I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 11

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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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Episode 11

The next morning, before dawn.
Na Bom’s eyes flew open—she nearly bolted upright in bed.
In the dim room, a familiar boy’s face came into view.
‘Lui?’
Lui, dressed in nightclothes, was sleeping against the railing of Na Bom’s bed.
Blink. Blink. Na Bom’s wide eyes fluttered as she wondered: Why is he sleeping here?
But before the question could take root, Lui’s trembling voice made her freeze.
“…Mother.”
The single word hung in the dark, and Lui’s face twisted with anguish. His eyes remained shut.
A nightmare, perhaps. But what dream could carve such a grave expression onto his face?
‘Lui looks like that?’
He was always bright and uncomplicated as sunlight—so seeing him asleep here shocked her less than the expression etched across his features.
Mother.
She’d met Theodore, father to the bear cubs, but his mate remained a stranger. In the original story, Grizzly was never a prominent house; any mention of Lui’s mother barely registered in her memory.
If he wanted to see his mother, he could simply find her room. So why was he here instead?
“I’m sorry.”
Lui’s voice emerged again.
“I’m sorry, Mother…”
Whispered low, the words tumbled from his lips, and he bit his lower lip. Beneath tightly shut eyelids, tears began to seep out slowly.

Na Bom sat still on the bed, watching him.
The moment tears traced down Lui’s cheek, her front paw extended without thought.
The soft pad of Na Bom’s paw touched his face, and as the tears soaked into her fur, Lui’s eyes snapped open.
“…Snowflake?”
She startled, yanking her paw back—but lost her balance and tumbled backward onto the mattress instead.
At her clumsy reaction, Lui let out a soft laugh and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.
“What are you doing here?”
That’s my line, you brat.
Just as Na Bom’s eyes narrowed, a dim blue light crept through the window.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the pale starlight told her the blizzard had finally passed.
“Snowflake.”
She turned at the sound of his voice—Lui was smiling.
“Want to go for a walk? Early morning?”
There was an unfamiliar weariness in his gentle smile, so Na Bom nodded.
She couldn’t leave him alone like this.

***

Not leave him alone—easy for her to say.
Na Bom clutched Lui’s shoulder as she reconsidered her concern.
“I’m going down now!”
Lui announced the words with exaggerated cheer, shifted his grip on the castle wall, and began to descend. To Na Bom, a rabbit, the motion was instant—but Lui moved with deliberate slowness down the stone face.
“You’re good, Snowflake.”
Na Bom clambered down Lui’s back on trembling legs.
‘How many meters even is this…’
He’d bounded up the wall—a height that felt like a two-story hospital—as if it were nothing. The castle rampart, too, he’d vaulted over with ease.
She hadn’t realized the walk meant leaving the castle grounds. Was that allowed?
As Na Bom turned nervously to look back at Grizzly Castle, Lui spoke.
“It’s fine. I do this all the time.”
He shrugged with casual indifference.
For Lui, this was routine.
Today he’d taken longer, staying human-shaped so Na Bom wouldn’t be frightened. But in his bear form, clearing the wall was effortless.
“Come on, let’s go. It’s this way!”
Lui gestured for Na Bom to follow and took the lead. He checked once that she was keeping up, then quickened his pace.
The sky was already turning blue. If they didn’t hurry, the birds might eat everything first.
So Lui arrived at his secret cache of food.
Beside a large snow-covered rock, he reached up to a branch buried under white. Brushing away the snow quickly, he found a few berries clinging to the leaves beneath.
Because of the rock’s shelter, the berries here always lingered through winter. He came often when bored, stealing a taste.
He plucked a few and turned around.
Stooping, he opened his hand to show Na Bom the dark berries. “Snowflake, look—these should be delicious…”
But his voice trailed off weakly.
Pitter-patter—the berries scattered across the snow.
Lui’s golden eyes flooded with panic.
“…Snowflake?”
The rabbit who’d been following him—was gone.

‘Wait a minute.’
She’d lost the younger one.
The path scattered with large boulders, some jutting at odd angles.
Lui picked his way through with ease, each stride confident. He seemed eager, yes—but also like he needed to reach his destination quickly, for reasons unclear.
Na Bom bounded along beside him as fast as she could.
Lui cleared the rocks in long strides, but for Na Bom, the boulders were insurmountable. She had to stop and skirt around each one. Somewhere in the detours, she’d lost him entirely.
‘What do I do.’
Na Bom perked her ears, trying to hear his footsteps, but all she caught was wind.
She sniffed the air, turning her head this way and that to scout the surroundings—no luck.
She’d tracked Lui by scent this far, but now even that had vanished.
Did I follow the wrong path? No, I’m sure his scent came from this direction. Why has it disappeared all of a sudden?
‘This is bad. I don’t even know which way leads back to Grizzly Castle.’
Na Bom was spinning about to dash away when a thought stopped her cold.
‘…Wait.’
Lui is gone. Anna is gone. Theodore is gone. The Sled Dog Knight Order is gone. No watchers at all.
And somehow, the predators’ scent has scattered in the wind too.
‘This is the perfect chance to run, isn’t it?’
With that strong predatory scent dispersed, they’d never catch her—a grazing animal—by smell.
Na Bom lifted her head and surveyed the path ahead. The forest deepened with each step. If she went deeper, she’d reach the territory of the white wolves and arctic hares—the North Pole itself.
‘Which means…’
She turned her head sharply.
If she descended in the opposite direction, she could cross back past Grizzly Castle—beyond the Northern Region, into the Western Region, Eastern Region, or Central Region.
Find a kind Beast-Human who kept herbivores as companions. Live a little longer.
Wasn’t now the perfect opportunity to reach that goal?
With that thought, she turned to leave—

“…?”
Something swept down from the sky.
Snow.
The world darkened suddenly. She looked up to find the clear, cloudless sky from moments before had turned gray.
She knew well what a sky like that meant—years in the North Pole had taught her.
A blizzard.
The moment Na Bom was certain, a vicious wind howled down.
Nearly swept away, she clutched a small stone and crouched low.
‘So that’s why his scent scattered.’
The wind had carried it away.
Snow began to swirl violently on the gusts. Soon the world ahead would vanish entirely under the onslaught of the blizzard.
The wind died for a moment.
Na Bom rose and gazed into the distance.
‘If I just keep going…’
But she shook her head firmly, turned around, and thrust herself northward through the snow.
No matter how fierce a predator, no matter that he was the son of Bloodletter Theodore—he was still just a child.
Lost in a blizzard like this, he might…
‘I have to find him.’
The younger one.
I have to find Lui!

***

Early morning.
Ferdi, still in pajamas, was heading toward Lui’s room.
He should still be asleep. Surely he hadn’t touched his homework.
‘He ought to apply himself to his studies at least once a month.’

“As a second son anyway, he could just join the Imperial Knight Order. Or there’s the Sled Dog Knight Order. Though I guess only dog Beast-Humans can join that one?”

Talking like that all the time—no wonder Heinz couldn’t stand him.
To get into the Imperial Knight Order, you especially needed to stay on good terms with the Hegwig Clan. It wasn’t just about skill; connections mattered too.
Ferdi had decided that today, at least, he’d lecture Lui about his future.
“Lui, come on—time to wake up.”
Reaching his brother’s door, Ferdi didn’t bother knocking. He swept into the dim room in long strides and yanked the curtains open.
“You won’t finish homework without time.”
As he said this and turned to face the bed—
Ferdi’s eyes widened in confusion.
“…Lui?”

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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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