"Hogni? Hedin?"
"....."
Akumo felt a wave of bewilderment as he looked at Hogni and Hedin, who were standing guard over him with absolute vigilance. To understand how things had devolved to this point, one had to go back to this morning.
—'What is this, Lady Freya?'
—'Oh, just something I thought would look quite good on you.'
—'Ooh~ is this a gift?'
—'Fufu, provided you do me one small "favor."'
"I should never have listened to her then...!"
"I personally think it's magnificent."
Riveria, his close friend sitting across from him, observed Akumo's appearance with a highly satisfied smile playing on her lips.
Long, flowing hair of pure snow-white, strikingly pointed ears, and an outfit reminiscent of High Elf regalia—Akumo's presence was breathtaking. Physically, his very race had been overwritten into that of an Elf.
"Where on earth did Lady Freya even obtain such a potion...?"
Akumo had intended to have a quiet chat with Riveria at a local café, but thanks to the potion Freya had given him, he was now fully Elven. Upon seeing him, Hogni and Hedin had instinctively transitioned into the role of knights escorting a sovereign queen.
They walked the streets with hands hovering near their hilts, ready to draw steel at the slightest hint of suspicious behavior from passersby. Other Elves they encountered were equally affected; many mistook Akumo for Elven royalty and attempted to join the escort.
"We shall take it from here."
"Aye, we'll see to it that this person is well-guarded."
Even Hogni, who usually loathed any form of attention, showed a completely different side. He took point, explaining the situation to the gathered Elves and skillfully dispersing the crowd.
It was then that the Goddess of Trickery, known for her mischievous streaks, spotted Riveria and approached. Her eyes immediately locked onto the stunning 'Elf' sitting at the table.
"Riveria-tan!! Who's the absolute beauty ye've got sittin' there!?"
"It is Akumo."
"Eh!!? Ye're tellin' me that's Akumo!?"
"He says he ended up like this after drinking a potion Freya gave him."
"Heh~ Now that's a rare find... I'm half-tempted to kidnap 'her' for me own Familia!"
Sling—
At Loki's words, Hogni and Hedin began to unsheathe their blades. Akumo frantically intervened, signaling them to stop and urging them to return their swords to their scabbards.
"Haah... this potion from Lady Freya... what am I going to do...?"
"Hmm? Is there a problem?"
"I still have two bottles left...."
At those words, not only Riveria but also Hogni and Hedin clenched their fists in silent triumph, clearly pleased that Akumo's Elven state—or some variation of it—might persist.
"....Could you all stop being so blatantly happy? I'll probably just transform into a different race with the next ones..."
"""Ah."""
**
Fwoosh—!
"Phew.... finally back to normal...."
After about three hours, the transformation magic expired, and the Elven features faded. Akumo could practically feel the physical disappointment radiating from the surrounding Elves.
"Ahem! You should try the next bottle immediately!"
"Riveria, you seem a bit too excited about this, don't you think?"
"Haha! Just consider it a change of wardrobe."
"Ugh.... fine, here goes..."
Pop—!
'If I don't drink this, Lady Freya will probably throw a massive tantrum....'
Feeling he had no choice, Akumo uncorked the second bottle and downed the contents. He was surprised by the refreshing, cool taste that washed down his throat.
"Oh! This is actually quite decen—"
Swish, swish—
".....A tail?"
Zooooom—!!!!
"It's Allen! Catch that bastard!"
Black tiger stripes had manifested in Akumo's white hair, and tiger ears now twitched atop his head. The most prominent addition, however, was the swaying white tail.
A certain black cat, having processed the sight for less than a second, lived up to his title as the fastest in Orario. Allen snatched Akumo up and kidnapped him at high velocity.
Swish-swish-swish—!!!
"....Allen? Why all of a sudden...."
"Just bear with me this once."
"No, what does that even mean—"
BOOM—!!!!!
"Put him down this instant, you cat in heat."
"Shut your mouth, you damn boar! You were the one charging the moment Akumo turned into a beastman!"
"....I will not let this slide."
"Then come and get some!!"
As the boar and the cat prepared to clash, Akumo delivered a dual physical correction—a resounding fist to each of their heads.
Thwack—!!!
"Will both of you knock it off!?"
""....""
"You two are supposed to be the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Familia! Truly... pathetic!"
"I have no excuses."
"Forget it. I'm going somewhere quiet, so go and lead the pursuers away."
"....!"
Step-step—!
Realizing the city would remain in chaos unless he exerted control over these two troublemakers, Akumo ordered them to disperse. He then quietly headed toward the vicinity of an old, familiar church he knew.
Whish—!
Dash—!
"Hmm... I definitely feel faster in this beastman form?"
Slip—
"Whunyaa....!? Is my speech pattern changing too!?"
Struggling to adjust to the instincts of his current body, Akumo managed to navigate his way into a secluded forest. He reached a spot beneath a tree where the warm sunlight filtered through the leaves and lay down, the exhaustion from the morning's antics finally catching up to him.
"Whunya-nyaa...."
'The sun... feels so good....'
"....."
Whether it was the relaxation or the nature of the beastman race, Akumo couldn't resist the lull of the peaceful environment and eventually fell into a deep sleep on his side.
"Purrr...."
Sway, sway—
"Purrr...!"
It was then that a certain Vicious Wolf approached her side.
".....What is this?"
'I followed his scent... but why is he a beastman...?'
"Purrr..."
"Heh...."
Bete let out a short, scoffing laugh at the sight of Akumo sleeping so defenselessly. Simultaneously, his eyes wavered for a split second as he watched the white tail sway gently. He quickly forced his gaze to settle.
".....Tch."
Thump—!
'Coming out here in this ridiculous state and just sprawling out to sleep....'
"...."
As Bete watched her, he recalled the past—a time when he lived up to his epithet of the Vicious Wolf, surviving with nothing but violence and a foul temper.
—'Pant... pant.... and just who the hell are you?'
—'You certainly earn that name. Acting like you own the Dungeon all by yourself.'
—'Get lost before I kill you.'
—'Don't worry! I'm not nearly weak enough for you to be concerned about.'
Upon meeting the Bete of that era, Akumo had sensed his underlying sorrow while simultaneously pointing out the flaws in his emotional expression. Naturally, Bete hadn't listened. Instead, he had interpreted it as a slight and lunged at Akumo.
BOOM—!!!!!
—'Calm now?'
—'Let go of me!!!!'
Bete had continued his feral resistance, threatening Akumo at every turn. Akumo, in turn, had effortlessly subjugated him, seeking only to talk.
After several days of this cycle repeating, Bete had finally screamed for Akumo to show his true power. Though troubled by Bete's state, Akumo had finally obliged with a display of genuine sincerity through his fists.
—'.....'
—'Satisfied now?'
—'Tch!'
Facing the full strength of the peak of adventurers, Bete had been crushed so utterly it bordered on reverence. Only when his strength was completely spent was Akumo able to actually speak with him.
—'See? I'm not as weak as you thought.'
—'....So what?'
—'You only speak so harshly to the others because you're worried about them, aren't you?'
—'I just hate it when weaklings who don't know anything push themselves too far...!'
—'And yet, you still want them to grow through their adventures, right?'
—'.....'
Bete hadn't been able to argue. He could only listen. This person knew exactly why he acted with such localized violence, and they were offering sincere advice.
—'.....To be honest, I like strength, just like you.'
—'The adventures I speak of and the protection you speak of—both require power to exist.'
—'And how one wields that power is entirely their own responsibility!'
—'.....So there's no need to always be so sharp.'
—'As long as you use your strength with your own convictions, even if you don't say a word, you'll eventually find comrades who understand your true heart.'
As the memories of the past flickered in his mind, Bete reached out and brushed a hand through her hair. Since his meeting with her, he had begun to slightly moderate his speech and behavior, focusing more on the essence of his strength.
In that process, the phantom pain in his fangs from past wounds and scars began to fade. Her presence had become etched into Bete's psyche.
'.....Every time I see you, you remind me of Line.'
"Mmph...!"
Grab—!
"W-What!?"
At that moment, Akumo, still in the throes of sleep, grabbed Bete's arm as he stroked her head. With a sudden pull, she forced him down and wrapped her arms around him, pulling his head into her chest in a tight embrace.
"....."
'.....'
"Purrr....."
Bete felt the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. Combined with the unique pheromones she emitted in her beastman form, the sudden exposure left Bete in a state of extreme panic.
His tail trembled uncontrollably, independent of his will. His body, warmed by Akumo's body heat, felt as though some internal switch was about to be flipped.
'Body, please... stop this...!!'
".....Ugh....!"
After being held captive like that for quite some time, Akumo finally stirred awake. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around and was shocked to see Bete being held in her embrace.
"Hya!? I-I'm so sorry, Bete!!"
"....It's fine."
"No! I'm really sorry!"
'Bete looks like he's in a bad mood... he must be disgusted...?'
"If you're upset, I truly—"
"It... wasn't that bad. Satisfied?"
Leaving those embarrassment-laden words behind, Bete fled from the forest. He knew if he stayed with Akumo any longer, he might truly be consumed by his instincts.
Waiting for him at the edge of the forest were Ottar and Allen. They had been watching Bete's every move from a distance, staying awake to ensure no one disturbed Akumo's sleep.
".....Did you enjoy that?"
"How do you want to die?"
".....Hmph!"
'You think I'm going to apologize to you two!?'
Despite the murderous glares they were shooting at him, Bete smirked with a look of zero regret, shooting them a mocking sneer before....
A short time later, leaving a knocked-out Bete stuck in the trunk of a tree, Ottar and Allen headed deeper into the forest to check on the still-beastman Akumo.