Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Awakening Among Kittens
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"......"
The moment Sir Evan opened his eyes, he saw two little ones frolicking playfully on top of his prone body. One was utterly adorable, and the other one... not so much.
'No wonder my chest felt so stuffy...'
Sir Evan recalled what had happened right before he passed out.
The lynx had leaped down..., he'd chased after it..., and then, seeing him jump in pursuit, the lynx had reached out a hand.
And let go of the wire it had been gripping.
"Hey! You...!"
Fury surged as the memory returned, and Evan bolted upright, ready to bellow—only to freeze at the sight of the wide-eyed baby kitten.
He couldn't spew vulgar curses in front of their precious baby kitten, who absorbed everything like a sponge during these formative years. Ever since becoming a guard knight, how hard had he worked to curb his swearing and refine his speech?
After all, his flaws were his master's flaws.
Of course, there was hardly ever a need to swear in front of their baby kitten anyway. No idiot colleagues in sight, and how could anyone curse while gazing at something so lovable!
'But not lately.'
Sir Evan shot a glare at the kidnapper lynx, who was terrible for emotional development. He itched to give it a good scolding and a whack on the head, but with the prince present—who knew nothing of the context—he held back.
Still, he couldn't let it slide entirely, so he subtly raised a hand to pinch that rascal's rear—only for it to come crawling over and flop right into his chest!
'What's gotten into this guy...?'
Puzzled yet touched—maybe it had been worried about him—Evan's heart went all soft and fuzzy. But that fuzzy warmth shattered the instant Nihil opened his mouth.
"You're far too healthy. You could've milked the bedrest a bit longer."
After checking his pulse and finding nothing amiss, Nihil patted Evan's chest with casual pats.
"......"
"Sir Evan! You okay? Wasn't it lack of sleep?"
"Sleep... lack......"
Of all excuses, lack of sleep? It was infuriating. Sure, he hadn't gotten enough rest, but it wasn't like he'd collapse from sleep deprivation alone.
To think he'd use that as an excuse...
Sir Evan glared at Nihil. But the rascal just hugged him tighter and flashed a beaming grin.
'This... this foxy little punk!'
Evan panicked inwardly, but honestly, it was a tad cute—so he poked those soft, squishy cheeks. Appearance really was this guy's greatest weapon.
"What a simpleton."
"......"
The grin vanished in an instant, replaced by a pitiful look. Stung by pride at falling for such an obvious ploy, Evan kneaded those squishy cheeks mercilessly, wrecking that pretty face.
Lianus joined in, fiddling with Nihil's face too—then quickly snapped out of it and spoke up.
"Sir Evan, I'm sorry for leaving you to guard alone......"
"Not at all, Your Highness. This was just my failure to manage my condition. Please don't worry about it."
"How about sleeping more? There's still a bit till dinner."
"I've had enough. How long was I out?"
"I'm not sure. About thirty minutes since I woke up?"
"Roughly an hour. You woke up quicker than expected."
Nihil glanced at his watch, then got up and left the room. He returned with a vial of medicine and held it out to Evan.
"Drink."
"What is it."
"Medicine."
Sir Evan furrowed his brow slightly but uncorked it without protest and downed the contents. His face twisted even further. It tasted utterly vile—abysmally so.
"You fuss over the prince's medicine like crazy, but mine... Gulp?"
Before his complaint could finish, Nihil popped something into his mouth. A sweet, bittersweet taste melted on his tongue, leaving Evan with a complicated expression.
"I'm not a kid......"
Nihil smirked at the sight of Evan savoring the chocolate quite contentedly, then unwrapped another piece.
"Normally you don't give chocolate to dogs, but this is a special treat."
"......"
Evan pouted sullenly at that, but when Nihil pressed the chocolate against his lips, he gave in with feigned reluctance and accepted it. The sight seemed amusing, for Lianus unwrapped one too and fed it to him.
As Lianus reached for a third wrapper, Nihil intervened.
"Rian, no too many snacks before dinner."
"Yeah. Got it."
"......Ahem."
The puppy, grinning dopily as he accepted chocolate from the cute kitten, finally snapped back to reality and wiped the foolish smile from his face.
Come to think of it, what about Sir Frederick? Someone must have carried him while unconscious, but he sensed no other knights' presences. Or perhaps he was still too weak to detect them.
Sir Evan tried to extend his mana in search, but Nihil spoke first.
"That guy's out on an errand."
"Sir Frederick?"
"Yeah. Forgot the doll. He'll be back soon."
"Ah......"
Sir Evan pictured the pristine white rabbit doll sitting all alone in the office, woefully out of place. He wondered if the situation had been smoothed over.
'Well, His Majesty probably handled it.'
Evan curled his lip in a smirk, secretly hoping His Majesty had been put in an awkward spot. After all, hadn't he just stood there watching idly as one kid jumped from the fifth floor carrying another?
The memory reignited his temper, and he yanked Nihil's cheeks wide.
"You—do that again, and I won't let it slide."
Sir Evan scolded while stretching those cheeks taut. At that moment, a presence approached rapidly within his guard range. Assuming it was Sir Frederick, he still rose and positioned himself in front of the little ones.
The presence reached the terrace and paused, as if observing the scene.
"......Sir Frederick?"
Sir Evan called out warily. Silence followed briefly—then a rabbit doll poked out and smooshed its face against the terrace window.
The doll's face flattened against the glass—no, it was Sir Frederick who spoke.
"Your cute and lovable bunny has arrived~"
"......Come in, Sir."
"The door's locked~"
"......"
Sir Evan sighed and approached the terrace window to unlock it.
"Haha, I was actually trying to sneak in and make it seem like the bunny popped out with a 'surprise!' But Sir Evan ruined it."
"Why's that my fault? Blame the one who locked it."
"But Sir Evan sensed my presence first and went on alert. Back when we met earlier today in the maid outfit, I was clearly a step ahead......"
Sir Frederick narrowed his eyes at Evan and lifted the corner of his mouth.
"Didn't expect you'd catch up to my level in just a few hours."
His lips curved up, but those narrowed eyes weren't smiling—chilling to behold. Sir Evan frowned, unable to fathom why Frederick was so on edge with him.
"What are you talking about?"
"Haha... I wanted to say I'd erased my presence. Anyway, jealous as I am, I should congratulate you. Sir Evan, crossing another wall at such a young age—truly impressive."
"......?"
Sir Evan tilted his head, utterly baffled.
"Not... pleased?"
"I crossed a wall...?"
Despite the congratulations, Sir Evan remained perplexed and examined his own mana. His face hardened.
"Nothing... I feel."
Sir Evan looked to Nihil with trembling eyes. Nihil replied flatly to the drowsy big dog.
"Nothing left after using it all—would be weirder if you could feel it."
"But I can't sense Sir Frederick's mana either."
"Sensing another's mana requires your own. It's about clashing your mana against theirs to feel the dissonance—but you have none right now."
"But... I've been mana-depleted before, never like this."
"What you call mana depletion usually means about ten percent left in your body. 'Depleted' is a misnomer—it's closer to 'lacking.' It's termed depletion because instinct prevents using more."
"Prevents using more? But I..."
"Exactly. You defied that instinct and squeezed out every last drop, leaving your body truly empty. Well, you broke through a realm thanks to it—counts as a win."
"......That's good and all. But how am I supposed to guard the prince like this?"
Sir Evan still wore a worried frown, unable to grasp his breakthrough. Meanwhile, Lianus bounced with joy at his knight growing stronger. Evan smiled faintly and scooped up the hopping kitten.
"Don't worry. Your five senses should be sharper than ever. Plus, didn't we borrow the neighbor's dog?"
Nihil jerked his chin toward Frederick, who stood blankly.
The main palace had become the neighbor's, and His Majesty's guard knight reduced to a mutt. Evan glanced at Frederick, wondering if the bold phrasing offended him—but the man merely observed the lynx with detached curiosity.
Nihil, oblivious or indifferent to the scrutinizing gaze, continued matter-of-factly.
"It'll take a bit of time for your mana to refill."
"How long?"
"Don't fret—won't exceed a fortnight."
"...That long?"
Who'd protect their small, precious baby kitten in the meantime?
As Evan gazed at the tiny, cute, fluffy head with quivering eyes, Nihil went on.
"Varies by person, but... for you, I'd say about a week. Your mana heart and circuits are squeaky clean now, so it'll go through full impurity removal. Refrain from circulation until it refills on its own. Impurities mix easily otherwise."
"Got it."
"And... nah, forget it."
Nihil trailed off and clammed up.
"Why stop mid-sentence?"
His Majesty had said half-finished sentences were a bad habit.
"No, it's not confirmed yet... Rian, I kinda wanna check the royal library."
"Library? Wanna go together tomorrow?"
"Just tell me where. I'll swing by during your sword lesson."
"Sure, I'll let you know on the way tomorrow!"
At that point, Frederick raised a hand demurely to join the conversation.
"Pardon, young master. May I speak?"
Nihil tilted his chin in permission.
"Will you not check my Aura?"
"Remember you're still being punished. Even during your fortnight guard duty, stay in the shadows unless something comes up."
"That's too harsh! You dote on Sir Evan like that!"
"Other people's chicks and our chick the same?"
"I wanna be this house's chick too!"
"No need."
"Too much!"
Sir Evan frowned subtly at their bickering. Nihil's casual "our chick" without denial felt profoundly odd. Was this something to be happy about? As he pondered, Frederick dropped a bizarre remark.
"I hauled that sturdy, heavy body here all exhausted, and for treating it rough, you just scolded me endlessly! But Sir Evan—how pretty must he be for you to slobber all over him..."
......Huh?