The Baby Bear of the Black Fox Mansion - Chapter 59

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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 59
“…….”
Under Zeros Nordic’s intimidation, they turned to look at Pola Bernier with an awkward expression.
After all, they were the sort who followed orders when they came down the chain of command.
Pola Bernier nodded.
“Don’t worry—I’m taking good care of her. She’s my niece, after all.”
“Yes, understood.”
Behind Pola Bernier, Zeros Nordic craned his neck forward and opened his mouth.
“If you bully her, I’ll kill you. If you tease her, you’re dead too. Oh, and she loves honey sweets, so give her some if you have any—she finished everything I brought yesterday. Don’t let her go hungry.”
The knights had been nodding along as the words poured from Zeros, but now they froze.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
Zeros Nordic, who had been rattling off precautions for what felt like forever, finally took a hesitant step forward at Pola Bernier’s prompting.
“Baby Moon Bear Boss—I’ll be back soon.”
“See you later!”
Miel gave a quick nod of her head.
“Yeah.”
He let out a snort of laughter, rose from his seat, and turned to go.
The knights had just drawn a breath of relief, thinking he was finally leaving, when he whirled around after barely a single step.
“And when you call her, use ‘Baby Moon Bear Boss’—you got that?”
“……Pardon?”
“You got that?”
“……Well. Fine, we understand.”
They had no idea what kind of title that even was.
Unable to shake the feeling of watching an overprotective parent, they forced themselves to nod.
In any case, the man before them was the one known as Nordic’s Madman. There was no point getting on his bad side.
“I’ll be back by tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“Yay!”
Miel watched as the two of them walked into the place that seethed with dark creatures and ghosts, then quietly turned her head away.
She sensed that watching them would make her feel strange.
After the two had gone.
“…….”
“…….”
The ones left behind exchanged cautious glances.
They were Bernier’s knights.
‘Really—stones instead of jewels.’
That was how they could tell she was the “Failure” who had become something of a legend even in the Mansion.
Of course, since the knights spent most of their time out and about, they didn’t know the internal affairs in such detail.
But one thing was certain.
Most of them were unmarried young bears who had no idea how to handle children.
They had no experience dealing with a small, delicate little female bear cub like this.
“Perhaps we should prepare the camp.”
“Ah, yes.”
At the words of Nivel Holbard, Pola Bernier’s adjutant, the knights quickly scattered.
“Here, sit down, please. Baby Moon Bear Boss?”
“Yay!”
Someone brought a camping chair.
“Don’t you think we should lay something soft here as well?”
“To keep it warm, we’d need firewood from here to about here…….”
“Are you trying to create a blazing inferno?”
Miel rolled her eyes as she watched them busily moving about, chattering away.
‘Bored Miel.’
Drill, you there?
She called out silently, but Drill didn’t answer.
While Miel shuffled her feet with boredom, a rather respectable tent was completed.
“You can rest here tonight.”
“Yay.”
Fortunately, no one bothered Miel.
They didn’t even say anything unkind. They kept their distance and looked after her, certainly, but there was nothing about their manner that made her feel unwelcome.
After eating her fill and snacking on honey sweets for dessert, Miel fell asleep snoring softly, but stirred awake late into the night.
“Shuu…….”
A yawn.
The tent was empty. There were people outside, but they were either sleeping or standing guard at a distance.
Miel slipped into the nearby brush and attended to her needs with practiced ease.
‘What an excellent little moon bear.’
She was straightening her clothes with satisfaction when she turned to head back to the tent.
Rustle, rustle.
A sound caught her attention, and Miel turned her head.
“Kyeong?”
A fox stood in the shadows of the dark trees.
‘Lisar?’
Had he snuck out here to see her?
The creature that had been watching her intently suddenly spun around and scampered away, then stopped and looked back at her.
As if beckoning her to follow.
‘Lisar!’
Miel chased after the fox on pure instinct.
The fox would pause when she slowed, then dash ahead again, repeating the pattern.
Soon they passed through dense trees and emerged into an open space. Moonlight that had been hidden by the canopy now poured down.
Illuminated beneath it was a blue tail.
A blue fox was there.
She stopped short.
‘That’s not Lisar.’
Miel finally came to her senses and looked around.
It was not the dark forest path like before. The moonlight gave it an almost sacred appearance.
The fox that had been standing apart glanced at her, then came bounding over and circled around Miel once.
The fox rubbed its fur against Miel’s legs, completing one full circle before looking up at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Miel crouched down and pulled the fox into her arms.
The fox stretched its face forward, rubbing its cheek against Miel’s neck.
Squeee!
“That tickles!”
Miel burst into laughter. The soft, fluffy fur of the fox felt wonderfully pleasant in any case.
“Miel’s never seen a blue fox before.”
A small smile.
The fox seemed to laugh at her words.
Miel held the fox in her arms and circled once around the clearing bathed in moonlight.
It was an unusually cozy space.
Crack.
That was when the brush rustled again.
“Oh.”
The fox leapt down and landed with a soft thump on the ground.
Miel blinked.
“Where are you going?”
As she spoke, something emerged from the brush.
She gasped.
“……!”
A massive bear with russet fur.
A jet-black panther.
A blue fox.
And…… a silver bird.
‘What kind of bird could that be?’
As Miel was briefly wondering, the enormous shadow cast by the four animals made her stiffen involuntarily.
Miel, tense and alert, was just beginning to back away when—
Flutter—!
The bird flapped its great wings and swooped forward in an instant, hovering leisurely in front of Miel.
Each of its wings was as large as Miel herself.
“……Wow.”
It seemed one would need several people pressed together to match the size of such a magnificent bird.
Miel slowly reached out and touched the silver bird’s wing gently.
She watched carefully for its reaction.
The bird did not fly away; instead, it seemed to enjoy her touch and settled lightly onto the ground.
Without thinking, Miel sank down after the bird and carefully stroked its wings.
Strange—though it was clearly large and unfamiliar, she felt no fear.
“Bird, why are you here?”
“…….”
The bird did not answer.
It only tilted its head slightly. As Miel went on stroking its fur, the other animals that had been keeping their distance drew near as well.
Since they seemed far less frightening than before, Miel neither pushed them away nor fled.
“Miel, this one’s actually a Moon Bear.”
“……?”
The rust-colored bear tilted its head.
Miel petted the fox, then the bird, then an enormous black panther sprawled on the ground, and finally gazed up blankly at the largest bear of them all.
“You’re all so very large.”
Miel breathed the words in wonder, her mouth falling slightly open.
But why were they here?
The child tilted her head in puzzlement, yet sensing no real malice from these colossal creatures, she simply dropped down onto the ground beside them.
At that, the enormous brown bear that had been sitting picked Miel up and set her gently upon its shaggy knee.
“Oh? The bear has something on its forehead too.”
Something that looked as though it held flames within it—a great jewel.
It was as if a scarlet jewel held a flame that had frozen solid in an instant.
“Miel is a stone.”
At Miel’s murmur, the bear reached out and touched it gently—and that was when it happened.
Crack.
A small fracture sounded once more.

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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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