New Toy for the Piglet
Blanc's grandfather sat quietly, watching his daughter sob with complicated emotions. It was only natural to have emotions you had to sort out alone.
He believed that once his strong daughter got her emotions under control, she would soon be fine again.
Instead of trying to comfort her with words, he simply turned and headed toward the giant bread basket.
The fresh loaves his grandson had sent through the altar were still warm.
The rich, sweet aroma of freshly baked bread greeted him like a gentle hug.
He carefully stretched out one of his massive front paws and selected the single loaf whose imprint of his grandson's paw pad was the clearest.
“Kid… you really are adorable.”
A soft chuckle escaped him as he gazed at the perfect paw-print shape pressed into the center of the bread.
He had guided the clan through countless generations and countless cubs, but this direct descendant always felt different.
His thoughts, his actions, even his appetite for food—all of it carried a special something.
He had no intention of eating this bread himself.
Instead, he summoned the Absolute Zero Chill, enveloping the loaf in a layer of ice so perfectly frozen that not even a trace of warmth could penetrate.
**Sizzle.**
The chill flowed from his front paw and instantly turned the bread into a flawless block of ice.
**Crunch.**
He lifted the frozen loaf with the utmost care, tucking it into the very spot where he kept all his most treasured belongings.
**Crash!**
He cleared the best view spot, swept away everything that might obscure it, and gently placed the bread exactly in its center.
*Right now it’s still cute like this.*
The old tiger chuckled softly to himself, already imagining the future.
*Every time he grows, the paw-print on this bread will get bigger and more impressive.*
He had decided that every time his grandson sent him bread, he would pick the most beautiful one and freeze it for safekeeping.
Watching his grandson grow by watching the size of the paw-print was the greatest gift life could offer.
He returned to the bread storage area and stole a sideways glance at the letter his daughter was reading through her tears.
*He can actually write heartfelt words.*
He thought about how this kid cared for his family, even though he hadn’t done anything for them.
It was fortunate that his daughter was so kind-hearted and noble—she took after her own mother.
A deep, satisfied smile spread across his lips after he finished reading.
He was his own blood, yet truly a remarkable child.
No matter how hard he tried to understand why, he could always feel his grandson’s warmth.
“Kyauung! Kyang!”
“Kyeng…! Kyeng!”
Lumia and I rolled across the grass in pure delight.
Since meeting Grandpa, I felt my strength overflowing like never before.
My snow-white fur was covered in dirt and grass, but I didn’t care at all.
I was a water tiger; a good bath always felt amazing.
Lumia usually hated getting wet, but if I asked nicely, she would come along.
After playing for a while, I caught sight of a familiar tail swishing behind us.
It was Damian, the Crown Prince, who had been working overtime for the Emperor.
He was watching the knights’ sparring with a face heavy with exhaustion.
Why was Damian looking more and more worn out every day?
When we first met, he had looked like the cool top-tier male lead, but now he resembled a protagonist beaten down by life.
I decided it was time to give him a proper infusion of Divine Beast energy.
A playful grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.
I lowered my body flat on the grass, hiding completely, and gave my hips a playful wiggle from side to side.
My target: the broad back of our exhausted butler Damian.
**Kyauung!**
I pushed off the grass with all my strength and sprinted at full speed.
**Dadadadadak!**
I leaped high into the air and smashed my head straight into his back with maximum force.
**Thud!**
“Ugh…!”
Damian let out a startled scream as the heavy impact sent him sprawling across the grass like a ragdoll.
**Kyauung.**
Crown Prince Cut.
I settled onto his back with my belly pressed down, curled up, and began to purr contentedly.
**Gurgle… glug… rumble…**
The sudden disturbance made the knights sparring nearby freeze in shock and rush over.
“Your Highness…!”
“Sir, is the Divine Beast attacking His Highness?! Everyone, pull back!”
**Kyauung!**
I refused to stop.
No matter how much the knights begged and pleaded, I simply continued licking Damian’s back paw with complete calm.
You can’t punish me now. That’s the limit of imperial law!
“Haa… the kid really does love to play.”
Damian, face buried in the grass, let out a helpless laugh and pushed himself up.
He lifted me with both hands from where I sat on his back.
My body stretched out straight like a noodle.
“Every day you get plumper. You pig. I thought your spine was going to snap.”
He looked at me, then pinched my chubby cheeks and stretched them out.
“You shameless child… your success rate in assassination attempts has been the highest of all my subordinates.”
**Kyau?**
Really?
Even though my cheeks stretched like taffy, it didn’t hurt at all.
Instead, Damian’s playful touch made me feel strangely good.
We hadn’t been able to play together much lately because our schedules didn’t match.
Today I was finally able to have fun with him, so I was happy.
I wiggled all four legs in the air and happily wagged my tail.
**Tap-tap, tap-tap.**
“Kyeng! Kyeng!”
At that moment, Lumia came trotting over after witnessing me body-check Damian.
She saw what I had done and then gently head-butted Damian’s shins with all her might.
**Bop.**
“Kyeng… kyeng!”
Is this how you greet someone?
The innocent, harmless sight made even the knights secretly monitoring Damian’s mood relax their tense mouths.
“So cute…”
Damian laughed as he head-butted his own shins and then stroked Lumia’s head, which was wagging her tail while looking up at him with pure trust.
“You two…”
He set me down softly on the grass, then patted Lumia’s head while she continued head-butting his shins and wagging her tail.
“Yes, Lumia. You’re welcome too. That was a truly deadly attack.”
**Kyeng!**
Hehe…
Since she had been praised, Lumia immediately pressed herself against me and sat down with her body glued to mine.
Damian brushed the dirt off his clothes and looked down at me.
“So, why exactly did our little bundle come to see me?”
**Kyauung.**
Let’s play together. You’ve been working so hard lately. I’ll play with you specially today.
I turned my head sharply and stared at the large knights standing behind Damian.
**Kyau!**
If it’s too hard, let the knights play with me. My body’s been itching lately.
I pointed at the knights with my front paw and thumped the ground with my tail.
If I can’t play with you, I’ll just make sure they see how fun it is so they can take a short break and forget their worries.
I didn’t want to see my butler looking tired.
Damian’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he watched me.
“… Hmm, you want to play with the knights. That must be why your body’s itching—you’re in your growth phase.”
I nodded vigorously.
Damian ruffled my head, then turned and signaled the knights.
“Everyone, gather here right now.”
“Your Highness, you called?”
The muscular knights rushed over, looking tense and alert.
**Kyau.**
Whoa, they still smell like sweat… probably because they just finished sparring. Even stronger than before…
Damian pointed at me, who was sitting on the grass wagging my tail, and declared:
“Cancel today’s training for all of you. Your opponent today is none other than Blanc.”
“Ye-yes…?”
“Did I hear the knights say ‘yes’?”
“No! We’ll correct ourselves at once!”
The knights’ eyes trembled with nervousness as they kept stealing glances at both Damian and me.
“Your Highness… we would never dare point a sword at the Divine Beast!”
“That’s right!”
The knights panicked and waved their hands frantically.
“If by some terrible accident we were to harm the Divine Beast’s sacred fur…”
“The Emperor and Her Highness Kailian would cut off our heads!”
“Better yet, let us use each other as sparring partners!”
They protested loudly.
They feared Damian, but the idea of fighting Blanc was even more terrifying than facing death.
“Are you seriously trying to protect Blanc?”
Damian turned his head and met my eyes.
He winked at me—the only signal I could understand—and sent a hidden message.
*Show them your true strength, Blanc.*
*Got it!*
I crouched low on the grass, ready to run, and wagged my hips playfully.
At that exact moment—
**Slink!**
Damian drew the sharp, freshly sharpened sword at his waist in a flash of lightning.
“Your Highness?!”
Before the knights could even react, Damian swung his blade fiercely toward me.
“Sir, Divine Beast…!!”
The knights rushed forward to block, panic clear on their faces.
But I didn’t dodge.
Instead, I kicked off the ground hard, leaped high, and extended my always-hidden snow-white claws—long and razor-sharp.
I slammed my front paw straight at Damian’s sword in mid-air.
**CLANG!**
The sound of metal tearing through metal echoed across the princess’s palace garden like shattering glass.
“…… What…?”
An unbelievable scene unfolded before the knights’ eyes.
The empire’s finest craftsman-forged blade had just collided with Blanc’s front paw.
The sword shattered into pieces like thin glass.
**Cling.**
The broken fragments of the blade glittered in the sunlight.
“……”
The garden fell into a suffocating silence.
The knights stared at the shattered sword pieces and at me, who had landed gracefully on the ground, unable to speak.
**Kyau.**
I’m pretty awesome, right?
**Kyauuuuung…**
I stretched out my front legs in front of the broken sword shards, stretched my body, and then stood proudly, wagging my tail as I looked up at the frozen knights.
**Kyauung?**
See?
“So? Were you still worried that I might hurt Blanc?”
“……”
The knights swallowed hard, their throats dry.
“Use everything you have. Otherwise, my front paw will strike you.”
**Kyau!**
I’ll spare you this time.
---
-[damage] HP
Absolute Zero Chill