Chapter 17: Something Like a Cat
“That’s what I’ve been saying all along. That thing is a monster. Put it down immediately.”
“Aww, but it’s cute. It’s mostly a cat, even though it has wings.”
“Stop with the incomprehensible reasoning.”
“Meow.”
“See, it’s telling you not to be angry.”
“I didn’t say that.”
Upon closer inspection, the “cat-like thing” had an injury. Blood was oozing from its left hind leg, around the thigh area. Cats tend to target that area when they fight. I wonder if monsters are the same.
“It’s injured.”
“Meow.”
“Even though it’s a monster, it’s pretending to be cute.”
“Victor, don’t say mean things.”
I gently placed the monster cat, or Neeko-chan, as I called it, on the fountain of golden powder. As I applied the ointment given to me by the innkeeper to its wound, Neeko-chan, who had been tensed up with a thick tail, eventually calmed down and curled up.
“I can’t believe it. I’ve never heard of a monster allowing someone to treat its injuries or becoming attached to a human.”
“Victor has a lot of things he’s never heard of.”
“Only when it comes to Haru.”
“Oh right! I remember something about that.”
“Are you listening to me?”
I rummaged through my backpack and took out a piece of cheese wrapped in paper. I tore off a small piece and offered it to the cat. Sniffing it, the cat then approached my hand and ate it in one bite.
“Neeko-chan, I hope your injury heals quickly. Since you’re all black, I’ll call you Kuro. Kuro!”
“Meow.”
“Oh, good boy, good boy, Kuro.”
Victor was opening and closing his mouth.
“Victor, your expressions are too noisy.”
“Haru, naming it. What are you doing? If you give it food and a name, it will become your familiar, Haru!”
“Huh? Familiar? What’s a familiar? If it’s so easy to have one just by doing this, then TNR here should be a piece of cake.”
“What’s TNR?”
“Oh, um, forget about it. It’s about the previous world.”
“Even though it’s so cute, is it considered a monster in this world? It’s a shame, but I can’t take it with me. Sorry, Kuro. It seems we have to part ways here.”
We took a bit too much time for a break. Victor and I mounted the horses again, bidding farewell to Kuro, who didn’t move and just watched me. Oh well.
After that, as we rode on the horses, there were places in the Sloane territory where golden powder spewed out here and there. Some places emitted a faint magical power, while others had a gentle and continuous flow. There were also places where multiple flows gathered.
“Don’t you feel anything at all?”
“I can sense that the overall area is filled with magical power, but I don’t know where it’s coming from specifically. I would only know if you told me it’s here, Haru.”
“I see. I thought wizards would be sensitive to magical power.”
Victor tilted his head.
“Wizards have a large amount of magical power stored within their bodies. Perhaps they can’t sense a small amount of gentle flow like this.”
“It’s like when you eat a lot of garlic dishes and can’t smell the hidden garlic flavor anymore, something like that.”
Victor made a slightly sad face.
“I don’t want to agree with that analogy, but it’s something like that.”
“But you know, if the whirlwinds are artificial and there are so many places where magical power is flowing, there’s no need to specifically target people with magical power, right? We just need to come here.”
“No, maybe the goals are different?”
Right, maybe the goals are different. Maybe the purpose is not to gather magical power but to take it away from people with magical power.
But my thoughts are based on assumptions upon assumptions, so it’s too vague. Let’s put this idea aside for now.
Instead of going to the lord’s mansion, we decided to stay at an inn.
“We can work and earn money, after all.”
“That’s right. We have no reason to rely on the lord. It’s a free life without being employed by anyone.”
“Yeah, a free life. I’ve always longed for this kind of life, but I never thought it would become a reality.”
As usual, we prioritized affordability and chose a room without meals. When the innkeeper asked us, “What brings you here?” Victor casually replied, “We’re on a trip.” I nodded with a smile.
“Are you newlyweds?”
“Oh, um, yes.”
“Then your room is the corner room on the second floor.”
We were given the key and entered the room. As expected, the beds were placed together tightly. Before unpacking our belongings, we started by rearranging the beds and setting up a rope.
“Now then, Haru, what would you like to do?”
“First, maybe we should go to the market.”
“I like markets.”
“They’re fun. Even in the previous world, when I went on trips, I loved visiting local markets and morning markets. Besides, we might find some business opportunities.”
“That’s true. Alright, let’s go right away.”
❂❂❂❂❂❂
The market there had a relaxed atmosphere, typical of a provincial city, with various shops of different sizes lined up. We entered a modest-looking but crowded restaurant for a meal.
Victor ordered grilled meat and vegetable soup, and bread, while I ordered sautéed fish, soup, and bread. The vegetable soup had a sweet taste. The seasoning of the soup was probably just salt and butter, but it had a rich flavor. We exchanged a little bit of each other’s dishes and enjoyed the deliciousness of both the meat and the fish.
“It’s delicious.”
“It’s tasty.”
“Ah, so happy,” I said, immersed in the deliciousness of the meal.
“Haru, you have a talent for finding joy.”
Victor praised me.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, I’m always impressed. When I’m with a happy Haru, my heart becomes richer.”
“Oh, really? So, what does that mean?”
“It means… when we’re together, it’s fun.”
When I looked at his face, it turned red.
“They say the one who says it is more embarrassed.”
“Sorry.”
“Hehe,” we laughed together while having dinner.
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