TVCWB Chapter 01

Chapter 1

Perea was the only veterinarian in Timi Village, a small rabbit beastman village on the edge of the Amur Empire, where humans and beastmen lived together.

Although human, Perea had been abandoned as a baby at the edge of the forest and was raised by the rabbit beastmen.

As expected from the rabbit tribe—known as symbols of fertility—they were very good at taking care of her.

Having grown up like a beastman herself, Perea wanted to repay the village somehow. So as soon as she became an adult, she made the best choice she could —
she went to a neighboring town to study beastman medicine for five years. When she returned, she was a proper veterinarian.

“Perea, are you awake?”

“Yes! I’m right here!”

Perea’s home was small and cozy — a building that served as both clinic and living quarters.
If not for the cross-shaped sign by the door, one might not even know it was a hospital.

Still, since it was the only medical facility in the entire village, her place was always busy.

That morning was no different — patients had already arrived early.

“Sorry to come so early. Lanny’s had a stomachache all night.”

“Lanny? Come here, sweetheart.”

The little boy’s rabbit ears drooped flat against his head — clearly in pain.

After examining him, Perea found the cause: just an upset stomach, likely from overeating. She sighed in relief.

“It looks like he ate too much. I saw him carrying a lot of candy during the festival yesterday…”

“What? Lanny! I told you not to eat sweets!”

Rabbit beastmen couldn’t handle much sugar — it always caused stomach trouble.
The mother rubbed her temples in frustration. “Good grief… Lanny, you’re getting a scolding when we get home!”

Hearing that, the little snow-white rabbit boy stomped his feet and burst into tears.

Perea quickly comforted both mother and child.
“At this age, it’s hard to control what they eat. Please don’t scold him too much. Lanny, you won’t overeat next time, right?”

When Perea winked, Lanny nodded and promised several times that he’d never do it again.
The mother finally sighed and calmed down.

Since rabbit beastmen were mostly vegetarian, their digestion was delicate.
Too much protein or sugar meant instant stomach trouble, especially among children — making them frequent visitors to Perea’s clinic.

That morning, she was busier than ever.
Because of the festival the day before, half of her patients had stomachaches from overeating.

Everyone thanked her deeply for being there — some even paid her not just with money but with food: potatoes, corn, carrots, and more.
Before long, her storage room was overflowing.

Perea couldn’t eat all the vegetables, but she couldn’t refuse the villagers’ kindness either.

“Whew… I’m exhausted.”

It was past 8 p.m. when the last patient finally left.
After more than 12 hours of work, Perea collapsed over her desk, ready to fall asleep on the spot.

“I should clean up first…”

She blinked heavily and picked up her broom—

CRASH!

A thunderous explosion shook the ground, followed by a bright flash outside her window.

“What—what was that?!”

The drowsiness vanished instantly.
Still gripping her broom just in case, Perea rushed to open the door.

It sounded distant, but she couldn’t relax.
The explosion had startled everyone—villagers poured out of their homes, their long rabbit ears twitching in fear.

“I’ll go check! Everyone else, stay inside—it might be dangerous!”

Harun, the head of the village youth group, stepped forward bravely, and a few men followed. Perea joined them.

“Perea! Don’t go!” villagers cried, their big ears flapping anxiously.

Even then, Perea had the urge to pet those soft ears, but she clenched her fists and calmly explained why she had to go.

“This village isn’t even on most maps. No one would attack us on purpose.
And if anyone’s hurt, I need to help them.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“If it’s dangerous, I promise I’ll run away.”

Hearing “run,” the villagers relaxed a bit — they knew Perea, though human, could run fast, having grown up among rabbit beastmen.

“Perea, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Harun sighed, knowing from childhood experience that her stubbornness was impossible to change.

After the explosion, everything went quiet again, but unease lingered.
Timi Village had never experienced anything like that before.

They hurried through the forest — and soon found a large crater, as if made by some unnatural force.

Inside the crater lay a shattered golden carriage, its elegant design now in ruins.
If anyone had been inside, it was hard to imagine they survived.

The young men froze, eyes wide and ears upright with tension.

Then—

“Ugh…!”

A faint cry came from inside the wreckage.

The rabbit beastmen, with their sharp hearing, rushed toward the sound.
Moments later, one shouted, “Perea! There’s someone hurt here!”

“I’m coming!”

Throwing aside her broom, Perea ran.
The closer she got, the stronger the smell of blood became.
Her heart pounded — she could already tell this was serious.

Until now, she’d only treated simple illnesses, but instinct told her:

This was the most critical patient she’d ever face.

And she was right.
From the wreckage, a small pale hand trembled weakly.

The young men, led by Harun, were already lifting the debris to reach them.
With everyone’s effort, they finally uncovered the scene —
a child held tightly in the arms of a large man.

The strong scent of blood wasn’t from the child, but from the man’s wounded shoulder.

The child whimpered again, “Hhh…,” and the rescuers worked quickly to pull them both out.

Thankfully, nothing else attacked or exploded. They were safe — for now.

Perea carried the child, while the men supported the unconscious man.
He was enormous — even Harun, the tallest in the village, barely reached his shoulder.
It took several people just to hold him upright.

After confirming no one else was around, they hurried back to the village.

It was strange — two people alone, traveling in such a grand carriage. But no one there had the ability to see what might be hidden.

They reached Perea’s clinic.
The man was so large that his legs stuck out past the end of the bed — it was made for smaller rabbit beastmen.
The child was laid on Perea’s living room sofa.

“Thank you, everyone. I’ll take care of them now.”

“You sure you’ll be okay alone? I can stay.”

“Actually, that would help — thank you.”

She accepted Harun’s offer to stay. The unconscious man looked dangerous — not in a bad way, but powerful.

Though covered in dust, his silver hair shone blue in the light, and his muscular build and sword at his waist made it clear he was no ordinary traveler.

The others, exhausted from carrying him, patted Harun’s shoulder and left.

Now only Perea, Harun, and the two mysterious beastmen remained inside the quiet house.