The Snow Leopard Tribe Gathers
The Snow Leopard tribe lined up neatly at the sound of my voice. These beautiful, striking, and adorable people were all looking at me.
"I'm Kim Minsoo, the lord of this territory." I had originally planned to speak formally, but I decided to take a slightly firmer tone. People tend to ignore you if they think you're weak. It didn't change the fact that I was just a frail human, but confidence mattered.
"From now on, all of you will be living in my territory." Their reactions weren't bad. The Snow Leopards watched me with bright, sparkling eyes. A few of them were biting their own tails out of habit while concentrating. They really were a ridiculously cute race that made you want to smile. I held back the urge and continued seriously.
"I don't want to see any of my people starving in my territory. So if you're ever hungry, just say so! I've heard you've all been surviving on grass and tree bark. There's plenty of that around here too. But there are far better things to eat in this world! I'll make sure everyone gets to try them."
I asked Asne to bring the Big-Mouth Saw and bought a long dining table. Since it had started snowing a little, I also purchased and set up a tent to cover it. After buying plates and utensils, I had the Snow Leopards sit down. With some time to spare, I put the dismantled Sea Trolls up for auction on the marketplace. It was still early morning, so I set the auction to run for a full twelve hours. Minimum bid at seven thousand gold, instant purchase at twelve thousand. Just as I finished, Asne arrived.
The fastest thing to serve was raw meat. There was still an enormous amount of rib meat left. I immediately asked Miya to slice much more than last time. She quickly cut the meat and filled the plates.
"Using utensils will feel awkward at first. But if you're going to live here, you'll need to learn, so watch Miya and follow along!"
"Eh? I have to teach them?"
"They're family. Take care of them."
"Mm! Got it!"
I prepared a simple oil-based dipping sauce that could be made quickly. Miya showed them how to pick up the large chunks of raw meat with chopsticks since I hadn't sliced them too finely. Just like Miya had, the Snow Leopards picked it up easily and began eating the raw meat. The children had been given forks, but they handled chopsticks well and ate the meat without issue. I had prepared alternatives in case they struggled, but it didn't seem necessary.
"Ohhh...! Hyung-nim, the meat just melts in my mouth!"
"Oh my my my...! Orabeoni, this is so delicious!"
"Hahaha! There's plenty of meat, so eat until you're full!!!"
The Snow Leopards ate the raw meat and expressed their amazement. Some had eyes as wide as saucers, others closed their eyes to savor it, and a few even shed tears. Their reactions were excellent. I had thought four people would struggle to finish the Big-Mouth Saw's meat, but at this rate it would be gone in no time. Once about half the massive rib section had disappeared, everyone declared they were full. It was already 2 a.m.
"You can go to sleep first if you want."
"No. We can't rest while the lord is working so hard."
"That's right. We can't rest while our lord is putting in effort."
"Helping the lord is something I find very rewarding."
Lei, Ruin, and Asne stayed by my side and kept helping. It was a time when they should have been sleeping, and I felt guilty.
"More than anything, these are Miya's family members who nearly went extinct."
Asne, who had lived alone as a species, said that becoming a territory resident made every day enjoyable. Miya played a big part in that, so she was glad Miya's family was safe. The three of them seemed relieved that things hadn't turned tragic. Especially Lei and Ruin, who had once led their own tribe, appeared to feel it more deeply.
"Still, gratitude is gratitude. Can you two watch over Heugildo while Asne moves everyone to Nohwado?"
"Of course."
I had entrusted Heugildo to the two Black-winged tribe members. So we decided to leave them behind and have Asne transport all the Snow Leopards to Nohwado using her power. As we moved through the water with Asne's ability, the Snow Leopards seemed to recognize what a Siren was. They regarded Asne with awe, calling her an incredibly high-ranking existence.
"Miya was nervous around her at first too."
"I didn't know at the time! But now I know how kind Asne is! Hehe... I like Asne~"
"I like Miya as well."
The two of them stayed close to me. Miya clung to Asne's arm and acted cute, and Asne accepted it with a smile, clearly not minding.
"Ho... If this is Lord Kim Minsoo's territory, it would be invincible."
"I'm relieved that the Siren has taken a liking to our daughter."
Mino and Diya watched the two of them. Noticing their gazes, Miya dashed over and threw herself into their arms. Every single thing she did really lifted people's spirits.
While that was happening, we arrived at Nohwado. I had everyone come ashore at the land where the houses were and told them to gather with their families. The groups split with Miya's family of three—Mino, Diya, and Miya—at the center. There was one family with three children, three families with two children each, and two families that were childless couples. The remaining two were adult women without partners. Unfortunately, the gender ratio wasn't balanced, but that was something I couldn't do anything about even if I tried.
'If too many people gather in one spot, it might show up on satellite photos, so let's spread them out a bit.'
When you looked at satellite view on the map app, photos appeared. They weren't super detailed, but you could roughly make out shapes. Since satellites were still taking pictures, the maps updated every few hours. Honestly, it probably didn't matter. What kind of lunatic would cross the dangerous sea to reach an island? And even if someone did come, the people guarding this place were on an entirely different level. Not metaphorically—literally from another dimension.
'The sky? Fighter jets get shot down by 5th or 6th-grade monsters...'
That was why they didn't send fighter jets into Break zones. Monsters dodged missiles fired from afar, and getting too close meant the aircraft would be torn apart even by a graze. If someone figured out this place and tried to invade? I wouldn't hold back either. Still, just in case some idle person decided to check the island, spreading everyone out seemed safer. It was best to avoid troublesome situations when possible.
"From now on, I'll be buying houses for you. Each family gets two rooms as standard. If you want to live separately, just say so!"
The container house I was planning to buy cost nine thousand gold. It had two bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom. Couples could share one room while the children took the other.
"A house...?"
But the problem was that these Snow Leopards didn't understand what a house was. Just like Miya had said, the wilderness itself had been their home. The sky was the roof and the ground was the room. Sleeping wherever they felt like with their tails spread out was apparently what counted as home. My head hurt just thinking about it, but I didn't give up and carried on with the plan.
Fortunately, the Snow Leopards followed along obediently. Since they had originally slept together as families, no one asked to live separately. So I bought seven houses and set them up in various spots around Nohwado. Each time I installed one, I explained temperature control, how to use the bathroom, provided toiletries and shower products, bedding sets, and pajamas to the family that would live there. Everyone thanked me with satisfied expressions.
Then they said something that caught me off guard.
"Lord, if it's not too much trouble... would it be all right if we had more children?"
"Ahem. Do as you like."
"Thank you!"
The soundproofing was more than adequate. Even if there were children in the other room, it wouldn't be heard. And if children were born, it would only be a joyous occasion.
"Since we don't have partners, we'll wash up and go straight to sleep. Ah, if the lord is willing..."
"Hyaaak!"
"It's nothing!"
The two remaining women each received a three-thousand-gold house and an explanation. They seemed like they wanted to ask for something, but Miya let out a sharp "hyaak" and stopped them. I wasn't so oblivious that I didn't understand what they meant. But the Snow Leopards and I were different species. It was better to be cautious, so I pretended not to notice.
By the time I finished explaining everything, spending about ten minutes per house, it was nearly 4 a.m.
"Hyung-nim, you worked hard."
"Orabeoni, thank you for taking care of us like this."
"Minsoo, thank you!"
Miya's family had helped me from start to finish.
"Mino, you were so badly injured. Are you really okay?"
"Ah, Hyung-nim treated me well, so there's no problem!"
He spun his once-severed arm around with a hearty motion. He really was as tough as he looked.
"Good. Everything's done now, so go wash up and get some sleep."
"Oh! Understood! Haha...! I hoped for help, but for Hyung-nim to take care of us like this... Our tribe will recover in no time!"
"Fufu... That's true."
As Mino spoke, he wrapped an arm around Diya's waist and pulled her into his embrace. Diya didn't resist and leaned into him with a seductive expression. It was painfully obvious how single I was.
"Ah, right. Do whatever you want."
The two of them, radiating affection, were the last to enter their house.
"Miya, you should sleep too."
"Minsoo... thank you..."
Miya, looking a little drained, pressed herself against my side. Her tail gently wrapped around my leg as she glanced up at me.
"No need to thank me. They're my territory residents now, after all."
"Uuu..."
I had saved her from a hard life. And I had also saved her family, people she might never have seen again. To Miya, I was more than just a lifesaver. She probably worried about how to repay that debt.
"I'm a lacking lord, so help me a lot with your strength, Miya."
"Uuuu..."
"We've stayed up late for the first time in a while. I can't hold out much longer. I need to go sleep."
"Go inside and rest."
"Yeah. You too, Miya."
Miya's tail unwrapped from my leg. I trudged toward the house.
"Minsoo, you dummy..."
Just before I entered, Miya whispered so softly that I couldn't hear it in my sleepy state. After a quick wash, I collapsed into bed and time simply vanished. When I opened my eyes and came to my senses, the sun was already high in the sky again.