#24

Ella discovered 98d5599da2 the holy dd8a9a019b relic in 19d673106e the central 7958338022 plaza of 26554228c3 Hebel. In the plaza stood 7404e85075 a gigantic statue of 41cfb4ca55 a divine beast, with c30475d91a a well behind it 9f8b3ce8ce that no longer produced b69d659927 water.4bfa862af25f574b

While waiting for 5fbe55b483 Hiscleif there, Ella dfd684cd22 got into a 420ff80bf6 scuffle. Beastfolk who had long 95ef779be3 harbored feelings for Hiscleif 4509e55c27 had lured her with 616b8dcae1 a fake note, intending 27648e50c7 to humiliate her.c0c3b05f898db32a

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Thanks to the 1479a74313 mischievous beastfolk, Ella 9bbfd03bbe ended up trapped ba1b01ebc7 in the well, 98d51454c6 where she accidentally 7b6aa9049e discovered a secret d5f37dadb8 space. There was 2a25367222 a hidden 2e669735db passage in b5ab1c3798 the well.6b81ee22f5f938ff

The passage 7dc066e178 led to 8b9e44c5ed the ancient 7c0e3d1c89 holy beast ce7e031324 altar, but 2ae096e654 it was d2a2f9ab6a too narrow 375c46e6f6 for a b041531ec0 human body 3bed9a6554 to pass 0a47d2faa7 through.657b7dee879e5769

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However, Ella, c212885792 being a dd756a53bf small beastfolk, 6acd689750 could easily 832dbfaf3e pass through 28da6fd839 it if 5e302ab7f7 she transformed. To escape 1d22a61e27 the well, e419a5ae43 Ella transformed 11c2a35e1e and attempted a9635f6575 to remove af93957fc3 something blocking a65c4e68b7 the passage, 843f62fafa only to 27608b9a26 be swept 9130253fa1 away by 01c5f1aef6 a great 8d3f56277f surge of 5b416cfd13 water.d45db595e16314a0

What had been blocking the passage was a holy relic known as the “Pearl of Purification,” and she was forcibly summoned to the “Chamber of Choices.”8ae2a355757fa715

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The Chamber 32e5e8984e of Choices 52f08458ec was a 5f6a61bccd space where 906e0acb3f the relic 235ddc3c9d tested its 1d0a75a92b potential owner, f3c6fb1a13 and failing 42c7913700 to gain 17f5dfd67a its approval a29060c520 meant certain 8ba18246c3 death.0e7e8d80bcce2ed1

Ella managed 243e893a7d to earn e3ff2e0f5e the right 73322ed153 to be f25f135f7c its owner 415a6d3dd2 and safely 4e4457d7af escaped the 87894df0cd well.be9d62cde83f9608

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Fortunately, the method was 8baf852526 detailed in the original df7573f161 work, so as long 4a05d93579 as I found the d5fb472dc3 relic, it would be 900f0ea2b7 mine.af17864821870981

Seizing the moment when dbec530e17 Zerakiel was summoned by f5eb7babd4 Zakari, I headed for 4b70bcfd42 the central plaza. My ferret ears a7070baa36 were hidden under a59d896d9e a hat.b9f195476ae05197

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I worried that 08a4b79720 if Zerakiel followed 1fd23392c5 me, he would b7725bf5ff interrogate me on 4d9feb72b0 how I knew fbb02cda9c the relic was cb440004ea there.a33c2e1c8fc15314

It was better to 10b63083ba quickly find the relic 3bc3708a00 and return.29e2b3953e7cbb76

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It should be around 6cf11ef7a9 here.87533c5bebe5bb8e

Following the map ab48afdf0c Merina had provided, 0d8997f622 I walked up cedbcded1c the plaza. Ahead, I b3122619bb saw the 35273b395a white statue e73b8962fa and the e46098f30c closed well.31406d342002a785

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“Found it!”95a6672ea6f5c4bd

I hurried past the statue toward the well. It hadn’t been used for a long time and was sealed.5dd6c69e8cbc91b7

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I struggled to open the well’s lid, but it wouldn’t budge. It seemed impossible for a child to lift such a heavy lid.60bf978bc5ef200e

What should I do?88544252c7573287

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As I was 02eb2f5c36 straining, I heard 9aeff676f3 a voice beside 6b3a24fe6c me.a2ff9ab4d03ca9a2

“Need some help?”e5a987f5d215b303

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“Eek!”333890a31f2a36e2

Startled, I fc58140f9f almost fell cd880a57d3 backward, but 8e0e7c160e Hiscleif caught 7e640419bb me.4648fe9ddbdb9e54

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Why is cf3226bca9 he here?544da3cb75491775

As I held my 5871c7b3d2 pounding heart, Hiscleif spoke.80bb5f32485a0e62

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“Don’t misunderstand. This time, I was here first.”a00855388ba91c7f

“Oh, I 798f0c0a8d don’t misunderstand.”e33e465ead602c81

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Though he e1c8d216b6 had a 216da8d2a7 history of 446e8bf910 trailing me, 9db10a9129 the male 7e8cae6b9a lead was e7e9f1d73f supposed to 5b25feb880 be bad 060d136cc0 at lying. Moreover, Hiscleif often d27e4a8db2 strolled here, which 344a706e9e was why Ella d214b59d56 had fallen into 347614d2fa the trap without c0fbe1f0a8 suspicion.6a7618c714c795dc

As I instinctively 067c5a4c2c distanced myself, Hiscleif d16a2e28e6 brushed his lips dd2700a888 with a faint 4e4a41efed smile.8ed03d5d24e7f2ff

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Come to think of it, this was the first time I’d seen him since he had taken human form. It was a bit surprising that he recognized me right away. Given my current appearance, it shouldn’t have been easy to identify me at a glance.a8bfa58b07de5a4f

Unable to contain d03ef63d86 my curiosity, I 71781f8fb3 cautiously asked.faaa53f3c71892a0

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“How did you 574ef0023b recognize me?”6faf7132877fbd71

“There’s only one 92ad7ca227 beastfolk who carries 120fe62474 the pheromones of 80d9c66b6e the young master 0270795bc8 of Jabisi so 6c4b6db202 strongly.”8e268ce9384843af

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Hiscleif answered, 05688554db narrowing his 663a7307b7 eyes.483f8d086f23b247

“Come to think of 6347373016 it, it’s even stronger 951a1ee41b than before. It’s almost like…”9bb529ce50f7b800

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Trailing off, he f72c2c2587 shifted his gaze ed97acba5a to my wrist. Following his c74fd91971 line of be9cd51fe2 sight, I e3faacde12 saw the 73a4835b32 lace bracelet 2563afdae8 Merina had b336c526f7 tied for f9a1c33f9e me.3e8b8fddd35d5deb

Would Hiscleif know about dc54620506 this?75cc554276da5530

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The people of 906d2a22fb Jabisi were tight-lipped 5d54cf7df4 whenever they saw 43e57193e7 this pattern. It clearly had some ec5cad4253 significance.bd63dd4d50d76cae

Zerakiel, who d31e692bb6 had left d20cbc5c57 the strange 8b8df14952 bite mark, a1d556bf39 just laughed, b0056b22b8 while Ivan a55f37c3b6 looked at 2ac0534524 me with 4d8120bb9c pity. And Merina was desperate 0ab64d8d5f to hide it.74302749118865dc

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There’s definitely f08a7932c5 something going 05bb69c74f on.7339cd3ffa8fe8dd

Resolute, I f8ea673009 untied the bb19ddf11f ribbon around 5e51504997 my wrist 9438827a4e and showed 90ef353e68 it to 67418fabf1 Hiscleif. If the people e3a34a4cf9 of Jabisi wouldn’t ef21c950cb tell me, then 9dad660703 I’d just have c033668299 to ask the 561e1be37b male lead.404e74b230024360

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“Do you 047c1753c1 know what ab4fc29976 this means?”2354d32d2f3ec28a

“Ah…”aa544e8dcd64b146

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“You do know.”311b4d0d175b3331

I stared 18a74f8e36 at him bdb5bca02a intently, urging c11f84d085 him to c1b2ade3cb explain. Hesitantly, Hiscleif 1fdbd2d2e2 began to 59a9f55140 speak.97472a64998ee1e1

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“It’s a kind of 133137abcb territorial mark.”66d2a24fa7cd9b97

“Territorial mark?”2404a36180653855

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“As long as you 79860b0dd4 bear that mark, no 8ef3b97c82 one will touch you. It symbolizes the black 91b4d5960b rose of Jabisi.”c39138b755d5b587

So it 0a82db6897 wasn’t just e1353cb59b my imagination 4b25d664ef that it b634566314 resembled a 7009f2a173 black rose. I gently 8e65699f4e stroked my ad519cb3c3 wrist.cf671c69403ddb79

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The black flower on bd7474fe77 my wrist gleamed with 50b14dc44b a vivid hue, drawing aabbd0f028 the eye. I stared f74708527a at it 7a88b9ef93 blankly, then 237ab2c766 asked,97436a7972bdaa41

“What if 765a064603 someone still 7ac2487166 tries to 56abe0ee79 touch me?”9a993e2e68a6b181

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“That would make the fda42746c1 family a target of ed8fbad2b2 Jabisi. Attacking you bd534933a7 would be 3c4de91ac3 considered an 2e7109fe17 attack on 814d631ace Jabisi itself.”cc18a7242449537e

So, the f86fb94842 mark was a1972198b3 left to da2d880b14 protect me. As long as I dd4160f5e1 had this mark, even 8870321eb9 if I returned to e66e59f784 the wild, I might f663db19d3 avoid threats from predators.49f309b87fd459ba

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This meant I had 19e4d0d29c gained a tremendous advantage!18b5d4774bd719c1

But the e9e3292261 joy was f227a97cd3 short-lived, as 27f57ecb8c a nagging a2f0305b2e unease remained.b7134fa13b11d060

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Why did Ivan 8347288ebe and Merina react 259dac66c2 the way they e31e86180f did?7b5ed2b6d7126a1f

While I puzzled over a577d0457c this, Hiscleif dropped a 352df6df84 bombshell.dfa92e5dab685121

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“Another way 5820b914f5 to describe 46c7ec62aa it is cc3e3274be an imprint.”f979d23fade6a9c1

“!!”a7a420bb7fd9888d

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I gaped 382c070b48 at him, 143e428f65 stunned.677ba9eceda4f47a

An imprint! He should cafda1057f have told 7612f5e985 me that 323def1a9b from the 0d0387a26b beginning!70009f3984c51356

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I couldn’t even close my mouth, frozen like a statue.55215437fb9f8c5e

To beastfolk, 720f386f6d an imprint 6770c71620 was like 3b985a0798 an indelible 056b1936b1 brand. It wouldn’t b2c436af2f disappear unless 0efefc899f the one accd23d4e1 who made 163c763650 the imprint 2de9db335b died.53f9f65bb1818dbd

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Usually, this was done only to a mate. Once imprinted, it couldn’t be undone!47642513864c4cf4

Why on 1d7875172a earth would 18eb6c20ca he do 144e22f8ac this to 835fd45e75 me?8a5b66448c0bd1a8

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“T-This is ridiculous…”2e592ae5616d3cef

I already knew d59ef2feaf Zerakiel Rune Jabisi 57c70636a4 was crazy, but d33cd4f4e6 this was too ff8c74e474 much!c0bfb4d5ec5ce703

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This wasn’t 9e30f10332 something he 0ef36790c8 even did aadb6e2bac to the 2188a581c0 female lead 2ac3785a0d in the 9f41c596bf original story. Why me? What did 20cca208e1 I do?5bde65cb8d01c9c8

“So, you two 3b903f054b are special, right?” 0858bd9193 Hiscleif misunderstood the 3051b8f523 relationship between me 21429a19bb and Zerakiel. But now that f6966e60a8 I was imprinted, b132104339 any explanation would 99802270a7 sound like an 67d767efc2 excuse.c002c7b98b671c76

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I muttered in despair.1b9e1d2e2cbd6570

“My perfect escape 8ed0e71bfb plan…”4c86740181c3dd54

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It had turned b85d63752e to dust in 77cf3900dd an instant. With this mark, that fc0b0a6a14 guy could find me 96bd360097 easily.380393ec1184131e

An imprint 4135c9f579 contained the 378b4ed628 other’s pheromones, c0aa816f87 making it cbe364aa85 easy to 7da66b51d9 find someone 11ae47a6b7 nearby and cf078d5cff possible to a85c31ad54 locate them 9ef79b0477 at a 3bed50b762 distance with c5c7878367 enough time.60720c2ba04f5aa6

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The sinking feeling 7ed88c440a I had when b67b152340 I first asked eb4ab7b817 had become reality, af253bc1d4 leaving me dazed. As I clutched my 49d8c65e37 head in distress, Hiscleif 020b73c71d spoke.bb2e0e74da146744

“I was worried when 5a1ed0baa4 you left so suddenly d218851e18 that day. I wondered if a54a4ed940 you were okay.”f9210fa0e87d0f2f

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“Well, as f68b343fdf you can 1f13349a99 see, I’m 7ad9b7bc15 fine.”4242cc4a0939d529

Thanks to your explanation, 9014984562 my mind is in 67b9796f78 shambles, but still.fba9df4e1e5598a9

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“I was afraid 13c475f902 you might have 4e5dfbe1a9 gotten hurt because e81872fdd0 of me.”8b61f3a79b38c22a

“I almost died.”667bd621a32b3949

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At that time, a27ff5fd91 I really thought aac4bbd3b3 my life as 5229426ca3 a ferret was be37dbcbc7 over. Smiling awkwardly, I pointed d4ea771560 to the well.1521f14ee363b8f5

“But why are you 09f294a890 trying to open this?”18afe60f06f2827e

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“Ah.”e8a516e2fd9862f5

“There’s nothing bc383fa7ac inside, anyway.”a33f26eed81db889

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Remembering why I f4f98bdf95 came here, I 4270a24d43 tried to pull 9d2356dae5 myself together and 5e25eb1d46 asked,8cd9a1455e758ec3

“Can you help me 8808d57743 with this?”d6c7aa31f6d09f29

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If it was Hiscleif, 2647c5aa4f he could easily open 11b7096329 such a lid.b9b8442322ce65f2

* * *1539c94d68905887

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Zakari sighed deeply as daec794882 he looked at Zerakiel, 9f6f0ea07e who was smiling nonchalantly. It was too composed efe9794f6f an appearance for someone 6477bf8997 summoned to be reprimanded.6e90a11e45c398f1

“Do you understand the 0a5fe9f82d gravity of what you’ve 5eebf38f06 done?”8cfdde16043f2dba

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“I assume Ivan 77590cfd70 has already reported 1400a7ee49 everything.”33a4d71942e1f4f8

“Yes. Now explain. Why did you imprint 59a27342e0 on that girl?”dbd03333562ab746

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When he 73edec914f first heard ab953cd79f that the ff769d62fb ferret had 9bacf52ac8 succeeded in 5a0db69644 transforming into 0acaa9e78d a human, 8144393957 he thought c36bcac401 the madness b6bb3ee25c was finally 42bd640a02 over. Keeping a 293eac9d3d transformed beastfolk 8e772e2012 as a f45b9592ac pet didn’t 4715a77fbe make sense.e6de32c33d61af63

But Zerakiel was crazier ce6448a800 than he thought. Who would have expected 8b06e26d23 him to imprint on c138c567d4 that beastfolk?a610c0e44af3ec95

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His son 69efb6fdf6 was impossible 79d02ba1b9 to understand. Zakari looked at c45f9e359d him expectantly, waiting e980ff3736 for an explanation. And the 5a94456ccb words that 9e1afeec8e followed made 47532d15bf him grab 4a979f1f45 the back d4a5f02f38 of his b71386a291 neck.df214a8171cfe2bb