Novel Full Chapter 95: The System Has Concerns
Chapter 95: The System Has Concerns
Mirabelle’s brain tried to process the information.
But a certain someone kept distracting her.
Pebbles floated in a slow circle around her head.
"Congratulations."
Mirabelle immediately narrowed her eyes.
The spirit sounded far too pleased with himself. At least his animated face looked a little too smug...
Pebbles: "You have successfully acquired a second mate, increased your cultivation level, strengthened your bloodline, improved your future dynasty’s survival odds, and unlocked several currently restricted growth pathways."
He paused.
"All within a remarkably short period of time."
Mirabelle folded her arms.
’Thank you?’
Pebbles nodded: "You’re welcome."
Another pause. Then: "At this rate, you may eventually become competent."
’What?!’
Mirabelle stared at him.
Pebbles stared back:
"That was a compliment."
Mirabelle: ’No, it wasn’t.’
Pebbles: "It was by system standards."
Mirabelle: ’What are your system standards?’
Pebbles: "The expectations assigned to the host category are currently classified as ’very low.’"
Mirabelle felt something begin to boil inside her again.
Was it an intentional design feature that the spirit guide drove its host toward murderous rage?
Pebbles ignored her rapidly worsening mood:
"Statistically speaking, you are now considerably harder to kill.
Please try not to waste the upgrade."
Unlike Pebbles, Silas noticed through the enhanced emotional feedback of the bond that Mirabelle’s mood had shifted.
Carefully, he placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.
The lynx female had been staring into the distance with narrowed eyes, and suddenly he found himself worrying that she might be unhappy about something he had done.
Unlike Kaelith, however, he chose to address it directly.
His voice was deep.
His face remained as stoic as ever.
Yet Mirabelle could sense the uncertainty beneath it.
"Hey, is everything okay? I can feel through the bond that you’re upset. Did I do something wrong?"
’Oh my god, that’s adorable.’
She looked up at the panther Beastman and smiled reassuringly:
"No, you were wonderful."
Rising onto her toes, she pressed a quick kiss against his lips. Beneath her touch, they curled with satisfaction.
Silas felt that she meant every word.
Immediately, some of the tension left him.
"I just have to deal with something unpleasant right now. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable."
Silas, assuming she was talking about the Royal Hunting Party, nodded in understanding. At the same time, he took her hand and began leading her out of the forest.
"Can I help somehow?"
"That’s sweet, but I think this is something I have to handle myself. I’m just happy you’re walking beside me."
The panther’s heart stumbled.
Then he frowned.
Within the span of a single hour, he had somehow transformed from an ice-cold killer and calculating crown prince into a lovestruck fool.
Mirabelle, however, was already busy dealing with the flying octopus thing again and failed to notice Silas’s emotional crisis.
Pebbles suddenly appeared upside down directly in front of her face.
"Host, I have prepared a summary", he announced.
A translucent screen appeared.
[Current Resources
Legacy Points: 92,650
Development Points: 100,000]
That improved Mirabelle’s mood somewhat.
’Looks like I’m rich.’
Then she remembered the prices in the system shop.
’...I’d be rich if the system wasn’t such a scam.’
Pebbles bobbed happily.
"Please note that Host has not yet unlocked the expensive section."
A sudden sense of dread settled over Mirabelle.
Pebbles: "Host is currently only viewing the introductory catalog."
Mirabelle stared at him.
She did that a lot...
’The what?’
"The section designed for beginners."
A pause. "And financially vulnerable rulers."
’Okay... deep breaths, Mirabelle... how is it that my mates can detect every tiny shift in my mood, while this system keeps roasting me harder the more progress I make?’
Pebbles looked thoughtful. As though she had asked him the question out loud. One of his tentacles bent beneath his chin in a remarkably accurate imitation of a famous thinker pose.
"One is affection."
Mirabelle didn’t want to know. Unfortunately, she asked anyway:
’And the other?’
"Pattern recognition."
Mirabelle did not like where this was going.
Pebbles continued regardless:
"Your mates care about you."
He fell silent. As though expecting a follow-up question. The lynx female stubbornly refused to provide one.
By now they had reached the edge of the forest.
The owl called out once more. Almost like a farewell.
A cool breeze stirred the leaves overhead.
Somewhere high among the branches, wood creaked softly as ancient limbs swayed in the night wind.
The scent of damp grass, pine needles, and rich earth lingered in the air.
The panther and the lynx stepped from beneath the trees and immediately found themselves bathed in moonlight.
The moon hung higher above the horizon.
Huge.
Blue.
Its silver-blue glow washed across the landscape and turned the orchard into something dreamlike.
It almost felt as though they were different from the two Beastmen who had entered the forest earlier that night.
Songs of cicadas greeted them.
The orchard trees rustled their branches as if waving hello.
Mirabelle’s nose twitched.
The scent of fruit drifted through the cool night air.
Sweet apples.
Pears.
A faint trace of blossoms still clinging to some of the younger trees.
One fruit had fallen recently. She could smell where it lay hidden in the grass, its skin split open and slowly releasing its sweetness into the night.
Mirabelle’s sharpened senses swept across her home.
And suddenly she became aware of everything.
The result was a simple feeling.
This belongs to me.
She could hear water splashing somewhere inside the castle grounds.
The distant murmur of guards talking atop the walls.
Laughter drifting from a servants’ building.
The soft clatter of dishes being washed in the kitchens.
Farther away, one of the horses in the stables stamped a hoof against the floor.
The territory breathed around her.
Alive.
Familiar.
Waiting.
She could feel the cool grass beneath her feet.
The gentle pressure of the night breeze against her skin.
The lingering warmth of Silas’s hand.
Pebbles floated quietly beside her at head height, slightly tilted forward, his tentacles swaying behind him as though he were swimming through water.
Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore:
’And the system?’
The answer came instantly.
As if their conversation had never been interrupted.
"The system has reviewed your decision-making history."
Mirabelle: ’...and?’
"The system has concerns." Pebbles gave her a smile. His eyes literally curved into crescents. As though he had just delivered wonderful news.
Nearby, a pear finally gave up its battle against gravity and dropped from a branch.
It landed somewhere in the grass with a soft thud.
Mirabelle didn’t even flinch. She had heard the stem beginning to crack several moments earlier.
’Do you ever have anything positive to say?’ she asked resignedly as she squeezed Silas’s hand a little tighter.
The panther immediately returned the pressure.
He didn’t look at her, though. He had the feeling she was currently fighting her own demons. And since it had nothing to do with him, he was content simply being allowed to stay by her side.
During the last few minutes, he had come to a decision. Any change Mirabelle caused in him was a good change.
Pebbles suddenly froze.
Then his eyes widened. One of his tiny tentacles smacked against his forehead.
"Oh."
Mirabelle immediately became suspicious:
"What?"
A translucent screen appeared before her.
[New Feature Unlocked
Status Interface
Requirements Met:
✓ Royal Mate Acquired
✓ Cultivation Obtained
✓ Beast Goddess Approval Received
The Status Interface allows the host to review current parameters, progression metrics, and available growth pathways.]
[Access Granted.]
Pebbles slowly rotated in place.
"Congratulations."
Mirabelle groaned:
"Why do I feel like I’m about to discover another problem?"
"No problems..." He hesitated.
"Perhaps I should inform you that female Beasts don’t possess cultivation. But that’s really not a problem."
Mirabelle stopped walking so abruptly that she might as well have turned into a statue.
Silas, lost in his own thoughts, failed to notice.
He continued forward.
And was immediately yanked backward by a surprisingly powerful pull on his arm.
His eyes widened. He stared at Mirabelle.
He was almost Stage Six. How had her merely stopping and holding his hand managed to halt him completely?
By all rights, he should have dragged her several steps before even noticing.
Shock flickered across his face. As he looked at his female, a realization slowly settled over him.
She was different.
Different was dangerous.
Because different was rare.
And rare things attracted attention.
The strongest Beast males always wanted rare things.
He was painfully aware that there were males out there far stronger than he was.
Mirabelle, meanwhile, found absolutely nothing strange about what had just happened.
She was far too busy dealing with Pebbles to notice the faint emotions filtering through the bond.
(And that was despite the system spirit having practically just informed her that what had happened was not normal...)
Instead, Mirabelle was busy internally screaming at the octopus mascot:
’Not a problem? Not a problem?!
My ass it’s not a problem.
What do you think happens when other people realize I’m not a normal female?
The queens, for example?
Do you seriously think I won’t immediately end up with assassins on my tail?’