Beast Blood

Chapter 4: Stone

"By the way, can I have a look at that stone of yours?"

My uncle was curious, probably wondering what sort of stone it was that my mother asked me to look after so carefully.

Only then did I remember it. I reached around my neck, but the stone was gone. Panicking, I searched my whole body for it, but I finally found it in my right pocket. Relieved, I suddenly recalled what happened then. I must have snatched the stone back while I lost my consciousness and placed it in my pocket. Otherwise, I would have lost it.

It was a good thing I did not lose it. Otherwise, how was I going to tell my mother? This was the only memento I had of her.

I was a little hesitant to give him the stone, but he did save my life today. I think it would have been petty if I could not even show it to him after all that.

With that thought in mind, I took the stone out of my pocket and placed it into my uncle's palm. Holding up the stone, he twiddled it around his fingers before looking at it under a light. Finally, he gave it a quick whiff.

When I saw how he was behaving I wondered to myself, are you a dog? It was the first time I thought that my uncle was acting a little cute.

A few moments later, my uncle walked behind me and secured the necklace back around my neck before giving me a pat on the shoulder. He told me that though he could not see anything peculiar about the stone, it might be able to help me.

The provocation of the boys was one part of why I went through a transformation akin to going berserk just now. On the other hand, it was because the stone had been taken from me. And, as if freed from some sort of restraint, I lost control. He had no idea whether this transformation was good or bad for me, but it was better not to show that side of me to the humans of this world in case it gave them any funny thoughts.

My uncle told me to hide the necklace well in the future, and asked me not to reveal it in front of anyone else. My mother had told me the same things too. It seemed like I really ought to be more careful in the future.

Once the stone was back around my neck, I had no idea whether it was just an illusion or not, but I felt refreshed, and my body felt more relaxed. Even the injuries on my body improved. I could not help but groan in relief. The sound that I made surprised me. I quickly turned to my uncle, but he seemed to be lost in thought and had not noticed. So, I quickly calmed myself.

When he turned back to me, my uncle talked to me about a rather heavy topic. He said that though he could help me get through my predicament today, Alec would surely inquire about the berserkers once he returned. It was only a matter of time before he discovered the discrepancies, then he would surely use it against my uncle.

Even though my uncle held a certain level of prestige in the military, and shared a good relationship with the Lord Mayor, I had a risky identity. The relationship between humans and beastmen was more complex than I could ever imagine. If the anger of the people was riled up after this event, then I was afraid that not even my uncle would be able to protect me.

After hearing my uncle, I felt troubled. I was sure even the deputy mayor would not let go of such a perfect opportunity.

I looked at my uncle inquiringly, hoping to gain a solution from him. I did not want history to repeat itself.

I was afraid this was no longer just about me. This now also involved the fight between the two city lords. My uncle asked me to head home. He had to discuss with the Lord Mayor how they were going to deal with this.

Looking at my uncle, who bore some resemblance to my mother, frowning in thought, he suddenly felt less detestable to me than before.

After what happened today, I could not help but feel guilty. Carefully, I made my way home and felt even sadder about half of the beastman blood within me.

Oh, how I wished that I could just be human!

When my grandmother saw the bruises on my body that seemed more serious than usual, she could not help but worry. At once, she asked my aunt to find a priest to heal me. I stopped my aunt who was just about to leave, telling them not to worry. I told them that my uncle had already asked the military physician to see me, and he said I was fine. Only that put their minds at ease.

Granny and Auntie were curious as to why I had gone to see my uncle, but they were more concerned about my injuries. I did not hide it from them either. I told them what happened today, as well as my uncle's worries, which troubled them as well.

Finally, my grandmother asked me to go and rest. She told me not to interfere with my uncle's matters, and that he would surely find a way to settle the matter, so I should not worry about it.