"That damned wolf—he played pitiful again tonight and snatched Nina away," Sal said irritably.

He clicked his tongue. He never should’ve brought that wolf along in the first place.

"He’s obviously faking it," Mino scoffed. "It’s been days—there’s no way he hasn’t healed. He’s just good at acting miserable."

"We can’t let this go on," Aviel said, clearly annoyed.

He had finally gotten his chance to sleep beside Nina—only for it to be stolen halfway through.

"Exactly. That wolf is unbearable," Finch added, equally displeased. "He shows up at just the right moments—clearly on purpose."

"The worst," Dian chimed in. "He keeps hogging Nina."

Honestly, Yanai was even more competitive than he was.

"I don’t think he fits in very well with us," Kith said coldly. "Maybe he doesn’t belong here."

"I agree. We should keep him away from Nina as much as possible," Sal added.

"From now on, we keep an eye on him," Odian said, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "If he wants to compete, then so will we."

Tonight had originally been his turn.

"Agreed."

The males exchanged looks.

There was no way they’d let that wolf take a place among them so easily.

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of the storm he had stirred, Yanai was still immersed in quiet happiness—completely oblivious to the many obstacles now lining his path.

On the fifth day, he went to find Nina again.

"Nina, I—"

"Nina," Sal cut in immediately, "what do you want to wear tomorrow? I’ll prepare it for you."

Nina thought for a moment. "That white fox fur outfit."

"Nina—"

Yanai tried again, but Dian intercepted just as quickly.

Looking pale and weak, he said, "Sister... I’m not feeling well. Could you take a look at me?"

Nina’s expression changed at once. "You’re not feeling well? Let me check."

"Mm... let’s go back to the shelter—it’s warmer there."

As he spoke, Dian gently took her hand and led her away.

Yanai moved to follow, but Mino grabbed his arm.

"Your injury should be healed by now, right? Come hunting tonight."

"...Wasn’t it someone else’s turn?" Yanai frowned.

He had planned to spend the evening with Nina.

"No. Tonight, it’s yours."

Mino dragged him farther away. "We’re heading back to Barbarian City soon—we need to gather more prey."

They had already left the Sky Star Forest, and Odian had begun preparing the teleportation array for their return.

Yanai had no choice but to go along.

He knew it now—these jealous males had started actively blocking him.

And his injury... had mostly healed.

He couldn’t keep pretending forever.

Looks like I’ll need a new plan.

Under the watchful interference of the others, Yanai never again managed to use his "injury" as an excuse to get close to Nina.

Once the teleportation array was complete, they returned to Barbarian City.

But the moment they stepped onto its streets, something felt... wrong.

The roads were eerily empty.

Doors and windows were tightly shut.

And in the air, a thick, metallic scent lingered.

Blood.

"Why is it so empty?" Nina frowned. "There’s barely anyone around."

A bad feeling crept into her chest.

The Beast God had said Thraxxis was using blood sacrifice to break the seal... Could this be related?

"The smell of blood is strong," Sal said grimly. "A lot of beastmen must have died recently."

Even during the internal slaughter in Abyss City, the stench had never been this heavy.

Just how many had died?

Odian extended his senses, scanning the surroundings with his power.

"Nina... it’s likely Thraxxis’ doing. A blood-sacrifice formation. It’s already been active for some time—he may be close to completing it."

Nina’s heart sank.

"Blood sacrifice... that means using beastmen’s lives, doesn’t it?"

"Yes," Odian said quietly. "Their blood is drained... until death."

A heavy silence fell.

"Then we need to destroy the formation—and kill Thraxxis—as soon as possible," Nina said firmly.

"Agreed," Aviel nodded. "I’ll send some scouts to gather information first. Then we act."

Nina nodded, too.

He immediately dispatched several beastmen to investigate.

They began heading back to their previous residence—perhaps they could also ask Zena about the current situation.

As they passed Mona’s home, the once listless woman suddenly looked up.

The moment she saw Nina, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees.

"Honored lady, please—please help me save Winny!"

Startled, Nina quickly helped her up. "Winny was taken, too?"

"Yes... the Great Shaman took him."

Mona’s eyes were swollen and red—she had clearly cried for a long time.

"Recently, the Great Shaman and the city lord have been seizing beastmen from the city... this morning, they took Winny too..."

Her voice broke, tears welling again.

"Where are they taking them?" Nina asked.

"To the city lord’s residence," Mona answered. "They take batches at a time—it’s been days. So many are gone..."

Her voice trembled. "There are guards everywhere now. No one is allowed near."

She hesitated, fear flashing across her face.

"I heard... those who are taken..."

She couldn’t finish.

Grabbing Nina’s sleeve, she pleaded desperately, "Please—can you save Winny? He’s still so young... I have no strength to save him myself..."

The males in the city were all too afraid—no one was willing to help her.

"Don’t worry," Nina said gently. "I’ll find a way to rescue them as soon as possible."

Hopefully... Winny hasn’t been sacrificed yet.

"When will you go?" Mona asked anxiously. "Can you take me with you? Just let me enter the city lord’s residence—I won’t trouble you after that."

If anything happened to her child... She didn’t think she could go on living.

Nina hesitated briefly. "I’ll have to see. I’ll try my best."

She understood a mother’s desperation—but she also had to consider her plan.

If she could help, she would.

"...Alright. I’ll wait for your news."

With a heavy heart, Nina continued on. Soon, they arrived at Zena’s door.

Zena’s courtyard was eerily quiet that day.

Ridan knocked for a long while, but no one came to answer.

Nina’s brows slowly knit together, a sinking feeling forming in her chest.

Something’s wrong.

"Lady Nina... it seems no one’s here," Ridan said.

Nina thought for a moment. "Ridan, fly in and check. See if anyone’s inside—and whether anything’s been disturbed."

"Yes." Ridan immediately leapt over the wall. Moments later, he returned.

"Lady Nina, there’s no one inside. The belongings all seem untouched."

Nina’s frown deepened. "...Let’s go back first."

It seemed her suspicion was right.

They returned to their previous residence.

Setan hadn’t left—and the Flame Crystals Nina had given him earlier still sat untouched.

"Little female," he said, stepping forward, "I don’t want these. Let me stay and help you."

He had never helped her for the sake of rewards.

"This matter doesn’t really concern you," Nina said.

Setan met her gaze steadily. "If it concerns you, then it concerns me. Let me stay. You’ll need more hands."

A complicated emotion flickered through Nina’s heart.

After a brief pause, she nodded. "...Alright. But if things turn bad, you leave first."

They did need more help.

After all, Thraxxis and Yosan had been planning this for years—they must have gathered many powerful beastmen.

Setan’s expression lit up. "Alright."

Even if things did go badly, there was no way he’d abandon her.

But for now... staying was enough.

Nina handed him the Flame Crystals again. "Then take these."

This time, he didn’t refuse.

He needed to grow stronger—quickly.

***

By dusk, the scouts began returning one after another.

"Lady Nina," Viann reported, "we estimate that nearly half the beastmen in the city have been taken."

Nina’s expression darkened. "Are there any patterns in who they’re capturing?"

Pado answered, "From what we’ve gathered, part of them are powerful males, part are violent or dangerous males, and a smaller portion are young males. There don’t seem to be any females."

Nina frowned slightly.

The pattern felt... strange.

But she couldn’t quite piece it together yet.

"What about inside the city lord’s residence?" she asked.

"It’s heavily sealed," Viann said. "We only learned that many captives are still alive—likely imprisoned in the stone dungeons beneath the residence. Beyond that, information is limited."

"Did you see Zena?" Nina asked.

Pado shook his head. "No."

They shared a few more scattered pieces of intelligence.

Then everyone gathered to discuss their next move.

"We attack tomorrow," Nina said decisively. "From the east gate."

She glanced at Kith and the others.

"Kith, Finch, Yanai—you take a group and rescue the captives."

Then she turned to Odian and the rest.

"I’ll go with Odian and the others to deal with Thraxxis."

"...Alright."

Though Kith and the others wanted to stay by her side, none of them argued.

They understood priorities.

Nina assigned a few more roles—everyone agreed without objection.

***

The plan was set.

Tomorrow, they would strike.

Tonight, they prepared.

Nina purchased a large amount of equipment and distributed it among them.

Then she called Mona over and handed her some items as well.

"Take these," Nina said. "Tomorrow, I’ll send a group to rescue the captives. You can go with them."

Mona clutched the items tightly, her eyes filling with gratitude.

"Thank you... truly. If you ever need anything, I will give my life to repay you."

If Winny could be saved, she would devote everything she had to repay this kindness.

And if he was already gone... Then she would go with him.

There would be nothing left worth living for.