I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 26

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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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Chapter 26

“You’re… greeting us…?”
“Snowflake is truly so courteous!”
At Na Bom’s brief bow, the two attendants clutched their chests and trembled with emotion.
‘Why do the people in this castle react so strangely?’
It wasn’t anything remarkable, after all.
I come from the Eastern Etiquette Kingdom, for what it’s worth. I know how to offer a proper greeting.
While Na Bom’s shoulders lifted with quiet pride, his inner thoughts betrayed amusement at the response.
Anna, who’d been watching the two of them and the rabbit with an amused smile, pointed to the plate of Na Bom’s breakfast.
“Well then, shall we eat?”
Na Bom nodded obediently and settled into his designated chair. When he indicated the nearest plate, Anna plucked a leaf and placed it directly into his mouth.
“It’s Winter Strawberry Leaf. It’s in season, so it should taste wonderful.”
Before Anna could finish explaining, Na Bom’s cheeks had already swelled to celestial heights.
Crispy! Delicious!
As he marveled, trembling with joy, the three attendants watched him with deeply satisfied expressions.
Sensing their gaze, Na Bom started and immediately shook his head.
‘I’m being observed!’
I should be the one doing the observing.
Na Bom fought hard to concentrate on the tender leaves dancing across his tongue while slowly studying the three people before him.
‘Human observation, is it.’
The thought that surfaced made Na Bom furrow his brow.
Would this really help?
Besides, he’d grown sick of observing humans in his past life—nothing but family members visiting hospital rooms, nurses, and faces from television or videos.
‘So why haven’t I yet…?’
Anxiously, Na Bom chewed on some hay.
Only about two weeks remained until the Bear Hibernation ended. Yet Na Bom had still not succeeded in Humanization.
‘Perhaps it’s because I could only observe, never mimic.’
Children laughing while doing dance challenges on smartphone screens. A mother’s hands as she fed patient meals. A nurse rushing toward me, her legs urgent.
I was always only watching. That was all I could do.
‘So of course Humanization would be difficult.’
Na Bom chewed a leaf with calm acceptance, though the anxiety wouldn’t ease.
He shook his head again, reaching forward with his front paws to indicate another dish. In times like this, I must eat well and gather strength.
Hay, then Winter Strawberry, then Carrot Leaf, then hay again.
Each time Na Bom extended his paws toward Anna—asking for this, requesting that—the seat across from him brightened as if sunlight had settled there.
Suddenly, as he stretched his paw forward and looked up, the steward and treasurer clutched their chests once more and laughed with wide, open mouths.
“Snowflake has surprisingly slender legs!”
“Which makes him all the cuter!”
Cute?
Na Bom gazed quietly at his own paws.
What’s cute about such small, thin feet? Malamute would be much cuter.
‘…Is eating with me really such a joyful thing?’
The tastes of Grizzly Castle’s people remained difficult to understand.
‘And yet somehow….’
The anxiety and restlessness that had weighed on him seemed to settle. How could that not happen when such peaceful faces surrounded him?
The corners of Na Bom’s mouth kept turning upward.
With each stretch of his paws brightening the faces around him, and each vegetable savored in his mouth, Na Bom found himself drawn deeper into the meal.
They’d said food tasted better during hibernation season, and indeed it did.
Just then, wind rustled from behind, and a hand extended over Na Bom’s shoulder. The hand’s owner reached into Na Bom’s breakfast bowl, grabbed a handful of hay, and shoved it into his own mouth.
Na Bom’s expression darkened menacingly.
‘How dare you take my hay!’
“Hmm… I don’t understand what flavor that’s supposed to be.”
The man chewing thoughtlessly reached over and snatched a piece of meat from Anna’s plate.
Anna’s brow furrowed just as sharply.
“No! Pallas!”
“Hmm. The winter chef’s skill is indeed remarkable.”
Despite the fierce glares from Na Bom and Anna, Pallas didn’t bat an eye as he chewed the meat.
“When you’re done, stop taking things.”

***

‘I don’t see Malamute today.’
Turning to look for Pallas when the Malamute who always trained with him was nowhere to be seen, Pallas opened his mouth with a sigh.
“He has a separate seed training today. So there’s no mount for us.”
Na Bom nodded quietly at Pallas’s answer and fell into thought.
Of course, Malamute is part of the Sled Dog Knight Order. He must be busier during hibernation season—and here he’s been helping with my Humanization training too.
‘Pallas.’
Na Bom gazed at the snow beginning to drift gently and asked in a quiet voice.
‘Can I really achieve Humanization?’
“Hmm?”
Unable to turn to face Pallas, Na Bom kept his eyes on the snow accumulating before his paws and spoke.
‘My voice only reaches you, Pallas. It doesn’t touch anyone else. …I really do seem strange.’
Silence fell.
With only the faint sound of falling snow, Na Bom suddenly felt worry creep in.
It seemed like careless words. To speak so weakly to a teacher who’d been working so hard to help him.
What if he thought Na Bom was being rude? What if he decided to abandon the training, thinking Na Bom’s resolve was so fragile that he couldn’t even achieve Humanization?
‘What I meant was….’
Just as Na Bom scrambled to recover, Pallas spoke a single sentence.
“There’s no need to be so anxious.”
‘….’
Startled, Na Bom lifted his head and looked directly at Pallas.
Different from Heinz, the tutor of the two bear cubs, Pallas carried the aura of a stern, rigid sage—a grandfather figure.
That was Na Bom’s impression of him, though he had the appearance of a man barely past adulthood. Perhaps that feeling came from his status as a great mage.
Yet contrary to that image, warm counsel spilled from his lips. And because of it, Pallas felt somehow closer to Na Bom than usual.
“Your strength will be building up before long.”
The final addition to his words was something Na Bom couldn’t quite understand.
‘Um, Pallas.’
Na Bom bounded forward toward Pallas, who stood some five paces away.
‘You said I need to carefully observe animal movements to achieve Humanization, didn’t you?’
“Well, I did say that.”
Pallas nodded easily. It would seem natural to run some sort of training anyway.
‘Then today, I’d like to observe you.’
“Uh, what? What do you mean by that?”
Feeling an ominous premonition, Pallas asked the question again.
‘Your animal form!’
Pallas’s mouth stiffened unpleasantly. Looking down at Na Bom, who seemed delighted, Pallas sighed deeply with considerable reluctance.
In truth, Pallas didn’t much care for winter. He could survive the cold well enough in the Northern Empire, but personal preference was another matter.
Especially since his feet got cold easily, Pallas preferred to stay in human form during winter so he could wear shoes.
Moreover, during winter he put on weight, making his body rounder than usual.
‘It makes me look like a ball of gray fluff rolling through the snow, and I hate it.’
Pallas sometimes resented why he wasn’t born as an owl, a crow, or even an ordinary cat.
He’d wanted something more fitting for a mage. Yes, I should have researched Reincarnation Magic instead of life extension.
Pallas graduated from sighing to groaning.
Why was he agonizing for so long? Na Bom tilted his head curiously and placed his front paws on Pallas’s shoes.
In that moment, Pallas looked down at Na Bom again.
Oh.
Na Bom suddenly stared at his own paws.
Do predators like arctic hare feet?
This morning at the table, every time he stretched his paws to indicate a dish, smiles and exclamations erupted. They even called him cute, didn’t they?
Perhaps this might work on Pallas too.
With his decision made, Na Bom immediately rose onto his hind legs and lifted his front paws toward Pallas.
‘Please, I’m begging you!’
Stretching his body taut, he waved his paws desperately toward Pallas’s crossed arms. Pallas watched him in silence.
When no special reaction came, Na Bom shook his front paws frantically, squeezed his eyes shut, and cried out.
‘Please? Pallas!’
“………”
At the sight of the white rabbit stretched impossibly tall, somehow maintaining his balance despite the absurdity, Pallas’s eyes narrowed to slits.

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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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