TBBPB l CH 02

Chapter 2

In that brief moment, I figured them out.

The reason the family name wasn’t written was probably because it belonged to such a powerful family that they wanted to prevent people from coming just because of the name.

Sitting in the cart, I looked up at the sky.

‘And… there’s no real danger. They’re both herbivorous beastmen. Herbivores can only recognize other herbivores. Even if they’ve turned human, their scent is different, the smell of grass and sunlight fills the air. They’re both rabbit beastmen.’

That meant they were definitely not looking for a carnivorous beastman to be a tutor.

‘Which family could it be? At the very least, it should be a dominant family among herbivorous animals.’

I casually turned my head and looked at the ones driving the cart. As expected, they were wearing expensive clothes.

Typically, beastmen who work for a family are employed by the ruling families of their respective animal species. Seeing the expensive clothing, it was clear they worked for a family of beastmen who had a high position, probably the family of a “duke.”

Sparrows, rabbits, dogs, cats—all beastmen elect their leaders, who are called “dukes.” And I’ve heard that the servants in those families are treated well, to the point that getting a job there is tough.

So, in conclusion, these people were likely servants working for a dominant herbivorous beastman’s family.

Even I had to admit, I was pretty smart.

“Hehe…”

It was definitely clear that my sharp mind, honed by graduating at the top of my class at the academy, wasn’t just an ordinary mind.

But then I realized something too late—my mind wasn’t smart, it was just full of arrogance.

As I rode the cart, I entered a mansion. The mansion was completely covered with cloth except for the entrance, so I couldn’t tell which family I had entered.

“What’s this…?”

I felt a strange… not-so-pleasant smell wafting through the air.

“I’ll report to my master, so please wait here, Miss Sparrow.”

“Is it that obvious that I’m a sparrow?”

“Sparrows have the sweetest, most fragrant smell among herbivores.”

The two rabbit beastmen grinned and went inside, twitching their noses.

Before long, I was able to meet the master of the mansion.

‘I… even though I said I’d go through the predator’s jaws to take this job, I never imagined I’d actually be facing a carnivorous beast.’

Inside the mansion, it was unusually dark.

A strange blend of the strong scent of a carnivorous beastman mixed with the scent of a herbivorous beastman.

I tried to ignore it, telling myself I was just imagining it, but… following the rabbit beastmen, I arrived at a place where there was a man with black hair and yellow eyes.

He was definitely a black leopard.

“Ugh.”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“U-um… th-this is…”
“You came to be my son’s tutor, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yes, that’s right…”

Of course, I had thought it would be a herbivorous beastman!

Suddenly, my mother’s words came to mind.

“Sweetie, the world is full of dangers.”

Mom. You really were a wise person.

“Why aren’t you speaking? Is there something wrong with your body?”

Well, it’s not surprising that I couldn’t speak.

The person standing before me was the leader of the leopard beastmen, Duke Asius Asix, the terrifying and fierce predator of the carnivorous beastmen!

His tail was even standing up straight, giving off an intimidating vibe.

“Ah, no… I-I can talk.”
“I see. So, you’re definitely herbivorous. Which species are you from? You have a unique scent, one I haven’t smelled before.”
“I’m a sparrow.”
“Sparrows are pretty rare, I’ve heard.”

I was surprised that he didn’t know about sparrows.

Once, we sparrows were taken as ornaments by carnivorous beastmen just because of our cuteness. We nearly went extinct, and now there are only a handful of us left, probably less than a hundred.

‘How strange.’

I thought a black leopard, known for its bad temper, would definitely know about sparrows.

“Yes… well.”

“Good. My son has an allergy to carnivorous beastmen. So, you’ll be his tutor.”
“…But… if your son is a leopard… isn’t he a carnivorous beastman too?”
“So?”

Wait. Sir, do you not realize what you’re saying? Are you asking me to become your son’s snack? If you’re looking for a snack, should I go out the door on the right…?

I tried my best to smile, but my cheeks were trembling.

“I’m sorry… but… I can’t take on the risk of being a tutor…”

“14 gold coins.”
“Where is your son? I’ll serve him.”

Blinded by money, I finally walked into the black leopard’s lair.

The moment I felt his sharp gaze on me, the giant black leopard, with a perfectly sculpted face, grinned.

“Before we proceed, do you have any experience? I hope you’re not just running here for the money without any real qualifications.”

He sure knew how to speak prettily.

I handed him my resume.

“I haven’t been a tutor before. But I graduated top of my class from the Beastman Academy, and I have a certificate from completing the 34th Beastman Education course.”

There were many other things that proved my worth.

When I first left society, I took every course offered by the Beastman Academy. Everyone called me a workaholic.

Sparrows are supposed to just act cute and make money, but I didn’t understand why everyone thought it was so easy. We sparrows were treated like ornaments just because of our cuteness.

‘That’s why the Elder Council tortured my mother for our future.’

Then, I remembered what the agency owner said earlier, and quickly added to my explanation.

“Of course. Recently, there have been rumors about the Beastman Academy, but I’m the top graduate.”

“I didn’t ask about that.”

“……”

“People who just pay their way into the academy don’t become top graduates.”

Was he recognizing my worth? He seemed to keep switching between warm and cold, making the atmosphere awkward.

“But a top graduate is nothing but a dog or a cow.”

“……”

He then spent a long time flipping through my documents. After a while, he finally seemed satisfied and stood up.

“Alright. This should be enough for you to meet my son. Go ahead.”

He stood up and walked ahead.

Is this really happening? I was blinded by money and agreed to go, but now it feels like I’ve stepped straight into the mouth of a black leopard…

‘And if it’s a black leopard…’

One of the top predators in the carnivorous beastman world. The black leopard is known as the king of kings, the leader of the leopard clan.

“Not coming?”

As I stood there in a daze, he urged me to follow. Maybe it was because of my small size, or perhaps it was his towering frame or the intimidating aura he gave off, but I couldn’t help but tremble.

“Y-yes, I’m coming.”

“What’s with that weird way of speaking?”
“…Yeah, I guess so…”

Could I really do this?

‘No, I just need to hold out for eight months. And, with a five-year-old black leopard, he might still be a beastman who hasn’t fully transformed into a human. What do I have to fear from such a child?’

Clenching my fists, I walked behind him.

At the academy, I had seen many carnivorous beastmen. Since I lived in a neutral zone, I often interacted with them. But I had never felt such a powerful aura before.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, as even the servants passing by were trembling.

“But… why…”

“Why?”

“Why are all the servants in your family herbivores?”

“It’s because of my son. Why, is that a problem?”

“No, it’s… nothing…”

As I watched them tremble like me, I asked because I was curious.

An allergy to carnivorous beastmen? I had never heard of such a thing in medical history.

‘Could it be… they’re trying to feed my son a healthy herbivore as a trap? Was I really just meant to be a snack?’