Chapter 88
“Peepyaa!” (Can’t kill Husband!)
She didn’t understand why everyone kept trying to kill her husband. Pouting, Asil puffed out her cheeks fully.
“Peepaa ppyaa.” (If you kill Husband, I won’t play with Mom, Dad, or Brother.)
Startled by that, Briana hurriedly soothed Asil.
– He’ll survive even if this continent perishes. As a rofan male lead, his vitality is tougher than most cockroaches.
– What’s a rofan male lead?
– It refers to males with absurdly outstanding abilities.
“Then I’m a rofan male lead.”
Arcian, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
Briana looked at him with eyes that said, what nonsense is this.
“Handsome, great body, skilled in magic…”
– Aren’t you embarrassed saying that yourself?
“Embarrassed? I’m just stating facts.”
“Peepyatt peep peeya.” (Right. You said Dad uses magic better than Mom.)
Asil blurted out the question she’d been harboring, suddenly recalling it.
“Peepyaa?” (Is it true?)
– No? Of course not.
Briana shot Arcian a glare and covered her mouth with a laugh.
– Obviously Mom is much better.
“Even a passing three-year-old knows dragon beastkin are more specialized in magic than other beastkin.”
– Be quiet.
“See, telling me to be quiet because you have nothing to say. See, Asil? Dad is waaay better at magic than Mom.”
– Waaay? It’s only a smidgen of difference.
“Asil, Mom’s smidgen must be as big as this empire.”
– Asil, you know how tiny Mom’s smidgen is, right? Mom and Dad are similar in skill.
“Don’t lie in front of the kid.”
– Lie? Want to have a go?
“Fine. You come here.”
– No, you come here.
“Don’t copy me—you come here.”
– Ha… Really, so childish.
Crackle! Sparks flew between Arcian and Briana.
Snoa squeezed in between them, whispering softly.
– If you tell me that human’s name, I won’t kill him, just give him a good scolding.
“Peepaa.” (No scolding either. If you scold, I won’t play with Brother.)
– …That won’t do.
Snowa slumped dejectedly.
Then suddenly, he reverted to his original snow leopard form and stood proudly before the orb.
– Look at this. I’ve grown so much while you were gone.
“Peephyaaa.”
Asil exclaimed at seeing her brother’s true form after so long.
He definitely looked bigger than last time?
From the pink nose to the soft white fur, to the squishy pink jelly front paws.
He was far from majestic, but Asil thought her brother was really cool.
‘I want to brag that Asil has grown a lot too.’
So, placing her front legs firmly on her hips, she declared boldly.
“Peeya peep peei.” (Asil can fly in the sky now.)
– What? Fly in the sky?
The reaction came from an unexpected place.
Briana, instantly halting her argument with Arcian, widened her eyes.
– Flapping wings flap flap?
“Peep. Peeya peep peeya.” (Yeah. Asil flaps wings flap flap.)
Asil demonstrated by flapping her wings and floating in the air.
But due to the orb’s size, it wasn’t as impressive as seeing it in person.
Briana clutched her face.
– Uwaaaa! I need to see this with my own eyes!
How cute a fledgling beastkin just starting to flap must be, and that cursed ex-husband gets to see it with his bare eyes!
Seeing that, Arcian smirked.
“She takes after me, so very clever. I never taught her, but she figured out how to fly on her own.”
– Not after you, after me.
“No, me.”
– Me!
– Now we can go hunting together. When are you coming?
At Snowa’s question full of anticipation, Asil counted on her fingers.
‘How many nights has Asil stayed here…’
Then, lifting her head sharply at Briana’s voice.
– It’s time to come back slowly. Asil, come home now.
“…Peep?”
– Before you get more attached to the humans, wrap things up.
Her mouth gaped at the shocking words.
Asil stopped flapping and dropped from the air, staring only at the orb.
Meanwhile, Briana explained why she couldn’t fetch Asil sooner.
– While you were gone, we had constant meetings. To get you, we’d have to lift the protective barrier around the forest, and the elders opposed it, fearing humans might invade during the gap.
Just thinking of it gave her a headache. Briana pressed her forehead and glanced at Arcian.
– If not for you, I’d have beaten the elders and gone anyway.
“That would have been quite a sight.”
“…Peepyaa peei.” (…Asil doesn’t want to go now.)
– What?
Briana’s face stiffened slightly at the unexpected reply.
Arcian shook his head, summing up the situation in one line.
“She’s already very attached here.”
– But… Even so, it really can’t go on now.
She hadn’t told Asil, but tensions of war brewed between humans and beastkin.
Thanks to Arcian’s keen responses during reconnaissance, Briana knew well how the empire was faring.
She couldn’t leave her precious daughter in a place that might become enemy territory.
Briana persuaded gently.
– You have to come back to Mom.
Snowa chimed in.
– Come quick. Your friends wrote letters saying they miss you. The teachers picked tons of strawberries to give when you come.
Asil flinched. Not just family, but kindergarten teachers and friends too…!
But returning to the beastkin forest meant no more seeing the humans she’d grown fond of.
Moreover…
Asil looked up at Arcian.
“Peeya?” (Is Dad going to the forest too?)
“No. Dad has to stay here.”
“Peepi!?” (Why!?)
“To keep the forest where Asil lives safe?”
Asil’s eyes welled with tears.
No way. Not only parting from humans, but from Dad too!
Asil shouted angrily.
“Peepyaa.” (Asil won’t go!)
“You have to, you must go.”
“Peeya, peei! Peei!” (No, won’t go! Won’t go!)
Don’t want to part from humans or Dad. Absolutely not going back to the forest!
To show she wouldn’t go, Asil jumped off the desk and clung tightly to the desk leg.
Briana in the orb looked troubled.
– Asil… Oh dear.
“You’re busy, so log off for now. I’ll persuade her.”
– Okay. I’ll wait, call if needed.
Briana reached to turn off the orb. She hesitated briefly, then added.
– …You take care too.
Beep, the orb turned off.
Staring at the now ordinary glass orb, Arcian murmured bitterly.
“Me, well.”
Years ago from now.
Excited at the thought of immersing in an unknown world, he volunteered for human world reconnaissance with youthful bravado.
And soon after, he learned his child was in Briana’s belly.
“Peepk… Peepkuuk…” (Won’t go… Huuuh…)
The sound of Asil clinging to the desk leg and sobbing pierced his heart.
Once sent like this, young Asil would quickly forget him.
While he would long for this child until the day they met again.
“Peepkuuuuk…”
“Our Asil is good, don’t cry.”
He’d never regretted reconnaissance in the human world. But in this moment, that choice regretted bone-deep.
Hiding that feeling, Arcian soothed Asil.
* * *
No matter how much she said she didn’t want to go, Arcian wouldn’t budge.
Even offering all future strawberries to her, or all the toy gold coins buried in the beastkin forest’s secret spot—he insisted she must go, unyielding.
Thus, from that day, Asil remained sunk in a swamp of gloom.
“Peepi…”
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