CH 67

“Ung?”

I looked at Leona in bewilderment. Leona asked impatiently, her eyes twinkling.

“Is it no? Please~”

“You met her for the first time today, why are you forcing her so much? So rude—”

“You be quiet, Cain Hezeth. I’m not talking to you.”

Leona and Cain fight between me.

A sound like a lion growling really came from Leona’s throat, and I flinched slightly.

“Thats—”

It wasn’t difficult to turn into my bird form, but it was a bit burdensome to do it in front of kids who are beasts like Cain and Leona.

When I was in trouble, Arsene slapped Leona’s hand.

“Don’t bother Linsy, you fool.”

“I’m not bothering her! I’m asking her! Really!”

Leona explained as if it was unfair.

I watched Arsene and Leona fight again with difficulty.

‘Uhm… What should I do?’

Fortunately, Leona stopped asking me for more.

Instead, she sat down with a sullen look. I glanced at Leona.

‘Is she sad?’

I felt sorry for Leona because she looks sullen. 

But now I couldn’t do Leona’s request.

Soon after, each clan’s successors came in one by one and took their seats.

The fox clan, the bear clan, the sheep clan, and the dog clan entered the room. 

Most were much bigger than us. They looked to be about fifteen years old, and as soon as they met, they started talking passionately among themselves.

Of course, there was no place for us, who were still seven years old.

‘….Gale will come too, right?’

I looked at the door that hadn’t yet been opened.

Gale was definitely going to come to the festival, too, because he was the heir of a bird clan.

‘…What if Gale says something else?’

What if he tries to drag me by force again like last time?

But the anxious thoughts stopped there.

Even if Gale dragged me out of the temple, there was nowhere for him to take me, and I thought the guards outside would stop it before he did.

Just then, the door opened, and Gale appeared with a grumpy face. 

Gale looked at me, rolled his eyes, and sat down.

Fortunately, it seemed that he had no intention of harming me right now.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Gale sitting alone with his arms crossed.

And not long after, the priest came in and told us that we had to move.

* * *

“Wow, we’re watching from here?”

“Yes, Lady. You’ll be able to see the Lord well.”

Ethan chuckled. Arsene took a quick look around the huge venue and opened his mouth.

This place, which is not normally used and is only open during festivals, seemed to be able to accommodate over 50,000 people.

Arsene and I were escorted to separate VIP seats, so we didn’t have to mix with other prisoners, but—.

At some point, more than half were filled with people, and even now, people continue to enter. (t/n: People here are ‘beasts’ or 수인.) 

“Lady.” 

I looked at the crowd and raised my head at Ethan’s call.

“Ung?” 

“Have you met any friends?”

“No.”

To Ethan’s question, Arsene answered without any hesitation.

It seems that he didn’t like Leona and Cain very much.

“No way…” 

“No, I met then! You’re talking about Leona and Cain. right?”

“Yes, Sir Lamont was worried about you a lot. He doesn’t know if she’s bothering you—” 

“She’s bothering us.” 

“Arsene! You can’t do that to your friends.”

However, Arsene still puffed out his cheeks in displeasure and turned his head away.

Then, there was a loud noise outside the screen.

“What?”

“You can’t, Lady! If you go in like this, oh my!”

“Linsy! Hi!”

Leona, the tomboy girl with orange hair who we had seen before, flipped the screen and come to us. 

Leona naturally sat next to us and ate the snacks Ethan brought.

“Can I watch it with you here?”

“No! Get out of here! Ethan, get her out of here!”

“Hoho…Miriam, what should I do if you let the Lady come in without permission?”

“Sorry, Ethan. The Lady is so reckless—Lady, Lady, let’s go out!” 

The lion clan’s butler, Miriam, tried to take Leona.

However, it was not enough to defeat Leona, who had better physical strength than her lion family’s brothers.

Leona said she wouldn’t go out, and Miriam had no way of taking Leona.

Eventually, Arsene and Ethan gave up. Miriam stood by Leona with an apologetic expression the whole time.

“You really… Do you really have to go out as soon as you’re done?” 

Arsene grunted. Then, Leona grabbed a handful of snacks and covered Arsene’s mouth with snacks.

“Shh, it’s starting!”

“Umph, ughhh!!” 

Then, a loud trumpet blew from somewhere, and a sparkling light fell on everyone’s heads.

Arsene didn’t have to be quiet.

It’s because the shouts that burst out like thunder immediately deafened my ears.

‘It’s amazing…’

I looked down at the riotously mixed and shouting beast people. 

It was all the more so because it was the first time I had seen such a variety of beasts mixed together. 

Usually, only members of the same clan hang out together, and only members of the same clan live together.

After the cheers died down, Ethan spoke softly.

“Festivals are important. It’s an event that shows that each head of the clan is still alive and well. At the same time, it also serves as a warning not to challenge other clans.” 

After Edan’s words, the nine heads of the clan came up to the podium one by one and took their seats.

Among them was my father, Arthur Raniero.

I turned my head a little because I thought I had unintentionally looked into Arthur’s eyes.

After the nine heads of the clan, the Pope stood tall in the middle.

The Pope looked a little tired somewhere.

I tilted my head.

‘Why does he look so tired?’

Is it because he’s old?

However, it seemed a little awkward and strange to say that it was only because of old age.

I immediately stopped thinking and looked at it.

After the Pope’s brief greeting, the heads of each clan raised their heads to the sky at the same time.

And.

Pong—!

They turned into their beast form at the same time. 

The smoke of all colors mixes in the air, and then something comes out. 

The smoke cleared, and a great gray wolf, a great black lion, a great black snake, a white fox, a red bear, a blue dog, a golden sheep, a white horse, and a brown eagle appeared.

They stood tall, motionless, looking down at the Pope in the middle.

And. 

First, the white fox raised its front foot and put it on the sacred object he had brought.

Then, a bright pink supernatural ability spread from the fox clan’s holy relic and formed a thin barrier. 

Since the holy relic is the blessing itself of the Gods, it symbolizes each clan, but it is also responsible for protecting each clan.

The heads of the clan were able to infuse the holy relic with the supernatural ability to open a barrier. 

Next was the lion clan. 

As the huge black lion placed its front paw on the holy relic, a pale indigo barrier covered the pink one. 

Then, one after another, everyone built a barrier above them, and they were no longer visible.

I just guessed whose turn it was from the color of the barriers piled up above.

Finally, the black barrier completely covered the larger barrier.

“Now they will check each other’s holy relics inside it.”

Ethan whispered to me. Arsene watched the scene with his mouth wide open.

Shortly after that, the barriers built one after another exploded at once.

And a natural-colored piece of light fell like hail over tens of thousands of people.

The shouts rang out again, and the festival curtain rose with the Pope’s congratulatory speech.

The beast quickly left the venue. Arsene and I sat absentmindedly, reflecting on the lingering feelings of a while ago.

“How is it, isn’t it nice?”

“Ung, that’s really great!”

I nodded my head with a blush on my face.

“Later, the Young Master has to do it. Keep an eye on what the Lord is doing, Young Master. The Lord also sat here and learned exactly what the previous head of the family did.”

Ethan spoke softly. Arsene, like me, looked at it blankly and nodded. 

At that time, Leona jumped up from her seat.

“I want to go to Daddy! I couldn’t get my dad’s permission to visit the festival street with my friends. I mean, Dad kept change the subject. Linsy, wait here for a second!”

“Ung? But I have to go now?”

“What? Where are you going? Ung? Where is it? Are you going back to the mansion?” 

Leona asked insistently. When Arsene and I were in trouble, Ethan answered instead.

“We will go back to the central temple and watch the festival before we go back.”

“Then~ let’s meet at the central temple. I have to go back to the temple anyway.”

Leona didn’t even listen to our answer and fled away like the wind.

“Come with me, Lady!”

Miriam, the butler of the Fernando family, followed Leona as she ran out with a voice almost crying.

“It is better to change into comfortable clothes when you are walking around the streets. There are two maids here with the Lady and the Young Master’s street clothes. You can change clothes inside the temple and go out to play.”

“Can I go out and play?” 

“Of course, as long as the escort knight accompanies you. There’s street food, a store that sells strange toys, and there’s a lot of events.” 

At Ethan’s words, Arsene and I twinkled our eyes.