The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 110

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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 110
The boat crossed the river without incident.
Contrary to their worries, the current wasn’t strong, so the boat never capsized suddenly.
Tiel felt slightly seasick, but since the river was narrow, they reached the opposite bank quickly enough that she caused no trouble for Olivier.
‘Taking a boat for the first time—it’s not as nice as I thought…….’
The gentle rocking left her queasy. Besides, if they’d come during the day, she might have seen the pretty river, but now it was night, and the quiet water below felt endlessly frightening.
Thud.
The boat touched land. The moment the soldiers lowered the gangway, Tiel jumped off the boat. The other children followed and felt solid ground beneath their feet.
“This is it?”
Ludian asked flatly. Clemens, who’d descended last with practiced grace, nodded.
“This place is exactly…… the land you’ve been seeking.”
“We didn’t find it—Thender did! If that old man hadn’t kept saying such things, we’d never have come all this way!”
Olivier pressed closer to Ludian’s side, grumbling. Thanks to Ludian and Ferdi’s Abilities, the two boys’ surroundings stayed warm. Because of this, the children except Iandros huddled together like penguins for warmth.
“When we get back, I’m going to visit Thender Buccannan’s territories in Nestian and vent my frustrations.”
Ferdi, who’d also gotten seasick like Tiel, muttered with a decidedly sour expression.
Since everyone agreed that the hardship of coming this far was Thender’s fault, no one tried to stop him or object.
“For now…… let’s go look around. There’s a place mentioned in legends. Once we reach there, we should be able to do something.”
“There’s a place mentioned in legends?”
“Yes, though this is my first time visiting this place…… the records definitely said so.”
“Which way do we go?”
Iandros asked. Clemens made a thoughtful sound, then pointed her finger toward a distant peak.
“The highest place?”
“……?”
“?”
“?”
“…….”
Ferdi and Olivier, Ludian and Tiel all stared at Clemens. Iandros, arms crossed, asked again.
“The highest place?”
“Yes, that’s what the records indicated. And also…… light is said to know the way.”
All eyes suddenly turned to Tiel. She tilted her head, looking troubled by the attention.
“I…… um…….”
“Come on, Tiel!”
“……I don’t know the way?”
Tiel answered in a flustered voice.
They’d naturally assumed Arne would know the way, but they’d all been mistaken. Even if Arne knew this land better than most, she couldn’t possibly have such detailed information.
Tiel thought for a moment, then carefully cupped her small palms together and spoke.
“Um…… should I ask?”
Tiel could communicate with her Ability to some degree.
Considering that other Beastkin typically commanded their Abilities rather than communicated with them, Tiel’s ability was extraordinary.
However, Tiel didn’t go around telling others that she could communicate with her Ability.
The first reason was that everyone thought all Beastkin could do this, and the second was…… her Ability was her own small “secret friend.”
As Tiel used her Ability, a small shimmering fish appeared, hovering above her palm.
Every time its delicate fins stirred, golden dust scattered between them. Tiel brought her nose close to the small fish. The fish pressed its tiny face to hers in return. It was a greeting only between “secret friends.”
“Hello, my little fish. I need to ask you something…….”
Tiel whispered carefully. The fish responded, fluttering its short fins gently.
“So, I heard light knows the way. Do you know which path I should take? If you do, could you show me?”
As Tiel finished speaking, the fish swished its fins and swam forward through the air. Then, as if to say “why aren’t you following,” it turned back and circled in place.
“It knows!”
Tiel beamed and turned to look back at the others. She paused, looking at their expressions.
“Huh?”
Why did they all look so stunned? She approached Iandros and tugged at his sleeve.
“Iandros?”
Even Iandros, who rarely looked vacant, stared at Tiel with a slightly dazed expression.
“Tiel, you…….”
“Yes?”
“You can…… talk to your fish?”
“Um…….”
At Iandros’s question, Tiel paused to think. Sometimes she heard a voice in her head, but was it the fish speaking?
After consideration, she concluded it wasn’t. If that had been the fish’s voice, it wouldn’t have come so rarely—it would have echoed in her ears constantly.
“No, it can’t speak. But it seems to understand what I say. Look! It’s telling us to follow it!”
Tiel pointed at the fish. It remained in place, waiting for the children to follow.
Without even moonlight, the night was pitch black, but the light the fish gave off shone all the brighter. It was the light of something that knew exactly where it was going.
“You…… you’re really incredible.”
Iandros murmured, as if struck anew. Tiel made a small sound and tilted her head slightly at his words.
“You tell me I’m incredible every day…… why are you saying it like it’s a surprise now?”
“Where did you learn the word ‘surprise’? But it’s fine to call you incredible every time.”
“From my older brothers…… Am I incredible? Have I become a bit more impressive now?”
“From the moment we first met, you were impressive…….”
As Iandros reached up to stroke Tiel’s hair, he recalled the memory of a ‘tiny Snow Leopard cub so grimy it was impossible to tell if it was white or gray,’ and his words died in his throat.
“……You were cute from the start.”
“Why won’t you say I’m impressive?”
“Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste.”
Iandros lifted Tiel up in his arms. She settled against him without complaint, her expression not displeased at all.
Ferdi, Ludian, Olivier, and Clemens watched the two of them for a moment, then followed.
Ludian nudged Ferdi with his elbow.
“Hey, is that what it’s normally like with your Ability? You can talk and understand each other?”
“If we could do that, don’t you think I’d have done it already?”
“But didn’t Tiel just talk to her Ability? She called it ‘my little fish’! Is Tiel’s Ability alive? Is that what Legendary Innate Powers are originally like?”
Olivier asked distractedly.
But no answer came. None of them knew the details of what a Legendary Innate Power truly was…….
***
The light from the fish was bright enough that even the soldiers following behind could avoid stepping on stones and roots.
The fish led the children up a mountain path. Iandros, looking at the gnarled, dead trees, spoke bluntly.
“Watch your step. There are many broken branches underfoot—you could trip.”
Once called Paradise, this land no longer bore any semblance to that name.
Most of the trees and flowers were withered and twisted in death, and no wild animals appeared at all. The forest reeked of something foul and unpleasant—like the stench of an old animal carcass left to rot undisturbed.
‘Is this the smell of death?’
Tiel lifted her head from Iandros’s arms and gazed at the dead trees.
According to what Clemens had told them, most life in this land had withered and died since the sun stopped rising. If that were true, these trees must have died at least a hundred years ago…….
‘They look like they died just yesterday.’
Why was that? If they’d died a hundred years ago, they should have crumbled and scattered into dust, yet the entire forest, despite being dead, still held its shape.
It was uncanny. Tiel gripped Iandros’s neck more tightly. He supported her small back, holding her close.
Then it happened.
Rustle!
The sound of something brushing through undergrowth came from somewhere. The tense children all turned their heads toward the noise at once.
A presence!
‘Someone’s there!’
Tiel’s eyes widened as she stared toward the sound. One of the soldiers pointed at the bushes and shouted.
“There! Look!”
In the place the soldier pointed lay a small boy, hunched low.
A boy with blue hair. The sudden light startled him—his pupils contracted sharply as he stared toward them.
“Light…….”
The boy murmured vacantly. He took a hesitant step toward the children, then seemed to remember something and quickly retreated a pace.
Silence fell.
“……A child?”
After a moment, Olivier’s voice broke the long silence.

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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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