Grandpa's National Treasure Toy
The Emperor's office was usually a place where only the rustle of papers and the scratch of a quill drifted through the solemn air. But today a strange tension hung heavy in the air.
On the desk lay the shattered remains of a steel bar, crushed beyond recognition.
Emperor Carchion rested his chin on his hand and stared at the honeycomb-like dented steel.
His gaze slid to the fluffy white bundle sitting quietly in the corner of the desk. I deliberately ignored him and started grooming my front paw.
"Haljjak... kyaawoong?"
Why are you staring?
"So... you made this?"
"Yes, Your Majesty... I was only gone for a moment, and then—"
Kailian lowered her head like a scolded child.
"Blanc. Come here."
Emperor Carchion stretched out his large, rough hand. I didn't resist and let him lift me.
His butler hands were calloused, but the grip that raised me was astonishingly gentle. He brought me up to eye level.
His ruby-red eyes bored into my face.
Stop it. Don't stare so intensely.
"Let me see. Open your mouth."
"Your Majesty, I've already checked. My teeth and gums are perfectly clean."
Kailian tried to interrupt, but Carchion shook his head firmly.
"I must confirm myself. The impact must have been enough to shatter steel. Externally it looks fine, but there could be internal damage to the gums."
The Emperor took my jaw gently and opened my mouth.
"Puuu... kyaawoong."
I'm truly annoyed, but I'm doing this because he cares. I'll let him look.
I flicked my tail in irritation, but obediently opened my mouth wide.
"Aaa... kyaaa."
Carchion's thumb flipped my upper lip. He examined every detail—sharp fangs, small but solid incisors, and the deep molars hidden inside my mouth—as if assessing a masterpiece.
"Hm..."
He lifted my tongue slightly and checked underneath and along the inner gums. No traces of steel cuts or scratches.
The air in the office grew thick. Finally Carchion spoke.
"It's fine."
"...Huh?"
"Perfect. No, more than perfect. Not a single chip. He chewed through steel and not a single tooth was damaged. He's in excellent condition."
Relief and unmistakable awe filled the Emperor's voice. He stroked my cheek and sighed in admiration.
"As expected of a divine beast's body. Even humans' common sense can't judge this. Bears and wolves in the north couldn't bite steel like this. You're extraordinary."
"Kyaawo?"
Is it praise? It must be praise. I felt happy and gently licked the Emperor's fingers.
"Chup, chup... kyaawo."
No taste. Like paper and ink combined.
"Haa... I was worried I might have missed something, but truly, I'm relieved."
Kailian finally relaxed her legs and swayed.
Carchion returned to his stern expression and stroked his chin.
"However, it's strange. Even a divine beast shouldn't be lacking in food, yet he craves steel. The obsession seems too intense for mere play. Could it be a diet problem?"
The imperial diet was flawless—top-grade meat and nutrients every day. It wasn't hunger...
At that moment Saintess Lina, quietly watching from the side, spoke carefully.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. May I offer my opinion?"
"Speak."
Lina clasped her hands and gazed at me with pious reverence.
"The young master is currently in a period of rapid growth. Physical growth, of course, but the inner sacred energy is expanding as well. Even ordinary beasts feel their gums itch unbearably during this phase. And with a divine beast like His Highness, the impulse must be overwhelming."
"So he is probably gnawing... his gums are itching and his jaw is tight, so instinctively he seeks the hardest, most chewy thing to relieve it."
"Ordinary toys or bones couldn't satisfy that powerful jaw."
"Gnawing?"
Carchion asked. Thinking about it, yes. Human babies do the same when they get teeth—anything they can put in their mouths and chew.
And a white tiger who rules the world couldn't possibly satisfy his destructive urge with a stuffed toy or a chicken leg.
"Indeed... it makes sense."
Carchion nodded and looked down at me with a strange smile.
"Gnawing... so this is how a young beast learns to become an adult. Hehehe."
"Kyaawo...?"
Butler, you're fine, right?
That laugh sounded ominous. Like a grandfather who found a huge toy for his grandson, or like a villain with something up his sleeve.
The Emperor stood up abruptly and called the chamberlain waiting outside the door.
"Chamberlain!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Open the Third Imperial Treasury right now."
"T-the Third Imperial Treasury?"
The chamberlain's eyes widened. Kailian beside him also jumped and covered her mouth.
"Your Majesty, are you serious? That's where dangerous magical artifacts are kept and our empire's historical treasures are sealed. Isn't that place exactly—"
"Kyaawo...?"
You're bringing something for me from that dangerous place? All I can do is paw knead and act cute...
"Yes. Bring the... red box in the inner corner on the second underground floor."
"Your, Your Majesty...?"
"Don't argue! Blanc said his gums are itching! Do you want to make me late?!"
At the Emperor's shout the chamberlain rushed out. I sat on his lap and wagged my tail.
"Kyaawoong?"
What are you planning to give me?
A moment later the chamberlain entered, sweating, carrying a large, old wooden box.
Overlapping seals covered the box, and a red, ominous aura leaked from the cracks.
"It has been brought, Your Majesty."
BOOM!
The box landed on the desk with a heavy vibration.
Carchion personally reached out and broke the seals. The magic circles dimmed, and the lid opened with a click.
"......!"
Inside lay a roughly forty-centimeter-long, massive bone.
It wasn't ordinary bone. The color was a mix of deep ochre and red, rough like stone on the surface.
It radiated a dense, earthy mana so powerful that even looking at it made it feel unbreakable.
"Here, Blanc. This is yours."
The Emperor picked up the heavy bone and tossed it in front of me. A sound like the floor cracking rang out.
"This is your new toy. Chew as much as you like when your gums itch. Better taste than steel and plenty of chewing satisfaction."
I instinctively sniffed.
"Hic... grrr... kyaawo...?"
Old dirt. Concentrated mana scent. And above all... an intense desire to test my teeth on it.
My instincts screamed. This is real.
This is my gum.
Without hesitation I grabbed the bone with my front paw and opened my mouth wide.
"KRAANG!"
CRACK!
Lina and Kailian gasped at the same time.
Teeth that could chew steel like tofu bounced harmlessly off the bone. The rebound was incredible—resisting sharply while the surface scraped pleasantly against my gums, massaging them coolly with every chew.
The earthy aura oozing from the bone lingered in my mouth, adding a strange, savory flavor.
Crack, grind, crunch!
"Kyaawo! Kyaaaang!"
Tasty! This is it!
My eyes rolled back as I bit and tore at the bone, shaking my head side to side in pure instinct.
The itch in my gums vanished, replaced by a tingling rush of ecstasy. Addictive.
I can't stop! It's tasty! Fun! The best!
I forgot even the Emperor's office existed and purred while tearing into the bone.
"Grurr... ungnyang... ungnyang... kyaawo!"
Kailian watching me had a dazed expression.
"...Your Majesty?"
"Hm? What's wrong?"
The Emperor crossed his arms and watched me with delight.
"That... what exactly did you give him? Blanc is so excited, and that bone is the first time I've seen something so hard... It's not a normal magical beast's bone, is it? And the mana radiating from it is anything but ordinary."
Carchion shrugged at Kailian's question.
"Ah, you mean that?"
He pointed with his chin at the bone I was happily chewing.
"Four hundred years ago, during the northern mountain conquest when the First Emperor founded the empire, it was personally slain by him. The right shin bone fragment of an ancient earth dragon, if I'm not mistaken."
"......What?!"
Kailian's scream echoed through the office. Lina dropped the holy book she was holding and gaped.
"A-a dragon?! Ancient rank even?! You... you gave a baby white tiger cub an ancient dragon's bone as a toy?!"
"Why not. It was just stuck in the warehouse corner, gathering dust."
The Emperor answered calmly.
"It fits perfectly for gnawing. The density is appropriate, the mana rich—healthy food, and it will take a while to disappear. Economical too."
"No, Your Majesty... economical?! That's a national treasure!"
Kailian stared at me, chewing the dragon's shin bone like a snack, wide-eyed.
A national treasure item that could buy an entire city was now covered in baby white tiger saliva.
I, the one being chewed, didn't care. As long as the taste was good, dragon or lizard, it was fine.
"KRAANG! Kyu!"
Our butler is the best! This is amazing!
I rubbed my head on the Emperor's leg while holding the bone in my mouth. Carchion laughed heartily and ruffled my head roughly.
"Good, good. Chew as much as you want. When you're done, there's another femur in the warehouse."
"Kyaawo!"