The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

"Tiel-nim!"

Illum rushed out to greet Tiel, the children, and the knights. Thanks to the sunlight shining brightly on them, he could see them from afar, even without the glowstones.

"Wow, Illum!"

Tiel, in Ian's arms, beamed a smile. Ian Dross held her even more securely to prevent her from falling.

Illum, seeing the smiling face of the girl, swallowed back the tears that threatened to well up. His eyes reddened, and the skin around his eyes trembled slightly.

There were so many things he wanted to ask this miraculous girl, but first, there was something he needed to say.

"Tiel, truly... thank you."

Illum bowed deeply. Several beastkin who had followed him also bowed to Tiel in unison.

These were the same ones who had been holding dying beastkin just moments ago.

The flickering life force in their arms, which was almost extinguished, had started to burn again, thanks to this girl, without needing any further explanation.

As all the beastkin bowed together, Tiel, slightly overwhelmed, squirmed in Ian's arms.

Ian Dross, holding Tiel steadily, whispered softly in her ear so that only she could hear.

"At times like this, you just need to smile and nod."

"Smile...?"

"Yes."

Following Ian Dross’s advice, Tiel carefully nodded and asked cautiously.

"What happened to the sick beastkin? Are they still... not in a good condition?"

The beastkin who had been bowing finally straightened up. Illum answered Tiel’s question on behalf of the group.

"Many... have passed, but thanks to Tiel-nim, many lives have been saved."

"…Ah."

"If you hadn’t come, they would have all died. We... are truly grateful to Tiel-nim."

Illum's voice trembled slightly. Tiel looked at him intently before carefully reaching out her hand.

Illum, looking bewildered, placed his hand gently over hers.

'Is she asking for my hand?'

Noticing the gesture, Ian Dross, who had been holding Tiel, remained silent, likely seeing that she was asking for a hand.

Tiel, holding Illum’s weathered hand with both of hers, gently stroked it, speaking softly.

"I’m glad I could help… I’m really relieved. And… you’ve really worked hard."

Tiel had seen for herself during her stay here how much Illum cared for the beastkin of this land. How much he cherished and loved them…

A single hot tear fell from Illum's wrinkled eye.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It was a tear of relief and joy. Illum wiped it away with his other hand, muttering continuous words of gratitude.

Ian Dross, who had been quietly watching the scene, spoke.

"Soon, the royal family will send someone. The royal family will help stabilize this land."

The beastkin of this land had lived in darkness for so long. They needed help, especially now that they had suddenly been exposed to the light.

Additionally, many beastkin had died in this event, and their bodies had to be dealt with.

The knight orders that Ian had brought and Arne’s knights were already performing these tasks, but they were grossly insufficient. Stabilizing this land would require a great deal of manpower, time, and money.

Naturally, the Crassion royal family would take on that role. Illum bowed his head toward Ian Dross.

"Thank you for His Majesty’s grace."

"Of course."

Ian chuckled lightly. His attitude was one of ease, as though it was simply "the natural thing to do." He looked first at Tiel and Karl, then at Illum, before speaking again.

"However, there’s something I need to discuss. This doesn’t seem like the right place for it."

Ian Dross nodded.

"Please follow me. I’ll take you to a quiet place."

At Illum’s words, the other beastkin dispersed.

He guided Ian Dross, Tiel, Ludian, and Ferdie to his home.

Olivia and Clemence, however, weren’t interested in Ian Dross’s discussion and decided to explore the area.

Clemence, curious whether she could use her abilities to revive the dead plants of this land, wanted to investigate.

Since Ian was also curious about that, he allowed them to look around.

And then.

"You there, come here."

Ian Dross called out to Karl, who had been about to follow Olivia and Clemence.

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Come with us."

Karl glanced at Illum, who gestured for him to come. Without saying much, Karl followed Illum.

"Please, come in."

Illum led them to the place where they had first had a conversation, though it felt entirely different now, with the sun having risen.

Illum suggested they sit on the wooden sofa, and he sat down as well. Ian Dross sat first and placed Tiel beside him.

Ferdie and Ludian sat next to them, with Illum and Karl sitting opposite them.

"I’ll get straight to the point. I know that boy is the heir of Everard."

"…"

Illum silently turned to look at Karl. Karl flinched, trembling. The boy shook his head urgently and spoke in a panicked tone.

"I-I didn’t use my ability on purpose…"

"You don’t need to make excuses, Karl. I’m not scolding you."

Illum looked at him with warm eyes. His large hand rested gently on Karl’s head.

Karl closed his eyes slightly. Illum softly stroked Karl’s aqua-colored hair.

The sunlight made Karl’s hair appear even more vivid, the light blue strands flowing gently beneath Illum’s hand.

"I suspected you might be the one."

"Since when?"

"Since the water started flowing through the channel."

"…Uncle."

Karl looked up at Illum. Illum smiled gently at the boy before turning to Ian Dross.

"Do you know why Everard was destroyed?"

"Roughly."

"There’s far more about Everard and Arcadia that’s unknown than what is known. Our family, long ago, was a vassal family that protected Everard."

Illum spoke calmly. Karl, hearing this for the first time, widened his eyes and listened intently. Tiel was just as attentive.

Everyone focused on Illum’s words as he began speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.

"The reason Arcadia lost its light and name was because of those who carried the Everard name."

"Yes, I know."

"…However, it wasn’t entirely Everard’s fault. Everard did everything they could to fix the mistakes. And they paid the price with their annihilation."

This event occurred long before Illum was born, so it was a story from a long time ago. Illum’s voice didn’t carry much emotion—his tone was dry, almost as if reading from a book. However, there was a firm conviction in his voice, as though there was no doubt about the truth of what he was saying.

"The problem is, the beastkin of this land don’t know this fact. They think Everard destroyed this land. They believe that because they lost their morning and their name, it was all Everard’s fault."

"That’s understandable, since it was the one with the Everard name who summoned the evil god."

"However, for this land to exist, Everard is necessary. The beastkin who live here all live under the power of water."

Illum gently pulled Karl into his embrace. The small boy nestled against Illum’s chest.

"That’s why the last head of Everard left his son to the next generation. The way Everard’s family always passed down the water powers."

"What…?"

"Karl is the son of Renato Virhilio Everard, the last head of the Everard family, who was annihilated hundreds of years ago."

***

[This is more than I expected… I didn’t think there was still an heir of Everard.]

A voice hummed from the darkness. But the voice wasn’t filled with malice. The darkness that had grown denser scattered and gathered again.

[However, the objective has already been achieved. It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing to regret.]

The darkness scattered and reformed into a giant hand shape. The hand made of darkness brushed against pale skin.

In the darkness, a woman, like a corpse, stood tall.

She had brilliant golden hair and emerald-colored eyes.

Her sharply defined features and tightly shut mouth gave her an aristocratic air, though her pale, sunken cheeks made her look frail. Despite that, she was still beautiful.

She stared blankly into the pitch-black void with unfocused eyes. The darkness that had been caressing her cheek spoke in a satisfied voice.

[You’ll need time to recover your strength. You couldn’t kill that little girl, but it doesn’t matter. Once you fully embrace your power, that little girl won’t be your match…]

A tearing laugh echoed through the darkness.