The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family - Chapter 256

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Special Side Story, Chapter 6
“Uncle Ferdi!”
Luna beamed and stretched her arms in Ferdi’s direction.
Ferdi had no way to dodge the small girl hurling herself at him with all her might, so he scooped her up into his arms.
“Luna, you’ve grown so much.”
“Uncle, have you been well?”
“Of course I have.”
After exchanging a light greeting with Luna, Ferdi turned his gaze toward Tiel.
Tiel’s eyes sparkled as she watched him—it had been a long time since she’d seen him.
“Ferdi!”
“Hello, my sister.”
Ferdi greeted her as he had long ago.
In that instant, Tiel felt as though she’d stepped back into the past.
Her family—unchanged.
Yet standing among them, subtly altered, her heart felt an odd, ticklish sensation.
Uncertain whether to call it unfamiliar or joyful, Tiel found herself caught between conflicting emotions, her mind flooding with question marks.
Ferdi, familiar with that expression of hers, smiled softly and drew Luna close, cradling the girl snugly against his chest.
“Have you been well? I heard you and Luna were visiting Asterian, so I came by. Luna looks more like you the older she gets.”
In truth, it was Ain who more closely resembled Tiel.
Ain had inherited Tiel’s Snow Leopard Humanoid traits entirely, and had even inherited those golden eyes that appeared only in Tiel—a creature of mixed Black Leopard and Snow Leopard blood.
Yet paradoxically, as Luna grew older, it was she who bore an increasing resemblance to Tiel as a child.
The round eyes, the plump cheeks.
Not to mention the habit of blinking, and the way she would quietly approach loved ones and nestle against them.
It was as though young Tiel had been copied exactly.
Ain, by contrast, rarely accepted embraces from even cherished people—she preferred to watch from afar, hidden.
Tiel later heard that Iandros had often behaved the same way as a child, so it seemed Ain took after him.
“Uncle, uncle, show me the Fire Bird again!”
Luna cried out excitedly, her fists clenched tight. Ferdi tilted his head, puzzled.
“The Fire Bird?”
“The one you showed me last time, last time!”
“Ah.”
He nodded quietly.
If it was something he’d shown before, it was likely the small flame he’d created with his Ability.
The one he’d been scolded about when Tiel caught him—something dangerous she couldn’t allow.
“Hmm… well, Luna might still be too young for that.”
Ferdi didn’t say that he couldn’t do it because of Tiel’s watchful eye. He didn’t want to create awkwardness between mother and daughter.
“But, but I still want to see it!”
As Luna began to hop in place, Ferdi wore an uncomfortable expression, beads of nervous sweat rolling down his temples.
Well, he couldn’t blame himself.
‘How adorable.’
Luna was simply too adorable.
There was a distinctly different quality to her compared to Tiel. As Luna hopped in his arms, Ludian, standing nearby, interjected.
“Luna, would your uncle like to show you instead? How about that?”
“…Uncle?”
“Move aside, Ludian. If I was going to show her, I’d have done it already.”
Ferdi and Ludian bickered lightly. In their midst, Luna tilted her head in confusion.
And seeing why Luna wanted to witness Ferdi’s Ability, Tiel smiled faintly.
‘She wants to see for herself.’
Just how magnificent an Ability from Asterian could be.
And perhaps she was dreaming—that one day, she too might possess such an Ability.
Tiel found all of this difficult to navigate.
What Luna was experiencing was certainly something Tiel herself had gone through long ago.
But Tiel was Tiel, and Luna was Luna.
They were entirely different beings.
She could not guarantee that Luna’s Ability would manifest after she turned seven.
Wasn’t Tiel herself an extraordinarily rare case?
Yet she couldn’t deny the child something she wished to see simply for such a reason.
‘This is truly difficult.’
Tiel approached Ferdi and Ludian.
And gently stroking her beloved daughter Luna’s head, she spoke.
“Go ask your uncles to show you. But this place is too cramped—you’ll need to go somewhere wider.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And you mustn’t get close. You have to watch from far away, Luna.”
“Okay! Luna will watch from far away!”
Luna broke into a wide smile, and Tiel gently stroked her cheek.
Then she looked at Ferdi and Ludian with an apologetic expression.
“I’m sorry to ask, but Luna has been looking forward to seeing her uncles so much. So if you don’t mind…”
“Mind? Never, Tiel!”
Ludian spoke up. Ferdi immediately continued.
“That’s right. We couldn’t possibly mind. She’s our only—well, one of only two nieces. How could we?”
Ferdi leaned his face against Luna’s cheek as he spoke.
“We’ll look after Luna, so don’t worry and rest. Come on, Luna—let’s go with your uncles.”
“Okay, hehe. I love my uncles!”
Luna grinned widely and clutched Ferdi’s hand—a hand smaller even than Tiel’s had been at seven years old.
***
The Training Ground that Ferdi, Ludian, and Tiel had once used remained unchanged.
Thanks to the servants who kept it meticulously maintained, it was nearly identical to how it had been.
Of course, as time passed, some sections had faded in color and others had been damaged.
But the damaged sections had been replaced with new materials, and the faded parts had been repainted, so it still looked fine.
Ferdi set Luna down lightly on the Training Ground. She bounded forward, her feet touching the ground with a soft patter.
“At first, you came here with Tiel, remember?”
“No, I came first.”
“Ah… so that’s what you count as first.”
“That’s—”
The moment their eyes met, Ferdi and Ludian fell into an argument like spirited young men in their teens.
Of course, having aged, they no longer threw punches or used their Abilities immediately as they once would have, but their attitude remained much the same.
Watching them quietly from between them, Luna interjected.
“Uncles, don’t fight!”
Luna seized both uncles by the hand.
“Uncles… if you keep fighting, I’m telling Mom!”
And she declared this triumphantly.
There was no way they could continue arguing in front of Luna. Besides, if they showed fighting before a child, they’d catch it from Tiel.
There was nothing more harmful to a child’s upbringing than watching adults quarrel.
“Tch.”
“Hmph.”
As if by agreement, both men averted their gazes in unison.
Then Ferdi lowered himself to Luna’s eye level and spoke.
“Luna, what would you like to see?”
“The Fire Bird!”
“The Fire Bird?”
“Yes! With big wings like this!”
Luna spread her arms wide as she spoke. Ferdi nodded.
“All right, Luna. If you wait just a moment, your uncle will—”
“Hah.”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
But Luna didn’t need to wait.
While Ferdi was gently coaxing her, Ludian activated his Ability from behind.
Asterian’s wild flames materialized into the shape of a massive bird and soared up toward the sky above the Training Ground.
“Wow, wow, wooow!”
“How is it? Cool?”
“Fire bird! It’s cool, it’s so cool! Uncle is amazing!”
Luna hopped on her small feet and cried out, her transparent emerald eyes reflecting the blazing red of Ludian’s Ability.
“Ludian, you—”
Luna dashed toward Ludian without waiting for Ferdi’s reaction, not caring if he felt left out.
She wanted to see up close.
Uncle’s Ability—it’s so cool and amazing. Luna wants to see it from up close!
But Luna didn’t make it close to Ludian before she was stopped.
Whoosh.
Ferdi snatched up the running Luna in his arms. His voice turned deliberately stern.
“Luna, your mother said to watch from far away. Don’t you remember what Mom said?”
“I remember…”
“Then why are you running toward it like that?”
“But I want to see from up close…”
An Ability is something magnificent. Strong, grand, dazzling power.
Luna wanted to have something like that too. Like Uncle Ludian, like Uncle Ferdi, like Mom, and like Dad.
That’s why she ran. She hadn’t meant to do anything dangerous.
“Whimper…”
Luna, flustered and trying to explain with gestures, eventually gave up and pressed her lips shut.
Large tears welled up from Luna’s eyes. Ferdi and Ludian, caught off guard, rushed over to look at her.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————