Fat and Ugly Villainess Wins Back Her Five Beast Husband

Morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy.

Sora woke first.

Stretching lazily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes before immediately remembering the pottery.

”My ceramics!”

She hurried toward the fire pit.

The fierce flames from the previous night had long since died down, leaving only warm charcoal and gray ash.

Picking up a thick branch, she carefully pushed the ashes aside.

A reddish-brown rim emerged.

Her heartbeat quickened.

This had been her first attempt at making pottery.

She knew the theory from her previous life, but practical experience was another matter entirely.

If everything had cracked...

All of yesterday’s hard work would have been wasted.

Carefully brushing away the remaining ash, she lifted out the first piece.

It was the small teacup she had shaped as a test.

”...It worked.”

Her eyes sparkled.

Not a single crack.

Although the surface was rougher than porcelain and lacked a polished finish, it was sturdy and beautifully fired.

For primitive pottery, it was nearly perfect.

Unable to hide her excitement, Sora examined it from every angle before gently blowing away the remaining ash.

Success.

One by one, she continued uncovering the rest.

The large cooking pot.

The soup pot.

The kettle.

Several bowls.

Clay spoons.

Storage jars.

Only one medium-sized jar had developed a thin crack along its side.

Fortunately, it was still usable for storing fruit or eggs.

Everything else had survived the firing beautifully.

Sora couldn’t stop smiling.

”My first batch actually succeeded.”

Behind her came soft footsteps.

The others had awakened.

Lucas rubbed his eyes before stopping in surprise.

”...Those are the things you made yesterday?”

Ace crouched beside one of the pots, gently knocking on its side with a finger.

It produced a clear, solid sound.

He looked genuinely astonished.

”So mud can really become something this strong.”

Xavier picked up the largest pot.

Compared to the heavy stone cookware used throughout the tribe, this one felt remarkably light.

Its walls were thinner.

Its shape more refined.

Most importantly...

It could be formed into practically any design.

Unlike stone, which required endless carving, clay obeyed the hands that shaped it.

The three beastmen exchanged glances.

Once again...

Kaelira had done something they had never imagined possible.

First she had discovered an untouched salt well.

Then she had shown them how to bake food with salt and other ingredients.

Now she had created entirely new cooking vessels from ordinary earth.

Without realizing it, the admiration in their hearts quietly grew.

Sora lined the finished bowls in a neat row.

”I made these for everyone yesterday.”

She handed one to Xaiver.

His bowl featured a rather questionable snake.

The body looked suspiciously segmented.

The head and tail were nearly identical.

Xaiver stared silently.

”...That’s supposed to be me?”

”Of course.”

”It’s an earthworm.”

”It’s a snake.”

”It has segments.”

”Those are your scales.”

Xaiver pinched the bridge of his nose.

”I don’t have segments. Even when its dry its still look like an earthworm.”

Ace received his bowl next.

A very strange four-legged creature decorated the side.

”It still looks like a dog.”

”It’s a tiger.”

”Where?”

”See these little dots?”

”They’re your stripes.”

Ace examined the tiny holes she had poked into the clay.

”...Those are eyes.”

”They can be stripes too.”

He decided not to argue.

Lucas eagerly accepted his bowl.

Then his expression froze.

A plump bird with several long lines sticking out behind it stared back at him.

”...You call this a phoenix”

Sora looked offended.

”I even added your tail feathers.”

Lucas looked again.

”It still looks like a chicken.”

”Birds are relatives.”

”...That’s not how relatives work.”

Despite all their complaints, none of them traded bowls.

Ugly or not...

Each bowl had been made specifically for its owner.

That alone made them strangely reluctant to exchange them.

Then Sora picked up another bowl.

Unlike the others, this one carried a simple flower carved around its rim.

Xavier immediately noticed.

”Why is yours prettier?”

”It’s just a flower.”

”Our bowls are monsters.”

The three silently decided never to let her decorate anything artistic again.

Still...

As they held the handmade bowls in their hands, each beastman found himself smiling despite the ugly drawings.

For the first time, they possessed something made especially for them.

Something no one else in the tribe owned.

After packing the newly fired pottery into carefully padded bundles, Sora looked toward the distant mountains where smoke from the tribe curled into the morning sky.

”We’ve been away for an entire night.”

She dusted off her hands and smiled.

”Let’s head home.”

With salt, pottery, and countless new ideas waiting to be put into practice, their journey back to the tribe promised to be just as eventful as the expedition itself.

On the journey back to the tribe, Sora chose to ride on Ace’s back once again. She deliberately avoided riding with Xavier—despite his speed and grace, his thick snake scales were far too rough. Even through the simple shorts she wore beneath her animal-skin skirt, the constant friction left her sore after only a short distance.

The newly fired pottery was far too precious to risk damaging. Sora carefully cradled the smaller bowls and cups against her chest throughout the trip, while the larger pots and jars were distributed among the three beastmen. Xavier carried one in his jaws, Lucas held another carefully by its rim, and Ace balanced the largest pot with remarkable steadiness. Every one of them walked far more cautiously than usual, afraid a single stumble would shatter the strange new treasures Sora had created.

Back at the tribe, the morning had already begun.

Dozens of beastmen were lined up outside the food storage area, waiting to receive their share of wild fruit for breakfast. Smoke drifted lazily from several caves as females prepared the day’s meals.

The peaceful atmosphere shattered when three young beastmen rushed into the center of the camp, panting.

”Chief! Something terrible has happened!”

Everyone immediately turned toward them.

Martin frowned.

”What happened?”

One of the beastmen pointed toward the forest.

”Kaelira... Kaelira disappeared! She ran away with three beastmen!”

The entire tribe froze.

”What?”

Even Lukan stared in disbelief.

”Ran away?”

”I saw it yesterday with my own eyes,” another beastman insisted. ”She left with Ace, Lucas, and Xavier. None of them returned last night.”

Another female quickly added,

”I checked this morning. Her cave is completely empty. She hasn’t been back all night.”

The crowd erupted into loud discussion.

Among beast tribes, leaving without permission was no small matter.

A tribe’s territory, food sources, and resources were precious secrets. Any member who abandoned the tribe might reveal hunting grounds or salt sources to outsiders. Such an act was often viewed as betrayal.

Whispers spread rapidly.

”Did she join another tribe?”

”Did those three abduct her?”

”Was she planning this all along?”

Lyra stepped forward with an expression full of disappointment.

”Although Kaelira is my daughter, betrayal cannot be forgiven.”

Her cold voice rang clearly through the gathering.

”If she truly abandoned the tribe, then she deserves to be captured and punished according to our laws.”

Many nodded.

Martin, however, remained silent.

He found the accusation difficult to believe.

”Kaelira?” he muttered.

”With her old reputation? What tribe would willingly accept her? She was known for being lazy, overweight, and difficult to get along with.”

His words carried doubt more than ridicule.

The story simply didn’t make sense.

Meanwhile, Serena crossed her arms.

”If Kaelira really left,” she said thoughtfully, ”then Lukan should have known. She never hid anything from him before.”

Everyone instinctively looked toward Lukan.

Since Mark rarely remained inside the tribe and Ryan was usually away scouting, only Lukan was present.

Lukan’s brows slowly furrowed.

He truly knew nothing.

Only yesterday Kaelira had been smiling at him.

She had promised to make him something special.

If she intended to leave...

...why hadn’t she told him?

Why had she departed with three other males instead?

Questions piled up inside his heart.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak—

A cheerful voice interrupted everyone.

”Big Sister, why are you saying bad things about me again?”

Every head snapped toward the entrance.

There stood Kaelira.