Fat and Ugly Villainess Wins Back Her Five Beast Husband

Martin frowned deeply.

”Impossible. Why would anyone deliberately put waste liquid into something everyone eats? Whoever did that would poison themselves too.”

”I agree that it sounds irrational,” Sora replied. ”But accidents don’t explain what happened either.”

Martin stared at her.

”You really believe someone did this intentionally?”

”Yes.”

She spoke without hesitation.

”I supervised the entire purification process. Every step was carried out according to the method I taught them. I made sure the discarded brine was separated. I also made sure that the purified salt was kept away from the waste liquid.”

Sora paused.

”If the process had simply gone wrong, the problem would have appeared in every batch. But the salt I personally purified is clean.”

She took out the small animal-skin pouch she had brought from the wild kitchen.

”Look at this.”

Martin took it from her and opened it.

Inside was pure white salt.

There were no strange yellow particles.

Sora then pointed toward the salt being used by the tribe.

”Now compare it.”

Martin’s expression became increasingly serious.

Under the torchlight, the difference was obvious.

The salt Sora had purified was fine, white, and clean.

The tribe’s salt contained countless tiny yellow grains.

”What are those?” Martin asked.

”They are impurities that should have been removed during purification.”

She hesitated before continuing.

”If they remain in the salt in high enough quantities, they can cause weakness, diarrhea, excessive salivation, and other symptoms.”

Martin’s jaw tightened.

Those were exactly the symptoms currently affecting the tribe.

”So you are saying the poisoning happened because someone contaminated the salt?”

”I believe so.”

Martin remained silent for several moments.

Then he shook his head.

”I know the people in this tribe. They would not deliberately harm everyone.”

”I never said everyone was guilty.”

Sora’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”I only said someone did it.”

Martin looked at her.

”If you’re right, how do we find them?”

Sora smiled faintly.

”I already have an idea.”

Martin immediately became alert.

”What are you planning?”

Sora glanced around before leaning closer and lowering her voice.

”I could call everyone who participated in the purification process and question them individually. But if the culprit realizes we’re looking for them, they’ll become cautious. They may destroy evidence or change their behavior.”

Martin nodded slowly.

”That makes sense.”

”So we shouldn’t let them know that we’ve already identified the method of contamination.”

”What will you do instead?”

Sora whispered the rest of her plan into his ear.

Martin’s eyebrows slowly rose.

After a long moment, he nodded.

”Fine. Let’s do it your way.”

A short while later, Martin stood before the assembled tribe members in the square.

The atmosphere was tense.

Everyone had already recovered enough to stand, but many still looked weak after the poisoning.

Martin raised his hand.

”Everyone must be wondering why so many members of our tribe suddenly became sick.”

The crowd immediately quieted.

”According to Sora, she has already discovered the cause.”

All eyes turned toward Sora.

Martin stepped aside.

”Let her explain.”

Sora walked forward carrying the animal-skin pouch of contaminated salt.

She held it up so everyone could see.

”I have carefully examined the symptoms and investigated what everyone ate today.”

Her gaze swept across the crowd.

”The reason so many people became sick is because the salt they consumed contained impurities.”

She opened the pouch and allowed several nearby beastmen to inspect it.

Tiny yellow grains were scattered throughout the white salt.

”These particles should not be present if the salt has been properly purified.”

She then produced a second pouch.

”This is salt I personally purified.”

She opened it.

The difference was immediately obvious.

The second batch was completely white and clean.

A beastman stared at both samples.

”So... we were poisoned because the salt wasn’t purified properly?”

Sora nodded.

”That is one possibility.”

Several people immediately began murmuring.

”But we followed the method you taught us!”

”Exactly!”

Another beastman shouted.

”If your method worked for you, why didn’t it work for us?”

”Was there something wrong with the way you taught us?”

The questions came one after another.

Serena, who stood among the crowd, lowered her head.

The corners of her lips almost imperceptibly lifted.

This was exactly what she had hoped would happen.

If the tribe lost faith in Sora, perhaps Sora would finally lose her position.

Perhaps the tribe would realize that she wasn’t as capable as everyone believed.

But Sora remained completely calm.

She raised one hand.

”Everyone, listen.”

The crowd slowly quieted.

”If there were something wrong with the salt I personally purified, I would not be standing here perfectly healthy.”

She gestured toward herself.

”Nor would Xavier, Lucas, Ace, Ryan, and the others be fine after eating it.”

The beastmen glanced toward Sora’s beast husbands.

None of them looked sick.

Sora continued.

”So there is no problem with the purification method itself.”

A confused beastman frowned.

”Then why is our salt contaminated?”

”Because someone interfered with the process.”

The square fell silent.

Sora’s voice became colder.

”Someone took the liquid that should have been discarded during the first stage of purification and poured it back into the salt after it had already been processed.”

The crowd erupted.

”What?”

”Who would do something like that?”

”That can’t be true!”

”Everyone eats the same salt!”

”Why would anyone poison their own tribe?”

Sora wasn’t surprised by their reaction.

She had expected disbelief.

After all, to them, deliberately poisoning their own food was almost unimaginable.

She raised her hand again.

”I understand why you don’t want to believe it.”

Her gaze swept over every face.

”But those yellow particles did not appear from nowhere.”

No one spoke.

”Someone caused this.”

She paused.

”The chief and I have already discussed the matter. Whoever is responsible has one opportunity to step forward.”

Several people exchanged nervous glances.

”If you confess now,” Sora continued, ”there will be no punishment.”

The crowd became even more restless.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

Sora waited.

Still nothing.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

As expected.

The culprit wasn’t going to confess so easily.

”Since nobody wants to admit anything,” Sora finally said, ”we will ask the gods to reveal the truth.”

Martin immediately stepped forward.

”Everyone will go to the sacred fire and swear one by one that they had nothing to do with the contaminated salt.”

A wave of surprise passed through the tribe.

One by one, the beastmen and females began moving toward the sacred firehouse.

Lucas looked at Sora with a puzzled expression.

”What exactly are you trying to accomplish?”

Before Sora could answer, Xavier crossed his arms.

”You want to know?”

He smiled.

”Then follow her and find out.”

Ryan had already turned around.

”I want to see too.”

Ace and the others exchanged glances before following.

Soon, almost the entire tribe had gathered around the sacred firehouse.

Sora had only visited the place once before, when she had first helped ignite the sacred fire.

Now she entered it again.

The sacred flames burned brightly in the center of the wooden structure.

The tribe members lined up.

One after another, they stepped forward and swore before the sacred fire that they had not tampered with the salt.

Nothing happened.

The flame remained steady.

The next person stepped forward.

Still nothing.

Another.

Nothing.

Everything proceeded normally.

Until Serena’s turn.

She slowly walked toward the sacred fire.

Her expression was innocent.

Her eyes were slightly red, as though she were already frightened by the accusations flying around the tribe.

She raised her hand.

”I swear that I did not poison the salt.”

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

Whoosh!

The sacred flame suddenly shrank.

The once-bright fire weakened dramatically.

Everyone froze.

A stunned silence filled the sacred firehouse.

Serena’s face immediately turned pale.

She stared at the fire in disbelief.

Then she shook her head violently.

”No.”

Her voice trembled.

”It wasn’t me.”

The tribe members stared at her.

Serena swallowed.

”I didn’t do anything!”

Whispers spread through the crowd.

”It was Serena...”

”But she couldn’t have done it.”

”She’s always been kind.”

”Why would she poison everyone?”

”She wouldn’t do something like that.”

Others looked toward the sacred fire.

”But the sacred fire reacted.”

”The gods wouldn’t lie.”

Serena’s panic intensified.

She turned toward the crowd.

”I really didn’t do it!”

Her voice cracked.

Then she looked directly at Sora.

Tears gathered in her eyes.

”Sora... even if you don’t like me, you can’t use your abilities to make the sacred fire shrink.”

The accusation immediately changed the atmosphere.

Everyone turned toward Sora.

A beastman frowned.

”Could Sora have done it?”

”She has water abilities.”

”She was the one who suggested using the sacred fire.”

”If she wanted to frame someone, she could have weakened the flame herself.”

The suspicion spread quickly.

Sora stood perfectly still.

Inside, she almost laughed.

Serena was clever.

Very clever.

She had immediately remembered Sora possessed water abilities and used that fact to redirect everyone’s suspicion.

Unfortunately for Serena, there was one major flaw in her argument.

Sora stepped forward.

”Sister, what exactly are you suggesting?”

Serena bit her lip.

”I... I only said that maybe you could have done it.”

Sora looked at the sacred flame.

Then back at Serena.

”My water ability can extinguish fire.”

She spoke slowly, making sure everyone heard her.

”But it cannot make a sacred flame shrink to a specific degree.”

Several people nodded.

”That makes sense.”

”If she used water, wouldn’t the flame go out completely?”

Sora continued.

”I did not touch the fire.”

She looked directly into Serena’s eyes.

”If you did nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear.”

Serena’s hands trembled.

”I didn’t do anything.”

”I know you said that.”

Sora’s expression remained calm.

”But the sacred fire reacted when you stepped forward.”

Serena’s eyes flashed with panic.

”It could be a mistake!”

She desperately tried to maintain her innocent appearance.

”Maybe someone else caused it. Maybe the sacred fire is wrong.”

Sora said nothing.

The tribe members were now divided.

Some still believed Serena.

Others had begun to doubt her.

Yet no one could prove anything.

Serena lowered her head, pretending to cry.

Inside, however, her thoughts were racing.

She had thought this plan would allow her to turn the tribe against Sora.

She had imagined Sora being exposed as the source of the poisoning, losing everyone’s trust, and eventually being driven away.

But she had underestimated her.

Sora had discovered the contaminated salt far too quickly.

Worse—

She had devised a way to expose the culprit without directly accusing anyone.

Serena clenched her fists beneath her clothes.

She had no idea what Sora’s next move would be.

But one thing was certain.

The battle between them had only just begun.