The Game Heroine's Cannon Fodder Leopard Cub - Chapter 7

As dusk settled, people who had worked hard all day flocked to the small tavern to drink, chat, and savor their precious leisure time.

The lively chatter filtered through the wooden door to the third floor. Yi’an, who should have been enjoying the delicious food with the others downstairs, instead felt like she was watching Baosheng’s life flash before her eyes.

Salty! Fishy! Sweet! Greasy!

Even after spitting out every last bite and washing it down with several large spoonfuls of plain water, the complex, almost biochemical weapon-like flavor still lingered on her taste buds.

Tears welled up in Yi’an’s eyes as she glared at Nora with a mix of sorrow, indignation, and resentment.

At least, that’s how Nora saw it.

Nora cradled the pitiful Little Leopard, massaging her belly with one hand while suppressing a laugh. “I did warn you, didn’t I?”

Meow!

Yi’an felt utterly wronged. That wasn’t a warning—it was clearly a setup to make her look foolish. Nora might have thick eyebrows and big eyes, but her heart was rotten to the core, always scheming to bully small animals.

Yi’an stuck out her tongue. What exactly was this minced meat cream jelly? It was a culinary abomination even worse than Stargazy Pie! Was all the food on the Cisse Continent this terrifying?

As Yi’an pondered, a wave of despair washed over her.

Am I destined to drink only goat milk and eat dried meat for the rest of my life?

No! As a citizen of the Zhonghua Kingdom, I’d rather be killed than live without delicious food!

“Decades ago, Lancaster wasn’t as prosperous as it is now,” Nora explained gently, wiping the fur around Little Leopard’s mouth with a handkerchief. “To avoid wasting food, people would boil minced meat with rice, milk, and honey, then top it with bread and bake it. This preserved it longer, but the taste… well, let’s just say it wasn’t anything to write home about.”

Meow meow meow meow? (Then why did you order it?)

“I didn’t order it,” Nora raised an eyebrow. “It must have been a mistake. But who could have guessed you’d pick this one?”

Mewwwwww…

“Seeing how upset you are, let’s stick to goat milk for now.”

A mischievous smile played on Nora’s lips as she secretly patted Little Leopard’s chubby belly.

Hearing this, Yi’an immediately stopped her mewling and scrambled back onto the table, her tail swishing back and forth, thumping against the tabletop.

Hmph! She absolutely refused to drink goat’s milk with every meal!

Seeing her stubborn little expression, Nora couldn’t suppress her smile any longer. This time, she refrained from teasing Yi’an and instead placed the beef stewed in red wine directly in front of the Little Leopard, carefully cutting it into tiny, bite-sized pieces with a knife and fork.

Once the beef was prepared, Nora began feeding Yi’an spoonful by spoonful.

Yi’an was truly ravenous. She devoured the beef morsels one after another, quickly polishing off more than half the portion.

Satiated, Yi’an lay sprawled on the table, her mouth still smacking occasionally. So delicious! Baosheng’s life has hope!

Nora wasn’t nearly as greedy. After lightly finishing a piece of salmon, she set down her utensils and turned to find Yi’an already flattened into a leopard pancake, her little eyes half-closed. Nora chuckled softly.

She took out a fresh handkerchief to wipe the juice from Yi’an’s mouth, then rose to summon a waiter to clear the table. Finally, she scooped up the Little Leopard and carried her into the bedroom.

Kneeling beside Yi’an, Nora watched the rhythmic rise and fall of the Little Leopard’s belly, a tender smile blooming on her face, one she hadn’t even realized she was wearing.

“Yi’an, wake up.”

Yi’an groggily opened her eyes and saw Nora frowning, her beautiful brows furrowed as she murmured something.

“Yi’an, you’re awake!”

As her thoughts cleared, Yi’an finally understood what Nora was saying and was about to reply when her heart suddenly tightened. She hurriedly raised her paw… no, her hand?

“N… Nora?” She could speak!

Nora immediately sighed in relief and helped Yi’an sit up. “You’ve been unconscious for days,” she said.

Yi’an was curious. “Where are we? And how did I become human?”

Nora playfully flicked her nose and smiled. “So many questions! Which one should I answer first?”

“We’re still at Penny’s inn, but we’ve returned from Morong.”

“Returned from Morong?!” Yi’an’s eyes widened. How could she have no memory of it? And why didn’t Nora seem surprised by her human form?

“Let’s not talk about that for now.” Nora’s gaze flickered, as if hiding some unspoken secret.

After helping Yi’an sit up, Nora went to the coffee table and poured a cup of tea. Leaning against Yi’an, she prepared to feed her some water.

“Uh… I can do it myself,” Yi’an said. When she was the Little Leopard, being fed felt natural, but now that she was in an adult body, having someone hand-feed her water felt strange.

Nora obediently handed Yi’an the cup, but then, like a diligent little bee, she knelt down to put Yi’an’s shoes on.

“Cough, cough, cough—” Yi’an frantically stopped her. “I can do it myself! Let me do everything myself!”

Nora looked flustered, her beautiful face taking on a pitiful expression. “Yi’an, don’t you like it?”

Good heavens! Yi’an couldn’t believe this was the game’s female lead she had created. This was so out of character!

Or was it that she didn’t truly understand the characters she had written?

Clutching her head, she felt a headache coming on. “…It’s not about liking or disliking… Don’t you find any of this strange?”

“Strange? What’s strange?” Nora looked genuinely puzzled.

“My identity, you mean?”

“Are you referring to your transformation from a leopard cub into a human?”

Yi’an was stunned. How could Nora speak of such an extraordinary event with the same casualness as discussing what to have for lunch?

Nora leaned closer, settling sideways on Yi’an’s lap and resting her head against her shoulder. Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, “So… besides being a little leopard cub, what else are you hiding from me?”

“I…”

“Little Leopard, Little Leopard, Little Leopard…”

Yi’an was still searching for an answer when a distant voice suddenly called out.

Little Leopard? But I’ve already transformed into a human!

No, that’s not right.

Yi’an stared intently at the beautiful woman smiling like a blooming flower in her arms, then abruptly gripped her waist. “You’re not Nora.”

Nora’s smile froze on her face, shattering into countless fragments in an instant.

The scene before Yi’an began to fade like an overexposed photograph. The water glass, the coffee table—everything gradually lost its color until a blinding white light pierced her vision.

“Little Leopard, Little Leopard, wake up.”

Yi’an opened her eyes again, and a magnified face loomed before her.

The worry in those eyes seemed genuine.

She lifted her paw… It was indeed a small, furry paw.

Yi’an’s eyes lit up. She tentatively asked, “Meow meow meow meow?”

Perfect, I can’t talk.

Hearing the familiar voice, Nora burst into tears of joy. She hugged Little Leopard tightly, nuzzling her furry cheek. “Little Leopard, you’ve finally escaped the Phantom Dream Realm!”

Meow?

After her initial excitement, Nora quickly regained her composure as a refined young lady. She carried Little Leopard to the living room, placed her on the sofa, and then used a dagger to skewer a palm-sized, cicada-like creature from the floor.

The moment Nora held it up, Yi’an’s fur bristled. How could this bug be so hideous?!

“This is a Phantom Beetle, once a vassal of Demon God Baal,” Nora said, unconsciously moving it further away. “The gas it emits creates the Phantom Dream Realm. If you don’t wake up in time, your soul will become its puppet.”

“But Phantom Beetles usually only inhabit the highlands. How did this one get here?”

Following Nora’s words, Yi’an gradually calmed down. Her gaze fell on the Phantom Beetle’s body lying nearby.

That’s right, the nearest highlands are in Morong, quite a distance from Penny.

How did this creature get here?