Chapter 97……………………………………………
[Those red eyes… now that I see them, they definitely resemble that one.]
Caligo, staring intently at Kaidan’s black-haired red eyes, nodded and muttered to herself.
The mouth of the black Pegasus doll she controlled stretched into a wide, intrigued smile.
[Interesting… very interesting. The power I gave that one has been inherited by their descendant to this extent.]
Leaving Caligo to chuckle to herself, Lin turned her head toward Kaidan and asked,
“Who is Argon Tigris?”
“He is an ancestor of our Tigris family. Known as the very first Black Tiger.”
Kaidan, as if sensing something, glanced at his palm with slightly trembling eyes and continued,
“Pharmacraft… the one who first used this power was him.”
Caligo, glancing at the red mist swirling in the boy’s palm—the manifestation of Pharmacraft—opened her mouth.
[Yes. Pharmacraft. That’s the power I gave Argon.]
She smiled slyly, then began telling an old story in a cheerful voice, as if the name “Pharmacraft” had been well remembered.
It was a story from hundreds of years ago.
In the far northern region of the Beastfolk Continent lay the Glacial Mountain Range.
Snow-capped peaks that never melted stretched like roofs, and within these mountains, various Beastfolk had made their homes.
Despite the harsh environment, they lived by supporting each other, protected by the White Tiger clan of the mountains.
Even then, the White Tiger Tigris family was the strongest beast clan in the north, taking on the role of defending other Beastfolk by fighting off monsters.
Among the White Tiger clan, Argon was a particularly unusual Beastfolk.
“Here!”
With a mighty roar in the form of a black tiger, Argon immediately drew attention.
While other White Tigers blended into the snowy mountains for stealth, Argon’s black tiger form stood out against the white backdrop.
She used this feature to her advantage.
Grrr…
Boom!
By drawing the monsters’ attention, Argon absorbed all attacks until the rest of the clan could join forces to defeat them.
[Hoo.]
Even to Caligo, who had visited the Glacial Mountains for the first time, this was fascinating.
Watching from the clouds where humans couldn’t see, she grinned widely, revealing sharp teeth.
[There’s some real spirit here.]
Intrigued by Argon’s deeds, Caligo eventually took her as her disciple, impressed by how Argon always led from the front, like a mountain guardian, protecting her people.
Before leaving, she taught Argon methods of fighting monsters.
[Swallow this.]
“Master…!”
Caligo broke off a piece of her own orb—a crystal of divine power, called Yeouiju by humans—and gave it to her disciple.
“She gave her a piece of the orb?”
[Yes. If you want to give divine power to someone who isn’t a divine beast, that’s the only way.]
“Hoo…”
Lin’s interest was piqued. She remembered Caligo saying earlier, when she held Kaidan’s hand and prayed for healing, that divine power couldn’t just be given like that.
“To give divine power, you give an orb.”
Seeing Lin commit that to memory as if to use it later, Caligo’s face twisted in alarm.
[Don’t even think about copying that!]
“Eh? Why not?”
[A fluffball that hasn’t fully grown into a proper divine beast! Don’t even dream about giving yours to someone—just grow up healthy!]
Lin pouted at Caligo’s scolding fire.
[What’s with that face?]
Caligo flew over and crossed her short doll arms, wearing a stern expression.
“Tch. She can, but I can’t.”
[The orb isn’t even close to ready. It’s still just the thought of a disaster.]
Caligo pressed her doll foot against Lin’s protruding lips, continuing her explanation, making sure the child understood and wouldn’t get distracted.
[Even giving a piece of an orb is a huge deal. Even I, after completing an orb, had to go into slumber for hundreds of years.]
“Slumber? She slept for hundreds of years?”
[To restore power. You stay in a state that absorbs energy most easily.]
So even now she only came as a conscious form, not her main body.
[Think that’s all? Orbs condense a divine beast’s power over a long time. Losing one is like having your heart ripped out.]
“Ahhh… that must hurt.”
Lin frowned at Caligo’s attempt to intimidate her. Seeing Lin’s expression, Caligo quickly added,
[No! That’s nothing to this body. Ahem! The important thing is that it’s a major hit, not the pain.]
Caligo cleared her throat, lifted her front paw, and emphasized,
[An orb is the essence of divine power. Even giving a little means you can no longer use your previous strength. It’s something you must consider hundreds of times before deciding.]
“…But you gave a piece of your orb too, didn’t you?”
[I did, but it was a fragment! I already had other powers stored, and as a fully grown adult, I’d already lived hundreds of years.]
Absolutely not for you!
Caligo exhaled fiercely, reiterating her point.
[Argon was my first handpicked disciple in a long time, so I did it for him.]
Kaidan, quietly listening to the talking doll beside Lin, finally spoke.
“You took an ancestor as a disciple? I’ve never heard that before.”
[Of course not. I ordered that no records be left.]
Caligo was pleased that her disciple had followed her instructions about divine beasts.
Lin tilted her head and asked,
“Can’t we record it?”
[Knowing about divine beasts weakens humans’ self-sufficiency.]
Recalling how that had actually happened before, Caligo narrowed her eyes.
She couldn’t completely uproot the deep-rooted faith, but at least it was better than when she directly intervened in the past.
Caligo’s expression briefly reflected the regrets of countless events, though the doll’s blank eyes concealed it.
[It’s better for us not to reveal ourselves in the human world.]
Lin groaned and pressed her forehead, clearly troubled.
“I already told everyone.”
She had already revealed her identity as a divine beast and her divine powers to Uncle Theo, the people of Pegasus Castle, and her close friends.
[That’s fine.]
“Are you okay with that?”
[You’re still just a fluffball, not a true divine beast, so it doesn’t matter. You’re not going to overthrow a country with that power.]
“Oh… okay.”
Caligo’s words meant Lin’s limited power could only have minimal effect.
Lin’s cheeks puffed in annoyance at Caligo’s blunt reality check.
While listening to their conversation, Kaidan was sorting his thoughts.
The unexpected story about his ancestor was astonishing, but what concerned him more was the name Lin mentioned.
‘Caligo? This doll?’
The black Pegasus doll had a mean-looking expression.
Though Lin, at six years old, hugged it like a soft plush, it carried no trace of majesty.
[I am Caligo, the Black Divine Beast of this world, the Black Dragon of Pharmacraft.]
A colossal body covering the sky.
A gaze that overwhelms anyone facing it.
Remembering the awe and fear it inspired, Kaidan looked at the doll with a strange expression and spoke,
“Caligo, I—”
[I never allowed you to know my name.]
Although she had a descendant as a disciple, Caligo had no further interest, cutting Kaidan off coldly.
Yet the boy did not falter.
“Black Divine Beast… Black Dragon of Pharmacraft, Caligo. I will remember your name.”
Caligo’s eyes widened at the name he uttered.
It was information not discernible from their brief conversation.
Lin’s surprised gaze turned to Kaidan as well.
And then, the next moment:
“You taught me how to turn back time.”
No one expected Kaidan’s bombshell remark; both Caligo and Lin were left speechless.
