It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 58

Lord Elliot and Cleed were already seated inside the carriage. It seemed that Karis and Jackal were planning to be overprotective again for my birthday this year.

‘I’ve told them so many times that I’m seventeen now and can protect myself.’

It was a little embarrassing, but I didn’t feel bad. It was also nice that Theo and Deon, who had become even more reliable, sat me between them as if it were natural.

After waiting for a moment, Ethan got into the carriage. I was bothered by how stiff I had been when I faced Ethan yesterday, so I spoke to him first.

“Teacher, it’s been a while.”

“……”

Ethan didn’t say anything for a moment and just looked at me. His blue eyes carefully examined every inch of my face and my attire.

Going to the shopping district to buy things didn’t exactly require formality, so there shouldn’t be anything that bothered him.

As I tilted my head, Deon cleared his throat with a ‘Ahem!’ Only then did Ethan acknowledge my greeting.

“……You’re wearing clothes I haven’t seen before.”

“Yes. I had them made a few days ago.”

The conversation ended there. Ethan wasn’t usually one to strike up a conversation, but I felt awkward.

‘Was it because I acted strange yesterday?’

It must have been strange to see the kid who used to flatter him suddenly acting hesitant.

This must be because I learned about love from Karis. Everyone around me was the same as usual, but I didn’t want things to become awkward because I had changed.

‘Let’s get a grip.’

I stroked the dagger I wore inside my jacket to calm my strangely trembling heart. My mind calmed down to some extent.

Ann and Marie also came along today. Of course, I didn’t put them together.

Marie was sitting on the coachman’s seat of the carriage we were in, and Ann was traveling with the security personnel, including Ben, who was under Cleed.

I adjusted their routes so that they couldn’t exchange letters or hand signals.

‘It’s a hassle, but they need to be witnesses to what will happen today.’

Before I knew it, the carriage arrived at the shopping district. I got off with Theo’s escort.

* * *

As always, many animals were craning their necks to welcome the Gridwolf wolves who had come out to the shopping district.

“It’s the young lady!”

“The Gridwolf Young Lady!”

Kitty dealt with it skillfully, as she had done this more than once or twice. People wore pleased smiles as they looked at Kitty’s hair, which had become even more abundant for the winter.

Since the Gridwolf members visited the shopping district every year for Kitty’s birthday, the merchants would always put out something that would catch Kitty’s eye around this time of year.

“Young lady, this is salmon bread that we developed over the past year.”

“Ah……!”

Kitty’s eyes were drawn to the salmon bread, which was made by pouring dough and choux cream into a salmon-shaped mold and baking it.

Marie, who came as Kitty’s maid, tasted it first, and after Elliot confirmed that there was nothing wrong, he handed the salmon bread to Kitty.

The taste was as excellent as the sweet smell. Stars began to twinkle in Kitty’s big eyes.

“Brothers! This is so delicious.”

The bakery owner, who presented the salmon bread, proudly offered the salmon bread to Theo and Deon as well.

Elliot chuckled as he watched the three of them munching on snacks as if they had returned to their childhood.

‘I wish it could be peaceful like this all the time.’

Cleed and the other fox demi-humans were on edge, sensing the Blue Moon [a period of heightened magical energy and potential instability].

I also had to monitor Ann and Marie without making it obvious. I had to prevent them from exchanging information by taking advantage of the emergency situation.

Just as Theo and Deon were halfway through touring the shopping district and buying Kitty’s gifts, Cleed’s eyes flashed.

“Lord Elliot, I sense the energy of the Blue Moon.”

“Everyone, protect the young lady!”

The peaceful shopping district suddenly became bustling. Marie quickly scanned her surroundings as she took shelter as directed by the Gridwolf wolves.

‘I can’t see their faces well because of the cloaks, but they seem to be the guys Jerian sent.’

I had no intention of greeting the fox demi-humans who had suddenly rushed into the shopping district. Marie moved and lowered her body as the Gridwolf knights instructed, waiting for the fox demi-humans to be subdued quickly.

‘I wonder how great the abilities of the haughty cat young lady will be.’

Thud!

The wolf knights subdued the fox demi-humans in an instant. They drove the foxes to a secluded place and then knocked them out at once.

The situation was resolved much faster because even the highly skilled Gridwolf brothers joined in. All the fox demi-humans were kneeling, tied with tough ropes.

“The foxes should step back since the energy of the Blue Moon has not disappeared. Miss Kittia will drive out the madness,” Elliot said.

It meant that the moment Ann and Marie had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Jerian told them to be sure to capture the image of Kittia driving out the madness of the Blue Moon. He said that attaching people to Kittia was also because of this power.

‘If I report in detail how she drives out the madness of the Blue Moon, this work will be over soon.’

Since they were both fed up with Kitty’s pickiness, they observed even more intently.

Soon, Kitty stood in front of the fox demi-humans with a determined face. A voice full of justice flowed from her mouth.

“I’ll save you soon.”

Bang!

Kitty returned to her cat form and howled powerfully.

Meowwww!

Then, two of the Gridwolf knights next to her laid the fox demi-human, who was possessed by madness, in front of the cat.

His mouth was gagged to prevent him from attacking with his teeth or shouting.

“Then, I’ll start.”

Ann and Marie focused on Kitty’s actions with sweaty hands.

However, only cute actions continued, which didn’t seem like healing the fox possessed by madness.

Rub, rub—

Kitty twisted her body and rubbed her soft white fur on the face of the fox demi-human who was trying to attack her.

Then, the fox demi-human’s fierce resistance gradually subsided.

Then, she climbed onto the fox demi-human’s back and massaged him with her four pink jelly paws.

The puffy cotton ball swayed from side to side.

‘……Is that how you remove madness?’

As Kitty diligently pressed the fox demi-human’s back as if kneading dough, the madness disappeared. The fox demi-human was handed over to Cleed and his squad members.

Kitty even drooped her tail and ears as if she was exhausted, even though she had only saved one out of five people from madness.

“Kitty, are you tired?”

“Yes……. But I’ll try my best.”

Meowwww…….

Kitty began to remove the madness of the second fox demi-human with a somewhat weak howl. The process was the same as before.

Marie could now understand what Cleed had been subtly saying all along.

‘I see why he said that the transcendental magic that can remove the madness of the Blue Moon cannot be used in actual combat.’

The process was cumbersome and utterly insignificant. If demi-humans possessed by madness came in droves, she would be hopping around in the form of a cotton ball and would be kicked in the foot.

‘So that’s why they didn’t publicly announce it, even though she has great power.’

Ann and Marie held back their laughter and waited for time to pass.

The thought that they might be able to quit this tiresome maid life as soon as they returned to the mansion and had free time to report this matter to Jerian made their mouths water.

* * *

Because Kitty returned to the mansion looking withered, this year’s birthday party was held in a simple manner.

Hogwood presented a large salmon smoked from the bear’s territory, and Ethan presented a wonderful set of writing instruments.

The Gridwolf couple presented Kitty with a warm cloak made of Jackal’s body fur and a cute bag made of tail fur.

‘Oh, no. I thought they would only cut his tail fur, but even a cloak…….’

Kitty felt a little sorry for Jackal, who shaved his head every year on her birthday and became fierce.

And a few days later, late at night. Cleed, who had detected the movement of the magic he was aiming for, got up from his seat.

“Young master, where are you going?”

“Ben, you come with me too.”

Unlike before, Cleed had great magical power, and there were many colleagues to move with. It was easy to retrieve a letter from the mailbox with a few subordinates.

Cleed asked his subordinates to keep watch and moved to a secluded place to check the letter.

Even after checking again, it was Ann and Marie’s handwriting and magic.

[As you were worried, she does have the ability to drive out the madness of the Blue Moon, but the process is cumbersome and consumes a lot of energy, so it seems that it cannot be used in actual combat.]

The maids described the detailed process below, not knowing that Kitty was deliberately acting out a cumbersome process.

[1. Transforms into a cat and howls loudly.

2. Rubs the whiskers and long fur on the cheeks against the target. (With a force that slightly stretches the face.)

3. Climbs onto the target’s back and presses down with four paws.]

Cleed chuckled as he recalled the cat moving limply on the backs of the fox demi-humans.

‘I wondered what she was going to do when she said she was going to pretend that it was difficult to use magic.’

The wolf young masters, who had heard about Kitty’s plan in advance, were also about to die of cuteness.

In fact, after repeated training, Kitty was able to quickly drive out the madness of the Blue Moon from the demi-humans.

The reason she deliberately returned to her cat form and acted out a flamboyant process was to leak false information to Ann and Marie.

The two maids, who had already received false information over several weeks, seemed to believe without a doubt that Kitty had flaws.

‘She’s been acting so annoying, so she must personally want to deny that the young lady has strong power.’

The cat completely deceived the two wolves after racking her brain.

Cleed visited Kitty’s room to report. Kitty had been staying in bed for days like a weakened person to completely deceive the maids.

“Young lady, it’s me.”

“Cough…… Come in, Cleed…….”

Kitty was so into acting that she was doing her best, as if she was having fun.

Sitting on the bed with a large cushion and moving her hands to knit was the spitting image of a seriously ill patient.

Cleed couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her doing her best even in strange parts.

“As the young lady expected, the two sent a letter. This is the original, and this is the copy made with magic.”

Kitty jumped up as if she had never been weakened and took the letter to read. As expected, Ann and Marie described her abilities as terrible.

“Put the original back in the mailbox so it can reach Jerian.”

“As you command.”

Cleed took the original letter into his arms and placed the copy on Kitty’s table. As he was about to leave the room because it was late, Kitty called out to Cleed.

“Cleed, thank you as always. This is a bribe for the future…… no, it’s a token of gratitude.”

“…….”

Cleed stared blankly at Kitty for a moment, not knowing what had been placed in his hand.

Thank you.

When Kitty said that, it felt like the resonance of her beautiful voice spread deep into his heart.

“Cleed?”

“Sorry, young lady. It’s been so long since I heard the word thank you.”

His existence was always hope for the fox squad members, and always a trading partner for the wolves. The foxes trapped in the territory of the panthers while possessed by madness…… Well, I’m worried that they might resent me.

They were captured to buy time for the fox family’s successor to escape.

But Kitty smiled brightly as if denying all those dark thoughts.

“I can’t say it directly, but the fox demi-humans in the panther territory are also very grateful to Cleed.”

“Young lady, those foxes were captured because of me.”

“But Cleed is working so hard to save those people again.”

Kitty clearly saw Cleed, who was as devoted to training as she was. Cleed had the clear eyes of someone who thought he had something to do.

“…….”

Cleed was speechless for a moment at the warm throbbing that spread through his heart.