You're Not Prey, So I'll Exterminate You
"That... that wicked wench... my child..."
Blanc's mother clenched her teeth at the sight of him fawning, drunk on catnip.
"How dare they... feed my precious son... that garbage..."
Power swelled around her as if she might tear through to him at any second. Beneath her feet the ice blackened and died, and the Snowy Mountain screamed.
"Oh, here she goes again."
"She's peeking in on the youngest again. Let's give her some space."
"Yeah... nothing good comes of being in her line of sight right now."
The white tigers broke out in a cold sweat at the aura pouring off her and quietly took their leave.
A colossal shadow fell over her head, and a heavy voice rolled through the Snowy Mountain.
"Daughter. Compose yourself."
She clenched her teeth at her father's arrival.
"But... Father... my child... showing those other wenches the affection he used to save only for me, over some cheap trinket like that... nngh."
"...That is certainly infuriating, I grant you... but those are the humans the child is fond of, are they not? Endure it a little longer."
"Besides, have you not important work before you? Would you ruin the crafting of a mortal vessel—your means of descending to the human world—over such petty emotion?"
Her father's rebuke stopped her as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head. She drew her ragged breathing slowly back under control, thought of Blanc, and caught hold of the last thread of her reason.
"Haa..."
"You are right, Father... I nearly ruined everything for a moment..."
She glanced once more at the empty air, as if reluctant to let go, then nodded.
...Those wicked wenches... someday...
Gritting her teeth, she severed the vision bound to Blanc with a pain like carving the flesh from her own bones.
"Blanc, snack time."
"Kyau! Kyaaang!"
Catnip's nice and all... but it still can't beat meat.
The catnip scent that had left me woozy was driven clean out of my head by the smell of the jerky Kailian had brought. I launched myself onto her lap without a second's delay.
"Kyau."
Hurry up and give it.
"...When it comes to this, you're faster than anyone, you little pig."
Kailian set a silver tray on the table. Upon it sat the galbi-jjim jerky Haetae had prepared before she left—savory dried meat with the flavor of braised short ribs—along with a sweet cake heaped with whipped cream and fruit.
"Here. Say aah."
She tore the jerky into pieces just the right size for me and slipped them into my mouth.
Our Butler really knows me now.
I snapped up every scrap she tore for me, chomping and chewing with relish.
"Kyaung! Kyaaang!"
Haetae... her cooking is seriously incredible. We really shouldn't let her go back to the East.
Sweet, yet bursting with umami, the salty meat juices exploding across my tongue. The thin grassy smell of catnip was a mere commoner before this jerky.
"Eat slowly. Nobody's going to steal it... you're the one who steals everyone else's food."
When did I ever steal food! I just... ate the stuff they weren't eating, that's all.
Kailian grumbled, but she still wiped my mouth with painstaking care, using a soft handkerchief. Ever since she'd seen Gumiho doing it, she'd taken to carrying one at all times to dab at the corners of my mouth.
Jealousy's cute, though.
She slipped another piece of jerky between my teeth and scratched behind my head and ears until it felt wonderful.
"Purrrr..."
Her scratching's almost caught up to Grandpa's.
I closed my eyes under her hands and kept chewing. Kailian watched me, a small smile tugging at her mouth, then turned toward Rosalia, who sat across from her.
"So, did you wrap up the Magic Tower business alright?"
At that light question, Rosalia's face—which had been grinning foolishly at me—went cold.
"...Actually, that's why I came back in such a hurry."
"Something happened, then... and it looks like a real headache."
Kailian frowned at her reaction.
"I already reported to His Majesty before coming here... but I should inform Your Highness and Lord Blanc of the situation as well."
"Stop dragging it out. Spit it out."
Rosalia reached to touch my front paw and got smacked by my tail for her trouble.
"At present, a massive outbreak of extremely bizarre insects has occurred in the Empire's southern granary region."
"Insects?"
"Yes. The swarm is devouring the southern wheat fields and crops like mad, and it has become a serious problem."
Kailian's brows snapped together. This was no small matter. She stroked my belly as she spoke.
"They're not just regular bugs, are they. Magical beasts?"
"Yes, that's correct... even I have never seen this type of magical beast before... I'm not even sure whether they ought to be called magical beasts at all."
"That's weird... the south prepares thoroughly for insect-type magical beasts every year, doesn't it? They've got a suppression force too. How did they get through?"
Kailian crossed her arms, looking puzzled.
"Kyau."
I was feeling so good. Why'd you stop petting me?
"Of course we prepared more than enough... and the suppression force is full of skilled people. However..."
Rosalia pressed her fingers to her forehead and shook her head, as if something unpleasant had just surfaced in her memory.
"The problem is their numbers... there are simply too many of them."
"Kyauung."
They're making a huge deal out of some bug swarm.
I licked the jerky grease off my paw pads and stared up at her. She didn't show off her fighting much, but it wasn't as if she'd become Tower Master of the Magic Tower by accident. And she was recoiling over bugs?
I chewed my jerky with a skeptical look, and Rosalia read it in my eyes and protested as if she'd been wronged.
"...Please don't look at me like that... I thought it was a minor matter myself, until I saw them in person."
"You went out there yourself and still failed?"
Kailian asked, a little startled. Rosalia was an infuriating woman who made a grab for me at every opportunity, but even Kailian wouldn't deny she was the greatest mage in the Empire. And she'd gone out personally, only to come back having failed.
"Yes... I failed miserably."
Rosalia bit her lip at the question.
"Just how bad is the situation?"
"I attempted to suppress the insects with the suppression force... and the mages under my direct command, but..."
"Kill a thousand of them, and about fifteen hundred more appear."
"What are you talking about...?"
"Even if you kill them, their reproductive capacity exceeds the kill count... their breeding rate, and the speed at which they grow to adulthood in an instant, are their weapons."
"Kyau..."
Ugh... that's ruining the jerky.
The moment I pictured cockroaches multiplying in a flash and growing to adulthood just as fast, I could have sworn something was crawling over my fur. I planted my rear against Kailian's stomach and tapped her hand with a front paw until she set it on my head.
There. That's better.
"This is insane... a volume even the Tower Master can't handle..."
Kailian's face crumpled. The problem was far worse than she'd expected. If the southern granary region collapsed, the entire Empire would take a devastating blow. A food shortage could be managed to some extent with my power, but even that couldn't last forever. And more than anything, she had no desire to use me that way.
Listening to the two of them talk in those grim voices, I started wondering what these bugs even looked like.
"Kyaung! Kyaung!"
What do they look like? Do you have a picture or something?
I tapped Rosalia's sleeve with a front paw and looked up at her, eyes bright with curiosity.
"If Lord Blanc is truly curious, I shall show you myself."
She scratched affectionately behind my ear, then flicked her fingers.
Snap.
Subspace Magic rippled over the table, and a sturdy iron cage appeared. Inside it, an insect about the size of my head was locked away.
...Why is that thing so big?
A black carapace, and massive jaws as sharp as saw blades, gleamed hideously.
That's... really disgusting.
It looked like someone had fused an ant and a cockroach. I covered my eyes with my paws.
Not looking.
"What the hell is that?! That's disgusting, get it out of here!"
Kailian shrieked and yanked the sword from her hip. I slowly lowered my paws and examined the thing gnawing at the iron bars.
Up close, it's disgusting. This thing really is.
"Your Highness... this is the insect laying waste to the south."
"...Yeah, I've never seen one of these before."
"If we fail to stop them like this... even the fodder and feed for the Empire's cattle will run out."
"...Haa, this is a headache..."
Kailian scooped me up and buried her face in my belly.
So I'm an eye mask now, huh?
"If that happens, the Empire's meat production will inevitably take a devastating hit."
"Kyau?"
What did you just say?
...If the cattle take a hit, what happens to what I eat?
I wouldn't go hungry right this minute... but given time, of course the supply would shrink. I felt like a fool for taking this so lightly until now.
I'd been way too complacent.
"Grrrrrr."
The sound that spilled from my mouth was thick with killing intent. Rosalia and Kailian both stared at me, eyes gone round. My fur was puffed out to twice its size, fangs and claws bared, and the bloodlust rolling off me was enough to make Kailian feel her own body tremble.
"B-Blanc... are you okay...? Why are you suddenly like this."
I ignored her and locked my gaze on the insect in the cage.
"Grrrrrrr..."
You dare lay a hand on my meat? You're not food... so I'll wipe every last one of you out.
"Kyau!"
We're going south right now, Butler!
For the first time since I was born, I wanted to drive a living species to extinction.