Episode 5. How to Survive as a Divine Beast (1)
“Gasp!”
A startled breath escaped from the young man above me.
Then, from the orb beneath my body, a violet aurora-like light burst forth.
“Piiik! Piiik! (Ack! It’s so bright!)”
Ugh, it’s like being forced into laser eye surgery!
My vision blurred from the dazzling flash. Sticking my belly to the orb, I rubbed my eyes frantically with my front paws.
At that moment, a flustered female knight’s voice stabbed my ears.
“What’s going on? Why is the detection orb… Don’t tell me it’s broken? Ethan, did you drop it?”
“Deputy Commander! The divine beast was supposed to be a snow leopard! Why is the orb reacting to that little rat?!”
Hey! Calling a perfectly decent marten a rat?!
Annoyed, I froze mid-rub.
Wait. That knight’s right — in the novel, the northern divine beast was indeed a snow leopard.
I’d completely forgotten since it was an old story I read as a kid.
So… am I not actually the divine beast?
Now that I thought about it, the divine beast in the original story never went through what I’m experiencing — and it had gone to Kassirian on its own.
That faint spark of hope faded fast.
When I glanced up, I saw a brown-haired young knight, Ethan, looking miserable.
“No way… you mean that blank-faced weasel’s going to be on my cloak insignia?”
Hey! A marten’s a cousin to a weasel, sure — but calling me blank-faced? That’s rude!
I irritably flicked my fluffy tail across his nose. His face twisted up.
“Achoo!”
He sneezed right at me, and I leapt down to the floor, scrunching my nose.
“Piiik! (Ugh!)”
But something was wrong with my right hind paw. Maybe I twisted it when I hit the orb earlier — it throbbed painfully.
Great. How am I supposed to run now?
And it wasn’t just escaping that worried me. This was my first time living as a marten — how was I even supposed to eat or survive?
If I wasn’t the divine beast, I was just a random background animal. No way I could live in human settlements. I’d have to go back to that cursed forest.
How would I survive there? What would I even eat?
My eyes grew damp as despair crept in.
Then —
“Let’s test whether that rat really is the divine beast or not!”
A middle-aged knight standing on the staircase suddenly hurled a dagger at me.
I tried to dodge, but my injured leg gave out and I fell to the ground.
As the sharp blade whistled through the air toward me, I squeezed my eyes shut.
Clang!
Metal clashed against metal.
Cautiously opening my eyes, I saw long legs, broad shoulders, and ashen-gray hair — a man standing protectively in front of me.
No way… Kassirian?
A long sword gleamed in his hand. He must have deflected the dagger midair.
“Your Grace!”
The knights scrambled down the stairs, bowing hastily.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
That low, cold voice filled with irritation — it was Kassirian, no doubt.
“Forgive me, Your Grace. The orb reacted to the marten, so I wanted to confirm if it was the divine beast. I was rash.”
Kassirian turned sharply and grabbed the back of my neck, lifting me up.
I didn’t like being scruffed like that, but with my injured leg, I had no choice but to hang quietly.
“Your Grace…! That marten might have rabies—”
The knight’s words were muffled as a female knight quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
There’s always one idiot who doesn’t know when to shut up.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and glared at him.
His face vaguely reminded me of that jerk who’d hit me with an umbrella at the concert.
You. I’ll get my revenge before I leave this place.
Dangling in midair, I glared at the knight’s face until Kassirian carried me away.
***
Kassirian set me down on the floor of a sitting room, then left.
I lay on a round cushion, surveying the room.
Ironically, the sitting room looked much better than his bedroom.
Ivory silk wallpaper, a mahogany table, and a striped sky-blue sofa — elegant and tidy.
A moment later, an elderly doctor in a white coat came in.
“Hmm. Looks like you’ve strained a ligament.”
After gently bending my injured hind leg, he pulled out bandages and scissors from his bag.
While the doctor wrapped my leg, I perked my ears toward the conference room across the hall — where Kassirian, the female knight, the middle-aged knight, and his aide Russell were in discussion.
Are they talking about me?
I tried to listen, but no sound reached me.
“All done.”
The doctor tied off the bandage and patted my head.
“I’ll check on you in a week, so rest carefully, alright?”
He packed up and left, his white coat fluttering.
I hobbled toward the door, peeking out with my bandaged leg lifted.
Down the hall, a sturdy knight with black hair and a long scar on his left cheek was walking quickly while holding the orb.
The star insignia on his chest marked him as the commander of the Devon Knights — the same man who, in the novel, had stayed loyal to Kassirian until death.
“Piik, piiik? (Hmm… what was his name again?)”
Something like… Booster? Buster?
“Commander Bexter!”
Ah, right — Bexter.
When Bexter entered the meeting room, I peered through the half-open door.
“I checked with the magic item shop, Your Grace — there’s nothing wrong with the orb.”
At his words, all the knights’ faces darkened.
“It makes no sense! The first divine beast was a snow leopard, so this one should be too!”
The middle-aged knight rubbed his forehead in frustration.
“I also reviewed the records of all divine beasts from the East, West, and South houses. There has never been a case where the divine beast’s species changed. And please look here.”
Russell, with his silver hair tied back neatly, handed Kassirian some papers.
“I went through all the Devon family’s divine beast records. Every single one of them — without exception — was a snow leopard.”
“Then maybe the orb is faulty after all? Even if that shopkeeper says it’s fine, they’ve probably never seen a divine beast detection orb before!”
The female knight said this, and the middle-aged one nodded eagerly.
“I agree! The divine beasts of the East, West, and South are all mighty predators — there’s no way ours could be some… tiny mouse-like creature!”
Mouse?! Have you ever seen a mouse this big?!
I bared my fangs in silent protest.
“…White fur, violet eyes, sharp fangs and claws.”
Kassirian’s slow murmur made everyone turn toward him.
“Those were the traits of every previous northern divine beast. And that marten I brought back has them all.”
“But still—!”
“I wasn’t done speaking. Who gave you permission to interrupt?”
His cold tone froze the middle-aged knight in place.
“My apologies, Your Grace.”
“You’ve said that quite a few times today. This will be the last time I overlook it.”
“Y-Yes, I understand.”
Kassirian’s icy stare made the knight bow deeply.
“I understand your concerns. A divine beast that’s supposed to protect us from monsters looks far too small and weak. No matter what powers it may have… its worth as a soldier on the battlefield…”
Kassirian’s chilling gaze flicked toward me. I instantly pressed myself against the wall.
“…is essentially nothing.”
Silence blanketed the room.
Kassirian rose slowly from his seat.
“Here’s how we’ll settle this. The orb is old and malfunctioning, and the marten I brought is no divine beast — just a wild animal. Consider today’s events buried forever.”
Heavy footsteps approached the door. I braced myself to bolt.
“The divine beast of the Devon family has not yet been found… and never will be.”
The door slammed shut with a resounding thud.
