Chapter 374: Things I was worried about (4)

    As before, ever since I started receiving special training from my father, my daily routine has become simple.

    I wake up in the morning, do some light exercises, and then train with my father. During that time, Ariel either watches me or gets taken around by Adelia.

    Following this pattern, time flies by in no time, and soon it’s time for dinner—accompanied by the aches and pains that come with it.

    Thanks to my particular focus, which makes it easy to immerse myself completely, concentrating on training is effortless. But the real problem comes afterward.

    My father also mentioned that my focus isn’t entirely a good thing in combat. Since life-or-death battles hinge on even the smallest variables, it’s crucial to remain aware of your surroundings.

    However, this habit has been ingrained in me since childhood, making it nearly impossible to change.

    For that reason, my father advised me to make the best use of it instead.

    Anyway, this is more or less how my daily life goes: training with my father, writing, playing with Ariel, and so on.

    Although life in the confined space of the dormitory can feel stifling, I still manage to live quite efficiently.

    “Did you also train with your father back in the day?”

    “Yeah, I even sparred with my siblings.”

    Sometimes, I spend time doing something a bit different, like now, when I’m brushing Leona, the beastkin.

    Every time I ran the brush through her, clumps of her chestnut-colored hair came loose, which I casually gathered and tossed on the floor.

    As Leona’s mother, Lucia, mentioned last time, beastkin shed fur excessively, but it also grows back just as quickly.

    As a result, fur maintenance is essential, and while other areas can be self-managed, hair requires someone else to care for it to maintain cleanliness.

    Originally, Lucia took care of Leona’s hair, but now that responsibility has fallen to me, so Leona visits the dormitory every three days.

    “Purrr, purrr.”

    Perhaps feeling pleased by my brushing, Leona started purring in a way typical of cats.

    Her animal ears on top of her head twitched, and her tail swayed back and forth.

    It really felt like taking care of a pet, which gave me a strange feeling.

    “Did you ever get hurt while sparring with your siblings?”

    “I got hurt a lot. Broken bones were the basics, and there were times when my internal organs almost spilled out.”

    “...You didn’t die?”

    “Beastkin recover quickly, so that’s just a minor injury. For other races, injuries that severe might be fatal, but for beastkin, it’s just a serious wound.

    Since we’ve lived in harsh environments since ancient times, we’ve evolved this way.”

    Hearing such gruesome words spoken so casually, it became clear that Leona was indeed a beastkin.

    Truly a race that fits the description of a “combat species.”

    “Of course, I’m weaker at recovery than my siblings. As you know, I’m only half beastkin. But I make up for it with intelligence, so I’ve mastered techniques instead.”

    “Techniques... Do you not use weapons? I’ve heard that while beastkin didn’t use weapons in the past, they do now.”

    Until King Hic founded Animers, beastkin fought solely with their bare bodies.

    There was no need for weapons when they already possessed claws harder than steel and teeth capable of chewing through rocks.

    They also had a solid physicality that negated the range advantages of weapons.

    However, to build a civilization, Hic personally took up a weapon, which history records as a massive double-edged axe.

    No weapon was more suited to harness the immense strength characteristic of beastkin.

    “Not me. I’m far from inheriting any rights and prefer using my head over my body, so I don’t use weapons. Besides, I’m not as strong as my siblings.

    That’s why I prefer grappling techniques over striking.”

    “Grappling techniques... That does seem fitting.”

    “Want to spar with me?”

    Leona turned to me and gave a sly smile.

    It was clearly playful, not serious.

    I chuckled at her suggestion and gently turned her head back into position with both hands.

    Sparring with my father was already more than enough. Every session left me completely drained, so I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else.

    ‘In that sense, Nicole and Adele are amazing.’

    As martial arts instructors, they serve as sparring partners for students every weekend.

    Thinking about how they do this tirelessly, despite their immense stamina, naturally filled me with respect.

    The closer I got to them, the more distant they seemed—a feeling I deeply understood right now.

    “How are your classes these days? Managing well?”

    “Other than physics and math, I’m doing fine. I just can’t make sense of those.”

    “That’s normal. If you could understand them, you’d already be a wizard.”

    “Don’t you understand them? Aren’t you a prophet?”

    “There’s much more I don’t know than I do. And no, I’m not a prophet.”

    In this world, physics and math are derived from magic.

    These subjects were born from efforts to analyze magic, which is why most physicists and mathematicians are also wizards.

    These individuals are so exceptional that even the term “genius” feels inadequate to describe them.

    I carefully lifted Ariel and brought her to eye level with Leona. Even as I held her, Ariel’s gaze remained fixed on Leona.

    The same went for Leona, whose golden eyes—similar in hue—met Ariel’s.

    Amid the sudden silence, I softly spoke.

    “Ariel, say hello. This is Leona, who will be another one of your moms in the future.”

    “Mom?”

    “Yep, mom.”

    It felt like an odd introduction, but no better words came to mind.

    Although Leona’s mating season was still a little ways off, it didn’t hurt to let Ariel know in advance since it was a settled matter.

    “But Daddy seems down.”

    “...He’ll feel better soon. Not yet, though, so you can call her ‘sister’ for now.”

    “Got it. Then Leona-sister?”

    “Uh-huh...”

    “H-Hey, can I hold her for a moment?”

    Utterly captivated by Ariel, Leona pleaded with me in a desperate tone. She extended her arms and bounced on her feet, clearly eager.

    Seeing her so earnest, I gently handed Ariel over to her.

    Ariel, seemingly unbothered, nestled into Leona’s arms without resistance.

    “Ssss... Haah. She really is Lord Hirt’s child. The scent of nature is so strong.”

    The moment Leona held Ariel, she sniffed at her and focused on the little sprout on top of her head.

    “You can even smell things like that?”

    “Even as a hybrid, my senses are close to that of a beastkin. But when does this sprout grow?”

    “That, I don’t know. Probably as she grows?”

    Before I even finished my reply, Leona did something unexpected. She suddenly licked Ariel’s cheek.

    I knew that was a strong expression of affection for Leona, but I wasn’t sure how Ariel would react.

    “...?”

    Fortunately, Ariel neither liked nor disliked it. She simply looked puzzled, wondering what had just happened.

    Seeing her expression, Leona seemed delighted and began licking her cheeks repeatedly.

    Ariel’s soft, mochi-like cheeks wobbled under Leona’s grooming.

    Normally, any human would’ve recoiled at such an intense show of affection, but Ariel was an angel.

    And since she could read emotions, I guessed she already understood Leona’s feelings.

    Swish, swish—

    As Leona continued showing her affection, her tail swayed over to Ariel.

    Momentarily forgetting the grooming, Ariel’s gaze shifted to the tail.

    Fixated on the swaying tail, she grabbed it with her tiny hands.

    “Wow.”

    “Lick. Interesting?”

    It seemed Leona deliberately dangled her tail for Ariel to touch. She paused her grooming to speak, watching Ariel’s reaction.

    Regardless, Ariel examined the tail curiously and slowly brought it to her face.

    At first, I thought she wanted a closer look. But that was entirely our mistake.

    “Nom.”

    Opening her mouth wide, Ariel bit down on the tail.

    “Chomp!”

    Crunch!!

    Leona let out a ferocious yowl, like a cat caught off guard.

    “Kyaaang!!!”

    “Ariel! Spit it out! Spit it out now!”

    “Mm?”

    “Don’t eat it! You’ll get scolded! Spit it out!”

    An unexpected disaster had struck.

    ★★★★★

    At that moment, Kate, who had been dispatched on Isaac’s orders, was facing...

    “Are these the ones? The ones who dared to ignore his command?”

    “Yes, that’s correct.”

    She stood before the very perpetrators who had caused the innocent sacrifices.