Chapter 101
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Striped Cat
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Cheshire Cat.
A cat of unknown origins that appears in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
I could vaguely tell that this world was pieced together from fairy tales from all over.
Characters from various tales showed up as heroes or villains.
And at the center of it all were Dorothy and her companions from The Wizard of Oz.
I'm not sure if "center" is the right word, but that's how it felt to me, at least.
I awakened upon encountering Dorothy, and I learned about him by taking down the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.
There had to be a Cowardly Lion somewhere, and the Wizard of Oz himself must exist in this world too.
I'd inevitably cross paths with them on my journey ahead.
And among all these tales, The Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland felt especially similar.
They were different stories, but they overlapped in strange ways.
The biggest parallel was probably about an ordinary girl who falls into an extraordinary world and the events that follow.
I'd thought the protagonists from The Wizard of Oz were the central figures here, but I needed to broaden my perspective.
For instance, the Queen of Hearts, or her subordinate, the rabbit carrying a pocket watch.
Or even the dodo named Dodgson.
...Wait.
Dodo?
Come to think of it, there was a dodo in the story, right?
I stared hard at Moona.
There he was, the kiwi bird waddling on his plump rear, happily munching away at his food.
...Was that guy not a kiwi, but a dodo?
They even looked kinda similar.
With a trait like Sage, Moona couldn't be just any ordinary kiwi bird anyway.
Unless a separate dodo shows up later.
It'd be pretty funny if they appeared together.
Waddle waddle, plump plump.
"...What are you thinking about, nya?"
"Caw."
The Red Cape's words snapped me back to reality.
"The info on the Cheshire Cat is spot on, nya. There are rumors sometimes that striped cats lie, but that's nonsense, nya. People twisted their words to deceive others, nya. Striped cats only speak the truth, nya."
Only the truth, she said.
And coming from the Red Cape herself, who had once served as a Night Witch, if we assume she's not lying, then it had to be true.
It seemed she'd exploited that trait herself, tricking others by claiming the Cheshire Cat said something.
"Caw caw caw."
At that level, didn't she know how to make contact with the Cheshire Cat?
As a former Night Witch, she probably had a way to reach out.
Both the events at the Tin ruins and what the cat had said pointed to it.
The Cheshire Cat seemed close to the Night Witches.
"Sadly, I don't have a direct way to contact her, nya. Because the Cheshire Cat isn't on the witches' side, nya. To be precise, she's on no one's side, nya. We couldn't even figure out what her goals are, nya."
Her goals were unknown.
The Cheshire Cat in the story was the same.
Always grinning as she appeared, phasing parts of her body through walls like teleportation—a mysterious cat.
That was the Cheshire Cat.
If the so-called striped cats people described were her, it made sense.
Of course her true nature would be impossible to pin down.
"But who am I, nya? The wise cat maid... no, wait... former Night Witch, nya! I know how to track her down, nya."
Wise cat maid.
The Red Cape was gradually rediscovering her identity.
She wasn't red anymore, and no cape either, so "cat maid" fit better than "Red Cape" now.
"The Cheshire Cat loves stories, nya. She has info no one else knows—how do you think she gets it, nya? She has to go out and gather it herself, nya."
True enough.
As an individual, not part of a group, she'd have no choice but to move on her own.
And considering the abilities described for the Cheshire Cat in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, it didn't seem hard at all.
"If you know the kind of stories she likes, meeting the Cheshire Cat in person isn't a pipe dream, nya!"
The Cheshire Cat roamed the world, collecting info and tales.
Arrive at one of her destinations ahead of time and wait?
I might actually run into her.
And if I did, I could ask about the Lion Heart King.
But there was a fatal flaw.
"Caw? Caw, caw-caw. Caw caw!"
How could I know when she'd show up and just sit around waiting?
Even if I waited at a spot with an amazing story, she might've already been there.
And no guarantee she'd come just because she hadn't yet.
I could end up wasting time for nothing.
I flapped my wings and clacked my beak to express my doubts, and suddenly the cat maid burst into laughter.
"Nyahaha! Don't worry, nya! Who do you think I am, nya? This is solid intel, nya! I know a story the Cheshire Cat has to come for, nya!"
She puffed out her chest confidently again, the cat maid.
If she was saying it that boldly, she must really be sure—though it could just be baseless bravado.
"Nya..."
The maid glanced at Gretel, then continued in a hushed, hurried voice.
"This was info I got back when I was a Night Witch, nya. I was assigned to wait here and make contact with the Cheshire Cat, nya. That means she's very likely to show up soon, nya!"
A group of witches on par with—or maybe even surpassing—Gretel, so their word carried way more weight than this one cat ear's claim.
...But you got that mission and just lounged around here?
I thought it was a mission to deal with Gretel or something.
"Caaaw."
"W-Well... it was a two birds with one stone kinda deal, nya. And the distance wasn't that far, nya!"
Good thing the place was nearby, at least.
Makes sense—otherwise, it wouldn't explain why the Red Cape was hanging out here.
"Nyahaha... The Cheshire Cat collects useful info, but personal interests are another matter, nya. And among those, the stories she loves most are... romances, nya!"
Romances?
Totally unexpected.
Hearing that just made it even harder to picture what kind of guy this Cheshire Cat was.
At least I got that one thing: she really was as unpredictable as the books described.
I'd figured she was some shadowy manipulator stirring trouble from behind the scenes with her info, but now she seemed a bit different.
"And among romances, what do you think is her absolute favorite, nya?"
The top of romances.
Obviously a pure, devoted love story with a happy ending.
"Caw caw."
I drew a heart shape with my wings to show what I meant.
"Shwooo..."
Swungswung, who'd been listening beside me, transformed into a heart-shaped balloon too.
"Good guess, nya. But that's the kind that gets old fast, nya. ...Don't look at me like that, nya! It's not my opinion—it's from the Cheshire Cat's perspective, nya!"
What kind of look was that supposed to be?
I was just giving her a slight side-eye of disdain.
"Ahem, anyway. The Cheshire Cat's absolute favorite is... tragic love stories, nya!"
Tragic love stories.
There was definitely demand for those, so it wasn't weird.
And that meant this cat maid knew a tragic love story around here?
"Tears from the lovers themselves caused rain to pour and floods to rage—or something like that, nya! Anyway, it was a huge incident, nya! It hasn't reached the Cheshire Cat's ears yet, and if we time the leak just right, she might show up any moment now, nya."
A tragic love story so devastating that the lovers' tears brought rain and floods.
Probably exaggerated.
How could tears cause a flood?
Even if they were giants, doubtful.
But one thing was certain.
【Striped Cat】
While searching for info on the Lion Heart King, you learned about an existence called the striped cat.
Its name is the Cheshire Cat.
You plan to make contact with the Cheshire Cat to obtain information.
During your adventures, you heard a certain story.
A tale of lovers whose tears brought rain and floods.
It's hard to believe, but it piqued your interest quite a bit.
You also learned that the Cheshire Cat loves these kinds of stories.
Your instincts kicked in.
If you follow this story, you might eventually meet the Cheshire Cat.
Quest Clear Condition: Encounter the Cheshire Cat
The Red Cape's words must be true, since the status window vouched for it.
With a quest like this issued, it even felt like an official recommendation.
If I head to the place she mentioned, I'll really meet the Cheshire Cat.
Quests had never lied to me before.
My next destination was set.
Go to the site of that tragic love story and meet the Cheshire Cat.
"...Caw."
Tch, but what was this feeling?
I lightly stroked my head with a wing.
Lush feathers.
But for some reason, chills ran down my spine.
Like all these head feathers would fall out and get trampled by someone?
Or turn into living legs or something...
No reason for that, so it was probably just a bad vibe.