Belly Full and Safe in the Princess's Embrace
I was lounging happily after the feast, patting my plump belly with my front paws while snuggling contentedly into Princess Kailian's arms.
When I told her I was fine and could walk on my own, our overprotective butler suddenly frowned and pulled me into a tight hug the moment I tried to slip off the chair.
“Blanc, since you wanted to go, I’ll let you go. But today you absolutely must not overexert yourself. If you collapse even once more, you better brace yourself, understood?”
“Cya-woo~…”
Understood.
Submissively tucking my ears back and curling into her warmth, Kailian finally smiled in satisfaction and carried me toward the edge of the barrier.
“Cya-woo~…”
Whoa, this is seriously disgusting.
The corpses of the bugs piled up in mountains of slimy, mangled bodies and I couldn’t help grimacing.
“You all worked hard.”
“Cya-woo.”
Yeah, you can say that again.
Just as Kailian had said, beyond the barrier, knights and mages, along with Rosalia and Lina, were finishing off the remaining stragglers of the bugs.
I should cheer them on once.
“Kyaaah!”
You all worked so hard! Just a little more and you’ll make it!
I gave a big, loud cry right there in Kailian’s arms.
Her echoing wail drew every head around—people clearing bug corpses from the open plains suddenly whipped their gazes toward me.
Oh no, this is embarrassing.
“Ah! The Divine Beast Lord!”
“…So cute.”
“I wanna lick his paws too…”
The knights and mages, exhaustion forgotten, grinned widely and waved enthusiastically while bowing deeply.
Yeah, yeah. I’m your boss, after all.
Everyone was smiling brightly, but their faces told a different story.
Armor dented, robes torn to shreds, all of them soaked in bug blood and slime.
They looked exhausted, but no one seemed seriously injured.
Thankfully, everyone was safe.
Far in the distance, I sensed the approach of Lina and Rosalia running toward me, having heard my cry.
…These madwomen, Lina and Rosalia.
Lina arrived first, straightening her ruined clothes covered in bug fluids, and gazed at me with concern.
“Lord Blanc, are you feeling all right? You collapsed twice already… I was so worried.”
“Cya-woo.”
Perfectly fine. I even ate a lot.
“Seeing the Divine Power pouch return to full again puts me at ease.”
Lina gently prodded my belly with a finger and let out a sigh of relief.
“Fufufu…”
Kailian, still looking a bit disheveled, laughed softly at Lina’s beaming face.
“Lina, don’t worry. Blanc ate five whole packs. He can just rest today.”
“Cya-woong~…”
Not even five… just four?
I pattered my front paws against Kailian’s chest, burying my embarrassed face in her arms.
Anyone looking would think I was a pig.
Lina and the recently arrived Rosalia both smiled brightly, clearly relieved.
“Ah… I’m so glad. Really glad.”
Rosalia panted slightly, pressing a hand to her chest as she sighed in relief.
Once she caught her breath, Rosalia approached carefully and gently stroked my head.
Lina did the same to my cheek.
“Cya-woo.”
Yeah, I’m fine now, so stop worrying.
I closed my eyes submissively as an apology for causing them worry and let their gentle hands soothe me.
Lina keeps touching my belly… why?
“Lord Blanc, you really have a wonderfully plump belly again.”
Lina giggled, poking my soft stomach lightly.
I’ll allow you to touch my belly even if it’s only until today.
“The bugs won’t worry you anymore. We’ve almost wiped them all out.”
“Cya-woo.”
Really? That’s great.
“But… the bugs aren’t the only problem now.”
Lina gave a bitter smile and turned her head to gaze across the plains beyond the walls.
“The corpses of the remaining bugs… and the land poisoned by their filthy venom and dark mana.”
I followed her gaze to the golden fields that should have been ripe with wheat and the once-lush grasslands.
All that remained were patches of blackened, rotting soil where the bugs had feasted, and cracked, dead earth soaked with their slime.
“Cya-woong…”
So this is the reality…
“Haa…”
Kailian let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the completely dead land.
“To reverse this… it’ll be a real headache… With this much damage, the south will barely be able to survive on its own for a few more years.”
“It’s unfortunate, but His Majesty is right.”
Rosalia nodded heavily, her expression grave.
“The Magic Tower will spare no effort to restore the land, but… to be honest, recovery in the short term is nearly impossible.”
At those words, my chest sank like a stone.
“Cya-woo…”
Does that mean I’ll have a harder time eating meat from now on?
If the south, which supplies a huge portion of the empire’s food, can only hold out on its own for a few years… that means even less meat for me to eat.
My meat!
I stared at the blackened, dead land with sad eyes.
“Cya-woong…”
If I just catch bugs, what’s the point… I couldn’t protect the meat.
Flattening my ears in dejection, Lina gently stroked them and whispered kindly.
“Don’t be so sad. I’ll contact the Holy See right away to help restore this land.”
“Cya-woo…”
But it’ll still be tough for a while, right?
I glanced sideways at Kailian and stretched one front paw into the air.
If it were up to me… maybe I could make it faster.
Swish.
A faint golden Divine Power flowed from my paw pad and gently settled over the dead ground.
Paah—!
In the space of a single breath, a tiny green sprout uncoiled and bloomed from the blackened soil touched by my Divine Power.
…So my recovery isn’t complete yet?
The effect seemed smaller than expected for the severe damage inflicted.
“Eh? Hey! Blanc! I told you not to overexert yourself!”
Kailian startled and snatched my front paw.
“You were just collapsing earlier! You really want me to get angry?”
“Cya-woong~…”
I only did a little… it’s fine, right?
I withdrew the paw Kailian’s angry gaze had reached for.
I buried my face deep in her chest and wrapped my tail around her wrist, carefully watching her expression.
“His Majesty is correct, Lord Blanc. Right now, recovery must come first. We can restore the land after you’ve recovered, and then we’ll do it slowly together.”
“Cya-woo.”
Yeah, got it.
I tapped her arm with my front paws and pointed at the ground.
“Walking around is fine, but don’t run. Just walk quietly. Understand?”
With careful instructions, Kailian lowered me gently to the ground.
As I wandered around, the hardships of ordinary life came into full view.
Not just soldiers—the local villagers had all been mobilized to load the heavy bug corpses onto carts.
Everyone was working so hard.
“Heave-ho… hup!”
From ahead, a small boy was dragging a basket overflowing with bugs while helping his parents.
He looked about elementary-school age.
The sight of a soot-covered child sweating profusely wasn’t exactly pleasant.
“Cya-woo.”
Because of these little bugs, that little kid is suffering too.
Skid.
“Whoa—!”
The boy, pulling his basket hard, slipped on a bug’s fluid and staggered.
He looked like he’d hit his head on a sharp bug spike if he fell.
“Cya-woong!”
Hey! That’s why you always need a guardian attached!
I instinctively pushed off the ground and leapt forward.
In the blink of an eye, I was behind the boy, clamping his shirt between my teeth to keep him from falling backward.
Tap.
“Huh…?”
“Cya-woo.”
Get up properly.
Thanks to me biting his shirt, the boy managed to steady himself.
“Haa…”
The boy wiped his chest and turned around.
“Eh? You…”
He noticed me and blinked in surprise, eyes wide.
What? First time seeing a white tiger?
The surprise passed quickly, and a bright smile spread across his innocent face.
“Whoa… thank you! You saved me?”
He grinned and reached out with his small hand toward my white head.
“Hey! Little boy! No!”
Kailian, watching from afar, sprinted over in alarm.
She remembered that Blanc hated anyone touching his head except those he allowed, so she came running.
Blanc won’t hurt the child, but we had to avoid any stress for him.
Swish.
“Hehe, your fur is so soft.”
I ignored Kailian’s urgent shout and stood still, accepting the child’s rough, callused little hands.
…Kids’ hands… so many calluses.
The rough texture made my heart feel a bit heavy.
Well, we’re not playing like kids here.
“Cya-woo.”
Well, since he’s a little kid, I’ll cut him some slack.
I nuzzled my head against his hand in response.
“Cya-woong.”
Be careful, little one. If you fall, you’ll break your nose.
I tried to sound as commanding as possible, but the boy just laughed brightly at my words.
His laugh made him look even cuter.