I Become the Baby Tiger in a Beast Taming World-Chapter 31: Stolen Tiger

"I have people inside the mansion. They will hurt your friends and that little girl you’re so attached to."

It takes every ounce of my self-control not to use this guy as a chew toy. Who does he think he is?

Could he be the one that stole Judo and Memo? After all, three beasts getting poached from the Riddlehoevens can’t be a coincidence. Or if it is, it seems like a big one.

Maybe I should stay put awhile so I can learn something. It’s not like I can interrogate him. On the other hand, do I want to risk him taking me away from help and safety?

How badly do I want answers?

Sighing, I go quiet and pliant in his arms.

"Good beast." Sir Stinky totes me down a lane crisscrossed by trellises and vines. "You’ll see. It is not easy to do what I’m about to do, but it can be done. I’ve succeeded before, as you’ll see once we quit this place."

Succeeded before? As in with Memo and Judo?

Ugh. The smell from him is overpowering and I’m going to throw up. I bury my nose in his sleeve for some protection. It’s not much.

Sir Stinky keeps talking in what I assume is meant to be a soothing voice. "There. Now that you’ve accepted your lot, life will be much easier."

Who is this guy, System?

[Viscount Bael Rossa, House Rossa, expert beast tamer.]

Expert he may be, but he probably has a low hygiene/health score. Or maybe animals are the only ones that can smell how putrid he is. Humans and elves might not know the extent of his corruption. After all, he walked into a secure Beast Wing and made off with a beast from an elite house. He’s got to be the ultimate con artist.

System, what else do you have on this guy?

[Three-time winner of the Beast Taming Elimination Tournament. Head of an obscure beast taming house. It was once prominent, but has fallen on hard times in the last twenty years.]

Gee, I wonder what happened? Maybe the previous household viscounts were stinky thieves, too? And now, under Sir Stinky’s mismanagement, the house is crashing into a brick wall, even though he’s supposedly a winner.

Is stealing me really going to fix this? Why take me? I’m a newbie. Why not take Demos? And if he wants an inexperienced tamed beast, why not take Gussie? Maybe birds aren’t his thing?

Maybe it doesn’t matter. He stole me! What more do I need to know?

But curiosity killed the cat. Or at least put him in a terrible bind.

I purr softly, making him think that I’m going along with him.

"Good beast," he praises. "You comprehend that it will be better for you if you just accept your new situation. Your new life. I have helped countless beasts like you escape from less than worthy houses and lives. You are treasures. Possessions. If I had my way, you would all lead lives of leisure and never lift a finger."

Possessions!

My vision of my friends as marble statues in a jungle makes perfect sense now. Maybe that’s what my vision meant.

Just sit around and be ornaments? THINGS to be displayed? That’s not taking care of us! That’s not kindness. We’re beasts! We’re meant to move. To do things. I mean, it sounds like zoo animals are more active than the beasts that belong to this guy’s house.

Purring, I encourage him to keep talking. He’s not quite monologuing like a supervillain in a movie or kids’ cartoon, but he’s not exactly Mr. Silent and Stealthy. Maybe he is just trying to keep me calm so that I won’t escape.

He continues to talk. "The system requires you to fight and injure yourselves in pointless games. It’s just as bad as being out in the wild. I should know. My family are explorers. Outdoorsmen. We are not pampered nobles, no, no."

I make a "mrrrp" sound just to show I’m listening. We are almost through the trellised corridor that leads to another part of the gardens. I can’t remember if it’s a walled garden. However, given that this guy just walked out of the mansion with a beast under his arm, I don’t think a wall is going to be much of a deterrent.

No one has noticed us yet. Where are all the guards?

"YOU THERE!"

Finally!

An elf guard in well-made green and brown leather armor and gloves and pants approaches, carrying two swords. Elves are experts at dual wielding, and this one has a bronze helm atop his head, resting on his pointed ears.

"Hail, guardsman. I am just taking my beast for an airing," Sir Stinky says, keeping a firm grip on me. "I do apologize for the lateness of the hour."

Is this courtly stuff going to fool the guard? He is an elf.

The guard narrows his eyes. "Viscount Rossa. I thought I heard you were not attending this year because your beast was ill?"

OH.

Apparently Lightning didn’t know about this! Neither did Lobo.

"My beast is much better," Viscount Rossa replies. "But he still has not regained his health completely. I thought it would be good for him to attend, to cheer him up. However, the event might have been too much for him. And he gets anxious when separated from me..."

"But you can keep him with you if you wish," the guard reminds him.

"So I can, and that I will do. But first, I am taking him for an evening stroll, so that he can get some fresh air."

Sir Viscount Rossa wins the prize for the World’s Best Liar. Especially if this guard is naive enough to swallow his lies.

He adds, before the guard can use logic again, "I’ll just get on with our late night stroll. Look sharp, remain vigilant, keep up the good work."

This is my chance! I’m not going to risk being taken away from the mansion. I have to time this just right.

The instant I feel the viscount turn to leave, I once again bite down...