CHAPTER 86……………………………………….
So far, Lin had considered herself a strange Pegasus.
No large wings, no sturdy limbs—just a thin body like a deer, with a mane of unusual color.
She looked completely different from a normal Pegasus.
Everyone had been wary of this odd creature.
“Our progenitor awakened as a horse and became a Pegasus. Could it be that this successor awakened from Pegasus into an even more special form?”
“Gasp! That’s right. Before, it looked a bit weird, but seeing it again, it kind of feels sacred!”
And just like that, the “strange” beast-person was now looked upon with admiration as a “great” beast-person?
Lin couldn’t adjust to the sudden shift in perception around her.
When Lin confided her feelings, Caligo snorted.
[You’ve always been like this; it’s funny to see you act like you just discovered it now.]
“Well… I guess I can’t really blame the others for feeling that way.”
[What? Fluff, and you’re sympathizing with them too? You’ll float away like real fluff.]
He teased her as if she were a newborn divine beast planning to ascend to immortality like an old man.
Caligo scolded Lin while pretending to be angry, because Lin didn’t react.
“No, no, it’s not like they bullied me.”
[They ostracized you!]
“They just didn’t get close. That’s not the same as ostracizing.”
[Hmph! Same thing.]
Lin herself was the last remaining direct-line heir with undeniable legitimacy.
Plus, with Theodore acting as a powerful guardian, few dared treat Lin lightly.
The only bold exception was Pain, who picked fights with everyone.
She kept a polite distance from other kids, merely staring at them like a cow watching a chicken.
“There were rumors I was too weak… and there was a big size difference.”
[Then they should have taken care of the weaker one better.]
“Well, I’m not exactly their little sibling,” Lin emphasized—she wasn’t so young or weak as to need constant attention.
“Anyway, now I’m stronger!”
[Though you overexerted yourself before fully growing and almost collapsed.]
“Anyway, my divine power has increased, right?”
Lin concluded confidently that she had indeed grown stronger.
Pfff!
Caligo exhaled in disapproval, then indulged Lin when she tried to change the subject.
[Everything else is annoying, but… even if it’s like a cow stepping back and catching a mouse, there’s some truth in that.]
“Truth?”
[About the concept of ‘awakening’.]
Blinking in confusion, Lin listened as Caligo explained.
[The progenitor of your family did awaken as a new being called a Pegasus. Their status rose, and they became a spiritual entity.]
“A spiritual entity? Different from a divine beast?”
[In a way, divine beasts can also be considered spiritual entities. But unlike divine beasts born with elevated status, a spiritual entity is someone who was born ordinary but surpasses their limits and raises their existential level.]
Such beings naturally acquire extraordinary physical traits.
Caligo asked her to consider the families of beast-people, like Pegasus, who didn’t exist in nature.
“Our Pegasus… and the Kaidan family’s White Tiger… oh, and the Blue Wolf family too.”
[Exactly. The existence of these beast-people means that the progenitors of those lineages were spiritual entities.]
“Wow.”
All the examples Lin could think of were from the great noble families.
Great noble families were recognized as elite even among noble houses.
Unlike normal animals, beast-people with forms not found in nature—like Pegasus, White Tiger, or Blue Wolf—were symbols of an exceptional family.
“I thought it was just because they were fascinating.”
She hadn’t expected such a background.
“The other progenitors were amazing too!”
Like the Pegasus progenitor who became a spiritual entity to save people, other family progenitors must have worked just as hard.
Learning the legendary backstory, Lin’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
That evening.
Sitting on her bed, Lin excitedly recounted the day’s events to Theodore, who had come to help her prepare for sleep.
“So suddenly everyone was all like, ‘Cool!’ Before they said I was weird… it felt kinda strange.”
“Lin.”
Hearing Lin talk about her lingering unease from the day, Theodore frowned.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“Huh?”
“Because it’s not a berserk ability. You were born as a ‘Qilin’ divine beast, remember? I told you before.”
Theodore apologized sincerely. He remembered everything Lin had told him.
“I saw the ‘original work’ through a dream—that is, what will happen in the future! …With my ability!”
“Uncle Theo, I’m a Qilin, so I’ll grow eating peace!”
That sounded far-fetched, just childish imagination. Theodore smiled and let it pass.
When Lin first came to him, she probably wanted him to believe her.
“Lin kept telling me, but I didn’t believe it… that’s why you’re upset, right?”
Theodore mimicked Lin hitting him, letting her vent. Lin yanked her hand back in surprise.
“No! I’m not mad at you!”
Yet, contradicting her words, she puffed her cheeks in mock anger as she scolded him.
“Uncle Theo, you almost got seriously hurt! You have to be careful! You can’t do dangerous things, okay?”
Her tone mirrored a teacher scolding children.
Theodore’s eyes widened—he realized Lin had genuinely worried about him.
“You thought I’d get hurt?”
“Of course…!”
Uncle Theo had almost lost his eye! The thought that he might be badly hurt, limping around with an eye patch, terrified her. Lin swallowed back what she almost shouted.
‘Kaidan only told me this in secret.’
She had to protect her benefactor’s secret.
While worrying about her uncle, Lin’s thoughts drifted to her benefactor. She rolled her eyes sideways.
“Lin, you were scared. I’m sorry for making you worry…”
“Mm.”
Lin avoided eye contact, feeling guilty for keeping a secret. Theodore, seeing his young niece shaken by a crisis, reflected deeply.
“I won’t let Lin worry again. I won’t get hurt.”
He resolved to become even stronger. Despite his young age, under the early training of the Mercenary King, he was already unmatched in the knight order’s military power.
He would intensify his training to grow stronger. Knowing the knights would scream if they heard, Theodore gently patted Lin, who had dozed off, and left the room.
Then he headed to his office to continue his work.
Step by step.
As he strode down the long corridor, a thought suddenly came to Theodore.
‘Come to think of it… Lin said something like that too.’
She had claimed to see the future through her ability.
Her expression had been so earnest, like she really wanted him to believe her.
“Grandpa will return, and Mom will wake up! I saw it clearly with my ability!”
Theodore murmured without realizing it.
“If that’s true…”
When? How could it happen?
There were no details, but a small, certain possibility existed.
That was enough.
…For the first time since his family scattered, Theodore’s steps toward his office felt lighter. A sense of hope had begun to bloom in his heart.
