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10th day.

We arrived at the territory of the Polar Bear.

The Polar Bear, as its name suggests, is a monstrous beast that closely resembles a polar bear. However, it is dangerous due to its tough hide that repels most magic and its monstrous strength, capable of easily uprooting bull horns.

No, even if you didn’t know that, it wouldn’t matter. Because you’d realize how dangerous it is the moment you encounter it.

-!!!

I’ve never heard a real bear’s roar, but at least I could tell that the Polar Bear’s roar wasn’t something a bear would make.

It was more like the roar of a carnivorous dinosaur from a movie.

We hadn’t even been in the territory for a few minutes when we encountered a massive Polar Bear.

Facing such a monster in person, after only knowing it through descriptions, was overwhelming.

Its stiff fur and size surpassing a polar bear. The drool dripping from its mouth told us it saw us as prey.

Seeing this, I began to doubt whether it could really be tamed, as Helga had said.

“Oh, so you’re the Polar Bear.”

Huh?

A calm voice came from beside me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Helga.”

Helga politely greeted the Polar Bear.

“If you don’t mind, could we beat you up a bit from now on?”

“Groooar!”

Her actions seemed to provoke the Polar Bear, as its roar was filled with wrath.

“As expected, communication isn’t working.”

“What did you just do…?”

“I thought if we could solve it through conversation, we should try.”

“…Is that what you call talking?”

Blanshe glared at Helga in disbelief. Helga shrugged awkwardly.

“Well, I didn’t really expect it to work. So, how about… we turn it into a bear doll?”

“No.”

I stopped Helga, who was warming up as if ready to fight.

“Helga, stand back.”

“Huh?”

“Have you forgotten why we’re here? Leave this to ‘them.’”

“Ah… but… are you sure? It’s not even comparable to the Lycan…”

Helga subtly showed signs of unease.

Though I spoke calmly, I was also uneasy. I wasn’t sure if they could fully handle the ‘new power’ yet.

But…

“We’ll see about that now.”

I left Helga and Blanshe behind and stepped forward alone.

“Grrrrraa!”

The Polar Bear stood on its hind legs. It was easily 5 meters tall. To it, the three of us must have looked like light snacks. And here comes a crazy person approaching alone? It must be thinking, “What’s this?”

The Polar Bear is an intelligent and cunning hunter.

As the apex predator of this forest, it understands that only its own kind or the Hoen tribe can hunt it. It also knows about humans through experience.

It knows how threatening humans can be when they unite. And it knows not to underestimate their strength.

But it also understands how weak a human is when alone.

The bear bared its teeth and looked down at us. Its assessment seemed complete.

Just three. It saw us as intruders who had suddenly entered its territory, now recognized as prey.

A massive shadow loomed over me. Looking up, I saw the Polar Bear’s lips curl. It was arrogant, thinking of us as weak prey.

But it didn’t know one thing. That appearances aren’t everything.

I responded to its arrogance with a look of ‘pride.’

“Bite me.”

At that moment, the Polar Bear also reached out with its sharp claws.

Because of that, it didn’t notice my shadow thickening and spreading across the snow.

That small mistake decided its fate.

“?!”

The Polar Bear’s claws slashed through empty air.

It wasn’t that I dodged. Something had simply grabbed its ankle.

The Polar Bear looked at its ankle, buried in the snow. But it wasn’t snow—it was my shadow.

“Groooar!”

The next moment, the Polar Bear writhed in pain. Its ankle began to sink into my shadow as if being sucked into a hole.

Strangely, my shadow had grown large enough to swallow the Polar Bear.

Confused by this inexplicable phenomenon, the Polar Bear thrashed wildly, trying to escape. But something was pulling it in with tremendous force.

The shadow didn’t stop there. It quickly climbed up the Polar Bear’s body, wrapping around it in an instant.

“-!?!?!”

As it was sucked into the shadowy swamp, the Polar Bear roared. The erosion, starting from its ankle, had spread to its chest. Like poison.

“-!!”

I watched the Polar Bear helplessly disappear before my eyes. I stared into the terror reflected in its eyes.

“….”

And just like that, the Polar Bear completely vanished into my shadow in less than three minutes after my command.

For a first attempt, it wasn’t bad.

“Whoa…”

Helga, who had just witnessed the scene, was unusually wide-eyed in shock.

Blanshe was equally stunned by the astonishing result.

I spoke to my shadow.

“…Everyone, reveal yourselves.”

Only then did those hiding in the shadow slowly emerge. They weren’t the Miao tribe… but a completely new, evolved species.

“We greet Trinity.”

They removed their masks and knelt before me. There was no trace of the previous subservience in them.

Their appearance hadn’t changed much. Only their rabbit ears and tails had turned black, and they exuded a shadowy aura. Their red eyes had turned into a radiant ruby color, and crescent and half-moon patterns appeared on their faces.

I had given Lukaela a coin and asked her to evolve the Rabbit tribe. I had planned to evolve them into the Snow Rabbit tribe, a higher form of the Rabbit tribe. Also known as Snow Hares, I had seen them in the original work. In the snowy north, their abilities would skyrocket.

I thought evolving them would make them more useful, but for some reason, the Rabbit tribe didn’t become Snow Rabbits.

Whether it was due to the influence of the coin from the Great Demon Lukaela or my own influence, I don’t know…

They became the Black Rabbit tribe, something I had never heard of before.

“Really… I don’t know how to thank you. If it weren’t for Trinity, our tribe…”

The elder, who had been the village chief, bowed to me.

Her cough had stopped, and she had transformed into a completely healthy state. Despite being an age where she shouldn’t be active, she led the young Rabbit tribe herself.

According to her, the Black Rabbit tribe, a subspecies of the Rabbit tribe, specializes in hiding in shadows, ambushes, and poison.

Perhaps my words influenced their evolution.

-Embrace the poison.

Who would have thought they’d really become the Black Rabbit tribe with poison…

If the Rabbit tribe is among the weakest in the Demon Forest, the Polar Bear is at the top of the food chain. The fact that the Rabbit tribe could hunt a Polar Bear shows how strong they’ve become.

Especially since, like earlier, over 200 of them could hide in my shadow, which was quite reassuring.

Not only that, but their individual physical abilities had improved so much that they could disappear and reappear as if teleporting short distances.

They were perfect for an assassin group.

“Trinity.”

Vanilla, now a black rabbit, knelt before me. She was no longer the timid child. She had become a capable member among the adults.

“Please give us your orders… poof.”

With this, I was ready to take control of the Demon Forest.

*

“…That’s what Lucy told me to tell you.”

“R-really…?”

Late evening, in a steamy bathhouse.

Luna and Wendy were soaking in the bath together.

“T-then, could you also tell her… I’m sorry for back then-.”

“Ah! I’m not a pigeon! If you have something to say, come talk to Lucy directly during the day!”

“Eek! S-sorry!”

Wendy covered her head and shrunk under Luna’s outburst. Even her frightened demeanor was like a small animal. It kept triggering a protective instinct. Somehow, Luna found it hard to stay angry.

The two had been bathing together like this since their encounter in the bathhouse.

They hadn’t exactly made up, but they felt a bit closer.

No, it wasn’t something that should have driven them apart in the first place.

It was clearly Luna’s fault for getting emotional and lashing out… Feeling a bit guilty, she was trying to bridge the gap between Lucy and Wendy.

“Anyway… what do you take me for?”

“Y-your Majesty…?”

“…That wasn’t the answer I was looking for. You fool…”

“S-sorry…”

Yeah. That face.

Seeing that teary face made me feel like a fool for getting angry. It was clearly a situation worth getting angry about, but I kept feeling sorry… What is this feeling?

Luna clicked her tongue.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“What do you even like about that guy?”

“!”

Wendy’s face turned red, and she quickly lowered her head.

“…Oh? Just thinking about it makes you embarrassed?”

“S-sorry…”

“Never mind, just tell me.”

“W-well… it’s…”

Wendy hesitated but eventually spoke.

“The Count is… kind…”

“Kind?”

“Considerate…”

“Considerate? Where?”

“Eek! W-well… handsome and well-mannered…”

“Handsome? Well-mannered? That guy?”

“Eek! S-sorry, Your Majesty! Please calm down…!”

“What? I’m not angry at all.”

I just couldn’t understand.

Where exactly? That guy?

Whether it’s the hero’s taste or commoners’ taste, Luna had no way of knowing.

From her perspective, Tristan’s appearance was just… not ugly.

After all, Luna was born as an ideal emperor. Having spent her life keeping men at a distance, she had never felt romantic feelings before.

Faced with an incomprehensible puzzle, Luna kept tilting her head. Wendy cautiously spoke up.

“S-so…”

“Hmm?”

“What do you like about the Count, Your Majesty…?”

“What?”

Wendy, fidgeting and watching Luna’s reaction.

It took Luna a while to understand her words.

“……What what what?!”

 

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