CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER-168.

Why the hell does everyone have to play betrayal like it’s a sport?

Backstabbing—lies—poison, even.

She had thought... maybe these beastmen were different. That he was different. A rabbit, of all things. Calm. Quiet. She had looked at him and thought, at least this one won’t bite.

But who would’ve thought he’d been poisoning her?

Poison. Just the thought made her stomach twist.

What the actual hell?

Her first instinct was to grab him by the collar and slam him into the nearest wall. But she held herself back.

No. Not yet.

If she went wild now, it’d be reckless. She didn’t even know what he was using. What kind of bitter herb left no taste, no scent she could notice—but made her sleep so deep, so defenseless?

Because honestly, aside from sleeping longer than usual, she didn’t feel anything wrong. Her limbs worked. Her mind was sharp. Her strength was still hers. She wasn’t dizzy or weak.

Just... too well-rested.

Too unaware.

That was the only thing off.

Kaya’s eyes narrowed, still half-covered by her hand.

She needed to know what it was. What kind of herb or trick or drug he was feeding her—subtly, slowly, quietly.

Only then would she strike.

The sparrow, still perched near her in boy-form, tilted his head slightly, confusion flickering in his eyes. He couldn’t quite read the shift in her, not yet.

Kaya slowly opened her eyes.

She exhaled. A deep, steadying breath.

She was calm now.

Too calm.

When her eyes met his, something in her expression changed—and whatever ease the sparrow had been feeling vanished instantly. His body stiffened. His feathers bristled slightly, even in human form.

Damn. Damn this woman... he cursed internally, already regretting every word he’d said.

That expression—he knew it too well.

The same look she wore whenever she was about to beat him.

Kaya, meanwhile, smiled.

Brightly. Too brightly.

She tilted her head ever so slightly and spoke in a sing-song tone,

"Transform into your sparrow form."

A pause.

"Or I beat you in this form."

The sparrow yelped, stumbling a step back, hands flying up to shield himself.

He tried to conjure feathers over his arms for protection—anything to soften the blow.

"You can’t just pull my wings out!" he cried, half-whining, half-panicked.

Kaya looked at him, then slid her hand behind her waist and pulled out her gun. Her fingers moved slow—deliberate—as she retrieved the margin and clicked it into place with a mechanical finality. The sparrow froze. His feathers trembled as he watched, his wide eyes fixed on the metal now aimed straight at him.

She didn’t even blink.

It wasn’t just a weapon. He’d seen what that thing could do. The vulture—the hyena king—they had both dropped in a single shot. No struggle. No scream. Just silence.

Kaya smiled. That kind of smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

"Now," she said softly, voice laced with honey and venom, "how about you answer the question I asked earlier?"

The sparrow trembled harder. He could already feel his knees locking up, feathers twitching against his skin. But Kaya just kept smiling. Calm. Cruel.

"I said," she repeated, her tone hardening—each word cutting sharper than the last—until her final words came out through gritted teeth, "Answer. Me."

The sparrow really covered his ears and ducked, shutting his eyes tight as if trying to block out the very weight of her presence. Then, in a single breath—rushed and trembling—he confessed,

"I was just hiding from the Vulture Tribe! They’ll kill me if they find out I know the way to the Salt Lake. That’s why they’re after me. That’s why I was running."

His voice shook, panic building in each word.

"But I got caught. They found me, threw me in some dark pot or cave—I don’t even know. I was too weak... I entered my cycle, and for days I couldn’t even move. And when I finally came to, that spoiled Vulture Prince dragged me out to use me—to find the Salt Lake. But I know how this ends. If I take them there, they’ll kill me anyway."

He gulped, hands still over his ears, voice faltering like a leaf in wind.

"So... I ran. I just ran. And then... well, you know the rest."

Kaya tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowed, her voice flat and emotionless as she said, "Oh, is that so?"

But her gun remained steadily pointed at the sparrow.

The sparrow, still crouched and trembling, looked up at her with watery eyes. "I’ve answered all your questions... Why are you still pointing that thing at me?" he whimpered, his voice cracking as tears began rolling down his cheeks. "Please... please move it..."

Kaya’s gaze didn’t soften. She stared at him in silence for a moment, then, with the same unchanging calmness, said,

"Next question."

Then again—"Next question. Next question."

The sparrow blinked through his tears, startled. He slowly removed his hand from his face, confusion flickering through his eyes. "What the hell... always a question?" he muttered. "Can’t even finish one before the next starts?"

But before he could finish sulking, he saw it—Kaya’s gun inched closer, and with a sharp click, the handle pulled back.

His breath caught. He knew that sound. That sound came just before the bullet.

His entire body flinched as he dropped to his knees, hands raised in surrender. "Yes, ma’am! Please don’t kill me!" he cried out, almost in a single breath.

Kaya didn’t flinch. Calm as ever, she asked,

"Why are you following me? Why are you here with me?"

The sparrow looked up, hands still trembling. Then, like a deflated balloon, he collapsed forward and clutched at her boot, voice cracking in desperation.

"Food," he whimpered. "I just wanted food. I was hungry. So, so hungry. You tied me up and I was scared and—"

He choked on his own words, then forced them out.

"And then... you had food. I thought, just eat... then go. But then..." His head drooped lower, ashamed. "I forgot to leave..."