The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 168

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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 168
“That doesn’t matter. If Tiel isn’t in a condition to go, then we simply won’t send her.”
Cassius spoke. Ferdi and Ludian turned to look at him.
“There’s no reason the Asterian household couldn’t protect Tiel. It would be wise to inform them in advance that she’ll be unable to attend due to her health.”
“But then the Temple will……”
“What does the Temple have to do with me?”
At Cassius’s words, Ludian and Ferdi nodded. Cassius was certainly being rather headstrong at the moment, but there was no denying he was right.
Cassius flicked his hand once, and a small salamander suddenly popped into the air.
It was somewhat larger than the salamanders Ludian and Ferdi possessed, yet small enough still to fit inside someone’s pocket.
But one should never underestimate something for being small. Everyone in the Asterian household knew this.
This tiny salamander would transform into a great flame and burn brilliantly the moment its master fell into danger.
“First, I’ll attach the salamander to Tiel. While she cannot use her Ability, it will protect her.”
“I’ll place a direct Protective Ability on her.”
Alpheus stepped forward. Cassius nodded.
The power of flame dwelling in the underground dungeons of the Asterian household also belonged to Alpheus, and in such matters, he surpassed Cassius.
They did not speak of it in front of Tiel, lest she worry or harbor dark thoughts, but everyone in the Asterian household knew that Tiel’s Ability had weakened.
Yet what did that matter?
Whether she had an Ability or not, Tiel was their granddaughter, their daughter, their sister, and a member of the Asterian household.
So they would protect her to the extent of their power. For them, what mattered was not whether Tiel possessed her Ability, but only that.
“And we should investigate further into the matter of the vanished Ability. No matter how I think about it, something feels amiss.”
“You mean someone deliberately weakened Tiel’s Ability?”
“It’s impossible, but I’m beginning to think it might be possible nonetheless.”
Tiel had grown up encountering all manner of extraordinary occurrences.
So they had to keep every possibility open. Alpheus pondered for a moment, then rose from his seat.
“I shall visit His Majesty. There may be relevant materials in the Imperial Palace Archives. And……”
Alpheus paused before continuing.
“I should also inquire whether there exists a way to break an Imprint.”
“You truly intend to do this?”
Ferdi spoke.
“Tiel won’t want it. Besides, I’ve never heard of anyone breaking an Imprint, and who knows what might happen in the attempt.”
Ludian, for once, remained silent as if he partially agreed with Ferdi’s words.
“Will you still pursue breaking the Imprint?”
“That is not a decision for me to make.”
Alpheus cut off Ferdi’s words cleanly.
“That is a decision for His Majesty to make, not for me. I merely stand ready to assist him when he comes to such a choice and decision.”
“Isn’t that the same thing you just said?”
“Ferdi.”
Alpheus looked at Ferdi. Ferdi nodded, bidding him to speak.
“You cherish Tiel, and we all cherish her just as much.”
“……”
“Every decision we make is for her sake, and I have no desire whatsoever to put that child in danger.”
“……Yes.”
“So do not worry. For now, you are to remain here at the mansion and not venture outside. Watch over Tiel’s condition. I remain concerned about her.”
“I shall do so.”
Ferdi answered simply.
Alpheus went to the Imperial Palace, sending a letter ahead to request an audience with His Majesty, and then withdrew to his quarters to make preparations while awaiting the reply.
Cassius leaned back against the sofa, a salamander resting in his palm, his expression absorbed in thought.
In his hand, the salamander repeatedly ignited its flames and then let them die away, playing.
“We should take our leave now.”
“Go.”
Cassius answered simply.
Ferdi and Ludian left the room, leaving Cassius to his contemplation.
And it was only a long time after Ferdi and Ludian had departed that Cassius himself finally left the room.
***
“Why is this one coming from there?”
Tiel’s fish all appeared either within her body or in her immediate vicinity.
Those fish were created by Tiel’s Ability, each one essentially a fragment of her Ability itself, so it was natural.
Yet the fish swimming toward her now from a distance had not appeared near Tiel’s body; it had simply materialized suddenly here within the Subspace.
“Come here, little one……”
When Tiel whispered, the fish that had swum near pressed its head gently into her palm.
“Look here, Iandros, this one appeared inside this place……! Did you call me to show me this?”
“Yes. There’s something I haven’t yet told you.”
Iandros looked at Tiel.
The Subspace remained as dark as ever, visibility barely extending a foot ahead,
but thanks to the fish in Tiel’s hand and those drifting about nearby, Iandros and Tiel could see each other’s faces.
“When you collapsed, I was trapped in this Subspace.”
“……Trapped?”
“Literally. I was on my way to the Asterian Mansion to celebrate your birthday when I regained consciousness trapped here in the Subspace.”
Iandros narrowed his brow, retracing the memory from that time.
“It was a shabby room I’d never seen before. I assumed it must be one of hundreds of rooms within the Subspace and opened the door to escape.”
“……”
“Beyond the open door was another identical room. Puzzled, I opened that door as well.”
And then came another identical room, another, and another……. Iandros recounted to Tiel the very story he’d told Cassius and Alpheus.
“Then suddenly one of your fish appeared. It flickered its shimmering fins, beckoning me to follow, and led me toward the exit.”
“One of my fish?”
“Yes. So at the time, I thought that you and I were mentally connected, and you were unconsciously using your Ability to help me.”
Iandros tapped the nose of the fish twisting playfully in Tiel’s hand.
A bright, shimmering light flashed briefly but intensely, illuminating both of them before fading away.
“So when I heard that you could absorb Ability Fragments, I thought it would be good if you absorbed this fish I’d seen within here……”
Just then, as Iandros finished speaking, the fish suddenly darted away from Tiel’s hand.
“Oh?”
“……Hm?”
“D-Did it run away because you mentioned absorbing it?”
“No, it’s not even alive to begin with. It’s just a part of your power.”
“But it ran away……! You should apologize to the fish!”
Iandros stared at the fish with a bewildered expression.
The fish floated at some distance from Tiel and Iandros, staring directly at them both.
It did not return to Tiel’s hand even when she called. Considering the fish was made of Tiel’s own power, this was truly strange.
“Come here. I’m sorry. I won’t absorb you……”
Tiel spoke gently and kindly, as if addressing a living creature.
Iandros, watching this, thought to himself that he should whisper for her to absorb it the moment it drew near.
Yet the fish did not enter Tiel’s hand, instead spinning in circles in midair.
Tiel and Iandros were well acquainted with the signals her fish sent.
This signal meant it was asking them to follow.
The fish that had guided them when they first set foot in Arcadia had likewise spun in place in just this manner.
Iandros and Tiel exchanged a brief glance. The fish circled a few more times, then began swimming away.
At that moment, the fish surrounding Tiel—those bearing faint light—also began swimming after it.
“Where are we going?”
“Who knows……. Shall we follow for now?”
Tiel watched the lights growing ever more distant. Iandros nodded.
If they were to absorb and use all that power, they would have to follow these fish.
The only concern was that Iandros’s Subspace had been warping lately, and things within it often vanished.
Yet they could not simply let these fish go, so Tiel and Iandros slowly began to follow the fish down their path.
Glimmering fragments of light remained in the wake of the fish’s passage,
and thanks to the fish pausing periodically to look back and confirm they were still following, they were able to keep pace without losing their way.

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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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