The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 123

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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 123
Tiel blinked, struggling to make sense of Ileum’s words. What was he talking about? Was he joking?
‘The last Head of Household’s son?’
She’d been told that Everard was exterminated ages ago. If that were true, then Everard’s Head of Household would have died back then—so how could his son possibly still be alive now?
And besides, Karl was—
Tiel shifted her gaze to Karl’s youthful face. There didn’t seem to be much of an age gap between them. At most, he looked eight years her junior.
Yet this boy was supposedly the son of a Head of Household from a house exterminated long ago. There were far too many things about Ileum’s account that didn’t make sense.
It wasn’t just Tiel who didn’t understand. Karl’s eyes too held the look of someone utterly bewildered.
He seemed to be hearing this story for the first time—even though it was his own story.
“Mister Ileum! What are you saying? That makes no sense at all——”
“Karl, listen quietly.”
Ileum gently rebuked the boy. Karl’s lips parted as if he had more to say, but he closed his mouth and fell silent.
Ferdi, who had been watching the exchange, suddenly interjected.
“It certainly doesn’t make sense. Are you asking us to believe this?”
“You must believe it. Because it’s the truth. Karl is the biological son of Renato Birhilio Ebalte.”
“He died long ago, didn’t he? How is that even possible?”
Iandros spoke, and Ileum nodded in agreement.
“Do you know of the special Ability that Water’s Everard and Divine Verdure’s Arne possess?”
“Besides their Abilities, I don’t know. What is it?”
“The power of water and Divine Verdure must be preserved. Without water, Divine Verdure, and light, this world cannot exist. That is why Arne and Everard can put children with Abilities to sleep, at the cost of their Head of Household’s life force. For very long periods of time……”
Ileum’s words were shocking.
“Everard in the form of an egg, Arne in the form of a Seed Form.”
Tiel’s eyes widened. Could someone truly put their own son to sleep in the form of an egg? Was such a thing possible?
“When Everard faced extermination, the wife of Renato Birhilio Ebalte, Everard’s last Head of Household, was with child.”
Ileum continued without hesitation.
“Head of Household Renato sacrificed his own life force to transform his son into an egg and placed him beneath the Everard manor. And he commanded his vassals to guard that egg through all generations. Until the egg should awaken.”
The story of Everard that came to them through Ileum was shocking indeed. Everyone had assumed Karl was merely Everard’s bloodline, but no one had imagined he was the biological son of that Head of Household who had died so long ago.
“I have a question……”
Tiel looked at Ileum and asked.
“If Head of Household Renato put Karl to sleep…… ‘for a very long time,’ then who woke him?”
“A child put to sleep at the cost of a life force cannot be awakened by anyone. He simply awakens when the time comes. It is our duty to protect the egg until that moment arrives.”
Ileum’s voice was very soft and perfectly calm.
“The problem is…… the beast-folk of this land have come to curse Everard bitterly as time passed. So when Karl awakened, we could not tell anyone.”
“So you raised him in secret.”
“We also made sure to warn Karl never to use his Ability. For the same reason.”
“It’s an absurd story, but…… it’s impossible not to believe it. Only those of Everard’s blood can use the Water Ability.”
Ludian shrugged. Ileum nodded and gently stroked Karl’s head. The boy still wore a confused expression.
“So what’s the plan now? You said the beast-folk of this land still curse Everard.”
Iandros glanced between Karl and Ileum as he spoke.
Though Karl and Ileum bore no resemblance to each other, sitting side by side they looked rather like father and son.
“Until now, our household has managed this land in Everard’s stead. But……”
Ileum turned his gaze away. Beyond the brightly lit window, a water channel flowed.
Water that had begun flowing from the mountain peak swelled and swelled, now filling the channel completely. The rippling surface reflected the light in an endless shimmer.
“Water has returned with the dawn. There is no one living in this land who doesn’t understand what that means…… So we must naturally restore the name of Everard to this land. But.”
Ileum gripped Karl’s small hand firmly. The boy’s hand had been trembling in surprise, but the moment Ileum took it, that trembling ceased as if by a miracle.
“I don’t wish to burden this small child with such weight. So we will wait for Karl to grow a little more. And then, at the right time, we will restore the name of Everard. We exist as Covenant Bearers of Everard to do so.”
A faint light glimmered across the back of Ileum’s hand.
Ferdi caught sight of that light and narrowed her eyes.
‘Covenant Bearer.’
Covenant Bearer.
One of those things forgotten long ago, along with the Seal. An ancient custom in which one swore loyalty to a household in exchange for receiving a share of that household’s Ability. For Ferdi, what she’d read in her academy texts was all she knew.
But Everard’s Covenant was so powerful that it had transcended generations and bound even Ileum. As long as this Covenant’s mark existed, Ileum could never betray Everard.
‘Though honestly, it doesn’t look like he would betray them even without it……’
Ferdi observed Karl and Ileum. Ileum kept stroking Karl, and it seemed that once they left, he would probably lift the boy onto his lap and soothe him.
“For now…… very well. But we keep this quiet for a while. There are plenty of types on the other side of that river eager to take Everard’s territory.”
Iandros spoke.
If word spread that Everard’s heir was alive, those who wished to murder Karl would swarm like hornets.
Those who would kill Karl and completely sever Everard’s line in order to seize Arcadia, the “Paradise Where Morning Came.”
So it was best to keep this secret—for Karl’s sake, and for the sake of this land’s beast-folk who had not yet settled their hearts.
Ileum nodded.
“We are grateful for Your Highness the Crown Prince’s favor. Will you nobles return now?”
“Yes, we will be going back.”
This time it was Tiel who answered. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke brightly.
“We’re going home. Grandfather and Father are waiting for us. I’ve made them wait far too long.”
“There are things to sort out once we return……and goodness, isn’t it terribly hot in here?”
Ferdi furrowed her brow as she spoke. Tiel heartily agreed, nodding in sympathy. In fact, she’d been thinking this place was oppressively hot for some time now.
She hadn’t brought the Brooch that Iandros had given her either, which made it even warmer.
‘It was definitely freezing before, so why all of a sudden——oh!’
Tiel’s lips parted as the realization struck her. The reason it had been so cold before was because the sun hadn’t risen.
“The journey back won’t be cold at all……”
Ludian murmured. Tiel nodded in agreement. Iandros removed Tiel’s outer robe and turned to Ileum.
“Though much remains unsettled, we must leave for now. And the river at the entrance is temperamental—we don’t know when the path might close.”
“You need not worry about the water path. Everard’s heir is here.”
“……Me?”
“Even if the water path closes, this boy should be able to open it for you.”
Karl wore another bewildered expression, but since Ileum said it was so, he simply nodded as if accepting it.
“Everard’s Ability truly is remarkable……”
Tiel murmured quietly. Ileum met her eyes and spoke.
“Surely not more so than your Ability, which summoned the sun. Of course Everard’s Ability is remarkable, but yours is beyond comparison—unparalleled and of immense power. It is worthy of being called a legendary Ability.”
Ileum smiled gently.
“You have saved Arcadia, Lady Tiel. Arcadia will never forget this grace.”
***
All the beast-folk of Arcadia came out to offer their gratitude. They would speak for a moment, then pause mid-sentence to gaze blankly at the sun. It was clear how desperately they had longed for it to rise over this land.
The river waters churned roughly as if the path were about to close, but the moment Karl approached the riverbank, it calmed as if nothing had happened.
The beast-folk of Arcadia didn’t know that ‘Karl’ had stilled the waters; instead, they thought that ‘the land of Arcadia itself was blessing the departure of its saviors.’
Tiel, Iandros, Ferdi, Ludian, Clemens, Olivier, and the knights divided themselves among the boats and departed from ‘the land where morning had returned.’
Tiel leaned against the ship’s railing and watched Arcadia grow distant. She could see the beast-folk standing on the shore. Some of the children were waving toward the boat.
Tiel smiled broadly and waved back. Iandros smiled in return and gently stroked her hair.
“Let’s go home now!”
Tiel spoke in a bright voice.
“Yes. Now we go home and put those who caused us so much trouble in their place.”
Iandros replied.

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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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