Isolde looked at her for a moment.
An overly keen sense of smell, the physical build hidden beneath her cloak, and the heavy weapon on her back that was completely disproportionate to her size.
All the scattered clues from before finally clicked into place at this moment.
Her decision to offer to stay behind and handle the corpse had been entirely for the sake of getting Kolo alone.
Her identity was unknown, her strength was formidable, and she didn't side completely with anyone.
This kind of person was dangerous.
But if used correctly, she could also become an exceptionally sharp blade.
“Can a mere sense of smell and instinct count as evidence?”
“No,” Kolo replied quickly. “That's why I'm only asking you face-to-face, instead of going back and telling them.”
These words caused Isolde to take another look at her.
The person before her was far more levelheaded than she had expected.
She had smelled an anomaly, yet she could distinguish between suspicion and proof.
Rena's gaze drifted slowly upward from the mask on Kolo's face, landing on both sides of her hood.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Why are you helping Milo?”
Rena took a step closer to her, her gaze still fixed on her hood.
“I would have thought beastkin rarely meddled in the troubles of humans.”
The forest suddenly fell silent.
Kolo stared into the other woman's eyes, as if trying to gauge whether the statement was merely a guess or if she was already certain.
After a brief moment, once she confirmed there were no other breathing sounds or footsteps nearby, she took off her mask and pulled back her hood.
Two snow-white, long ears stood upright from the top of her head, their tips pressed slightly backward in wariness.
Beneath the mask was a face belonging to a rabbit beastkin.
White fur covered both sides of her cheeks, her nose twitched slightly, and a pair of clear, bright eyes stared straight at Rena.
“Because I took Milo's money. When you take someone's money, you do the job.”
Kolo answered with complete justification, and Isolde wasn't surprised.
“How much did he give you?”
“Three silver coins.”
Isolde felt a slight stir in her chest. That's it?
Only three silver coins to hire a beastkin as a personal bodyguard?
To think such a stroke of good luck had fallen into Milo's lap. She was actually starting to feel it wasn't worth it for this rabbit.
“I can pay you three times that amount.”
Kolo immediately shook her head. “I've already accepted his money. I can't switch clients halfway through.”
“You can return the money to him.”
“No, I can't do that either,” Kolo replied with absolute determination. “Once you've agreed to something, switching employers before finishing the job ruins your reputation.”
Looking at her, Isolde suddenly understood why Milo had sought out this rabbit.
She was powerful and possessed keen perception.
And yet, she held the rules of transaction in higher regard than carrots.
For Milo, she was indeed a rare and invaluable helper.
“But you can't help him,” Rena said.
Kolo's long ears twitched forward.
“Why?”
“He doesn't need you to believe him.”
Rena walked over to a dead tree and casually tore down a lifeless vine.
“He needs to make the others believe that the Rena standing before them is an imposter.”
“You've noticed the anomalies, and you saw what just happened. But you are the only one who can perceive these things.”
“Therefore, you don't have any evidence either.”
Kolo didn't argue, but her ears slowly drooped, looking rather downcast.
Rena tossed the vine aside and continued,
“Besides, you have much bigger problems of your own to worry about than Milo does.”
Seeing Rena's gaze sweep over her exposed long ears, Kolo suddenly had a bad feeling.
“If I were to go back and tell them that you're a beastkin—”
“I'll break your legs first.”
Kolo interjected quickly, raising her weapon along with her words.
Rena glanced at the excessively heavy weapon, her tone softening.
“Don't be nervous. I have no interest in selling you to the black market.” She paused. “But others might.”
“If you expose me in public, they'll ask sooner or later how you could smell things others couldn't. When they pull off your cloak, will Milo be able to protect you?”
This question left Kolo speechless.
She suddenly felt that the woman before her was truly annoying.
Every word she spoke was calm, yet she specifically poked at people's most sensitive spots.
“So, you want me to shut up?”
“I want to make a deal with you.”
“What deal?”
Rena looked at her and said unhurriedly,
“Until we find and kill the treant, you can continue to fulfill your promise to Milo. However, you cannot tell him about what you saw tonight, you cannot look for evidence on his behalf, and you cannot actively prompt him on what to investigate.”
Kolo's ear tips twitched slightly after hearing this.
“And then?”
“And then, let Milo prove it himself.” Rena raised a finger. “If he can make at least one other person present clearly realize that my identity is fake, you will receive a reward.”
Kolo frowned. “I've already realized it.”
“You don't count.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a party to the deal.”
Rena's voice was calm. “A party to a deal cannot simultaneously act as a witness.”
Kolo thought about it and reluctantly accepted this reasoning.
“What reward do I get?”
“As long as I'm alive and we don't become enemies, I will give you a bag of fresh carrots every month.”
Kolo's long ears instantly stood straight up.
“How big of a bag?”
“Big enough to last you more than half a month.”
Kolo visibly became much more serious.
“And what if Milo fails?”
“You will owe me a commission.”
“What kind of commission?”
“I haven't decided yet.”
Seeing Kolo's wary expression, Rena continued,
“It won't involve hurting your own clan, it won't require you to betray yourself, and it won't send you to a place of certain death.”
“I will cover any expenses required to complete the commission, and the reward will be calculated separately.”
Kolo asked, “Can the reward be paid directly in gold coins?”
“Of course.”
“Gold coins can buy carrots,” she whispered to confirm.
“Correct.”
Kolo lowered her head, calculating seriously.
If Milo succeeded, she would receive a long-term supply of fresh carrots.
If Milo failed, she would only have to complete a paid commission that wouldn't harm her clan.
On the surface, she wouldn't lose out either way.
Yet the woman before her was clearly not someone who would hand out benefits for nothing.
Kolo looked up and stated her own conditions.
“Before the deal is over, you cannot kill Milo with your own hands. Nor can you intentionally deliver him into the hands of others or monsters.”
“Deal,” Rena agreed, thinking for a moment before adding, “But if he refuses to listen to advice and goes to his death on his own, that won't be my responsibility.”
Kolo nodded; this division was fair.
Rena then proposed her own terms.
“If Milo finds evidence because you leaked what happened tonight, it will be considered a breach of contract, and I will no longer keep your identity a secret.”
Kolo countered immediately, “If Milo dies because of your deliberate schemes, I will also be free to speak about what I saw tonight.”
“Deal.”
Kolo went over all the terms from beginning to end in her mind, confirming nothing was missed. Only then did she put her mask back on and tuck her long ears back into her hood.
“Does this count as a transaction?”
“Of course.”
Rena extended her hand to her.
Kolo stared at the hand for a moment before finally reaching out to shake it.
“Deal.”
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