Chapter 277: Damien’s Suspicious Nature

"I conducted a secret investigation," Drake explained. "This Young Lord has an extremely high reputation on Red Mountain. Whenever people mention his name, they treat him with the utmost respect."

Sora listened carefully, her expression growing more serious.

"Even on White Bear Mountain, his authority is considerable. I tried to find out whether Damien was this Young Lord, but I couldn’t obtain any definite information immediately. However, I suspect that even if the Young Lord isn’t Damien himself, the two must be closely connected."

Drake paused, allowing Sora to consider what he had said.

Sora lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

"What if Damien really is that Young Lord?" she asked. "What would he be doing in our Tribe? Could he have another reason for staying here?"

"Another reason?"

Sora shook her head before she could get carried away by the possibility.

"The most valuable thing the Wolf Tribe possesses is Salt Well Cave. Would Damien really be foolish enough to form a Contract Totem with me just to gain control of a Salt Well?"

She found the idea difficult to believe.

When Damien had first proposed forming a Contract Totem with her, she hadn’t been particularly beautiful. In fact, her appearance had been so ordinary that she would hardly have attracted the attention of someone with his looks and apparent status.

The title of Young Lord suggested that he belonged to a powerful faction, perhaps one with considerable influence over Red Mountain and White Bear Mountain.

If he wanted to form a Contract Totem with a Female, surely he could have chosen someone else. He wouldn’t have needed to go through so much trouble just to gain access to a resource like Salt Well Cave.

Besides, Damien was undeniably handsome.

Considering how she had looked before her appearance changed, he had arguably been the one making the greater sacrifice by forming a Contract Totem with her.

Yet, out of all the Females he could have chosen, he had insisted on her.

Why?

Sora didn’t believe he had genuinely fallen in love with her at first sight. That explanation seemed far too convenient, especially when she considered how little he had known about her in the beginning.

However, she couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility that he cared about her.

When the firebird had attacked her previously, Damien had put himself in danger to shield her from the blow. He had suffered injuries protecting her, even though he had no obligation to do so at that particular moment.

That incident had left Sora confused.

If Damien had approached her with ulterior motives, why would he risk his life for her?

And if he truly cared about her, why had he concealed so many things about himself?

The more she thought about it, the less sense everything made.

According to Drake’s discoveries, the Black Bear claiming to be her Adoptive Mother might have been an impostor arranged by Damien himself.

But why would he do something like that?

Was it merely to cover up the fake letter he had brought her before she gave birth?

That explanation didn’t quite add up.

If Damien had only wanted to prevent her from returning to Red Mountain, he could simply have discussed the matter with the real Black Bear Foster Mother. He could have arranged for her to write a letter discouraging Sora from visiting, eliminating the need to introduce an impostor into the situation.

So why go through all that trouble?

Unless the problem wasn’t the letter itself.

Unless Damien was the real problem.

A thought suddenly flashed through Sora’s mind, making her sit a little straighter.

She had been so focused on protecting herself from the possibility that her Adoptive Mother might expose her previous lies that she had overlooked something important.

Damien also seemed determined to keep her away from Red Mountain.

She had her own reasons for avoiding the Black Bear Foster Mother. If that woman recognized inconsistencies in Sora’s behavior or revealed something about her past, Sora might find herself in an awkward position. Her secret could become much harder to conceal.

But Damien’s reasons were another matter entirely.

What was he afraid she might discover?

Why was he so invested in preventing her from finding the Black Bear Foster Mother?

As Sora considered these questions, an even bolder possibility emerged.

Could the so-called childhood friend she remembered be someone entirely different from the person she had believed him to be?

Could Damien have assumed another identity and deliberately approached her?

The thought was so absurd that Sora almost rejected it immediately.

No. That would be ridiculous.

But she couldn’t completely dismiss it.

After all, her former appearance had been nothing special. If Damien had been pretending to be someone else just to get close to her, what exactly would he have gained from doing so?

A thousand possibilities raced through her mind.

Every time she thought she had found a reasonable explanation, another detail contradicted it. His actions suggested one thing, while his secrecy suggested another. His willingness to protect her didn’t match the suspicion surrounding his identity, and his apparent interest in her didn’t explain why he had gone to such lengths to keep her away from Red Mountain.

In the end, Sora could reach only one conclusion.

Damien was suspicious, and his true intentions remained unclear.

Still, his strange behavior had inadvertently helped her confirm something useful.

For the time being, she had a perfectly reasonable excuse not to search for the Black Bear Foster Mother.

The letter provided that excuse.

If Damien had gone to the trouble of making the letter appear genuine, why shouldn’t she simply accept it and act as though everything was normal?

She didn’t need to expose him immediately. In fact, confronting him without knowing the truth might only make him more cautious.

Whatever he was hiding, she could wait until he revealed more.

After all, Damien hadn’t harmed her or anyone in the Wolf Tribe so far. There was no need to turn a suspicion into an open confrontation before she had enough evidence.

Sora finally looked up at Drake.

"In that case, don’t investigate any further for now. We don’t want to alert him that we’re suspicious."

Drake nodded.

"I understand."

"I’ll accept the letter for now. As for everything else, we’ll deal with it when the time comes."

Sora had never been someone who insisted on solving every mystery immediately. Sometimes, waiting patiently and observing the people involved was more effective than rushing into a confrontation.

If Damien really had another motive, he would eventually reveal something.

She only needed to remain alert.

Drake considered her instructions for a moment before bringing up another matter.

"Then what about the Visage-Fading Curse? Should I investigate that?"

He paused before continuing.

"Without finding the person who cast the curse, it might be difficult to uncover anything useful."

Sora’s expression suddenly brightened.

"Why work so hard when we already have someone who might help us?"

Drake looked at her questioningly.

Sora smiled.

"Just let Damien investigate it for us."

If Damien was already hiding something, she had no reason to feel guilty about making use of his connections.

Besides, if he really was connected to the powerful Young Lord of Red Mountain, he might have access to information that Drake couldn’t obtain so easily.

Why should she waste time searching for answers alone when a convenient source of information was already standing right in front of her?

As for Damien’s actual intentions, she could continue observing him while benefiting from whatever help he provided.

The two of them had already formed a Contract Totem. Sora believed that the bond made it unlikely he would deliberately harm her without considering the consequences. If something happened to one of them because of the contract, the other would also be affected.

Neither of them would benefit from such an outcome.

Furthermore, Females held a privileged position in this world. A Female could choose to abandon a Beast Husband, but a Beast Husband would not casually abandon his Female.

Sora therefore saw little reason to panic simply because Damien had secrets.

She wasn’t entirely convinced he was a bad person, either.

He was mysterious, certainly. He was also difficult to understand, and his background appeared far more complicated than he had let on.

But being secretive didn’t automatically make someone evil.

Sora had survived the Apocalypse, where people fought desperately over limited food, medicine, and other resources. She had witnessed all kinds of cruelty and encountered people who would betray others without hesitation just to stay alive.

Compared with the monsters she had faced in that world, Damien’s mysterious behavior was hardly enough to frighten her.

At least, for now, he hadn’t given her a reason to treat him as an enemy.

Drake watched her silently.

He had expected Sora to become angry or distressed upon learning that her Beast Husband might have concealed important information from her.

An ordinary Female might have demanded an explanation immediately. Some might even have threatened to end the relationship.

But Sora’s reaction was completely different.

Not only was she calm, but she was already considering how to use Damien’s connections to investigate the curse.

She seemed remarkably unconcerned about the possibility that her Beast Husband had been deceiving her.

Drake’s eyes flickered slightly.

There was something unusual about the Chief.

She possessed a strange kind of open-mindedness, one that allowed her to remain composed even when faced with information that would have unsettled many others.

"Very well, Chief," Drake replied.

Sora couldn’t help feeling a little awkward when he called her that.

She had already told him several times that he could simply address her by name. However, no matter how many times she corrected him, Drake continued to use the formal title.

Eventually, she had stopped trying to change his habit.

Instead, she glanced toward the food Clare had prepared for him. The bowl was still sitting nearby, untouched.

Sora picked it up and handed it to him.

"I’ve kept you here talking for so long that your meal has gone cold. Hurry and eat something."

Drake accepted the bowl, a faint smile appearing on his face.

"Yes, Chief. I’ll take my leave."

Sora waved her hand while settling back onto the bed.

"Go ahead. If there’s not enough food, ask Clare to prepare some more."

She had only recently given birth and was still exhausted from everything that had happened. Now that the important matters had been discussed, she intended to get some proper rest.

Drake left with his meal, leaving Sora alone with her thoughts.

For the moment, she would let Damien continue playing whatever role he had chosen.

Sooner or later, she would discover the truth.

Under the bright moonlight, Damien stood in a secluded area and snapped his fingers.

The sound was faint, but it was enough to summon someone who had been waiting nearby.

A small Black Bear Beastman immediately emerged from the jungle. He hurried forward, bowed respectfully, and lowered his head before Damien.

"Young Lord, you summoned me?"

Damien glanced at him, his expression cool and unreadable.

"Find out who cast the Visage-Fading Curse on Kaelira."

The small Black Bear Beastman looked up briefly before bowing again.

"Yes, Young Lord."

The Visage-Fading Curse was an ancient form of sorcery that had disappeared many years ago. Its existence was already unusual, but the fact that it had somehow affected Sora made the matter even more suspicious.

How had a lost technique suddenly appeared again?

And why had someone used it on her?

Damien’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the possibilities.

He wanted answers, and he wanted to know who had been responsible for cursing Sora.

The little Black Bear Beastman didn’t dare delay. He leaped into the air and disappeared among the trees, quickly vanishing into the darkness.

Damien remained beneath the moonlight, his expression difficult to read.

Whatever the truth was, he intended to uncover it.

When Sora woke up, she felt considerably better.

She slowly sat up and examined herself, surprised by how much strength had returned to her body.

She had expected to remain weak for a while after giving birth. She had even considered using her Wood Ability to accelerate her recovery.

Yet, before she had the chance to do so, she discovered that her body had already returned to nearly its previous condition.

Sora blinked in surprise.

The physical constitution of Females in this world was genuinely impressive.

Perhaps living in the wilderness and adapting to a world where survival depended on physical strength had made their bodies more resilient than those of ordinary humans.

She remembered watching animal documentaries during the Apocalypse. Some animals could stand and move around shortly after giving birth, despite having just gone through such an exhausting process.

Now that she had experienced childbirth herself, she couldn’t help admiring the remarkable strength of the bodies in this world.

What an incredible constitution.

Sora stretched her arms, climbed out of bed, and walked toward the mirror.

Yesterday, she had been too exhausted and had too many matters to handle to properly examine her transformed appearance. She had only caught brief glimpses of her reflection.

Now that she was rested, she wanted a closer look.

Standing before the silver-bright mirror, Sora stared at the beautiful face reflected in its surface.

Her skin was snow-white and almost translucent, appearing delicate and luminous beneath the light. Her eyes were large and round, glistening with a watery sheen that made them resemble grapes covered in morning dew.

They were bright, clear, and full of life.

Her nose was straight, with an elegant tip. Unlike the nose she had previously shaped using her Earth Ability, this one looked entirely natural and suited her face perfectly.

Her small mouth was also redder than before, adding a touch of color to her otherwise delicate features.

Sora leaned closer to the mirror, examining herself from different angles.

It wasn’t just her individual features that had improved. Her entire appearance seemed to have undergone a remarkable transformation.

The old, ordinary-looking woman she remembered had been replaced by someone whose beauty was difficult to ignore.

Even her overall temperament seemed different. There was a natural elegance about her now, as though she had transformed from an unremarkable country girl into a goddess.

Sora couldn’t help smiling at her reflection.

So the original owner was actually this beautiful.

It was almost unbelievable.

If the original owner had possessed this appearance from the beginning, perhaps she wouldn’t have done some of the ridiculous things associated with her past.

Of course, beauty alone didn’t guarantee that everyone would be impressed.

Sora thought about her Beast Husbands and the way they had reacted to her transformation. She wondered whether they would have behaved differently if she had always looked like this.

Then she remembered how some of them had treated Serena.

Even Serena, despite her confidence and attempts to attract attention, hadn’t received the admiration she seemed to expect from everyone.

Perhaps those men were simply difficult to impress.

Or perhaps their attention was usually focused on more practical concerns, such as food and survival.

Sora curled her lip.

Honestly, their standards are incredibly high, aren’t they?

She gave her reflection one final, satisfied look.

Whatever the reason, she couldn’t deny that her current appearance was a pleasant surprise.

And for now, she was perfectly happy to enjoy it.