Chapter 228: Scheming Fox

Sora looked at the man standing before her, momentarily at a loss for words.

For Nick Wilde to say such things wasn’t exactly narcissistic. In fact, everything he had listed was precisely what the Females of the Beast World looked for in a Beast Husband.

Strong.

Capable.

Good-looking.

Able to hunt.

Able to build shelter.

Able to protect his Female.

Those were practically the standard qualities of an ideal Beast Husband.

The problem was that Sora wasn’t originally from this Beast World. The standards that mattered to the Females here weren’t necessarily the standards she used when choosing a partner.

She pursed her lips and said gently, "You’re very good, Nick Wilde. You don’t need to change anything. It’s just..."

"Just what?"

"It’s just that she doesn’t like you. Does a Female really have to spell it out?"

Ace, who had been hiding behind them, finally couldn’t listen any longer.

Nick Wilde was being far too persistent!

Sora had already made her position clear, so why was he still pestering her?

"Exactly. Our Female Master’s meaning is already very clear. You’re good in every way. You’re just not the one she wants."

Lucas immediately chimed in, openly mocking him.

"That’s right. I have to say, Red Fox, you’ve got some thick skin. Kaelira already rejected you last time, yet you actually came back again. Don’t you have any shame?"

Hearing their voices, Sora turned around in surprise.

"Why are all of you here?"

She glanced at Ace and Lucas, then toward the bushes farther away.

The rustling vegetation had already betrayed the presence of several people hiding there.

Sora immediately understood.

"You followed me?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"And you were eavesdropping on my conversation?"

Ace smacked his lips and immediately defended himself.

"What do you mean, ’followed’ and ’eavesdropped’? Kaelira, don’t make it sound so bad. We just happened to be here."

"Yeah," Lucas added. "If we hadn’t followed you, we wouldn’t have known you were secretly meeting another man behind our backs."

Sora almost laughed at their shameless counterattack.

"You were the ones sneaking around, and now you have the nerve to blame me?"

Lucas’s voice immediately became quieter.

"I’m just telling the truth. Otherwise, how did this Nick Wilde suddenly appear?"

Sora’s romantic prospects seemed to be increasing by the day.

First there was Drake.

Now there was Nick Wilde.

And judging from the reactions of her Beast Husbands, none of them were willing to sit back and watch another competitor approach her.

"I was just rej—"

Sora had been about to explain that she was rejecting Nick Wilde when she suddenly looked up.

Nick Wilde’s expression had become noticeably gloomy.

Sora’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh no.

Surely he didn’t think she was deliberately humiliating him?

Would he become resentful toward her because of this?

Sora couldn’t help thinking that way.

She had survived enough dangerous situations to understand that people’s reactions after rejection could sometimes become unpredictable. In the harsh world she had come from, it was always better to avoid creating unnecessary enemies whenever possible.

Everything had been fine before Ace, Lucas, and the others interfered.

She could have rejected Nick Wilde gently and privately.

But now, with several Beast Husbands openly mocking him, the situation had become much more embarrassing.

Fortunately, she noticed it before things went too far.

Sora shot Ace, Lucas, and the others a sharp glare before turning toward Nick Wilde.

Her expression softened.

"Don’t listen to their nonsense. You really are an excellent Beastman. It’s just that I already have enough Beast Husbands, and I don’t think we’re a good match."

She gave him a reassuring smile.

"You deserve someone who is better suited to you."

Xavier let out a quiet snort from nearby.

Sora immediately turned her sharp gaze toward him.

The moment Xavier met her eyes, he wisely shut his mouth.

Nick Wilde’s expression improved considerably after hearing Sora’s words.

The gloom on his face gradually disappeared, like clouds parting after a storm.

He nodded.

"I know they’re deliberately trying to provoke me. Don’t worry. I won’t take their words to heart."

His gaze remained fixed on Sora.

"They treated you badly before, yet you were still willing to accept them again. That shows how kind you are."

He paused before continuing firmly.

"But Kaelira, I won’t give up."

The other Beast Husbands had been so cruel to her in the past, yet Sora had still accepted them.

Nick Wilde believed he was no worse than any of them.

Therefore, he saw no reason why Sora should completely reject him.

Perhaps she simply didn’t know him well enough.

Perhaps she was worried about the feelings of her current Beast Husbands.

Either way, there was no need to rush.

He could stay near her.

He could slowly show her his strengths.

Eventually, she would realize that he was also worthy of being by her side.

With this thought, Nick Wilde quickly adjusted his mindset.

Sora watched the change in his expression and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least you understand."

Nick Wilde nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he carefully put the bone hairpin back into his robe.

His expression became slightly dejected as he asked, "Then, Kaelira, can you teach me how to make a pottery cup?"

Sora blinked.

"A pottery cup?"

Nick Wilde nodded.

"I’m still using a stone cup, and I really want a pottery one of my own."

As though afraid Sora might reject him again, he hurriedly added, "Claire and Zainabu seem very busy lately, so I didn’t want to disturb them."

Normally, Sora would have refused without hesitation.

But she had already rejected Nick Wilde once.

Rejecting another small request immediately afterward would make her seem unnecessarily cold.

Besides, even if she refused, the only alternative would be telling him to find Clare and Zainabu.

But those two were already extremely busy dealing with the Pox Scab situation.

Sora also remembered her promise to the dragons.

She had already decided to teach them how to make pottery.

Teaching one more person wouldn’t make much difference.

After considering it for a moment, she nodded.

"Alright. I’m actually planning to make some pottery in a few days."

Nick Wilde’s previously dim eyes instantly brightened.

"Really?"

His voice was filled with surprise.

"Then I’ll wait for you."

He had already prepared himself for another rejection, so he hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.

The unexpected answer filled him with happiness.

He knew it.

Sora wasn’t truly cold-hearted.

As long as he stayed by her side long enough, she would eventually discover his good qualities.

Hadn’t that been how Damien managed to remain beside her?

According to what he had heard from Mark, Damien had almost been driven away by Sora in the beginning.

Yet through sheer persistence and shameless determination, he had managed to remain beside her.

Although Nick Wilde had not yet formed a contract totem with Sora, he was already willing to take part in her night watches.

Looking at his bright smile, Sora didn’t know what else to say.

She could only nod.

Nick Wilde understood that he had achieved enough for today.

He didn’t continue pressing his advantage.

After receiving Sora’s agreement, he quickly turned around and left.

Sora watched his retreating back with a complicated expression.

She really was too soft-hearted sometimes.

Although gaining someone’s sympathy could be considered a somewhat low tactic, Nick Wilde didn’t think it mattered.

If that tactic could eventually help him become Sora’s Beast Husband, then what was wrong with using it?

His father had once told him that whenever a person truly wanted something, they should pursue it.

As long as they weren’t deliberately harming anyone, using a little strategy wasn’t necessarily wrong.

Besides, Sora’s current Beast Husbands were difficult competitors.

If he pursued her aggressively, he probably wouldn’t gain any advantage.

Taking things slowly was clearly the better approach.

Nick Wilde silently organized his thoughts as he walked away, already forming a plan in his mind.

Meanwhile, Sora had absolutely no idea what he was thinking.

She had always believed Nick Wilde was an honest and straightforward Beastman.

Only recently had she begun realizing something important.

None of her Beast Husbands were as simple as they appeared.

The moment Nick Wilde disappeared from sight, Ace turned toward Sora.

"You actually agreed to make pottery with him?"

There was an unmistakably aggressive edge to his voice.

Sora rolled her eyes.

"What? Do I need to ask for your permission before I do everything now?"

Ace’s aggressive attitude instantly collapsed.

"That’s not what I meant."

He rubbed his nose awkwardly.

"I just think that if you don’t have feelings for him, you shouldn’t agree to things so casually."

Don’t think he hadn’t noticed the change in that damn Red Fox’s eyes the moment Sora agreed to teach him pottery.

That fellow had clearly taken it as a sign of hope.

Sora sighed.

"It’s not a casual agreement."

She calmly explained, "I’m taking the dragons to the Red Land in a few days anyway. Since he needs a pottery cup, we’ll simply go together."

"Go together?"

Ace immediately caught the most important part of her sentence.

"You mean it won’t just be the two of you?"

His mood improved instantly.

"Of course not."

Sora looked at him as though he were being ridiculous.

"The Dragon Beastmen are still using stone pots and bowls. It’s time for them to replace those things."

Ace’s eyes immediately lit up.

Hahaha!

So what if that Red Fox had plotted something?

In the end, he wouldn’t even get Sora alone.

He would be traveling with an entire group of dragons!

The jealousy that had been weighing on Ace’s chest disappeared almost instantly.

He couldn’t help feeling smug.

It seemed Nick Wilde’s little scheme hadn’t worked after all.

At least, that was what Ace thought.

Sora, meanwhile, had already turned her attention toward the next task awaiting her.

She had promised the dragons that she would help them improve their lives.

And if she was going to be their leader, she couldn’t merely accept their loyalty without doing anything in return.

There was still pottery to make.

There was rice to process.

There were Pox Scabs to deal with.

There was also the mysterious matter surrounding Damien.

And, somehow, her number of Beast Husband candidates seemed to keep increasing no matter how hard she tried to avoid it.

Sora rubbed her forehead.

She suddenly felt that being a Tribe Leader was much more troublesome than she had imagined.

Behind her, Ace was still secretly celebrating his victory over a rival who didn’t even know he was competing.

And somewhere farther away, Nick Wilde was already planning his next move.

Neither of them realized that another pair of eyes had been quietly observing everything.

Xavier’s gaze lingered in the direction Nick Wilde had disappeared.

His lips curved into a faint, unreadable smile.

"This is getting interesting."

Lucas glanced at him.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

Xavier stretched lazily.

"I’m just wondering how many more competitors Kaelira plans to attract."

Lucas’s expression darkened.

"Don’t say things like that."

Xavier laughed.

"Why? It’s already happening."

The others fell silent.

Because, despite their reluctance to admit it, Xavier was right.

Sora had never deliberately sought out more Beast Husbands.

Yet somehow, one after another, powerful Beastmen continued appearing around her.

And each new arrival seemed more troublesome than the last.