Surviving The Beast World With My 'Sassy' System-Chapter 50: Top-tier Cruelty

Lavayla stared at him for a long second, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. He isn’t. Why do you ask?"

Mirek stepped closer, his gaze never leaving the baby. "Where did you find him?" His voice was steady, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it. "And how?"

Her brows knit together at the question. Instead of answering, she lifted her head and stared at him in doubt. "You answer mine first. Why are you asking?"

For a moment, Mirek said nothing.

Then he drew in a slow breath, exhaled, and spoke carefully—each word measured, as if he needed her to truly understand.

"The baby with you," he said, eyes still fixed on the small face nestled against her chest, "is my nephew."

Lavayla blinked.

"His name is Vai."

Her mouth opened on instinct. "What?" Her gaze dropped to the baby, then flicked back up to Mirek, scanning his face before looking down again—searching, comparing, as if trying to find some resemblance she’d somehow missed.

Mirek took another step forward, stopping just close enough for her to feel the weight of his presence. Seeing the disbelief on her face, he continued, voice low but firm.

"I left him in the care of my friend’s partner in the tribe before I departed for the salt trade. He was safe. Protected." His jaw tightened. "So I need to know why he’s with you."

Lavayla recoiled half a step, disbelief flashing across her face. "Wait—wait." She looked down at the baby again, then back at him, her grip tightening slightly. "You’re saying the baby in my arms is your nephew?"

She shook her head, exhaling sharply. "How? I’m sorry, but I can’t just take your word for it."

Her eyes lifted to meet his, guarded now, protective.

"Because from where I’m standing," she added carefully, "this sounds crazy... Because how is that possible?"

Mirek frowned. "That’s what I want to know too." His voice hardened, "How the baby I left in the tribe—under protection—is here with you, a human, along the route of Deep River Canyon. So answer my question."

Lavayla didn’t reply immediately.

Surprise warred with caution on her face as the two of them stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Seconds stretched. Nearly a full minute passed—silent, tense—while the baby in her arms remained had his fingers tangled in her hair as he babbled softly.

Finally, Lavayla took a step back.

"I found him four days ago," she said, her voice steady but guarded. "In the morning. I was lost in the forest trying to find my way out when I came across him. He was lying on fur wraps, placed carefully on a patch of bushes." She paused briefly, then added, "At first, I thought his parents or guardian might be nearby. I called out. I waited. No one answered."

Her gaze lowered to the baby as she spoke.

"So I approached him. He was really just a baby. And when he saw me, it was like he snapped out of something—he started crying." Her jaw tightened. "But before I could reach him... a python beast revealed itself. It had been lying in wait."

Mirek’s fingers curled slowly into fists.

"It was about to eat him," Lavayla said quietly. "I got its attention somehow. I don’t even know how I managed it, but I led it away. When I came back, I took him."

She brushed her fingers through the baby’s hair as he giggled softly, utterly unaware of the danger he’d escaped.

"I searched the area afterward," she went on. "I didn’t find any sign of anyone else. No tracks. No scent trails. Nothing." Her lips pressed together. "So I assumed he was abandoned. Since then... we’ve been together. That’s all."

By the time she finished, Mirek’s presence had changed entirely.

The air around him felt colder. His jaw was clenched tight, his fists rigid at his sides. When she mentioned the python beast, something dark and furious flickered behind his eyes.

Lavayla noticed—and became even more cautious.

"I’ve answered your questions," she said firmly. "Now it’s your turn."

She met his gaze without flinching.

"First—you say you’re his uncle but I need proof to believe you."

"Second—how did the baby you left in your tribe end up in the forest?"

"And third—when exactly did you leave for the salt trade? When was the last time you saw him?"

Mirek didn’t hesitate.

"For the first," he said immediately, "Vai has a faint reddish straight mark behind his earlobe. Every male in my bloodline has it. His father had it too—before he died."

Even as he spoke, Lavayla was already checking.

She gently pushed the baby’s ear aside.

And there it was.

Small. Faint. A reddish line exactly where Mirek had said it would be.

Her hand froze midair.

So... it was true.

The baby really was his nephew.

And his name... was Vai.

She slowly lowered her hand, staring at the oblivious baby still playing happily in her arms.

Mirek’s voice pulled her back.

"For your second question—I don’t know," he said, tone grim. "But I will find out."

"For the third—I left the tribe with the salt trading team two full moons ago."

Two months.

Lavayla’s breath caught.

Vai would’ve been barely five months old then.

So what happened in those two months?

Someone had left him in a dangerous forest. Alone and defenseless.

If she hadn’t found him... he would have died.

Her stomach twisted.

So they wanted him dead.

It was just cruel.

Why?

Why would anyone target a baby?

Her gaze flicked to Mirek.

His uncle was a powerful beastman. One who’d been conveniently gone for a long time.

Meanwhile, Mirek had been watching her closely, waiting—until he finally said, "If you still don’t believe me, let me hold him. He’s attuned to my scent. He won’t reject me. That should be proof enough."

Lavayla snapped out of her thoughts.

She looked at Mirek. Then at the baby. Then back at him again.

And then she remembered where they were.

Her eyes shifted instinctively toward the stone platform.

The Primal plant was no longer beside them.

She turned her head—and spotted it coiled quietly around the stone holding the crystallized energy, vines relaxed but alert, as if keeping watch.

Only then did she look back at Mirek properly.

He was tall—taller than any beastman she’d seen—making her feel almost pitifully small by comparison. A long, dirty hide skirt wrapped around his waist, and nothing else. His exposed skin was marked with scabbed wounds, dried blood, and dirt. His dark red hair hung in long braids, disheveled yet strangely striking.

Despite everything...

He still looked good.

Lavayla inhaled, then gave him a faint, polite smile.

"Why don’t you rinse the dirt and blood off first," she said lightly, nodding toward the waterfall at the cave’s entrance.

Mirek stiffened.

For a split second, he clearly hadn’t expected that.

"...What?" he asked flatly.

Lavayla shifted Vai slightly higher against her chest, adjusting the baby with practiced ease before meeting Mirek’s eyes again. Her voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the nerves beneath it.

"You look—" Lavayla started, then stopped herself.

She exhaled and corrected smoothly, "You’re covered in blood, dirt, and wounds. You can’t carry him like that."

As if on cue, Vai babbled happily and tugged on her hair again, tiny fingers winding into the dark strands with impressive determination.

Lavayla glanced down at him, irritation melting into something softer for just a heartbeat. Then she looked back up at Mirek. "I’m sorry," she said, firmly, "but I can’t give him to you like this. Go rinse yourself off. I’ll wash him too once you’re done."

Mirek stared at her.

Not offended, nor angry.

Just... caught off guard.

Then his gaze shifted toward the cave entrance, where the waterfall thundered steadily, mist drifting inward like cold breath. After a brief pause, he nodded once.

"Alright."

With long, decisive strides, he turned and headed toward the entrance. His broad frame disappeared behind the curtain of falling water moments later.

Lavayla watched him go.

Only when he was fully out of sight did she release the breath she’d been holding. Her shoulders slumped, tension draining as she carefully lowered herself to sit on the cave floor, her back against the cool stone.

She looked down at Vai.

He smiled at her.

Big. Bright. Toothless.

"...You’re a whole mess, you know that?" she murmured, lightly tapping his nose.

Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

Lavayla winced and rubbed her tummy, eyes drifting toward the cave entrance again. The sound of rushing water filled the space—but no food magically appeared with it.

"Ugh," she muttered. "I’m hungry."

Really hungry.

Having resources she couldn’t use was officially the worst kind of suffering. Top-tier cruelty.

She could still drink water from the system—thanks, bare minimum—but food? Nope. Apparently reserved for "special periods," whatever that meant. And Nessa had been extremely unhelpful about defining those.

Lavayla sighed, leaning her head back against the stone.

"This day just keeps escalating," she said quietly.

Vai babbled again, waving his hands as if agreeing.

Yeah. Same, buddy. Same.