Chapter 374: A Worrisome Event(4)
Chapter 374: A Worrisome Event(4)
As it had been before, my daily routine became remarkably simple once I started receiving special training from my father.
I’d wake up in the morning, finish a light workout, and then undergo training from him. During those sessions, Ariel would either watch me or be taken out by Adelia.
Following this pattern, time would slip away in a flash, and before I knew it, dinner was approaching—along with a wave of physical pain.
It was easy for me to immerse myself in training, thanks to my peculiar ability to focus so intensely that I couldn't easily snap out of it. The problem was what came after.
My father told me that this level of concentration wasn't necessarily a good thing in combat. He warned me that in life-or-death battles, small variables could lead to massive consequences, so I needed to stay aware of my surroundings.
However, since it was a habit I’d had since childhood, it was practically impossible to fix. Because of that, my father advised me that the only way forward was to learn how to utilize it properly.
Anyway, that was the gist of my daily life. Training with my father, writing, playing with Ariel, and so on.
Living in the confined space of the dormitory was a bit stifling, but I was leading a productive life in my own way.
"Did you receive training from your father back in the day, too?"
"Yeah. I even sparred with my siblings."
Occasionally, I spent my time in more unusual ways—like right now, as I brushed the hair of a certain beastkin, Leona.
Every time I ran the brush through her hair, clumps of chestnut-brown strands came out. I gathered them into a ball and tossed them onto the floor.
As Leona’s mother, Lucia, had mentioned before, beastkin shed an incredible amount of fur, but it grew back just as quickly.
Because of this, grooming was essential. While she could handle the rest, her hair required someone else's help to keep it clean.
Originally, Lucia had taken care of Leona’s hair, but now that the responsibility had shifted to me, she tended to visit the dormitory once every three days.
Purr. Purr.
Leona began to let out the characteristic "purr-song" of a cat, clearly enjoying the brushing.
The animal ears atop her head twitched, and her tail swayed gently from side to side.
It felt like I was taking care of a pet, which gave me a rather strange sensation.
"Did you ever get hurt while sparring with your siblings?"
"I got hurt a lot. Broken bones were the baseline. In extreme cases, my internal organs almost spilled out."
"…And you didn't die?"
"Beastkin have fast recovery rates, so that kind of thing is considered a minor injury. An injury that would kill another race is probably just a 'serious' one for a beastkin. We evolved that way because we’ve lived in such harsh environments since ancient times."
Hearing her say such gruesome things so nonchalantly reminded me that Leona was definitely a beastkin. They truly were a race that fit the description of 'warrior tribe.'
"Of course, my recovery rate is on the weaker side compared to my siblings. As you know, I’m only half-blooded. On the bright side, I’m smart, so I know all the techniques."
"Techniques… You don't use weapons? I heard that while it might have been different in the past, beastkin use weapons nowadays."
Until the Founding King, Hik, established Animus, beastkin fought only with their bare bodies. There was no real need for weapons.
They possessed claws harder than steel and teeth that could crush rock.
Furthermore, they had the physical prowess to render the reach advantage of weapons meaningless.
However, history clearly records that Hik himself took up a weapon to build a civilization, and that weapon was a massive double-edged axe.
There was no weapon better suited than an axe to fully utilize the immense physical strength unique to beastkin.
"Me? Not really. I’m far removed from the line of succession, and I prefer using my head over my body, so I don't use weapons. My innate strength isn't as great as my siblings', either. That’s why I prefer grappling over striking."
"Grappling… I suppose that would be more suitable."
"Want to go a round?"
Leona turned back to look at me with a smirk. It was a smile full of playfulness, not genuine intent.
I let out a short laugh at her suggestion, then grabbed her head with both hands and turned it back to its original position.
Sparring with my father was more than enough. I was exhausted after every session; there was no way I had the energy to spar with anyone else.
‘Thinking about it, Nicole and Adele are really amazing.’
As a martial studies assistant instructor and a student, they acted as sparring partners for students every weekend.
Even if they possessed iron-clad stamina, I couldn't help but feel a natural sense of respect considering they sparred without rest.
The closer I got to their level, the further away they seemed to be. That was exactly how I felt right now.
"How are your classes lately? Are they manageable?"
"They’re fine, except for physics and math. I have no idea what they’re talking about in those."
"That’s normal. If you understood them, you’d have become a mage a long time ago."
"You don't know them either? Weren't you a prophet?"
"There’s far more I don't know than what I do. And I’m not a prophet."
In this world, physics and mathematics were derived from magic. They were disciplines born to analyze magic.
Consequently, most physicists or mathematicians were mages, and even the word 'genius' was insufficient to describe them.
If those were the people giving the explanations, could an ordinary person ever hope to understand? It was easier to just accept that it was practically impossible.
Because of this, most students who understood their lectures ended up becoming mages.
‘Come to think of it, there isn't an institution specifically for training mages yet.’
Normally, the liberal arts and sciences should be separated, but that wasn't the case at Halo Academy.
It was simply divided into Martial Studies and Literature, and nothing else.
The fact that the disciplines themselves were developed but the classification was lacking showed that there was still a long way to go.
‘Not that it matters to me, since I’m a literature student.’
I diligently continued brushing Leona’s hair. Since it was summer, I was a bit worried about how much was coming out in clumps every time I brushed.
She said it grew back as much as it fell out, but it seemed like an awful lot.
Regardless, Leona continued to purr, clearly delighted by my touch.
"Have you ever thought about cutting your hair?"
"It would just grow back to its original length in a month."
"It grows that fast?"
"It’s like this because it’s summer. It’s even worse in the winter. Right now is actually the manageable phase."
"You must have to be really strict with the maintenance."
"Exactly. So, I’ll be counting on you from now on, Husband?"
Leona teased, rubbing her head against my chest. It really did feel like I was raising a pet.
I smiled gently at her display of affection and softly stroked her head. The purring grew even deeper.
"Oh, right. Leona. Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"I was wondering what beastkin think of demon worshippers."
"They’re bastards. Not only did they take us as slaves, but they even used us as sacrifices. Our country has already filed an official protest."
Just as Leona said, Animus was also incensed by the current situation. Being victims of genocide during the Race War made them particularly sensitive to such matters.
Especially considering that Animus wasn't even politically stable yet, the fact that they voiced their outrage showed the severity of the situation.
"Bastards?"
"Huh?"
"Hmm?"
While Leona was grumbling, another voice chimed in. It had the characteristic lisp of a young child.
As soon as I heard that voice, I stopped brushing and turned my head. Leona did the same.
Ariel was standing there, sucking on her index finger and staring blankly at us.
"A-Ariel? Weren't you sleeping?"
"Just waked up."
Ariel replied, toddling toward us. Then, she spotted the clumps of hair on the floor.
She picked up one of the gathered clumps and stared at it intently.
After looking at it with a curious expression, she opened her mouth wide and—
"Whoa, whoa! You can't eat that. That’s yucky. Yucky."
"Yucky?"
"Yes. It’s yucky."
I barely managed to stop her from eating it. No matter how well she ate, even Ariel would get an upset stomach if she ate something like that.
Following my instruction, Ariel looked at the well-clumped ball of brown hair before setting it back down on the floor.
Meanwhile, Leona, who had been staring at her, whispered softly.
"…She really is cute."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. Anyway, she really is an angel, right?"
"That’s right."
"And she was born from a seed given as a gift by Lord Hirt?"
"Yeah."
I had finished explaining everything about Ariel to Leona a long time ago. However, since Ariel had been sleeping back then, this was their first time meeting face-to-face.
Ariel also seemed curious about the beastkin she was seeing for the first time, her golden eyes sparkling as she looked at her.
I stopped brushing for a moment so she could get a better look. It felt like their meeting was more important right now.
"Up we go."
I lifted Ariel up to bring her to eye level with Leona. Even as I held her, Ariel’s gaze remained fixed on Leona.
The same went for Leona. Their golden eyes, similar in hue, met each other.
In the suddenly quiet atmosphere, I spoke softly.
"Ariel. Say hello. This is Leona. She’s going to be another mother for you in the future."
"Mother?"
"Yes. Mother."
It felt like a strange way to introduce her, but I couldn't think of any other appropriate greeting.
There was still some time before Leona’s estrus, but since it was a settled matter, I figured there was no harm in letting her know in advance.
"But I don't feel Papa’s energy on her?"
"…You will soon. Not yet, so you can call her 'Big Sister' for now."
"Ooh… Okay. Then, Leona Unnie?"
"C-Can I try holding her?"
Leona asked me in a hurried voice, looking completely enchanted by Ariel.
She held out her arms and bounced her legs, her desperation plain to see.
Since she looked so earnest, I carefully handed Ariel over to her as she wished.
Ariel didn't seem to mind Leona either, as she went into her arms without resistance.
"Sniff… Haa. She really is Lord Hirt’s child. I can smell a strong scent of nature."
As soon as she held Ariel, Leona began to sniff her. She was focusing on the sprout growing from the crown of her head.
"…You can even smell that?"
"Of course. Even if I’m a half-blood, my senses are close to those of a beastkin. By the way, when does this sprout grow?"
"I don't know that either. I assume it’ll grow as she does?"
Lick—
Before I could even finish my answer, Leona took sudden action. She abruptly licked Ariel’s cheek with her tongue.
I knew that was Leona’s way of showing strong affection, but I wasn't sure if Ariel would accept it.
"…?"
Fortunately, Ariel’s reaction was neither good nor bad. She simply wore a puzzled expression, wondering what had just happened.
Seeing that expression, Leona seemed to get even more excited and began to lick her cheek repeatedly.
Ariel’s soft, mochi-like cheek wobbled under the grooming of the tongue.
Normally, anyone would have rejected such a display of affection, but Ariel was an angel.
Moreover, since she could read hearts, I assumed she had already grasped Leona’s emotions.
Sway— Sway—
While Leona continued her display of affection, her tail drifted toward Ariel.
Ariel, seemingly forgetting she was being groomed, turned her gaze toward the tail.
After watching the swaying tail for a moment, she grabbed it firmly with her tiny hands.
"Wow."
"Lick. Is it interesting?"
It seemed Leona had moved her tail there on purpose for her to touch. Leona stopped grooming and spoke, curious about Ariel’s reaction.
Regardless, Ariel examined the tail she was holding from various angles before slowly bringing it toward her face.
At first, I thought she was just trying to observe it more closely, but that was a complete miscalculation on our part.
"Aah."
Ariel opened her mouth wide, stuffed the tail inside, and—
"Chomp!"
Crunch!!
She bit down hard.
"KYAAAAAAAH!!!"
Leona let out a piercing, cat-like scream at the sudden, unexpected ambush.
"A-Ariel! Spit it out! Spit it out right now!"
"Mmph?"
"Don't eat it! You’ll be in trouble if you eat that! Spit it out!"
A major accident I hadn't predicted at all had just occurred.
At that same time, Kate, who had been dispatched on Isaac’s orders…
"Are these the ones? The ones who dared to ignore his command?"
"Yes. That is correct."
She stood face-to-face with those responsible for the innocent victims.
