The Emperor's Dragon Bone Is Now My Favorite Treat!
The joyous crunch of bone echoed through the imperial palace, vibrating like a war drum in the grand corridors.
Ancient Earth Dragon's bone. The single item that every mage in the empire had dreamed of touching once in a lifetime, kept deep within the imperial treasury, now rested right between my paws.
Everyone else was fussing, but to me it was simply the best tiger chewy in the world.
“Kuaaa!”
Master, here I come!
I clamped the bone tightly in my front paws and sank my fangs in.
Crack!
The hardness was perfect—just right for my gums tingling with satisfaction. Every time I gnawed, the high-concentrated earth mana buried inside the bone erupted, coating my tongue in a rich, sweet flavor I had never experienced before.
Sweet mana. The deeper the taste surged the longer I chewed, the more intoxicating it became.
I wagged my fluffy tail and nibbled the very end of the bone, tiny flakes of bone dust drifting down with each bite.
The sacred power inside my body naturally absorbed the mana, making my fur gleam brighter than ever.
What more could a tiger want? Warm sunlight, a soft carpet, and one of these divine chews—and I had nothing to envy.
The master’s private study on the top floor of the Magic Tower was on the brink of exploding.
Bang!
“What? Say that again.”
A voice colder than ice chilled the air, and the mage delivering the report trembled like a leaf, bowing his head.
“W-well… His Majesty ordered the release of the Ancient Earth Dragon’s bone from the imperial treasury.”
The Magic Tower Master Rosalia Edelweiss’s eyebrows twitched. She drummed her fingers on the pen in irritation.
“Released? Finally you accepted my three-year plea for it? I suppose the stubborn emperor finally gave in after all that nagging.”
Rosalia’s expression softened a fraction.
She had spent her entire life on the verge of completing the final stage of her magic research. But the last step had been stalled for lack of a catalyst capable of containing the massive earth-attribute mana.
The solution had been this very bone.
The empire’s only treasure. Emperor Karsion had refused to part with it, calling it an ancestral heirloom.
“So? Where is the bone now? Move it straight to my lab.”
“N-no, that is not—”
The mage grimaced and stumbled over his words.
“To the tower… is not where it went.”
“What? Then where did it go? The museum? Did the ministers snatch it?”
“No, that’s not it either. His Majesty… gave it as a snack to the divine beast…”
Rosalia’s mind short-circuited. Snack? Had she misheard?
“Snack?”
“Y-yes…”
“Whose snack?”
“The divine beast staying in the palace… the white tiger His Majesty gave a beating to, the one she fought and befriended.”
A suffocating silence swallowed the study.
“…What?”
“Rumors are flying that the tiger is now crunching and chewing that dragon bone like it’s the best treat in the world.”
Thud.
The expensive mana-infused pen Rosalia had been holding snapped cleanly in two. Fragments scattered across the desk, but she didn’t even blink.
It wasn’t mere anger. This was an insult. An insult to the pinnacle of magic, to every human mage in the empire.
The great Tower Master herself had been begging for a bone for three years without even letting out a fart, only to have it handed to some cheap tiger chew toy?
“Karsion… you damned human has finally gone mad.”
Rosalia shot to her feet. The chair toppled behind her with a loud crash; she didn’t even notice.
Her flowing purple hair whipped about like a living serpent under the surge of mana.
“I’m going to the imperial palace. Now.”
“B-but Tower Master! There’s still the scheduled academic conference—”
“Cancel it! My lifelong dream is turning into a cheap toy, and the conference is a problem?!”
A spatial magic circle flared with bright blue light.
Her eyes burned with vengeful fury and deep frustration.
Imperial Palace – Second Audience Chamber
Rosalia sat with her legs crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. She would have stormed in and grabbed the emperor by the collar right then, but he was apparently in the conference hall receiving border guards’ inspection reports.
“Just a moment longer and His Majesty will be here. Would you like some tea?”
“No need. Get out.”
The servant fled in terror.
Alone in the empty chamber, Rosalia pressed her throbbing temples with both hands.
A sharp headache pierced her skull.
Ever since last month—support missions against magical beasts, reviewing academic papers, fixing her students’ mistakes, and endless budget battles—she had been surviving on high-concentrated mana potions, never enough time to eat or even sleep properly.
‘My head is going to explode…’
Extreme stress, sleepless nights, and now anger made her vision swim.
She had raced all the way to the palace with one goal: reclaiming the bone. But once she sat in a quiet place, the tension simply drained away.
The royal sofa swallowed her like a warm swamp.
‘Just a little… I’ll take a quick nap. He’ll wake me the instant he arrives.’
Her heavy eyelids sank shut.
She leaned her head against the sofa armrest and slipped into a light doze.
“Kyuu~!”
Today I’ll only eat a little more!
I gave a satisfied burp and licked my front paw. The bone had only a few scratches on the surface, but it was still massive. My jaw muscles were pleasantly sore, and my belly was stuffed full.
“Kyuu.”
I should walk a bit to help digestion.
Strolling out of the study, I passed the emperor’s butler heading to the meeting and Princess Kailian who had been guarding me while she fetched some documents.
“Kyuu.”
Alone time feels nice.
The palace corridors were grand yet quiet. Tap, tap, tap. The soft, jelly-like pads of my paws felt wonderful against the marble floor.
Servants passing by would see me and whisper, “Oh my, it’s Lord Blanc,” covering their mouths with delighted smiles. I simply flicked my tail in proud response.
As I walked, a strange scent drifted from somewhere ahead.
Sniff… what’s this?
A heavy, dense scent of exhaustion mixed with lavender, underneath something faintly rotten and ancient.
Curious, I poked my head through the slightly open door.
A woman was slumped on the sofa, fast asleep.
With her flowing purple hair and elegant robes, she looked like a high-ranking mage, but she didn’t look well at all.
Wow, she’s still alive?
Her skin was pale and cracked, dark circles dragging all the way under her eyes.
Even in sleep her brows were deeply furrowed.
If she kept pushing herself like this, she’d drop dead from overwork any day.
People shouldn’t live like that.
I approached carefully. She didn’t stir at the sound of my footsteps.
Up close, her frown looked pitiful.
Real humans really do get that tired…
Is she a guest of the emperor?
I can’t be rude to my butler’s guest. I’m a merciful divine beast, after all.
More than anything, seeing someone so pained even in sleep made my heart ache.
I leaped lightly onto the sofa and settled beside her, placing my soft, round front paw gently on her furrowed brow.
Tap.
“Kyuuuung…”
Jelly paws work wonders. Come on, heal.
Following the method I had learned from Lina, I raised my sacred power. Warm, fluffy white light flowed from my paw and into her hair.
The light rippled like gentle waves, enveloping her entire body.
Her stiff body softened in an instant. The sticky toxins and fatigue flowing through her veins were washed away by the light and purified to a bright white.
The tension in her shoulder muscles gradually released, felt all the way to the tips of my paws.
Her furrowed brows smoothed out, and the faintest smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Her rough breathing grew soft and steady, like a baby’s.
“Kyuuuung…”
Good, now you look human again.
I gently pressed her cheek with my paw.
It felt as satisfying as a doctor successfully completing an operation.
Down here it’s actually quite warm and cozy…
The robe felt soft too. My belly was full, and I was starting to feel sleepy.
“Hm…”
Eh, whatever.
I climbed onto her lap with shameless confidence, curled into a ball, and listened to her regular breathing, which sounded like a lullaby.
“…Mmm.”
After some time, Rosalia stirred.
Normally, waking from sleep should come with a heavy headache and dry eyes. She had never once felt refreshed in years.
But now it was different. Her head felt light as a feather. The blocked feeling in her chest had vanished; the mana flowing through her veins was clearer and purer than ever.
It felt like she had been reborn.
‘What… how long was I asleep? Three days?’
She blinked at the ceiling, then lowered her gaze to the heavy, warm weight pressing on her lap.
“......?”
White. And fluffy.
A giant pile of cotton balls the size of a mochi was claiming her thighs.
“Kyuu… kyu~”
The cotton pile rose and fell in rhythm with her breathing. Rosalia reached out in a daze.
The texture of the fur under her fingertips was softer and warmer than any silk she had ever touched in her life.
At that moment, the cotton pile lifted its head.
Clear eyes like lakes met hers.
“Kyuu?”
Rosalia’s heart skipped a beat. The creature before her was the ultimate crystal of cuteness.
Short legs, big paws, round ears, and those impossibly pure eyes.
‘My… my god…’
Her face flushed like a ripe tomato.
‘What is this? Is this some sort of charm magic…? What is this adorable being…?’
She momentarily forgot why she had come here in the first place.
“Um…”
Rosalia spoke in a trembling voice.
“Just… could I hug you once?”
I opened my chest with a generous heart and wagged my tail.
“Kyuu!”
I specially allow it!
She pulled me into her arms. The scent of lavender tickled my nose.
