It’S A Cat, Adopted By A Wolf Family? [EN]: Chapter 65

Crunch—

Sigma continued to stomp on the broken glasses. The lenses were crushed under her shoe, scraping against the floor. The chilling sound echoed throughout her lab.

‘Jerian, that bastard, dares to……!’

Sigma was angrier at being deceived by Jerian and wasting her strength than at the fact that she failed to steal the bow, Blue Moon, enhanced with Kitty’s power.

Jerian had said that Kitty’s power was too weak to be used in actual combat.

However, Kitty had shown herself to be skilled in using magic, enough to quell the madness of the three wolf sons at once.

‘Did Jerian deliberately leak false information?’

If they had planted two spies in the Gridwolf mansion, they must have seen Kitty training her magic many times. They would have heard the related reports, so to pass on information that Kitty’s magic was difficult to use in actual combat…

Thanks to that, Sigma failed to kidnap Kitty or steal the bow. She only ended up leaking information to the wolves that Kitty’s power could be used to move the bow stuck in the floor.

So, whether Jerian leaked false information intentionally or not, she couldn’t help but be angry.

“Who does he think made him the leader? He doesn’t even know his place……”

Sigma spat out vulgar curses at Jerian without hesitation, stomping on the glasses. Delta, who was standing behind her, watching her rage, frowned.

“Sigma, that’s enough. You’re being loud.”

Delta, who was standing behind her, rebuked her. However, his voice was also low and subdued.

It was none other than the leopards who had placed Jerian, who was weak and only big, in the position of leader of the cats. Jerian had obtained his current position and immunity to the Blue Moon on the condition that he was loyal to the leopards.

But if he now harbored other intentions…

“Sigma, go to Jerian and make him take responsibility for the misinformation.”

“Responsibility, you say……”

“Search his residence and bring all the fox shifters held captive by the Blue Moon’s magic.”

“So, we can replenish the forces we lost with their help.”

Jerian might think he was hiding the fox shifters from the leopards, but in fact, the leopards were pretending not to know.

Originally, Jerian was supposed to hand over any fox shifters he found to the leopards immediately.

“Press him, asking if he’s hiding the fox shifters to rebel against us, and then bring some of the cat shifters who are loyal to him. So that he can’t do anything else, having lost his hands and feet.”

“And then I can do as I please?”

“Yes. Just leave him alive.”

“Oh…… How benevolent you are.”

Sigma smacked her lips, feeling good at the thought of torturing the cats.

Now that they knew Kitty Gridwolf had even greater power, the leopards no longer needed to cling only to Jerian.

Jerian knew that fact well, so he must be subtly looking for a way to survive.

Sigma looked at the mirror on the desk. She could still feel the heat from the torn forehead where Kitty’s bow had struck. Such a strong power to leave this much of a wound, even though she had instantly surrounded herself with magic to defend.

A story suddenly came to mind.

“Delta, do you know about the story of the golden apple?”

“Golden apple?”

“Yes. A story from long ago, in the age of the gods. The gods split into factions and started a war to claim a single, luscious golden apple……”

Sigma, who didn’t particularly covet gold, hadn’t understood the hearts of the gods in the tale. But now she felt like she knew how they felt.

Sigma also had something that made her feel like she had the whole world just by holding it in her arms.

“The shifters will soon split into factions and fight to take possession of the soft paws with special powers.”

“We must take it before that happens.”

The eyes of the two leopards shone darkly.

* * *

Meanwhile, an unexpected meeting was taking place in the training grounds.

It was because Kitty, the cat adopted daughter, had pulled out the bow that no wolf could move.

“This confirms that Lady Kittia has the goddess’s magic.”

Forward’s tone toward Kittia was much more respectful than before.

Jackal nodded heavily and continued.

“If Cleed were awake, we could have obtained more information using the mana record.”

Hogwood stroked his chin, looking at Kitty with interest.

“If we leak the information that the bow has moved, even the bears who wouldn’t even try to talk, claiming to maintain neutrality, will react.”

The fact that a sacred object had moved was that important in the shifter world.

Moreover, the fact that Kitty was a cat who was not affected by the Blue Moon’s madness was already widely known.

If Kitty, who already had special abilities, could also handle the Gridwolf’s bow, her value would increase tenfold, no, a hundredfold.

Any shifter would be interested.

“I can only hit things with the bow right now, but I’ll practice hard.”

Kitty said in a spirited voice. Jackal added to ensure that Kitty didn’t feel burdened.

“A strong and excellent wolf would use the bow in that way. You’ve become quite the wolf.”

Kitty’s eyes sparkled at the words that she, who was infinitely weak and small compared to the wolves, looked like a wolf.

Then and now, Kitty was weak to compliments about being strong.

“Ah…… Really?”

“Yes. We can’t just stand there and take it if we can’t get within arrow range.”

Kitty, feeling proud, slightly raised the corners of her lips. She tried not to blush as she added.

“I’d also like you to investigate the Blue Moon that Sigma stabbed into Cleed’s chest. I felt my magic.”

“So, she used magic extracted from her hair. She’s really trying everything.”

Hogwood replied that he would also investigate the enhanced imitation Blue Moon.

After discussing other minor issues, it was agreed that Kitty would keep the bow for the time being.

After all, it wouldn’t budge if anyone else tried to move it.

‘If I can use this bow completely……’

Kitty couldn’t help but recall her mother’s limp body in her arms.

Jerian’s cruelty, who had an abundance of food but didn’t show even a little kindness to those in need, was vividly revived.

She had not been lazy in her training, and she had become brave enough not to tremble even among the leopards who had bitten off the ends of their tails.

So, if she had the Gridwolf’s bow, revenge would be easier.

‘At this rate, I’ll be able to get revenge soon.’

That night, Kitty went to sleep alone in the accommodation prepared for the guests.

Ann and Marie were taken care of by Ben, Cleed’s adjutant. It was because if those two who had seen her use her power properly might do something unexpected.

As she was sleeping alone in an unfamiliar place, she had many thoughts. Kitty picked up the bow that was placed next to the bed.

‘They said that others can’t see the bowstring except for me.’

She wondered why she was the one who could use the bow in Gridwolf.

A question suddenly arose. Did her mother know that things would turn out this way and leave a will telling her to go to the wolf territory?

‘But if I had special powers, Jerian wouldn’t have kicked me out.’

She wondered how much her mother knew, and what she was hiding while having such a warm embrace and smile, but she couldn’t find the answer.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep, Kitty headed to the terrace. She was going to curl up in a high place, bask in the moonlight, and feel the breeze.

But in the distance, she saw the familiar back of a woman.

‘Karis?’

Even though it was deep dawn, Karis was moving alone, wrapping herself in a thick coat. Feeling worried, Kitty took the bow and followed her.

Karis entered a heavily guarded building. Kitty gradually slowed her pace as she realized what kind of building it was.

“Lady Kittia, are you going to enter the Hall of Remembrance?”

A place to remember the names of the wolves who died at the hands of the leopards. In the deep dawn, she wanted to comfort Karis’s heart, who had come to this place alone.

‘If Karis allows it.’

Kitty entered, muffling her footsteps.

The walls of the building were all designed to store something like bookshelves, and each compartment was filled with small tombstones with the names of the dead wolves.

There was no space on the memorial stones, so only the names excluding the surnames were written, but the tombstones fully recorded the names of the families.

‘They said that a memorial service was held here every year when Eden’s succession ceremony wasn’t held.’

Karis was kneeling at the innermost part of the building, stroking a tombstone. Her tear-soaked cheeks shone white in the moonlight.

She called out someone’s name in a fragile voice as if it would break.

“Diel…… Ah.”

Karis turned her head weakly and looked back. Soon, she found Kitty and hurriedly rubbed her cheeks to wipe them.

“Kitty?”

“Ah.”

Kitty, who had only been thinking about comforting Karis, became a little embarrassed when she realized that she had been following Karis.

“I’m sorry. I was worried because you were heading somewhere alone……”

But Karis was happy to see Kitty like that. She forced a smile and tapped the seat next to her.

“Kitty, would you mind coming next to me for a moment?”

“Yes!”

Kitty took the bow and scurried over to sit next to Karis. Karis’s eyes were swollen all around when seen up close.

‘Theo and Deon said that Karis is always immersed in sadness during the memorial service.’

She must have been pretending to be okay this year because I was here. Kitty took courage as she looked back and forth between Karis, who was trying hard not to collapse, and the tombstone with the name ‘Diel Gridwolf’ written on it.

“Karis. May I hug you?”

“……Would you?”

Bang—!

Kitty returned to her cat form with her abundant fur. This form seemed to be more comforting than her human form.

After carefully placing the bow next to her and snuggling into her coat, Karis hugged her tightly with both arms.

Kitty rubbed her soft face fur against Karis’s cheek. Cold tears were묻어났다.

“……Diel Gridwolf. It’s the name of Theo and Deon’s younger sibling.”

“…….”

“……Kitty. Would you mind listening to my story?”

Kitty carefully nodded her head. Karis stroked Kitty’s fur and told the story she had buried deep in her heart.

Whenever her heart ached and she couldn’t continue her story, she stroked the warm Kitty and barely finished the story.

Tears welled up in Kitty’s emerald eyes as well. Karis shook off Kitty’s whiskers and face fur and smiled self-deprecatingly.

“It’s funny, isn’t it…… I buried that child with these hands, and now I put my hands together and pray for that child’s happiness.”

She was cursing herself. Even though she knew it was an unavoidable situation, she put her head in a deep pit of guilt every year during the memorial service.

“Karis……”

Kitty held Karis’s hand tightly with her front paw. Karis’s heart gradually calmed down as her soft pink jelly touched her.

“I know. I know how painful it is to dig up hard frozen ground with bare hands.”

“…….”

“Please take care of Karis’s sore hands too.”

Karis’s eyes widened at Kitty’s kind voice. She buried her face in Kitty’s fur for a long time and swallowed her sobs.

Would it be selfish to feel like Diel had come back to life and was whispering to her? Karis squeezed out her voice as if she was wailing.

“I miss that child so much. Please, even a small trace……”

Kitty still hated getting her fur wet, but she endured it without showing it.

As Karis’s crying subsided, Kitty curled her tail like a fishing hook, lifted the bow, and smiled like sunshine.

“Karis. Let’s drive out the leopards and go to where Diel is.”

“Baby……”