Raising Beast Cubs to Find a Husband novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172: The Dragon in the Satchel

The Throne Room was a mess.

Half the roof was missing, torn away by the Void magic. The golden carpet was stained with black ichor. Emperor Leonis was currently using a priceless silk tapestry to bandage Prince Bastion’s arm.

But amidst the ruins, the family was finally whole.

Primrose sat on the marble steps of the dais, deactivating her Silver Tails to conserve mana. She looked around.

Caspian (checking Orion for injuries), Lucien (sharpening his daggers), Rajah (gnawing on a leg of roasted mutton he found in the kitchens), and Rurik (trying to get static electricity out of his fur).

Cassian (fixing his monocle), Jax (looking traumatized but alive, clutching a crossbow), and Luna (handing out waterskins).

Arjun, Vali, Silas, Jasper, Orion, Clover, and Ellia.

"We are all here," Primrose whispered, feeling a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the Fire Tail. "The whole circus."

Jax flopped down next to her on the steps. "So, that giant eyeball planet in the sky... that’s bad, right? On a scale of one to ten?"

"Eleven," Cassian answered, not looking up from his ancient scroll of star-charts. "The Void Core is an entropy engine. If it touches the surface, it will begin to consume the planet’s mana. We have approximately six hours before impact."

"Six hours?" Rurik stopped grooming himself. "That’s not enough time for a nap!"

"We need a strategy," Leonis said, standing up. "We cannot fight it here. The city is compromised. The civilians are evacuating to the catacombs."

"We need open ground," Rajah grunted. "Somewhere we can unleash full power without worrying about crushing a bakery."

"The Neutral Zone," Lucien suggested. "The Great Desert between the territories. It is empty. Flat. Perfect for a war."

---

While the adults talked tactics, Jasper (the Snake Heir) was standing quietly in the corner. He was holding his leather satchel tight against his chest.

Vali poked him. "Whatcha got, Jas? Snacks?"

"No," Jasper said stiffly. "I have... a solution."

He walked into the center of the room.

"Excuse me," Jasper announced. His voice was small, but it carried the weight of a frantic genius. "I have a tactical proposal."

The adults stopped talking.

"Go ahead, Jasper," Primrose smiled encouragingly.

"The Void Sovereign utilizes atmospheric corruption," Jasper explained. "He poisons the air to weaken us before the main strike. To fight him, we need a localized purification field. Stronger than Auntie Prim’s shield."

"And how do we get that?" Cassian asked, intrigued. "We would need a Divine Beast with atmospheric control properties."

"Correct," Jasper nodded. "I have prepared one."

He opened his satchel.

"Is it a bomb?" Jax asked nervously. "Please tell me it’s not a bomb."

"It is not a bomb," Jasper said with dignity. "It is Pickles."

He reached into the bag and pulled out... a snake.

It was small—no bigger than a garden hose. But it wasn’t a normal snake. It was a brilliant, healthy emerald green. It had tiny, nubby horns on its head and three eyes, all currently closed.

But the most striking feature was on its forehead. Embedded in the scales was a glowing, purified gem.

The Yeouiju. The Celestial Jewel.

"A worm?" Rurik squinted. "You brought a worm to a god-fight?"

"It is an Imugi," Jasper corrected sharply. "A Lesser Dragon. And he has assimilated the Celestial Jewel we recovered from the Serpent Sector."

---

"The Jewel didn’t disappear," Caspian realized, his eyes widening. "It became his heart."

"Precisely," Jasper said. He stroked the little snake’s head. "Pickles. Wakey wakey. Time to work."

The little green snake stirred. It yawned, revealing tiny, needle-sharp teeth.

Then, its three eyes opened.

They weren’t snake eyes. They were galaxies. Spinning, deep, and ancient.

Hiss.

Pickles didn’t just hiss. He let out a sound that sounded like a choir of wind chimes.

He floated out of Jasper’s hands, coiling in the air. The gem on his forehead pulsed.

A wave of green wind exploded outward. It washed over the room. It didn’t blow things away; it cleaned them. The black stains on the carpet vanished. The purple tint in the air dissolved. Even Rurik’s wet fur instantly dried and fluffed up.

"Whoa," Vali gasped. "Fresh laundry smell!"

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify