I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 67: CP: Saintess’s Sabotage

Alex woke to the sound of drums again—but this time, the rhythm was different. Lighter, more rhythmic, almost celebratory.

[TRANSLATION: "Gathering for demonstration. All tribe members to central fire. Honored guests invited."]

[TIME TO SHINE, HOST! Or possibly time to dodge sabotage! Could go either way!]

"You’re not helping," Alex mumbled, extricating himself from the nest carefully.

Naga was already awake, coiled near the entrance, eyes sharp and alert. "Leo’s scouting the area. Making sure no one tampered with anything during the night."

"And?" Alex asked, splashing water on his face from the basin someone had left.

"And everything looks clear. But..." Naga’s hood flared slightly. "There’s been activity near the storage caves. Movement that shouldn’t be there at this hour."

[OH THAT’S NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL.]

Leo slipped back into the den, snow-white hair slightly disheveled. "Amber’s been busy. She had three of her mates moving around the demonstration area before dawn. I couldn’t get close enough to see what they were doing, but—"

"But it wasn’t innocent," Alex finished. "Great. So we’re walking into a sabotage attempt."

"Probably," Leo agreed. "But we expected that, right? We planned for it."

[CURRENT STRATEGY:

Demonstrate items publicly where everyone can see:

1.Have Granite or Boulder handle the items first (harder to claim you poisoned/cursed them)

2.Keep all three divine artifacts ON YOUR PERSON (don’t give Amber a chance to grab one)

3.Stay calm, stay professional, don’t let her bait you into losing your temper]

"I won’t lose my temper," Alex said.

"You say that now," Naga said with a slight smile.

"Wait until she starts making passive-aggressive comments about your ’only two mates.’ "

"I like my two mates," Alex said firmly, pulling on clean clothes—another soft tunic from his system’s shop, loose enough to accommodate his belly.

"Quality over quantity."

They made their way to the central clearing as the sun crested the mountains, painting the snow-capped peaks in shades of gold and rose.

The entire tribe was already gathered—bears of all ages clustered around the massive fire pit, cubs bouncing excitedly at the prospect of seeing magic.

Chief Granite stood on his platform, looking somewhat more rested than yesterday but still carrying that bone-deep exhaustion in his eyes.

Boulder flanked him, along with the other advisors.

And there, positioned perfectly to be seen by everyone, stood Saintess Amber.

She wore an even more elaborate ceremonial robe today—deep brown silk embroidered with golden thread, adorned with polished amber stones (naturally) that caught the morning light. Her hair was braided with flowers and small bells that chimed softly when she moved.

She looked every inch the blessed spiritual leader.

And when she saw Alex approaching, her smile was pure poison wrapped in honey.

"Good morning, honored guest," she called out, voice projecting across the clearing. "I hope you slept well in our humble den?"

"Very well, thank you," Alex replied evenly.

"Your tribe’s hospitality is exceptional."

"We do try." Amber’s cognac eyes swept over Alex’s simple clothing, his two-mate situation, his obviously pregnant belly.

"Though I notice you travel quite... lightly. No attendants, no guards beyond your two mates. Very brave. Or perhaps... desperate?"

[OH SHE WENT THERE. She’s trying to make you look weak in front of the tribe!]

"Not desperate," Alex said calmly. "Just efficient. We don’t need an entourage when we have each other."

"How sweet," Amber said, and the condescension dripped from every word. "Young love. So trusting. So naive."

Naga’s hissed—a clear warning.

Granite cleared his throat loudly.

"Saintess, perhaps we should begin the demonstrations?" His tone was diplomatic but firm.

"The tribe is eager to see what our guest has offered."

"Of course, Chief." Amber bowed gracefully—then turned to address the crowd. "We are here to witness demonstrations of the stranger’s gifts. To determine if they are worthy of our sacred Bronze Stone."

She paused dramatically.

"I, as Saintess and spiritual guardian of this tribe, will be observing closely. To ensure these gifts are not... tainted. Not cursed. Not dangerous to our people."

[OH SHE’S SETTING UP TO CLAIM ANYTHING THAT GOES WRONG IS YOUR FAULT!]

"The Saintess’s vigilance is appreciated," Alex said, refusing to take the bait.

"Protection of the tribe should always be the highest priority."

That seemed to surprise Amber—she’d clearly expected him to argue.

Granite gestured to Boulder, who brought forward the three items from yesterday: the preservation salt, the fertility grain seeds, and the honeycomb regeneration kit.

"We begin with the preservation salt," Granite announced. "Boulder, if you would?"

Boulder stepped forward with a large piece of fresh meat—hunted that morning, clearly untreated.

"This meat was killed at dawn," he explained to the tribe. "Normally, it would begin to spoil within two to three days in temperatures like this. We will salt it using the stranger’s gift and observe the results."

He opened the pouch of preservation salt—the crystals catching the light like diamonds.

Then he sprinkled a small amount over the meat, working it in with careful movements.

The effect was immediate.

The meat’s color stabilized, the smell sharpened and then settled into something clean and preserved. Even from a distance, the difference was visible.

"Remarkable," Boulder said, genuinely impressed. "I can feel the preservation magic settling in. This meat will last weeks, maybe months."

Excited murmurs rippled through the tribe.

Amber stepped forward quickly.

"May I examine it?" she asked sweetly. "To ensure there are no harmful effects?"

"Of course, Saintess," Granite said.

Amber took the salted meat in her hands, closed her eyes, and made a show of "reading" its energy—her face scrunched in concentration, her lips moving in silent prayer.

[She’s totally faking this. Watch—she’s going to claim she senses something wrong—]

"I sense..." Amber’s eyes flew open dramatically.

"Darkness. A shadow in the preservation magic. This salt—it’s not pure. There’s something wrong with it."

The crowd gasped.

Alex felt his stomach drop.

[CALLED IT! She’s sabotaging already!]

"That’s impossible," Alex said firmly. "The salt is pure preservation magic. There’s no darkness, no corruption—"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Amber demanded, turning to face him with perfect wounded indignation.

"Are you suggesting that I, the blessed Saintess of this tribe, cannot sense spiritual contamination?"

"I’m suggesting you might be mistaken," Alex said carefully. "Or perhaps sensing something else—"

"I am NOT mistaken!" Amber’s voice rose. "I have trained my entire life to detect spiritual corruption! And this salt—"

She held it up dramatically, "—carries a shadow! It could poison our food stores! Sicken our cubs!"

The tribe erupted in worried murmurs.

Several parents pulled their cubs closer.

Granite’s expression darkened.

[HOST, THIS IS BAD! She’s turning them against you!]