Chapter 36
Leon stirred awake, feeling the pleasant sensation of someone gently caressing him. He cracked his eyes open slightly—only to nearly let out a startled cry.
Lucas was gazing down at him, tenderly stroking his cheek.
As the soft skin brushed against his face, warmth slowly crept up his body. Every time Lucas exhaled deeply, the familiar vanilla scent flooded Leon’s senses, making his breathing uneven.
Sleep, I have to sleep. If Lucas realizes I’m awake, he might stop.
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force himself back to sleep, but Lucas’s touch was too gentle—it chased away all traces of drowsiness.
Pretending to toss and turn, Leon subtly shifted closer, inching his face toward Lucas. If he was lucky, their lips might brush. But just as he got near, Lucas turned his head each time, making him miss his mark.
I wish he’d kiss me… Should I just tell him I’m awake and ask for one?
The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
Remembering the serious expression Lucas had when he first arrived in the room, Leon knew he shouldn’t say something so reckless.
Still, right now… he’s touching me so gently and looking at me so fondly.
Should I tell him I’m awake? Or not?
As he debated, the vanilla scent grew even stronger, and soon enough, Leon drifted off again.
A vast, snowy birch forest stretched before him.
Leon reached out, chasing after Lucas, who was dashing through the trees like a mischievous sprite. Strangely, Lucas was caught far too easily.
Huh? That shouldn’t have been possible…
“Lucas!”
He called out, but his voice sounded deeper than usual. That was odd. Still, Leon gripped Lucas tightly, unwilling to let him slip away, and they both tumbled into the snow.
Rolling together across the cold ground, they landed in a heap.
The earth beneath them was icy, and an eerie wind howled through the birch trees, yet Lucas’s body was burning hot against his own. Leon felt lightheaded.
And in this world of endless white, only one thing stood out—Lucas’s crimson lips.
The more he touched him, the thirstier he became. Desperate, Leon wrapped his arms around Lucas’s neck, biting down gently on his lips. He wanted to devour him whole.
But then—
A sudden, suffocating pressure gripped his chest, and his body trembled violently.
No!
Leon jolted awake with a gasp, his body drenched in cold sweat.
His breathing was ragged. That strange sensation… it was just like the changes he had experienced during his strength control training.
Panting, he turned his gaze toward Lucas, who was still fast asleep beside him.
His feelings kept changing whenever he looked at him. The air around Lucas always seemed different, painted in a unique color only he possessed. And then there was the way his pheromones reacted only when he was near… and the image of himself as an adult in that dream.
A memory of his mother’s words surfaced in his mind.
“If your thoughts are completely consumed by one person, then that’s proof that you love them.”
Leon licked his lips and tightened his grip around Lucas’s hand.
Rough, yet warm—it was a hand he wanted to hold onto for a lifetime.
And at that moment, he finally understood what he had been questioning all along.
It was sweet like vanilla ice cream, yet bitter like dark chocolate—
His first love.
A small smile played on his lips as he murmured softly.
“I like Luca. That means… from now on, no one else can have him.”
After waking from that strange dream, Leon couldn’t fall back asleep.
His mind kept replaying the image of the new Alpha knights at the training grounds—boldly stripping off their shirts.
What if Lucas gets distracted by their broad chests and stops paying attention to me?
The thought horrified him. No matter how he looked at it, there was only one solution—
I have to grow up quickly and become just as strong and reliable.
Knowing that he tended to sleep in longer when he shared a bed with Lucas, Leon forced himself to stay still and wait until Lucas woke up.
Eventually, Lucas stirred, stretching his arms before slowly sitting up.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mm, I slept great.”
Leon straightened his posture. Lucas immediately sensed the shift in his demeanor.
His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles trembled—whatever was on his mind, he seemed completely determined.
Lucas had a bad feeling about this. He thought it best to pretend he hadn’t noticed and quietly get out of bed.
But just as he moved— Leon grabbed his arm.
“Swordsmanship? Why do you suddenly ask about that?”
Lucas tilted his head slightly. Now that he had confirmed Leon’s ability to communicate with and tame animals, he planned to have him properly train that skill before focusing on combat techniques.
After all, Lucas had only placed a sword in Leon’s hands for self-defense, not for battle. But after observing him, it seemed that rather than wielding a sword, Leon was better suited to taming monsters and using them as his weapons.
After all, there was no weapon more reliable than a living monster.
“It’s not sudden. The more I think about it, the more scared I get.”
“Scared? Of what? Are you afraid of monsters?”
Leon shook his head vigorously.
“Not monsters—people. Duke Keaton, Layla… Sometimes, I have nightmares about that day.”
That day… He must be referring to the ambush when he was traveling north.
Yes, it made sense. After all, he had experienced the terror of being the only survivor while everyone else perished.
Lucas let out a quiet sigh.
Not everything in life follows a smooth path, but nothing involving this small child ever seemed easy.
Where should he even begin? How should he teach him?
Then, a memory surfaced—of a troublesome beast kept at the southern outpost.
It had the body of a horse but the face of a lion, with a wild and violent nature that made it a constant headache.
Normally, a half-monster with such an aggressive temperament would have been put down. However, Lucas had given it a name—Rai—and kept it confined for a reason.
Years ago, during a monster attack that endangered an entire village, Rai had saved a child from the other monsters.
At the time, Lucas had considered taming Rai to use as a hunting mount, but the creature refused to integrate with other half-monsters and never obeyed orders, making it more of a burden than an asset.
But perhaps… Leon might be able to handle him.
“Lucas! What are you thinking about?”
“I was considering how best to train you in swordsmanship. But before that… Leon, would you be interested in hunting with me?”
Leon’s eyes widened.
“Hunting? Of course! I want to go with you, Luca! I can understand animals, tame them, and I can even turn into a fierce tiger to fight for you—”
“Yes. But before that, you’ll need riding lessons rather than sword training.”
Horses!
Back in the imperial palace, the elders had worried that an important heir might get injured before even reaching ten years old, so Leon had only ever been allowed to ride tiny ponies.
He was so thrilled that he barely managed to hold back from jumping up and down.
However, he couldn’t stop his tail from flicking out in excitement.
Swordsmanship was amazing, but the thought of riding through snowy fields alongside Lucas seemed even more exhilarating.
Completely forgetting about his original plan to challenge Lucas to a spar, Leon latched onto his arm.
“Riding sounds great! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Lucas chuckled and ruffled Leon’s hair a couple of times before calling Sion to prepare for a trip to the southern outpost.
Though puzzled as to why they suddenly needed to head south when there was already so much going on, Sion, ever loyal, simply answered, “Understood.”
The Southern Swamps
The only place where the wetlands never froze, even in sub-zero temperatures.
There, the murky waters teemed with creatures, crocodiles lay with their jaws wide open, and beyond them, long streaks of magic-infused stones shimmered in the distance.
In the courtyard of the fortress built to protect the miners, a golden-haired child and a horse with a lion’s face glared at each other.
Leon and Rai.
They stood a short distance apart, locked in an unblinking stare.
The first to move was Leon.
Sweat drenched his body from the effort of attempting to tame the beast, and the cold had turned his cheeks a bright red.
Sion, watching with concern, murmured something to Lucas. However, Lucas, his expression serious, simply motioned for him to wait and observe.
Leon carefully took a step forward.
At that moment, Rai reared up on his hind legs and let out a deafening roar.
But Leon did not stop.
Rai grew agitated.
What is this brat? Why isn’t he scared?
<Stay away! I will not be tamed by anyone!>
Leon, now close enough that their manes almost touched, reached out— And firmly grasped the beast’s nape.
At that moment, every strand of fur on Rai’s body stood on end.
