Chapter 91: fighting over her underwear

The four beastmen reacted at the exact same moment.

Sora hadn’t called anyone by name, yet every one of them was convinced she was asking for him.

In the blink of an eye, four figures lunged toward the tree.

"I’m taking it!"

"I touched it first!"

"Move aside!"

"It’s mine!"

The tiny leopard-print underwear swayed helplessly from the branch while four powerful beastmen shamelessly fought over who would be the one to retrieve it.

Sora stared at the ridiculous scene, utterly dumbfounded.

Her underwear...

They were actually fighting over her underwear.

The image was so absurd that she didn’t even know whether to laugh or cry.

Just as she opened her mouth to stop them—

A deep, authoritative voice echoed from behind.

"What are all of you doing?"

Everyone froze.

Martin slowly walked over, followed by Lukan and a crowd of curious villagers.

From a distance, he’d heard shouting and assumed Sora’s beast husbands had finally started fighting.

Instead...

The four men were crowded beneath a tree, all reaching toward a tiny piece of beast hide hanging from a branch.

Martin’s expression instantly became complicated.

"..."

So they weren’t fighting.

They were fighting over a beast-hide skirt.

His gaze lingered on the unusually tiny garment.

Unlike the skirts worn by every other female in the tribe, Kaelira’s creations were always... unconventional.

After studying it for a moment, he simply assumed it was another one of her strange inventions and thought nothing more of it.

Hearing her father’s voice, Sora turned around in surprise.

"Dad?"

"What are you doing here?"

Only then did she notice the enormous crowd gathered behind him.

Dozens of beastmen...

Even several females...

All stood there staring in her direction.

Or rather...

Staring at the underwear still dangling from the tree.

The corners of Sora’s mouth twitched.

What in the world was going on?

Martin cleared his throat awkwardly before answering.

"Your house was struck by lightning."

"I came to see if you needed help."

Sora slowly shifted her gaze to the crowd behind him.

"And... them?"

The beastmen immediately nodded in perfect unison.

"We came to help too!"

"That’s right!"

"We heard your house burned down."

"We were worried about you."

Not a single one admitted they had actually rushed over hoping to witness a dramatic fight between her beast husbands.

Sora blinked several times.

Had she unknowingly become this popular in the tribe?

Even the females had come.

Although the situation felt strange, this clearly wasn’t the time to question it.

Smiling politely, she waved her hand.

"I’m fine."

"I can handle everything myself."

Martin studied her for a moment before nodding.

"If that’s the case..."

"I’ll leave you to it."

With that, he turned and walked away.

The crowd exchanged disappointed glances.

Since there wasn’t going to be a fight after all, watching any longer seemed pointless.

One after another, the curious spectators dispersed until only Sora and her five beast husbands remained.

Sora looked at the men.

Or more accurately...

At the tiny piece of leopard-print underwear they were still clutching as though it were some priceless treasure.

She placed both hands on her hips.

"Not just that one."

"Take down everything hanging on the branches."

The beast-hide skirts had already dried completely.

Without another word, the five men immediately spread out.

Each carefully removed the clothing hanging from the nearby trees before bringing it back to Sora.

In the end...

The underwear still ended up in Damien’s hands.

After all, he had been the one who’d tied it securely to the branch using the menstrual cloth, and only he knew how to untie the complicated knot.

Smiling proudly, Damien pointed toward a brand-new wooden house beside the burned ruins.

"Kaelira."

"Stay with me tonight."

"I built this house myself."

Sora finally noticed it.

Beside the ashes of her old home stood a newly constructed wooden cabin.

Though simple, it looked sturdy and surprisingly comfortable.

The moment the others saw her looking at it, they immediately prepared to recommend their own homes again.

Before anyone could speak, however, Sora raised a hand to silence them.

"What house?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

"I’m starving."

"Let’s eat first."

The words instantly ended the discussion.

Without giving anyone another chance to persuade her, she gathered her freshly washed clothes and headed toward the outdoor kitchen.

The five beast husbands hurried after her like obedient tails.

While Sora busied herself preparing lunch, the others finally unloaded the wheat they had collected.

Earlier, they had been so occupied searching for Sora that they’d only managed to deliver the salt to the wolf tribe before rushing off again, leaving the wheat untouched.

Since the ground was still damp, Sora first used her water ability to dry the soil.

She then instructed them to spread several beast hides over the ground before carefully laying the golden wheat ears on top.

Worried that unexpected rain might ruin the harvest, she also had them build a simple shelter above the drying wheat.

With five powerful beastmen working together, the task was completed in no time.

As for rebuilding her house...

After examining the ruins, Sora decided to choose a completely new location instead.

Whether the fire had truly been caused by lightning or something else remained uncertain.

She didn’t want to risk rebuilding in the same place.

By the time everything was finished, Ryan arrived carrying another bundle of wheat.

Seeing that lunch was almost ready, Sora smiled warmly.

"Ryan."

"Stay and eat with us."

Ryan hesitated briefly before silently taking a seat.

Perhaps because the weather was especially hot that day, Sora decided to prepare something refreshing.

Before long, a fragrant passion fruit fish hot pot bubbled over the fire, filling the air with a sweet and tangy aroma.

Just as she finished serving the dishes, Lukan arrived.

Now that everyone was finally present, they gathered around the table together.

The rich, sour broth paired perfectly with the tender fish, and before long, the entire group was eating with obvious satisfaction.

For a while...

The only sounds around the table were contented sighs and the occasional clink of wooden bowls.