It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 118

Upon confirming the flags of Gridwolf and Weebies, the bear beastmen greeted them respectfully and opened the gate.

“May the blessings of the Sacred Relic be with the envoy. Welcome to the bear territory.”

The party entered the bear territory without any issues. Although it was a relief, Theo and Deon remained vigilant.

“That’s strange. I thought the leopards would attack.”

“A beastman of Sigma’s caliber would know that ambushing during transit is the most effective strategy.”

“Maybe they’re busy with something else?”

I suggested.

The Goddess’s Mirror, held by the bears, wasn’t like Gridwolf’s Bow, whose location was known.

If Sigma intended to do something with the Sacred Relic, she would have to start by finding its location.

“Kitty has a point.”

“Hogwood and the brothers were guarding Delta’s castle, so she probably couldn’t bring many leopards with her.”

“She must have brought only the elite.”

I disliked Sigma intensely, but I knew from hearsay that she was a genius who achieved considerable success.

“She wouldn’t have come recklessly without a way to find it.”

“That’s right. No matter how impressively the brothers were suppressing the leopards.”

We got off the sleigh and moved into the Foley family’s castle, guided by the escort.

As befitting a family that had reigned over the bear beastmen for a long time, the interior was grand and splendid.

‘Do bears like this cool temperature?’

Because Foley Castle was built using stone, a cool aura emanated from all directions.

The sunlight entering the interior through stained glass wasn’t as strong as in the wolf or cat territories.

‘Eden taught me that the days are short here.’

Nevertheless, the interior felt authoritative, likely because of the intricate paintings and symbols, like in a temple.

‘A painting of a white bear receiving a mirror from the Goddess.’

The murals became more elaborate as we went deeper inside. By this point, I also started to wonder about the Goddess’s Mirror.

If most of the bear beastmen knew its location, rumors would have spread, but that wasn’t the case.

‘Are they hiding the location to maintain a monopoly within the family?’

But if they had such a precious item, it wouldn’t be bad to show it off sometimes, confirming, ‘We’re keeping it safe!’

‘Unless there’s a problem with the Sacred Relic.’

If there was a problem, not revealing it would be an excellent strategy. It would be difficult to avoid blame if they had mishandled a sacred object.

‘Besides, the Foley family controls the other bear beastmen with the authority of the Sacred Relic.’

Since we were officially invited envoys, I hoped they would show us the Goddess’s Mirror at least once.

It might react in a special way with my Gridwolf’s Bow, so it wouldn’t hurt to check.

“The Foley Lord and Lady, and Katrina, are waiting inside,” the large bear beastman, who was guiding us, said as he opened the door. Eden, who was walking at the front, held out his hand to me.

“Let’s go, Kitty.”

The moment Eden, as the representative, offered his hand, the brothers glared daggers. But with the Foley Lord present, they couldn’t grumble.

‘He’s really wearing the scarf I gave him.’

I lightly placed my hand on his.

“Welcome, envoys,” Katrina greeted us, wearing an elegant dress. The Foley Lord and Lady were sitting on chairs in the back.

“I apologize for greeting such honored guests while sitting, as I am not feeling well.”

“Thank you for coming so far.”

The Foley couple offered kind greetings while seated. It was clear at a glance that both of them lacked energy.

“Thank you for the invitation. I am Eden of the Weebies family, and this is Kitty, as you know.”

Eden gave a concise greeting. The brothers, who had been quietly listening half a step behind, quickly added in surprise.

“Gridwolf! Kitty Gridwolf. The youngest, adopted into our family.”

“And we are Theo and Deon of the Gridwolf family.”

…They’re really protective.

In any case, I shook hands with them in turn and greeted them.

“Hello? I’m Kitty, temporarily adopted into Gridwolf. Thank you for inviting me to the bear territory.”

Soft—

The Foley couple’s eyes widened as they held my hand.

“My goodness.”

“Katrina, you were right. Kitty’s nickname is…”

“Soft Paws.”

I added, feeling a little proud.

During the brief time introducing the key members, from Eden to Hashka, the Foley couple coughed deeply about ten times.

Each time, a shadow crossed Katrina’s face, indicating that both of them were indeed in poor health.

“Forming an alliance and inviting envoys are unfamiliar, but I sincerely hope that a good relationship will last for a long time,” the Foley Lady said to Eden in a pleading voice. It was a voice filled with concern for Katrina, who would be left alone.

“We recognize that mutual cooperation is needed more than ever.”

With Eden’s reply as the last word, we headed to the dining hall.

* * *

“Brothers, Eden, you know. Wasn’t he just like Jackal when he was talking to Cleed as Lord to Lord?”

I asked the brothers in a very small voice. Then, Deon pinched my cheek lightly and said.

“Kitty, are you thinking about two guys at once?”

“Ouch.”

“Let’s think about family when we’re with family.”

Theo added, securing the seat next to me.

After the meal, Hashka and the dog beastmen moved to talk with the managers in charge of trade.

The Foley couple and Katrina were presenting bear beastmen specialty desserts for us, who were sitting around a large table.

“Now that we have to talk about the troublesome Sigma and the leopards, at least our tongues should be happy.”

I took a sip of the black, cold tea that Katrina offered.

“…! Something’s popping in my mouth?”

“It’s a carbonated iced tea that my grandfather loved very much. There’s nothing like it outside the bear territory.”

My eyes widened at the refreshing and fizzy taste of the iced tea. At the same time, I realized something.

‘I shouldn’t be knitting, I should be selling this.’

I decided to discuss this issue before leaving the bear territory and focused on the conversation again.

At Katrina’s gesture, the castle’s servants brought out a map of the bear territory and unfolded it.

It was surprisingly different from what was known to Gridwolf or Weebies.

“I don’t know what method they used, but Sigma and the leopards are only searching areas quite close to Foley’s Mirror,” Katrina said, pointing to a large lake on the map.

‘The bears call it Foley’s Mirror.’

Katrina’s words just now were as good as telling us that the mirror was near the lake.

Katrina must be planning to share the location of the Sacred Relic with us.

“The leopards they brought are so nimble that they’re hard to catch. The ones we manage to catch commit suicide with poison they’ve prepared in advance.”

“…”

“We must capture them all before they touch Foley’s Mirror.”

Katrina said as if that was the only way. But from our perspective, there was something a little questionable.

“Catching the leopards is important, but wouldn’t it be better to move the mirror here to protect it first? Unless it’s stuck in the ground like Gridwolf’s Bow.”

I don’t know how the bear beastmen are keeping the Sacred Relic, but if Sigma has caught its scent, it would be better to move it to a safe mansion for storage.

The members of the envoy all seemed to have the same thought as me, as they gazed at Katrina intently.

The Foley Lord, who was behind her, answered instead.

“I don’t know how to bring this up… but we don’t know where the Sacred Relic is either.”

It was such a shocking statement that none of us reacted immediately.

Only after a while did Eden frown and ask.

“Lord Foley. What do you mean by that?”

“It’s as I said. My grandfather was the last one who knew the exact location of the Sacred Relic. But he suddenly passed away…”

He said that just before he died, he hurriedly pointed to a map to tell them the location of the Sacred Relic.

“But as you know, beastmen revert to their animal form when their life is in danger, don’t they?”

“Are you saying that the late Lord pointed to the map with a bear paw, so you don’t know the exact location?”

“I’m embarrassed, but that’s what happened.”

An indescribable silence fell in the room.

I felt like I knew why the bear beastmen had been so anxious to hide the location of the Sacred Relic all this time.

‘They’ve been ruling while pretending to have something they don’t!’

Katrina also seemed embarrassed by the situation, as she subtly avoided my gaze.

The Foley Lady carefully examined our reactions and added.

“This is the first time we’ve revealed this matter to people outside the Foley family. We also know that we can no longer hide this fact.”

“…”

“So, instead of forcibly maintaining the secret, we decided to reveal the truth. Before it’s too late.”

As if aware that death was slowly approaching, the couple exchanged glances for a moment.

Katrina said with an even darker face.

“If we have the help of Kitty, who possesses the Goddess’s magic, I think we can find the mirror hidden somewhere near the lake.”

If there was anything I could help with, it wasn’t a problem to help.

But instead of immediately saying yes, I asked what I had been curious about since before leaving for the bear territory.

“If I help you find Foley’s Mirror, will you tell me about the deaths of the two cats named Icarus?”