Chapter 74 - Application to Become the Mate of Eyepatch Catkin Kairi
I have been living in the village of beastkin for five days now.
Life here is simple.
We wake up when the sun rises and go to bed when the sun sets.
I wonder how long it has been since I experienced such peaceful days.
Looking back, I have to go as far back as my childhood in a previous life.
At dusk, I sat down on a log by the roadside and gazed absently in the direction of the communal kitchen located in the center of the village.
There, beastwomen were engaged in lively discussions around the hearth. Among them was Faran, who was laughing joyfully.
(For someone who's she, Faran is surprisingly sociable once she opens up... Maybe it's limited to women only.)
Thanks to Faran, hunting has been successful every day, and we never lack food.
In fact, the day before yesterday, we even managed to bring down a huge Gray Boar.
Since the two of us couldn't eat it all, we asked Zunba's sister, Ziruko, to distribute it among the villagers. It instantly eased the beastkin's wariness towards us.
The power of food is truly great... It's like currency.
From then on, we were welcomed as part of the pack, especially with Faran as the main hunter and cook. It seems to align with the customs of this feline tribe.
According to what Faran heard around the hearth, in this tribe, males are nurtured by females, and the role of males is to fight against external enemies.
(Though I've never seen a male in this village, I wonder where they are.)
As I pondered over such things...
「Yo, what are you doing, boss?」
A voice came from behind, and when I turned around, there was Eyepatch Cat standing there.
Her name is apparently Kairi
She really seems to love birds, as she gets extremely happy when given a bird as prey.
Although I didn't specifically ask for it, she pays us in silver coins instead.
This is greatly appreciated, considering what will happen after we leave the village.
Thanks to her, I think we've become quite close.
「Just watching them prepare dinner. I'm worried about leaving Faran alone.」
In response, Kairi shrugged as if exasperated.
「Overprotective, huh... But I guess that's how human partners are, always clinging to each other. We feline folk don't feel the need to be together unless it's mating season... Oh, right. Humans are in mating season all the time, aren't they?」
「We're not partners, and it's not mating season!」
I pouted, and Kairi tilted her head.
「Is that so? Well, you humans are always emitting the scent of male juices, so everyone thinks you're a couple, you know?」
I jerked in surprise, and Kairi gave me a smirk, as if implying something.
Actually, since that incident, I've been receiving a handjob from Faran every night.
She says it's to reduce the risk of her being attacked by me, but when I suggest having separate sleeping areas, she refuses, so I don't understand the reason.
「But if that's the case, it's perfect.」
Kairi sat down next to me and leaned her face so close that our noses almost touched.
「I'll be in heat soon. How about it? Won't you mate with me?」
I involuntarily widened my eyes.
「But we're different species.」
「Isn't that okay? As long as you have a dick, it should be fine.」
「Hey, stop talking about dicks!」
I think it's the depth of the male creature's nature, but when someone says something like that, I can't help but evaluate them with a scrutinizing gaze.
With black hair, black ears, and a striking eye patch, I hadn't paid much attention to Kairi's appearance, but upon closer inspection, she was quite beautiful.
She had a bold and tomboyish atmosphere, but she had a good figure and unexpectedly large breasts.
If I were to judge, she was definitely attractive... but...
As I thought about such things, I turned my gaze back to the cooking area, and Faran was looking at me with a rather menacing expression.
There's no reason to be considerate of Faran, but to her, I am the only companion she has.
Perhaps she's afraid that if I were to say that I'm staying in this village, she would be troubled.
「I'm flattered by your invitation, but we've already agreed to leave the village together when Brisken leaves.」
「I see. Well, that's a shame.」
Kairi stretched herself and flashed a sly smile, showing her white teeth.
She seemed to have a refreshingly straightforward personality.
「By the way... why aren't there any males in this village?」
When I asked that question, her expression suddenly darkened.
「We used to live further east, but last winter, the wolf tribe suddenly attacked us. There were always minor skirmishes, but at that time, they launched a full-scale attack. The males fought while the females took refuge here.」
「Are they still fighting?」
「If the fight was over, they would have come to fetch us. Well, if things get really bad, the males will probably escape here too. The wolves won't come here.」
I couldn't help but tilt my head.
「How can you say for sure that they won't come?」
「Because it's the territory of the Evil Dragon.」
「The Evil Dragon?」
「What, you didn't even know that? This area is ruled by the Evil Dragon, and whoever enters usually becomes its prey. So both the wolf tribe and us generally stay away from this forest. But when we had nowhere else to go, the elder negotiated with the Evil Dragon. The Evil Dragon agreed that if we offer a sacrifice once every few months, it would spare the rest of us.」
I involuntarily widened my eyes.
「You mean they're sacrifices!?」
「What else can we do? It's a hell of a lot better than the whole pack being wiped out. I do think it would be unbearable if I were chosen, though...」
At that point, Kairi pointed at her eye patch.
「Because I'm like this, marked and damaged goods, you see. It doesn't look good, does it? It seems unlikely they would choose me.」
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