The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 109

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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 109
“May Crasion’s blessing go with you.”
Iris bade farewell to the children as they divided themselves between two carriages. Arne’s carriage wasn’t as large or spacious as Asterian’s.
But it was the carriage that Arne’s household used when venturing outside, optimized for racing across snowfields and ice roads.
Iandros, Ludian, and Clemens rode in one carriage while Ferdi, Olivier, and Tiel shared the other.
With Ferdi and Ludian—both users of Flame Ability—divided between the two carriages, they could keep the interiors warm throughout the journey.
“Tiel! Aren’t you cold? You won’t catch a chill, will you? All this trouble because of that wretch Thender!”
Olivier, bundled thick in quilted garments, adjusted the ear muffs draped over Tiel’s head while he spoke.
“We haven’t even left Arne yet! I’m not cold—if anything, I’m too warm…….”
Tiel murmured, peering down at her own clothes with her face flushed a vivid red. She was swathed in several layers of thick outer garments and cloaks.
Beyond Arne’s border, the moment one crossed the boundary, a wind came that cut like a blade. For this reason, Iris had taken particular care with the children’s clothing.
‘It was fine when we came!’
‘It’s different now than it was then, because where we’re going now is toward the Land Where Morning Does Not Come. The road leading there is said to be terribly cold.’
Olivier, recalling Iris’s words, draped a blanket over Tiel. Though Tiel had said several times that she was a Snow Leopard and would be fine, it seemed the young man didn’t hear her.
“Now, now, Olivier. You’re being fussy.”
Ferdi, warming the inside of the carriage with his Ability, clicked his tongue at Olivier.
But Olivier seemed deaf to Ferdi’s words as well, satisfied only after bundling Tiel into a round ball before stepping back.
Tiel didn’t wish to discount Olivier’s goodwill and kindness, so she decided to tolerate the extra warmth.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to endure it for long. The moment they crossed Arne’s border, a tremendous cutting wind began to howl.
Sharp gusts swept over the carriages and riders. The knights, accustomed to such cold, guided their mounts calmly. The horses themselves had been raised in adaptation to cold, so there was no panicking or rearing at the sudden chill.
But the problem was the blizzard.
Snow and wind came together, and the torches held by the knights kept extinguishing. The knights looked troubled.
“Strange. These shouldn’t go out in a blizzard of this strength.”
The torches the knights carried were made with special oils produced in Arne, designed not to snuff out easily in ordinary wind. Yet for some reason, the flames kept dying today.
Finally, the captain of the knights brought the horses to a halt.
“We’ll need to ask for help. There is someone who uses Light Ability…….”
“But that means Tiel has to come outside! What if my child catches a cold?”
At the spirited boy’s voice, the knight captain turned around. Ludian, bundled in thick clothing, leaped nimbly from the carriage.
“A-choo! A-achoo!”
Ludian sneezed. His body shivered against the sudden, cutting wind. The knight captain spoke in an alarmed voice.
“……Young master? The weather is terribly cold. You should return to the carriage at once.”
“Tiel’s still too young. If she uses enough Ability to light the road, she’ll have to leave the carriage. And she’ll definitely catch a cold then.”
In terms of the probability of catching cold, Ludian—being a Black Leopard—was more susceptible than Tiel, a creature native to cold lands. But such logic mattered little to the boy.
“So, all I need to do is light the way, right?”
Ludian reached out his hand. The knights nodded, bewildered.
Whoosh—!
A massive flame erupted from the boy’s palm. It was larger and fiercer than what he usually summoned. The fire roared up with such force it seemed ready to sweep away and melt the entire blizzard.
“Ah, now I can breathe!”
Ludian, his expression brightening, unwound the cloak draped over his shoulders and flung it aside.
“……Isn’t this better?”
But against the howling wind, Ludian hastily gathered the cloak back and settled it across his shoulders, then lightly tossed the flame forward.
A flame orb that shot from Ludian’s hand transformed in an instant into a massive leopard. It was strikingly similar to the flame leopard Ferdi had manifested back in Luminarie.
It wasn’t just one.
Two of the three flame leopards made of pure fire moved ahead, illuminating the path. They were less bright than Tiel’s light, perhaps, but still more than sufficient to light the nighttime road.
The third remained at Ludian’s side. The knight captain handed Ludian a horse, which he mounted with an expression far more satisfied than he’d worn inside the carriage.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Yes? Yes, thank you!”
The knight captain, who had been standing dumbly admiring Ludian’s Ability, drove the horses forward once more.
Flame Ability of Asterian.
He had heard of Asterian’s reputation, but to think that a child not yet twelve years old possessed such formidable Ability…….
He understood now why hierarchy existed among the Beast Clans. Even if Arne produced a peerless prodigy, they could never surpass Asterian.
While the knight captain drove the horses forward in admiration of Ludian’s Ability, Ludian himself wore a troubled expression that no one else noticed.
“Hmm…… What’s going on?”
Whether the others felt it or not, Ludian, who was actively using his Ability, could sense it clearly.
His Ability…… was not functioning properly.
As if someone was deliberately interfering, the flames Ludian created flickered precariously, as though ready to extinguish at any moment.
But.
“I’m Ludian Asterian!”
Ludian grinned fiercely and clenched his fist. This strange situation had only sparked his competitive spirit. The flames that had been wavering and dying suddenly surged upward with renewed intensity.
***
“I’m going to die…….”
Ludian, draped almost completely over the back of his horse, muttered with an exhausted expression. Ferdi and Iandros, who had dismounted from the carriage, clicked their tongues as they looked at Ludian’s body, collapsed like a flattened pudding.
“Should we leave him behind?”
“Yeah, he doesn’t seem like he’d be useful anyway.”
“Not useful?! You think you made it here safely tonight through whose efforts?”
Ludian sprang up indignantly. The boy, who had been drooping like overcooked spinach, suddenly brimmed with energy again. Ferdi and Iandros thought, ‘He really is easy to handle…….’
Just then, Tiel leaped from the carriage and scurried toward Ludian, Iandros, and Clemens.
“Brother! Iandros! Clemens!”
A thick, fluffy tail swayed behind Tiel’s back. Iandros and Ludian’s eyes widened when they saw that Tiel’s tail was exposed.
“Tiel, why did you let your tail out?”
“Oh, well…… Snow Leopards have a habit of holding their tails in their mouths in cold places. Of course, thanks to Ferdi it wasn’t cold, but this is instinctive behavior…….”
Tiel, looking bashful, gently grasped her own tail with her hand. The thick tail fit perfectly in her small palm.
Iandros and Ludian, watching her, simultaneously gave her expressions of utter adoration.
Tiel pondered for a moment, then tucked her tail back in.
At that, both boys’ expressions immediately turned to disappointment. Olivier, who had quietly approached Tiel’s side and was watching the three, thought they were very easy to read.
Ferdi, having spent the entire carriage ride fully admiring Tiel’s soft, supple, and plush tail, felt no disappointment.
Tiel, seeing the disappointed expressions on Iandros and Ludian’s faces, briefly considered whether she should let her tail out again…….
But she couldn’t very well walk about with her tail exposed in front of everyone indefinitely, so Tiel decided to ignore their longing gazes.
“We can take those boats.”
Clemens pointed to the boats floating near the riverbank. They weren’t as large as one might have hoped, but quite a few had been prepared.
The children followed Clemens toward the boats. Clemens, who was the first to board lightly, extended her hand.
Plant stems immediately grew along the boat’s steps. Thanks to the stems weaving themselves into layers, the children could climb without slipping and with ease.
“Take it slowly…… Don’t fall.”
Clemens smiled warmly.

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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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