Baby Lynx of the Tiger Family - Chapter 8

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Tiger Clan’s Baby Wildcat
Chapter 8
“I’m not saying you have to stay.”
Sirka said it firmly, making sure Bariya wouldn’t misunderstand.
“If circumstances ever force you to leave, you can go. We have no intention of holding back your freedom. All I’m asking is that, when you do go, you tell us first. Don’t disappear without a word, the way you did this time.”
Bariya looked down at the Contract.
The five conditions she had set, and the single condition Kalif had demanded.
It wasn’t even a demand that she never leave. There was no mention of needing permission.
This was an overwhelmingly favorable contract for Bariya.
“Is that really all? Just that?”
“Of course. All you have to do at Kalif is one thing: grow strong enough to take down the Hyena pack on your own.”
That was exactly what Bariya wanted most.
Bariya wrote her name clearly at the bottom of the Contract and signed it.
The three members of Kalif, who had quietly let out a sigh of relief, signed as well.
“There. The Contract is complete. I look forward to working with you, Bariya Bell.”
Sabrina extended her right hand.
Bariya puffed out her chest in a grown-up manner and shook it.
“I look forward to working with you too.”
* * *
After Bariya had gone home with Tairin.
The three Beastkin of Kalif sat staring at the Contract on the table, lost in thought.
“She’s definitely no ordinary kid, is she?”
Baiden’s words drew nods from the other two.
Taking on the Hyenas in a baby cat’s body was nothing, really.
The nerve to demand a contract so boldly from three Beastkin that even most predatory Beastkin can barely meet their eyes.
The skill to specify exactly the terms she needed.
On top of that, the strong aura she gave off so naturally.
“Her speech and handwriting are exactly what you’d expect from a ten-year-old, but her behavior and intelligence are nothing like a ten-year-old’s.”
Sabrina tapped the Contract lightly with her finger.
When she’d asked for meat just once a week, they had been left speechless.
And then she tiptoed around them, watching their faces, careful not to let it show that she feared being turned down.
What on earth had those Hyena brats done to the kid? It was infuriating, yet the more they looked at her, the clearer it became that she was no ordinary child.
How to put it? It’s hard to see her as just a ten-year-old girl. Sometimes there’s a sense of disconnect.
“Sirka wasn’t anywhere near that at ten.”
Beastkin children tend to mature quickly, and Sirka, as the heir, stood out even among them.
She had inherited the blood of Sabrina, the most gifted tiger Beastkin of this era.
Even so, Sirka hadn’t been able to put on a show of defiance in front of Baiden and Sabrina when she was ten.
And yet a mere cat Beastkin dares to meet the eyes of all three Kalif Beastkin?
She is certainly no ordinary Beastkin.
“She’s probably got an ‘Authority.'”
“Not certain, but it’s the most reasonable assumption.”
Sabrina nodded at Sirka’s words.
Authority.
A special power that only a very few chosen Beastkin can possess.
But luck alone doesn’t grant anyone an Authority.
There is one foremost prerequisite: one must inherit the bloodline of a Spirit Beast.
Spirit Beasts are born in places where the mystical energy of nature pools deeply.
Every Spirit Beast possesses a special power called an Authority, and their lifespans far outlast those of Beastkin.
Unlike Beastkin, who are driven by instinct, they tend to be rational and gentle, and many live in the wild. Still, some Spirit Beasts have married Beastkin and had children.
Among those born with Spirit Beast blood, a very small number manifest an Authority similar to their ancestor’s.
Perhaps Bariya is one of those rare few.
“If the child could put Tairin to sleep and slip out of Kalif without anyone noticing, thanks to an Authority, then it would make sense.”
“I wonder what kind of ability she has, though.”
Authorities are so varied, and no one has fully identified them all, so it’s hard to guess.
“If it were a simple ability like ours, it would be easy to tell.”
Sabrina lightly clenched her fist.
Nothing’s in it now, but if that hand had been holding something, whatever it was would have been crushed to pieces.
After all, the Frost Family, Sabrina’s birth family, is where the blood of the White Tiger Spirit Beast runs.
Sabrina is a White Tiger Beastkin with the most powerful Authority born in several generations.
And Sirka, who inherited her blood, possesses an Authority as well.
“Either way, if she has Authority, I can see why those Hyena brats are after her. Those damned bastards are desperate to get their hands on it.”
Baiden clicked his tongue.
Very few Beastkin have ever been chosen by a Spirit Beast.
Of all the many Tiger Clan families, only Frost is said to carry Spirit Beast blood.
And no Hyena Beastkin family has ever been chosen by a Spirit Beast.
Naturally, no Authority ever manifested among them, and that became their festering sense of inferiority.
After Kalif, Chieftain of the Tigers and the Hyenas’ longtime rival, married Sabrina, who wielded formidable Authority, their sense of inferiority grew even worse.
The complete breakdown of relations between the two peoples also dates entirely from that point.
“So in the end, the little one is just a victim caught up in this pointless pride war between Beastkin.”
Baiden scowled.
Bariya had said she lived in the Hyena Clan wearing a filthy dress.
Couldn’t the Hyena brats have kidnapped and locked her up, just to get their hands on Authority by any means necessary?
“That’s probably why the little one told us not to ask about her. There’s no guarantee we’re any different from the Hyenas.”
Just thinking about it made Sirka’s blood boil, and she clenched her fists.
No matter how badly they coveted Authority, how could anyone abuse a child of barely ten like that?
No matter how she turned it over, it made no sense to her.
“She’s been running alone, and she’s still so young, yet she never once asks about her parents. That means they must already be dead, right?”
At Sabrina’s words, Baiden nodded at once.
“Still, there may be surviving family, so I’ll look for a Cat Beastkin family with Spirit Beast blood.”
It’s partly to find Bariya’s family, but also to protect them, in case the Hyenas are threatening them.
Spirit Beast blood is noble and precious.
It must never fall easily into the hands of those blinded by greed.
“Whatever Bariya’s Authority is, let’s keep quiet about the fact that we’ve guessed at it.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Mother.”
She’s already on edge. If we so much as mention Authority, she might bolt again before we can stop her.
It doesn’t matter that she doesn’t trust Kalif.
No, I have no intention of begging her to trust us.
That’s a child’s heart, after all.
But she must never sneak out of here and get caught by those crazed Hyena bastards.
That much, I will prevent by any means necessary.
* * *
Since signing the Contract, Bariya had been staying at the Khalif Mansion as an honored guest of Kalif.
News that they would be living with not a furious tiger, but an adorable, precocious ten-year-old Cat Beastkin, spread through the entire mansion in no time.
“Good day, Miss!”
Jake, one of the chief architects of bringing Bariya to the Khalif Mansion and Sirka’s right-hand man, rushed off to find her the moment he heard the news.
But when he saw Bariya crawling out from under the bed of all places, his eyes went wide.
“What are you doing coming out from there? Did the Young Family Head forbid you from playing on the bed?”
Unlike Bariya, Jake shot a glare at Sirka, who was sprawled comfortably on the sofa.
Sirka was dumbfounded by her right-hand man’s insolence.
“Anyone would think your master was the little one instead of me.”
“Of course the little one’s safety comes first!”
At Jake’s booming retort, asking what was so obvious about it, Sirka found herself at a loss for words.
Well, he’s not wrong.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You saw me yesterday, didn’t you? I’m Jake, a knight of the Khalif Family serving Sirka Khalif.”
Bariya, crawling out from under the bed and brushing dust off her skirt, nodded.
“I remember. The mister who gave me the jerky. That was yummy.”
She had been caught because of that jerky and couldn’t run, but looking back now, thanks to it she had signed a contract with Kalif and gained his protection.
“Honestly, I was really mad at you, but since things turned out okay thanks to you, mister, I’ll forgive you.”
When Bariya held out her hand, Jake took it carefully, visibly moved, and shook it.
“I’m Bariya Bell.”
“What a lovely name. It suits you perfectly, Miss.”
“I know. Mommy gave it to me.”
It was the first time she had mentioned her mother, so Sirka pricked up her ears.
Unfortunately, Bariya didn’t say anything more about it.
“So why were you under the bed, Miss?”
“Cuz this is my room now, see? So I was checking every corner to see if there’s anything in here. Can’t have weird stuff lying around, right?”
“I climbed up on top of the cabinet, too.”
Sirka nodded toward the display cabinet.
Still, she was a remarkable child.
“Ah, I’ve brought what the Young Family Head asked for.”
When Jake set the box down on the sofa table, Bariya, who had been poking around the room, noticed it and came over with interest.
It was crammed with all sorts of things: balls, a string with fluffy tufts, sticks, and more.
“What’s all this?”
“Toys for the little one to play with starting today.”
“Keep calling me ‘little one’ and people will think I really am a baby. I’m not at an age to play with toys, you know!”
What do you take me for!
“I’ll bet you’ll love them.”
Sirka pulled out a single stick and grinned at Bariya.
Just as Bariya sensed something off about that look and backed away, Sirka swung the stick straight at her.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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