The Squirrel Will Raise the Baby Tiger — Chapter 1

WHITE PETALS FLUTTERING IN THE WIND-A PEACEFUL SPRING.

I WISH MY LIFE WERE LIKE THIS WEATHER TOO...

LULUBELL DURHAMS, MY BELOVED DAUGHTER.

GO ON, HOLD HIM.

HE'S YOUR TWELFTH YOUNGER SIBLING.

LIFE. HOWEVER. RARELY GOES THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO.

THE DURHAMS COUPLE OF THE SQUIRREL FAMILY.

AND I AM THE ELDEST DAUGHTER BORN TO THEM—

LULUBELL DURHAMS.

AND I HAVE...

TWELVE YOUNGER SIBLINGS.

THE SQUIRREL FAMILY IS KNOWN FOR HAVING MANY CHILDREN.

MY PARENTS ALREADY HAD SEVEN CHILDREN,

It's twins this time too!

All the children after Lulubell are twins~

BUT BECAUSE OUR FAMILY WAS STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY,

MY FATHER GOT TIED UP SO HE COULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE.

HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE MONEY AND GOT THE SURGERY DONE FROM A QUACK DOCTOR,

FATHER'S THING CAME UNTIED VERY QUICKLY LATER ON.

MY PARENTS ONLY FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT FACT MUCH LATER...

Whaaat?! Then this wasn't belly fat but a pregnant belly!!

That bastard was a quack!!

BUT BY THEN, THEY HAD ALREADY GOTTEN PREGNANT YET AGAIN.

EVENTUALLY, THEY HAD SIX MORE CHILDREN,

ELDEST DAUGHTER!

AND OURS BECAME A BIG, FAT FAMILY WITH THIRTEEN CHILDREN.

OUR FAMILY WASN'T WELL OFF TO BEGIN WITH,

BUT SINCE THE SQUIRREL FAMILY HAS ALWAYS HAD AN APPETITE TWICE AS HEARTY AS OTHERS,

OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION RAPIDLY DECLINED.

What's he biting? It's not mealtime yet...

No~! Don't eat the cloth tie~!

THIS ISN'T SOMETHING TO EAT! LET IT GO NOW!

NN, MM HNGWY. (NO, I'M HUNGRY.)

AH!

YOU, AGAIN!

THAT'S OUR FOOD FOR TODAY, YOU RASCAL!!

HEY, YOU RASCALS~!

MOTHER'S BODY GREW WEAK SO SHE COULDN'T WORK,

AND WHILE MY FATHER IS ALSO WORKING HIMSELF TO THE BONE AS A BUTLER FOR THE ROLAND FAMILY,

IT'S WOEFULLY INSUFFICIENT TO FEED OUR LARGE FAMILY.

THEREFORE, I NATURALLY STARTED WORKING FROM AN EARLY AGE TOO.

BECAUSE I CAN'T LET MY SIBLINGS STARVE, AT THE VERY LEAST.

LULUBELL. OUR BELOVED DAUGHTER.

WE'RE ALWAYS SORRY TO YOU.

IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU, OUR FAMILY WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH HARDER TIME.

I'M ALWAYS THANKFUL AND I LOVE YOU, LULUBELL.

MOM, DAD...

IF YOU TRULY LOVE ME THEN...

PLEASE STOP HAVING MORE CHILDREN!

KKYAAAK...

WELL, MY PARENTS PROBABLY DIDN'T PLAN ON HAVING THIS MANY EITHER, BUT...

MY FRIENDS USED TO TELL ME TO ESCAPE FROM THIS HOUSE QUICKLY.

BUT IF I DISAPPEAR...

ONLY MY INNOCENT SIBLINGS WILL SUFFER.

SNIFFLE

DON'T CRY, LULUBELL!

YOU'VE GOT THIS!

FOR NOW, I'LL WORK HARD TO BUY MILK TO FEED THE BABIES,

AND ONCE I'VE SENT ALL THE SIBLINGS GOING TO THE ACADEMY THROUGH SCHOOL...

THEN I'LL TRULY LIVE MY OWN LIFE!

I DEFINITELY WILL!

HELLO, THOR, TOBY.

GOOD MORNING.

AH!

TEACHER LULUBELL!

THOR

TOBY

TEACHAW!

BELONGING TO THE MERCHANT GUILD LEADER, BITTOR,

THIS IS THE WEALTHIEST MANSION IN LAVIS VILLAGE, AND MY WORKPLACE.

THANKS TO THE GUILD LEADER HIGHLY VALUING MY CHILDCARE EXPERIENCE HONED BY MY MANY SIBLINGS,

I'M WORKING AS THE PRIVATE TUTOR FOR THESE CHILDREN.

TEACHER, TEACHER, WE HAVE A PRESENT FOR YOU.

WE DDOO!

HM?

EEK!

TOBY!

HNGG...

WAAAH~! I FEWW OVER~!

OH MY~ YOU WERE STARTLED, WEREN'T YOU, TOBY~

DOES IT HURT A LOT?

YEAH, IT HURTTS...

BEASTMEN USUALLY LOSE ALMOST ALL THEIR BEASTLY NATURE AND BECOME HUMANIZED

AROUND THE AGE OF 7,

BUT WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG, THEIR BODIES ARE WEAK AND THEY OFTEN TRANSFORM INTO THEIR ANIMAL FORMS.

THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHEN THEIR EMOTIONS FLUCTUATE.

THERE, THERE~

OUR TOBY IS ABSOLUTELY FINE~

SQISH

WOW~ OUR TOBY IS SO BRAVE~!

TEACHAW, THIS, THIS!

A present? Wow~ What could it be? I'm so excited.

TRY TO GUESS!

SHOULD I?

YEAH, YEAH.

A CARROT?

NO.

THEN, A SNAKE?

WE GAVE YOU THAT A LONG TIME AGO.

SHE'S ONLY A LITTLE OVER 3 YEARS OLD, YET SHE SAYS "A LONG TIME AGO." SO CUTE.

AH, TOBY. HURRY AND SHOW IT TO THE MISS.

HMPH.... TEACHAW COULDN'T GUESS.

TA-DA~!

LET'S SEE, WHAT COULD THIS BE~

A BALL OF FLUFF?

DID THEY PICK IT UP WHILE PLAYING SOMEWHERE?

FLIPPIN' HECK! WOT IN THE WORLD IS THIS?!

WAHAHA! TEACHAW FELL OVER LIKE US TOO!

MISS, ARE YOU OKAY?

OOPS, MY DIALECT SLIPPED OUT WITHOUT ME KNOWING...!

NO, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THIS BALL OF FLUFF...

I CAN SENSE THE PHEROMONES OF A FEROCIOUS BEAST FROM IT?!

KIDS, WHERE DID YOU PICK THIS UP?!

SOMEONE MOVED IN EARLIER, SO I WENT TO TAKE A LOOK AND PICKED IT UP IN FRONT OF THAT HOUSE.

BUT WHEN I TOUCHED IT, MY HEAD WENT BZZ.

ME, I PEED BECAUSE OF THIS SMELL!

IT'S A STRONG PHEROMONE.

SUCH A FEROCIOUS BEAST MOVED INTO THIS AREA?

IT MUST BE A BEASTMAN OF COURSE,

BUT HOW COULD THEY SHED A BALL OF FUR LIKE THIS?

COULD THERE BE A FEROCIOUS BEAST INSIDE THE HOUSE THAT HASN'T FULLY HUMANIZED YET?

TEACHER, DID YOU PEE?

WHAT? WHAT PEE! NO!

IT'S OKAY. I PEED EAWLIER TOO.

I'M TELLING YOU I DIDN'T!

TEACHER?

YOU'RE HERE, MISS DURHAMS.

BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE INSTEAD OF GOING INSIDE THE HOUSE?

VISCOUNT LUND, FATHER OF THOR AND TOBY, AND LULUBELL'S EMPLOYER

GOOD DAY, VISCOUNT LUND.

HE DIDN'T HEAR ME USING THE DIALECT, DID HE?

I WAS LOOKING AT WHAT THE CHILDREN PICKED UP ON THE STREET.

BUT I CAN SENSE THE PHEROMONES OF A FEROCIOUS BEAST FROM IT.

YOU SHOULD TELL THE CHILDREN TO BE CAREFUL, JUST IN CASE THERE ARE FIERCE STRANGERS WANDERING AROUND NEARBY.

ID HE? I'm nervous because I almost got fired at my previous job over my dialect...

A FEROCIOUS BEAST...?

Aha,

IF IT'S THAT, IT'S PROBABLY SOMEONE FROM THE BLANTIGER FAMILY.

THE BLANTIGER FAMILY...

AREN'T THEY A CARNIVOROUS FAMILY?

WHY DID SUCH A FAMILY COME ALL THE WAY TO THE SOUTH?

THE CAPITAL IS DIVIDED INTO THE NORTH AND SOUTH BASED ON THE LEAREKY RIVER.

North (North of the river)

SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, CARNIVOROUS BEASTMEN FAMILIES HAVE GATHERED IN THE NORTH,

South (South of the river)

AND HERBIVOROUS BEASTMEN FAMILIES HAVE GATHERED IN THE SOUTH.

BECAUSE THE DUKE BECAME THE HEAD OF THE FAMILY, HE WAS BESTOWED A CASTLE AND TERRITORY IN THE CAPITAL AND CAME DOWN HERE.

IT SEEMS HE'S BUSY MANAGING THINGS HIMSELF.

FURTHERMORE, I HEARD HE'S EVEN LOOKING FOR A PRIVATE TUTOR.

A PRIVATE TUTOR?

SPEAKING OF WHICH.

MISS DURHAMS, IF IT'S ALRIGHT WITH YOU, SHALL I ARRANGE A MEETING?

Y-YES?! AS A PRIVATE TUTOR FOR THAT FAMILY?!

YES. YOU'RE GOOD AT YOUR JOB, MISS DURHAMS,

SO I CAN CONFIDENTLY RECOMMEND YOU TOO. WHAT DO YOU SAY?

RIGHT NOW...

I-IS HE TELLING ME TO WALK INTO THE DEN OF FEROCIOUS BEASTS?!

Save the squirrel~!

I'M GRATEFUL THAT YOU THINK HIGHLY OF ME, BUT I'M FINE!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE JUST YET!

IS THAT SO?

I'D LOVE IT IF YOU CONTINUED WORKING AT OUR HOUSE TOO, TEACHER, BUT...

ARE YOU REALLY SURE?

I HEARD THE MONTHLY SALARY THERE IS A WHOPPING 50 GOLD.

OH...!

50 GOLD?!

50 GOLD = ROUGHLY A YEAR'S LIVING EXPENSES FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR.

BLOODY HE--

N-NO, WHY IS THE SALARY SO HIGH?!

IS IT HAZARD PAY AFTER ALL?!

WHOSE PRIVATE TUTOR ARE THEY LOOKING FOR EXACTLY?

THE REASON WHY THE SECOND SON, DUKE KHUN RUSSELL, INHERITED THE TITLE OF THE BLANTIGER FAMILY

IS BECAUSE THE ELDEST SON LOST HIS LIFE ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

I HEARD HE ADOPTED HIS ONE AND ONLY NEPHEW AFTER THAT.

THE PRIVATE TUTOR THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THIS TIME IS FOR THAT NEPHEW.

NEPHEW? IS HE VERY YOUNG?

IF THAT'S THE CASE, IT MIGHT NOT BE AS DANGEROUS AS I THOUGHT.

AND...

Sister~!

Sister Lulubell~!

I'm hungry~!

Me too, me too~!

Ah, you rascals! I get it!

I get it, so don't jump on me~!

Mom~!

RIGHT, IT'S A WHOPPING 50 GOLD. WHAT WOULDN'T I DO FOR MY SIBLINGS?

WITH THAT MONEY, I CAN GUARANTEE MY SIBLINGS A STABLE LIFE,

AND TAKE A STEP CLOSER TO THE DAY I CAN LIVE A FREE LIFE!

I'LL DO IT! THE TIGER'S PRIVATE TUTOR!

LET'S GO! TO THE TIGER'S DEN!