Chapter 106: Female Knight and Elemental Cat
「Is this Lumilus, the elven village?」
「Somehow, the image is a little bit…」
「Wro~ng~」
Stella, Lily, and Faeri commented in turns as they looked at the scenery before them.
After spending a day of travel on the ship, and another inside a carriage, Aria and co. had finally arrived at their destination.
Lumilus was supposed to be the elven paradise that was covered with lush, but in reality, it was surrounded by tall metal ramparts to such an extent that the other side of the ramparts couldn’t be seen.
Even though it wasn’t a fortress, its appearance alone suggested that it was a fortress.
「The village had no such ramparts before, but after the raid of the demon race few years ago, we built them to protect ourselves and the Philosopher’s Stone.」
Aria explained to the others who were still gazing at the rampart. As she finished her words, her complexion worsened a little as she had been reminded of the time the demon race had attacked her when she was young.
「Let’s enter first and then prepare a united front with the manpower in the village. Since the letter from His Majesty, the Emperor, should’ve arrived first, I don’t think there’ll be much trouble.」
Prince Julius led everyone toward the grandiose and heavy gate.
A female elven knight armed to the teeth was walking in front of the gate, and by her side was a huge cat-like figure.
The female elf fixed her posture when she saw Prince Julius and the others, but her eyes suddenly opened wide.
「ARIA-CHAN! YOU’RE… ARIA-CHAN RIGHT!?」
The elf shouted with a surprised look on her face.
「Ah! Fione-oneechan! Leo-kun!」 Aria also shouted and ran toward the female elven knight with Tama in her embrace and a bright smile on her face.
「Long time no see, Aria-chan!」
「Nyaoooon!」
Fione spoke to Aria with a delighted look on her face, and it was the same for the huge cat beside her.
「Long time no see to you too, Fione-oneechan, Leo-kun!」
「You have such amazing equipment now, Aria-chan. Is the one in your embrace an elemental cat’s infant? No way! Behind you…」
After exchanging greetings with Aria and asking about Tama, Fione looked at Prince Julius and the others.
「This child is Tama. My pet(knight), and partner! The people behind me are…」
「Seeing your reaction, I guess you already know the situation. Let me explain to her. My name is Julius Ashura, hero slash and the Empire’s first prince. The people behind me are the adventurers who have volunteered to join this battle.」
Although Prince Julius had guessed from Fione’s tone that she had been told about the matter regarding Vassago, he still provided her with a simple explanation.
Fione had indeed recognized him, and she bowed.
「I’m Fione, the deputy chief of this village’s knight order. And this one is my combat partner, Leo, an elemental cat. It’s a pleasure to meet you.」
（Ho~h! A real elemental cat, huh!）
Hearing about Leo, Tama, who became curious, leaped down from Aria’s embrace and approached Leo.
Just when everyone was wondering what was going to happen―
「N-Nyaoooooooo~」
Leo suddenly raised a bewildered voice, lay on the ground, and showed his belly to Tama.
「N-No way! T-the prideful Leo is showing his belly to this infant elemental cat!」
Fiona couldn’t hide her surprise.
Elemental Cats had a peculiar trait. They would show their belly to the being they considered more powerful than themselves. The gesture meant that they bore no hostilities.
That was why Fione couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw Leo, an adult elemental cat, doing such for Tama, who was still an infant.
「What’s you guys’ relationship?」
Stella cut in the conversation.
She was curious about Fione’s relationship with Aria, and the matter about Leo.
「Stella-chan, Fione-oneechan and Leo-kun were my playmates during my childhood. But of course, we did more than just playing around.」
「I miss those old days. The time when Leo defeated the bad guys who wanted to kidnap Aria, who was taking a stroll.」
「If not for Leo-kun, I might’ve been sold as merchandise for humans. That’s why I’ll be grateful to Leo-kun forever.」
Aria and Fione fell into a reminiscence about their past.
When Tama heard that, he―
（W-WHAT THE! THIS ELEMENTAL CAT IS MY MASTER’S BENEFACTOR! THEN, I’VE TO SHOW MY GRATITUDE TOO!）
Tama expressed his utmost gratitude to Leo. He also lay down on the ground and showed his belly to Leo.
「Nyaooo~?」
「Nya~~~n!」
Leo’s wild instinct had told him that Tama’s rank was far higher than him, so he was bewildered upon seeing Tama showing his belly.
Leo felt as if Tama had said ‘Best regard’ to him in a cheerful voice.
Leo stood up and brought his head toward Tama’s. Tama did the same, and they rubbed their heads together.
When they saw the actions of the two cats—one of whom was actually a Behemoth—everyone warmly smiled. Lily and Faeri event went on a full charge toward the two cats while saying 「Let us in too~!」, and fluffed them.
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