Chapter 139: Even Your Little Sister Knows What You Like
A massive flatbed cart rolled slowly forward, transporting a large number of iron cages deep into the dense forest.
Passing through drifting layers of mist, following the light of torches, they entered the most mysterious part of that forest.
The lead Shadow Guard parted the branches and leaves. A sliver of moonlight filtered through the gaps between the dense foliage, falling across their faces.
"We're here."
The Demi-human Shadow Guard spoke calmly, pushing aside a branch. A towering green structure ca into view before the group of beast-eared Demi-humans.
The enormous green building seed to ld seamlessly into the surrounding environnt. Dim moonlight blanketed the rooftop, lending the place an air of exceptional tranquility.
It was as though they had stepped into a field of flowers, swaying gently in a soft breeze.
This place was the Clavena Family's Demi-human reception shelter.
After Leah rescued Demi-humans, she did not wash her hands of them.
Every Demi-human who was saved would be brought here to receive training.
As well as literacy and cultural education, improving their understanding of the world.
Ensuring that every rescued Demi-human could possess thoughts of her own—so that even if she were to leave the Clavena Family, she would have the ability to survive on her own.
A Demi-human with white beast-ears and an instructor's cap erged slowly from the training shelter.
She looked at the Cat-girls and Dog-girls gazing curiously at their surroundings, then gave a nod toward the Shadow Guards.
They were the instructors responsible for the training and enlightennt of these Demi-humans.
Instructors like her were mostly retired Shadow Guards who had returned here to beco instructors, continuing to supply fresh Demi-human attendants to the Clavena Family.
Among the group, there were many types of Demi-humans, but the largest in number were the Cat-kin and the Dog-kin.
And the majority were female.
As far as humans were concerned, female Demi-humans were easier to capture.
Female Cat-kin were even more petite in build than ordinary human won, while female Dog-kin had especially gentle temperants and would not put up a fight.
Most of them were pri targets for slave rchants.
The instructor called out to the newly arrived Demi-human companions and produced wooden plaques one by one.
The newly arrived Demi-humans were a little unsettled, their ears beginning to tremble with anxiety, their eyes carrying a trace of fear.
Demi-humans were not as rational as humans by nature, and those who had survived in the wild possessed minds closer to that of animals.
But here, they would overco their primal impulses and transform entirely.
The iron cages were opened, and the captive feral girls filed out one by one, lining up in a long row.
The Demi-human instructors each held a numbered wooden plaque. As each Demi-human stepped out, an instructor would hang a plaque around her neck.
Once that was done, the instructors would lead the new arrivals into the camp in turn.
They would be allocated sufficient water and food, as well as their new living quarters.
The next day, a life unlike anything they had known before would greet them.
Through training, they would find a new beginning.
Leon stood outside the shelter, watching batch after batch of rescued Demi-humans.
By now, she had already removed her hood, exposing those slender, pointed ears to the moonlight.
As Leah's most trusted subordinate, she was personally in charge of the Demi-human centralized training camp here.
Every ti a vessel transporting Demi-human slaves was intercepted, she personally oversaw the transfer, bringing the new arrivals to this place.
Though among all those Demi-humans, she alone was an Elf.
Yet Leon's character and strength had earned the deep respect of countless Demi-humans.
"Lady Leon."
A Shadow Guard removed her black mask and cloak, revealing a white fluffy tail and lowered ears, and made her way toward Leon with light, unhurried steps.
"I'm sorry to disturb you at this hour, but I think you should co and take a look."
Leon ca back to herself and looked at the Shadow Guard's anxious expression, feeling sowhat puzzled.
A group of instructors had gathered around an iron cage covered with a black curtain, seemingly very curious about what was inside.
This iron cage was enormous—far larger than any of the previous ones.
The black curtain was lifted by the crowd, revealing the cage's true appearance.
The iron cage was impossibly luxurious, with what appeared to be golden patterns engraved along its bars, and inside, various flowers and plants had been placed as decoration.
Luxurious and iron cage were clearly an odd pairing.
But inside this cage, there was also a bed.
This left them rather confused.
On the bed lay a person whose features could not be made out clearly, fast asleep.
Even though the outside world had been noisy for so ti, the Demi-human inside the iron cage slept soundly on.
At that mont, Leon walked over.
The Demi-human instructors stepped back respectfully, clearing a space for Leon.
Her erald-green pupils carefully studied the person inside.
When she noticed the other's pointed ears—so similar to her own—Leon paused slightly.
"This one... probably needs to be reported to Miss Leah..."
A nearby Demi-human offered the suggestion.
Because.
Lying inside the iron cage was neither a human nor a Demi-human.
It was an Elf.
***
It was too late in the night, and the sky was too dark.
So Viktor did not return to the Royal Capital, and instead chose to stay with Leah for a night at the old Clavena Manor.
At this mont, Viktor was in his own bedroom.
He sat in the chair by the window, one hand propping up his head, looking as though he was sowhat troubled.
Before him stood a Cat-girl who had been neatly and cleanly grood.
A faint, delicate fragrance seed to emanate from her body. Both cat-ears drooped down, and her tail stood upright, tucked behind her.
Viktor: "......"
The Cat-girl still seed a little unaccustod to things. She did not dare look up at Viktor, her gaze sowhat timid.
Yet her eyes would occasionally sneak a glance at Viktor—amid the fear, there seed to be a strange, inexplicable sense of anticipation.
Viktor had a very good mory. He recognized at a glance that this Cat-girl was the one whose head he had petted.
Beside him, a mocking voice drifted into his ear.
"Oh my, your little sister really does look out for you—she even knows you like them young."
Weija stood on the armrest of the chair, snickering, her tone carrying an unmistakable teasing quality.
Viktor responded to Weija in a single cold line:
"Are you joking with ?"
In the human understanding of this world, Demi-humans were simply unenlightened animals.
No matter how much the Cat-girl before him resembled a human, it could not change the stereotypes humans held toward them.
If soone were to develop any kind of feelings for a creature like this, it would be no different from suddenly developing a strange interest in one's own cat or dog.
So people might be into that sort of thing, but within noble circles, if soone did sothing like that and it got out, it would be as good as their reputation being completely destroyed.
Leah would not be ignorant of these things, so her reason for sending this child to his side was also quite simple.
"Curious to see whether Demi-humans can learn Magic? Your little sister really does treat you as a useful tool."
"Or perhaps she believes her older brother is capable of anything."
Viktor's confident voice rang out with calm composure, earning him only a look of disdain from Weija.
The crow let out a cold snort:
"What is it that made your skin grow so thick?"
Viktor did not respond to Weija, only fixing his gaze on the Cat-girl before him.
Her hair was very long, carefully grood and clean.
A mane of white hair cascaded all the way down to the floor, with a faint white fuzz visible within her beast-ears.
Whenever her gaze t Viktor's, she would instinctively look away.
"What's your na?"
Viktor's voice rang out lightly, but the young Cat-kin girl before him seed as though she hadn't understood.
Her mind was working hard, trying to comprehend Viktor's words.
However, having never received any education, she could not understand what a na ant.
Only an imperfect sound erged slowly from her throat:
"... ..."
"Can you understand human speech at a basic level?"
Viktor beckoned her over with a gesture, motioning for the Cat-girl to co closer.
The young Cat-kin girl understood Viktor's hand gesture and walked obediently toward him.
She wasn't wearing shoes—white little socks covered her feet, and her footsteps were completely silent.
Just like a real cat, stepping across the wooden floorboards without making even the faintest sound.
Her fra was very small. Even standing beside Viktor, with him seated, she could only manage to be eye-level with him.
Viktor extended one hand. As though anticipating sothing, the cat-eared girl very compliantly crouched down on her own.
Tilting her head up, she settled against Viktor's knee, just like a kitten, quietly awaiting her owner's touch.
And so Viktor got his wish, placing his hand atop her head.
Stroking it slowly, back and forth.
While at it, kneading those soft ears.
The fuzzy, plush sensation traveled through his fingertips.
It left Viktor with no small amount of feeling.
The majority of people in this world actually discriminated against Demi-humans—what a sha.
They simply did not understand the wonder of beast-ears.
The adorable little Cat-girl was also very comfortable being petted, letting out soft purr purr rumbling sounds.
The mont he touched the young Cat-kin girl, a Health Bar and Level appeared above her head.
LV5.
A very ordinary level, but it also told Viktor that the base physical constitution of Demi-humans was indeed considerably higher than that of humans.
Before officially selecting a Class, an ordinary person could reach at most Level 10.
Once Level 10 was reached, a Class had to be chosen in order to continue leveling up.
【Classes】were divided primarily into 4 major categories.
The agility-based Thief, the strength-based Warrior.
The tanky Knight, and the Mage who operated within the Magic Power system.
Other types of Classes were essentially branches derived from these 4 major ones.
The【Ranger】, more common among Elves, and the agility-focused【Assassin】—both were branches of the Thief Class.
The【Mage-soldier】, for example, was likewise a branch of the Mage Class.
For Players, after reaching Level 10, they only needed to select a Class and could then continue leveling up.
But NPCs were a different matter entirely.
Take the young Cat-kin girl before him.
To beco a Mage, one must possess the corresponding intelligence.
And for a Demi-human like her—a creature with little intelligence, acting entirely on instinct—to beco a Mage.
That would be difficult.
Of course, there was another path available.
"Weija."
Viktor's voice rang out lightly. The Crow rolled her eye and flew over to land atop the young Cat-kin girl's head.
"In the end you still need to rely on ."
As the words fell, a jet-black feather shook loose from her body.
The feather drifted slowly down to the floor, spreading out like ink, gradually flattening into a jet-black Magic Formation.
No excess Runes or patterns—only pure black, radiating an ominous glow.
At the far edges of the enormous Formation, 2 circles took shape, connected to each other by a long strand of black ink.
The young Cat-kin girl and Weija each stood inside one circle. At the sa ti, a strange glint flashed through Weija's eye.
In an instant, the young Cat-kin girl's body gave a violent shudder. Her upright tail drooped as though it had lost all control, and she sank to her knees on the floor in a daze.
Knowledge vast as an ocean flooded into her mind in a single instant.
The crushing pressure turned the Cat-girl's eyes white. Her mind felt as though it were about to burst, overwheld with agony.
The black Formation gradually blood with light, and ink-shadows like reaching tentacles swept through the room.
The lone, feeble candlefla illuminated the dancing ink-shadows. Moonlight spilled into the room, rendering the scene profoundly eerie.
A blue light shimred in Weija's single eye, and what appeared to be a thread as fine as silk connected her to the Cat-girl's forehead.
Quickly, the candle fla in the room stopped flickering. The black Formation grew quiet once more, slowly dissipating.
The young Cat-kin girl remained kneeling on the ground, head still lowered.
Yet in her eyes, a jet-black conviction now flickered.
Viktor looked at the white-furred Cat-girl and said slowly:
"I like the vanilla scent on you."
"From today onward, your na is."
"Xiangyilan."
She did not lift her head, only continuing to prostrate on the ground, forehead pressed against the floor, her manner deeply reverent.
A soft yet steady voice rose slowly from below Viktor.
"As you command."
"My Master."
User Comments
0 comments from readers