Villainess is being pampered by her beast husbands
Chapter 73 --73

Chapter 73: Chapter-73

"A gemstone," he explained, "is something you get after hunting a beast. You remember the hyena you killed that night?"

Kaya’s eyes narrowed further.

Vayu continued, unfazed. "If you cut open its head, you’ll find a stone inside. It glows. The shinier and more colorful it is, the more valuable it is. White stones can get you maybe two kilos of meat. Green? Three to four animal hides. Red? That’s big. You can get quite a lot for that."

Silence.

Kaya stared at him. Her face didn’t move. She was so quiet now, it was almost unsettling.

Then—she turned her head slowly toward Cutie, a smile creeping onto her face.

It wasn’t a happy smile. No. It was the kind of smile people gave before committing war crimes.

"So," she asked sweetly, "you’re telling me... when I killed that hyena... I could’ve gotten money for it?"

Cutie gave a sheepish nod.

Still smiling, Kaya turned her eyes back to Vayu. Her voice soft, dangerous.

"And you, Snake Boy, were right there with me... in my pocket. Watching. Breathing. Existing."

Her smile widened, and her eyes practically sparked.

"Yet not one of you—not one—thought to mention that the damn beast had a gemstone in its skull?!"

Vayu blinked. The sparrow made a tiny, nervous chirp.

Kaya wasn’t done. Her voice rose, layered in disbelief and pure fury.

"Do you even understand what that means?! I wasted a bullet on that thing. A bullet! Do you know how valuable that is to me?!"

She stood now, pacing as she ranted.

"I could’ve eaten that meat. Sold the hide. Sold its bones. And apparently, traded its magical brain rock for currency!"

She spun to glare at them again.

"And now, now you’re telling me this?! After I’ve left it somewhere like an idiot?!"

Hearing that, both Vayu and Cutie turned their heads, pretending to look at a random stone on the ground, as if it suddenly held the answer to all life’s mysteries.

Vayu muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, "What can we do? We didn’t know you weren’t aware of such a simple law..."

Kaya’s head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing.

He was still talking?

Really?

She didn’t even blink as she reached into her side holster, pulled out her gun, and calmly pointed it straight at his head.

Her voice was quiet, low, dangerous.

"Okay then. Let me ask you something simple."

He froze.

"If I kill a beast," she said, "I get a gemstone. Great. Love that. But tell me—what if I kill a beastman? One who can shift between human and animal. How many stones would I get? And how precious would it be?"

The color drained from Vayu’s face.

Cutie took a step back. Even the sparrow ruffled his feathers nervously and slowly turned around as if suddenly fascinated by the wind.

Kaya’s finger hovered near the trigger. Not threateningly. Decisively.

Vayu’s voice trembled slightly. "N-Nothing..."

"Huh?" Kaya tilted her head slightly, as if daring him to lie.

Vayu swallowed hard. "If you kill a beast who can’t shift—just an animal—you get a stone. But... if you kill a beastman, someone who can take human form... once they die, the body reverts. The stone... it disappears. Or it was never there. They’re—useless."

There was a long pause.

Kaya stared at him, eyes unreadable. Her finger stayed near the trigger for one beat... two... three.

Then—click.

She lowered the gun and exhaled sharply through gritted teeth.

Her fingers twitched, her whole body tense as she forced herself to calm down.

She still needed these idiots. As frustrating and unhelpful as they were, she wasn’t done using them. Not yet.

"For now..." she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a second, and exhaled.

When she opened them again, the storm behind her gaze had quieted—just slightly.

"Next time," she warned, holstering the gun, "if you idiots withhold even one more useful piece of information like this—I will not ask so nicely."

Kaya sat still, her mind whirring with thoughts. Sure, she could hunt—but was it worth the risk?

No. Definitely not.

Even if she had the skill, even if Cutie could heal her, she’d seen enough to know he wasn’t all-powerful. He couldn’t heal everything. What if next time he simply couldn’t fix her?

She wasn’t going to take that gamble.

And then there was the real problem—bullets.

There weren’t many left. If she used them all for hunting, what would she have left for defense?

Nothing.

And that, to her, was a nightmare waiting to happen.

So no—hunting was out. Relying on that feathery idiot of a sparrow was also out. Sure, he might be useful for chasing off small bears, but that was the extent of his usefulness. And killing him? Please. How much gemstone could she possibly get from roasting a sparrow?

Absolutely not worth it.

With a frustrated sigh, Kaya stared at the dry ground for a moment. Then, suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she looked up sharply.

Her voice cut the silence.

"Hey. You said things could be exchanged, right?"

Vayu blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah...?"

Kaya squinted, her tone sharper now. "Salt. How much can you get for salt?"

Vayu looked confused. "What?"

"I asked," she repeated, voice firmer, "how much would salt sell for?"

Vayu scratched the back of his head, thinking. "Salt is... actually pretty valuable here. The more you have, the better. People will trade a lot for it—meat, hides, tools..."

Kaya’s eyes lit up like she’d struck gold. A slow grin spread across her lips.

"Perfect."

She stood up and dusted herself off. "Then we’re going to find salt. As much as we can. We’ll make kilos of it. And then—" she turned, a glint of ambition in her eyes, "we trade. Everything we need."

The sparrow chirped a skeptical sound.

"Chrip?"

(Hah?)

Kaya shot him a look. "Keep chirping and I will test how many stones you’re worth."

The sparrow went silent.

Cutie looked at her, a little concerned. "Uh... do you even know how to find salt?"

She smirked. "No. But I’m about to learn."

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