I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
“This product has such excellent quality that I can introduce it with complete confidence.”
The Goat-bearded Man led them to Behind the Street Vendors—a cramped space where moss-covered bricks were stacked densely together. The merchants didn’t even turn their heads, as if the newcomers were invisible.
“I’ll open the door.”
He pressed several bricks in sequence, and a passage large enough for two people to enter at once materialized. Claire raised her eyebrows slightly, then lowered them. Having come this far, there was no point in hesitating further.
‘What kind of secret could possibly warrant this level of concealment?’
Damp basement air seeped through the opening, carrying a faint fishy scent like what one might smell in a cave. As she pushed through a dark curtain and entered, she heard the sound of the wall closing behind her.
“Welcome!”
The moment Claire brushed aside the curtain covering her face, the Goat-bearded Man’s proud voice rang out. She found herself momentarily speechless at the sight before her.
“Bring more restraints!”
“Who’s the idiot who placed mana stones near the monster?!”
The interior resembled an Underground Dungeon. Unlike the Corridor decorated with luxurious carpets and furniture, the cages lining both sides emanated only a chilling coldness.
‘How horrifying.’
The creatures confined within were equally extraordinary. From rare beasts with unusual coloring to monsters whose breeding was forbidden—Claire was beginning to understand what this Secret Market actually dealt in.
Grrrrrrr….
The cries of life forms deprived of freedom echoed throughout. The shrill voices of the handlers shouting commands were ghastly.
‘Now that I think about it, that herbal scent from earlier… is it a sedative compound?’
“Hehe, this isn’t even all of it. Come, this way deeper inside.”
The Goat-bearded Man, oblivious to Claire’s darkening expression, rubbed his hands together eagerly and guided them further into the depths.
As Claire followed, she observed Ebon from the corner of her eye. He was scanning his surroundings anxiously, like someone searching for something specific.
‘What is he looking for?’
After passing a deer with white fur, a turtle with amethyst-like crystals embedded in its shell, and a monster with nine-branched horns, a massive white Cage came into view. The Goat-bearded Man stopped right there.
“Behold, today’s treasure! A purebred, no less!”
Inside the Cage he proudly displayed sat a round white bird. Claire recognized it immediately.
“A snowy owl?”
A round face. A pure white body resembling its eyes.
‘It still has down feathers. This is a young specimen.’
Surprised by its unexpectedly ordinary appearance, she blinked. Compared to the creatures she’d seen before, it was utterly unremarkable. But before Claire could ask anything further, the Goat-bearded Man’s hand moved first.
“Just wait a moment and see.”
Clang.
He seized a long iron rod and struck the Cage roughly. In that instant, sparks flew across the white Cage, and the young bird startled, leaping up in fright.
“What—!”
Just as Claire reached out to snatch the rod from his hand, a frantic fluttering sound erupted, and light flashed brilliantly within the Cage.
“Ugh.”
When she reflexively shielded her eyes and lowered her arm, what she saw was completely unexpected.
“Hehe, what do you think! Such a young specimen is perfect for training!”
A Young Boy of roughly seven years old. The terrified child crouched with his hands covering his ears, looking up at her.
Blood rushed to Claire’s neck in an instant.
“…A beastkin.”
“Yes! A purebred one too, not some fake hybrid! Mmph!”
I didn’t even get to see Claire’s expression before my boastful rambling was cut short. She clamped her hand over the man’s mouth and lifted him effortlessly into the air. As she regarded him with the contempt one might reserve for garbage, Claire examined the black crescent mark on her index finger.
‘The transformation hasn’t been undone. That’s fine then.’
With her face and gender concealed, there was no reason to hesitate further.
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
She hurled the Goat-bearded Man against the wall, knocking him unconscious, then removed her robe to shield the cage containing the Child.
“It’ll be over soon.”
Her gentle words were followed by a thunderous crash of destruction.
* * *
“This isn’t Abe!”
The moment someone shouted that, they were slammed into the wall. They frantically grabbed a weapon typically used to suppress monsters, but against the calamity that was Claire, there was nothing they could do.
“A monster…”
The sword that struck her bare hand shattered into fragments. The man stared helplessly at the hilt before collapsing.
“Anyone else?”
Claire dusted off her fists and surveyed the area. Ebon stared at her in a daze for a moment before snapping back to attention and moving toward the fallen Goat-bearded Man.
“Ebon?”
“We don’t have time for this.”
As he searched the unconscious man’s belongings for a key, Claire’s eyes widened.
‘He can speak?’
Ebon removed the obstructing robe and continued after finding the key that fit the cage.
“We need to escape. These are just caretakers. Bunjeon’s power is on a completely different level.”
“Bunjeon?”
Click.
As the cage door swung open, Ebon carefully extended his hand inside.
“Come now, let’s get you out of here.”
Though his tone was gentle, the Child, startled by the sudden violence, refused to emerge and retreated deeper into the cage.
Claire’s expression grew complicated.
‘Getting the Child out comes first. Everything else can wait.’
She examined the Child carefully. Round, enlarged yellow eyes, hair streaked with gray and white, and in panic, one wing that hadn’t been fully retracted stuck out awkwardly from his back.
“Don’t come near me!”
The sniffling Child squeezed his eyes shut. Ebon’s extended hand trembled before falling away. Claire quietly placed a hand on Ebon’s shoulder.
“I’d like to deactivate my ability for a moment.”
He nodded obediently, his spirits deflated, and stepped aside from the cage. The moment the crescent mark on Claire’s index finger faded to white, the Child’s eyes widened upon seeing her true form.
“You too?”
The trembling Child hesitated briefly before suddenly crawling out of the cage on his own. Confused, Ebon turned his head toward where the Child’s gaze was fixed. Above Claire’s deep pink hair, bear ears stood perked up.
“That’s right, I’m a beastkin too.”
Claire pulled the Child out and hoisted him into her arms with one swift motion, cradling him as she would Isabella, then stood. She picked up the fallen robe and carefully covered the Child’s eyes before looking down at Ebon. “So let’s get out of here before this Bunjeon arrives.”
Ebon stared bewilderedly at her perked ears.
‘I’ve heard rumors of a beastkin.’
It was strange yet fascinating how she revealed her identity without hesitation. Just as he reactivated his transformation ability and rose to follow Claire—
It was strange yet fascinating to see him reveal his identity without hesitation. It was then that he, having reactivated his transformation ability, got up to follow Claire.
“Wow, what a mess.”
A languid voice drifted from the entrance.
“Am I late?”
Claire swallowed hard and handed the child to Ebon. Sensing something amiss, Ebon accepted the child and clenched his teeth.
‘He’s finally arrived. I dragged this out too long.’
The figure who had pierced through the black curtain was dressed entirely in black from neck to toe. Upon spotting the mask that concealed every part except the eyes, Ebon’s expression went pale.
“That man is Bunjeon of the Secret Market. He handles the actual force—essentially their security.”
“Hmm. Knowing Bunjeon means you understand this world to some degree, doesn’t it?”
He tilted his head while tapping his index finger lightly against his lips.
“But who could you be? This is my first time seeing you. Especially that red-haired Young Master over there. Someone that handsome—I couldn’t possibly not know him.”
‘Thank heavens my appearance is hidden.’
It was fortunate I had activated my ability in time. The Goat-bearded Man, who had been rolling on the floor, coughed violently as consciousness returned to him.
“Cough, cough. A-Abe… brought… here…”
His pronunciation was imprecise, likely from missing teeth. But Bunjeon seemed to understand, laughing savagely.
“Ah, so this fool mistook someone and brought them in? How stupid. Even if red hair is rare, to judge based on color alone.”
He leaped over the fallen bodies and approached the Goat-bearded Man, lifting his foot lightly.
Thud.
It happened in an instant. The sound of ripe fruit being crushed echoed out. Watching everything turn red, Claire was grateful she had covered the child with her robe.
“Pardon the interruption. This is why you need to hire good staff. When profit blinds you, you get third-rate nonsense like this.”
He pressed his palms together as if in prayer and spoke to Ebon.
“Would you return that merchandise? We operate on a membership basis, so unauthorized intrusions are rather problematic.”
His words were gentle, yet blood dripped steadily from his entire body.
“Merchandise? What’s here is just a child.”
“Pardon? A child? Ahahahaha.”
A tearing laugh rang out. Feeling the child in his arms flinch, Ebon held them tighter.
“Indeed, these days people anthropomorphize beasts and call them children. But you see, naive Young Master from who knows where.”
He lowered his stance and drew closer, whispering as if coaxing a small child.
“That creature deserves to be bound in chains.”
“Hah.”
Only then did Claire understand why they called demihumans “chains.”
“A beast, then?”
What he overlooked was that the being before him possessed a strength that chains could never hope to restrain.
“Your mouth and mind are filthy.”
Claire’s fist shot forward. He had attempted to casually block the attack with a club drawn from his waist, but the force far exceeded his expectations, causing him to stumble backward with a groan.
“What is this strength?”
He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his trembling hands.
‘That muscle mass shouldn’t produce this much power.’
A strange disconnect gnawed at him. Standing before him was a slender red-haired Young Master. Yet the overwhelming power that defied his frame—even a light graze made stars dance before his eyes.
‘Dangerous! I need to call for reinforcements.’
At that moment, footsteps echoed from the entrance.
‘Has he arrived?!’
Bunjeon’s welcoming thought toward the entrance never reached completion. Two figures burst through the door and simultaneously struck both sides of his cheeks.
“Young Master!!”
“Young Master!!”
Theodore and Kenneth cried out in unison upon discovering Claire.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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