CH 86

Chapter 86 - The Black Cat Speaks

The ghost of the fog created by the magic disappeared, and a black cat appeared in front of Souya and Mia.

Its right eye was green and its left eye was gold. He was staring at the two of them warily.

“…… A cat? You have very beautiful eyes.”

Mia bent down a little, opened her arms, smiled, and tried to invite the black cat in.

“Meow!”

As if in response to Mia, the black cat mewed in a warning manner.

However, the odd-eyed black cat did not move from its spot.

“…… meow, meow, meow! Just kidding …… Hahaha. There’s no point in trying to fix it now. I’ve lost.”

The odd-eyed black cat closed his right eye after a mischievous purr and muttered fluent human words.

“……?”

Mia was puzzled.

In contrast to the bravery she had shown when confronted with the ghost of mist, she could not hide her surprise at the black cat that spoke human language.

Mia probably didn’t know who this cat was. It was true that the odd-eyed black cat in front of her was a rare species that was rarely seen, even more so than a ghost.

“…… The gentleman with the dark glasses. How did you see through my Illusion?”

“Well, I’ve seen a ghost rather recently. The transmission of it was strange. And your Illusion was a little too deliberate and unrealistic, perhaps because you were trying to scare people.”

Souya did not mention the fact that he used the function of his glasses to discover the odd-eyed black cat, and with a slightly triumphant look, he made up something that seemed appropriate.

But what he pointed out was true, and he did feel uncomfortable with the behavior of the ghost of the fog.

“…… I see. I see, so the intention to scare was too obvious.”

The odd-eyed black cat bent down and yawned, as if sulking.

“Well, aside from the ghost’s performance, it was impressive that you could handle magic so well. You’re a cat fairy, a Cait Sith, aren’t you?”

The Cat Fairy, Cait Sith. It is a phantasmal beast that is also called the King of Cats.

It has a high level of intelligence on par with, or even higher than humans, and has the ability to subdue cats and transform itself, and depending on the individual, it can use magic and spirit arts.

Souya knew about the existence and characteristics of the Cait Siths, but this was the first time he had actually encountered and seen one.

“Indeed. I am Shamil, a Cait Sith. You’re Souya and Mia, right? Are the Grass Fairy Grasswalker and the old man who were in the lodge earlier also with you?”

The cait sith who introduced himself as Shamil, asked them.

“Yes, that’s right. And so is this sleeping mare …… You said your name was Shamil. Do you usually stay in this lodge?”

(T/N: The mare is the horse.)

“No. It’s not a regular thing …… Since I’m not a fan of water, so I used it to get out of the rain. The reason why I threatened them with magic was because the boy who came before you, the grasswalker, was very talkative and boisterous …… I was a bit annoyed that you showed some happy atmosphere to me as well. Well, it’s a bit of a prank, no real reason.”

Mia stared at Shamil, who muttered funny and without being shy, with a stern look.

“This cat …… It looks just like Souya-san.”

When Souya heard Mia’s murmur, he looked at her with a straight face.

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“…… Right now, I’m just a stray cat. I just lost the master I serve about three months ago.”

Shamil spoke plainly. In the plate of dishes in front of the black cat, there was a piece of chicken that Souya had bought in Ilstadt.

“Master? So you were a Familiar?”

“That’s right. The magic of illusion was taught to me by that Master …… The hermit of Mount Iskar. He said he had abandoned his name. That’s why I call him Master.”

Iskar is a high mountain, about 3,000 meters above sea level, located deep in the mountainous region southeast of Ilstadt, and even from this lodge, we could see the magnificent peak in the distance.

(…… The hermit of Mount Iskar. I’ve never heard of him. But that’s to be expected since I’ve never been to Iskar itself …… I wonder if he passed away.)

He abandons his name, calls himself a hermit, and lives in the remote high mountains. He may have once been a famous magician, but he was probably a recluse.

(And if he was using the Cait Sith as his familiar, then the hermit of Mount Iskar is as powerful as a Grand Master …… The world really is big.)

In order to use the Cait Sith as a familiar, you need to make a contract with him through a higher level magic called High Familiar.

If he had a magical contract and was subdued Shamil, it was proof that he had the appropriate magical ability.

“…… Well, then. That’s all I have to say. Where do Souya and Mia plan to go? I see you have other friends at the lodge.”

After finishing his personal story, Shamil asked them a question.

I don’t think Shamil has any hostile intentions, but since I work for my client, Peryton, I don’t think I can tell him the details of my objective.

“…… We’re from Ilstadt. And now we’re heading to Lingen. Do you know of it, Shamil-san?”

Mia told him briefly where she came from and where she was going.

“Ilstadt …… It’s a big city on the plains down the mountain. A few times a year I would go there to buy things at the behest of the master. Lingen …… A town in the mountains to the southeast. I sometimes go there to buy food and red wine.”

Shamil seemed to know both Ilstadt and Lingen.

And the master, who calls himself the hermit of Mount Iskar, seems to have been living while using Shamil as an errand boy to buy things. The fact that he was shopping for red wine suggests that he also enjoyed drinking.

It is a matter of little consequence. It would be difficult even for an earth elf, a Dwarf to live self-sufficiently in such high mountains.

“We are hired hands, so we can’t tell you much about it. As Mia-kun said, we are going to Lingen. I think our goals may be similar to yours.”

The purpose of the escort to Lingen is for the client, Peryton, to buy red wine. In that sense, it was the same purpose as Shamil, who was shopping for red wine on the orders of the master.

“…… Lingen, huh? …… If you are going to go to, you should be careful.”

“Yes …… Indeed, with this heavy rain, tomorrow may be a little hard.”

When Mia replied to Shamil with a wry smile, Shamil shook his head.

Apparently, he wasn’t talking about the heavy rain.

“No, that’s not it …… It was yesterday, I think. I think it was in the southeast, near Lingen. I saw a huge plume of smoke that reached the clouds and went on and on …… I think it might have been a forest fire. I hope it’s gone with this heavy rain.”

Soya felt uneasy because of what Shamil muttered plainly.

It was the Bronze Demon they had encountered earlier in the evening, that had crossed his mind. And–

“Kyaaaaaah!”

I heard Aisha’s scream even louder than the one from the lightning strike.

And there seemed to be some kind of commotion going on at the lodge.

(–Did something happen?)

Souya stood up from his spot and quickly ran out of the stable.

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