Chapter 116: Spicy Rumors (ii)

Serena’s heart pounded.

She had been extremely careful. She had even made sure that no one saw her.

But she had never expected Sora to possess abilities that could completely neutralize her little trick.

Sora herself had noticed the moment the torch touched the flame that the wood was slightly damp.

Her expression had remained calm.

Using her water ability, she quietly drew the moisture away from the surface of the wood.

At the same time, she strengthened the flame with her fire ability.

The damp pinewood quickly dried.

The sacred flame immediately burned brighter.

Sora watched the fire stabilize and quietly released the breath she had been holding.

That was close.

She hadn’t expected someone to tamper with the sacred torch.

But judging from the faint dampness she had sensed, she already had a good idea who was responsible.

She didn’t expose it.

There was no need.

The fire was burning now, and that was what mattered.

Seeing the sacred flame successfully ignite, Martin immediately knelt down and raised both hands toward the heavens.

His voice rang across the square.

"Thank you, divine beings, for granting our tribe the sacred fire. We will treat it with reverence. May the gods continue to bless our descendants with prosperity and abundance. May they grant us plentiful food, strong bodies, and good fortune."

The surrounding beastmen immediately knelt.

"Thank you, divine beings, for your blessings!"

Their voices echoed throughout the square.

Serena was still recovering from the shock.

But when everyone around her knelt, she had no choice but to follow.

She lowered her head.

Yet beneath her lowered lashes, resentment burned fiercely.

Why?

Why does Kaelira keep escaping?

The poison she had smeared on the beast skin hadn’t harmed her.

The sacred fire hadn’t rejected her.

Instead, Kaelira had once again come out on top.

Serena’s fingers tightened against the ground.

Could it be because she has abilities?

After Martin finished his prayer, he stood and turned toward the gathered tribe members.

There was a bright smile on his face.

"Today, I also have another piece of good news to share with everyone."

The crowd immediately quieted.

Martin continued, "This time, the sacred fire was successfully brought back from the God Mountain and ignited by Kaelira herself. The gods must truly be blessing our Wolf Tribe."

A murmur immediately spread through the crowd.

Everyone exchanged excited looks.

Only someone favored by the gods could successfully complete the sacred-fire ritual.

If Sora had been chosen to ignite the flame and succeeded, then according to their beliefs, she was blessed by the gods.

"Kaelira is amazing!"

"Kaelira is amazing!"

"Kaelira is amazing!"

The cheers quickly grew louder.

Countless eyes turned toward Sora.

Sora hadn’t expected the successful ignition of the sacred fire to carry such significance.

She wasn’t sure whether the gods truly had anything to do with it.

But hearing everyone praise her still made her happy.

She smiled and nodded toward the people below.

Most of the gazes directed at her were friendly.

But there was one gaze that was completely different.

Sharp.

Cold.

Filled with hatred.

Sora’s eyes casually swept toward Serena.

She immediately understood.

She didn’t need to stare for long.

Serena had a smug expression on her face when the fire had nearly failed.

And now, after the flame had successfully ignited, the smugness had vanished and been replaced by resentment.

Sora curled her lips slightly.

That torch must have been tampered with.

Martin was a meticulous person.

He would never make such an obvious mistake during such an important ceremony.

Someone had deliberately interfered.

And judging from Serena’s expression...

The answer was obvious.

Silly girl.

Sora quietly shook her head.

Serena only knew how to use these petty, underhanded tricks.

It was boring.

Meanwhile, Serena’s hatred intensified as she watched Sora being celebrated by the entire tribe.

If her own face had not been ruined, this honor should have belonged to her.

She should have been the one standing there.

She should have been the female receiving everyone’s praise.

Yet Sora had taken everything from her.

After the sacred-fire ceremony ended, the tribe gradually dispersed.

Sora did not immediately return to the main houses.

Instead, she wandered around near the wild kitchen.

She was still thinking about the raspberries she had found earlier.

The moment she had seen them, she had wanted to make a raspberry cake.

Unfortunately, without an oven, that idea could only remain in her head.

But now she had decided to make a small oven.

If she could build one, she would finally be able to bake properly.

The soil around the wild kitchen, however, wasn’t suitable for what she needed.

So Sora searched farther away.

After quite some effort, she finally discovered the right kind of soil in a small grove.

She squatted down and examined it carefully.

The texture was perfect.

"This should work."

She reached out to scoop some soil when suddenly—

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

Sora stiffened.

A warm body pressed against her back.

Then a familiar low voice sounded beside her ear.

"Kaelira... aren’t you going to compensate me?"

Sora blinked.

"Xavier, what are you talking about?"

She was completely caught off guard.

Xavier’s hand slowly moved toward her chin.

Before Sora could react, he gently but firmly tilted her face upward.

He leaned closer.

His lips didn’t touch her, but his voice was cold enough to send a shiver down her spine.

"God Mountain. Lukan. Lucas. Ace. Damien."

He deliberately listed the names one by one.

Then his voice dropped even lower.

"You didn’t take advantage of my absence and sleep with all of them, did you?"

Sora’s eyes widened.

What kind of accusation was this?

"What are you talking about?"

Sora’s back felt strangely tingly.

Her face, however, remained completely blank.

She refused to admit anything because there was absolutely nothing to admit.

But Xavier clearly wasn’t convinced.

"Everyone in the tribe saw it."

His voice was cold.

"This morning, Lucas, Ace, and Damien came out of your room together. How do you expect me to believe nothing happened?"

Xavier whispered directly beside her ear.

His voice was so low and eerie that Sora felt as though a snake were flicking its tongue beside her.

And considering his beast form...

That comparison wasn’t entirely wrong.

Xavier was indeed a snake beastman.

No wonder his anger was so different from everyone else’s.

Even when he was furious, he remained frighteningly calm.

Sora finally understood how the ridiculous rumor had started.

Most likely, the beastman who had come to notify her that morning had seen the three men leaving her room and immediately imagined the worst.

The rumor must have spread through the tribe before breakfast was even finished.

Sora rolled her eyes.

"Is that all?"

Xavier’s eyes narrowed.

Sora continued calmly, "The three of them were indeed with me last night. But nothing happened between us."

"Nothing?"

His tone was full of disbelief.

"Then why did they enter your room and stay there the entire night?"

"How would I know what they were thinking?"

Sora shrugged.

"I fell asleep as soon as I lay down. I didn’t even realize they hadn’t left until I woke up this morning."

Xavier stared at her.

"You’re saying they slept in your room for an entire night and nothing happened?"

"Yes."

"Kaelira, do you think I would believe that?"

His voice became even more dangerous.

His hand slowly moved from her chin downward, brushing lightly along her neck.

The gesture wasn’t forceful, but the warning behind it was unmistakable.

If she continued refusing to explain herself, he might not remain patient for much longer.

Sora felt her neck tighten slightly beneath his fingers.

She endured it and answered honestly.

"Why would I lie to you?"

Her voice remained calm.

"I was exhausted from traveling all day yesterday. I had no energy left to deal with any of them."

Xavier’s fingers gradually slowed.

But he didn’t remove his hand.

His eyes remained fixed on her.

"You don’t need to put in any effort," he murmured coldly. "Just lying there doesn’t matter."

Sora stared at him speechlessly.

This man really had an overactive imagination.

She had simply slept.

And somehow, she had woken up to an entire tribe believing she had spent the night with three beastmen.

Now Xavier was here conducting a full investigation.

She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

My peaceful life really is over.