Chapter 564: Beast-kin Bloodline
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 564: Beast-kin Bloodline
"Dear Teacher, would you like a shoulder rub? I’ve perfected my technique."
"..."
"Dear Teacher, how about a foot soak? It’s great for the eyes and protects the kidneys."
"..."
"Dear Teacher, would you like a lollipop? I have strawberry flavor."
"..."
"Dear Teacher—"
"Shut up."
Mela paused what she was doing and looked up at her disciple, who had been acting like a lunatic since the moment he returned. Her face was a mask of pure disdain.
"You’ve been out for so long, has your brain finally rotted? Or did some woman finally drain you into a state of mental instability? If it’s the latter, I suggest you take a left out the door and find the Academy’s psychiatry department. I can’t cure that kind of idiocy here."
"Teacher Mela, how can you say that? Can’t we just have a heart-to-heart? Can’t you see the sincere filial piety I’m trying to express?"
Muen held out a large handful of lollipops, offering a sincere smile.
"So, do you want one? Besides strawberry, I’ve got apple, orange, and... Photinia flavor..."
"Oh? That 'Photinia' flavor you mentioned," Mela blinked, asking with "innocent" curiosity, "is it the kind that doesn't grow back once it's snapped off?"
"If that’s the case, I suppose I could—"
"My deepest apologies. I was talking nonsense. That flavor doesn't exist."
Muen immediately wiped the grin off his face and turned serious. He cursed inwardly; trying to crack off-color jokes with an 'old loli' whose age was in the quadruple digits was just asking for humiliation. This old loli could out-drive him on any 'dirt track' any day of the week.
"Actually, Teacher Mela, I’m here on serious business..."
"Speak."
Mela spent a moment rummaging through the pile in Muen’s hand before finally settling on strawberry.
She popped the lollipop into her mouth, turned, and levitated into a sitting position. Crossing her pale legs beneath her nightgown, she shoved her dainty foot directly against Muen’s cheek.
"What could possibly be important enough for you to have the guts to interrupt me while I’m busy finishing this incredibly vital... whatever-it-is?"
"Incredibly vital whatever-it-is?"
Muen immediately grew suspicious. "Teacher Mela, you aren't trying to scam me again, are you?"
"You’re overthinking it. How could I ever scam my most precious disciple?"
"See? I haven't even said what I thought you were doing—"
"Just get to the point!"
Mela twisted her foot impatiently against his face, cutting him off. "I’m busy."
"I-It’sh nothing major," Muen mumbled, his voice muffled by the foot pressing into his cheek. "I jusht wanted to ashk you shomething, Teacher Mela."
He managed to pull back slightly. "Do you know anything about Beast Blood?"
"Beast Blood?"
Mela’s brow arched. "Bestial Bloodlines? You’re coming to me for basic textbook knowledge?"
"No, no. I’m not asking about ordinary Bestial Bloodlines. I mean something... much more terrifying."
Muen paused, reached into his coat, and pulled out a document, handing it to Mela. "Something like this."
"Oh? Given the diluted Beast Blood circulating these days, I wouldn't think anything would warrant such a serious look from you."
A glint of interest sparked in Mela’s eyes. She took the file and flipped through it rapidly.
The document contained a detailed description of the little girl Muen had encountered. After subsequent intelligence gathering and analysis, it was even more comprehensive than the report Celicia had received.
"I see. Atavistic Beast Blood?"
Mela rubbed her chin in thought. "No... to reach this level, this is... Source Blood?"
"Source Blood? What’s that?"
"Source Blood is, quite literally, the original Beast Blood."
Mela looked at him as if he were a simpleton. "Did you think it was some grand, legendary title?"
"...No, but it already sounds pretty legendary," Muen said, his lip twitching.
"It’s nothing special to me."
Mela tossed the file back to Muen and floated higher into the air. She snapped her fingers.
Above the Flower Sea, the sky suddenly dimmed. A massive curtain slowly unfurled before Muen’s eyes.
Clear images began to manifest on the curtain, much like a movie from his previous life.
"A long time ago, the so-called Beast-kin were a mighty race."
The art style was juvenile, looking like a cartoon made specifically for toddlers—the kind that parents wouldn't even find a reason to complain about.
But as Muen began to grasp the deeper meaning behind the images, those cute, chibi-style half-beast, half-human figures stopped looking so adorable.
As the images depicted, the ancient Beast-kin were powerful and ferocious. They could battle wyverns in the sky and hunt behemoths in the deep sea. They possessed a culture and wisdom that rivaled humanity. They were a truly terrifying race.
"However, even a race as strong as theirs could not withstand the... disaster that sought to destroy the world," Mela sighed.
On the screen, a massive shadow suddenly appeared, engulfing nearly the entire Beast-kin population.
The Beast-kin fought desperately against an entity within the shadow, but it was ultimately futile. One by one, the cute chibi characters either perished or were swept into the vast darkness, appearing to be devoured.
"Is this... the Great Turmoil that swept the continent a thousand years ago?" Muen asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh? It seems you know more than I thought. Yes, that’s the one."
Mela glanced at Muen with surprise. She tucked her hands behind her back and turned her gaze back to the screen, her voice tinged with emotion.
"The Beast-kin were strong, but even the human magical civilization—which was at its absolute peak back then—was nearly wiped out in that upheaval. The Beast-kin naturally fared no better. Their population was never large to begin with, and they were nearly driven to extinction. The few 'fire seeds' that remained weren't even enough to maintain the minimum population required for the race to propagate. Thus, they were forced to integrate into human society, allowing their bloodlines to be diluted generation after generation."
"I see. So that’s the origin of modern Beast Blood... Wait, integrate?"
Muen pointed at the screen. Even in cartoon form, the figures were a far cry from the Beast-kin he imagined. They were covered in thick fur or hard scales, with distinct animalistic features. He looked dumbfounded.
"They could 'integrate'? And... breed?"
"Well, there are always people with... unique tastes. Shouldn't you be the expert on that?"
"I am not, I don't, and Teacher Mela, please stop talking nonsense."
Muen retorted with a straight face, "Don't make it sound like I’m some kind of pervert with weird fetishes."
"Is that so?"
"Absolutely."
"Are you sure?"
"I’ll have the Senior Sister testify for me!"
"Heh."
Mela let out a soft chuckle and continued, "But speaking of which, it’s said that in the Extreme Cold Lands of the North, there is still a tribe that maintains a relatively pure Beast-kin bloodline."
"Like the ones on the screen?"
"No. No matter how pure they are, they’ve still bred with humans for countless generations. It’s said the only bestial traits they have left are..."
Mela raised her hands to her head and mimicked ears.
"Ears... or maybe a tail."
"That... Beast-ear girls?"
Muen’s eyes widened. "Those actually exist in this world?"
"Hmm? And you still claim you aren't a pervert?"
Mela gave him a knowing smile. "What? Want to take a trip there?"
"Ahem."
Muen coughed dryly. "Let’s forget about that. There’s no need to go and bother people. Besides, I’m definitely not a pervert. Beast-ear girls are totally not my thing, okay?"
That’s right, I don't have a thing for beast-ears. It’s just...
Images began to involuntarily surface in Muen’s mind: Senior Sister with cat ears, Liya with rabbit ears, and An with a collar and puppy ears...
Oh no. My nose is about to bleed...