TWFLLYM Ch 105

The Descent of the Fairy Cat

Clobellina flicked her paw at Belto I, signaling him to lower his head.

Belto I panicked in utter confusion before collapsing onto the floor. His eyes widened. A plump, glossy black cat filled his vision. Nothing but Clobellina occupied his sight.

[Clobell] "You know it by now, but I'm no ordinary cat."

[Belto I] "I, I believe you......."

[Clobell] "I'm a fairy cat. As you know, when humans drove out the witches, all similar beings left the human world. Our fairy cats all departed then, but I stayed behind."

[Belto I] "A fairy cat....…"

A cat is a cat, and a fairy is a fairy. A "fairy cat" remained an unheard-of concept.

Belto I's baffled expression communicated this exact thought, but he listened quietly for the moment. Clobellina's confident attitude commanded his silence.

[Clobell] "So I hid my identity and lived with the incredibly kind pharmacist. She is a genuinely, absolutely, overwhelmingly kind and good human who cared for a fairy cat like me for years. She is the best human among all humans."

[Belto I] "Is that...... right?"

[Clobell] "Tsk. It isn't just 'right,' it is a fact. Anyway, our Rosie—who is rarely kind, upright, smart, capable, and just among humans—fell in love with your son and carries his baby. Listen closely now. This baby will grow up to be an outstanding figure."

[Belto I] "A baby....... Right. He mentioned she carried a child."

[Clobell] "Exactly. The reason this baby will become a magnificent figure is that I, a fairy cat, will bless it endlessly. Do you understand?"

Clobellina shouted her demand, and Belto I nodded.

[Belto I] "A-Ah, understood. I understand."

[Clobell] "Therefore, you humans must treat this baby with the utmost care. Otherwise, I will cast a wicked curse upon all humans."

[Belto I] "A c-curse......."

[Clobell] "You lived through it just now. Both father and son lost their minds and tried to kill each other."

[Belto I] "That was...... Gasp! That was a curse?"

Revelation washed over Belto I's face as he finally grasped the recent events.

She nodded vigorously.

[Clobell] "Of course, I didn't cast that one. But I can unleash a much more terrible curse."

[Belto I] "Then...... No, wait! Then who cast that curse?"

[Clobell] "I don't know that either. But I will tell you one thing. A wicked entity resides right here in the Imperial Palace. It currently curses the humans."

[Belto I] "Unbelievable! For what reason!"

[Clobell] "A wicked entity is simply wicked. It performs such acts for no reason at all. So find it quickly and destroy it. Or you all face utter ruin. You even tried to kill your own son just moments ago. Imagine the consequences if you succeeded."

Belto I clenched his teeth and shuddered violently. Despite reigning as a lazy and incompetent Emperor, he harbored zero desire to murder his son.

[Clobell] "I intervened solely because the Crown Prince will be the father of our Rosie's baby. Therefore, you must thank me and thank Rosie as well. Without me, the Imperial Family would lie in ruins."

[Belto I] "Huu......."

He closed his eyes, released a pained groan, and bowed toward Clobellina.

[Belto I] "In the name of the Imperial Family...... no, in the name of Raquelman I, I express boundless gratitude and respect for the grace the fairy cat bestowed upon humans. As proof, I offer the fairy cat......."

[Clobell] "Ah, save the long speech. If you feel grateful, treat the baby well."

She cut off his gratitude, radiating pure annoyance.

[Clobell] "Find the wicked entity hiding here first. Its actions are incredibly suspicious. It definitely plans to harm our baby."

[Belto I] "Is that certain?"

[Clobell] "Trust the instincts of a fairy cat."

He nodded heavily.

[Belto I] "Understood. Following your will, I shall stake my everything to root out this wicked presence."

[Clobell] "Yes, do it quickly. The curse could strike again at any moment. Imagine if every other human falls victim simultaneously. Absolute chaos will consume everything."

[Belto I] "Understood."

Belto I, his sanity restored, surveyed his surroundings. Kalart and the senior knights of the Royal Guard encircled him.

Displaying a rare look of imperial authority, Belto I spoke.

[Belto I] "Did you hear? A wicked entity dares to sow seeds of curses within this Imperial Palace. What were you all doing while matters deteriorated to this state? Why must I learn of such a critical crisis from a fairy cat instead of the protectors of the Imperial Family?"

That occurred entirely because the Emperor himself brought the wicked entity inside.

Roserikta stood as the sole person equipped to respond in this situation.

[Roserikta] "Your Majesty."

Belto I shifted his focus to her.

[Belto I] "You must be the kindest and wisest among humans. Do you have words for me?"

Roserikta resolved to hold a serious discussion with Clobellina later regarding those painfully embarrassing titles, but she pushed the thought aside for now.

[Roserikta] "I was already utilizing the fairy, ahem, cat's advice to search for the curse's ingredients."

[Belto I] "Oh, is that so. The fairy cat's judgment is flawless. Speak at once. What curse ingredient has the kindest and wisest human discovered?"

[Roserikta] "I apologize, but I have not identified the exact item yet. However, I possess a clear method."

[Belto I] "What is it?"

[Roserikta] "The culprit definitely mixed the cursed ingredient into the banquet food yesterday. Contaminating the meal serves as the most guaranteed method to curse a large multitude."

[Belto I] "A logical deduction."

[Roserikta] "With your permission, I wish to descend to the kitchen immediately and investigate the ingredients."

[Belto I] "An exceptionally wise approach. Execute your task without delay. I grant full permission in my name."

[Roserikta] "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will depart with the fairy cat. She will provide massive assistance."

[Belto I] "That requires the fairy cat's consent, not mine. Fairy cat. Will you bestow your grace upon ignorant humans once more?"

[Clobell] "Well, since you ask so nicely, I will help. Fairy cats are naturally generous."

[Belto I] "I incur an unpayable debt once again. In the name of Raquelman I, I shall praise your grace until every spring in the Empire runs dry."

[Clobell] "Don't forget this grace, and ensure you repay it later. A good human knows how to repay their debts."

[Belto I] "I swear it upon my everything."

Thus, the arrangement was concluded.

Having settled the immediate crisis, Roserikta gathered Clobellina into her arms and exited the hall alongside Elona. Relief washed over her, knowing everyone remained safe.

However, relaxing prematurely invited danger. She needed to uncover the exact substance driving people into a rabid fury.

---

The Emperor's blanket permission proved exceptionally useful. Elona wielded Belto I's name to completely evacuate the kitchen. She successfully cleared out every single person, leaving the kitchen, the dining hall, and even the basement cellar entirely deserted. This significantly more comfortable environment allowed them to hunt for the problematic ingredient in peace.

[Roserikta] "By the way, Clobell."

[Clobell] "What is it?"

[Roserikta] "How did you come up with that idea?"

[Clobell] "What idea?"

[Roserikta] "The story you spun before the Emperor. That fairy cat nonsense."

[Clobell] "Aha, that. It stems from my exceptional talent for improvisation."

Roserikta placed the country mouse on her palm, allowing it to sniff around, and shot Clobellina a highly suspicious glare.

[Roserikta] "Really? Pure improvisation?"

[Clobell] "Well, not entirely...... I adapted a bit of material."

[Roserikta] "From where?"

[Clobell] "I mimicked a scene from The Great Adventure of Aduli the Gray Cat Who Dropped the Black Witch into the Toilet."

[Roserikta] "Ah, I understand now."

She nodded, but suddenly froze with a baffled expression.

[Roserikta] "No, wait. That remains a wildly dangerous gamble. You held zero guarantees the Emperor would swallow your story so easily. One misstep, and both of us could have been burned at the stake as witches."

[Clobell] "Oh, child, child. Why do you lack faith in me? I'm an incredibly eloquent speaker."

That claim left massive room for debate. Roserikta opened her mouth to lecture the cat about the sheer recklessness of the stunt, but her eyes locked onto Clobellina's necklace.

[Roserikta] "Ah! You used Axaca powder!"

Caught red-handed, Clobellina flinched, yet quickly resumed her brazen tone.

[Clobell] "How did you figure that out. Correct. I used a little powder. I boast three full years of experience as a witch's cat, so I deserve to use a bit of powder."

In reality, she had swallowed Axaca powder right before addressing the Emperor. A magically enhanced voice effortlessly captivated a human's mind.

[Roserikta] "No one intends to scold you."

Roserikta patted Clobellina's rump.

[Roserikta] "I'm immensely proud of you. I marvel at how quickly you devised such a brilliant plan in that split second. Thanks to your quick thinking, no one will accuse us of witchcraft anymore. We can simply attribute everything to the fairy cat's magic."

[Clobell] "Serve me well now that you know. I'm that caliber of feline."

Even that arrogant remark sounded endearing right now.

[Roserikta] "You grew up so much. Oh my, when I first picked you up, you couldn't even clean the sleep from your eyes or speak properly."

[Clobell] "Kyak! Why are you dragging out my embarrassing history in front of others? Do you assume other cats speak fluently from birth? We master it as we mature."

[Roserikta] "Of course, of course. A fresh wave of pride just overwhelmed me."

Magnificent, my cat. I definitely raised a phenomenal feline.

[Mouse] "Squeak, squeak. Nothing, nothing. Not here, no, no."

While the witch and the cat shrugged in unison, the country mouse sniffed around diligently.

[Roserikta] "Nothing here? Are you certain?"

[Mouse] "Yes, yes. Nothing, nothing."

The time had arrived to shift to the adjacent cellar and restart the sniffing process.

[Elona] "Wow, this will take ages."

She added her commentary.

[Elona] "We have four identical cellars to search. The storage rooms expand even further. An all-nighter won't provide enough time."

[Roserikta] "We must complete it regardless."

[Elona] "Yes, naturally. However, keeping the kitchen vacant until dinner preparation will breed massive resentment, so we'd better accelerate our pace somehow."

[Roserikta] "I entirely agree."

While the curse instilled sheer terror, enforcing an all-day starvation policy upon the palace proved impossible.

Roserikta coaxed the country mouse and relocated to the neighboring cellar. Sadly, their efforts yielded zero results.

---

[Elona] "Phew...... Should we rest briefly? Exhaustion is catching up to me. I can't imagine the toll on that tiny mouse."

Elona finally surrendered. Roserikta's back screamed in agony from constantly bending over to facilitate the country mouse's sniffing.

[Roserikta] "Yes. Urgency pushes me, but a brief rest is requi......."

She cut her sentence short and whipped around. The country mouse and Clobellina mirrored her movement.

[Elona] "What is wrong with every...... Ah! Oh no!"

Elona instantly identified the problem. The savory aroma of cooking food drifted down from the upstairs kitchen.

[Elona] "I clearly stated it was His Majesty's royal command! They couldn't hold their patience and snuck back in! Skipping a single trivial meal kills nobody!"

Elona shrieked her extreme frustration and stomped furiously up the stairs toward the kitchen.

[Clobell] "I'm starving. Since matters ended up like this, let's snatch a bite to eat before resuming."

Clobellina trotted after the maid, prompting the country mouse to shoot Roserikta an incredibly pitiful look.

[Roserikta] "Ah, your stomach must be empty too."

[Mouse] "Squeak. Cheese soup. The smell, the smell."

[Roserikta] "Yes, okay. Everyone is exhausted. Let's follow Clobell's logic and grab a quick bite. Let's go up."

Roserikta lifted the country mouse onto her palm and ascended to the kitchen.

Exactly as anticipated, the Head Chef and his staff busily prepared meals. Or, more accurately, he abandoned his cooking station to wage a screaming match with Elona.

[Elona] "Ugh, why do you insist on being so stubborn? I relayed His Majesty's direct command!"

[H. Chef] "Even so, we absolutely can't starve His Majesty!"

[Elona] "No, a crisis infinitely more important requires immediate attention! Leave this room for a moment!"

[H. Chef] "Then I demand to hear His Majesty explicitly guarantee the safety of my neck if I fail to serve dinner!"

[Elona] "You, incredibly petty man!"

At that exact moment.

[Mouse] "Squeak? ......Squeak!"

The country mouse's eyes flashed brilliantly as it wildly thrashed its tiny front paws.

[Roserikta] "Oh? Did you catch the scent?"

[Mouse] "Squeak, squeak! Over there, there!"

Roserikta pivoted immediately in the indicated direction. The country mouse gestured frantically, tracing the invisible odor.

[Mouse] "There! Not there, no, no! Here!"

[Roserikta] "Here?"

[Mouse] "Yes, yes!"

The Head Chef's fierce argument with Elona provided a perfect distraction. Slipping past everyone's vision, Roserikta opened the cupboard the country mouse singled out.

[Mouse] "Smell! Hurts!"

The country mouse raised its front paws and clamped them over its nose.

[Roserikta] "This is it."

She uncovered a rather hefty jar. Instead of recklessly tearing the lid off, she meticulously examined its exterior. A thin layer of blackish powder dusted the rim.

[Roserikta] "This is...... pepper."