Lin didn’t sleep. She couldn’t sleep.
The words that the Gumiho had whispered earlier in the day kept swirling around in her mind.
Energy.
Karamir’s energy.
What would it taste like?
The curiosity was so overwhelming that she couldn’t fall asleep.
Life energy was sothing all living beings possessed, and in most cases, the higher a being’s level, the more abundant and refined their energy was.
Yokai could absorb this energy and convert it into yokai power, which would make them stronger. But it wasn’t just about becoming stronger—so yokai simply enjoyed the taste.
It was like how humans traveled for gourt experiences—hunting for the sheer pleasure of it.
Lin was already thinking, Should I go on a yokai hunt?
But the Gumiho had also hinted that the energy of soone deeply entwined with one's fate was even more delicious. Lin had no doubt that Karamir was that person for her.
It wasn’t just about the taste—she had the desire to hold his energy within her.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—absorbing energy didn’t necessarily kill soone. It only killed them if she drained them completely. Otherwise, the energy would eventually recover.
So...
Would it be okay to taste just a little?
Just a little.
Only a very small amount.
If she only absorbed a minuscule amount, just enough not to harm Karamir, it would be fine. She only intended to take a tiny taste.
It was just to satisfy her curiosity this one ti. Lin promised herself she wouldn’t do it again.
She glanced at Karamir, checking to make sure he was still asleep. Then, Lin gently placed her hand on his chest.
Shhhh...
Cautiously, she began to absorb his energy. It was an amount so small it didn’t even amount to a sip—more like the equivalent of a lick.
But that was where Lin made a mistake. Even a re sip was more than enough to awaken her senses.
“Ugh?!”
A jolt shot through her fingertips, spreading throughout her body. It felt like she had been shocked with electricity, and as the tingling sensation raced up her spine, Lin’s body instinctively arched.
It was as if a dormant sense she hadn’t known she possessed had suddenly awakened. Her heart began to race, and a searing heat flared up inside her stomach, writhing and surging within her.
A stifled moan escaped from between her tightly closed lips.
“Hngh! Hmph...”
Lin collapsed onto the bed. Her ears and tails, which had been sticking up, trembled uncontrollably. Her skin had beco so sensitive that even the brush of her clothes sent electric shivers through her.
Her lips quivered as she clenched them tightly into a thin line. She gripped the bedsheets in her hands, squeezing them hard.
Even such a small amount of energy had this effect.
She shouldn’t have done it.
This was Pandora’s box. Once opened, she would never be able to escape the forbidden pleasure. It was like an oasis in a desert—a mirage of a paradise she could never truly reach.
If just one sip did this, what would happen if I drank more...?
Lin lifted her head to look at Karamir. Her heterochromatic eyes glead with greed in the darkness. Slowly, she reached out toward him again.
No!
She stopped herself just in ti, flinching as she pulled her hand back. She had to hold her wandering hand in place with her other hand.
She couldn’t stay here.
If she did, she might do sothing truly reckless.
She needed air.
Fresh air would clear her mind. That was what she had to do. Lin hurried out of the room.
That night, Lin grew another tail.
“Yawn...”
“What are you doing, being so rude during breakfast?”
As Lin yawned with her mouth wide open, Seira imdiately reprimanded her.
“Sorry. I keep yawning for so reason.”
“Did you not sleep well?”
“Well... no. I think I slept fine.”
She hadn’t gone to bed late, nor did she wake up in the middle of the night. She thought she’d slept well, but her body felt strangely tired.
She felt drowsy, and her body was sluggish. It was like she had slept, but not really.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Everyone has days like that occasionally.”
Seira soon lost interest in the topic and continued eating her breakfast.
Next to , Lin was quietly eating. She had grown another tail overnight, becoming a seven-tailed fox, thanks to the energy she had absorbed from the Corrupted Monk.
It should have been a joyous occasion, but her expression was gloomy, and she was only picking at her food.
“Lin, is sothing wrong? You don’t look so good.”
“......”
Lin briefly t my gaze but then quickly turned her head, avoiding eye contact. She had been like this ever since defeating the Corrupted Monk yesterday.
Did sothing happen during the fight? I wanted to ask the Gumiho, but she hadn’t shown up, as if she were asleep.
Maybe sothing had changed within her after becoming a seven-tailed fox. Perhaps she just needed ti to adjust. I decided not to press the issue and let her be.
“What are your plans for today?”
“Well, since we killed the Corrupted Monk, we should check if the curse is truly gone. First, I’m thinking of stopping by the cat café. Nero was cursed too, after all. What about you, Seira?”
“I’m still working from ho. If the plague is really gone, I’ll need to return to work.”
Since the curse had spread, Bestia had been in lockdown. Naturally, Seira, who managed customs and immigration, had no work to do.
Not to sound ungrateful, but thanks to the Corrupted Monk, Seira had been enjoying a well-deserved break. Though now, she would have to return to work.
“You don’t need to apologize, do you?”
“If you’re trying to make feel guilty, then go ahead.”
I decided not to apologize.
As planned, we visited the cat café first.
It had been about a week since Nero, the café’s clerk, had fallen under the curse and had been unable to co in.
“How are you feeling, Nero? Is your body okay?”
“Yeah... I’m still a bit weak, but I’m okay, nyan.”
Those cursed by the Corrupted Monk had shown symptoms of darkened veins. In severe cases, their skin had started to rot.
Thankfully, Nero hadn’t been that far along, and with the curse gone, he was recovering quickly.
That’s a relief. I was really worried.
The catfolk didn’t have their own hos. Originally, I had only promised to provide them with food, clothing, and shelter, but they had worked so hard and grown close to that I ended up paying them as well.
But since buying a house was beyond their ans, the catfolk lived in the café. It wasn’t a problem.
I had allowed it, and the café was spacious enough for them to lay out bedding. The only issue was that there were limits to living in isolation like this.
I had worried that the other catfolk might catch the curse too, but none of them showed any signs. Maybe the curse had disappeared before the incubation period had passed.
“We won’t be reopening the café for a while, so just take it easy. If you want any food or ingredients, I’ll get them for you.”
In this pandemic, getting ingredients was like plucking stars from the sky, but I had a solid connection in Cheonsangru.
“Thank you, nyan.”
“You really are the best boss. The dog café owner ran off without a word of responsibility.”
“What a scoundrel.”
“He probably thought dog people weren’t worth much anymore, nyan.”
As the catfolk chatted cheerfully, Percy slipped away from the group and approached .
“What’s wrong, Percy? Do you have sothing to say?”
“You don’t look so good, boss. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Hm.”
First Seira, now Percy. They were both saying the sa thing. I was definitely tired, but did I look that bad? I should probably rest once we were done here.
“And what’s up with you? You look like you’ve done sothing wrong.”
Percy’s gaze shifted to Lin.
Lin flinched.
“It’s nothing.”
“Is that so? You seem pretty on edge for it to be ‘nothing.’”
“I said it’s nothing.”
There was a strange tension between the two. Percy tilted her head slightly, staring intently at Lin, while Lin subtly avoided her gaze.
“Master. You said you were tired. If we’re done here, let’s head ho.”
“Hmm, shall we? Percy, we’ll be heading out. We’ll see you again soon.”
“Take care, boss. Rest well.”
“Goodbye, nyan.”
After receiving the catfolk’s farewells, we headed ho.
Although the Corrupted Monk was dead and the curse was gone, the city was still quiet. It had only happened yesterday, so the city wouldn’t co back to life in a single day.
Slowly but surely, once people realized the curse was gone, they would start to co out again, and the city would beco lively once more.
So I wasn’t too worried. What did concern was how gloomy Lin was. She hadn’t said much today, and unlike her usual self, who would cling to my side, she was walking with enough space between us for soone else to fit.
If a slave isn’t doing well, as the master, it’s my job to care for her. I moved closer to her.
“Lin, if sothing’s bothering you, feel free to tell . That’s what a master is for, isn’t it?”
Lin stared at for a mont.
Her lips parted, as if she were about to say sothing, but then...
“Master, sorry, but can you walk a bit farther away? It’s uncomfortable.”
Lin put so distance between us.
It felt like I’d been hit with a hamr.
Lin... is pushing away?
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Later that night, as I was about to head into the room with Lin, she suddenly stopped at the door.
“What’s wrong?”
“...I’m going to start sleeping alone.”
“...What?”
Lin entered the room she had never used before, leaving standing there, staring after her. I hurried to find Seira.
I explained the situation to Seira, but she tilted her head, clearly confused.
“Isn’t this normal? If anything, it’s a bit overdue.”
“That may be true, but suddenly acting like this is strange!”
“She’s probably going through adolescence. I don’t know if Gumiho go through it, but it seems likely.”
“Adolescence...?”
Lin... was going through adolescence?
Shutting herself in her room, refusing to do laundry with her dad—that kind of adolescence?
Was that why she had been trying to keep her distance from ?
Did I sll weird to her?
“Isn’t there so way to make things go back to how they were?”
Seira shook her head firmly.
“If a girl has hit adolescence, you can consider it over.”
“This can’t be...”
My world crumbled.
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