Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Feral Wildcat
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Kwaaang!
Lianus's head snapped up. The sudden roar that echoed out felt unnaturally cut off midway, like something had interrupted it.
"Nil!"
"Your Highness!"
Sir Evan hurriedly called out to the wildcat while chasing after the baby kitten who had bolted away without warning.
"Your Highness, it's dangerous! Please don't run off alone!"
"Sir Evan, that was definitely Nil!"
The massive roar had spread out so widely that pinpointing its source was impossible, yet His Highness charged straight ahead without a second thought.
"Sir Evan! Hurry! Nil might be in danger!"
Though Sir Evan found it odd, he scooped Lianus up into his arms, wrapped aura around his legs, and leaped high, using the trees as footholds to soar forward.
"Sir Evan, over there!"
"...!"
From their elevated vantage point, a corner of the forest came into view, utterly devastated in a way that made him wonder how they hadn't noticed it before.
"Hold on tight, Your Highness."
The thought that the wildcat might truly be in peril made Sir Evan anxious. To descend as quickly as possible, he unleashed his aura with a pang, accelerating their fall.
"Uwaaaah!"
Startled, His Highness grabbed Sir Evan's collar, nearly choking him, but Sir Evan hugged him tighter and braced for impact.
Kwaaaang!
A massive explosion rocked their landing spot, cratering the ground, but the surrounding chaos made it unnoticeable.
'How do I find him in this mess.'
As worry crept in that he might be pinned under a tree, His Highness spotted something first and shouted.
"Nil!"
Sir Evan turned, only to come face-to-face with the wildcat dropping from the sky.
And in that instant, a chilling sensation shot up his spine, prompting him to reflexively leap backward.
"...?"
Before he could question his own instinctive move, the wildcat, spotting him, charged with terrifying momentum.
"Wh-what...!"
Sir Evan instinctively reached for his sword but barely restrained himself, instead wrapping aura around his arm to defend.
However,
Kwajik!
The wildcat's punch, not particularly heavy, shattered the thick aura layer, draining a massive amount of mana in an instant.
At the same time, that unfamiliar sense of loss he felt every time they sparred—something he'd never grown accustomed to—came rushing back.
'This bastard can disperse the aura around my body like this too...!'
He had no idea what was going on or why the guy was attacking him, but it was clear now: the wildcat had been holding back all this time.
His legs nearly buckled for a moment, but the training paid off—he quickly steadied his churning mana without panicking.
'No killing intent. I need to subdue him.'
Even as he thought that, Sir Evan wasn't confident he could. Especially with His Highness in his arms.
Then, the wildcat kicked off the ground and charged again.
Sir Evan hastily pulled up more mana, but before he could coat his body in aura, the wildcat grabbed his wrist. And then,
Kwak!
"...!?"
He bit him.
"Nil!?"
Sir Evan froze blankly at the wildcat gnawing his forearm, then belatedly shook him off. The wildcat let go easily, tumbling across the dirt.
But the confusion in Sir Evan's mind didn't shake loose.
Had the wildcat finally lost his mind? Regained his feral instincts? Or maybe... rabies?
'If so, am I infected too? Who'll protect our sweet, adorable prince if I get rabies?'
All sorts of thoughts raced through his head when the air flow suddenly shifted.
"...!"
Sensing something incoming, Sir Evan wrapped His Highness in his cloak, plunged his sword deep into the ground, and crouched low.
And then, a gale-force wind whipped through.
Krunch, thud! Kwaaang!
Surrounding trees were ripped out and hurled away helplessly, pushing back his deeply embedded sword bit by bit. To make matters worse, through his barely open eyelids, he saw a snapped tree trunk flying straight at them.
Dodging might send them flying too, so Sir Evan gritted his teeth and planted his feet firmly.
"Hold on tight, Your Highness!"
Confirming Lianus's arms around his neck, Sir Evan drew his spare dagger and coated it in aura.
'Swing too soon, and it won't connect.'
A swordmaster could fire sword qi to handle it, but extending range with aura was Sir Evan's best option.
'...Now!'
A cold glint flashed in Sir Evan's eyes as he swung the dagger. The tree split in two just before impact, crashing noisily to the ground on either side.
And soon, the wind died down.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Sir Evan carefully peeled back the cloak. A cute face peeked out.
"...Nil?"
"Ah."
Realizing his mistake, Sir Evan whipped around.
Every tree in sight was snapped or uprooted, opening up the view completely, but the wildcat was nowhere.
"...Did he get blown away?"
Perplexed, Sir Evan scanned around. It had been a ferocious gale, so it wasn't impossible, but surely he wouldn't have gone flying.
"Wildcat!"
Sir Evan called out loudly toward where Nil had been, circling the area.
It felt weird, like searching for a lost pet, and calling him by name now would be awkward anyway.
"Sir Evan, put me down."
"No."
Sir Evan hugged the wriggling prince tighter. The wildcat probably didn't have rabies, but possession couldn't be ruled out.
"We can find him faster together."
"You saw him attack earlier. Look at this."
Sir Evan showed the somewhat sloppy circular bite mark on his forearm, with a bit of blood seeping out.
Honestly... it was a bit funny, but it meant the wildcat had bitten with real force. Sir Evan didn't get injured easily.
Then, a coughing sound came from behind.
"Ri, cough, Rian."
"Nil?"
"Wildcat?"
White hair peeked over the stump of a barely standing tree. As expected, wildcats had tough lives.
Of course, he couldn't defy the wind entirely—his hair was a total mess, and rolling on the dirt had left him filthy.
Normally, Sir Evan would've mocked him mercilessly, but seeing the exhausted wildcat, he sighed deeply and picked him up.
"Nil, you okay?"
"Yeah. Were you looking for me?"
"You were taking too long, so..."
"Thanks."
The wildcat gave a slight smile and ruffled the prince's hair. Then, glancing at Sir Evan, he asked,
"...Does it hurt?"
"Me?"
What would hurt me?
Sir Evan furrowed his brow in thought when his forearm itched. Looking down, the wildcat was gently rubbing the bite mark—his own.
"...This."
"Guess he's in his right mind after all."
No rabies—what a relief.
"So why'd you bite me?"
"Can't bite the kid, can I?"
"...So I'm fair game?"
Well... if the wildcat had to bite something, Sir Evan was the better choice, but...
Sir Evan's expression grew subtle. Nil shrugged casually.
"It was urgent. I'll treat it when we get back."
"Treat what? This isn't even a wound."
Sir Evan waved it off nonchalantly, sheathed his sword from the ground, and figured that was that. The lost wildcat was safely captured, after all.
Francesca Manor’s banquet hall.
Everyone watched tensely as Nihil drew the summoning circle.
"Kara, come here."
"Yes!"
Once the summoning circle was complete, Nihil called Kara, who stepped forward briskly.
"To think the day would come when I see our Kara contracting a spirit with my own eyes...!"
Karus clutched the recording orb, murmuring in emotion. Nihil gave him calm advice.
"Teacher, spirits won't show up on recording orbs until after they're materialized post-contract. You won't see them with the naked eye either."
"That's fine. As long as I capture our Kara well."
"Big brother, film Kara pretty!"
"Sure~ I'll film our Kara all pretty~"
But Karus's beaming face grew stiffer with each failed summoning attempt. Nihil's expression mirrored it.
"Hiiing... It vanished again."
Downcast after repeated reverse summonings, Kara hung her head. This was the third time. The grand banquet hall was utterly still, without even a breeze for a wind spirit.
Nihil double-checked Karina's records, wondering if he'd drawn the circle wrong. But it was flawless.
Sensing something off, Nihil closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his face was chillingly cold.
"Playing games, huh."
His irritated mutter made the heads around him flinch.
"Fr-friend, is something wrong?"
"Did we skimp on the magic stones maybe?"
The Francesca siblings, comforting the dejected Kara, approached cautiously.
The eldest, Cayenne, held a pouch of magic stones—already half-depleted from the summoning.
"It's not the magic stones."
Nihil rubbed out the low-grade wind spirit circle drawn in stone dust and began a new one.
"Someone's interfering."
Closing and opening his eyes, he spat in a sharp tone.
The Wind Spirit King, thought to have returned to the spirit realm, was still lurking around.
"You..."
Nihil started to retort but clamped his mouth shut. Speaking without assimilating the spirit could cause trouble.
"Cayenne."
"Yes, friend."
"Is that all the magic stones?"
"For now... yes."
"Hand them over. I'll repay later."
Thinking he'd need to hunt rifts, Nihil took the stones and engraved wind attribute runes. Might as well try for the Spirit King now.
"...Still short."
Even optimized, it wasn't enough for a Spirit King summon. They were legendary even in eras with more suitable contractors.
Forcing it could shatter Kara's mana vessel.
"...Friend, can't Kara contract with a fairy?"
Kara, excited about flying, asked glumly. Nihil patted her head and gathered the stone dust.
"I'll try another way, so wait he— no."
Nihil paused mid-step, pondering.
They'd chosen the spacious hall to avoid a mess from wind summoning, but where to go now?
Spirit contractors weren't established in the mid-realm yet—doing it openly outside risked misunderstandings. Only one option remained.
After deliberating, Nihil said curtly,
"Let's go outside."