I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 76

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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 76

It was a remark he hadn’t expected. When Kaien stood with his mouth open, unable to form a response, Raul laughed again—a short, sharp sound.
“You were right. If I fight with everything I have and lose, Mother will finally accept it. She’ll have no choice but to admit the truth now—that I can’t match you.”
Even at Raul’s words, Kaien’s brow remained creased. Raul’s expression was far too bright for him to comprehend.
“……Wasn’t what you wanted the Viscount title? To seize Nuarel?”
At Kaien’s question, Raul nodded readily but offered a correction.
“Yes. Though to be precise—it was Mother who wanted it.”
…….
“She wanted more than her station deserved. Something she could never have possessed from the start.”
Raul murmured the words as his gaze fixed on the audience seating. When Kaien turned to follow his line of sight, he saw Marinella speaking to her father.
For a moment she stood with a desperate expression, appealing to him about something. Then, meeting her father’s cold stare, Marinella pushed herself to her feet.
She left the audience seating without once looking back. Not even a glance toward her son standing on the dueling ground.
Kaien simply watched his mother depart with the expression of one long accustomed to such things.
“Honestly, it feels like a weight has lifted. I won’t have to watch that person fall apart anymore.”
The moment Kaien saw the profound relief in Raul’s eyes, understanding crystallized.
All along, everything that boy had done—it had been for his mother’s sake.
Raul pushed off the ground and rose to his feet. His legs trembled, and he nearly stumbled several times, but Kaien offered no hand to help him up. He could understand the boy, but forgiveness was another matter entirely.
“Take care of yourself going forward. Though I suppose I’m in no position to say that.”
…….
“Then goodbye, brother.”
Raul walked away with his back turned, waving his hand in lazy arcs.
Kaien watched his half-brother’s receding figure in silence, then turned his gaze away.
He felt elated. The sensation that the match was already over, despite more battles still to come.
He sheathed his sword with a sharp ring of steel. Too thrilled to let the excitement subside, Kaien thrust one fist into the air.
A fresh roar erupted from the audience seating. He felt his father’s gaze upon him. Perhaps his mother watched from heaven as well. He had won his father’s recognition. He would inherit the Marquess title safely.
‘I’ve done it, Mother.’
As he gazed upward at the thought of his mother, his eyes soon began searching the spectator stands again. His gaze, unfocused and searching, finally came to rest on a single figure.
Ber Grizzly.
Upon the girl with hair so white it blazed like light itself.
‘It’s because of that girl.’
The victory he’d won today, his father’s acknowledgment—none of it would have been possible without her.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Kaien found himself already waving. Sensing his gaze, the girl’s eyes widened. Staring into her startled dark pupils, Kaien moved his lips.
“Thank you.”
Truly, thank you.
Though he shouted loudly, his voice surely wouldn’t reach her over the roar of the crowd. Yet he continued calling out regardless, unable to contain the flood of his gratitude.

***

The Imperial Academy Sword Arts Tournament.
In the original work, the focus had been on the battle between Adrian and Kaien, so there was little detailed description—but it appeared to be an event with far more attention than one might imagine.
From snippets of conversation among the students seated in the audience, Ber could gather that many people had gathered to watch: heads of influential noble houses, their spouses, their children, and their servants—all those whom Heinz had once mentioned.
According to the overheard gossip, there was supposedly a rumor that students who performed well in the sword arts tournament would certainly become either Imperial Knights or high-ranking officials within the Imperial Court.
‘With so many influential house representatives here, it makes sense the Imperial Court would send people as well.’
It wouldn’t be surprising if they were actively recruiting talented individuals, much as they’d done at the Harvest Festival.
Lost in such thoughts, Ber watched the tournament unfold from the audience seating alongside Perdi, Enya, and Silva. A series of stunning martial exchanges followed, and before much time had passed, the semifinals were already finished.
The first semifinal had pitted a fourth-year sword arts senior against the second-year Louie, and the result was—
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to win the championship!”
Louie’s voice rang out from the dueling ground as he bounced excitedly, cutting through the audience’s cheers and reaching Ber’s ears.
At his still-boyish reaction, Perdi and Ber exchanged glances and burst into laughter. They were about to call out congratulations to the victorious Louie when female students in the audience beat them to it.
“Kyaaaah!”
The students’ reactions mixed in with the screams seemed evenly split between praising Louie’s skill and gushing over his charm.
Her shoulders lifted at her younger brothers’ popularity, and Ber offered silent applause instead of shouting.
Then came the second semifinal.
The second semifinal was the matchup between Kaien and Raul—the kind of pairing that would send fans of the original work, especially Kaien’s fans, into a frenzy.
After Adrian’s appearance, Kaien had entered a regretful phase of the story, so by rights he should have lost this battle.
The Kaien who could never defeat Raul.
Gripped by anxiety over losing the Viscount title, Kaien would—twisted by obsession—attempt to forcibly steal Enya’s lips. After Adrian saves her and defeats him, the two would fight again in the Garden Back Path… that was roughly how the original story went.
‘But that was only the original story.’
Yes, she’d known. She was certain a different development would unfold than the source material.
…….
The second semifinal ended with tremendous applause. Ber stared at Kaien on the dueling ground, her mouth agape.
She’d anticipated the result, but she never expected it to be this overwhelming.
But there was no time to remain in shock. Kaien’s eyes, as he scanned the audience searching for someone, came to rest on her.
Had he been looking for his father? Yet the moment Kaien found Ber, his expression grew startlingly radiant, answering that question.
Waving frantically, Kaien began to say something. He seemed to be shouting, but the roar of the crowd drowned it out. All Ber could barely discern was the movement of his lips.
‘Thank you……?’
Really, thank you.
The instant she grasped what Kaien was trying to convey, Ber’s hand flew to her mouth without thinking. She couldn’t even bear to look at him, and her gaze fled.
‘I said I wouldn’t look for you like this……!’
What had just happened could absolutely not be described as ‘just happening to glance your way once in a while without meaning to.’
She’d already heard him express his gratitude, his desire to help her with anything. But she never expected Kaien to thank her in a manner like this.
‘An innocent, sunlit Kaien Nuarel.’
There was no more room for doubt.
This Kaien was not the one she’d known. It was time to erase the obsessive second male lead tag and replace it with the radiant second male lead…….
It was then.
“Hey, Ber.”
At the sudden voice beside her, Ber made a strange, startled sound. Perdi looked at her with confusion.
“What, what?”
“Oh, nothing. Just wondering if you knew Kaien.”
“K-Kaien?”
“Yeah. He seemed to wave at you just now.”
It felt as if her heart had stopped, but Ber forced her expression into one of bewilderment.
“Did he? Maybe his family came to watch? Anyway, so the person who just won was named Kaien. I didn’t know that.”
Ber laughed lightly and turned to engage Enya in conversation.
Two years ago, on that day, she had unconsciously used her power to heal someone. She’d never told anyone the identity of that person.
From the contents of the letter she’d received from Kaien not long ago, it seemed he’d made contact with Perdi and Louie, so they might have had some inkling—but they couldn’t be certain.
‘Perhaps the day will come when I reveal it, but not now.’
Especially since the finals were about to begin.
The match between Louie and Kaien.

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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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