Exceptions and Contradictions

It was around the time Bernessa was shuddering at Hakan’s unwavering tastes.

“Hakan-nim, are you here?”

Nektor appeared.

Since he really did live next door, he was dressed very casually.

Nektor, who had been looking for Hakan, noticed Fren sitting on a chair and Bernessa standing behind him, and greeted them very politely.

Fren returned the greeting with a slight nod and spoke.

“You must be having a hard time taking care of Hakan from early morning.”

“I am merely doing my duty.

But what brings you all the way here, Fren-nim.

If you had contacted me, I would have come with Hakan-nim.”

“Just hearing that is nice.

Something urgent came up that requires Hakan and me to go somewhere.”

“Then I will come along as well—”

“I’m sorry, but we want to go with just the three of us.”

“Ah….”

Concern immediately surfaced on Nektor’s face.

It was obvious he was worried Hakan might cause trouble without him around.

“Don’t worry too much.

For the time being, I plan to turn a blind eye to whatever Hakan does.”

“Thank you very much.

Still, if anything happens—”

“Yes, I’ll contact you right away.”

Bernessa noticed that Fren was finding Nektor’s obvious anxiety quite amusing.

“You seem very loyal.

From what I know, it hasn’t been that long since you met Hakan.”

“That’s not the case.”

“Which part of Hakan made you follow him so devotedly.

Honestly, he doesn’t seem like the type to treat subordinates kindly.”

“Hakan-nim will become a great chieftain.”

“I see.”

Fren carefully observed the unusually calm Nektor.

Nektor kept his head lowered and silently endured the gaze.

Only after Hakan returned did he finally escape Fren’s scrutiny.

Hakan lightly tapped Nektor’s shoulder.

“You here?”

“Yes.

I brought something suitable for restoring your strength.”

“Thanks, but you should eat it instead.

I won’t be here for a while.”

“Will you be all right on your own?”

“Take care of the house.”

“Please go without worry.

Everything here will be fine.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Nektor followed them out to the front gate and saw the three of them off.

Fren clicked his tongue.

“So without a mate, you even have to leave household matters to your subordinate.”

“He’s meticulous, so it’s fine.”

“Then why don’t you just marry Nektor.

You said yourself you could just adopt children anyway.”

“Are you crazy.

I don’t want to live skin to skin with a big guy like that.”

“Most lycanthropes are big, though.”

“I did find a few smaller ones, but every single one of them was stubborn.

They’re no fun to live with.”

“Then how about marrying a human woman?”

“Why have you been crossing the line since earlier.”

If it weren’t for what happened yesterday, he would have punched Fren already and buried him underground.

Facing Hakan’s icy reply, Fren smiled brightly and said—

“Why so sensitive.

Lycanthropes are the only race among the three that can have children with elves or humans, right.

Of course, same-s*x couples are impossible.”

“I’d rather live alone than marry a human woman.”

“I heard that used to happen quite often in the past.”

“Those idiots were crazy.

Why would I give my kid the blood of a s*ave.”

“…….”

It was sad, but true.

Bernessa also thought that if he were to have a child, it would be better to bite his tongue and die.

Even passing on only good things would not be enough, so dragging a child into this hell was unthinkable.

While Bernessa kept his head lowered, Fren and Hakan continued talking.

“But an elf wouldn’t marry you anyway.”

“I’m the one refusing pretty-on-the-outside pointy-eared bastards like you.”

“You were the one begging me to marry you back then.”

“…I must have been possessed by something.

Why did I propose to an arrogant bastard like you.”

Hakan ground his teeth in genuine humiliation.

“I needed a mate, not a master.”

“Then there’s really only one option left.

Marry a human man, adopt a child, and live happily ever after.”

“…….”

Hakan’s eyes naturally drifted to Bernessa.

It meant he wouldn’t want a human man unless he was as pretty and capable as Bernessa.

Bernessa silently endured the gaze and made a wish.

‘Please let Hakan live alone his whole life and die without making any unnecessary victims.’

Perhaps because Bernessa showed no reaction at all, Hakan became awkward and lashed out.

“Anyway, I’m never living with a human.

What use are humans anyway.”

At that, Fren burst out laughing.

“You know you’re really contradictory, right.

When you’re taking Nektor around just fine.”

“What does that have to do with anything.”

“Nektor.

That guy is human-blooded, you know.”

Hakan froze on the spot.

Bernessa quietly stepped in front of Fren.

A murderous aura slowly began to leak out of Hakan.

“Did that bastard tell you himself.

f*ck, I told him to hide it no matter what.”

“There’s no way.

We just noticed it ourselves.”

“We?”

Hakan looked at Bernessa.

Seeing Bernessa’s dry, expressionless face as usual only made Hakan angrier.

“f*ck, why didn’t you say anything.

If you knew, you should’ve said you knew.”

“…Hakan, why exactly are you angry at me right now.”

“This pisses me off in its own way.

Bastards like this always hide their true intentions in front of me and then stab me in the back.”

“Why would Bernessa stab you in the back.

If anyone does it, it’ll be me.”

“…That’s true.”

Bernessa was dumbfounded that Hakan, who had been angry just moments ago, so easily agreed with Fren.

“Anyway, what did you see, and how did you notice.

No one else had any idea.”

“There are very few who understand lycanthropes as accurately as we do.

Most elves who fought lycanthropes during the war are already dead.

Nobles still interact with lycanthropes, but even they are full of incorrect information.”

“…Interactions have increased a lot compared to before.

Why are you guys still like this.”

If anything, Hakan himself didn’t seem to understand that elves were basically nothing but stubbornness and pride held together by a corpse.

“Anyway, hurry up and tell me the reason.

I need to let Nektor know.”

“You’re too calm, almost unnaturally so.

Of course, it’s possible only we noticed it, but just in case, it would be good for him to occasionally act strange, fail to read the room, and go wild over random things.

Like the lycanthrope right in front of me.”

“…Want to die?”

“And tell him to act exhausted the day after a full moon.

You have so much strength that you can move around just fine, but most lycanthropes are so drained they can’t even move.”

Hakan turned his head to look at Bernessa.

Bernessa nodded to show his agreement.

Hakan grabbed the back of his head and grumbled.

“Ah, this is such a pain.

Why is there so much to worry about.”

“But Hakan, if you hate humans that much, why do you keep that kid around.

He can’t even transform into his true form.”

“…He’s half a proud lycanthrope.

You want me to turn my back on my own kind?”

“You’re really hard to tell whether you’re open-minded or closed-off.”

A lycanthrope’s original form is that of a massive wolf.

Normally, they can suppress the urge to transform, but on nights of the full moon, they inevitably succumb to instinct.

At that time, lycanthropes are no different from beasts, smashing everything and attacking anything alive.

That was why lycanthropes dug deep caves every full-moon night and locked themselves inside.

In Hakan’s case, since he lived in the city, he spent the time in a specially modified underground prison.

As an aside, Fren had marveled at the fact that a prison capable of containing Hakan’s exceptional strength and size even existed.

“And that guy is smart.

There are many ways to make use of him.”

“That’s true.

He seems capable of handling negotiations with the Nepher merchant guild as well.”

“He’s really useful.”

As he said that, Hakan looked extremely proud.

Seeing that, Bernessa grew even more confused about whether Hakan was open-minded or closed-off.

‘Half human, huh.

That’s fascinating.’

He had never imagined he would see a lycanthrope–human hybrid in his lifetime.

He couldn’t imagine how someone who couldn’t even transform had survived until now.

Was it thanks to that calmness and crisis-handling ability?

It made some sense.

Fren also liked capable Nektor and treated him gently.

But it was strange.

‘Human blood, an inferior race, yet he keeps him around because he’s more capable than purebloods?’

Hakan seemed completely unaware of how contradictory his actions were.

‘Then again, if you think about it that way, Fren, who sits at the same table as me, is also contradictory… wait, Fren-nim?’

Bernessa finally realized something.

‘Just as I am an exception for Fren-nim, Nektor is an exception for Hakan.’

Thinking that way, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

It would be hard to easily find a subordinate who could put up with that temper, negotiate, and even read contracts.

Especially among lycanthropes.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was contradictory.

Useful because inferior blood flows in him— the more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Then Bernessa recalled the day everyone had gathered at Fren’s estate for the relic transaction.

‘Now I get it.

So that’s why.’

Unlike the three races who happily accepted champagne that day, Nektor had looked displeased.

He worked for lycanthropes, but he seemed to consider humans comrades to some extent.

Having concluded that Nektor’s personality was fairly decent, Bernessa ran ahead of Fren.

He had spotted three horses waiting at a midway point.

The horses grew restless the moment they saw Hakan.

Hakan was just as displeased.

“You expect me to ride that.

I’ll just run instead.”

“That would be the same as shouting at the top of our lungs that we’re here.”

“Even so, I have my pride.

How could I climb onto such a tiny beast—!”

“Don’t you want to save Mother?”

“…Where’s the destination?”

“The Plains of Sphinx.”

Running there in that body would indeed be impossible.

Just as Hakan reluctantly approached the horses, the animals that had barely calmed down under Bernessa’s touch thrashed violently.

—Splat!

Mud splashed onto Bernessa.

“See, I told you I can’t ride!”

“So it really won’t work.

What should we do….”

Despite his troubled tone, a smile lingered at the corners of Fren’s mouth.

Hakan, who had been holding it in, finally shouted and disappeared into the forest.

As soon as Hakan vanished, Fren patted the backs of the now-calm horses and said—

“Since riding directly is impossible, we’ll have to get a carriage, even if it’s a hassle.”

“Then I’ll—”

“You need to wash and change clothes.

There’s a lake nearby, so wash there.”

“That’s something I should do.”

“I’ll be back.”

After brushing Bernessa’s mud-free cheek, Fren left.

Left alone, Bernessa felt worried about Fren, yet at the same time felt his body relax noticeably.

‘I used to feel at ease only when I was by Fren-nim’s side.’

At the lake, Bernessa began taking off his clothes one by one.

At this point, it felt like dying before things became even stranger might be better.

Bernessa entered the water and curled up.

When he was nearly out of breath, he straightened his upper body and swept back his wet hair.

Despite being in the cold water, his mind refused to quiet down.

‘If this keeps up….’

It seemed sleeping tonight was a lost cause as well.

As Bernessa washed the mud from his palms, he turned his head.

Hakan was standing absentmindedly between the rocks.