Chapter 48: Daughter or Clan Leader, Which One to Choose?

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Daughter or Clan Leader, Which One to Choose?

In the stone house, the frail little female leaned against the chest of the male with short silver-grey hair. A mere glance at their backs revealed that their relationship was anything but ordinary.

Loki was genuinely moved by Miche’s words. His brows furrowed slightly as he weighed the pros and cons in his mind, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to send his own daughter to her death.

"No. No matter what, Amy is my own flesh and blood," he said. "I can’t do this. It’s too cruel."

Miche felt a pang of disappointment. She wondered why he felt any attachment to a useless brat who would disown her own biological mother after being swayed by a few mere words. Her fox-like eyes darted around. "Then send Amy to the Golden Dragon Clan.

"For a high-level tribe like the Golden Dragon Clan, their clan doctor must be far more skilled than the Snow Wolf Clan’s. They might just be able to cure her."

A swayed expression surfaced on Loki’s face once more. If that were the case, it wasn’t completely unacceptable. Seeing that he was tempted, Miche continued to persuade him. "Loki, the incident with the tiger in the arena has already caused the clan members to lose faith in you.

"This time, you must take the initiative to set an example. Only by sending Amy away can you win back everyone’s hearts and elevate your prestige among the tribe."

She knew that her own comfortable life depended on Loki becoming the Clan Leader. Miche also knew that this position was Loki’s Achilles’ heel—a single poke was all it took!

Loki’s expression darkened as he recalled the tiger that had woken up halfway through the battle. Although the tribe’s males had eventually worked together to hunt it down, he had already lost face in front of everyone. What was worse, his father had continuously delayed the matter of him succeeding as the Clan Leader.

He thought that Miche was right; this was the perfect opportunity to salvage his reputation. After a moment of internal deliberation, he decided that her suggestion was highly viable. Sending Amy to the Golden Dragon Clan would not only guarantee her life, but also restore his prestige within the tribe. It was the best of both worlds.

"Alright. I’ll go see if Amy is awake. Once she wakes up, I’ll send her to the Golden Dragon Clan."

Secretly overjoyed, Miche feigned attentive concern on the surface. "It’s raining heavily outside and the roads are slippery, so be careful on your way there. Wrap Amy tightly in waterproof cowhide so she doesn’t get rained on and worsen her condition."

"Alright, I know. The clan doctor of the Golden Dragon Clan will definitely be able to cure her, so don’t worry."

Miche was utterly thrilled to finally send this little wretch away. Still a bit uneasy, she followed Loki to the stone house where Amy was staying.

"Amy, wake up." Seeing the girl still in a deep sleep, Miche sat on the edge of the bed and viciously pinched Amy’s slender, tender arm.

"HISS! It hurts. Miche, what’s wrong?" Amy woke up from her sleep, her voice still a bit hoarse. She rubbed her eyes and looked in confusion at the small female before her.

"Amy, your father is going to send you to Ophelia. The medical skills of the Golden Dragon Clan’s doctor are definitely superior to those of the Snow Wolf Clan. They will undoubtedly cure you."

"Miche, are you sending me away?" Amy’s eyes instantly turned red. She wondered if her father was going to abandon her just as her mother had. "Miche, I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to stay in the Snow Wolf Clan with you and Father, okay?" Amy pleaded in a hoarse, spoiled tone.

"No, we aren’t sending you away. Once you’re cured, I’ll bring you back. Treating your illness is the most important thing right now. You don’t want to keep suffering like this, do you?" Eager to send Amy away as soon as possible and build his image among the clan members, Loki crouched down and gently coaxed her.

"Alright then," Amy said, pouting her lips. Although she didn’t want to leave, she reasoned that Miche and her father usually doted on her. They definitely wouldn’t abandon her. Sending her to the Golden Dragon Clan really must be to cure her illness.

Thinking this way, her resistance to leaving the Snow Wolf Clan faded. She even took the initiative to climb out of bed, get dressed, and grab her father’s hand with bright eyes. "Let’s go, Father. We’re going to the Golden Dragon Clan."

Seeing Amy’s lack of energy and how well-behaved she was despite being sickly, a ripple of heartache washed over Loki.

"Good girl, Amy. I’ll take you to the Golden Dragon Clan right now." He picked up the small child and hugged her tightly against his chest.

It was still raining outside. Although the downpour wasn’t as heavy as before, the biting rain seeped through their clothes with the wind, making it bitterly cold. Loki wrapped Amy securely in cowhide, ensuring not a single draft of wind could get through. As they walked, he held a massive leaf with one hand, angling it over Amy to shield her, worried that getting wet would worsen her condition.

Just like that, in front of all the clan members, Loki escorted Amy out of the Snow Wolf Clan. The members of the Snow Wolf Clan never expected him to be cruel enough to actually send his own cub away.

When Loki finally located the Golden Dragon Clan, he was dumbfounded to see their stone houses half-submerged in water. The entire Golden Dragon Clan was completely deserted. He wondered where Ophelia and the Golden Dragon Clan members had gone. Had they all been washed away by the heavy rain?

Staring at the empty, flooded grounds of the Golden Dragon Clan, Amy clung tightly to her father’s neck in fear. "Father, why don’t we go back? I’m scared."

Just then, Loki’s ears twitched. He seemed to have caught the sound of movement. He decisively hid beneath a large tree, poking his head out to stealthily observe the source of the noise.

Soon, a few figures appeared in his line of sight. It was Laxus, leading several males to inspect the flooded state of the tribe. However, from this distance, Loki couldn’t hear what Laxus and the other males were discussing. He only saw that after patrolling the tribe, Laxus left with the men.

After a moment of thought, Loki followed after them. Due to her fever and illness, Amy didn’t last long before falling asleep again, despite bouncing in Loki’s arms. Tailing Laxus’s group, Loki ran and hid interchangeably, eventually managing to overhear their conversation.

"Young Clan Leader, the water level has dropped compared to a few days ago."

"Mhm. We can notify everyone to move back in a couple of days."

"We can finally come back! Living in the stone houses on the mountain is too uncomfortable," a few males cheered.

Although the current location where the Golden Dragon Clan resided was decent, with enough rooms and ample space, they were living communally. It was a far cry from their original setup in the tribe, where each household had its own space and everyone had a private room.

Furthermore, many people in the tribe were currently sick. Communal living made cross-infection incredibly easy, hindering the recovery process even with herbal medicine. Some clan members had fully recovered, only to be reinfected by those who were still sick. Therefore, after discussing it with his father and several elders, Laxus had decided to move back to the Golden Dragon Clan as soon as the water receded.

Loki was so engrossed in eavesdropping on Laxus’s conversation that he didn’t even notice he had stepped on a branch.

SNAP!

The branch broke underfoot. With a small puddle beneath his boots, muddy water splashed up, sending several yellow droplets sliding down Loki’s leg.

"Who is it? Who’s there?!"