Chapter 17: The Angel In His Life (Part 1)
Beastmen were lowly creatures, akin to livestock.
From birth, they bore the status of slaves. Ragar, too, was one of these wretched beings.
Lion Beastmen were known for their powerful and resilient bodies.
No matter how many punches or kicks they endured or even if they were struck by a bullet, they wouldn't die so easily.
While Bear Beastmen surpassed them in sheer toughness, Lion Beastmen were valued for their combination of durability and combat skills, making them popular as well-balanced Beastman slaves.
Because of this, Ragar had passed through many slave markets and masters.
Most of his owners used him as a living shield, and with each change of hands, the scars on his body grew even more.
Many of his masters vented their accumulated frustrations by deliberately injuring him.
Even so, they never touched his Beastman ears or tail.
And why was that?
The ears and tail were the most obvious symbols of his degraded status as a Beastman.
Some masters couldn't even bear to look at them, declaring that their gaze would be tainted by such filth.
Every master who had owned him shared the same sentiment.
So, Ragar learned to hide his ears beneath his hair and his tail under the fabric, always vigilant to ensure they never came into contact with his masters.
Yet one day, he committed an unforgivable sin.
By accident, his lowly Beastman ear had touched the hand of his master.
The vertical scar on his right eye, disfiguring his face even now, served as a permanent reminder of his punishment.
After receiving that wound, fewer buyers showed interest in him, and it seemed his death was drawing near.
Then, one day, Ragar was serving as his master's shield when he took a bullet and barely managed to escape with his life.
His immense Beastman endurance had its limits—an attack to a vital spot could still incapacitate him.
Weak and bleeding, he collapsed in front of the gates of that Di Malvento family's annex.
The Di Malvento family, revered as one of the most noble households in the land, was a far cry from anything Ragar had ever known.
And yet, his Beastman blood had defiled their pristine gates.
Surely, if discovered, the punishment would be far worse than anything he'd experienced before.
...But that didn't matter anymore.
He was tired.
If this was where his life ended, so be it.
With resignation in his eyes, Ragar closed them.
Not long after that, he could hear footsteps approaching him.
So, it was finally over.
Relief welled up in his chest as he exhaled, but what he heard next was entirely unexpected.
"...Fluffy ears... Could it be? A Beastman?"
It was a voice filled with curiosity, not disgust.
A child's voice reached Rocco's ears.
Startled, he raised his gaze and froze, forgetting his pain as he caught sight of a figure so angelic it left him speechless.
The child had lustrous, silky hair, soft, round cheeks that looked irresistibly touchable, and large, sleepy amethyst eyes framed by slightly drooping lids.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone