The Taming of the Valtael

‘So, why do I have to do this kind of labor!’

With the Skollcat holed up in his room, I had to deal with the rowdy beast-kin myself.

‘If you keep acting like this, I have no choice but to use force….’
‘Yeah, hit me! Hit me!’

Even if I threatened them with Leviathan, they reacted shamelessly, only delaying things and tiring me out.
Thanks to that, I ended up browsing through books, something I rarely did.

【Common Beast-kin Language: Search results for ‘Beast-kin insults’, ‘Threats’, ‘Scary slang’ do not exist. Please check your spelling and try again.】

The system window wasn’t much help either.

“Why are you looking at that?”

Groaning with my hand on my forehead, I met the eyes of the man resting his chin on his hand and staring at me from across the iron bars.

“You seem fluent in the common beast-kin language already.”

“…I want to know some rough and fierce expressions. Don’t you know any beast-kin slang for ‘If you don’t listen, I won’t let you off easy’?”

“What are you going to use it for.”

“Just, situations arise at the checkpoint where I need to use it sometimes…. Ugh, actually, this is all because of you!”

Trying to explain, I suddenly tapped the quill pen and grumbled.

“The Skollcat always acted as my bodyguard, but now that he’s gone, the beast-kin don’t care about me anymore…!”

“What are the vampires doing.”

“The Coliseum is opening soon. A lot of manpower has been diverted to manage it. Loktis isn’t here either. …And unless they draw a weapon or openly cause a ruckus, it’s awkward to call the knights.”

So it’s even more tiring.
But I couldn’t just quit during the busiest time, mindful of Loktis.
After all, he had helped me with this and that until now.

‘Really, nothing is easy in this world.’
Sighing deeply, I was browsing through the ‘Common Beast-kin Language’ dictionary again when the man suddenly spoke.

“Take me with you.”

…You?
I looked Karvan up and down with dubious eyes.

“If I am by your side, they won’t act rashly.”

Of course, he did exude an exceptionally threatening aura even among beast-kin.
Even those fierce Urfs turned tail as soon as they saw Karvan.

But this is different from the Skollcat.
There’s no way he, a high-ranking monster at best, even with the reputation of a Varg known for being OP, could compare to the ‘Divine Outcast’, a boss monster known just by name.
Above all….

“You can’t cause a scene. Your identity will be discovered.”

“I promise to be well-behaved. Take me.”

‘How can I trust that, you jerk! Even on the first day, you summoned a weapon out of the blue and put me in a tough spot!’
I cut him off firmly.

“No.”

“If I’m a s*ave, you should keep me by your side like one. Leaving me alone all day and only showing your face late at night like this, don’t you think it’s harsh.”

“You did the same to me when I was in Bahalgras?! For days….”

“Was it this painful for you too.”

…What?
When I asked back dumbfoundedly, the man leaned close to the iron bars and whispered slowly.

“Wondering what he might be doing. When he will return. If there’s anyone bothering him.”

Through the bars, only his eyes shine on his shadowed face.
I couldn’t even breathe properly at the gaze that resembled a predator hiding in the bushes, eyeing its prey.

“Suffering from all sorts of distracting thoughts and thirst, waiting endlessly only for you, I’m asking if just seeing your face when you returned after sunset was enough to make you breathe easier.”

“…No. It wasn’t, like that….”

“I am.”

I was speechless again at his expressionlessly spat-out answer.

Back then, it was better for the man to leave me alone.
Because he was anxious to hold me the moment our eyes met.
I was always crushed under that large body and coveted fiercely.
Persistently, as if mating with a beast.

‘I won’t know unless you tell me if you like it or not. What do you have this mouth for?’
‘Hnnngh….’
‘You seem to like it.’

Inadvertently recalling that time, I met the eyes staring at me intently.

‘Bi. Good girl. You’re just beautiful.’

The moment I faced those pupils slit thin like a beast’s, my lower abdomen throbbed and a jolt went through my legs.
As if electricity flowed through them.

…Just now, why, what.

I stood frozen at my own incomprehensible reaction, and a low laugh was heard.

“Making such a face even though you’ve been touched by a guy like me?”

Karvan looked at me suggestively, resting his hand on his temple.
My face heated up at his gaze, as if he knew all the emotions I had just felt.

“You’re so naive, my Bi.”

“…I told you not to call me that! A-and what do you know!”

“I know. Now.”

The man digs into the wavering cracks without fail.

“If you want to keep denying it, do so.”

Saying incomprehensible words, he stands up and takes one, two steps closer.
There are iron bars between the man and me anyway, so I don’t know why I keep feeling like I’m about to be caught.

As I unwittingly backed away, the man leaned close enough to touch his forehead to the bars and slid his fingertips along the long bars.

Delicately and softly, as if touching my cheek standing frozen beyond them.

“I will wait as long as it takes until you realize it yourself.”

“…….”

“However, why don’t you at least offer the seat next to you.”

‘I’ll gladly accept even your disregard.’
I gulped at the voice that continued faintly.

It’s really strange.

He is clearly locked in a cage.
Why does it look like he could easily break out at any moment.

‘…You really have to keep your promise. Or I’m never taking you out again!’

The next day, thinking I had nothing to lose, I took Karvan to the checkpoint.

‘Don’t summon ice spears out of nowhere and draw aggro like you did at the Igra nest, I, I, really…! Keep your promise, really! No use of force!’
‘Shall we pinky promise.’

When I threatened him all the way to the checkpoint, he held out his pinky finger, which I hadn’t asked for.
Wondering if he was joking again, I looked up to find his face quite serious.

When I reluctantly hooked my finger with his, he added slowly.

‘I will not kill anyone without your permission.’

…Then does that mean you’ll kill if I give permission?
I glanced at him anxiously, and he raised an eyebrow as if asking what the problem was now.
Holding on tight without letting go of the finger hooked for the promise.

‘Why, shall we hook the other hand too.’
‘…Haa. No, anyway, you promised! Don’t take out your weapon either!’
‘Yes.’

It looked suspicious no matter how I looked at it, but suffering from the beast-kin all day was more stressful, so I decided to trust him just this once.

“Oh, Awakener? You finally got yourself a s*ave.”

“You did well. Once you get a taste of it, you can’t live without one.”

The Empire vampires didn’t seem to care much about Karvan whom I brought.
Rather, some were intrigued.
To the Empire vampires, who possessed aristocratic habits from birth, a s*ave was as natural as a smartphone to a modern person.

However, having been used to being alone since childhood, I wasn’t used to sharing my personal space with someone.
That influenced me in the game as well, so I didn’t keep a single common affinity NPC in my ‘Road Place’.

Naturally, I didn’t take a s*ave in Midvalen either, so Loktis did the troublesome work of coming in to wake me up on days I overslept.

“What is his race? His ears are on the side for a beast-kin?”

“Ah, he’s a mixed blood.”

“Oho, so that’s your taste.”

Because of that, the Empire vampires looked at me with curious eyes.
Expressions like seeing someone who said they hated dogs picking up a stray dog from the street.

“If you liked mongrels, you should have said so? I could have introduced you to a cuter one. This one looks like he has quite a temper.”

“Ah, haha, thanks but I’m fine. Carlos. By the way, your brooch is pretty.”

“Hmm, you have an eye for things. This was bestowed upon me by His Majesty.”

Karvan was well-behaved as promised.
Even when some Empire vampires stared at him blatantly like a rare breed of dog out for a walk, or when they acted friendly and tapped my shoulder while talking, he said nothing.

“…….”

He just stared intently at the bat-shaped brooch on Loktis’s chest.

It was the same when I was doing inspection work.
He just sat quietly beside me, resting his chin on his hand askew, watching me.

It was really just that, but something strange happened.

‘Where are you from?’
‘I, came from the southern Spring Sunshine Mountains!’
‘Is there anything else you wish to ask?’
‘No. None! U-um, if, if it’s over, may, may I go…?’

Just yesterday, one out of three guys would act cocky.

Today, strangely enough, they were either standing at attention like soldiers who just finished boot camp, or they kept their heads down saying ‘yes, yes’ and left hurriedly.
No one talked back to me.

Strange. Are only good dogs coming today?

Just when I was thinking it was a lucky day.

‘I told you! I only know how to hunt!’

…Mm, as expected, that couldn’t be.

I looked uncomfortably at the beast-kin protesting by banging on the table, saying he didn’t like the assigned job.

It happened to be when Karvan had briefly left his seat to fetch a record sheet I had dropped.

‘To hunt, you have to go outside, and to freely enter and exit Midvalen, you need citizenship, and to get citizenship, you have to do labor for a certain period, but during that period, outside access is impossible….’
‘Ah, ah! I don’t know! Anyway, I can’t do labor! Do you know who I am?!’

I thought things were going too quietly today.
Groaning, I was listening to the tyranny of a beast-kin presumed to be a snow leopard with dead eyes.

‘Why do I have to carry such loads…!’

The beast-kin, who was growling as if he would grab me by the collar at any moment, looked behind my back and his jaw dropped.

‘Master.’