No Entry Except for the Master - Chapter 49

But even Lilith, who was obviously floating on air as if she had just fallen in love, replied without hesitation that she was not in a relationship with Teia. Rather, she looked at Cesar, who thought otherwise, as if he were the strange one—leaving him feeling embarrassed for even bringing it up.

Regardless of Cesar’s misunderstandings, Lilith’s mood these days was at an all-time high. Aside from the inconvenience of her not-yet-fully-healed arms and legs, everything felt perfect.

Lilith barely even had a concept of what it meant to be “in a relationship” with someone. She had received permission to openly like Teia, she hadn’t been cast out for it, and on top of that, Teia had even promised that he wouldn’t abandon her even if he were to take a Grand Duchess.

All she hoped for was a simple, modest relationship—being cherished by Teia, staying by his side as his pet rabbit, and going through her heat cycles with him. That was the humble dream she clung to.

It was a bright midsummer afternoon, and the weather was quite hot. Lilith enjoyed a refreshing fruit punch while savoring the breeze coming through the slightly opened window. One of the perks of being in human form was being able to eat more and tolerate heat better. The gently blowing wind made her feel good and drowsy.

[ ……re? ……da ……uh. ]

“Huh?”

Lilith looked around, startled by a sound coming from somewhere. Naturally, there was no one else in the room.

As a rabbit werebeast, she was sensitive to sound, so she often heard things from far away—but this was different. The sound was clear, as if someone were whispering right next to her, yet she couldn’t make out the exact words. An unknown, mysterious language continued to whisper in her ears.

[ Ee…… uh. Da…… ]

Lilith rose from her seat and followed the sound. It ebbed and flowed like the wind, drawing her toward it. She opened the window fully and stepped out onto the balcony. Staring blankly into space, as if entranced by the mysterious voice, Lilith suddenly snapped back to herself. Focus returned to her hazy eyes.

“Hello?”

A stranger’s voice called out from below. Leaning on the railing to look down, she saw a man waving up at her. Below the balcony was a small courtyard rather than the main garden, and the man held an unfamiliar instrument.

“Were you the one calling me just now?”

“You heard a voice calling you?”

Lilith nodded. The man looked around thoughtfully, then gestured for her to wait. He then nimbly climbed a large tree growing opposite the balcony.

Since Lilith’s playroom was only on the second floor, it wasn’t that high—but his agile movements, like a flying squirrel, impressed her.

He chose a thick branch to sit on and lightly plucked the strings of his instrument. A brief, lyrical melody flowed out—gentle and fitting for a man sitting in the shade of a tree.

“Can you hear the voices of spirits?”

“I don’t know what it was saying.”

“Hmm, it’s from a rather famous book, but I guess no one in the Empire has read it. It’s an old legend. In mythology, werebeasts were loved by spirits and could understand their speech. But now, since all the werebeasts have disappeared, there’s no one left who can listen to them. So the lonely spirits wander, searching for someone who can hear them. That’s the story.”

Lilith felt a pang of guilt. The man was probably just telling a tale like a song, but as a werebeast chimera, she was afraid he might catch on to something. She stepped back and grabbed the edge of the window so she could close it at any moment.

“Oh, then I must’ve misheard. I’m not a werebeast! There’s no way I’d hear something like that!”

No way, no way, no way…

Flustered, she shouted loudly, and her voice echoed softly off the walls and trees. Her stiff expression and awkward tone would’ve made anyone suspicious—but the man simply smiled brightly and nodded.

“Right. That would be the case for most ordinary people. But actually, even among humans, there are some who can hear the voices of spirits.”

“Huh? Even if they’re not werebeasts?”

“Yes. Like me.”

The man pointed to himself. Lilith pointed back at him, mimicking him.

“You?”

With a mischievous smile, the man began playing again. Accompanied by a cheerful melody reminiscent of birdsong, he began to sing.

Lilith’s eyes widened. Like the voice she had heard earlier, the lyrics weren’t in a language she understood—but they were soft, whispering words that caressed her ears.