Chapter 179 - The jaguar girl (1)

Although I was surprised to find one of the races I thought I wouldn't encounter so easily, what impressed me the most was her beauty. Her hair was golden-yellow with some black streaks. Its length was about a little below the shoulders, not too long nor too short.

Furthermore, even though it was just a quick glance, I managed to capture the color of her eyes: a lovely shade of gold with black vertical pupils. Additionally, she exuded a wild air that, for some reason, made her even more charming. I couldn't take my eyes off her for a second.

As I watched, she suddenly turned in my direction and seemed to look directly into my eyes, but then quickly shifted her gaze to the cages. For a moment, I swore she noticed me, but it was probably just my imagination. Although it seemed like her eyes were fixed on me, it was more accurate to say she was staring at the wall behind me, almost as if I were invisible.

Slowly, one by one, she began to unlock the locks that kept the cages sealed and set the children free. After they were all liberated, one by one, she began to interact with them. At first, the children were scared, but they quickly regained their spirits. I was impressed by her ability to handle children.

While I watched, a doubt arose in my mind: how would she take so many children at once? It seemed she shared the same uncertainty, as she alternated her gaze between the children, wearing a perplexed expression. This gave me an idea.

While considering the possibility of using shadow teleportation on all the children to take them home, an uncertainty arose. I had never used this ability on so many people at once, so I wasn't sure if it would work. While this doubt lingered in my mind, Shade spoke.

(My king, if needed, I can enhance your ability, as it is also of the shadow element)

With this surprising discovery, I chose to postpone my questions for later and, for now, focused on what was before me.

(Alright, let's do this)

As soon as I expressed my intention, I felt the magical power that had surrounded me before slowly dissipating. While feeling this, I noticed the ear of the jaguar girl perked up intriguingly. Before I could say anything, a fist appeared before my eyes.

I didn't have time to react or cast any ability. All I could do was raise my arms in front to try to protect myself, but even that wasn't enough. As soon as the fist struck my arms, I felt the inner bones breaking, and a sharp, intense pain shot through my entire body.

(MY KING!)

Shade shouted worriedly in my mind. Right after, the shadow beside me expanded, and Glasy jumped out, glaring furiously at the girl while growling menacingly at her.

(Shade, it's alright, don't worry. Soon my arms will heal)

I managed to say to Shade as I felt the pain in my arms gradually subsiding. With a pained expression, I began walking slowly towards Glasy.

As I reached Glasy's side, I placed my hand on her head and started to stroke her gently in an attempt to calm her down. The jaguar girl watched me seriously while keeping the children protected behind her. At that moment, I was considering how I could make her lower her guard and trust me. After pondering for a moment, an idea occurred to me.

Under the watchful eyes of the jaguar girl, I slowly raised my arms. I admit the idea wasn't the best, but in my situation, I didn't see any other choice. Honestly, I didn't want to confront her.

"We're not enemies" 

I said. Upon hearing my words, she glanced at Glasy and then back at me. I took a quick look at Glasy and realized she was still clearly on guard.

"I understand, although she might seem that way, she's quite gentle. She just doesn't like you very much because you almost ripped my arms off" 

I continued. Even with my words, she still kept her guard high. The children behind her were also suspicious and afraid of me. Honestly, I wondered why I was seeming like a villain right now. I let out a small sigh and pointed slowly to the children behind her. Although she became even more guarded with my action, she stayed where she was.

"I can help you take them home if you want" 

I said. Upon hearing my words, her ears twitched slightly, showing a glimmer of interest in what I was saying. Though her face remained completely serious, her ears couldn't hide her curiosity. Then, she stared at me intensely and asked. 

"What do you want in return?"

Her voice, both firm and confident, also carried a wild tone.

"In return? Honestly, I want nothing. I just want to help these children" 

I replied. Hearing my words, she seemed even more suspicious, although I didn't know why. The expression on her face revealed a mix of distrust and caution, while her jaguar ears remained pricked, attentive to every sound around us.

"You're lying, humans never help for free. Humans are liars and wicked, they steal, kill, and do horrible things to their own kind"

While I wasn't sure, something must have happened in the past for her to hate humans so much. I mean, although what she said is true, it doesn't mean all humans are like that. It's true that there are the bad ones, but that's also true for the good ones. People like Sylvia, Rena, Adya, Ikari, Zephyra, Eldric, and Flora, they were all good people.