The Youngest Daughter of the Snake Family - Chapter 33

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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 33
“Those two have already met before. You hadn’t been born yet.”
He gestured toward Set and Arban as he spoke.
The way he said it made it clear he really was Kaid’s friend.
When I leaned forward eagerly to show interest, Dante—who’d been resting his chin on his hand—straightened his posture as if startled by my sudden approach.
He recoiled like he hadn’t expected me to come at him.
His flustered retreat made me puff out my cheeks in protest.
“You said you’d hold Airing.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re hurting Airing right now.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Dante shook his head, denying it.
When I looked up at him miserably, he let out a heavy sigh. His hands fidgeted visibly.
“Kaid. I can’t handle this right now—help me out.”
“Why should I?”
Kaid coldly refused his plea. He seemed to be enjoying Dante’s distress.
I was being perfectly serious, so why was everyone finding this amusing?
I placed my hands on my hips and glanced around; Baon covered his mouth with a large hand.
Set and Arban were looking at Dante with expressions of mild exasperation.
They seemed to understand why he was reacting that way.
“Look. I’m not avoiding you.”
“Then what? You already saw all of Airing. You even sighed about it.”
“That’s because…”
Dante averted his gaze, his discomfort evident.
“I’ve never held a child from another species before.”
“Huh?”
“Children of other species are born with fragile bodies. If I’m not careful, it could cause them physical harm.”
Just how strong was he that touching a child could actually injure them?
Watching his extreme caution, curiosity suddenly bloomed in me.
As if reading my mind, Baon spoke up at just that moment.
“Dante is the patriarch of the Iselord Clan. The Iselord, as it happens, are of the bear Anthropomorphic Species.”
“Bears?”
“They are renowned for possessing the greatest physical strength among all Anthropomorphic Species. There is even a saying that merely brushing against one can crush you.”
My goodness.
I gasped in shock, clamping my mouth shut. Blinking up at him, Dante glanced away bashfully.
What could he possibly be like that such rumors had taken root?
I gave him a reassuring nod from a safe distance away.
“Airing understands now, so it’s okay. You were just being careful—that’s all.”
But the moment I finished speaking, an odd silence fell over the room.
Kaid was the first to speak.
“…Uncle. I have no memory of sharing blood with you.”
“I feel the same way.”
Dante visibly grimaced at even the thought. Then, abruptly, he called out to Kaid.
“By the way, Kaid.”
“What?”
“I’ve been curious since we first met, but this child’s Pheromone seems a bit off for a Black Mamba. When I saw her before, her egg was unusually small too—is there a connection?”
Dante narrowed his eyes, studying me intently before turning his gaze toward Set and Arban with a puzzled expression.
Then he looked back at me.
“You’re different, certainly. I can sense your Pheromone, but it’s far too faint. Did you fail to properly absorb it in the egg? This feels almost like watching a child from another species…”
Dante’s golden eyes suddenly widened in alarm.
A look of realization flashed across his face, turning sharply toward Kaid.
“This child—could it be that she isn’t a Black Mamba at all?”
“Quick to catch on, aren’t you?”
Kaid answered with a sardonic edge to his voice.
Dante fell silent for a moment, taken aback by the revelation, then glanced around before dropping his voice to barely above a whisper.
“Where did you kidnap this child from? That doesn’t seem like you.”
“You think just like everyone else. She was born in my own clan, legitimately.”
“That makes even less sense. Given your nature, there’s no way you’d have left another Anthropomorphic Species’s child alone…”
Dante caught himself, quickly closing his mouth.
I already knew what he’d been about to say, so I simply nodded without concern.
“Come here, Airing.”
“Ah…….”
“You don’t like calling me uncle?”
Airing had been delighted that her uncle had come all this way to see her.
But I was tensing up, dreading the answer she might give.
Just as I waited for her to respond, Dante suddenly pressed his forehead and bowed his head deeply.
He seemed even more nervous than I was, his voice hollow and exhausted.
“The little one’s got me wrapped around her finger, hasn’t she.”
“Do you regret coming to see Airing?”
“No. I don’t regret it. You can keep calling me uncle.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“……Then Airing will keep calling you uncle.”
I reached for the juice sitting in front of me, my throat dry from tension, and took a long sip.
Dante watched me and let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s astonishing that a child of an Anthropomorphic Species could be born so safely.”
“Honestly, I’m amazed every time I see her too.”
“You of all people should know this isn’t simply something to be amazed about.”
“I know.”
Kaid’s calm reply made Dante’s jaw drop.
“There will be plenty of families targeting her. Especially from the Eastern Region.”
I held my breath. Targeting me from the Eastern Region? Why? As worry made me burrow into Kaid’s arms, he laughed as if amused.
“That could be.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What else would I say.”
“That region is a complete lawless zone right now. You know exactly what I’m getting at.”
“And?”
Kaid cut through the words with an expressionless face. His toneless voice somehow sent chills down my spine.
“Let them try.”
“…….”
“If anyone dares target Airing.”
I gripped Kaid’s arm tightly, sensing the shift in the atmosphere.
In that tense silence, Set, who had been listening quietly, slowly raised his hand.
As all eyes turned to him, Set smiled and spoke.
“I understand what you’re worried about, Dante. But we’ve never needed to wait for someone to strike first.”
Set was stating something terrifying with perfect composure.
What was even more startling was that Arban, sitting beside him, was nodding in agreement.
What if they grow up and later decide they don’t like something, then lay waste to everything around them?
As worry bubbled up inside me, Arban looked at me and said:
“There’s a saying that you should always throw the First Strike first.”
“……Airing’s never heard that before.”
“What? You said you’re taking lessons with Kasana. She taught this on the first day.”
I doubted my own ears at those words.
Kasana taught something like that during class?
Just a little while ago she was still pasting adorable caterpillar stickers on my cute grape drawings.
As confusion crossed my face, Kaid clicked his tongue.
My hand was soon lifted up for everyone to see.
“That method won’t do. If you get even a scratch on these hands, what then.”
At Kaid’s words, every eye turned to my hands.
Embarrassed, I wiggled my fingers, and everyone nodded as if they understood.
“So when you all grow up, you’ll need to protect your younger sister. Of course…….”
Kaid’s expression grew serious.
“I’ll handle things first, but we can’t rule out worst-case scenarios.”
I quickly pulled my hand down and hid it behind my back.
Dante, who had been staring at it as if mesmerized, looked down at his own palms and muttered blankly.
“……In all my life, I’ve never seen a fist so small. Usually they’re bigger than that.”
“She’s grown considerably. When we first performed Humanization, she was even smaller.”
Baon spoke in a tone suggesting there was nothing surprising about it. The moment those words left his lips, Dante quietly increased the distance between us and moved away.
It was a reaction similar to when I had approached him earlier.
Kaid then seemed satisfied and waved his hand broadly.
“Yeah. Back away further, Dante. If I had my way, I’d see you disappear into the distance altogether.”

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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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