Chapter 4: From Now On as a Cat

Warm, fuzzy—fuzzy, warm, lovely…

One fine afternoon—Tama is ensconced between Aria’s breasts, as per usual.

They’re on the main street in Labyrinthos’s mercantile district. Today they’re taking a break from adventurer activities, so Tama isn’t wearing his protective gear, and Aria isn’t equipped with armor or weapons—she’s wearing a white blouse and a knee-length black skirt, both with light frills. On Earth, this is known as an outfit that will “kill virginity dead.”

Aria’s highly revealing adventurer outfit is super attractive, but the neat and clean aura she’s giving off through today’s getup matches her looks perfectly and is absolutely charming.

As a bonus, her melons—a certain point of pride for Aria—are going wild underneath her blouse, bouncing back and forth, and the sheer gap between them and her mature outfit is creating a truly erotic situation.

“Tama, what do you want to eat tod—? Wait, what’s that gathering of people about?”

As she stares at a line of food stalls and is about to ask Tama what he wants for lunch, a group of people enters Aria’s field of vision. And just beyond them, she can hear an angry, exploding roar.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Tama. Let’s check it out.”

“Meow!” You got it, master.

Hearing Aria, Tama jumps lithely out from her breasts and lands on the ground. Aria makes sure he’s fine before rushing toward the throng, and Tama follows.

“You little shit-for-brains! This beggar scum had the gall to bump into me!”

“He’s the perfect punching bag!”

“Gwah…no…mmmfngh…please!”

An appalling scene unfolds just past the crowd. It’s a child, wearing shoddy rags, being beaten to a pulp by two men.

Judging from the child’s appearance and the conversation, bumping into the man with dirty clothes on has provoked his wrath. The onlookers are concerned and watch the scene unfold with pity, but nobody tries to stop them. Getting wrapped up in such a troublesome affair is too much to ask of these folk.

“Stop it right now!”

A delicate and pleasant voice, yet one certainly filled with rage, erupts through the crowd—of course, it belongs to Aria.

“Who the hell are you—? Wow, now isn’t this sight…”

“Heh-heh, what an absolute babe.”

At Aria’s cry for them to desist, the two men turn around, puzzled. The second they see Aria, they laugh lewdly, eyes darting between her buxom chest and perfect legs.

Aria screws up her face. It’s because of the way they’re looking at her but also because she can smell their reeking breath from where she stands. It’s obvious they’re drunk, although it’s only just past noon.

“What timing. If this rapscallion needs saving, maybe we’ll just take her for a spin instead.”

“Uwa-ha-ha! That’s the ticket! She’d probably moan so good… Gwa-ha-ha!”

One of the men laughs derisively and reaches out to touch Aria’s hand—but in that instant, a piercing cry suddenly erupts.

Looking closely, an opaque spear has pierced the man’s shoulder.

“Meowrn!!” Try to touch my master? That’ll be your last move…

Tama roars—he’s launched a magic ice spear, Icicle Lance, at the offender.

Trying to touch his master, Aria, with such filthy hands is absolutely inexcusable. On top of that, witnessing how they committed violence against a child, Tama’s knight spirit is ablaze with the anger of retribution.

“Meowrn!!” Icicle Lance!

Tama launches another magic ice spear. This time, he charges it up for a few seconds and pierces the other man directly.

“Heh-heh, you did say that you wanted to take me for a spin, right? Well, come on now…?”

“Uw-uwa—!!”

Aria smiles sadistically to threaten them further. The second man runs like the wind.

“Hey…hey!! Wait for me…”

The first brute, who took an Icicle Lance to the shoulder, trips from the intense pain and scrambles after his coconspirator.

“Now, now—are you okay there?”

“Ooh…y-yes…thank you—”

“No need to speak. I will fix you right up.”

Aria doesn’t pursue the escaping men. She prioritizes helping the wounded child, taking an emergency healing potion from her garter belt and putting it to the child’s lips.

“It…it doesn’t hurt. My body’s healed… Thank you so much, pretty lady!”

“Heh-heh, that’s such good news. Shall we go together now?”

“Together…but where? I’m a beggar—I don’t have anywhere to go.”

The child responds to Aria with a quizzical look, and although Aria couldn’t tell from her bedraggled appearance, hearing her voice, she can tell she’s a girl.

Master, just what do you have in mind for this girl?

Tama is as confused as the young girl. Where exactly does Aria intend to take her?

This must be a church…

After following Aria for some time, Tama and the girl—he learns her name is Lala on the way—arrive in front of a house of worship.

“Excuse me, Sister, I have something I’d like to ask of you…”

Stepping inside the vestibule, Aria speaks to one of the nuns nearby. After exchanging words in hushed voices, Aria is led toward the back of the church.

“Lala, wait here for us, okay? Tama, stay and watch over her.”

With those words, Aria disappears into a room in the back with the nun.

“Wow, Tama, you are so darn cute!”

“Meow!”

Anything to save his master’s life. And Tama doesn’t dislike being around children, either. He doesn’t have a clue what Aria is up to, but for the moment, he’s happy to comfort Lala as she plays with him.

He lets her hug him, he chases after her, and he plays hide-and-seek. After he kills time for a while, Aria returns alongside the nun.

“Little Lala, come here, please. Starting today, this is going to be your home, okay?”

“Huh? My home?”

The nun speaks to Lala with a soft smile upon returning, and Lala stares blankly.

So that’s what you’re up to, master! What a noble thing you’ve done!

Hearing the nun speak, Tama senses what Aria has arranged—as a result of her actions, Lala will be enrolled in care at the church.

Saving Lala was just something Aria wanted to do. But what might happen afterward was problematic—left behind as a street urchin, there’s no saying the same thing wouldn’t happen to the girl again…

Concerned for Lala’s future, Aria was determined to have her live under the care of the church. Of course, such service is not free, or rather, the enrollment fee is anything but a negligible sum. Aria is by no means rich, but she paid for it herself.

The young girl doesn’t understand any of this, but when she learns that she will have warm meals and a place to sleep every night, her face widens in a huge smile.

The nun takes her by the hand, and Aria watches Lala disappear into the church while she addresses Tama lovingly.

“Meow!”

Tama answers her with gusto and dives back in between her breasts. Then he tells himself again—he would do anything to serve Aria, who goes to such lengths to pursue righteousness.

One week later—

Walking along the main street of the mercantile district, Aria stretches and exclaims with joy, “Yeah! We killed it today, too!”

“So true, meow! You’ve really come a long way, Aria, and our coordination is on point!”

Vulcan answers enthusiastically and pumps her fist in the air. At the same time, Aria’s melons bounce up and down in rhythm, and Vulcan’s apples also bounce noticeably.

The men close by on the street can’t help stealing a glance at their displayed cleavage and side boob. Yet there is one man…no, one beast, who looks at them from a completely different angle.

Wow, what a sight for sore eyes…

That’s right—it’s Tama. Surprisingly, he’s not being held by Aria but is instead walking close behind her. And just now, he’s looking diagonally upward.

In other words…from Tama’s viewpoint, he can see directly up inside Aria’s short skirt. Her white, perfectly taut skin is wrapped by a black thong—as always with Aria—and Tama savors the salacious way it wedges into her curves, along with the pleasant aesthetic contrast of black on white.

As a knight, gazing upon my master’s flower garden may sound scandalous, but there’s no telling when a dangerous gang will fall upon her. This is another crucial part of my duties as a knight!

And so on and so forth… As always, Tama is making excuses to drink in Aria’s body with his eyes.

There’s a reason Aria is in an especially grand mood today, and it has to do with the color of the tag hanging between her breasts. It’s different than a week ago—it’s changed from bronze to silver. In other words, Aria has graduated from D rank to C rank.

Just the other day, she handed Kussman—who was also C rank—a loss in their duel, although she was with Tama. Adventurers who have animal companions have their abilities evaluated jointly. Also, Aria has defeated many monsters with Vulcan over the past few days, not the least of which was the minotaur.

Her achievements have been recognized by the guild, and only yesterday, her rank went up. Just now, Aria and Vulcan have completed another quest and are on their way back to the guild.

“Meowr? What’s that?!”

Merely stepping foot in the guild, Vulcan points something out, puzzled.

Every adventurer present has gathered in front of the noticeboard that displays quests, and they’re all looking in the same direction. If it were morning, this scene would be normal given that all new quests are posted at the same time, but it’s just past noon… Exactly what is going on here?

“Oh, hi there, Aria and Vulcan. Welcome back!”

“Anna, thank you. We just returned.”

Arnold addresses the pair while walking past, and Vulcan immediately points out the flock of adventurers. Tama is still looking on from ground level, and seeing Arnold’s bondage suit digging into his (?) body from up close has caused some severe psychological damage.

“Have you heard the rumor that missing persons are on the rise in the neighboring village?”

“Come to think of it…”

“Yeah, I think I heard about it from a customer at my shop.”

Both Aria and Vulcan have heard the rumblings to which Arnold is referring. The town of Renald lies one day by horse carriage from Labyrinthos, and a not-insignificant number of missing persons have been reported there recently…

“Does that mean the notices posted are to find missing persons?”

“No, not quite, Aria. Actually…the postings concern eyewitness accounts of a number of monsters and some demons that they are accompanying at a ruin site near Renald.”

““—?!””

Aria and Vulcan collectively gasp, eyes wide as saucers.

What?! Demons?! That means…

Tama is equally surprised and formulates a theory.

Demons are the progenitors of monsters. They have the power to control the minds of a certain level of monster, and they feed on human flesh.

In other words—

“Did the missing persons from Renald fall into the demons’ hands…?”

“Yes, it was feared they were abducted—and now…it’s almost guaranteed, Aria.”

Arnold answers with downcast eyes and a sorrowful expression.

“Oy! Who’s going to take on this request…?!”

“The hell’s wrong with you? You’re talking about demons here! I feel for the people of Renald, but there’s no way I’m going.”

All the adventurers gathered in front of the noticeboard are having the same conversation. The quest is to defeat the demons and the monsters accompanying them.

Aside from the ability to control other monsters, many demons are born with extremely powerful skills. Facing such fearsome adversaries, it’s no surprise that a regular adventurer would hesitate, no matter how good the pay.

But among them—

“Anna, please tell me the details of the request.”

Aria whispers quietly.

“Meowr? Aria, you can’t be serious…!”

“Are you for real, Aria?”

“Yes. I might not be strong enough alone. But if we can drive the demons away, we’ll prevent further tragedy… I cannot forgive them!!”

Master…!! It’s true after all—that you want to become a person who is strong and righteous, just like the Sword Saint… It will be a dangerous quest, but if my master accepts it, all that’s left for me is to fulfill my duties as a knight!

Aria’s gaze is piercing as she spits out her words. Seeing this, Tama is convinced, and he remembers something all over again—the absolute sense of honor filling his master, the one he has sworn to protect.

“Well meow, if that’s the case, then I’ll take on this quest, too!”

“Vulcan! Are you sure?”

“Any girl who gives up when her partner shows such courage isn’t long for this world. It’s my duty to be supportive when the times get rough!”

Vulcan speaks with conviction. She also has a heart of gold; Tama can tell.

“Okay, then! As far as the quest details go, because it’s a request of this nature, there will be an accompanying knight squadron—”

“Allow me to elaborate on that part.”

As Arnold begins to explain the quest, someone suddenly appears and cuts him off.

“Hey now, Anna. Vulcan, it’s been quite some time. And, Aria, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cedric Ruiné. I’m one of the knights assigned to accompany this quest. I hope we can all get along.”

Cedric is a young man with reddish-brown hair and emerald-green eyes. He’s tall, with a long, thin nose and a brisk smile on his face. He’s definitely what the girls would call a hunk.

“Hey now, Cedric! Pretty big deal for the knight squadron leader to turn up himself—what’s going on?”

“I’m here to ascertain the level of aspiring applicants. I need to know who is really prepared to put their life on the line.”

Cedric looks at Arnold and answers with a positively smoldering, handsome smile. Watching the scene unfold, Aria opens and closes her mouth like a stunned fish.

What?! That’s…Cedric Ruiné?!

Tama is equally shocked, eyes as round as pie dishes.

Cedric Ruiné… His name is somewhat—rather, exceptionally famous.

Not long ago in this world, there was a massive battle known as Ragnarok between humanity and an army of demonic hordes. The conflict was fiercely violent, but thanks to the service of one man known as the Grand Wizard, humanity came out victorious and restored peace to the land.

Cedric Ruiné is one of the heroes who led humanity to victory, fighting alongside the Grand Wizard, who is also his brother-in-law. Although they are both knights, Cedric is well-known as a hero—of course Tama is aware of him, and it’s no surprise that Tama is in shock seeing Cedric stand before him.

“O-oh, it’s such an honor to meet you, Mr. Ruiné!!”

Aria finally opens her mouth to speak. Her expression is one of true respect. That should also be a given—in fact, while Cedric is a knight, he’s also the eldest brother of the house of the feudal lord who runs Labyrinthos—the Marquis Estate.

There is a specific reason he hasn’t inherited the estate as head of the family, but that doesn’t affect his standing. Yet this is the man who’s sworn to protect others as a knight and has made such great achievements that everyone knows him as a hero.

Aria, with a righteous heart herself, has no reason not to be absolutely enamored with him.

For the record…Cedric’s brother-in-law, the Grand Wizard, is the “magic-wielding girlie-boy from another world” Vulcan previously mentioned…but Aria doesn’t know that yet. Let’s leave that alone for now.

“Ha-ha, please call me Cedric, Aria. We’re going to be fighting together soon—best to be on a first-name basis.”

Aria looked nervous when she addressed Cedric, but he replies coolly.

Hmm. He is theoretically putting on airs, but I don’t sense any disagreeability to him. This must be what they mean by an actual hunk. Absolute night and day from Kussman.

“Okay, are there any other adventurers who will take on this quest? If not, I will close the entry here and now.”

Having finished greeting Aria and company, Cedric turns to the group of adventurers gathered in front of the noticeboard and addresses them in a calm voice that still rings clear.

Each adventurer casts their gaze downward. None of them is willing to sacrifice their own lives to help others, like Aria.

“Okay, then. I’m not seeing anyone else, so I will explain our objective. Standing here won’t do—let’s head over there and sit down for a talk.”

Cedric doesn’t even feign to put blame on the adventurers averting their eyes, turning instead to Aria and her friends while suggesting they move to the bar and escorting them there.

Forcing someone into a quest simply opens the possibility of being deserted just when the battle gets ugly, and that will not stand—Cedric knows this full well. He is a hero, after all.

“Okay, where shall I begin? The purpose of this quest—”

Cedric sits down and immediately begins laying out the details outlined on a piece of parchment. It has a summary of the quest written on it:

Additionally, because this is expected to be a dangerous endeavor, a very handsome sum is listed for terms of payment.

“Excuse me, Cedric, I have a question…”

“What is it, Aria?”

“Is going up against demons and an unknown number of monsters really advisable with just us?”

Yes, I was just thinking the same thing. Even with the hero Cedric with us, our numbers make me extremely anxious.

As Aria asks hesitantly, walking on eggshells, Tama can’t help but share her unease.

However—

“Ah, if that’s what you’re wondering, it’s no problem. The four who will accompany me are all first-rate squadron members—men who fought in the Great Demon War and lived to boast about it… And at any rate, I have an ace in the hole, should we need it.”

Cedric explains coolly and smiles at the end, giving an impression of absolute confidence.

“Heh-heh, don’t worry, Aria. If Cedric really turns it on, he’s unstoppable.”

Arnold chimes in after Cedric. He leans up against him as he does and intertwines his hand in Cedric’s.

“Stop, Anna. You promised you wouldn’t do anything like that in front of people, remember?”

“Oh, Cedric, you are so bad.”

Cedric pokes Arnold on the cheek and reproaches him in a sweet tone.

Arnold responds in his telltale loving yet husky voice and looks elated.

Ohhh…are these two…that sort of…?

Watching Cedric and Arnold interact, Tama and Aria both start imagining…

In other words, the reason Cedric didn’t inherit the estate as head of the family is…

But let’s leave that alone for now.

Cedric is a hero with uncompromised confidence, and he has Arnold’s seal of approval. There shouldn’t be any problems with this plan.

While watching Arnold and Cedric grind up on each other, the party officially accepts the quest. It’s decided—they’ll leave Labyrinthos first thing tomorrow morning.

Sir Cedric…you are extremely handsome and an upstanding gentleman… You’re an aristocrat and leader of the knight squadron—extremely high status. What an absolute shame.

Such are Tama’s thoughts.

“Oof… Okay, Tama. Let’s go.”

“Meow!”

Early morning—

After finishing changing her clothes, Aria turns to Tama, sitting on the bed like a li’l chonk, and opens her bosom to him.

Tama mews eagerly and leaps from the bed into his regular place, softly ensconced between Aria’s melons.

Hmm?

Tama realizes something. Aria is squeezing him even more tightly than usual, and her expression is stiff.

I see—my master is anxious, it seems. I can’t blame her—this quest may prove leagues more dangerous than anything she’s ever seen before. And accompanying us will be subordinates under the direct control of one Cedric Ruiné…a man who can certainly be called a hero by anyone’s reckoning. Okay—it’s up to me to assuage my master’s anxiety.

“Meow—”

Tama mews quietly and climbs to the top of Aria’s bosom deftly, careful not to scratch her with his claws, and licks her cheek.

“Wha—? Tama, you make me so ticklish. Hee-hee, are you maybe trying to cheer me up because you can tell I’m nervous?”

“Meowr—!!”

Recently, Aria has essentially learned to understand what Tama is trying to say, just from his mewing and actions. Seeing that she responds with the same sweet smile as always, Tama nods in satisfaction.

“Take this as a reward for cheering me up.”

It happens so suddenly. So suddenly that Tama doesn’t even understand what has transpired for a moment. Yet, when he feels the crush of warmth against his mouth, he knows—Aria’s lips are quietly pushed against his.

Master…

For Aria, putting her lips to her cat (at least, Tama mistaken as a cat) isn’t such a big deal. But for Tama, who on the inside has the consciousness of a fully grown knight, taking a kiss on the mouth from the stunning elf girl standing in front of him is an absolutely astounding occurrence.

Lub-dub—

Tama’s pulse quickens ever so slightly.

What is this heart throbbing—?!

Tama is perplexed. Before he realizes it, in his heart of hearts, Tama is looking at the girl in front of his very eyes not as someone he’s devoted to protecting as escort—he sees her through the lens of love. That is why his heart is throbbing.

…No, this is not the time for such thoughts. I should only be focused on protecting my master to the very end, as a knight!

In his previous life, Tama was quite introverted. Even now, after reincarnation, that hasn’t changed. For this reason, he wasn’t even aware of the love awakening in his own heart.

He will quell the longings of his heart through unselfish and chivalrous dedication and give preference to his duty as a knight.

Well, really…Tama’s desire to protect Aria will undoubtedly reach a new zenith, but he is certainly unaware…

“Meowr, Aria, good morning meow!”

“Good morning, Vulcan!”

As Aria and Tama arrive at their planned meeting spot, the south gate of Labyrinthos, Vulcan waves and calls out to them, having arrived early.

Aria responds and jogs over to where Vulcan stands.

“Well, well. I guess we’re the last ones here.”

As Aria arrives at Vulcan’s side, she hears a soothing voice call out from behind her. It’s Cedric. Compared with yesterday, he’s now wearing light armor and has a sword equipped. Four of his knights, a small group of men and women, are waiting behind him.

“Okay. Let me begin by having everyone introduce themselves. Danny, you begin.”

“Yes, Captain! My name is Danny. I’m officially second-in-command of this squadron. Pleased to meet you.”

Danny has closely cropped hair and introduces himself sociably. He’s equipped with light armor and a sword, just like Cedric.

“Allow me to introduce myself next. My nickname is Howard, and I’m a tank, but I am also proficient in hand-to-hand combat. You can count on me!”

Howard is wearing heavy armor and is a big boy, carrying a shield as tall as he is. However, he’s not a normal human.

His skin is covered in green scales, and his head is positively reptilian. He is what’s known as a lizard man. Just like elves and the tiger-eared clan, he’s a species of demi-human.

Next, two female knights come to the front.

“My name is Keni. I’m a specialist with this here battle-ax!”

“My name is Marietta. I wield this bo. It’s a distinct pleasure to meet you.”

Keni raises her ax, voice rife with enthusiasm. She has red hair in a ponytail and sharp reddish-brown eyes. Her equipment includes what qualifies as armor but leaves a lot of skin exposed… She’s wearing what is known as bikini armor.

Compared with Keni, Marietta hesitates to even say her own name. Her hair is a short-cut bob, nearly black but closer to indigo blue. Her eyes are also dark indigo. She’s wearing the same bikini armor as Keni.

Hmm, so Howard is the tank, Cedric and Danny are the vanguard, and judging from their equipment, Keni and Marietta are critical sneak-attack specialists… Altogether, they’re a bit front heavy, but it’s not a bad formation by any means. And this is all on top of the “ace in the hole” Cedric mentioned yesterday, too.

The knights finish introducing themselves. Tama looks at each of their weapons and ascertains their battle formation immediately. At the same time, seeing knights in their regalia for the first time in ages, Tama feels very nostalgic.

“My name is Aria. I’m a C-ranked adventurer specializing in knives. And this is Tama. He’s an elemental cat and still a kitten, but he has powerful innate skills.”

Aria greets the knights after their self-introductions finish. It appears Vulcan already knows the crew, so she simply says hello. Then, as Aria finishes introducing Tama…

“W-wow, an elemental cat—how rare. And with innate skills…”

“Wah—he’s so cute!”

“Hey, Aria, can I hold him for a minute?”

Howard puts his hand to his chin and stares at Tama with deep intrigue.

Marietta and Keni are already making requests to cuddle the adorable Tama.

Danny gets a glimpse of Aria’s cleavage and Vulcan’s side boob and immediately looks like a hot mess.

“Well, well, why don’t we continue on in the horse carriage, in that case?”

Watching things unfold, Cedric laughs sarcastically and pushes everyone to keep moving forward. A single large horse carriage has been prepared for them. It will take a day’s journey to reach Renald.

Heh-heh, I’m relieved everyone is so friendly. I might just forget that I’m a devoted knight, myself.

Aria, seeing the knights’ casual interactions and manner of speech, forgets all about her own anxiety, too.

“Um…are you sure it’s okay? Should I really be relaxing in the carriage like this…?”

Aria hesitates to speak out inside the carriage—for Cedric, the captain of the squadron and an aristocrat, is working as coachman while Howard and Danny follow alongside as lookouts on two spare horses. Inside the spacious transport are only Aria, Tama, and Vulcan, alongside the bikini armor–clad Keni and Marietta.

“It’s fine, Aria. Lookout duties work alternately, and the captain is just…the captain, you know?”

“Yeah, it’s so true—what a waste, even though he’s smoldering hot.”

Keni and Marietta look dejected as they answer Aria. Their despondency is not aimed at Aria but rather at their captain, Cedric.

Both Aria and Vulcan have some knowledge of how to maneuver on a steed or run a horse carriage. They rushed to try and stop Cedric, who immediately went to sit in the coachman’s seat…

“Ah-ha-ha, don’t worry about it, either of you. I like it outside. I can’t be in such close quarters breathing the same air as all you women for very long—no thanks.”

Cedric rattles off with his trademark refreshing hunk smile. It would appear that not only does he play for the other team, he doesn’t even fancy women much at all.

Any girl on the street would do a double take, that’s how good-looking Cedric is… Just as Marietta said, it’s a definite waste.

“By the way, Marietta, it’s time for you to give him up already.”

“What are you talking about, Keni? I just switched a minute ago.”

Tama is ensconced in between Marietta’s breasts poking out from her bikini armor. Keni and Marietta have been waging war on whose turn it is to hold the adorable Tama since the ride began. Tama being Tama, the touch of Keni’s and Marietta’s bare skin feels so damn good, he’s barely conscious.

What’s more—both girls have ample bosoms the size of ripe peaches, and every time the horse carriage hits a bump, they jiggle up and down, the sensation rippling through Tama—yes, they’re both really driving the spurs on this exceptionally comfortable ride.

Of course, the only reason he can be so calm in another girl’s arms is because Aria commanded it.

“Mmm…I love holding Tama, but watching Tama being held by you is really getting me hot and bothered…”

Meowr—! Aria, you really do love Tama. Well, you were already a furry, and then he saved your life, so it’s not like I don’t understand why. Me too, in reality…

Vulcan can’t help but muse to herself as she sees Aria, eyes ablaze watching Tama being held in such rapture by Marietta.

In that moment—

“What meow? The carriage stopped.”

“Maybe it’s monsters?”

The carriage stops on a dime; Vulcan reaches for her gauntlets and Aria for her knives. Meeting monsters along the road is par for the course.

“Everyone, it’s a horde of orcs, but stay put. Danny!!”

“Yes, Captain!”

Cedric speaks to everyone inside the carriage. Just as they expected, the group has encountered some monsters. However, Cedric holds Aria and Vulcan back, instead giving instructions to Danny.

Aria and Vulcan stare out the window and see that several orcs are rushing directly toward them.

“Hey! Look, swine—over here!!”

Danny yells, provoking the orcs while jumping off his horse. Orcs are dim-witted, but they have some manner of intelligence. They become enraged at Danny’s taunting and surge toward him.

“Ha-ha, orcs are such simple cretins!!”

Danny is now surrounded on all sides, but he gets a running start and slides directly between one of the orc’s legs.

The orc’s body shudders, and in that second, it erupts in a bloodcurdling scream—“Snort—!!”—before falling to the dirt. Looking closely, it’s clear one of its legs has been ripped off.

Danny grips a bloody longsword in his hand. He managed to slice one of the orc’s legs off while sliding between them.

“Incredible! What a stunt… Is that a special skill?”

“Ha-ha, what are you talking about, Aria? Danny doesn’t use skills.”

Aria unconsciously gasps, amazed by Danny’s dexterous combination of evasion and attack, but Keni laughs lightly at her question.

Then Danny puts the death blow to the incapacitated orc, and next, it’s his turn to attack. He steps in, and though the movement looks small, he covers an incredible amount of ground. The orcs recoil and scream in shock at how quickly he closes in on them.

“Okay, now!”

Danny jumps into the air and does a flip over the orcs, accompanied by a dry snapping sound. When he touches back down—two of the orcs’ heads are rolling on the ground.

This time, Aria definitely saw exactly what happened—including the second that Danny lopped off both orc heads while flipping over them in midair.

Only two remain—one of them grips a bo and swings it down toward Danny.

“Too slow, chump.”

Danny speaks coolly and twists his body to evade the strike. The orc has lost its balance from whiffing, and Danny kicks it in the leg, knocking it to the ground before piercing it directly through the heart from the back.

The last orc rushes Danny from behind, but by then, he’s already removed his sword again. With his back facing the orc, he rocks it in the solar plexus with the hilt of his weapon, turning around as the orc recoils.

Danny slashes through the orc’s torso on a perfectly level plane and watches its body fall in two halves.

“Amazing…this is the power of second-in-command to the captain.”

“Meowr, he’s another hero himself!”

Aria and Vulcan can’t help but voice their wonder.

Hmm. Slicing an orc completely in half without any skills. To boot, he’s rushing all over the place without breaking a sweat… He’s fought at Ragnarok and lived to tell about it—for certain.

Danny returns to his horse like nothing has happened.

Tama, a knight of a similar ilk, is rocked to the core.

I can’t wait to see the other knights fight now!

“Ah, to thee royal knights—thank you so much for coming here.”

It’s evening—after they finished their day-long haul. The town headman exclaims, “How we awaited thee!”

Thankfully, the party did not encounter any other monsters after the orcs.

“Let’s dive right in—can you please show us the ruins and other places demons have been sighted and explain the situation in detail?”

“Of course, my pleasure. The ruins are only a few minutes from town. Regarding the missing persons, in fact just last night, another young girl…”

The headman accedes to Cedric’s request.

There have already been additional casualties. Aria’s arm flexes as she holds Tama. Her heart is in agony for those sacrificed.

“…In reality, we should have been more vigilant from the start, but in any case, our town is still newly founded, and we didn’t have a chance to invest in our own protective measures.”

“I see. It’s true that this village is located on the former site of a demon colony.”

Hearing the headman’s words, the lizard man Howard whispers to himself, as if recalling the past.

This town—Renald—was founded rather recently at this site, where a demon colony was annihilated by a group of brave knights during the aforementioned Ragnarok. What’s more, because Labyrinthos, which has knight squadrons and the Adventurers Guild, is located close by, Renald itself has very weak defenses.

“Now, now—everyone, you must be very tired. Please come this way. We’ve prepared the inn and hot springs for you, free of charge.”

After confirming the distance to the ruins on a map and the types of monsters that have been sighted, the town headman gestures toward the party.

As they bid farewell, the party once again instructs the townspeople to refrain from going outside at all, to the extent possible.

“Damn! This meat is delicious!”

“These deep-fried mountain vegetables are also legit!”

Danny and Howard can’t help but tell the whole world how good the food is at the inn’s restaurant. The dishes are meat and mountain vegetable focused. According to the girl running the establishment, in addition to the ruins, there’s a small mountain near the town, making for a ready supply of fresh food.

“The booze really goes down easy when the food’s so good—!”

“Take it easy there, Marietta. Our task of defeating demons is waiting tomorrow.”

Keni cautions Marietta, who sits across from her and is drinking like a fish. Their captain, Cedric, looks at his four knights with a wry smile on his face.

“Maybe it’s just me, but they don’t seem nervous at all.”

“You’re right meow. I guess those of the ranks that lived through Ragnarok are simply cut from a different cloth, hey meow?”

Aria and Vulcan are seated in the corner, quietly exchanging opinions.

Hmm. What to make of this? Seeing them like this, their disposition is closer to adventurers than actual knights.

Seeing the way they handle themselves and interact among one another, Tama has fostered this impression of the group since they met.

And then…

“I’ve gotta know right meow—!”

Aria and Vulcan start asking the knights all the questions on their minds.

They’ve fought at Ragnarok and lived to become heroes… Aria and Vulcan are dying to know what circumstances brought them to become knights.

“What the—? Are you and yours really that curious about such a thing, Aria?”

“We don’t mind sharing, but it’s really not an interesting story, ya know?”

Having imbibed, Danny’s and Howard’s faces are red as they reply.

Aria says that she absolutely wants to hear it, and Danny relents: “Okay—I’ll start.

“I was born in a poor home. One day, I borrowed money from a bunch of lowlifes. They put an absurd amount of interest on it, and I couldn’t pay. I was up against the wall, and my mother was prepared to sell herself to them…”

Around that time, a squadron of knights just happened to stop by Danny’s hometown on an excursion. Further, the troop happened to be looking for young, capable hands. Danny already had his wits about him when it came to swordsmanship.

“I was still a kid, and I challenged one of the knights in a duel, expecting to die an honorable death. I told them to hire me as a knight if I won. Told them to pay my wages up front and take care of the entire debt I’d put on my family. Of course, I thought they’d snort through their noses laughing at me, but one of the knights was a real maniac and took my challenge.”

In the end…as expected, Danny lost. But it wasn’t a lopsided fight.

The captain of the knight squadron went so far as to actually hire Danny. In other words, they shouldered his entire debt.

“If something like that happened to you, you’d agree—you have to pay that person back, no matter what the cost. So I trained harder than ever before and eventually became the first squadron’s second-in-command. I had no idea I’d be sent into the gaping maw of Ragnarok, though! Ba-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

After finishing his story, Danny laughs like nobody else is in the room.

“……”

Aria falls silent. Speaking of the first squadron, she’s heard that only the highest-ranked knights are placed there. She always thought they were aristocrats like Cedric, but in reality, a regular commoner with deep concern for his family also became one…?

“I was also born a commoner, like Danny. I became a knight for the same reason—to clear my family of debt.”

“I also became a knight to have the cost of my ailing older sister’s medicine paid for.”

“I became a knight under the condition that they would save my father, who’d been forced into slavery.”

After Danny, Howard, Keni, and Marietta all chime in.

“Meowr, this is way heavier than I expected. We’re so sorry to have asked so lightly…”

Vulcan nods awkwardly, and her tiger-eared-clan ears, normally a point of pride, droop.

“Whatever. Don’t look like that, you two!”

“That’s right. We have all repaid our debt of gratitude to our knight squadrons, and we’re here following orders of our own accord.”

Seeing Aria and Vulcan looking gloomy, Danny and Howard have the kind sense to return to addressing them like nothing’s happened at all.

After Danny finishes, Keni and Marietta continue.

“Well, the only reason I was able to return all the money the knight squadron lent me is thanks to Captain Cedric’s little brother.”

“That’s right! Little Maiya… Right now, he must be enjoying the harem life with Sakura and them, eh?”

Hearing what Keni and Marietta have to say, Aria reacts with sheer excitement.

“Yeah, he’s incredible! Maiya…you’re that close with the Grand Wizard? …And just what does it all mean? You’re saying thanks to the Grand Wizard? Wait? And what about Sakura?”

She’s more than excited—hearing the name Sakura, which she knows, Aria is now completely flabbergasted.

“Meowr? Aria, you didn’t know? Sakura got pregnant by Maiya, meow.”

“Ehhh?! You never said a thing about that, Vulcan! Does that mean that you, too, can call the Grand Wizard by his first name?”

“Meow…come to think of it, I told you before about a boy who uses magic, right? Well, Maiya was a regular at my shop before he was ever called ‘Grand Wizard.’ For the record, I was the one who taught him how to use a staff, too. Wow…it’s so meow-stalgic…!”

“Wha—?!”

The strongest young man, who saved the world—the Grand Wizard. A member of Aria’s own party, Vulcan, is an old friend of such a person.

Aria faces the greatest shock she’s experienced thus far in life.

“The only reason we were able to pay back the knight squadron is because we went on a massive quest with Maiya, who had just come to our world. He split the payment with us.”

“Maiya was extremely tough, and a boy with a heart of gold. And he was already strong then—but becoming so strong, he could take out the demons as a lone knight? That’s simply astonishing.”

This Maiya took out every last demon all by himself? So the rumor is true. What’s more, these honorable knights all idolize him… Someday, I certainly want to meet the legendary Grand Wizard.

A high level of elevated strength and an elevated persona.

As a former knight, Tama puts great emphasis on these two qualities.

The Grand Wizard likely fulfills them better than anyone else. Tama again wishes to see him even for a moment someday.

The party also asks Cedric his reasons for becoming a knight.

“I don’t love women, so I can’t inherit my family estate. I became a knight because I was bored. And as a knight, I can not only kill monsters, but if someone is a criminal, I can legally kill them, too. What more could you ask for?”

The party receives a really messed-up answer juxtaposed with Cedric’s trademark hunk smile.

Aria and Vulcan are absolutely floored.

The room had been filled with an emotional aura, but Cedric made a mess of it.

“Mmm!”

Aria grabs her shirt and rips it off in one go, revealing her heavy, ripe melons that bounce up and down animatedly. She’s in the ladies’ changing room for the inn’s hot springs.

The innkeeper encouraged Aria and the girls to take a bath after they finished dinner, so they’ve convened here to rest their travel-worn bodies.

Vulcan is also stripping down next to her, alongside the bikini armor–clad Keni and Marietta, revealing their beautiful exposed skin.

Vulcan has apples, and Keni and Marietta both have peach-size bosoms. They’re all gorgeous—a true spectacle of resplendent beauty.

Oof—my master is one thing, but seeing all these ladies so exposed is absolutely uncouth for a knight. But what can I do?

Of course, Tama accompanied them. Hearing they’d be going for a hot springs dip, Tama knew that Vulcan and everyone would be there, too, and turned to leave and wait outside, but Aria caught him and put an end to that.

What’s more—she told him that he better be a good boy or she’d have her way with him. What else can he do but obey her every command?

“Okay, Tama, time to get in the bath with us!”

“Meow—!!”

Aria’s removed her panties and stands as naked as the day she was born, legs spread as she addresses Tama. Her porcelain-white skin is as flawless as ever. Simply beautiful.

On the tips of her breasts, her ideally sized sakura-pink nipples are fresh and bright, perfectly highlighting the depths of her beauty.

Tama leaps onto her breasts, and before he knows it, he’s ensconced between them.

“First, we have to wash up alllll over, okay?”

Aria addresses Tama as they enter the washroom. She sets him down and picks up a bar of soap, lathering him in a cloud of suds.

“Huh—even though he’s a cat, he doesn’t hate getting washed?”

“Tama is so cute covered in soapy bubbles!”

The stark-nude Keni and Marietta are watching Tama while he calmly receives his wash. Completely unabashed, since only girls and a cat are present, they’re not wearing towels. To that end, Tama is taking in their nude bodies with abandon.

Fully surrounded by the resplendent flower gardens of so many nude girls, Tama’s little behemoth threatens to become a full-fledged behemoth, but if that happens in front of Aria, she won’t be able to stop herself from attacking him. Tama controls himself through some form of cold reason.

“…Hmm? What’s the matter, Vulcan? What are you doing over there?”

While washing Tama, Aria notices Vulcan watching them from the corner. It’s clear she’s touching herself there and rubbing her thighs together—her face is flushed pink.

“Meow! I-it’s nothing. Don’t worry about me-ow.”

Vulcan replies in a panic. Her voice cracks, and she’s staring at Tama lustily.

I—I can’t say it. I didn’t know I would throb this hard at Tama seeing me naked. Even if I was wrong, I couldn’t say a word.

Vulcan is screaming inside… She has been holding a secret, it seems.

Aria looks at Vulcan quizzically but recommences washing her body and Tama’s anyway, her melons bouncing up and down the whole time. Keni’s and Marietta’s peaches are shaking, and although Vulcan looks quite ashamed, her apples bounce and change shape, too.

Tama is doing everything he can to keep his little behemoth from going full monster. He starts counting prime numbers simply in an effort to quell himself.

“Phew—okay, Tama, let’s get in, okay?”

Tama continues counting. Aria has finished washing herself and beckons to Tama as she slips her foot into the water.

Thank god. If we get in the tub, I will be able to at least divert my eyes from my master and her company’s bodies.

Tama responds with a hearty meow and gets into the tub with everyone.

“Oh god…they’re floating in the tub…”

“Aria, having boobs on your level is truly a glorious sight.”

Keni and Marietta enter the tub next and emit cries of shock…and wonder. Aria’s melons are floating in the tub, right next to Tama—strictly from the pressure they’re exerting on the water.

“There’s nothing really that great about them, ya know? My back is always hurting…”

“Damn, back pain, eh…? Well then, maybe you need a rub!”

“Yeah, let’s do it!”

“Yeah, I always wanted to feel Aria’s monstrous titties, too!”

“H-hey—wha…? You guys?? Ooh…ahhh…”

Hearing Aria’s complaint, Keni, Marietta, and Vulcan all open their hands and fly toward her. Of course, they’re all going for her melons.

As Aria’s soft, voluptuous breasts are rubbed and kneaded by the tiger-eared-clan girl and female knights, Aria can’t help but cry out in ecstasy.

“Ooh…ohhh… No! Tama, help!”

“Meow!” Just wait, master, I’ll help—Hmm?

As Aria calls on him for help, Tama rushes to stop the three girls. But something’s not right. Something about him is…just wrong…

“Wow!! I can hear the most erotic conversation happening on the ladies’ bath side!”

“Calm yourself, Danny. Don’t get so riled up just from coquettish voices.”

“What’s with the poker face, Howard? Even though you’re in such a slump?”

“What’s with you guys? I simply fail to understand what’s so great about women.”

The men’s bath lies just across the wall from the women’s.

Hearing Aria’s gasps while her breaths come hard and rough, Danny and Howard are aroused, and Cedric—with zero interest in women—looks positively disgusted.

“At this point, we totally have to go over there.”

“Go over there? Wha—? You can’t be serious, you filthy cretin.”

“It’s just like you’re imagining, Howard. This area is separated into men’s and women’s sides by a wall, but there’s only bushes around the sides. Let me make it easy for you—if we go around the side, we’ll be able to spy on them all we want! Come on, Howard—I know you’re up for it.”

“Hmph. I guess I can’t refuse a fellow knight’s request.”

Howard is quick to jump on board with Danny’s plan, despite his grumbling.

The pair sets out on tiptoe… They quickly disappear into the bushes, hoping to get a glimpse of Aria and company’s baby-smooth skin…but…

“Meow—!”

““Wagyahhhhhhhh!!””

Danny and Howard erupt in a bloodcurdling scream in response to the cute little mew. Stepping into the bushes, they were mere moments from seeing into the women’s bath, but just then, a powerful gale blasts them back.

They’re rocked into rough brambles and tumble in a scraped-up heap. The source of the gale may not need explanation—it came from Tama’s Aether Howl.

Tama sensed Danny’s and Howard’s agitating presence creeping over from the men’s side with his feral instincts and anticipated their arrival.

Now, Keni and all the girls rush over to see just what’s happened and find Danny and Howard, with Tama standing watch. Aria surmises the situation, explaining it to the others.

Although they’re already bruised from Tama’s attack, Danny and Howard face the additional punishment of Keni and Marietta bashing them over the head.

Sweet Jesus—

“I can sense them.”

“Yes. It’s about six in total. And they’re hobgoblins, out of nowhere… Just what’s going on inside, I wonder?”

The next morning—Danny and Howard are whispering to each other as they hide under cover. As they’ve planned, Aria and company have arrived at the ruins in question.

They’ve confirmed that hobgoblins—higher-level goblin monsters—are patrolling the entrance. They’re about as tall as grown human men, and as opposed to regular goblins, they possess intelligence and are therefore quite troublesome monsters.

“Okay—this is our turn to shine!”

“That’s right! Leave the sneak attacks to us.”

Keni and Marietta are trying to sell the men on an ambush. Cedric nods faintly in agreement, and the pair rushes out.

Incredible speed—not as fast as Aria when she activates Acceleration, but they’re fast enough. And they’re not only fast—they’re silent. Because they’re both equipped with bikini armor, their plating doesn’t clank against itself.

Their timing is also immaculate—rushing out during the split second the hobgoblins have diverted their vision.

Crack!

Marietta bashes one of the goblins on the back of the head with her metal bo. The hobgoblin is battered to death before it even knows what’s happened.

On Keni’s side, a similar scene has developed. She attacks with her battle-ax and splits a hobgoblin’s head from the cranium down to its spinal cord—she’s put it down with a single come-from-behind sneak attack.

“Gu-gyah—!!”

Now realizing they’re being ambushed, all the hobgoblins stampede toward Keni and Marietta. Hobgoblins wield stone axes, and the one leading their charge swings its down toward Keni.

“I’ve never seen such a slow attack! Eat this, you scum!”

Keni avoids the strike with ease, stepping in closer to kick the hobgoblin in the crotch.

The powerful attack from her steel leggings causes the goblin to erupt in a bloodcurdling scream.

“Ga-gyah—!!”

“Nice try, buddy!”

As the hobgoblin writhes in agony, Keni brings up her battle-ax and sends its head flying in one fell swoop.

“Ah yes, an honorable death, no doubt.”

Behind Keni, Marietta is repeating a similar attack. She’s aiming for the same spot, too—a hobgoblin’s crotch. This time, it faces a direct bash from her bo.

Just as the name implies, this death took balls.

“Gu-gyah—!”

“Gu-gigi—!”

Seeing the power of the two bikini armor–clad knights and their heartless nature, the last two hobgoblins run for the hills.

But they’re too slow. The second they try to run, fresh blood gushes from both their chests.

“Well done, Keni, Marietta.”

“Indeed—I knew it would be, but that was a perfect ambush.”

It’s Danny and Howard—Danny with his longsword and Howard with his short sword, which have pierced the hobgoblins through the back.

“Okay, according to the map, there is only one exit, so this means the rest of the monsters have no escape route. Let’s rush in and assault them before they have a chance to position themselves.”

““““Yes, sir!””””

Everyone sounds off in unison at Cedric’s call to arms. Aria and company take up the rear so as not to cause any delay.

“Are these…invaders? From what I can see, it’s adventurers and knights… That means they’ve discovered I’m ensconced here. I told you to be extra careful when abducting any humans from the town…”

In the deep reaches of the ruins—

—a young demon is muttering in annoyance.

His skin is reddish bronze and eyes bright violet, with a venomous tint to his green hair…

He belongs to the race of demons, the scourge of humanity, that lives off devouring their flesh. This young beast is the specific cause of the recent spate of abductions, and the object of Aria and company’s quest is to defeat him.

The demon’s violet eyes are fixed on a crystal on the ground. Staring into it, the creature watches Aria and company moving through the interior of the ruins. This crystal is a magic item. Imbuing it with magic allows the user to see what’s happening in a predetermined area in real time.

“Shit, just when I was about to launch the plan… Was abducting humans a mistake after all? But it was necessary to continue sustaining the monsters. There was no other way.”

The young demon puts his hand to his chin and continues to grumble.

“No, it’s too late for recriminations. In reality, I wanted to increase our forces…increase our battle strength…but now all we can do is act.”

After pondering for some time, the young demon makes a decision. Then he closes his eyes and focuses his synapses.

By manipulating mana, demons can make monsters act according to their desires. To that end, it’s going to set the monsters prowling throughout the ruins on Aria and company.

“Let’s go for a trial run. I’ll make you regret ever intruding on my plan, you peasant humans!”

“Gru-ruuu—guuu—”

Aria and company have entered the inner ruins, coming face-to-face with some grotesque beings that have come out to greet them with deep growling.

“This is rare—those must be war wolves.”

“And this many of them guarantees that demons are lurking around here.”

Seeing the war wolves, Howard and Danny chatter among themselves.

War wolves are wolf monsters with humanoid bodies. However, their characteristics are different from both humans and wolves—they prefer isolation and almost always act alone.

Yet, despite this, the war wolves inside the ruins have gathered into a massive pack. From this, it can be deduced that they are being corralled by demons.

“Okay, everyone, let’s proceed as usual!”

““““Yes, sir!””””

“Aria, Vulcan, and Tama—look for openings and then attack!”

“““Yes, sir!””” “Meow!”

Cedric rattles off orders, and as his crew follows them, the battle begins.

“You foul beasts! Over here!”

Howard leaps out first. He stomps on the ground and bashes his gauntlets loudly against his great shield.

“““Rowrrr—!!”””

The war wolves erupt in a roar and rush toward Howard. The blood surges in their eyes.

Ohhh—he’s activating the skill “Provocation.” A true tank that survived Ragnarok, no doubt—he has such valuable skills.

Tama is impressed. The war wolves didn’t fall on Howard simply because he made a clamorous racket with his gauntlets and shield. He activated the skill Provocation, which fans the flames of monsters’ internal battle instincts, drawing their attention to himself.

A tank’s role is to draw as much enemy attention to themselves as possible to ensure that their compatriots are not injured—that is all.

The leading three war wolves descend on Howard and attack him with kicks, punches, and claw scratches in succession.

“Bwa-ha-ha!! Did you think that would possibly affect me?!”

Howard laughs heartily and blocks every one of their attacks with sublime shield deflections. Their blows rock off his shield loudly, but Howard doesn’t even flinch. The lizard man’s body is rugged and heavy. Attacks a normal person wouldn’t be able to endure would never be decisive against him.

“Here we come!”

“In for the kill!”

It’s Keni and Marietta’s turn to attack the wolves bringing up the rear. However, the war wolves are still fixated on Howard thanks to his use of the Provocation skill, and they don’t notice the two girls. They relieve the remaining war wolves of their lives in no time.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I love hearing you cry in agony!”

“Ah, Captain, we’re crushing it already!”

From the opposite side, Cedric rains down slashes on the war wolves, his voice and expression completely on fire.

Danny looks at him in astonishment and joins the battle. It would seem the rumors that Cedric is an aberration who derives pleasure from killing are true.

“Meow! Cedric, such incredible swordsmanship!”

“I c-can barely see the path of his slashes…! So this is the power of a hero who survived Ragnarok… Tama, we can’t afford to face defeat, not one bit!”

“Meow!” Of course, my master!

Aria and company provide support from the outside, and they can’t look away from Cedric’s swordsmanship, either. For starters, he doesn’t waste a single movement. He wields his blade with the least effort required and aims directly for weak spots—he kills every beast with a single blow.

“““Rowrrr—!!”””

“Huh? Captain! They’re sending reinforcements!”

“It would seem so. But this time around, our enemies are wielding weapons. Aim for their vitals—!”

“Cedric! Okay, leave it to us. Tama!!”

“Meow!” You got it, master!

A new wave of war wolves, this time armed, floods out from the rear of the ruins. Cedric has called for vital point-attacks, but Aria forestalls his command and calls to Tama, who rushes to the front and inhales deeply.

Aether Howl…might be useful, but it will only buy us time. Instead, let’s use this as a chance to show master my power anew!

“Meowrn!” Aqua Howl!

Tama lets loose one of his Elemental Howls, Aqua Howl. His breath, now filled with highly pressurized water, rips into the chests of the approaching war wolves.

That’s not all!

Tama isn’t finished. As he blasts them with Aqua Howl, he turns his neck from side to side. The blast of water breath rips into the chests of the war wolves, mowing them down.

……

Silence falls upon Tama and his companions.

The war wolves lie prone on the ground, water dripping from their wounds. It’s clear that every one of them has perished from Tama’s single attack.

““““What the—?!!””””

At this incredible spectacle, gasps of surprise escape the knights and Vulcan.

“T-Tama…? Were you hiding such incredible power from us?”

Aria is slack-jawed, looking at him.

Tama replies with the cutest mew he can muster.

“I-imbeciles! What the hell was that insane attack? Wait a second, look at its fur… A cat that can use skills? It must be an elemental cat…! Argh, I can’t believe such a burdensome creature slipped in with those knights…!!”

In the deep reaches of the ruins, the young demon is rife with indignation. He never imagined that the war wolves he gathered over such a long period—as a part of his plan—would be obliterated in a single attack.

And there’s more. He’s taken Tama, who unleashed the powerful skill, for an elemental cat.

“No—the identity of the cat doesn’t matter. All that matters is how we exterminate it. In this case, we may have to let them loose, and I might need to make an appearance myself…”

The young demon begins walking, manipulating mana at the same time.

He’s calling on a certain group of monsters, sleeping deep within the ruins, to awaken—

“Meow! That was such a shock!”

“Yeah it was! I can’t believe Tama has such an incredible skill.”

“The elemental cat… I’m again deeply impressed by this creature.”

Vulcan, Marietta, and Cedric can’t help sharing their impressions, alongside the other knights.

Tama is squeezed in between Aria’s breasts, a self-satisfied look on his face.

“I am equally surprised. I didn’t know Tama has other innate skills…”

As Aria cuddles Tama, she feels pride in the pet she loves so much, but she is also perplexed by his unexpected level of strength—or rather, her cheeks quickly flush red and her breath becomes ragged as she quickly whispers to herself excitedly, “I can’t believe my knight is so strong…” and “If he’s this strong now, once he’s grown up, he can throw me down with that power and overtake me, doing whatever he wants, for as long as he wants…!”

Tama sighs at Aria, realizing that her erotic switch has definitely been flipped.

“Okay, it’s time that we delve deeper. We now know Tama’s power, but remain on your gua—!”

Remain on your guard. Cedric was about to say as much but stops mid-sentence, eyes wide as saucers.

“Hmm? What is this pressure…?”

“Oh no, something terrifying is approaching…!”

Danny nods in answer to Howard. The other knights, alongside Aria and Vulcan, all have stern looks on their faces. An extreme, palpable level of oppression is emanating from the depths of the ruins.

“Well done—you have defeated my war-wolf corps. But you shall go no farther, humans.”

A piercing, cold voice erupts simultaneous to the appearance of the young demon… He has reddish-bronze skin, green hair, and violet pupils oozing an irrefutable desire to kill.

“Well, well, the boss has made an appearance. Just what are you planning, demon filth?”

As the demon steps forward, Cedric addresses him, his expression shifting from his normal sweet disposition to the emotionless stare of a Noh mask.

Demons construct societies and have personal lives, just like human beings. A young demon controlling monsters and acting of his own volition is very unnatural. Cedric needs to know his intentions.

“Sure, why not—I’ll tell you. My name is Beryl Astaroth. My objective is…revenge.”

The young demon—named Beryl—answers in a low voice conveying his abhorrence.

In response, Keni and Marietta recall something.

“What? You said Astaroth? I remember that name…”

“Yeah, that’s the name of the original demon colony that Renald was founded on!”

They both recently learned from the town headman and Howard that Renald was built on an old demon colony. This demon, Beryl, bears the same clan name as that colony.

He said revenge. In other words, what Beryl intends to do…

“Mwa-ha-ha… That’s right, humans. I am the living heir to the Astaroth clan, which was destroyed some years ago. And now I will exact my revenge by wiping Renald off the face of this planet…!”

“I see how it is. So you weren’t planning on simply abducting the townspeople.”

“Yes, they were merely a convenient food supply for the monsters under his control.”

As Beryl loudly announces his motivations, Cedric and Howard recap what they now know.

Beryl is the only remaining survivor of the demon colony. Now, to exact revenge, he’s waited many months and years, growing in size and accumulating war potential.

“My demonic brethren! Annihilate these intruders and raze the town to the ground!”

Beryl’s voice explodes, and from the darkness behind him…a number of abominable war cries ring out.

“Grrra-brawww—!”

“Wha—? Those voices…they can’t be…”

“Yes, there’s no mistaking them…trolls!”

As soon as the words have left Danny’s and Howard’s mouths, they appear—giants over nine feet tall with earthen skin. Trolls are monsters with contorted, hideous faces and giant tree trunks for arms and legs.

They are A-ranked monsters and extremely dangerous.

“T-trolls—?!”

“Meow! And there’s six of them! They could easily destroy the whole town!”

Aria’s and Vulcan’s eyes are wide with shock. They can’t believe that Beryl could be in control of this many monsters of such superior strength.

Cedric lets orders fly. “Spread out!! Don’t even think of sticking together!”

Trolls have superhuman strength and reach. Grouping together to attack them only increases the party’s chances of being felled together.

That’s why they have to spread out and attack in a hit-and-run pattern.

“Heh-heh-heh! Here they are! Multi-Protect Barrier!”

The moment the party fans out—Beryl opens his eyes wide and laughs as he activates a skill.

“Damn—what is this?”

“Shit, that’s bad news.”

Cedric and Danny expound on the unfavorable situation.

Everyone is snared in groups behind opaque barriers. Multi-Protect Barrier is Beryl’s innate skill that can extend multiple fortified barriers at once.

The barriers he’s created are square, and they’ve trapped the party in with the trolls.

The knights are trapped in with two trolls, Tama is trapped with four trolls, and Aria and Vulcan are with Beryl.

“Heh-heh…your elemental cat is in the greatest predicament. He’s circled in there nice and cuddly.”

“You bastard! Tama!!”

Aria screams out in anguish seeing Tama trapped inside the barrier with four trolls.

Crap!! I left her side and circled around to protect my master, but the tables have turned on me!

Seeing the trolls lumbering toward them, Tama jumped out from between Aria’s breasts and distanced himself from her.

Tama is infinitely more worried about Aria than his own dire situation.

“Yes! Your pitiful deaths will signal the epoch of my revenge!”

“Grrra-brawwwww—!”

The four trolls trapped with Tama lunge toward him. They’re all equipped with massive axes and hatchets.

“Meow!” Aqua Howl!

Tama activates Aqua Howl, his Elemental Howl skill. Just as earlier with the war wolves, he aims it from side to side.

Rrr-ppplashhh—!

The trolls’ torsos all turn concave from the howl. Yet, unlike the war wolves, their torsos are not severed by the blast.

Crap! A-ranked monsters are much more resilient…!

Trolls have thick, tough skin, and their muscle fibers are infinitely more developed than the average monster. For this reason, Tama’s Aqua Howl doesn’t come close to taking them down in one shot.

The troll erupts. “Gra-braw—!”

In that moment, the wounds on their chests begin healing before Tama’s very eyes.

Self-regeneration capability… I’ve heard the rumors, but I’ve never seen it before.

Tama recalls information he’s picked up along his exploits—trolls not only boast superhuman strength but also the capacity to self-regenerate.

Trolls have the power to convert the mana in their bodies to flesh and heal their wounds. They’re immortal for as long as their mana lasts… It’s one of the primary reasons they’re classified as A-ranked monsters.

“Grrra-bra-bra-brawww—!”

The troll that finishes regenerating first swings its hatchet down toward Tama.

Such an attack would never fell me!

Tama lunges in a side step and avoids the blow. Missing its target, the hatchet rips forcefully into the earth and leaves a deep impression.

This will not be enough. I need to unleash more power.

Tama looks cornered at first glance, but he’s not flustered. He gathers air in his lungs and activates a different skill.

“Meowrn!” Rock Howl!!

Tama’s howl gathers mass and rips deep into the trolls’ tough skin.

“Meow!” Okay, once more!!

This time, Tama uses Flame Howl, and before the wounds caused from Rock Howl can heal, the trolls’ skin is directly scorched.

“Gra-brawww—?!”

Self-regeneration or not, the trolls can’t block out pain. Now, it reaches peak threshold, and the trolls thrash around violently, their burned skin exposed.

Flame Howl—!!

Flame Howl—!!

Flame Howl—!!

Tama does not cease howling. He completely boxes in the trolls and burns them to a crisp, until the mana fueling their self-regeneration is fully drained.

Ultimately, the very same Multi-Protect Barrier that Beryl had cast was the cause of the trolls’ defeat. Had they been in a wide-open area, they would have had a number of routes of escape and a certain path to victory…

“Come now, Captain.”

“Leave it to us already.”

“Oy what sort of treatment is that from my underlings?”

Cedric responds incredulously to Danny and Howard.

“What are you talking about? This sort of enemy is right up the captain’s alley!”

“Yep! Let him unleash his power and obliterate them!”

Keni and Marietta get right on Danny and Howard. Laughing wryly at his subordinates, the leader draws his sword, as if to say, Yeah, I get it.

And then…

Cedric quietly chants, “Unleash the power of the dark—”

His longsword glints as black as the abyss. An ominous enchanted power emanates from his blade.

“Now, let’s go.”

Holding his sword at mid-level, Cedric rushes forward. He slips quickly in between two trolls and slashes into their torsos.

Both trolls cry out in agony. “Graw-brawwwww—!!”

The searing pain of being slashed open…or really, the absolute agony of their entire situation.

“Ba-ha-ha—how is it? The feeling of having your very life taken from you.”

Cedric speaks with a smile.

The pitch-black shimmering presence swallowing his blade…it is a magical energy of the dark elemental type—what’s called the power of the dark.

The dark elements can only be used as an inherent element by the Grand Wizard, who saved the world from extinction during Ragnarok. Its effects allow the user’s attack to drain the life energy from the target, ignoring all defenses.

The Grand Wizard is Cedric’s brother-in-law, and he imbued the knight Cedric’s sword with this dark elemental power—thinking of him as a brother himself.

“We’re going to have a great time—at least one of us is…right?”

Cedric laughs sadistically.

Impossible! There’s no way…?!

Watching his precious trolls be obliterated inside both barriers, Beryl becomes irate.

“Should you really be taking your eyes off me-ow??”

“Shi—!”

Vulcan flies at Beryl with her battle hammer raised. Beryl leaps far to the side and just barely evades her attack.

“Now!”

Aria leaps forward. She’s already activated Acceleration, and her speed has reached apex levels.

“Back I say, you shrimp!”

Beryl removes his sword from his waist and deflects Aria’s knife.

Demons have a vastly superior muscle structure compared to humans.

Going pound for pound, there’s no way Aria can win. That’s why she needs—

“Whirlwind Slash!”

Aria activates Whirlwind Slash, and her body is covered in a storm of blades. Just as Beryl steps back, she succeeds in cutting his skin.

“You filthy human scum!”

Beryl curses, highly provoked.

Beryl had assumed that the trolls would have cleaned up Tama and the knights without issue by now—and that he would have easily defeated Aria and Vulcan.

Yet the second the curtain went up, Tama and the knights were vastly stronger than expected, and neither Aria nor Vulcan is a threat alone, but as a cutthroat team, they have him cornered.

It’s not my time yet! If I can just defeat these two, I will prevail!!

Beryl’s Multi-Protection Barrier is a powerful innate skill. Its effects last until the party that activates it cancels it or becomes incapacitated.

Beryl will cancel the barriers after he defeats Aria and Vulcan. Then he will activate them again immediately and trap in Tama and the knights, intending to flee.

He has no other choice at present. Giving up on his revenge, Beryl now turns his focus to simply surviving.

I’ll have all the chances in the world for revenge if I can just get out of here alive. I have to get rid of these scum, no matter what!!

Beryl has made up his mind. He removes two daggers from inside his cloak and dual wields them.

Whoosh—!!

Beryl stretches out his blades from both sides and rushes forward. He’s on a one-way track.

“Vulcan! I’ll do you-know-what!”

“Got it, meow!”

As Aria and Vulcan converse, Vulcan raises her battle hammer high in the air.

Imbeciles! How do you expect to hit me with that?!

Seeing Vulcan lifting her hammer high, Beryl snickers at her and slightly modifies his approach to avoid the path of her attack, evading the battle hammer entirely.

Do-gwoh—!!

Vulcan’s battle hammer misses the mark and thuds into the earth, sending up clouds of dust.

Shit! I can’t see a thing!

Beryl’s vision is obstructed by the dust storm. This was Aria and her companion’s intent all along.

Zoom—!!

A single flash rushes through the dust cloud on a straight line. The gleam hones in on Beryl, burying itself in his chest with a hiss—one of Aria’s knives.

“Gu-gyahhh—you vile…scum…!!”

Beryl lashes out with his daggers in desperation. He comes dangerously close to Aria’s upper arm but then collapses in a heap.

“Meow!!” My master!

“Tama!!”

As Beryl has been rendered incapacitated, the barriers fall. Tama races toward Aria, who he’d been watching with much trepidation from behind the barrier.

But wait—

The moment Aria stoops to scoop up Tama in her arms, her entire body shudders, and she slumps to the ground.

M-my master! What’s happened?!

Tama is confounded by Aria’s sudden fainting spell.

“Meowr?! This is—!!”

Vulcan is staring at Aria’s upper arm.

“What the hell?! Aria has what looks like a small bruise on her arm…!”

The knights all surround Aria. Looking closely, they can see a tiny purple bruise rising from her skin.

“G-gah…m-my…blade…was covered in dragon poison… You will be joining me on this path, girl…”

With a great deal of effort, Beryl manages to string these words together. Having spat this last curse, his eyes open wide, and the breath leaves his body entirely.

“Dragon poison?!”

“We need an antidote right meow!!”

Aria is in pure anguish and loses consciousness.

Cedric and Vulcan hold her in their arms, debating their options.

“But how? Dragon poison antidote requires the eye of an earth dragon, right?! Where in the hell are we going to get it?”

“For starters, we have to get Aria back to Renald right away!”

“Okay, I got it. I will take her.”

Howard responds to Keni and Marietta by taking Aria in his arms and racing out of the ruins. Tama is left alone in that place, absolutely stricken with grief.

An earth dragon… There’s no way I can obtain the eye of an S-ranked monster…

Just as Keni said, in order to cure dragon poison, an antidote must be infused with the eyeball of an earth dragon and given to the infected party.

The situation is dire.

Earth dragon… Wait, an earth dragon?!

Tama stops in his tracks.

I can’t just wait here!

Tama activates his Flight skill and takes to the sky.

An earth dragon—

Tama rushes for the deep recesses of the labyrinth to find the monster that once pushed him to the brink of his own existence.

Through fields, across rivers, flying through the sky—Tama travels for hours before finally arriving at the labyrinth.

“Gi-giii—!”

“Gu-gyahhh—!”

Seeing Tama, a group of goblins raises shrill voices and rushes at him.

“Meowwwrrrn!!” Get out of my wayyyyy!!

Tama roars and launches himself through the air, activating Aether Edge and slicing through his foes like butter, leaving them where they fall.

Finally, Tama reaches the deepest recesses of the upper level and finds the opening that leads to the lowest level.

Just wait, my master. I promise to save you!

Tama flies downward with unwavering resolve.

“Just what am I sensing?”

On the lowest level of the labyrinth—

The most fearsome being in the entire labyrinth, the S-ranked monster earth dragon, can feel something approaching its head. Blood rushes to its discerning eye.

And then—

Whoosh—!!

Tama swoops down in front of the dragon’s eye and flutters in midair. His eyes, which normally make him cute as a button, are tense and penetrating.

“Just what do you think you’re doing, feeble one? Even though you successfully escaped me once, you now dance back—and for what?”

“Meow!” This is what!

As the earth dragon addresses the behemoth silently—though with grave seriousness—Tama puts up zero argument and instead unleashes a Flame Howl directly in the dragon’s face.

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha!! What fun!! I will take you on again, yes. And as far as what you did to my eye—I will make you wish you were never born!”

Tama has no idea what the dragon is planning, but it bares its fangs at the sworn enemy that robbed it of sight in one eye.

That’s all the motivation the earth dragon needs to eviscerate Tama. It laughs sharply and brings its front claws down on the Flame Howl erupting in its face.

Gwohhh—!!

The dragon’s claws break through the Flame Howl and rush toward Tama. The dragon’s front legs are lightly singed from the blast, but it’s not seriously damaged.

Shit! Even Flame Howl only does that much damage? In that case—!!

Tama flies hard to the right to evade the earth dragon’s claws.

“Gwa-ha-ha… Dodged my attack, did you?”

Previously, Tama was rendered incapable of battle in one fell swoop, but things are different now. Sure, it’s just one attack, but Tama has studied the earth dragon’s movements, and he is fully attuned to his behemoth body.

He knows he will be seized upon immediately if he fights the dragon on the ground. Tama intends to continue activating Flight and fighting the dragon at high speed in midair.

“Meow!” Rock Edge!

Just as he avoids the dragon’s attack, Tama activates his earth Elemental Tail Blade skill, Rock Edge. Distancing himself from the earth dragon, Tama aims his powerful attack at its front legs.

“Argh—?! You dare to injure me! Then what of this?!”

Through his earth elemental attack, Tama has succeeded in damaging the earth dragon. In that moment, the beast does a 180-degree turn and lashes out with a blunt tail bash.

Ugh! I can’t escape this! In that case—!!

Endeavoring to escape the tail bash, Tama determines that he cannot avoid it entirely. The earth dragon has incredible power—being grazed would not be getting off scot-free.

Tama activates one of his absorbed skills, Iron Body. The second the earth dragon’s tail is about to swipe him, his body becomes hard as iron and the damage is voided.

Now it’s Tama’s turn—he chooses another Elemental Tail Blade skill, Aether Edge, and aims for the earth dragon’s eye, just like before.

“You fool! I have already seen through your attack!!”

There is no arrogance in the earth dragon this time around. He feels the current of mana emanating from Tama’s tail and turns his face away immediately.

This is going to be a long, bitter battle…

In one corner, the immensely powerful and ultra-resilient S-ranked monster, earth dragon.

In the other corner, with experience as a knight in his previous life, the highly skilled yet adolescent S-ranked monster, behemoth.

Tama estimates it will be a long and fearsome conflict, with incessant exchanges of offense and defense and a thin line of ebb and flow, life and death.

Just as Tama expects, the fight becomes mind-numbingly intense and has already stretched for almost thirty minutes.

However, something has changed.

“Huff…phew…”

“Gwa-ha-ha… What’s the matter, small fry? Out of breath, are we?”

The earth dragon must recognize Tama’s capabilities—it’s started calling him small fry instead of weakling. The earth dragon’s body is now entirely covered in wounds.

In comparison, because Tama was able to keep distance using airborne combat and defend against any chip damage by using Iron Body, he’s largely unscathed.

Yet, just as the earth dragon said, Tama is breathing hard compared to the start of the engagement, and he feels lackluster.

“Just give up. You cannot defeat me. Give in to a quiet death.”

He’s not wrong… I have a good variety of different moves, but my stamina is waning. And my mana is nearly depleted. At this rate, I will be defeated. At this rate—that is!!

Tama can’t win, not like this. That’s why he’s made a decision—he repeats in his heart of hearts…

Good-bye, my master…!!

Then Tama pictures something in his mind. The words evolution possible that appeared in his status a while back.

Flash—!!

Tama’s body suddenly erupts in a flash of light. It burns brightly and floods the entire room.

“Gwa—?! What is this infernal light—?!”

The earth dragon unconsciously turns its face away from the blast. The light converges, and what the earth dragon sees standing in front of it is—

A massive body covered in jet-black fur. Two demon-esque horns protrude from its head, and razor-sharp fangs jut from its jaw.

It has wings, which are covered in blue-black armor, alongside its torso and legs.

Put simply, it’s a lion with the features of a dragon—the four-legged beast stands, imposing an aura of great majesty.

“What the—?! What the hell are you??”

A four-legged beast has emerged from the ball of light, and the earth dragon is rocked into a panic from the sudden turn of events.

“Wrrroooarrrhhh!!!”

The four-legged beast roars. The atmosphere ripples from the incredible volume, and the beast speaks.

“My name is Tama—!! I am the knight of the adventurer Aria and an S-ranked monster, behemoth! In order to save my master’s life, I will be taking yours!!”

The jet-black, four-legged beast is Tama—having evolved to the behemoth’s second stage.

To save his beloved master, Aria…Tama has made the decision to ascend to the next stage of his life cycle—a behemoth’s true form.

I’m sorry—time is running short. Let me make this easy on you.

“Wrrroooarrrhhh!!!”

Tama roars again, but this isn’t just his voice—this roar bears the burning death of hellfire.

Tama has unleashed Flame Howl.

“Gwaaahhh—!! What is this power? I may be finished—!!”

Tama’s Elemental Howl skills have greatly enhanced due to his evolution. The earth dragon’s skin blisters and peels away before his very eyes. At this rate, it will burn to ashes and perish.

The earth dragon retreats far to the rear, attempting to escape the hellfire, but then—

“You’re finished.”

The words echo from the other side of the blaze.

“Bwohhh—!!”

Rushing through the flames, Tama leaps and lands directly in front of the earth dragon. A massive blade of fire—Flame Edge—has appeared on the tip of his tail.

“Nooo—!!”

The fiery greatsword slices through the air. Realizing it doesn’t have time to evade, the earth dragon attempts to mount a counterattack, flailing its claws in a sideswipe.

Slash—!!

Tama’s Flame Edge and the earth dragon’s claws intersect. The earth dragon’s attack lands, gouging Tama from face to chest, leaving a large wound. However, Tama deftly dodges in the final second to avoid sustaining any fatal damage.

In the next instant, Tama’s Flame Edge rips into the earth dragon’s head from the side, cleaving it wide open. Victory has been secured.

In the battle between S-ranked monsters, the champion is Tama.

I’m not done yet. I have to bring this beast’s eyeball to Aria as quickly as possible.

It’s true—Tama’s duty doesn’t end after slaying the earth dragon. He still has to deliver the monster’s eyeball to Aria before she takes a turn for the worse.

Tama is on the brink of collapsing due to his injuries. He tries to collect the earth dragon’s corpse using his Storage skill before rising up to fly away…but…

“Guh—what is this?!”

Suddenly, Tama feels like the mana inside his body is heaving in every direction. His body refuses to obey him, rendering him unable to move.

In that moment—

Flash—!!

For a brief instant, Tama’s body is again bathed in light, which quickly fades. And when the light completely vanishes…

“Meow!” My body is becoming small again!

Yes—Tama’s body has returned to…its small kitten form.

But why? Does the evolution have a time limit? Or maybe… No, forget it—I have to return to my master, now!

Tama doesn’t understand why his body reverted to its previous incarnation, but he is grateful nonetheless.

He promptly secures the earth dragon’s corpse with Storage, then takes to the air with his injuries to return to Renald as quickly as he can.

“Unghhh…ohhh…Tama…Tama…”

At the inn in Renald, Aria is caught in a terrible nightmare due to the dragon poison. She calls out Tama’s name repeatedly, clinging to his comforting existence.

Vulcan squeezes Aria’s hand, her face stricken with grief.

“Damn! We have no antidote.”

Cedric bitterly spits out the words.

Returning to Renald, they asked the doctor and pharmacist for an antidote for the poison, but their replies were exactly as expected. Neither had any stock of the necessary ingredient for the antivenom—an earth dragon’s eye.

In this far-flung rural corner of the world, that is a given.

Betting on a sliver of hope, they searched Beryl’s corpse and combed through the ruins he called home, to no avail.

“If only we were of more use…”

“Aria…”

Keni and Marietta whisper to themselves a short distance from Aria’s bed. Because they had accompanied Aria when she was laid low, they feel a great sense of responsibility as knights for allowing this tragedy to come to pass.

Danny and Howard can only bring themselves to stare silently at Aria.

But in that exact moment—

“Meow—meow!!”

They hear a cry from outside the window.

“Tama! I was wondering where you were—what are you doing out there?! You’re covered in gashes!”

Cedric rushes to open the window and lets Tama in. However, Tama ignores his outstretched hand and jumps onto the floor.

“Meow!” Activate Storage!

“What the—? An earth dragon?!”

“Say what—?!”

Hearing Cedric, Vulcan and the other knights poke their heads in to find out what’s happening.

Tama’s Storage skill has produced the broken skull of the earth dragon and its corpse in the middle of the room at the inn.

“Tama is heavily wounded…and here’s the corpse of an earth dragon… There’s no way…”

“That is beside the point! Pluck out its eye and synthesize an antidote for Aria!!”

“I’ll call the doctor and the pharmacist right meow!”

Danny’s eyes open wide in shock for a moment before Howard reprimands him, demanding the antidote immediately. Vulcan rushes out of the inn to find help.

This is good. This way, my master will be saved…

Thanks to Marietta and the others still in the inn, Tama receives a potion, and his wounds begin to heal. Now certain that Aria will soon be right as rain, Tama is relieved and quickly falls unconscious.

“Heh-heh, good morning, Tama…”

“Meowr—!!”

Tama awakens between Aria’s breasts at the inn in Labyrinthos. Several days have passed. Thanks to the earth dragon’s eyeball, Aria’s life was saved.

Of course, the defeat of Beryl was deemed a grand success, and now she’s just waiting for her payment to come through.

But she’s still concerned about one thing. Certainly, her life has been saved, but the virulent toxin that afflicted her had extreme effects, chipping away at her constitution and sapping much of her physical strength.

Due to this, Aria has become very weak, and even now, days later, she is still undergoing medical treatment.

“But really, that earth dragon corpse… Tama, did you…?”

“Meowr?”

And there’s one more thing she’s worried about—did Tama really defeat an earth dragon and bring its entire corpse back with him?

According to Cedric, the earth dragon corpse appeared at the same time Tama returned—she has good reason to be concerned.

Aria questions Tama multiple times…but Tama simply cocks his head to the side and mews, as if saying, What are you talking about?

“Meowrrr—”

“Ohhh, Tama, you are such a baby.”

Tama rubs his head against Aria’s cheek, ignoring her attempts to uncover the truth.

At this point, her worries are a small matter—because she loves Tama with all her heart, and he has pledged his undying loyalty to her until the end of his days.