IT’S ME! IT’S ME, I’M TELLING YOU!

It was midnight in the forest.

I was currently sprinting after Delta. I’d been a little worried about whether she could actually pull off a stealthy approach, but she’d shown up at the dormitory exactly as instructed—without being seen.

Then again, I’d never really been worried about her physical capabilities. Delta was a natural-born hunter. Despite her usual rowdy personality, she was terrifyingly good at masking her presence when she got serious. In fact, she was probably the best at it among the Seven Shadows.

Her ability to detect prey was also in a league of its own. Honestly, I didn't think I could even compete with her in terms of smell or hearing. No matter how much I experimented with body modification or magic reinforcement, I just couldn't beat the innate, primal instincts of her race.

Basically, Delta was an ultra-high-spec specimen in every category except her brain.

That was why I was currently letting her take the lead, essentially using her as a living Bandit Radar.

To be honest, the hardest and most time-consuming part of a Bandit Hunt was the initial search. Having Delta run ahead made the whole process incredibly easy; all I had to do was follow her lead and she’d deliver me right to the target.

Up ahead, Delta’s ears twitched and her tail began to wag vigorously.

Found 'em.

Delta’s speed surged as she dropped from two legs to four. She tore through the forest at a blistering pace and charged straight toward a flickering light in the distance.

Then came the screams.

By the time I arrived a split second later, several bandits had already been ripped apart. They were dead before they hit the ground, their limbs scattered around the bonfire.

Yeah, I figured it would go like this.

Bandit hunting with Delta wasn't all upside. Naturally, there were some drawbacks. Specifically, Delta didn't know the meaning of the word "stay" when there was prey right in front of her.

Her version of a "hunt" was really just a one-sided massacre. It sucked all the fun out of the experience. Honestly, if she could just fix that one personality quirk, she’d be the perfect partner.

Well, to be fair, it wasn't that she couldn't wait. If I gave her a direct order, she’d obey. But being forced to wait in front of live prey caused her an immense amount of stress.

She’d be on her best behavior while I was watching, but the moment I turned my back, she’d find some way to vent that pent-up frustration. Usually, that meant trouble for someone else. She’d try to assert dominance by mounting Gamma, or I’d find the trees behind the shack leveled to the ground, or she’d eat every single vegetable in the garden…

Back when we were kids, it was manageable. I had no idea how she vented her stress now that she was all grown up, and frankly, I had no desire to find out.

While I was lost in thought, Delta finished off the rest of the group. There was almost nothing left for me to do.

"W-Wait! Stop!"

One surviving bandit had begun to beg for his life. It was a common sight, but Delta wasn't the type to be moved by a pathetic plea. Wearing a predatory, carnivorous grin, she swung her Jet-black Blade with nothing but raw, brute force.

It was a clumsy strike—totally devoid of technique—yet it possessed incredible speed, flexibility, and reach.

I guess that’s what you call natural talent.

Her blade whistled toward the man’s throat, but it stopped just short, barely nicking the skin.

"Huh?"

Delta actually stopped? Impossible. Was I dreaming?

Delta began sniffing the air, her nose twitching as she took in the bandit’s scent.

"I-I knew it was you, Sara! It’s me! It’s me!"

Repeating the phrase like a suspicious con artist, the bandit pulled off his mask. Underneath was a man with sharp, rugged features. More notably, he had dog ears that were the exact same color and shape as Delta’s.

"Sara, it really is you, isn't it? It’s me! I’m your big brother!"

Delta let out a confused whine and tilted her head, looking back at me. This was her "asking for permission" look. I gave her a small nod, giving her the green light to handle it how she wanted.

"You smell like Father... but I don't remember you."

Delta pulled off her own mask, revealing her face and her wagging tail.

"There’s no mistake, it’s you, Sara! I heard you’d come down with Possession and been 'hunted' by Father... You did well to survive him."

"Delta is the best at hide-and-seek."

"Delta? Is that what you’re calling yourself now? Listen, you gotta help me out. I’m your brother, after all!"

The man looked at her with a desperate, pandering expression. In response, Delta’s tail began to sway slowly—an intimidating, rhythmic thumping.

Uh oh. That’s the "bad mood" pattern.

"Don't call yourself my brother. You’re weak."

"W-Wait, wait! You were always the strong one! I always admitted I couldn't beat you! Father even said that if you hadn't been a girl, he would’ve made you the next chief! And look, your Possession is cured, right? I’ll talk to Father! I’ll tell him to take you back into the tribe!"

"I don't get it. If I wanted to go back, I’d just go back."

"E-Exactly! That’s my sister! In that case, let me introduce you to a master worthy of your strength! You’re gonna be shocked when you hear this—I’m currently working for the legendary 'Great Wolf' himself, Master Gettan!"

The rhythm of her tail changed. This was the ultimate bad mood pattern.

"Gettan... Do you know him?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Never heard of him," Delta replied with a stern shake of her head.

Figures.

"You’re kidding! He’s the legendary Great Wolf that even our father couldn't defeat! The strongest warrior of the Wolf-kin! With your strength, you might even be chosen as Master Gettan’s concubine—"

"I don't know him, you’re annoying, and weaklings shouldn't bark."

With a casual flick of her wrist, Delta took the man’s head off mid-sentence.

"Whoa... Wasn't that your brother?"

Delta looked down at the rolling head with an expression of pure disgust, then turned to me. Her face instantly shifted into a bright, sunny smile as her tail began wagging at Mach speed.

"Weaklings are a disgrace to the clan. I’m glad I could clean that up!"

"Right... Sure."

There wasn't much else I could say. At the end of the day, my common sense was fundamentally different from a Beastkin’s.

There were all kinds of Beastkin out there, but about eighty percent of them lived by the "might is power" philosophy. The strong were the bosses, and the best hunters were the elite. That was pretty much the whole system. Delta was the ultimate textbook example; I sometimes wondered if there was anyone left in the world who was this much of a stereotypical Beastkin.

Still, even if they weren't all as extreme as Delta, that mindset was the norm for her people. Honestly, Beastkin were a "cheat" race. They had insane physical abilities, sharp senses, incredible reflexes, high magic capacity, long lifespans, and they reproduced like crazy. If they weren't so lacking in the brain department, they probably would have conquered the entire world by now.

The problem was that "might is power" logic. Whenever their population got too high, they’d just start a tribal war and thin themselves out. On the rare occasion that a Great Hero appeared to unify them, they’d immediately pick a fight with the Humans or Elves and end up tucking tail and running home. They always started off with overwhelming victories, but then their supply lines would get too long, they’d start starving, and they’d have to retreat. It was the same pattern every single time.

To be fair, there were some intelligent Beastkin species. Like I said, they were a diverse bunch. Yukime was a good example; the Fox-kin were famous for being smart.

You’d think the other Beastkin would just listen to the smart ones, and apparently, they actually did... at first. But the moment the supply lines stretched thin and the smart ones suggested "restraint," the "might is power" types would call them cowards and charge to their dooms anyway.

Their instinct for violence was just built-in.

They were technically a constitutional state now and were trying to develop their industries, but they were hitting a wall because, at their core, they still believed might was the only thing that mattered.

"You probably should have tried to remember him, though," I said. "He was your brother."

"Brother? Why?"

"Well, you don't have many siblings. Generally speaking, it’s better to treasure your family."

"Um, Delta’s father has about twenty concubines. I have more than a hundred brothers!"

"Oh. Well, I guess it’s fine if one of them goes missing then."

Trust a Beastkin to have that kind of scale. Still, a country where might was everything... I was actually a little curious.

"Maybe I’ll visit the Beastkin lands one of these days."

Delta’s ears did a little twitch.

"I have a great idea! Boss should just become the Chief!"

"Huh?"

"If Boss kills the Chief, Boss becomes the new pack leader!"

"Wait, what?"

"Then you can have lots of babies and we’ll be the strongest clan ever!"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Yes! I’ll get you a hundred concubines! We’ll have so many kids and be the strongest in the world! Let's go! Boss will be a Great Hero and rule everything!"

"No way. Forget it. We’re going back to the capital."

"Noooo!"

"Yes, we are."

"Whine...!"

I ended up dragging a pouting Delta all the way back to the Royal Capital. Man, I was exhausted.