Chapter 86
Chapter 86
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Beginning of Change (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘I knew it would be like this.’
I knew she’d keep bawling like this.
‘She didn’t seem like the type to give up easily.’
If she were the kind of guy who’d quit at a reasonable point, she wouldn’t have tormented me so much yesterday.
Belta’s stubbornness was as tenacious as mine, if not more.
“Jooo!”
“Play with something else.”
I shoved an item from my inventory in front of the kid who wasn’t even listening to me.
She’d been on the verge of bursting into tears again, but now she showed some interest.
Sniff sniff. Sniff.
Her pink nose twitched furiously, and then—
“Not this one! Gimme the one with the cool smell! That one!”
She swatted away the thing in my hand and wailed.
‘Guess it’s no good after all….’
I clicked my tongue inwardly as I watched Belta flop onto the floor, kicking and screaming.
What she’d smacked away was a candy stick made of catnip.
I’d prepared it because the kid’s nonstop crying was getting to me.
I’d wondered if she, being feline, might like it, so I’d gone out of my way to ask for it.
‘Strikeout.’
I’d heard only about 70% of adult cats react to catnip.
Maybe that’s why it had no effect on the still-young Belta.
‘Or maybe it’s because she’s tiger kin.’
I recalled the info on Belta that Centler had given me and swallowed a sigh.
Whatever the reason, catnip had no effect on her.
Proof was the catnip candy stick rolling pathetically across the gleaming marble floor.
‘If I want to build connections with the beastkin through her, I need to treat her right first….’
Sending her back after making her cry all day wouldn’t leave a good impression.
In the end, I gave up on the catnip toy and went with plan B.
I pulled a doll from my inventory. Another gift from An Gi-jun.
‘Maybe because I asked for catnip….’
Every single one was shaped like a fish.
I hesitated, feeling like I was treating her like an animal.
But when Belta started wailing again like the world was ending, I had no choice.
I spritzed some skin toner on the fish doll and handed it over.
“Meow…?”
Only then did Belta’s crying subside.
She sniffed it, and finally—
“Hee hee hee.”
She giggled in satisfaction.
‘Grinning with those puffy eyes.’
I stroked her head and asked,
“You’re smiling now. Like it?”
“Yeah!”
Belta beamed as if she’d never cried at all.
‘Come to think of it….’
Even yesterday, when she’d yanked my hair to guide me, she’d grinned just like this.
Like she was so excited she didn’t know what to do with herself.
Watching Belta bury her nose in the doll and chuckle made me chuckle too.
‘Over what, exactly.’
It was just some face lotion. What was so great about that smell?
I shook my head at her incomprehensible stubbornness for a moment.
Then I picked up the kid. Couldn’t leave her sitting on the marble floor forever.
“Hm?”
That’s when I sensed movement from a spot that should’ve been empty.
No mana detection pinged, and I hadn’t felt anyone approaching.
Yet the presence appeared as naturally as if they’d been there all along.
I gulped and checked the direction of the voice.
‘…A beastkin.’
The one who’d suddenly appeared was a head taller than me—massive.
But before his huge build caught my eye, it was his appearance.
‘Same species as Belta.’
Way too similar.
Hair and tail mottled like tiger stripes.
Triangular ears poking up from his head.
A slightly protruding muzzle and whiskers.
Even black spots dotting his pink nose, just like Belta’s.
“What’s this?”
The obviously male beastkin picked up the catnip candy stick rolling on the floor before I could answer.
“Catnip… a toy from that other world, sort of…”
He sniffed it while I explained.
I shut my mouth mid-sentence.
Because the beastkin had suddenly collapsed to the floor and started gnawing, licking, and sucking on the tiny catnip candy stick—not even a mouthful big.
“…”
It looked just like a cat clutching a catnip toy with its paws and huffing away.
Something you might’ve glimpsed once on YouTube.
The problem? This “cat” was built like he could easily top two meters.
With human-like arms and legs to boot.
“Sluuuurp. Ahhh.”
If he’d just stood there enjoying it, I might not have been shocked.
But rolling around on the floor like that? Words failed me.
Still, I learned one solid fact.
‘It’s not completely ineffective.’
Seems it just didn’t work on Belta because she wasn’t mature yet.
“Breche is acting weird.”
That wasn’t me speaking.
It was Belta, snug in my arms, giggling as she said it.
I alternated glances between the adult beastkin busy “cleaning” the marble and Belta, then asked,
“Breche?”
“That’s Breche.”
Belta clutched her doll in one hand and pointed at the other beastkin with the other.
‘His name, huh.’
Breche rolled around on the floor for a good ten minutes.
In that time, I agonized dozens of times.
Should I stick around and keep watching this beastkin in this weirdly awkward mood?
Or just pretend I saw nothing and leave?
The hesitation didn’t last long. My choice was obvious.
‘At least he seems like an adult I can talk to.’
If I wanted even one connection, one tie to the beastkin side, leaving now made no sense.
Taking care of Belta in the first place was partly to build friendly relations with these unknown beings.
Luckily, my common sense told me this uncomfortable situation wouldn’t drag on.
‘I think the effect is one-shot.’
If I remembered right, catnip only worked on cats for about ten to fifteen minutes, until their sense of smell fatigued.
Sure enough, after around ten minutes, Breche seemed to regain his senses, no longer fixated on the candy stick.
“This stuff’s no joke! I love it!”
His bright sky-blue eyes sparkled as he sprang to his feet.
He thrust out his hand toward me with a clunk and said,
“Gimme more if you got it.”
I eyed his huge hand, then glanced at Belta.
‘Why’s he always demanding stuff?’
You’d think I was holding his stuff for him.
‘Racial trait? They sure act alike.’
Belta was the same—blurting out whatever she wanted first.
I gave Breche a strange look.
What was it? Like facing down the delinquent types I’d clashed with back in high school student council days?
‘Felt just like this when I caught those punks shaking down kids.’
The difference? I was the victim this time.
I almost snapped at him, but seeing Belta still grinning happily changed my mind.
The kid’s face shone with the purest joy in the world.
‘No malice….’
Just born shameless and blunt, that’s all.
In the end, I let out a shallow sigh and opened my inventory.
‘No real use for it anyway.’
Handing over one more bag wouldn’t hurt.
This time, it was a catnip ball.
A toy with catnip inside a fist-sized wooden ball.
“Thanks!”
Breche snatched the box, tore off the packaging, and shoved his nose in.
Then tilted his head.
“This one’s weird? Smells bad.”
After going through the trouble, now he complains.
I tsked openly and said,
“You’re used to the smell now.”
He’d dropped formalities on first meeting, so no need for mine.
“Aha! So it’ll be good again later?”
“Probably. But too often, and the effect halves.”
“Ooh, got it.”
Breche licked the catnip candy regretfully.
Then he called over a mansion servant and got a glass jar.
He stuffed the candy stick and ball inside, sealing the lid tight.
“Just pull it out later, right?”
He asked with a dopey grin.
“…Yeah.”
I’d brought it to cheer up the kid, but somehow he’s the happier one.
Only then did Breche tuck the jar under his arm and turn to me.
“Heard Belta went off with some outsider. You, huh? What do I call you?”
Not thrilled by his face in mine, I shoved it away with my hand and answered,
“K. You?”
“Her brother.”
I asked for his name, not his relation to Belta.
“Humans here call it half-siblings or whatever. That it?”
Absurd, but I already knew his name thanks to Belta.
No need to ask again, so I let it slide.
“…For now.”
I answered while eyeing Belta and Breche alternately.
‘Belta’s half-brother….’
So he’s also a son of that king or whatever beastkin?
‘No.’
If the king’s male, that means no blood tie.
‘…Still okay?’
Technically, their mothers both hooked up with the king and other guys.
Beastkin don’t care about standard marriage norms?
My lack of knowledge about this world was broadening my thoughts too much.
‘Maybe ask in detail while I’m at it?’
As I considered pulling out questions, Breche spoke first.
“You staying here awhile?”
“For now.”
“Cool, that works.”
Works for what? Before I could ask, he reached out and continued,
“Came to grab this one.”
She’d been throwing a fit about not going just earlier.
Breche grabbed Belta by the scruff and pulled her to him.
“She’s calm now. Time to go.”
Belta, nose-deep in her fish doll, looked up at him blankly.
“Why?”
“Mom said bring you back.”
“Mom? Why?”
“Dunno.”
Breche shrugged and turned to me.
“Gotta head out. I’ll come back sometime—see ya then.”
I had questions, but nothing urgent enough to stop someone determined to leave.
‘We exchanged names.’
Seemed like I’d left a decent first impression, so no need to cling.
“Do whatever.”
My curt reply sent Breche striding out of the mansion, Belta by the scruff.
As she was carried off obediently, Belta turned back and waved wildly.
“Byeee.”
Her drawn-out farewell evoked a tiger cub being dragged off by its mom.
I waved back almost reflexively, then burst out laughing.
Belta clutching her fish doll, Breche his jar of catnip toys.
Hugging them like lifelines—it cracked me up.
They soon vanished from sight.
I stood blankly in the empty mansion hall, scratching my neck.
Relieved the headache that’d plagued me since yesterday was gone.
A bit hollow now, too.
‘Definitely a type I’ve never dealt with before.’
One thing clear from our brief chat: those two tiger beastkin were total my-pacers.
Their blunt, inconsiderate actions threw people off.
Yet none of it felt outright unpleasant.
Easy to pinpoint why.
‘No ulterior motives.’
Better than fake kindness plotting a backstab.
As I mulled over my not-bad impression of beastkin, I shook my head.
‘Time for mana training.’
I shook off the lingering feelings and climbed the stairs—same as always.
Damn System