"I am not... afraid, but, well... this is the first time I have spoken to anyone other than Qiong Xing, so I am a bit unsure."

Thanks to Qiong Xing, they likely did not think of them as bad people anymore, but given everything that had happened, it would not be easy for them to accept things right away.

"That is fine. That child is far too kind for his own good. It is just right for people like you to stay a little cautious of those around him."

She was not saying they should become like Qiong Xing or the children.

Because he was kind and too open hearted, he often got pulled into troublesome situations.

In order to protect him, even if Qiong Xing himself let his guard down, there needed to be people who stayed alert.

"So, um... are you alright with it?"

"About what?"

"I know you all like Qiong Xing. Since I know that, I have to ask. Does it not bother you that us beastmen are around him?"

It was a late question.

"Of course it did. When I first heard about it, I was surprised. I even thought, why of all people, beastmen?"

"Then—"

"But then he smiled."

A smile so genuinely happy, so joyful, and so deeply content that she could not bring herself to tell him to stay away.

"He would talk about you all while smiling happily, and look at Lian, Rui, and Yue with such loving eyes... and I realized, I was the one who was wrong."

Deep down, there had always been a faint feeling of "why beastmen, of all people?" lingering somewhere in the heart.

"It is probably because it is you all that he can smile like that."

"...I hope so."

Though he looked fragile and unreliable, Qiong Xing had a will stronger than anyone else, one that did not waver no matter what happened.

"In the end, we were all just pretending to worry about that kid, when he was the one teaching us the most. Beastman, human, it is all such a trivial thing."

That whether one was human or beastman had nothing to do with happiness.

More than anything, the ones Qiong Xing needed in order to be happy were them.

"If we told you all to part ways with him, I think the ones who would be cut off would be us."

Even while she looked a little lonely, it would still be Katarina’s group who would be the ones let go.

"That is—"

"It is fine. It is fine like this. Seeing Lian, Rui, and Yue made me understand."

Thinking she had been called, Lian looked up blankly, and she gently stroked her head.

"They are the same. No matter how fast they grow, no matter that they have ears different from ours, or tails that we do not have, to me they are nothing more than my adorable great grandchildren. They are the same people."

Even though Lian who looked completely human still carried beastman blood within her body, there was no sense of disgust.

Instead, it only made her happy that she called her "grandma" so cutely.

"That child understood from the very beginning what matters most. For Qiong Xing, whether you are human or beastman does not matter. You are family, more important than anything else."

"Yeah. Me too."

Just hearing those words made the trip here worthwhile.

From his voice and his expression, it was clear how deeply Joa cared for Qiong Xing.

"Lian, do you like Mama?"

"Like!!"

She answered with a bright smile, no different from an ordinary human child.

"What about Papa?"

"Like! Papa Elias, he can see veeeery far!"

When asked to clarify, she seemed to mean he had very good eyesight.

"Papa Leander is strong."

He apparently had great physical strength.

"Papa Joa is also stroooong, but he is kind."

"Right?" she said with a sweet smile and the person being talked about looked pleased as well.

"What about Iseul?"

At Sarin’s question, Lian who had been smiling until now fell into thought.

"Iseul is a child."

"Pffft!"

The two of them burst out laughing at the unexpected answer.

To be called a child by a child was simply too funny.

Unable to hold it in, they laughed with their stomachs aching, while Lian tilted her head in confusion as if wondering what was going on.

"Hahaha, I see. Iseul is a child, is he? Hahahaha."

"Hey, wait, a child? And you do not even call him Papa? Hahahahaha!"

At this point, it was hard to tell who the real child was.

From what they had heard about Iseul’s behavior before, they had already been worried whether he was really alright, but to think even a child was concerned about him.

If the person himself heard it, he would probably make a pitiful face and say something like "aaahhh~."

"Iseul wants Mama."

It seemed Iseul was constantly sticking to Qiong Xing and trying to keep him all to himself, which made Lian unhappy.

"Well, you cannot really call him Papa then. At best he is more like an older brother."

"That guy, well, his inside is definitely still a kid."

As for being called "Papa," it would still take a little more time, or rather, it was probably impossible.

"Your place is really lively. Well, if you have that many people around him, he will probably be fine. Make sure you protect him properly."

"I know."

From this conversation, it was clear that the difference between them and the others was actually quite small.

They talked normally and laughed together.

There was nothing strange about it at all.

In fact, it had been their past way of thinking that had been abnormal.

"Lian, do not lose to someone like Iseul. Just take him back for yourself. Say that Mama is mine."

"Yue!"

"That is a strong opponent."

Sarin smiled wryly as he said that, while Katarina laughed together with Lian.

After rescuing Sarin and having tea together, a sudden strong gust of wind blew through, and just as they thought they were about to be swept away, something suddenly latched onto Qiong Xing.