First, please listen to my story!"
"What..."
"He has found a companion!"
"...What?"
Camel cut Hopper off as if he couldn't stand it anymore. It was an ill-mannered thing to do, but he was itching to speak until he was going crazy.
Hopper stared at him blankly, forgetting even to be angry.
"You, what did you just say..."
"Oh my goodness. I mean the leader found a companion!"
Camel jumped up in place as if frustrated. His hair began to turn green. It was the color a chameleon shows when telling the truth.
'It is not a lie.'
Hopper covered his mouth. He felt like he was about to burst into tears.
He was the one who served the current leader like his own child after the former leader passed away.
Watching the leader put on the restraints himself, he resolved to find a partner no matter what.
To think you found the companion you couldn't find even after scouring the entire Beastman world!
Hopper could not hide his feelings. He jumped up from his seat.
"Hey!"
As he shouted loudly, the knights standing guard outside entered in a single file.
"The Leader's consort will be here soon! Everyone must be well prepared!"
The knights' eyes widened at Hopper's words.
"Yes!"
The knights hurriedly left. There were more than a few things to prepare.
"That is... really great, Leader...."
Hopper muttered that as he wiped his eyes. Before he knew it, he was crying.
"Minister...!"
Camel also approached him, choking up with tears. Then, with a look of deep emotion, he hugged Hopper tightly.
Now peace will come to the South as well! They believed it without a doubt.
***
“Leave your luggage.”
Hopper, who had been hugging Camel, suddenly came to his senses.
"By the way, why did you come alone? Where are the leader and the young lady? No. More importantly, why are you alone? Where are the others?"
Camel clamped his mouth shut at Hopper's words. His reddened hair began to turn white.
"Well, that's..."
Camel could not answer easily. Testing a potential mate's qualities by feeding them jewels was something the chameleons intended to carry out secretly among themselves.
It was clear that if this stubborn minister found out about it, he would give a huge scolding.
"Surely you didn't go to escort your partner all by yourself?"
Hopper's fist trembled. What an insult! Even a hundred golden carriages wouldn't have been enough. Yet, to think there was only a single attendant!
"Ah. No! That's not it..."
Sensing Hopper's anger, Camel shouted quickly. Hopper wiped his eyes as if urging him to speak.
How should I make up an excuse? Camel racked his brain, feeling the sweat trickling down his face.
At that moment, what Rachel had said flashed through his mind.
Yes, there was a way. Camel shouted loudly.
"His companion is currently living in the North!"
"North?!"
Hopper's eyes widened. Of all places, the North! A companion in a place swarming with wolf cubs!
"Then that woman is a wolf...!"
"She is human! I saw her."
Camel quickly interrupted Hopper. Before anyone realized it, Camel's hair had turned green. It was the Green Bean of Truth.
"...It's not a lie."
Relieved by the softened atmosphere, Camel continued speaking.
"She is undoubtedly a human. She is on a completely different level from those wicked wolves. Not only is she unaffected even when touching the leader, but she also knows how to use ice magic."
“Even so..."
Hopper pushed up his glasses. His reason, which had briefly vanished in his excitement, returned.
As far as he knew, Camel was a naive man. Even when he was swayed by the schemes of his eldest brother and youngest brother and took the blame for their mistakes, he would keep his mouth shut and overlook their wrongdoings.
As expected, something was off. To think a human could control the Leader's fire.
That is absurd. No matter how great an ice wizard she was, she could not control the dragon's fire.
'Could the wolf that stole the heart have lied about being human?'
Yeah, if you think about it that way, everything fits together.
How can humans survive in the North, where vile wolves live?
Hopper recalled a book that had drifted in from the human world.
'The Snow Queen.'
Just as there were legends in the beast world, there were also legends in the human world.
A woman who makes people bloom with her beautiful looks, then stabs their hearts with ice to make them lose their reason.
As he thought that far, his anxiety grew.
'It’s a problem if it’s human, and it’s a problem if it’s a wolf.'
He felt he needed to see it with his own eyes. Hopper quickly left the office.
“Minister?”
The attendant guarding the gate hurriedly followed behind him.
"Minister! Where are you going?"
“Going north.”
"What? You too, Minister?"
The servant was surprised and asked back.
"What are we to do if even the Minister isn't here? Please don't go!"
"Get out of the way! I have a duty to protect the South!"
"Then you should have stayed here. Why are you going to the North?"
"Don't follow me! I'm going to that dangerous place alone!"
"Minister, Minister!"
The servant shouted at the top of his lungs, but Hopper did not stop. The servant stared at Hopper's retreating figure with a dejected expression.
***
“Nothing, right?”
I shrugged my shoulders for no reason and looked at Noelier.
"I mostly read books here. Books for Zion to study or books I read."
Noelier stood beside me. The look in his eyes as he gazed at the bookshelf was intensely serious. I glanced briefly at the shelf filled with red books. It was the gesture of someone with a guilty conscience.
After a series of accidents, we went out to cheer the children up. Of course, we kept our faces completely covered with masks and hats.
I mumbled in a half-resigned voice to change the subject.
"By the way, I can't find the book I'm looking for these days."
"What are you talking about?"
"These are books related to the human world. I bought them in case they might be helpful when I return."
I said that while scanning the bookshelf.
Since Noelier considers me to be human, I thought it was okay to say this much.
Noelier narrowed his brows and scanned the books with a sharp gaze.
'Ah, come to think of it!'
A good idea suddenly struck me. I looked at Noelier with eyes full of anticipation.
"Are there no such books in the South?"
"...If it’s a book like that?"
"Books related to the human world. I think Noelier could find them."
It is the leader's order, so shouldn't you at least get one? I looked at him with a hopeful expression, my eyes shining.
However, Noelier only shook his head with a troubled expression.
"...Well, I’m not really sure either. It’s not like I’m on good terms with the human world."
“Is that so?”
It's a shame, but it can't be helped. I quietly put aside the expectations I had.
"Eve."
Then Noelier called me again.
He took off his mask as if feeling stifled. His beautiful face was fully revealed.
I was speechless for a moment, captivated by his breathtaking beauty. Fortunately, he didn't take off his hood. It didn't seem like it would be noticeable unless you looked up close. Following his lead, I quietly took off my mask as well.
"I've been thinking about this for a while..."
Noelier slowly trailed off. He glanced out the wide glass window behind where I was standing, then looked back at me and continued speaking.
"Why are you calling me by my name again?"
"Huh? Then what did you say...."
"Didn't you surely call me husband before?"
"Yes?"
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
Th-that's obviously just to get out of the situation!
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