Beyond the observation lounge’s transparent dome, a brilliant river of stars flowed endlessly across the heavens, constellations shifting and reforming in an eternal dance of light.

At the sound of Vincent’s voice, Lian turned from the glass and smiled, his tone light and easy. "I have no idea. Yuel was the one who asked me to come here."

Vincent’s gaze immediately snapped to Yuel, who met it with perfect composure.

"I wanted to ask Lian for a favor," Yuel said, gesturing slightly toward the room. "If you’re interested, come in and listen." He glanced toward the threshold. "Close the door behind you."

"You need my help?" Lian looked genuinely surprised.

Vincent stepped inside, casually shutting the door. Though Yuel had already isolated the room with a mental barrier, Vincent layered his own psychic shielding over the space. He didn’t yet know what Yuel wanted from Lian, but he knew one thing with absolute certainty: it involved Rory.

Once the room was secured, Lian turned his full attention back to Yuel. "What do you need?"

Yuel’s eyes drifted briefly to the endless sea of stars, the shifting galaxy reflecting in his pupils for a fleeting second before his gaze settled firmly back on Lian.

"We know each other well enough that I don’t see the point in wasting time on pleasantries," Yuel said quietly, his tone carrying absolute certainty. "You know Rory’s true identity now, don’t you?"

Vincent’s head snapped toward Lian, his black and gold eyes contracting sharply. Lian knew? He knew Rory was a human female? How? When?

"Yes." Lian nodded without hesitation, making no attempt to deny it. Over the past several days spent around Rory, he had realized something vital: if he wanted to remain by her side, honesty was no longer optional.

"How did you find out?" Vincent asked, deeply unsettled. He had noticed absolutely nothing.

Lian lowered himself into a floating chair. Behind him, vibrant nebulae drifted across the dome, bathing his silhouette in shifting starlight.

"I’m a doctor," he said, his voice matter-of-fact. "As soon as I performed a full examination on Rory, I discovered it." He folded his hands loosely in his lap. "Under normal circumstances, there is almost no visible difference between a human female and a beastkin female. A routine medical examination wouldn’t reveal anything unusual."

He caught the tension locking Vincent’s jaw and added gently, "Don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t deliberately investigating her. Genetic screening is a mandatory component of prenatal examinations."

Lian was grateful beyond words that he had been the one to conduct the test. If Rory had gone to a hospital in the Central District instead, her secret would already be exposed; every facility there was equipped with his newest generation of medical systems.

Turning back to Yuel, Lian arched an eyebrow. "So this is why you suspected I knew?"

A faint, sharp smile touched Yuel’s lips. "Not exactly. I wasn’t certain. I was bluffing." He paused, his smile widening a fraction. "Now I’m certain."

Lian stared at him for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh. It was exactly the sort of calculated gamble Yuel would pull.

Vincent frowned, cutting through the silence. "So if Rory ever undergoes another genetic examination, her identity could be exposed immediately?"

"More specifically, if she undergoes testing in any hospital within the Central District," Lian clarified. "For now, medical technology on most peripheral planets hasn’t reached that level yet. They wouldn’t be able to identify her."

The piece clicked into place for Vincent. Rory had spent years in the empire, injured countless times and visiting various clinics, yet the truth had never surfaced. The older equipment simply hadn’t been capable of seeing it.

A heavy quiet settled over the lounge. After a beat, Lian spoke again, his expression growing visibly more serious.

"I owe both of you an apology," he said, his voice quiet but sincere. "When I discovered the truth, I kept it to myself. I didn’t even tell Rory immediately. At the time, I needed to understand what that information meant—and I needed to decide what I was going to do with it."

He lowered his head briefly, then looked up, all trace of hesitation gone.

"But now I can give you my answer. No matter what Rory is—human, beastkin, or something else entirely—I have no intention of exposing her. And I won’t allow anyone else to do it either." The stars reflected steadily in his pale eyes. "Because to me, she’s simply Rory."

He looked at Vincent and Yuel openly, without evasion or guilt.

"You both know how I feel about her. A living human female suddenly appearing in the Beastmen Empire is no small matter; we all understand the kind of chaos it would unleash if the public found out. I remained silent because I wasn’t sure whether either of you already knew. In a situation where I couldn’t determine everyone’s allegiance, silence was the safest way to protect her."

His expression hardened. "As for that human female in the Central District, Bree, I’ve heard that certain members of the imperial upper ranks are already discussing how to harvest her blood. If Rory’s identity is exposed, she will face the exact same danger."

The temptation was simply too great. Blood capable of helping beastkin advance in Rank was enough to drive the powerful mad with greed.

The only reason those figures hadn’t acted openly yet was because of the last time a human female had appeared.

After that woman had been tortured to death through repeated blood extraction, the Beast God had descended with devastating divine punishment. The lingering fear of that wrath was the only thing suppressing their desire, but it would never erase it.

Vincent and Yuel understood this perfectly. In fact, the schemes currently targeting Bree had been quietly encouraged by forces operating behind the scenes—forces in which both of them played a major hand.

There was a strong possibility that Bree wasn’t even a true human female. Unfortunately, perception mattered more than truth.

To the empire, she was real. Anyone who moved against her openly would immediately place themselves in the crosshairs of the highest authorities. It was why indirect methods were preferable. Using others as the blade was safer, cleaner. The process required time, but neither Yuel nor Vincent lacked patience.

Lian leaned back against his floating chair, his long fingers tapping a slow rhythm against the armrest. He was the first to break the tense equilibrium.

"Well. The secret is out now, and I’ve made my position clear," he said, turning sharply toward Yuel. "Which means you can finally tell me why you asked me here. I know you too well—you didn’t bring me here just to trick me into a confession. What exactly do you want?"

Yuel did not bother with further games. His warm eyes met Lian’s directly. "I want you to return to Beast God Mountain."

The words landed like a thunderclap.

Lian actually laughed. "Have you lost your mind? You say that as if Beast God Mountain belongs to me." His smile vanished, replaced by an icy glare. "You think I can simply decide to go back whenever I want?"

When the Beast God had expelled him, the order had been absolute. He was forbidden from returning.

Yuel ignored the irritation bleeding into Lian’s voice, continuing calmly.

"I want to know whether Rory’s appearance is connected to the Beast God. And while you’re there, ask whether the Beast God knows anything about a place called Blue Star. I want to know where it is, and what kind of world it is."

Lian stared at him, entirely speechless. The man truly knew how to weaponize people, and he did it without a shred of guilt.

Before Lian could find his tongue, Yuel added seamlessly, "Oh, and while you’re returning from Beast God Mountain, bring back some Divine Beast Fruit. Rory has already finished everything she had."

Lian’s eyelid twitched. He sat in frozen silence for several seconds before slowly rubbing his forehead.

"Yuel," Lian warned, his tone stripping away any remaining friendliness. "Do not assume that being Rory’s first partner means you can make outrageous demands. You speak as if Beast God Mountain is your personal pantry. You ask for forbidden information, Divine Beast Fruit, and a trip to a sacred land as casually as someone ordering lunch. Do you have any idea what it takes to obtain those things?"

Those treasures were not freely given; every single one had to be earned through exhausting, perilous service under the Beast God’s authority.

Yuel merely smiled—a calm, elegant expression that reached his eyes. He folded his hands neatly over his lap.

"So," Yuel noted smoothly. "You’re agreeing to go."

Lian froze. For the first time in a very long while, he found himself utterly, completely defeated by words.

"..."

The shameless strategist was truly impossible to reason with.