Home/I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family/ch25

Chapter 25

After Pallas had vanished from atop the castle wall, as the winter's short day drew to a close—

A gray wolf came running through the snow-covered mountain path toward the black dog.

Gripping the dog's scruff with its incisors, the wolf lifted it and ran frantically, putting distance between themselves and Grizzly Castle.

It couldn't breathe.

Eventually, its legs went numb, and it lost its balance and fell. It struck a tree and collapsed into the snow.

Its heart was racing, but its chest was tight.

The sensation was familiar, but today it was severe. Just running a little through the snow-covered mountain path was enough to break its body—it was almost laughable.

Soon its vision blurred. Its mind grew hazy. Whether from the cold or exhaustion, even its paws wouldn't move.

Perhaps it would die like this.

Death wasn't frightening. Because then it could see its mother. That was what it had always thought.

I don't want to die.

But contrary to its wish, its body grew colder, and its vision darkened until nothing could be seen.

At the moment its breath seemed about to stop—

A warmth of unknown origin spread through its entire body.

A small touch against its belly.

An animal's—paw.

Clearly smaller and younger than itself.

It didn't stroke or press—yet warmth seemed to flow from those paw tips.

It was warm.

As if embraced by spring sunlight.

What had been the source of that warmth?

"......"

His eyes slowly opened.

As he sat up, a blanket slid off. Beneath it, his thin limbs were exposed. The boy thought blankly:

Humanization?

Normally, beast-people revert to animal form when weakened. But this was the complete opposite.

Why? Had his body malfunctioned from the cold? Or—had he become too warm?

His confusion was brief—looking around, the boy muttered without thinking:

"This place is..."

Not that mountain.

"Ah! You're awake, Young Master Kaien!"

"...Jean?"

At that moment, a familiar face burst through the door.

It was Kaien's personal attendant, Jean.

"Here, put this on first."

Jean quickly approached and began dressing him. The shirt carried a faint warmth, as if it had been heated.

Surrendering his languid body to Jean, Kaien voiced his questions.

"Jean, why are you..."

"You were collapsed near Grizzly Castle, so I rushed you here by carriage. Getting past the Sled Dog Knights' watch was quite the ordeal, hoo."

Jean sighed with deliberate exaggeration and fastened Kaien's winter coat securely. But Kaien's expression remained grave.

"Why are you here?"

"I was following you from the start, of course."

Jean's tone remained light. Even as Kaien's brow furrowed harshly, Jean didn't stop speaking.

"I had a terribly bad feeling. And sure enough—"

A grating sound came from Jean's teeth.

"To dare harm the Young Master... the legitimate heir of Noirel. That woman has done something unforgivable."

"......"

At Jean's face, now clearly marked with killing intent, the tension left Kaien's brow.

Yes. If not for him, Jean wouldn't have had to risk coming this far.

"I can no longer stand by and watch. Young Master, I..."

But even at Jean's growling voice, Kaien shook his head silently.

"...Thank you. For saving me, and for following me here. But it's all right."

"Young Master."

Jean pressed, but Kaien only bowed his head bitterly.

"Even if I tell Father, nothing will change. Until this body heals—nothing."

Kaien Noirel, Viscount Noirel's legitimate heir.

It was a title in name only.

From the moment he was born with an incurable illness.

Three years ago, his mother passed away.

Soon after, his father brought a woman and a boy into the manor. It didn't take long to learn the boy was his father's son.

A dark brown coat—not seen in the black wolf Noirel family. A child who didn't carry the family's colors, yet was healthy unlike himself. Perhaps because of that, his father cherished and loved him.

Still, perhaps out of a sliver of guilt, his father had left Kaien's rights as the eldest son intact.

The woman began to watch him warily from then on. Eventually, she brought him all the way to the North and tried to kill him. She must have thought leaving him in this harsh northern land would finish him off.

It wasn't a wrong assumption. His frail body couldn't even endure the cold.

But Kaien didn't give up.

The woman had dropped him here.

The North. The gateway to the Arctic.

"The goddess of spring will surely watch over you."

Near the homeland of the Arctic hare clan—where the incarnation of Eostre was most likely to appear.

So he would find it.

He would find the power of spring and cure this weak, fragile body.

Steeling his resolve, he ran frantically through the snow-covered mountains. His vision began to blur, but he followed his body's lead. This body, which longed for spring more than anything, would surely guide him to it.

He would escape this dreadful illness.

"I'm sorry, Kaien. I'm leaving you with nothing but a hard life..."

So that his mother, in heaven, could be free of her guilt.

He would—no matter what.

But he still couldn't find Eostre's incarnation.

It had been a reckless endeavor from the start. Collapsing from breathing difficulties was only natural. His consciousness had grown faint, and by the middle, it felt almost like a dream.

So that's why I had that dream.

Lying collapsed in the snow, dreaming.

He was ashamed of his own weakness—yet it had been such a warm, dearly missed dream.

"At any rate, following me this far was dangerous, Jean."

Hardening his expression and lowering his voice, Kaien glared at Jean. At Jean's deflated look, a bitter smile rose to Kaien's lips.

"It's best not to stay too close to me. For the future."

At Kaien's words, Jean clenched his fists and trembled as if holding something back. Then, after a moment, he draped the blanket over Kaien again and spoke.

"Wolves are capable of loyalty beyond even dogs, you know? The one I swore loyalty to is Lady Leah Noirel."

"......"

"I have no intention of abandoning you, so don't worry needlessly. It's insulting."

His tone was beyond resolute—almost frightening. Kaien could only fall silent.

Soon, Jean offered a gentle smile and took Kaien's hand.

"Young Master."

After stroking Kaien's small hand with his thumb, Jean pulled the boy into an embrace.

Patting Kaien's stiff shoulders, Jean said as if offering a light piece of advice:

"Don't try to be alone. You seem to forget, rather often, that you're only a nine-year-old child."

At Jean's playful tone, the boy finally let out a laugh.

"A good child should also know how to rely on good adults. Understood?"

"...Yes. Thank you, Jean."

Only after confirming Kaien's nod did Jean release him.

Soon the carriage departed.

Leaning back against the seat, Kaien placed his hand over his chest.

He hadn't found Eostre's incarnation. But he had survived.

Perhaps because of that relief—

His breathing felt easier than usual.

---

About half a month had passed since the brown bears of Grizzly Castle had entered hibernation.

During that time, Na-bom had breakfast at the dining hall every day. Anna wished it, and Pallas also recommended it, saying that observing people was important for humanization.

The faces at breakfast changed daily.

On the first day, it was the head chef and sous chef; today, it was the head butler and the finance officer.

"An honor to meet you, Snowflake-nim."

"You're truly so small and adorable! You remind me of when my child was just born."

Beside the head butler, who bowed politely, the finance officer couldn't contain himself and twisted with delight.

Na-bom also stood on two legs on the table and bowed.

In the beginning, the scent of predators had frightened her, and she'd just stared blankly at them, unsure how to act—but she was gradually growing accustomed to life at Grizzly Castle.

The predator scent feels weaker than before too.

If she were thrown into the wild in this state, her survival chances would actually drop—but for now, sensing their scent less was an advantage.

If a pet is afraid of its owner, that only increases the chance of being abandoned.

A small animal that doesn't fear predator scent—

That's kind of cool!

Proud of herself, Na-bom lifted her head and puffed out her chest.

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