“Hey, what exactly is your relationship with this woman? Why are you two so close?”

“Lord Mu, what’s wrong? Do you know this monkey?”

At the same time, they both turned to the people involved and asked, their faces alight with excitement.

Both Rosetti and Roviet looked stunned and flustered, to varying degrees.

Rosetti especially was so worked up that she grabbed Lin Ge by the collar and hauled him right up in front of her, his feet dangling off the ground.

She kept shouting that he already had her, so how dare he have an affair? How could he face her… ahem, how could he face Alice?!

There was so much jumbled nonsense that Lin Ge had no idea where to even start complaining…

Meanwhile, Mu…

“You insolent fool! Mind your words. This is my friend, so show some respect.”

“But Lord Mu, this guy is…”

“Silence! Get down on your knees. Now.”

“Yes.”

Mu bellowed with authority. Roviet didn’t dare disobey. He immediately lowered his head, his dog ears and tail drooping dejectedly.

So low, they looked like they were about to be pressed into the ground…

The beastfolk respected strength above all. As long as you were strong, you didn’t need to fear anyone—not even royalty.

And Mu was not only powerful, but royalty as well.

So it went without saying that Roviet wouldn’t dare make a peep in front of Mu.

“This happened because I failed to lead my people properly. We beastfolk will withdraw our troops, and I’ll send people to deliver compensation later. I hope you can forgive my subordinate’s mistake.” Mu bowed slightly as she apologized to the two of them.

“Forgive you?! You’ve got to be kidding!”

Hearing Mu say that, Rosetti released Lin Ge’s collar and clenched both fists. Gritting her teeth, an anger mark appearing on her forehead, she raised her staff and shouted:

“You dragged innocent children into this, and Alice was put in danger! You think you can just brush it all off by saying you didn’t manage things properly? I…”

“I personally brought the child who was taken earlier to the lord’s manor. If you don’t believe me, I can go back with you and check. And as for the Alice you mentioned… I’ve already ordered the army to retreat. They’re all safe. They only suffered minor injuries.”

Cutting Rosetti off, Mu calmly answered each of her questions.

After hearing that, Rosetti was momentarily at a loss for words.

But when she remembered that soldiers had already died in the battle against the beastfolk before all this, she still couldn’t swallow her anger…

“We’ve suffered casualties too.”

Seeing the look on Rosetti’s face, Mu continued:

“I know I have no right to say this, but do you really think we’ve suffered no losses? We’ve lost a great deal, too… If we keep seeking revenge without end… what do you think will happen?”

“…”

Rosetti said nothing more and fell into thought.

Seeing that things had settled enough, Mu turned her gaze to Lin Ge and apologized.

“We’ll be leaving now. We’ll send someone to deliver compensation later.”

Mu bowed slightly, then turned to leave.

Seeing this, Roviet didn’t dare object. He could only swallow his frustration at victory being snatched away just as it seemed within reach and follow Mu.

“Wait a second. What about my situation?”

“What situation?”

Lin Ge called out suddenly. Mu froze, then turned back, her phoenix eyes narrowing.

“Obviously, these injuries.” He pointed at his back, which had been blasted black as charcoal. Hunching over and clutching his chest, Lin Ge coughed again and again. “I’m badly hurt. It’s not life-threatening, I suppose, but it’ll probably take a month or so to recover. I won’t be able to touch… ahem, work during that time. So what are you going to do about it?!”

“…”

“Huh?!”

Lin Ge’s words jolted Rosetti out of her thoughts.

Along with Mu, she stared at the man before them in surprise…

Without a word, they reached their first shared conclusion: What on earth was this man talking about? Had he ever worked a day in his life?

Back with Lin Ge, the two of them were staring at him so intently that he felt a little awkward. He cleared his throat and said:

“Even if you don’t count what happened to me, you still owe my wife an explanation for her injuries, don’t you? If I hadn’t gotten here in time, I’d have been separated from my beloved wife forever!”

Tears welled in his eyes as Lin Ge put an arm around Rosetti’s waist and pulled her into his embrace.

Rosetti’s cheeks instantly flushed. She didn’t resist—in fact, she seemed to enjoy it—as she leaned close against his chest.

At the sight, Mu’s brow twitched slightly, and her expression darkened… Still, she kept up a friendly smile as she replied:

“How do you want to settle this?”

“Well, I’m no monster. Your dog looks pretty badly hurt, too, so… let’s start with a thousand gold coins or so. Then shave all the fur off his tail.”

“You little punk, don’t push me too far! I swear I’ll…”

“Fine. We’ll do that.”

“Lord Mu?!”

Hearing that all the fur on his tail would be shaved off, Roviet glared furiously and swung his fist, ready to charge over and beat Lin Ge flat.

But the moment he heard Mu agree without hesitation, all the fight went out of him.

“Lord Mu, I…”

“Are you going to do it yourself, or should I help you?”

There wasn’t even an option to refuse.

Roviet’s face turned deathly pale. He glanced at the tail behind him, then at Lord Mu’s cold profile…

No matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to comply.

Even though fluffy fur was as precious as life itself to the beastfolk… he still had no choice but to comply…

“Ah, wait a minute. Since this is compensation for my wife, let her shave it.”

“Huh?!”

Rosetti froze.

Before she could even agree or object, Lin Ge pushed her forward.

She looked at the fluffy, criminally tempting dog tail right in front of her, then at the understanding looks from Mu and Lin Ge.

Thinking of everything that had happened, Rosetti stopped hesitating.

But before she could start shaving, there was one problem…

“I don’t have a razor.”

Right. How was she supposed to shave him without a razor?

Hearing that, Roviet couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief.

“Just pluck it out by hand. If you’re worried about germs, your husband here happens to have a pair of gloves.”

As he spoke, Lin Ge produced a pair of gloves from who-knows-where and kindly slipped them onto Rosetti’s hands.

At the sight, Roviet’s blood rushed backward. A mouthful of clotted blood churned in his gut before he spat it out.

What happened next… went exactly as everyone expected. Amid cries like a pig being slaughtered, Roviet’s tail was plucked completely bare… swollen and thick…

It hurt just to look at.

“Until next time, my friend.”

Dragging along Roviet, who had passed out halfway through having his fur plucked, Mu took her leave.

But as she left, she kept her eyes on Lin Ge’s injured back, her expression thoughtful. No one knew what she was thinking…

And now.

Only Rosetti and Lin Ge remained on the chaotic battlefield in the aftermath…

Rosetti pressed her lips together and lowered her head. Her bangs fell freely, hiding her eyes.

For a long while, she didn’t say a word…

After quite some time, she finally spoke, wanting to apologize for everything that had happened.

In fact, she couldn’t think of anything else to say just then.

But the very moment she opened her mouth—

“Ow, ow, ow! It hurts so bad! Help me up—my back’s about to snap…”