Rocky held the tiny deer in his arms and sighed.
"I hope my sister will be happy, even just a bit."
Yet, he didn’t expect too much because the last time he saw her, she was already in an serious state.
A wounded soul... She must have been shocked after the branch Clan captured her beast.
Rocky arrived at the plant association and headed to the office where Walter had assigned them to work.
After greeting Ursa, he began discussing the work with her.
Ursa said,
"Everything’s still alright — even better than I expected. If nothing goes wrong, we’ll take first place in revenue in the Plant Association this year."
Rocky nodded, then asked,
"So... about my big sister? I guess Scarlet has sent her here."
At that moment, Ursa’s face turned sadder than ever. She clenched her teeth in helplessness before saying,
"I think you should see her for yourself. I can’t tell whether she’s fine or not."
Rocky nodded helplessly. Just as he thought.
He lingered for a moment and asked,
"Scarlet... is she still staying here?"
Ursa clicked her tongue in discomfort before saying,
"Young lord. You’re really a bad guy, making a girl cry. You shouldn’t have tricked her about your work... telling her you would go somewhere for years and then coming back after just a few days?"
"She saved your big sister. You should be grateful to her."
Ursa continued to babble as if a mother were scolding her son who had made a big mistake.
Rocky frowned for a while, then nodded.
He understood everything.
It seemed she had lied to Ursa about him. She didn’t want Ursa to worry for a few years... at least until Ursa learned of his death.
A thoughtful girl.
(But... I’m carrying too many burdens to think about love right now. Next time, I shouldn’t ask her for help again.)
(Sorry for making you cry... I should’ve told you a little about my secret.)
Rocky nodded in understanding.
"Alright. I’ll make it up to her, then."
Ursa nodded and rubbed Rocky’s hand to comfort him. She had already seen through his thoughts.
’’You should share your burdens... I can do more for you.’’
Rocky shook his head slightly.
It was impossible... especially after witnessing what the branch Clan had done to his father’s beasts.
At that moment, he finally understood Jed’s words.
(They’re far stronger than we thought... I need to prepare more.)
***
’’M-My beast!’’ Diana sobbed as she rushed forward. She swiftly hugged the deer, who was already crying.
Rocky slowly approached his big sister. He bent down to look at her face... a soulless one.
’’Sister, do you recognize me?’’
Yet, Diana only looked at him in silence, ignoring him as usual.
He felt like his heart was breaking.
He slowly pressed his fingers against his forehead to relax himself. Ursa let out a deep breath and tapped his shoulder in comfort.
Walter looked at their family with empathetic eyes and spoke.
’’I’m sorry about this... I didn’t expect the branch Clan would dare to do such a thing like that. Her condition is quite serious. She may only live for about one more year. As you know, rapid aging can lead to brain atrophy. With such a shock, her spirit has also been damaged.’’
’’But there’s still hope... Because what caused her aging wasn’t natural, but a side effect of a skill.’’
’’In short, we can reverse it.’’
’’However... as far as I know, only a single beast in the whole world can do that at this moment.’’
’’The Pope’s beast.’’
Ursa frowned and asked,
’’Do you mean... Pope Luke, who lives in the land of Lunaris?’’
Walter nodded seriously.
This world had three lands. Everyone in each land was meant to see their land as a different world.
Well... because the three lands shared many similarities, yet were very different at the same time.
The Land of Solaria, where three great clans ruled. Most of the beasts there were vertebrates, so it was rare to see crabs, flies, ants, and the like.
Meanwhile, the Land of Lunaris was ruled by the Hayden Kingdom. Their beasts were mainly invertebrates—spiders, dragonflies, and so on.
Each land cherished its own beast species, which led to countless conflicts. The prejudice was carved deep into their minds—even into their beasts.
They hated one another.
And then there was the final land... the one everyone had to fear and stay wary of.
The Land of Ebonmoon, where ancient races still lived—elves, dwarves. Their beasts were spirit beings... stronger than any other kind. That explained their pride—both the people’s and their beasts’.
In short, the other two lands were rather troublesome.
"I don’t know if we can ask for his help, but we have to try," Walter said.
Ursa smiled brightly.
"It’s not a big deal for us. We have relatives in the Land of Lunaris. They can help."
"Rocky’s mother is the daughter of the former king of the Hayden Kingdom... and his uncle is the current king."
Walter let out a relieved sigh.
"That’s good news."
Rocky shook his head slightly and revealed more.
"It won’t be that easy. My uncle is the kind of person who’s merciless. I even traded one of the clan’s artifacts for his help, but he only agreed to let my little sister stay there for a year."
During the last battle between the branch clan and the main clan, he had sent his little sister away to hide several times. He promised he would bring her back after winning the final battle. Even though he failed, this time, he could bring her back in the end.
He had a background he could lean on — and so did his sisters.
After all, he could never feel at ease knowing she stayed in that place...where everyone hated his mother, even though they shared the same bloodline.
Walter smiled faintly.
"It’s quite a coincidence. A contest will be held in the Hayden Kingdom soon. The three academies from the lands will gather there to compete."
"We’ll represent the Land of Solaria."