Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Like Father, Like Daughter (2)
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'M-Mama...?'
Yuria was utterly flustered.
Jeron's pet...? Or whatever you called it.
The mysterious familiar he'd brought along had suddenly called her mama.
A snake with nine heads.
An appearance that would normally feel scary and repulsive.
But up close, it somehow gave off a languid, comfortable vibe—enough to make her think it was actually kind of cute.
And it even called Jeron papa, which gave it the feeling of his daughter.
Of course, it was an animal, but its telepathic voice was exactly like that of a little girl.
So she'd been watching fondly when it suddenly treated her like mom.
If Jeron was the dad, then she was the mom...?
Aaah... Now I'm having weird thoughts again.
She'd felt something similar with Seolbaek before, but hearing it directly this time made her heart pound and her cheeks burn hot.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Aigoo. Hiyu...
I felt dizzy.
Not content with calling Kerr mama, now it was doing it to Yuria too.
I could see Yuria flustered, her face bright red.
It might make her uncomfortable, so I quickly explained.
"Sorry, Yuria. She's still young and calls any woman mama, I guess."
I poked Hiyu's heads.
"Hiyu. Don't do that to Yuria. She's my friend."
[Not mama...?]
Hiyu tilted her head.
That was when it happened.
Tug.
Yuria gently pulled at my collar.
"No, Jeron."
She whispered in a shy, thin voice.
"I'll... be mama."
"You sure?"
"Yes. She's just a little kid. It'd be pitiful growing up without a mom..."
She said, looking bashful.
As expected of Yuria.
She's really so kind.
Maybe because of her high spirit affinity, she seemed soft on summons like this.
She must have volunteered out of pity for Hiyu, who'd grown up without a mother.
Angel-tier personality.
"Her name's Hiyu?"
"Yeah."
"It suits her so well. Hello, Hiyu...? Good girl... Mom's here now, so let's sleep~..."
Yuria cautiously reached out and gently stroked each of Hiyu's heads.
At that,
Hiyu seemed pleased, narrowing her eyes thin before drifting off to sleep under Yuria's touch.
"Sleep well..."
Yuria wore a soft smile.
Oho.
I was impressed.
Her affinity really was on another level.
It was a heartwarmingly tender scene.
But there was one dissatisfied presence.
[Hmph. Sucking up to anyone who acts nice. No loyalty at all.]
Kerr grumbled.
She'd said it was a hassle to raise before, but now she was jealous.
What an annoying cloak.
Anyway.
After morning roll call ended and break time came, Artel and Ciel came over to my seat.
"Ooh— a snake with so many heads—."
Ciel marveled with sparkling eyes.
"Her name's Hiyu. Jeron found her on the island."
Yuria explained in her gentle voice.
"Hmm. A familiar species I've never seen before."
Artel observed Hiyu closely.
"Plus, it speaks human language, albeit immaturely, and communicates mentally—that suggests it's a high-grade familiar. The issue is the risk factor..."
She glanced at Hiyu, sprawled sleepily around my neck, and added,
"...but the risk seems low."
Really low.
Just as Artel analyzed.
Hiyu's inherent attack power seemed even lower than a normal snake's.
It worried me a bit.
Her abilities were cheat-level, but could she actually fight?
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After finishing the day's classes,
I headed to the Special Department building with Hiyu.
In the game, raising a pet in the dorms or using it officially in duels or exams required academy approval.
And especially for this promotion battle quest, I had to register her no matter what.
Knock knock.
"Come in."
A low voice replied.
Inside the lab, a middle-aged man with a bushy beard was meticulously reviewing documents.
The authority on beast taming studies, Professor Kane.
I gave him a rough rundown of the situation.
"Hm... A Magic Department cadet here for beast registration?"
"Yes."
"Let me have a look."
Professor Kane eyed Hiyu coiled around my neck and sharply narrowed his eyes.
"Hoo... Quite the rare specimen. Similar to snake-type chimeras, but it seems like a brand-new beast species never discovered before."
As expected of an expert—he saw right through its unusual nature at a glance.
"But rarity alone doesn't guarantee registration. As you know, beasts are inherently wild creatures."
He stated firmly with a stern expression.
"An uncontrolled beast is like a time bomb. It might ignore its master's orders, go berserk, and harm other cadets."
"I see."
"Therefore, you must pass a strict control test for approval."
He pulled out various tools as he spoke.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
Still, I was a little tense.
Pet registration.
This held more meaning than a mere administrative procedure.
In Stella Academia, player pets grew through the 'achievement system,' and pet-exclusive achievements unlocked the moment registration was complete.
In the game, it was just a button click to finish the test, but who knew about reality.
Hiyu. We have to pass this.
I carefully set Hiyu down on the floor.
[Whine... Papa... Floor's cold...]
She sent a pitiful telepathic plea, but I soothed her to hang in there just a bit.
"The test is simple. I'll use lures that stimulate the beast's instincts in stages. We'll see how well it remains undisturbed and obeys the master's 'wait' command."
Professor Kane slowly opened the first box.
A red hunk of meat slick with viscous fluid appeared inside.
"Stage 1: Appetite control test. Top-grade beast bait. Its intense blood scent drives beasts mad with hunger."
A fishy, overpowering aroma quickly filled the lab.
Plop.
The professor tossed the meat right in front of Hiyu's nose.
"Now, give the 'wait' command!"
"Hiyu, wait."
I pleaded earnestly.
Then,
[......]
Hiyu cracked her eyes open and glanced at the meat once.
And then,
[Whine... Gross...]
She closed her eyes again and turned her head away.
"Hoo...?"
Professor Kane's eyes went wide.
"Ignores the bait without so much as a twitch. Perfect appetite control."
...Yeah.
To me, it just looked lazy.
The tension drained out of me all at once, and I stared at Hiyu vacantly.
If Kerr didn't feed her, the kid wouldn't eat at all.
I seriously doubted if she'd eat even if I said 'eat' instead of 'wait.'
Anyway...
Seemed like we'd passed stage 1.
"Good. On to stage 2."
The professor now took out an intricately carved incense burner.
"An aroma that stimulates aggression. Most beasts start growling or exuding killing intent at this stage."
Puff puff—
Red smoke billowed up like a hazy cloud, enveloping Hiyu.
However,
The result wasn't much different this time.
[Cough... Spicy...]
Hiyu coughed once briefly, then squirmed as if annoyed by the smoke and curled up, burying her nine heads.
"Hrm...!"
Professor Kane let out an exclamation of admiration.
"Even aggression perfectly suppressed."
He scribbled something rapidly on the test sheet with his pen and looked at me with pleased eyes for some reason.
"I was skeptical since you're a Magic Department cadet, but you seem to have real talent in beast taming. Cadet Jeron?"
"Y-Yeah... Sort of..."
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
I hadn't really done anything up to now, after all.
"Finally, stage 3."
The professor solemnly produced a small crystal shard.
"An item that shows the beast something it fears most—or desires most—to shake its mind."
Humm—
A faint light pulsed from the crystal like waves.
Hiyu stared at it blankly for a moment.
[Something... sleepy...]
With that, she straight-up fell soundly asleep.
Her greatest desire is sleeping, huh...
I let out a hollow chuckle.
But,
"......!!"
Professor Kane shuddered from head to toe.
He adjusted his glasses with trembling hands.
"Eugh...! Outstanding. Truly outstanding! Even well-trained beasts tremble or whimper at stage 3...!"
He poured out words in excitement.
"This one acts utterly transcendent, as if it has no desires at all. And it's not even an adult yet, showing such control!"
Professor Kane nodded deeply in acknowledgment.
"Heh heh. A beast perfectly suppressing its instincts under its master's control. In my teaching career, this is the first time I've seen such flawless obedience."
Stamp.
He stamped the paperwork.
"Passed! No—perfect score!"
"Thank you."
It was a free pass that made my worries seem pointless.
And at that moment, a translucent system alert appeared before my eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Pet Registration Complete] [Pet has achieved a milestone!] [Pet grows once.] [Skill Slot: 1 → 2]
Nice.
Just like in the game, the pet had grown.
I looked on contentedly.
But there was one more.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Your pet passed the test in a slothful manner.] [Growth Bonus!] [Skill Slot: 2 → 3]
...You get stronger by being slothful too, huh?