"Mama?" Once again, the soft voice gently broke Lina's reverie.
"Clau, my darling," she said, lowering him and crouching down to meet his eyes. "It's not that I don't want to tell you—it's just not the right time. Why ask about your father?"
Claude looked left and right cautiously, making sure no one was watching them. Then, with small, hesitant fingers, he pulled down the collar of his shirt.
"Mama, look at this…"
Pitch-black scales covered his left shoulder, far larger now than they had been before.
Lina fell silent for a moment before swiftly pulling his collar back up and covering the area carefully.
The scales had been there since Claude was a baby—once tiny, no bigger than a pinky fingernail. Now, they covered nearly his entire left shoulder. His spiritual roots were also growing stronger day by day. It was time for him to begin training in swordsmanship or magic.
However, if Claude began training, his beast aura would inevitably break through the seal and attract other hunters. Yet if she did not allow him to cultivate, the accumulating spiritual energy would build inside his body and cause a burning fever every single month.
"You'll be fine." Lina gently stroked his hair. "As long as no one else sees it."
Claude hesitated, clearly struggling with something. "Actually… someone already saw it."
"What?" Lina's voice sharpened instantly. "Who?"
Her mind jumped to the worst possible scenario. If the person who saw the scales were a beast hunter, their peaceful and carefully hidden life would shatter immediately.
"Milo," Claude answered quietly. "He said I was a monster and my father was a monster."
Lina exhaled in relief—but that relief quickly turned into a slow-burning anger in her chest when she heard someone call her son a monster's child.
She pulled Claude into a tight embrace. "You're not a monster," she said gently but firmly. "You're simply different—and that's what makes you special."
She leaned back slightly and looked directly into her son's golden eyes, gently brushing her fingers across his cheek. "Remember this, Claude. You are precious. And I love you more than anything in this world."
Claude smiled brightly, the earlier gloom vanishing like morning fog under sunlight. "I love you too, Mama!"
"Come. Let's go home."
"I can walk by myself." Claude shook his head when Lina tried to lift him.
"Oh? And why not? Don't you like it when I carry you?"
"Mama… I'm not a little kid anymore." Claude puffed his cheeks in a pout.
Lina deliberately examined him from head to toe, as though assessing him seriously. His height barely reached her waist.
"I've grown taller," Claude said proudly. "And I'll grow even taller."
Lina laughed softly. "Worried I won't be able to carry you?"
Hand in hand, they walked home and soon reached their modest house.
That night, after Claude fell asleep, Lina activated her usual protective formation. Layers of invisible barriers shimmered around the house, then faded from sight.
She put on a black cloak and a dark mask before stepping out into the night. Then she slipped out, heading for the auction house.
At the auction house, she resumed her identity as Lady S—a mysterious VIP known for high-value bids.
"Lady S," greeted a familiar attendant who often served her, "do you have anything you would like to consign tonight?"
"This time," Lina replied calmly, "I wish to sell this one."
An explosive magic weapon materialized upon the table with a faint flash of light.
The head manager's eyes widened in shock. "This is… a heaven-grade? Lady S, I must admit, I am extremely curious how you possess so many heaven-grade magic tools."
Lina's cold, sharp gaze cut toward him instantly. The pressure in the air grew heavy.
The manager immediately lowered his head. "My apologies."
This was a small auction house. Even the appearance of earth-grade tools would normally cause a sensation—let alone heaven-grade ones.
Whenever she required funds, Lina would discreetly sell one of the magical weapons stored inside her spatial storage under the identity of Lady S. It was no surprise that she had become a valued VIP here. More than a few of the pieces she previously auctioned had drawn in distinguished mages from major metropolitan regions.
"Lady S," the manager continued carefully, "since this item is extremely valuable, we may need to postpone its auction. We would have to extend invitations to distinguished patrons first."
"That is acceptable," Lina replied evenly. "I merely wish to browse tonight."
Lina slipped into a secluded corner after finishing her arrangements. There, she summoned her contracted beast.
A small magic circle appeared beneath her feet, glowing faintly before dissipating as a baby panda emerged.
"Mistress Selene! Why didn't you call me sooner?" he complained while dramatically covering his nose. "Ugh! It's so smelly."
Lina rolled her eyes lazily and flicked her fingers through the air as if sweeping away dust. Instantly, the surrounding air cleared, purified by frost mana.
"That's better," the panda said contentedly, inhaling deeply.
"Fatty," Lina said coolly, her tone turning serious. "Do you know anything about mixed blood?"
"Mixed blood?" The panda tilted his black-and-white head sideways, clearly confused.
"Half human. Half beast."
"Ah?!" The panda's eyes widened dramatically. "Impossible! Humans die if they mate with beasts. No ordinary human body can withstand a beast's bloodline, let alone receive one."
Lina fell silent.
The fact that Rhea had lived happily with Klain meant that Klain had not fully belonged to the Beast Clan—at least not in a way that endangered her. But then, how could she explain the beast aura radiating from Claude's body?
If Selene had not been both a True Mage and a Sword Master, she would never have been able to suppress Claude's beast aura for eight full years. Even so, the seal was weakening. The larger the black scales grew upon his shoulder, the more aggressively the beast aura pushed against the barrier she had constructed.
"I am raising a human child who carries a beast aura," she said slowly. "And there are scales on his left shoulder."
"Scales?" Fatty blinked rapidly. "Would that not indicate descent from the Snake Clan? Mistress… you despise snakes. The moment you encounter one, you sever its head without hesitation. Why are you raising a little snake?"
That was true. Selene hated snakes more than anything. It was an instinctive hostility, as the mages' bane was from a snake clan.
"Because he is my nephew," she replied coldly. "He is Rhea's son."
"Your sister?" Fatty's expression changed immediately. "Why are you personally caring for him? I know you miss her dearly, but you are not meant to live as a babysitter."
Selene's brows knitted together.
The temperature inside the auction room plummeted violently. Frost crept along the floor, and fine snowflakes began to form midair.
Although the panda was a mid-level beast and resistant to cold, the snow of the White Calamity was not ordinary frost. It was law-infused ice.
"Mistress… could it be that your sister…" Fatty trailed off softly.
Despite appearing as a baby panda, he was far older and far more intelligent than he looked. He immediately understood what must have happened.
The only person capable of softening Selene's sharp and solitary nature was gone.
"I'm sorry, Mistress," Fatty said more quietly. "I cannot provide an answer. But perhaps… You should seek the North. That is where the sanctuary of the Beast Clan lies."
Instantly, the snow vanished. The temperature gradually returned to normal.
"The North…" Selene murmured thoughtfully. "That is indeed the Beast Clan's territory."
Her gaze grew distant. "But can Claude endure that level of cold?"
As the sovereign of snow, Selene herself could withstand cold without difficulty. Nonetheless, she would never recklessly sneak into the north in extreme cold. She truly fears for her precious son's safety.