The Snow Leopard Baby of the Black Leopard Family

“How can I believe your words?”

Karsus looked down at Oshian, who was at a loss for words, looking up at him.

They really abandoned him! But how could he prove it?

Just as Oshian was about to speak again, overwhelmed by injustice.

"Enough. We will return to the estate and interrogate there. First, take this man and detain him. I will conduct the interrogation myself."

"Wait...!"

Oshian struggled, but the Asterian knights were quicker.

They dragged Oshian out.

Even as he was being dragged away by the knights of Asterian, Oshian trembled with fear, not knowing how much Karsus knew.

Did he know everything?

Even who 'Jae' had sought help from?

Pale-faced, Oshian was carried away like a sack on the back of an Asterian knight's horse to the Asterian estate.

After Oshian was taken away.

Knights searching near the back door came running to Karsus and bowed deeply, indicating they had something to report.

Karsus nodded for them to report.

"There are signs of someone having fled near the back door. The depth of the footprints suggests they ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) haven't been gone long."

"How many footprints are there?"

"There appears to be one set belonging to an adult and three sets that could belong to children. One adult and three children. It seems four have escaped from this estate."

After hearing the knight's report, Karsus issued an order.

"Chase them immediately. They must not be lost. It's imperative they are brought back alive, particularly the children without any harm."

"As you command."

The knights responded briefly and followed the tracks.

No further discoveries were made at the estate. They found traces of something burnt in a corner of the estate garden.

It seemed 'Jae' had burnt something important here before fleeing. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

To ensure nothing was found. To ensure no one could read it...

Karsus considered ordering a search through the ashes but decided against it. It would only turn up ash.

He instructed that anything that seemed worth investigating be moved to Asterian, and the empty estate was left under the guard of the Asterian knights.

Among those who had escaped was likely the girl Lissa had spoken of, and her younger brother.

'We must find them quickly.'

With Lissa captured, who knew what that scoundrel Jae might do to her brother to keep him quiet.

Karsus mounted his horse and returned to Asterian.

His saddle was enchanted with Wolfgang’s abilities, so the return to Asterian did not take long.

***

The knights threw Oshian into the dungeon of Asterian.

Thud!

His skin scraped against the hard, damp, and cold floor as he screamed in pain.

The cell where Oshian was confined was darker and narrower than the one where Lissa had been held. It was the worst in Asterian.

A heavy man had fallen with a loud noise.

But no one there blinked an eye.

Oshian Russell.

He was certainly a noble, and the Russell family was a noble family with abilities, but by Oshian's generation, their abilities had almost vanished, making them so insignificant that he couldn't even protest how he was being treated by Asterian.

The knights of Asterian knew this too. And who had they just captured?

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

The beloved of the Crassion Empire, the only light. The man who dared to harm the light girl, Tiel.

Ideally, they would want to execute him immediately rather than interrogate him.

But the knights restrained themselves and confined him to the dungeon, finishing their duty.

The rest was up to Karsus.

Oshian sensed the knights eyeing him murderously.

If it weren't for Karsus's orders, they would have stabbed him by now!

So, Oshian curled up in a corner, trying not to provoke them.

Then he turned around and cautiously tried to use his ability.

The dungeon was very dark, and since there was no light where he was confined, no one would notice if he used his ability.

'Please, please!'

Oshian attempted to use his ability.

His ability was 'mist.'

Although it had almost disappeared by his generation, meeting Jae had helped him regain his ability.

And he had realized just how powerful his ability could be.

Perhaps it was comparable to, or even greater than, the powers of the five great families!

His alliance with Jae was solely for that reason—to strengthen his ability.

After all, this world was one where those with strong abilities dominated the weak.

And indeed, after meeting Jae, his ability had grown stronger, allowing him to use even other powers.

But.

“...Why?”

Oshian blankly stared at his palms. It was too dark to see even an inch in front of him, but he could tell his ability wasn't working.

"What, why not? No, it can't be!"

Oshian babbled as he tried to use his ability again. Still, his ability did not work.

Again and again, he tried several times, but it was the same each time. His ability was not working. He had no ability. His ability was... gone!

He screamed madly, trying to use his ability regardless of whether the guards or knights saw him.

But his ability did not work. To the knights, it appeared Oshian was madly swinging his hands through the air.

"Is he mad?"

A knight guarding the dungeon muttered. The guard next to him nodded.

"Perhaps..."

At that moment, Oshian, who had been wildly flailing his arms, stopped.

The guards and knights turned away, thinking he had given up. It was about time. The dungeon of Asterian was inescapable.

Among the prisoners who had been captured, there were a few who showed the same reactions as Oshian, so they didn't pay much attention to his behavior.

That's why they didn't notice. If they had looked more closely, they would have seen.

The dungeon where Oshian was confined had become unusually dark. It was so dark that the guards couldn't even see a prisoner's face...

“...Huh!”

Oshian gasped. He was floating in the air, kicking and clutching his throat.

Oshian was in the air.

Something indescribable was reflected in his pupils. It was darkness, power, and it received faith and belief...

“Huh!”

At that moment, whatever had been clutching Oshian's throat let go. He tumbled to the floor, gasping for unfinished breaths.

The pain lingered in his throat, which had just been released. He lay flat on his belly, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"God... Jae, that guy, he has defied your will and fled. He has betrayed us! Jae, Jae must be caught and killed... Huh!"

As Oshian tried to blame everything on Jae, he suddenly felt pain in his abdomen and curled up.

Then, an indistinct voice boomed above his head.

[Jae has not betrayed me.]

"...!"

[The only one he betrayed is you.]

At that moment, the writhing darkness in the air took shape.

Oshian couldn't see it due to the darkness, and neither could the guards and knights.

No, the guards and knights acted as if they couldn't hear anything from inside the bars. It was then that Oshian sensed an inexplicable feeling and looked up.

That was when something thick like an arm pierced through Oshian's abdomen.

"...!"

Oshian couldn't even scream due to the sudden pain. Blood vessels burst in his eyes.

And soon after, a tremendous scream erupted.

The guards and knights then seemed to finally hear Oshian's voice and turned to look at him.

***

"Would you like to go see Lord Ian?"

Ria asked Tiel, who had already changed into her outing clothes without a moment's hesitation.

"Yes! I need to see Lord Ian."

"But, Miss Tiel..."

Ria remembered that Karsus and Alpheus had instructed to restrict Tiel's outings for the time being.

But she couldn't deny a request to meet the crown prince, and as she pondered what to do, a gentle knock sounded.

The door opened shortly after, and the maid who entered bowed deeply.

"Miss, Lord Karsus has returned."