Chapter 73

With a sense of having just awoken from a very long slumber, I stumbled out of bed, disoriented. My body felt stiff, and my head throbbed as I tried to piece together where I was. The scent of herbal incense filled the air, and the room’s decor resembled an inn straight out of a martial arts novel. This had to be Yuha’s place, Cheonsangru.

The last thing I remembered was getting hit by the claws of a Blood Wolf in the Forest of Red Night. I figured that Lin must have brought me here, thinking Yuha could heal me. It was a plausible guess.

With a groan, I tried to stand, only to feel my legs nearly give out beneath me, as if I’d been bedridden for weeks. I lifted my shirt to inspect the deep scar on my left abdomen, where the claws had struck. Though it seemed to have healed remarkably well, it explained why my legs were so weak.

After pulling myself together, I made my way out. As I wandered through the area, I ran into Hoyun, who looked at me as though he had seen a ghost. Despite being accustomed to visiting Cheonsangru, Hoyun’s reaction suggested I’d been gone a while.

“Ah, you’re awake!” he exclaimed.

“Yeah, I guess I am,” I replied, surprised by his fuss.

Hoyun insisted on leading me to Yuha, but I declined, finding my way easily. As usual, I arrived at Yuha’s office, where she sat sipping tea on her balcony, bathed in the light of the sky. I greeted her, and she acknowledged my presence with her usual calm.

“Oh, so you’ve finally woken up,” she said, seemingly unfazed by my sudden reappearance.

“Yes, thanks to your help. But, where’s Lin? I didn’t see her in the room—”

Before I could finish, I felt a soft, warm sensation covering my eyes. I guessed Lin was trying to surprise me, but something felt off.

The hands were too large to be hers, and I realized Lin would normally need to jump to reach my height. Instead, the hands stayed steady, as if she could naturally reach.

“Guess who?” The voice was familiar, yet subtly different—more mature.

“Lin...?”

The hands dropped, and as I turned, I was met by a pink-haired fox girl with five tails, each gently swaying behind her.

“The world’s most adorable Lin, of course!” she announced.

It was indeed Lin, but she had grown into a young teenager, with a newfound confidence that threw me for a loop.

“So you’re saying I’ve been out for a month, not just overnight?” I asked Yuha, still processing the shock of Lin’s transformation.

“Indeed,” she replied, sipping her tea nonchalantly.

A month—no wonder my legs felt like jelly. But that was nothing compared to the fact that Lin, who had been like a child, had now matured into a young woman, her five pink tails waving playfully as she leaned in close to me.

“So, how do I look, Master? Isn’t Lin just stunning now?” she asked, flashing a proud smile.

I struggled to respond, caught off guard by her transformation. Seeing her grow so much in what felt like the blink of an eye left me with a pang of regret—I’d missed out on witnessing her journey.

Nonetheless, I managed a smile. “You’re beautiful, Lin. You’ve grown up so well.”

“Hehe, I knew you’d say that!” she replied, snuggling up close and swishing her tails with joy.

As I petted her head, she closed her eyes, basking in the affection. But as we continued, Yuha cut in with a bit of irritation. “Get a room, you two. Go do that somewhere else.”

“Right, we should head back,” I replied, realizing it was time to catch up with everything I’d missed.

Exiting Cheonsangru, Lin adjusted herself to only show one tail, using her perfected shapeshifting skills to avoid attention. We made our way back to Seira’s house, but when we arrived, there was nothing left—just an empty plot where the house once stood. I stopped a passerby, a neighbor of Seira’s.

“Excuse me, do you know what happened to Seira’s house?” I asked.@@novelbin@@

The woman, who often gave Seira milk from her cow, paused. “Oh, that old place? It collapsed about a month ago. Seira left with just a bag, looking completely lost. Maybe she went to a nearby inn?”

So the date matched up with the day I’d collapsed in the forest. “Lin, do you know anything about this?”

“Seira destroyed it herself. I barely got out alive!” Lin replied, rolling her eyes as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The pieces began to fit together—it must have been the influence of the full moon. As a wolfkin, Seira might have lost control under its pull.

“Well, I’ll have to look for her later. For now, let’s check on the cat café.”

Arriving at the café, I found it still intact, running as usual. The catfolk, seeing me after such a long absence, were startled and swarmed me with questions.

“Where have you been, Boss?” they meowed, expressing their worry.

“I was under the weather for a while. Everything’s okay now. Did anything happen while I was gone?”

“Not really. Just the usual dog lovers and cat moms causing trouble,” they replied, purring with relief.

As I caught up with them, Perse, a particularly affectionate catgirl, tried to cozy up to me. But Lin stepped in, her tail blocking Perse with a rather possessive glare.

“Lin?” I asked, surprised at her sudden protectiveness.

She pulled me back slightly, her sweet smile replaced by a fierce expression. “He’s my Master. Keep your distance.”

Lin had changed, but one thing was clear—she wasn’t going to let anyone come between us.