[Author’s Note] Thank you so much for reading! Big thanks to everyone who clicked follow, used coupons, and made recommendations—may you receive good fortune on the hottest day of summer! 52 episodes
17. Am I the New Groom? (Scene Attention) 051 – Am I the New Groom? #3
━ You want to give me your daughter? What on earth are you talking about?
I blinked in confusion, questioning whether my ears had truly understood the words.
In the gigantic cave, a pair of bright blue eyes gradually shut, then popped back open like a pair of startled saucers.
【Pretending you don’t know won’t help. I’ve already heard everything from Mao.】
A deep, rumbling growl made the cave and all the nearby trees and bushes shudder.
I scrambled to figure out what this creature was even trying to say.
Sure, I had pictured images of being met with hostility or warmth during our first meeting, but I never imagined I’d hear something as ludicrous as “Here’s my daughter”!
【Mao wants to make you a champion in a marriage ceremony. There’s absolutely no way I’m letting my daughter, who has been ruling the West for centuries, get mixed up with some nobody!】
Suddenly, I found myself in the position of a boyfriend asking for marriage from an unexpected father-in-law.
Using the reasoning cultivated from decades of human intellect, I vaguely grasped that conversations were unfolding in this absurd manner.
‘A champion? What’s that supposed to be?’
I turned my head and shot a glare at Mao, the one who had instigated this uproar.
He shrank his large shoulders and gave an innocent chuckle, “Hehe…”
━ Hey, can you explain what the heck is happening here? What are you talking about…!?
I protested quietly and meekly, and Mao, looking anxious, took a few steps back, avoiding my gaze.
━ W-Well…
Just then, an enormous roar echoed from the depths of the cave.
【A man and woman who have known each other for less than a day are already enjoying a secret conversation. And my daughter, of all people!】
Even though he was hiding in the dark cave, Lau-Hoo’s voice was the very definition of thunderous.
【You didn’t… already become a couple or something, did you? H-How dare you… with my cute daughter…!?】
The noise erupted like thunder, amplifying with each word.
I realized that Lau-Hoo was quite the clueless father, completely misinformed.
If I wanted to avoid a massive uproar, I had to clarify things.
After gathering my thoughts, I mustered the most logical explanation I could.
━ Lau-Hoo, um, Elder, I think you might have misunderstood something. I have no intention of marrying your daughter or becoming any champion.
【What!?】
I heard a large body shuffle in the cave, probably Lau-Hoo getting ready to pounce.
I continued to elaborate my thoughts.
━ I only came here because I was told I could receive a reward for saving your daughter. If I can get a reasonable compensation, I plan to leave.
【Does that mean you have no interest whatsoever in my daughter, Mao?】
━ That’s correct.
━ Hmph.
Mao’s shoulders slumped beside me as she listened to the conversation.
Though she was quite large, her appearance was rather cat-like and could be seen as cute and lovable.
However, that notion was strictly in the context of companionship for animals and humans, not romantic inclinations.
My taste buds, forged over twenty-some years, only tingled for women with ample assets.
A hefty cat was off the table entirely.
Even if I had become a Magical Beast, it seems my preferences didn’t transform into animalistic ones.
‘If you could just turn into a stunning lady, I might consider it.’
But in her current feline form, she was unfortunately out of the running.
━ So, was that enough to clear up any misunderstandings?
I stretched out my front paws in a shrugging motion, confident I’d elaborated my point well enough.
【This little brat…】
However, Lau-Hoo’s voice boiled with discontent, sounding like molten lava.
【How dare this brat refuse my adorable Mao!? I shall not tolerate this!】
With a thunderous roar, a massive lion’s roar erupted.
It wasn’t just loud; it created a gust of wind that felt like a mini-storm.
I dug my claws into the ground, stabilizing myself to avoid getting blown away.
【What don’t you like about my precious daughter!? You little brat!】
‘What the heck does this guy want!?’
Whether I rejected him or not, he seemed hell-bent on getting furious! My irritation began to bubble over.
Thud! A loud rumble shook the ground.
Thud, thud! The weighty footsteps continued.
As the thunders of his steps echoed closer, the gleaming blue eyes in the cave drew nearer to me.
Suddenly, the entrance of the cave revealed a colossal figure that embodied the grandeur of nature itself.
This tiger was about as high as a three-story apartment building and easily looked twice the size of Kublai, the one-eyed wolf I’d seen to date.
Its white, long whiskers and blue eyes framed a regal face that seemed as if it had leapt straight from a myth or legend.
Its sharp front paws could easily rival a giant baobab tree.
Compared to Lau-Hoo’s imposing and awe-inspiring presence, Mao seemed like just an ordinary cat.
Of course, I would appear like a mere hamster or tiny field mouse next to her.
‘So this is the master of the West, Lau-Hoo.’
Word had it that Lau-Hoo was the oldest of the four masters of the forest.
For the beasts of the Ancient Nest that grow endlessly until their dying breath, age was apparently synonymous with strength.
‘Kublai and Yan-Mite were powerful, but this guy seems a cut above.’
According to the rare information I’d heard from the witch Eve, Kublai and Yan-Mite had lived for centuries, and were top-tier beasts as far as that went.
But Lau-Hoo was said to have surpassed a thousand years.
The ancient tiger standing before me was deemed the most suitable to conquer the Ancient Nest and acquire the Fruit of the World Tree.
Lau-Hoo took a deep breath, making it sound like a black hole had opened, sending a shiver down my spine.
【Mmm, I can smell something that can’t be washed away even in the rain. Is it Ratel? Or perhaps a porcupine? Whatever it is, it’s just a hybrid that hasn’t even turned a year old.】
I sniffed at my arms and body.
Strangely enough, everyone I met seemed to smell that way, and I was growing curious about what kind of scent it was.
‘Nope, not getting anything.’
There was no particularly strong scent coming from my damp fur.
Maybe my sense of smell was too dulled compared to theirs.
【Tell me what you don’t like about my daughter.】
He leaned his massive head down toward me.
As the mountain-like head approached, I was genuinely worried I would be swallowed whole.
But when his head lowered completely to the ground, I noticed something odd.
‘What the…?’
His blue eyes had a cloudy, dull hue—lacking the sharpness or brilliance one would expect.
In fact, his eyes seemed to be looking off in some random direction in the air, not at me at all.
━ Dad, not that way; more to the left!
【Ah, I see.】
Thanks to Mao’s correction, Lau-Hoo tilted his head slightly more to the left, positioning his giant face directly in front of me.
‘Oh no, he’s blind. Maybe he has poor vision due to old age.’
As I focused harder, I noticed long scars that ran beneath his long fur.
It seemed to be evidence of a battle with someone massive who had clawed at his eyes mercilessly.
In addition, countless scars and wounds decorated his face and body.
The wild aura about him resembled that of a battle-hardened veteran.
Perhaps a beast who had lived for centuries, bearing irreversible scars.
‘I think I understand now why he never managed to conquer the entire forest.’
Clearly, this beast stood on a higher tier compared to Yan-Mite and Kublai.
There was a chance he really could have conquered the forest and obtained the Fruit of the World Tree.
Yet due to his eye injury, it seemed he couldn’t exert his full potential.
I recalled the words I had seen in the garden: “The Lair of the Fallen.”
The term ‘fallen’ here might refer not to victors ruling over all, but to those who had met defeat.
【What don’t you like about my adorable daughter, Mao?】
Lau-Hoo lifted his massive front paw and gently ruffled Mao’s head, as cautiously as one would handle precious glasswork.
━ Dad, that’s heavy! Did you smoke again in the cave? It stinks!
Mao squirmed under the weight of his massive paw.
But Lau-Hoo, unfazed by his daughter’s grumbling, smiled and scratched her head and chin with delight.
As if trying to avoid hurting her, he handled her like a precious glasswork that he cherished.
Mao purred, sending off a pleasant rumbling sound.
【Surely, she’s a cute and beautiful child. There’s no doubt about it.】
Yet, Lau-Hoo’s eyes still refused to meet his daughter’s gaze, staring emptily at the air.
My anger seemed to dissipate a little.
The fact that a father couldn’t see stirred a twinge of emotion within me, as a fellow man and male.
It also brought to mind my old man, who was nearing retirement.
‘Great, now I feel like a j*rk for being upset.’
As my nostrils tingled, I felt a fleeting sense of nostalgia toward my hometown.
This wild place I had thought was entirely brutish appeared to harbor its own familial love.
【Hey, little brat, since you’re my daughter’s savior, I’ll overlook one slip of the tongue.】
Lau-Hoo grasped her neck gently between his large index and middle fingers and lifted her onto his head.
Mao hopped around on the huge head and back of Lau-Hoo like a small mountain.
You’d expect him to get angry or annoyed, but Lau-Hoo seemed to find joy in it, flashing a wide smile.
【Our daughter’s quite the massage expert! Yikes, I’ll break my back! She’s strong too. Surely she will become an even stronger master of the forest than me.】
━ Then can I go hunting outside the garden?
【Not yet.】
━ Aww.
This ordinary father-daughter banter repeated a few more times.
‘He seems to cherish his daughter more than I’d imagined.’
I organized my thoughts and devised a rejection response that would likely please Lau-Hoo.
After mentally rehearsing my lines several times, I delivered my prepared speech without a hitch.
━ Elder, if I may say, Mao is an incredibly beautiful and cute girl. Her actions exude grace and elegance in every little detail. She must have inherited these traits from you, I assume…
【…Hmm?】
Lau-Hoo’s ears perked up, showing interest in my words.
【Of course! Unlike other beasts of the forest, I’ve only let my daughter see the best! So, what of it?】
