Exiled Villainess: They Threw Me Out, Now Every Beastman Wants Me

Tera startled, her breath catching as she realized Xavi had shifted back to his human form and moved up behind her without making a sound. His chest was nearly touching her back, and his body heat radiated through the few inches of cold air between them like a promise.

He leaned over her slightly, peering through the gaps at the flooded landscape outside.

”It was a lot,” he observed.

Tera’s body reacted before her brain could catch up. A strange, fluttery sensation shot through her chest and settled somewhere in her stomach before going even lower.

She was suddenly very aware of how close he was, how little clothing either of them was wearing, and how his voice sounded when it was right next to her ear.

She scooted sideways, putting a safer distance between them before her thoughts started going haywire.

”I will go check on everyone else,” she mumbled, not looking at him.

She didn’t wait for his response and crawled toward the upper chambers with a speed that was entirely unjustified by the situation.

[Agility +1]

’Oh, wow.’

[Host’s heart rate has increased by 34%]

[From proximity alone]

[(¬‿¬)]

[Interesting development]

’Say one more word, and I will find a way to uninstall you.’

[( •̀ ᴖ •́ )]

- ※ - ※ - ※ -

They waited for the water to recede further before moving on.

And this had led to them staying in the shelter for another full day to wait for the floodwaters to recede enough for safe travel.

Tera learned something new during that waiting period. Beast-folk didn’t get hungry as fast as humans did. Their bodies could sustain themselves for longer stretches without food, conserving energy when resources were scarce.

And most of the clan had been in a sleep-like hibernating state that conserved their warmth and strength. Each time Tera had checked on them, she had been consistently met with a snooze fest.

Tera’s body seemed to function the same way regarding the food. She should have been starving after nearly two days without proper food, but the hunger was a low, manageable ache rather than the screaming desperation she would have expected from her old body.

It still hit eventually. By the second night, she was starting to feel the weakness creep in.

Xavi had offered to hold her again that night, and Tera hadn’t protested. She had curled against his chest and slept better than she had any right to.

She was especially grateful that he had not once asked about her crying.

The day after, the clan finally left the shelter.

The journey to the plateau had taken longer than the system’s estimate. They had to take a winding route to avoid the steepest section of the hillside. A direct path would have required climbing a near-vertical rock face to reach the plateau surface, which the beast folk would not have even been able to manage in their animal forms.

So instead they walked the long way around, following the natural curve of the land as it gradually sloped upward.

This had added nearly a full day to the trip, but the path had been kinder. They had found fruit along the way to eat.

The terrain was different there as the flooding hadn’t reached that far, and the ground was also firmer.

When they finally reached the top, the wide expanse of plain land opened up before them.

It was beautiful.

A vast, flat expanse of open land stretched beneath a sky that was slowly reaching evening. The plateau was ringed on all distant sides by dense forest.

Tera almost wept as she was faced with the clear land.

[Ding!]]

[Host has discovered unclaimed territory]

[Resources: Fresh water, fertile soil, timber, stone deposits, natural defensive elevation]

[Danger Rating: Medium]

Tera’s eyes widened.

’Medium? Wait. What do you mean by that?’

[( ◕▿◕ )]

[This location is suitable for permanent settlement]

’Hey! Don’t ignore me!’

Suitable for permanent settlement with a medium danger rating? What the actual fuck?!

[New Major Task Unlocked!]

[Task: Establish a permanent settlement and advance the clan’s status from ”Displaced Survivors” to ”Organized Tribe”]

[Objectives:]

[Construct permanent shelter for all clan members]

[Establish reliable food sources]

[Rewards:]

[Construction +20, Influence +10, Nipples +100]

[Title Unlock: Founder]

[New System Features: Blueprint Mode, System Space]

[Special Bonus: First structure built will receive a durability enhancement]

[Time Limit: Three months]

[Penalty: Host will be downgraded to the lowest system tier. All accumulated stats will reset]

[(◕‿◕✿)]

’That’s... a lot.’

And what the fuck was that penalty?

Did that mean she would lose this system?

But Tera was worried and unsure if three months would be enough, considering there were no available materials, especially if it meant she would have to start from scratch.

Her worry only increased when she stared at the plain land. To excavate, place beams, support, and all other necessary items would take time and materials she didn’t have, unless she checked what was actually in that store.

Tera’s brain was running when she noticed how the exhausted beasts were moving towards the treeline.

Not a single one of them had stopped on the flatland.

The cubs had sprinted across the open ground for approximately thirty seconds before veering toward the nearest tree and scaling it like they had been born climbing.

She looked around at the wide, open flatland she had been mentally drafting shelter plans for, and then at the forest edges where thirty-four beast-folk had instinctively gravitated.

’Oh.’

The reality hit her.

She had been planning to build on the cleared ground, level the surface, lay foundations in neat rows, and grid layout exactly the way she had been trained.

Except the people she was building for weren’t people. They were beasts. Putting them on an exposed plateau with no canopy, no cover, and other natural elements would be like forcing a bird to live underground.

And worse than that, building on the flatland would mean clearing trees for material, and displacing whatever ecosystem had been quietly thriving here while no one was around to bulldoze it.

And she had been about to do the exact same thing.

She felt ashamed. These beast folk didn’t need human architecture. They needed beast architecture. Structures that worked with the forest rather than replacing it.

Once she started looking at what was actually in front of her, the answer was so obvious she wanted to slap herself.

This would actually make things a lot easier.

The system was truly giving her tasks within her capabilities. She just had to use her brain.

- ※ - ※ - ※ -

The lake had been discovered by one of Xavi’s scouts.

It was not too far from the bare land, but was hidden from view by a dense stand of trees and a natural rise in the land. The scout had been ranging ahead to check if the territory was inhabited when he stumbled upon a stream that led down to the lake.

All the clan members rushed there to drink and wash themselves, and asides the strange trees and vegetation along the way, Tera had found the lake to be very beautiful.

It was large, and the surface reflected the last orange streaks of sunset like a mirror.

The clan had split naturally. The females and cubs took a side while the males had taken another, some distance away.

Xavi and a number of males had left to scan the area, though Tera would have liked to tell them that wasn’t necessary due to the scan feature of her system, but she hadn’t noticed when he had gone.

She had found a spot near the water’s edge and had sat down to rest a bit before washing herself, as she felt so tired to even move.

She had closed her eyes, and the excited murmur of voices had washed over her like a lullaby.

She fell asleep.

When Tera opened her eyes again, it was already night.

She had nearly shot upright when the reflection of the stars across the lake lit the large figure in the water.

Xavi was standing at the edge of the lake, waist-deep in the water, his back to her.

He was washing himself.

Tera’s mouth went dry at the water streaming down his spine.