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Chapter: 08
“I’m not saying you can’t leave.”
Sirka spoke firmly so that Barya wouldn’t misunderstand.
“You can leave if an unavoidable situation comes up. We have no intention of restricting your freedom. But even if you leave, you need to at least inform us. Don’t disappear without a word like this time.”
Barya looked at the contract.
The five conditions she had set herself, and the single condition demanded by the Caliph.
It wasn’t even a matter of being forbidden to leave. There was no requirement to ask for permission either.
This was a contract overwhelmingly in Barya’s favor.
“Is this really okay?”
“Of course. Your only task at the Caliph’s place is one thing: to grow strong enough to be able to take down a pack of hyenas by yourself.”
That was exactly what Barya wanted most.
She carefully wrote her name at the bottom of the contract and signed it.
The three Caliph subordinates, secretly relieved, also signed their names.
“All right, the contract is complete. From now on, we’re counting on you, Barya Bell.”
Sabrina extended her right hand.
Barya straightened her posture and shook hands with her like a mature little adult.
“I’ll do my best as well.”
After Barya returned with Tyren, the three Caliph subordinates sat at a table, staring at the contract in deep thought.
“She’s clearly no ordinary child.”
Both of the others nodded at Bayden’s words.
Facing hyenas with just the body of a kitten had been the easy part.
The audacity to boldly demand a contract from the Caliph’s three subordinates, beings so fearsome that even most wild beast humanoids hesitate to meet their gaze.
The skill to clearly specify exactly what conditions she needed.
And on top of that, the strong aura she naturally exuded.
“Her speech and handwriting show she’s about ten, but her behavior and intelligence aren’t ten-year-old at all.”
Sabrina tapped the contract with her finger.
The fact that she demanded meat only once a week was shocking enough.
And yet she subtly watched for signs of refusal, careful not to show it.
The sub-adults couldn’t comprehend what the hyena cubs had done to her, and the more they observed, the clearer it became that she was no ordinary child.
How to put it… calling her just a ten-year-old girl felt almost misleading.
“Sirka wasn’t like that at ten either.”
Beast children tend to develop quickly, and Sirka, the heir, was exceptional even among them.
She had inherited the extraordinary abilities of Sabrina, the tiger humanoid with the strongest skills of the current era.
But even Sirka hadn’t dared show such audacity in front of Bayden and Sabrina at ten.
And yet a mere cat humanoid could meet the Caliph’s three subordinates’ gaze without flinching?
She was definitely no ordinary humanoid.
“The odds are high that she possesses ‘divine power.’”
“Even if it’s not certain, it’s rational to assume so.”
Sabrina nodded at Sirka’s remark.
Divine power.
A special ability that only a very few chosen humanoids could possess.
But even with luck, not just anyone could have divine power.
There was one prerequisite above all: one must inherit the bloodline of a spiritual creature.
Spiritual creatures are born in places rich with the mystical energy of nature.
All spiritual creatures have special abilities called “divine power,” and their lifespans are much longer than humanoids.
Unlike instinct-driven humanoids, they are rational and gentle, often living in nature, but some have married humanoids and had children.
A tiny fraction of humanoids born with spiritual creature blood inherit similar divine powers.
Perhaps Barya is one of those few.
“If the baby was able to pacify Tyren and escape the Caliph’s place unnoticed, divine power could explain it.”
“We don’t know exactly what power she possesses, though.”
Divine powers vary greatly, and the exact abilities are still not fully known, making speculation difficult.
“If it were a simple ability like ours, we could figure it out easily.”
Sabrina lightly clenched her fist.
Right now, it was empty, but if that hand had held anything, it would have shattered completely—whatever it was.
Sabrina belonged to the Frost family, infused with the blood of the White Tiger spiritual creature.
She was a White Tiger humanoid born with the most powerful divine power in generations.
And Sirka, inheriting her blood, also had divine power.
“Either way, it makes sense why hyena cubs would target the baby. Those bastards are obsessed with acquiring divine power.”
Bayden clicked his tongue.
Humanoids chosen by spiritual creatures are extremely rare.
Among the many tiger humanoid families, only the Frost family had spiritual blood.
Hyena humanoids, on the other hand, had none.
Naturally, they couldn’t manifest divine power, which fueled their inferiority complex.
Ever since the Caliph of the tiger clan, longtime rivals of the hyenas, married Sabrina, who had powerful divine power, their inferiority complex grew even more.
The total breakdown of the two species’ relations began after that.
“So in the end, the baby was caught up as a victim in pointless humanoid pride battles.”
Bayden frowned.
Barya said she had lived in filthy clothes at the hyena house.
The hyena cubs probably kidnapped and confined her, trying desperately to acquire divine power.
“That’s probably why the baby said not to ask about her. We can’t guarantee we aren’t like the hyenas ourselves.”
Sirka clenched his fist in anger just thinking about it.
Even if one coveted divine power, how could they abuse a child only ten years old like that?
It was beyond his comprehension.
“She’s alone, still young, and doesn’t seek her parents. We can assume they’ve passed away, right?”
Bayden nodded at Sabrina’s words.
“Still, there might be family left. We should find a cat humanoid family with spiritual blood.”
They intended to find Barya’s family, but also to protect her from potential hyena threats.
Spiritual blood is precious and must not fall into the hands of the greedy.
“We won’t reveal that we’ve realized, at least to some extent, that the baby may have divine power.”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Mother.”
Barya was already wary. If they mentioned divine power, she might run off again before they could stop her.
Distrusting the Caliph didn’t matter.
No, they didn’t even intend to beg her to trust them.
That was her choice.
But they absolutely could not let her be caught by insane hyenas if she sneaked out.
They would prevent that at all costs.
After signing the contract, Barya stayed as a guest of the Caliph.
The news that a cute, adorable ten-year-old cat humanoid was living with them quickly spread throughout the mansion.
“Greetings, Miss!”
Jake, one of the top contributors who had brought Barya to the Caliph’s mansion, rushed to her as soon as he heard the news.
He was stunned to see her crawling out from under the bed.
“Why are you coming out from there? Isn’t it forbidden for the lady to play on the bed?”
Jake glanced at Sirka, who was lounging comfortably on the sofa.
Sirka was shocked by the audacity of his subordinate.
“Anyone would think the baby is my master, not me.”
“Of course, the younger master’s safety comes first!”
Jake’s shout left Sirka with nothing to say.
Not entirely wrong.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. You saw me yesterday, right? I’m Jake Gillian, a knight of the Caliph family serving Sirka Caliph.”
Barya, dusting off her skirt after crawling out from under the bed, nodded.
“I remember. You’re the one who gave me jerky. That was delicious.”
Because of the jerky, she couldn’t run away and got caught. But now she had a contract with the Caliph and was protected.
“Honestly, I was mad at first, but since things worked out for you, I forgive you.”
Barya extended her hand, and Jake, touched, shook it carefully.
“I’m Barya Bell.”
“That’s a beautiful name. It suits you perfectly.”
“I know. My mom gave it to me.”
Sirka perked up at the mention of her mother for the first time.
Unfortunately, Barya didn’t elaborate further.
“But why were you under the bed, Miss?”
“This is my room now. I was checking for any strange things in here. Nothing suspicious should be around.”
“I also checked on top of the cabinet.”
Sirka gestured at the cabinet.
Truly an extraordinary child.
“Oh, I brought what the master mentioned.”
Jake set a box on the sofa table. Barya, curious, approached it.
It contained ropes with fur, sticks, and all sorts of things.
“Is this all mine?”
“These are your toys from today onward.”
“Stop calling me a baby! I’m not the age to play with toys!”
Who do they take me for!
“I guarantee you’ll love it.”
Sirka took out a stick and smiled at Barya.
Barya hesitated for a moment, sensing something unusual. Sirka immediately swung the stick.
