Chapter 15

As Kinaine took one step forward, the people stepped back exactly that much.

The villagers were betas who couldn't sense pheromones. However, the dominant alpha's unique presence was overwhelming enough to be felt regardless of whether one had pheromone glands or not.

Thanks to them stepping back, Kinaine's eyes met directly with those of the man crouched on the ground.

"Oh."

Kinaine covered his mouth after unconsciously making such a foolish sound. Though no one saw it, his cheeks were slightly flushed.

'How can someone's eyes...'

Though he tried to compose his expression, he couldn't help his gaze being drawn again and again.

'How can someone's eyes be like jewels like that?'

The man's eyes were the most beautiful gold Kinaine had ever seen. Seeing them made his heart beat faster and his whole body heat up. It was exactly the same feeling as when he had received his first real sword.

When Kinaine was young, his swordsmanship master had gifted him the real sword he had been using. Unlike his greedy brother, he hadn't shown much attachment to things or people, but that sword was something Kinaine particularly cherished and valued.

Since Kinaine never wanted to part with that sword even for a moment, everyone in the kingdom knew that the Second Prince's first love was his sword.

"Are you alright?"

After hesitating briefly at this feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Kinaine rather took another bold step forward and knelt before the man.

"...?"

The man wore an innocent expression as if he didn't understand what was happening to him. Didn't the beating hurt? Kinaine's brows furrowed in anger as he briefly observed the pure face that didn't match the large body.

...This man was simple-minded. He had probably been abandoned by his parents because of his hideous appearance.

Kinaine had seen several people in similar situations before. Those who had been abandoned and shunned.

He must have lived like a beast in the mountains and come down to the village when winter made him hungry. Having no one to teach him common sense, he naturally wouldn't understand concepts like property or trade. He would have stolen livestock as casually as picking fruit from trees...

And finally ended up in this situation.

It was obvious that if left alone, the same thing would happen again. Kinaine didn't hesitate at all about what to do with this man. He immediately extended his hand.

"Will you come with me?"

Kinaine's figure was reflected in the man's clear golden eyes. Somehow, it made his throat feel parched.

"If... if you come with me, you won't go hungry. You won't be beaten like this either. Everyone will respect you."

It wasn't an empty promise. No one would fail to respect someone who accompanied a prince.

This wasn't the first time Kinaine had looked after people in pitiful circumstances. Those around him praised the Second Prince's benevolence, while Hasan scorned it as performative kindness.

However, Kinaine didn't extend his hand to others out of concern for others' evaluation. He simply did it because he wanted to.

This time was the same.

"If you'll come with me, take my hand."

The man who had been staring blankly at Kinaine's extended hand eventually reached out.

What had Kinaine thought as he watched that hand carefully grasp his fingertips?

That he would never let go of this hand first. Was that what he had thought...

***

Kinaine opened his eyes. His body felt heavy as if a transparent rock had been placed on it. The heat that had seemed like it would burn even his soul had disappeared as if it had been a lie.

Where was this?

As soon as he came to his senses, Kinaine immediately sat up and looked around with a wary gaze.

It was a shabby, narrow space. Being a one-room house without divisions, it wasn't difficult to identify the people inside.

Kinaine's eyes widened slightly as he discovered familiar faces.

"You're..."

They were the twins who had saved him from the tailed tribe man.

Were they in their late teens? Seeing them up close, though they had identical hair color, their impressions were completely different. While their features were similar, their expressions and gazes created the differences. The boy seemed full of discontent as if everything annoyed him, while the girl appeared clever and full of curiosity.

The girl spoke carefully while looking at Kinaine.

"Um, don't worry. We're both betas."

Her careful tone showed consideration for an omega who had nearly been assaulted by an alpha.

Only then did he properly remember what had happened before he lost consciousness. Fortunately, now he just felt a bit weak, with no pheromones leaking out.

"You should be fine now since we gave you suppressants."

So it was the effect of suppressants after all. Kinaine bowed his head.

"I'm indebted to you. Thank you."

The girl waved her hands.

"Oh, no. I'm not the one who got the suppressants..."

Just then, the door burst open and someone entered the house. It was a young man with black-purple hair.

The man strode toward Kinaine.

"You're awake?"

"...Kor?"

"Oh, you recognized me?"

His unconscious call seemed to be correct.

"Is it really you, Lord Kor?"

Kinaine looked at him with belated surprise.

His black-purple hair and deep purple eyes reminded him of his appearance when he had been a bird. And like the twins, he too had wings on his back.

"You could change your form?"

"This is my true form. Spirits become bound by restrictions the moment they cross into the human realm. The stronger one's true form, the more so."

Having returned to Solem and recovered his power, Kor had regained his lost true form. This was what Kinaine was seeing now.

"To think this is your true form. So that's why you're from the winged tribe."

Come to think of it, all spirit tribes had intuitive names.

If they had tails they were the tailed tribe, if they had scales they were the scaled tribe, if they had horns they were the horned tribe.

Naturally, having wings meant they were called the winged tribe.

"I thought everyone would be in bird form like you were, Lord Kor."

"As you now know, spirits and humans don't look that different except for a few things. More importantly..."

Kor's purple eyes narrowed.

"You seem fine now. You know you could have been in big trouble, right?"

"Ah."

"Ah? That's not enough!"

Kor pressed his index finger firmly against Kinaine's forehead.

"If it weren't for these kids, you would have already suffered terribly at that bastard's hands!"

"Yes. I was wrong."

Kinaine admitted readily.

"I didn't think I would be so vulnerable to alpha pheromones."

"What? You're talking exactly like a beta. Even if you're recessive, an omega couldn't possibly not know how dangerous alpha pheromones are."

It was a comment that hit the mark perfectly. Though he had been an alpha rather than a beta, either way, the point about not knowing much about omegas was the same.

"...You're right."

He was used to physical pain. He could endure any amount.

But alpha pheromones were different. They were a barbarism that trampled the mind. Just an alpha demanding submission made him want to crawl over and beg shamefully.

Though fortunately he had escaped before anything serious happened, just experiencing such feelings was horrifying.

This was what being an omega meant.

Kinaine felt like he was properly realizing the fact that he had become an omega only now.

At the same time, he somewhat understood Hasan. Proud Hasan must have been deeply hurt when he presented as an omega. Though that couldn't justify his choice that had made so many people unhappy.

Kinaine opened his lips.

"So I've been thinking, next time I should knock them unconscious before getting attacked by pheromones."

"What?"

"Fortunately, spirits seem to have the same vital points as humans, so I should be able to use that when needed."

"No, how did you confirm that? If you did something outrageous..."

"Don't worry. Nothing happened."

"Hmm."

At the suspicious gaze, the events at the Gold Pot flashed quickly through Kinaine's mind.

...While he couldn't say absolutely nothing had happened, he had managed to escape safely in the end, so it was fine.

"And I got what I needed."

Kinaine pulled out a heavy pouch from his chest. When he opened the pouch, gold tokens could be seen filling it brilliantly.

Kor's eyes widened at the sight.

"Is, is this real?"

"Yes."

It was unbelievable. When he had heard the plan to win money at the Gold Pot, Kor had thought Kinaine was talking nonsense. How could making a fortune through gambling be easy?

But he had really done it?

"This is impossible. Unless you used magic, how could this be possible!"

"..."

Though it hit the mark, Kinaine didn't even flinch. He spoke calmly:

"Will this be enough to prepare what we need for the remaining time?"

After his brief surprise, hope settled in Kor's eyes.

"Yes. With this much..."

"W-wait!"

Just then, the twin boy shouted.