The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 204

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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 204
She lingered there for a long time, reading through the document—though there was so little written, it shouldn’t have taken her nearly so long.
Tiel gripped Iandros’s sleeve tightly, anxiety rising in her chest. Iandros reached out and tried to soothe her.
“It’s alright, Tiel.”
“…Yes.”
Yet Iandros himself bore the unmistakable tension in his face. The sound of pages turning continued for what felt like an eternity.
Snap.
And finally, the princess closed the book. Tiel’s body jolted. Iandros reflexively pulled her behind him, shielding her completely with his own frame. Tiel’s figure disappeared entirely into his shadow.
……
The princess said nothing, merely studying them with an unwavering gaze. A strange tension hung between the three of them. It was then that Iandros gripped his sword tighter.
Whoosh.
The princess opened a Subspace—one so vast it made Iandros’s own look diminished by comparison.
Tiel instinctively glanced into it, and saw that this Subspace differed starkly from the princess’s Subspace that she had witnessed before—this one roiled with absolute, suffocating darkness.
No Life Force flickered within. Tiel’s brow furrowed slightly.
Iandros’s frown came for an entirely different reason. This was his own Subspace. Yet the princess had opened another Subspace within it.
And the portal’s aperture was larger than the one Iandros himself had opened to enter.
That could mean only one of two things: either his Subspace had become dangerously unstable, or the princess possessed such overwhelming power that she disregarded his entirely.
Neither prospect was welcome.
Yet in this moment, no method occurred to him—neither to capture her nor to strike her down.
She was nothing but a Specter of the past, and yet somehow she manifested before them with unmistakable solidity. Moreover, her power was palpable and immense.
A strength that dwarfed even that of Iandros and Tiel combined.
Because of this, Iandros could not strike at her recklessly. And besides—
with his Subspace malfunctioning, sealing her within it was impossible.
All they could do was watch her, and wait.
‘Perhaps it’s for the best.’
Had she attacked them now, death would likely have been the outcome for them both. Better that she vanish of her own accord.
This intruder before them was a foe so formidable that even if every ally they possessed united their strength, they would not prevail. Two of them stood no chance whatsoever.
So Tiel and Iandros let her leave unmolested. The princess cast one final glance at them before disappearing beyond the Subspace’s boundary.
Iandros and Tiel released the breath they had been holding. Tiel brought her hand to her chest.
Beneath her palm, her heart hammered wildly. Her eyes were wide, her breath ragged.
‘What was that?’
The power she had sensed from the princess was sickeningly familiar. It was a force she had encountered somewhere before—she was certain of it.
Yet she could not remember where. As her breathing grew more frantic, Iandros, who had been rubbing her back, gently drew her into an embrace.
“You did well. Let’s get out of here.”
“The book—what about the book?”
“She took it.”
Iandros nodded grimly. The princess had carried the book away with her as she departed the Subspace. So the intelligence and documents they had so painstakingly obtained had fallen straight into the enemy’s hands.
Tiel’s expression dimmed with disappointment as she took a step forward. She was eager to emerge and inform those waiting outside of what had transpired.
But then—
“Oh!”
Tiel collapsed where she stood. Her legs had no strength in them; she could not walk. Fortunately, Iandros caught her just before she fell, steadying her in his arms and sparing her from tumbling to the ground.
“Come here. Lean on me.”
Iandros lifted her into his arms. Though embarrassed, Tiel relaxed into his embrace without resistance.
In her early childhood, she had often nestled in his arms like this, but now, grown so much taller, she felt awkward and flustered in the familiar comfort of his hold.
Yet Iandros seemed utterly unbothered, and without hesitation he opened the Subspace’s exit while carrying her.
This time, it opened!
The intruder had departed; the warped energies rebalanced themselves, and the Subspace began to function normally once more.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Iandros carried Tiel out. As soon as he emerged from the Subspace, those waiting rushed toward them in a flood.
“Tiel! Tiel, what’s wrong?”
“What were you doing in there?”
“Your Highness?”
Cassius approached Iandros.
“What happened inside?”
Both Iandros and Tiel were utterly exhausted from the ordeal with the intruder, and answering the barrage of questions was more than they could manage.
“So what happened in there was…”
Rather than Iandros, who looked even more worn, Tiel—cradled in his arms—opened her mouth to speak.
Though she had intended to step down and explain herself, Iandros refused to let her go. So she found herself recounting everything that had unfolded in the Subspace while still in his embrace.
“So essentially…”
Ferdi spoke, his expression troubled.
“Another intruder got into the Subspace, and this princess stole the book?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right.”
“But why? Because it concerned her? Or was there something in it we weren’t supposed to know?”
“But we examined it carefully in the underground chamber. There was nothing particularly significant—just general information. And the princess’s name wasn’t even mentioned.”
Iandros spoke. Ludian tilted his head at this.
“What could possibly have been written there that warranted a direct incursion? How did she even know we’d placed that material in your Subspace?”
“We don’t know. She could have stumbled upon it by chance, or she might have been waiting for us after hearing we’d entered Eberard’s Underground Chamber.”
Only when they reached the Carriage did Iandros finally set Tiel down. Even then, fearing she might stumble as she climbed aboard, he kept hold of her and settled her gently onto the seat while remaining at her side.
The fabric of Tiel’s white dress draped softly across the seat. She looked up at Iandros.
“Are you alright, Iandros?”
“I’m fine. I’m past being shocked by intruders at this point. Only…”
Iandros paused, as if weighing whether to continue. Everyone present held their breath.
But Iandros closed his mouth without speaking.
There was no point in alarming them with unconfirmed suspicions.
‘Besides, it’s only a hypothesis right now.’
Iandros murmured to himself, recalling the princess’s Subspace.
Tiel had seen nothing but endless darkness in the princess’s Subspace, but Iandros had seen something else entirely.
He had seen his own Subspace.
Then had the princess opened a gateway between her Subspace and his? No—that was not it.
As the Subspace’s master, Iandros could sense these things with absolute clarity.
That was not his Subspace. It was something entirely different. So why had he seen his own Subspace reflected in hers?
After a moment of careful deliberation, Iandros arrived at a conclusion.
‘Throughout history, only one person per generation has possessed the Spatial Ability.’
Indeed, only three individuals had ever existed with this power at all. It was therefore impossible for two people of the same generation to both wield the Spatial Ability.
But what if the reason was that the Spatial Ability could not coexist? What if—
there was only one Subspace beneath the heavens, and both he and the princess were somehow ‘sharing’ that single Subspace?
It was a terrifying hypothesis. Yet it was not entirely without merit. Iandros resolved that he would need to investigate this matter more thoroughly.
He could tell Tiel later, if necessary.
She was already prone to worry; if she heard this, she would fret over him day and night without fail.
Because Iandros did not wish to burden her with such concerns, he kept silent.
“I’ll tell you next time.”
Tiel nodded, her expression etched with worry.

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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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