Little Pink Starfish

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Asher ran down the stairs.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he felt an urgent need to be by Theodore’s side.

Weaving through the startled nobles, he reached the entrance to the center of the arena. Just as he was about to rush to Theodore, someone grabbed his hand.

“Please wait, Lord Asher.”

“Let go!”

“Lord Asher!”

He turned around and looked up at the person holding his hand.

A man with deep green hair, green eyes, and an unkempt beard—a Forester—was desperately trying to stop him.

“The match is still ongoing—”

“But Theodore—he looks like he’s in pain…!”

“He will be fine.”

“How can you say that?! He was suddenly writhing in agony!”

“He won’t die from that amount.”

Asher was startled by those words.

“…What?”

The Forester’s face briefly showed regret, and Asher immediately grabbed his arm.

“What do you mean?”

“…Nothing.”

“What did you do?!”

Gripping the Forester’s arm tightly, Asher shook him with all his strength. The Forester hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…I condensed Notovis and mixed it into a potion. Lord Samuel currently has it in his possession.”

“W-What…? Notovis…?”

“…”

“…You knew that Theodore is a half-blood beastman… yet you never told anyone…”

After the kidnapping incident, things had settled without issue.

It had been strange that no one spoke of Theodore’s beastman heritage. And now, Asher realized—the Forester, who served under Samuel, had never reported anything about Theodore.

But if Samuel was now using Notovis on Theodore, who was supposed to be human…

“Did you tell Brother Samuel…?”

“…I am deeply sorry…”

“What did you do to Theodore?”

“…He… transformed into a beast once. At that time, I suspect his beast blood became stronger… Notovis may now affect him like it would a beastman.”

For a half-blood like Theodore, who was part human, the scent of Notovis should have had little effect. But what about a half-blood who had once transformed?

“But back then… when Theodore turned into a beast… he took me to the Notovis forest… That’s right, he wasn’t affected like this at all!”

“…Yes, at that time, the scent of Notovis barely affected him. But back then… Lord Asher, you were covered in wounds. Even I, a human, could smell the scent of your blood.”

A beastman’s mate was their most precious existence—their other half.

A mate’s scent was absolute to a beastman.

And the scent of their mate’s blood… No human could understand just how powerful that was.

But if that was the reason Theodore had resisted Notovis before, then now—without his mate beside him—he must be suffering immensely.

Asher recalled the strange feeling he had during the welcoming banquet.

Samuel’s gaze on Theodore at that time.

An unfamiliar fury ignited inside Asher.

“How could you do something so cruel?!”

Asher screamed in despair, but the Forester shook his head and tried to persuade him.

“I swear, his life is not in danger. Notovis is harmful to beastmen, yes, but Lord Samuel has a plan—”

“And that makes it okay?! Theodore is suffering right now! Who cares about the match anymore? Stop this right now!”

Asher shoved the Forester aside and tried to run again, but once more, he was stopped.

“Please wait, Lord Asher! Approaching Theodore now is dangerous—”

“Leaving him alone is even more dangerous! I have to—”

“We have also mixed in a stimulant meant for beastmen. It is meant to activate the beast blood within him… He may transform…”

Asher narrowed his eyes and stared at the Forester.

Why was a stimulant necessary? If they only wanted to make him suffer, Notovis alone would have sufficed.

Why did they want him to transform? And how did they know that was possible?

No way—Asher gasped.

“You’re trying to make Theodore transform… here, in front of everyone… on purpose…?”

The Forester opened his mouth to respond, but Asher shoved him away with all his strength.

He sprinted toward the center of the arena and saw Theodore collapsed on the ground.

“Theodore!”

Asher desperately called his name and reached out toward him. But before he could reach Theodore, Samuel stepped in between them, blocking Asher’s path.

His outstretched hand cut through empty air.

Then, a beastly roar echoed throughout the arena.

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

All that could be heard was the deep growling and ragged breathing of a beast.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the figure crouched in the center.

But it was no longer human. Its claws and ears were sharpened, fangs bared like those of a beastman—yet it wasn’t quite a beastman either.

“…What is that…?”

Someone murmured.

And that whisper spread like wildfire.

“A human…? No, a beastman…? But it’s not a beastman either…?”

The audience erupted in confusion and shock. Then, one noble shrieked.

“What is that monster?!”

The word “monster” sent a wave of fear through the nobles, and screams began to ring out one after another. The arena guards, now on high alert, rushed to the center under Nadidrew’s command.

“Prince Samuel! Prince Asher! Please step back!”

“Nadidrew, stay out of this.”

“But, Prince Samuel… that man is not—”

“I know. Theodore Lewis is a half-blood—part beastman, part human.”

“A half-blood?! So… half-bloods become like that?!”

Nadidrew’s shout sent ripples of alarm through the crowd.

“Brother Samuel! Let go of me!”

“No, Asher. You stay here—”

“Let me go!”

“…Calm down, Asher. It’s fine.”

Samuel restrained Asher in a tight hold, wearing a troubled smile. As the chaos escalated, a foreign royal from the spectators’ balcony shouted.

“What is that monster?!”

“Does Dias make such creatures knights?!”

“A human transforming like that… is it some kind of curse?!”

The arena descended into mayhem. Then, a powerful voice cut through the noise.

“──Silence!”

King Augustin, his expression fierce, glared at Samuel.

“Explain this, Samuel.”

“Father, it is as you see.”

Samuel smiled calmly, and King Augustin scowled.

“I said, explain.”

“…The Black Knight, Theodore, is a half-blood. He concealed his origins to obtain the title of knight. Since I was the one who knighted him, I believed it was my duty to correct this deception.”

“Theodore… is a half-blood?”

Even King Augustin could not hide his shock. His gaze wavered.

Samuel let go of Asher’s wrist and gestured toward Theodore with elegant composure.

“Yes, as you can see. Therefore, I will now bestow upon him a new—”

A sharp slap echoed through the arena.

Everyone fell into stunned silence.

Samuel, frozen from the impact, slowly turned his gaze to the one who had struck him.

Asher, glaring furiously, stood before him.

“…Let go of my other hand.”

His voice was chillingly quiet.

Samuel’s hand instinctively released Asher, falling limply to his side. Asher then grabbed the scent pouch hanging from Samuel’s chest and tightly sealed it shut.

“Asher…”

Samuel called his name hoarsely, but Asher ignored him, shoving the pouch into a nearby guard’s hands.

“Make sure this is disposed of properly. Keep it away from the beastmen.”

“Y-Yes!”

The guard hurried away.

Asher turned to Theodore and strode forward.

No one could stop him.

Because now, more than ever—

He had to protect the one he loved.