I Became the Villainess, But My Beast Husbands Can Hear My Mind?!-Chapter 117: A Mission with a Failure Penalty

Zeir’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Come out?"

Roxanna nodded quickly, tears still clinging to her lashes. "A surge of blockade magic. The system said it’s linked to his shift... his animal form."

"But he shifted just fine yesterday," Roxanna whispered, almost like she was trying to convince herself. "He was still able to turn into a dog. He wasn’t struggling at all."

Luan and Zeir exchanged glances the moment they heard Roxanna’s words. Their strange reaction made her certain that something was wrong.

"What?" she asked quickly. "Did something bad happen to Calen in the cursed forest yesterday?"

Luan didn’t say anything, clearly wanting Zeir to explain instead.

"Yes," Zeir finally said. "When we attacked the Demon Fenrir, Calen was at the very front of the line. He was one of the first people to get hit by the Demon Fenrir’s claws."

Zeir went on, "I pulled him back right away and threw him off the battlefield. I didn’t let him return until his wound was no longer visible."

For some reason, Calen listened without arguing. He didn’t complain, he didn’t resist, and he just stayed quietly by Zeir’s side, far more obedient than usual.

But something about that had bothered Zeir. "Every time I glanced at him from the corner of my eye," Zeir said slowly, "he was doing something strange."

Roxanna swallowed hard. "Strange... how?"

"For several minutes," Zeir replied, "he just stared at the ground."

He looked empty, like his mind was somewhere else.

"And I knew right away," Zeir added, "that wasn’t like him at all."

If Calen were normal, he definitely wouldn’t have listened to Zeir’s order. He would’ve rushed forward without hesitation, eager to cut off the Demon Fenrir’s head as soon as possible.

"Yes," Luan said after a short pause. "He only started acting normal again after about ten or fifteen minutes. After that, he became quieter when we returned to the settlement."

Roxanna bit the tip of her finger. "He also became quieter when he got home." She turned toward Calen, looking at him with fear in her eyes. "What’s happening to him?" she whispered. "Something is clearly wrong. What if—"

[Ding! Ding!]

Roxanna froze the moment she heard the familiar sound.

[Side Mission Activated: Bring the Deer Beastman Doctor to the Vixeria Settlement!]

[Goal: Bring the Deer Beastman living in the Golden Mountain to the Vixeria Settlement to treat Calen. The Host must personally convince the doctor to come.]

[Reward: Mate Bond Synchronization (Passive)

- Effect: When a mate is in critical condition, the Host can sense their pain and status in real time.

- Additional Effect: Healing actions performed by the Host become 20% more effective on bonded mates.]

[Failure Penalty: Calen’s condition will continue to worsen.]

Failure penalty? This was the first time Roxanna had ever seen something like this.

Usually, when she failed a main request, the only punishment was that her lifespan wouldn’t increase, something that would eventually lead to her own death.

But after thinking about it more carefully, the failure penalty given by the system sounded exactly like what would naturally happen to Calen if she weren’t able to bring the Deer doctor here.

"Roxanna, what’s wrong?" Zeir asked. "Did the voice inside your head tell you something?"

Roxanna still didn’t understand how they knew that she could talk to something inside her head, but since her priority right now was Calen, she decided to ignore that question for now.

"The voice told me to go to the Golden Mountain," she said softly.

She explained what it wanted her to do, carefully avoiding words like ’mission’ or ’system’ so they wouldn’t feel confused or overwhelmed.

Luan walked to the window and pushed it open, making cold air rush inside. "If we want to reach that mountain," he said, lifting his hand and pointing into the distance, "we’ll have to travel north."

Outside the window, far beyond the settlement, the dark shadow of a mountain loomed in the distance. All this time, Roxanna had only ever seen that mountain when the sky was clear or when there was no fog blocking the view. And even then, only its peak was visible.

Sometimes, when the sun was close to setting, the peak would shine softly, glowing like gold.

"But that mountain is sacred," Azul said in a low voice. "I’ve heard that only deer beastmen, or people who dedicate their lives to healing, are allowed to climb it."

"I have a healing ability," Roxanna said without taking her eyes off the mountain’s silhouette. "That means I can climb it, right?" She paused. "No... I have to."

She didn’t have time to hesitate. She couldn’t afford to stand there and wonder whether she was allowed or not. Whether she could climb the mountain or not didn’t matter; she had to go.

She had to find someone who could save Calen.

For a moment, a thought crossed her mind. Why not bring Calen to the mountain instead of bringing the doctor here?

Before she could say it out loud, the system answered her. [Because his body is extremely fragile right now, Host.]

[If you are not careful, he could die on the way.]

Roxanna held her breath the moment she heard the word "die." No, she wouldn’t let something like that happen to Calen. He had just gotten the life he had always wanted, so Roxanna would do everything in her power to make sure he didn’t leave so soon.

"I have to go now," Roxanna said suddenly, before anyone could reply to her earlier words. She looked at Calen one more time, her chest aching. "He doesn’t have much time."

"I’ll go with you," Cyrus said without hesitation. His voice was firm. "If we get lost, I can guide us from above."

Luan stepped forward not long after. "I’ll go too," he said. "I’m not very good at taking care of people, but I know how to survive in the wild."

Azul nodded, already thinking ahead. "Then Zeir and I will stay here," he said. "I’ll take care of Calen until you come back. Zeir can manage the warriors and spread the black crystals around the settlement."

Zeir reached out and held her hand. "But you need to bring something thick before climbing the mountain," he said seriously. "The higher you go, the colder it gets. I know our bodies can handle the cold better than normal people, but it’s still safer to be prepared."

Roxanna nodded slightly because she really didn’t know how cold it would be up there, and she couldn’t afford to take risks, at least not now.

If she wasn’t careful, she might freeze before even reaching the peak. So instead of guessing, she decided to prepare for every possible situation.

She asked the system through her mind, [Do you have a mountain-climbing kit?]

The system replied quickly, [Yes, Host! The system has a mountain-climbing kit in the system’s market!]

A translucent blue panel immediately appeared in front of Roxanna’s eyes.

[Ding! Opening System Market...]

[Category: Survival & Exploration]

[Item: Mountain-Climbing Kit (Extreme Cold Edition) x3]

Roxanna’s eyes quickly scanned the panel as the system began to list the contents.

[Contents:]

- Thermal Beast-Fur Cloak x3

- Cold-Resistance Inner Wear x3

- Anti-Frost Boots x3

- Heat Stone x6

- High-Calorie Energy Rations x12

- Emergency Medical Pack x3

- Portable Shelter Tent x3

- Rope Gear x3

[Total Price: 12,000 Spirit Points (SP)]

For three people, 12,000 SP seemed like a good deal. Because of that, Roxanna didn’t waste any time and immediately agreed to purchase it.

[Purchased Mountain-Climbing Kit (Extreme Cold Edition) x3: 12,000 SP]

[Remaining Spirit Points (SP): 85,000]

Her Spirit Points had been reduced quickly in just one day, but she didn’t care as long as Calen would be fine.

"It’s fine," Roxanna said at last. "I got a lot of things that can help us climb the mountain in my magic portal."

Zeir nodded after hearing her words. His grip on her hand tightened slightly, not in doubt, but in a silent support.

"Good," he said. "Then we won’t waste any more time."

Cyrus stepped closer and glanced toward the window, his sharp eyes already measuring the distance. "The sooner we leave, the better. The weather up there can change fast."

Luan rolled his shoulders and let out a slow breath. "I’ll carry the heavier gear. If anything blocks the path, I’ll clear it."

Roxanna took one last look at Calen. He was still lying there, pale and unmoving, his chest rising only faintly with each breath.

[Wait for me,] she thought. [Please... just wait a little longer.]

"I’m counting on you," Roxanna said softly to Azul and Zeir. "Please... don’t let anything happen to him while I’m gone."

After saying that, Roxanna and her two husbands began preparing to leave. She took out all of the mountain-climbing kits and let Cyrus and Luan carry them.

They also brought one mammoth fur blanket, just in case.

"Listen, Zeir," Roxanna said, "you still need to place the Black Crystals somewhere hidden. That way, we won’t have any more uninvited guests."