The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 149

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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 149
“This is… the ‘power’ that Jay injected into our bodies.”
Dark Power rippled across Lis’s small palm.
The power bore a striking resemblance to the Black Snake Tiel had seen in her dreams, and it echoed countless shadows she’d witnessed before.
Lis bit her lip as if struggling to continue. Cassius and Tiel waited without pressing the girl, allowing her to speak when she was ready.
“When this power is injected, one suffers nightmares and develops negative thoughts. And alone… one cannot awaken from the nightmares.”
The girl spoke carefully, word by word.
Tiel gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. Did that mean her recent insomnia stemmed from this very power?
“And… the power he likely tried to plant in the Head of Household through me is probably this same power.”
Lis clenched her fist, and the rippling power in her palm burst with a sharp pop. Tiel swallowed hard.
Cassius still didn’t know that this power had been embedded in his body.
Tiel recalled the day she first met Lis—there had been a brief, sharp pain at her fingertips.
‘Could it have been then?’
Had it been injected through her fingertip in that brief moment? It seemed some of it had splattered onto Tiel despite Lis’s attempt to stop it.
Tiel closed her eyes tightly, unable to grasp what she should do.
‘If Father finds out, this girl might die.’
She disliked having an unknown power embedded in her own body. But she hated the thought of Lis dying because of it even more.
Lis had tried her best to stop it. She had simply been unlucky when a tiny bit splattered through.
It was at that moment—while Tiel stared at Lis with a worried, restless expression—that the girl spoke again.
“And the Head of Household’s body also has this power embedded in it.”
Before Tiel could say anything, Lis spoke first, her words crisp and clear.
Cassius gazed down at the girl while holding Tiel, and for an instant, a dangerous glint flashed across his eyes.
“You’re telling me such a thing was planted in my daughter’s body?”
His voice sounded like a beast’s growl. Lis trembled, her body flinching as she took a step back.
Yet the girl neither fled nor avoided his gaze. She looked Cassius directly in the eye and spoke.
“…Yes. It’s likely because of me.”
“Do you understand what you’re saying right now?”
Tiel, nestled in Cassius’s arms, wrapped her hands tightly around his neck.
She had sensed that his Ability was spiraling beyond his control in his rage. Tiel held him with desperate urgency.
“Father!”
“……….”
“B-but there’s a way. A way to remove the power from inside the young lady—no, the Head of Household’s body……”
Lis spoke through trembling lips. Both Tiel and Cassius turned to look at her. Despite Cassius’s threatening presence, the girl stood firm in her place—not cowering, not crying, not fleeing.
“Speak.”
“If I absorb it, it will work!”
“…What?”
Tiel’s brow furrowed as she echoed the question. Absorb it? What did she mean?
“As you just saw, that power is already absorbed into me. So I can absorb the power in the young lady’s body and extract it.”
Lis bit her lip firmly and nodded. Tiel’s eyes widened in alarm as she asked.
“You’d absorb it? But then… what about you? Will you be alright?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’ve undergone the same experiment many times already. So absorbing a little more of this won’t cause any serious harm.”
Lis’s voice brimmed with confidence. Yet Tiel felt an odd unease. Was she really going to be alright?
“Father, this really doesn’t seem……”
Tiel held Cassius’s neck carefully, afraid he might immediately order Lis to absorb the power. She hesitated to voice her concern.
But the words that came from Cassius’s mouth were entirely unexpected—to both Lis and Tiel.
“…Then there is no immediate danger?”
“No, since it’s such a small amount, there shouldn’t be any danger. So if I absorb it quickly, it will be fine.”
“Then I will capture this Jay and have him resolve it himself.”
Cassius spoke. Lis’s head snapped up in shock. Tiel too was startled by his unexpected response.
Cassius’s expression was deeply conflicted. In truth, his mind was in turmoil.
If one thought of a beloved daughter, the right thing would be to order that girl immediately to absorb and remove the power.
Yet regardless of how much older Lis appeared than Tiel, the girl before him was still an immature Beastmen.
She was still a child, and Cassius—before being a father—could not, as an adult, endanger the girl before him for the sake of saving only his own daughter.
Not even if she herself insisted it was safe.
Since Tiel harbored the same thoughts as Cassius, she rejoiced that her father thought as she did, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek.
“Father!”
“…I can only sigh. Once I catch that bastard Jay, I’ll tear him to shreds.”
Cassius growled. Whether he was irritated or not, Tiel was simply relieved that the girl standing before them would not be put in danger. She turned her attention back to Lis.
But Lis’s expression was not one of joy. Nor was it one of displeasure.
Lis wore an unfamiliar, composed expression as she gazed at Cassius and Tiel.
“It really isn’t dangerous.”
“Enough, Lis. I’ll capture this Jay person for you right away.”
“Since I caused this danger to befall you, please let me handle the cleanup.”
Lis spoke firmly, unmoved by Tiel’s words. Tiel, still dressed in loungewear and cradled by Cassius, tapped his shoulder.
It was a signal to be put down. Cassius understood at once and set Tiel gently on the floor.
“Lis, what’s wrong? You really don’t need to push yourself.”
“I’m not pushing myself. Since this happened because of me, it’s right that I take responsibility. I’ve done this before—transferred power from another person’s body into mine. It went fine then. So……”
Lis’s large, round eyes fixed on Tiel. Tiel stood facing her, blinking.
“Please let me be responsible for this.”
“If that’s what you want to do, then do it.”
Cassius spoke. Tiel spun to look at him in shock.
“Father?”
“To prevent someone from finishing what they wish to do is equally wrong. Since she says she’s done it before, it should be fine. Whatever this power is, it’s better not to leave it in place for long.”
Cassius spoke while looking at Lis. He had already told the girl once that she didn’t need to push herself.
But Lis had expressed her desire to remove the power from Tiel’s body, and he saw no reason to dissuade a girl so determined.
Cassius’s goodwill had ended the moment he first said she didn’t need to push herself. Tiel stared at Lis with wide eyes.
The moment Cassius gave his permission, Lis grabbed Tiel’s hand. Caught off guard, Tiel looked back at Cassius once, then at Lis.
“Wait, Lis? If this doesn’t really need to be removed right now, can we wait a little? You don’t need to do this. Father is going to capture Jay anyway, right? Hmm?”
“…It might be a little unpleasant.”
Lis closed her eyes while gripping Tiel’s arm, concentrating her mind.
It resembled the way Tiel used her Ability. The moment Lis closed her eyes, Tiel felt the same unpleasant sensation welling up from within her body.
“Ugh… unhh……”
Tiel’s hands writhed involuntarily. Two fish made of light burst forth from her grasp, circling worriedly around the girl.
But then.
“Tiel, your fish……”
Cassius’s eyes narrowed. Dark stains marked the fins of Tiel’s fish.
Tiel’s fish had never borne any blemish before. The fish she summoned were light itself—the Ability of Light made tangible.
Have you ever seen a stain on light? The stain that appears on light is commonly called darkness.
Tiel could not respond to Cassius’s call, struggling to keep hold of Lis’s hand.
Her loungewear had grown damp again with cold sweat. The fish accelerated their flight, circling frantically around Tiel.
Cold beads of perspiration formed on Lis’s forehead as well.
And in that moment.
Flash—!!
The room flooded with blinding light.

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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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