Chapter 86

Isbergian beasts typically achieved human transformation around three years of age. While this was merely an average, Rus, Luce, and Lumo—proving beyond a shadow of a doubt whose bloodline they carried—managed to sprout smooth human arms and legs at a mere one year old.

“Pah!”

“Noo!”

“Riyoo!”

The fact that they transformed simultaneously was astonishing enough, but doing so while securely nestled in Lino’s arms, loudly babbling his name, was a miracle. Granted, their sudden shift from animalistic grunts to utilizing human vocal cords resulted in mangled gibberish, but it was undeniably Lino they were calling.

In response, Lino immediately screamed for Grondil.

“G-Grondil!!”

Working on a backlog of paperwork beside Lino, Grondil bolted upright at the frantic shout. Documents and expensive pens clattered to the floor, entirely ignored.

“The babies just shifted into humans!”

“…That is terrifyingly fast. Enoch and Erin are going to weep.”

Crushing the fallen papers beneath his boots, Grondil closed the distance to Lino, simultaneously pulling out his phone to summon Enoch and Erin. Notifying them to overhaul the childcare plan because the cubs had achieved human form, he could practically hear Enoch’s soul-crushing sigh and Erin’s horrified scream through the receiver.

“Rus. Luce. Lumo,” Lino breathed, making eye contact with the three heavy toddlers filling his arms.

The triplets stared back unblinking. Milky white skin, soft silver-gray curls, rosy lips, and translucent green eyes holding the vibrant essence of spring. Seeing three identical faces lined up side-by-side drew a bubbling laugh from his chest.

“Haha!”

Lino’s bright, ringing laughter echoed through the room. His eyes curved into beautiful crescents, his white teeth flashing in sheer delight. How can they possibly be this adorable? Unable to resist, he pulled his arms tight, hugging all three simultaneously.

“Gah.”

Squeezed a bit too enthusiastically, the toddlers let out the same grunting noises they used as cubs. It would have been perfectly normal for them to squirm and fight for freedom, but miraculously, they stayed perfectly still, entirely content in Lino’s embrace.

“Does it make you that happy?” Grondil asked, taking a seat beside him with a soft smirk. He already knew the answer, but he simply wanted to hear Lino say it.

“Yes. I’m so happy it actually scares me.”

“Scares you? It’s a sin for a man who has nothing but happiness ahead of him to say such things.”

Grondil wrapped his massive arms around Lino, effectively caging all four of them against his broad, solid chest. Ensuring he would never let go, his thick fingers interlaced tightly with Lino’s. Seeing this, Rus wiggled his little arm free, placing his tiny, chubby hand directly on top of their entwined knuckles.

“Lino Paba.”

Pfft…! The laughter that had just settled erupted anew. At Lino’s bright joy, Luce and Lumo joined in, the toddlers who were just grunting like beasts seconds ago now giggling sweetly. Overlapping their bright chimes was the low, rumbling chuckle of the beast.

The frantic footsteps of Enoch and Erin echoed from the drawing-room. Catching their familiar scents, the toddlers’ rears began to wiggle. It was time to release them.

“Young Lords! Young Lady!”

Grondil ruthlessly chucked the largest, Rus, directly at the incoming Enoch, following up by tossing Luce and Lumo at Erin. Expertly catching the flying toddlers, the two retainers swiftly began dressing them in prepared clothes. Accustomed to the handling, the triplets wiggled their bare little asses as they were clothed.

“Take them away and train them so they can at least pretend to act human,” Grondil ordered.

“Understood, sir,” Enoch replied crisply.

“Y-Yes, sir…” Erin groaned, her response entirely devoid of life. Wrangling three four-legged beasts had been hellish enough; now that they had two legs and functioning hands, a completely new tier of childcare hell was about to commence. The toddlers’ rebellious attempts to crawl back to Lino were instantly squashed by a single, sharp hiss from Grondil, leaving them utterly defeated as they were carried out.

“Shifting at barely a year old… Grondil, are our kids geniuses?”

“If they couldn’t even manage that, they wouldn’t be—ahem, they wouldn’t be our children.” Grondil smoothly caught himself before he could call them idiots, stating it as an absolute matter of fact.

“Even so, I’m so glad they take after you.”

Lino’s eyes hadn’t stopped smiling. He was just as shocked and overjoyed as the first time he’d met them, his heart still hammering wildly against his ribs. It was still unbelievable that all three had transformed simultaneously in his arms.

Filled with joy, Grondil stared intently at the high, flushed apples of Lino’s cheeks. Plumped with healthy weight and glowing radiantly, they looked so appetizing he wanted to take a massive bite right out of them, causing his mouth to water.

I shouldn’t have to hold back anymore. Swallowing the pooled saliva, Grondil decided to perform one final check.

“Lino. Give me a second.”

“…Pardon?”

Effortlessly lifting Lino under the arms, Grondil hoisted him up and down a few times before a wicked grin split his face.

“You’ve gotten quite heavy.”

“W-Well… I’ve been eating well and working out hard.”

“Indeed.”

Positioning Lino between his thighs with his back facing him, Grondil thoroughly ruffled Lino’s hair in praise. The apples of Lino’s cheeks burned a deep scarlet. He felt foolishly vulnerable to such childish praise at his age, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt.

The hand stroking his hair trailed lazily down to toy with his earlobe. Ever since returning to Isberg, Grondil had primarily remained in his beast form. Aside from when they slept cuddling or when his suppressed lust caused him to grope Lino, he had rarely been in his human body, making the touch of smooth, human fingers feel intensely foreign compared to thick fur.

“Hnn.”

A tiny, breathless moan escaped Lino’s lips. Grondil was immensely pleased that Lino reacted so sensitively to a mere touch of the ear—absolute proof that Grondil wasn’t the only one driven mad by their forced celibacy.

The hand slid from the ear down the elegant line of Lino’s neck. Lowering his head, Grondil licked the nape. Hiiik, Lino gasped, goosebumps erupting across his skin at the wet slide of that tongue. Finding it impossibly cute, Grondil scraped his teeth lightly against the flesh. Seeing Lino docilely accept the claiming, his neck flushed a deep crimson, Grondil took it as a silent, absolute surrender for the devastation to come.

Stripping away any remaining restraint, Grondil mercilessly tore Lino’s sleepwear right off his body. A few violent jerks reduced the soft fabric to worthless rags that fluttered to the floor. Staring down at the exposed, bare chest, Grondil let out a low, dark chuckle. Despite merely losing a thin layer of cloth, Lino’s nipples were already jutting out into hard, desperate peaks. Grondil was not a man who merely observed.

His hand shot down, viciously pinching and twisting the engorged nipple. As the swollen bud was brutally crushed between Grondil’s thumb and forefinger, a frantic moan tore from Lino’s throat.

“Ahng…!”

It was just a simple twist of the nipple, yet Lino’s entire spine bowed, his body trembling violently. Witnessing that visceral reaction caused the front of Grondil’s pants to surge outward, his erection swelling so massively it strained the fabric of his loungewear to the tearing point. Feeling suffocated, Grondil ripped his own clothes off just as violently. Now completely naked, he lunged at Lino with the terrifying momentum of a starving predator finally claiming a meal he had been denied for months.

***