I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 47

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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 47

“…….”
Theodore approached the Emperor in silence and helped support him alongside the Prime Minister.
After settling the Emperor on the sofa, the Prime Minister naturally took the seat beside him. Theodore also asked permission and sat on the facing sofa.
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm?”
The Emperor blinked his blue eyes at the apology that came before any greeting.
“My visit was poorly timed.”
Though he spoke without expression, his gaze remained lowered, unable to meet the Emperor’s eyes.
The Emperor studied Theodore’s face carefully, then nodded quietly.
“That it was. You always have rotten timing.”
At this, Theodore met the Emperor’s eyes. The Emperor’s expression was as emotionless as his own.
The Emperor broke the brief silence.
“I jest.”
He delivered it casually, then laughed heartily.
“I’m growing old, you see. My knees aren’t what they used to be.”
He tapped both knees with his hands and laughed again.
Yes, His Majesty was a man who laughed often.
A man who enjoyed mischievous jokes—so approachable at times that it was hard to believe he was the ruler of an empire.
The Emperor of the Albero Empire, Cieldo Maximilian de Albero.
A dignified bloodline carrying the colors of the Imperial Household—dazzling golden hair and eyes as blue as the sky.
His noble features were now lined with age, yet that smile remained unchanged.
He was unchanged.
“Still, today is better than usual. I overslept, so work will have to wait until afternoon.”
No. He was only pretending to be unchanged.
The deeply sunken cheeks, the dark circles beneath his eyes, the gaunt face—no jest could conceal them.
“That’s how it’s turned out, Silbain.”
“Well, there’s no helping it. Your Majesty’s oversleeping isn’t a matter of one or two days, is it?”
As the Emperor turned to address the Prime Minister seated beside him, the minister shrugged with practiced ease.
“It has been a long time, Marquis of Grizzli.”
“I trust you have been well, Count Serpiere.”
Theodore responded to the Prime Minister’s greeting with a respectful bow and inquired after his health.
The Prime Minister of the Albero Empire—Count Silbain Serpiere.
A cousin of the deceased Empress, Count Serpiere was one of the Emperor’s closest confidants. If Theodore was the Emperor’s instrument, the Prime Minister was his right arm.
And so neither the Imperial Household nor any nobility dared treat him carelessly.
The Emperor regarded the Prime Minister as family bound by blood, speaking to him with intimate warmth. The Prime Minister, meanwhile, was nearly workaholic in his devotion to the Imperial Household, spending so much time there that he appeared almost like a permanent attendant at the Emperor’s side.
The Emperor had grown old. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that he leaned so heavily on the Prime Minister’s capabilities.
“By the way, what brings you here so suddenly? It’s unusual to see you like this.”
Theodore bowed apologetically once more, then answered slowly.
“My son has been accepted to the Royal Academy. I came to the Capital and wished to pay my respects to you.”
“Has it come to that already?”
As he answered, the Emperor’s gaze drifted into the distance. For a moment, he seemed to be reflecting on the past.
“Had it not been for the young marquis, we might never have met.”
“…….”
“You’re always holed up in the Northern Region anyway. Especially these past few years.”
The Emperor scratched his graying beard and regarded Theodore intently. Theodore answered quietly.
“I adopted a child.”
“Is that so?”
The Emperor’s eyes widened at this news he was hearing for the first time. The Prime Minister also fixed his gaze on Theodore and asked.
“Now that you mention it, I realize I neglected to report it. Was that roughly six years ago?”
“Yes.”
“……You adopting a child. That’s rather surprising.”
When Theodore nodded, the Emperor opened his eyes wide with evident astonishment.
It was a natural reaction.
The Count Pantera who had killed Coco. Theodore, who had reduced that house to rubble in a single night—the Emperor knew this fact better than anyone.
For it was the Emperor himself who had made Theodore’s massacre disappear.
After that, Theodore had shut himself away in his territory and lived an even more secluded life. The already isolated Northern Region became colder and more barren still.
And now, that man had brought a new family into his home.
Had the pain of losing a daughter finally begun to heal?
“The child was in poor health, so it was difficult for me to leave the Northern Region.”
“You must care for the child dearly. How are they doing now?”
“I cannot say for certain. I intend to do all in my power to help them recover.”
The Emperor nodded quietly, and Theodore added one more thing.
“And, Your Majesty—the land you granted me is where I feel most at peace.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened at Theodore’s words. His lips parted widely, and he burst into hearty laughter once more.
“You’re only the second to say such a thing. Blood doesn’t lie, it seems.”
The second.
Surely the first had been his grandfather, the first Count Theodore.
Since both Theodore’s grandfather and father had lived short lives, the Covenant between the Grizzli Family and the Emperor had now been passed down through three generations.
“In any case, I am glad to hear it from you.”
“Your Majesty.”
Theodore straightened his back and, staring directly into the Emperor’s eyes—still gleaming with laughter—spoke.
“Whenever you have need of me, you need only command it.”
The Emperor stopped laughing and blinked in surprise.
Theodore rose from the sofa and knelt before the Emperor.
“Should Your Majesty wish for my aid, I need only receive your order. I shall comply with anything, at any time.”
“…….”
“If it is Your Majesty’s command.”
Speaking quietly of the Covenant’s laws, Theodore raised his head to look up at the Emperor’s face.
“Yes.”
The Emperor answered with a faint smile at his lips.
“I know your hearts well enough.”
Having received the Emperor’s response, Theodore bowed his head in silence.

***

Deep within the Imperial Underground Chamber.
In the depths of the basement where only the faint flicker of candlelight illuminated the darkness, the Prime Minister sighed deeply as he regarded White Wolf, who knelt before him.
“So few of your rabbits awaken to the Power. Your faith that the Arctic rabbit possesses the Power of Eostre—can I truly trust it? Now I’m beginning to doubt myself. Have I wasted time with poor selection?”
“N-No, it is true. Our ancestors actually saw the goddess Eostre…….”
“But you have no means to prove it, do you?”
White Wolf’s brow furrowed and his head drooped at the Prime Minister’s words. The Prime Minister sighed once more.
“Is the next rabbit ready?”
“Yes, yes. It appears another specimen has failed to undergo Humanization.”
“Ah? A defective one born after all this time. Bring it carefully. Don’t lose it halfway like last time. Do you understand?”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
White Wolf bowed repeatedly, offered salutations to the Prime Minister, and was about to leave the chamber when the Prime Minister called him back.
“By the way, have you still not found the corpse of the rabbit we lost six years ago?”
“Ah……! No, we still haven’t. As you know, the Northern Region is treacherous. We’ve been unable to find it because we suspect other beastkin or animals consumed the remains.”
“I see.”
Expecting further interrogation at the Prime Minister’s murmured response, White Wolf began to elaborate.
“N-Now that I think of it, the subordinates who were transporting the rabbit reported encountering a bear.”
“……A bear?”
“Yes. We went to the location where they said they encountered it, but found no signs of struggle, so we considered it an unreliable excuse. Perhaps it was devoured by a predator in that manner. After all, rabbits are the weakest of prey species.”
“I see.”
The Prime Minister touched his chin thoughtfully and nodded slowly.
“Perhaps that was indeed what happened. Then that’s settled. You need not search for the rabbit’s corpse any longer. Just bring the next one safely.”
“Of course!”
White Wolf cried out as if taking an oath and turned to leave the chamber. The Prime Minister remained lost in thought.
‘I should sever ties with White Wolf soon.’
Over the years, he had received rabbits from them, yet not a single specimen held in captivity had awakened to the Power. Though he couldn’t abandon the possibility of finding the Power, however slim, time was no longer something he could afford to waste.
‘If things continue like this, I may be too late.’
The search range must be expanded immediately. From the Empire’s Northern Region to the whole realm. The fact that the Imperial Household is seeking the Power of Spring would inevitably become known, but there’s no helping it.
Still, there had been a gain.

“I adopted a child.”
“Was that roughly six years ago?”

‘Six years ago…….’
Six years ago, an adopted child had joined the Grizzli Family—he was aware of this. At the time, His Majesty had fallen into a coma, so he hadn’t even considered making a report.
In fact, since the Grizzli Family had accepted various animals from the Northern Region as knights or servants to increase their power, he hadn’t given it much thought. True, they had never adopted before, but couldn’t they count polar bears, moon bears, or sled dogs as their own children?
Or perhaps even an Arctic rabbit.
If the Power he sought lay within the Grizzli Family……

“Should Your Majesty wish for my aid, I need only receive your order. I shall comply with anything, at any time.”
“If it is Your Majesty’s command.”

The Prime Minister’s lips slowly curved into a smile.
Perhaps things had worked out for the best.

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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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