The Mountain Cat of Unknown Identity

Albert stood watch with his forces surrounding the exit of the hideout.

"Have all the other exits been sealed off?"

"Yes, sir! Gawain and Tristan are commanding the troops!"

"Good. Report immediately if anything unusual occurs."

Thrillzhak had prepared a total of three escape routes. Including the entrance, that made four. Albert had stationed ample forces at each exit and elected ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to personally oversee the remaining one.

Smashing through the entrance or going inside himself was never an option he considered. If something unexpected happened and the phoenix egg was damaged in the process, all their hard work up to this point would have been for nothing.

Then, from deep within the cave he was guarding, a suspicious wave of mana rippled outward.

"Commander!"

"Prepare yourselves!"

The troops holding the entrance were men-at-arms who had yet to earn their knighthood, but they showed not the slightest tremor of fear. They knew Knight Commander Albert's skill well enough to believe that no matter what monster emerged from that cave, they would not lose.

And soon, from within the cave, a monster's roar erupted — a sound that made their knees go weak.

"Grrrrr!!"

Albert's face hardened at that strange, eerie resonance.

What is that?

The ferocity was reminiscent of a bear, yet it carried an oddly body-stiffening tremor. It was neither magic nor some sinister curse. His body, honed like a single blade, quickly shook off the rigidity — but his keenly heightened senses did not miss that subtle difference.

My muscles are tensing up?

Why?

Albert was a man tempered by countless battles, and so he knew well when this sensation came over him.

A large monster...!

Giant beasts that reduced humans to mere prey. Whenever he faced such creatures, his body would occasionally tremble like this — and every time it did, Albert had been forced to lose more comrades than necessary.

"Fall back!"

Albert barked a fierce battle cry and stepped forward. He recalled the enormous footprints he had once seen. It had to be that one — a powerhouse capable of putting even a master of his caliber on edge.

"Kh!"

Albert slowly drew up his aura, preparing for battle. He felt the fighting spirit boiling within. Perhaps he was about to have a proper duel for the first time in a long while.

"KRAAAAAANG!!"

"Ugh-heok!"

With a roar erupting from the depths, the soldiers startled and stumbled backward. And into Albert's field of vision, as he glared at the cave entrance with sharp eyes—

"Perrrrrr!"

—a throng of terrified fairies came pouring out.

"F-Fairies!"

What...?

Fairies were not creatures one commonly encountered. In the brief moment his gaze was stolen by their appearance — mystical, like a swarm of fireflies —

Plop plop plop.

At the arrival of the monster trailing behind them, Albert's eyes flashed and he swung his sword—

"Kyiiing...? Kyiiing!"

"Hm?!"

—or rather, he stopped mid-swing.

What on earth was this...?

As ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Albert stared in bewilderment at the tiny creature trembling before him—

"Kyaah! Albert! Don't!"

Lia, who had been watching from behind, screamed and came running out.

"Y-Young Lady!"

"It's dangerous!!"

Despite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her escorts' attempts to stop her, Lia rushed over and scooped the young beast into her arms.

"Oh no! Are you okay?"

"Grrung, grruung...!"

The ball of fluff that looked like a kitten flinched at Lia's touch, curling up warily. It blinked its ruby-clear eyes and trembled all over. Yet even so, it hissed as if it were the scariest beast in the world — and that sheer cuteness promptly disarmed every last bit of Lia's composure.

What's more—

"Per!"

"Perrrr! Peru!"

—fairies gathered around the young beast and stood guard, making it impossible to think of the creature as a monster. What fairy in the world would protect a monster?

But unlike Lia, who had fallen for the little creature at first glance, there was someone watching it with suspicion. Albert looked back and forth between Young Lady Lia and the small beast nestled in her arms, his face full of confusion.

Just what...

What was this feeling?

Even as he continuously kept watch on the cave interior, Albert couldn't take his eyes off the young beast.

Its mana is clearly pathetic.

Wondering if it might be a mutant harboring strange mana, he checked several times over. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't sense even a hint of unusual mana from the small creature.

And yet—

Why did I think it was dangerous?

The moment Albert first laid eyes on that beast, he had felt the need to be on guard. That was a knight's intuition forged through long years of training, and that intuition had rarely been wrong.

At least, until today.

"Albert! You scared it!"

"...Young Lady, please step away from the monster."

"Monster? Can't you see the fairies protecting it?"

"Ugh..."

While Albert agonized, the young beast squirmed free of Lia's arms. It seemed about to flee while warily scanning its surroundings — but amusingly enough, it headed straight toward the Young Lady. It must have instinctively recognized who was favorably disposed toward it.

Hmm. Albert let out a small sigh, and Lia beamed as she watched the kitten approach her.

"Aww, come here! That's right! Were you scared? Let's hurry and run away, okay?"

"Gyaarung...!"

Watching the kitten's behavior, Albert entertained an absurd delusion.

Don't tell me it recognized the Young Lady?

If it was figuring out who to latch onto in order to survive...

Sheesh.

Having such thoughts, Albert soon sighed and shook his head. Was he too fixated on the phoenix egg? What ridiculous imaginings... There was no way a monster that smart existed in this world.

After watching the kitten — still being fussed over by the Young Lady — flee into the forest with the fairies, Albert issued orders to his soldiers.

"We're going in."

It seemed the monster that had roared from within had no intention of showing itself. In that case, he had no choice but to descend into its territory and check for himself. Albert reined in his aura and took the lead.

"Stick close behind me!"

"Yes, sir!"

He never even imagined that the phoenix egg they had been searching for had already left the hideout.

"Grrung!"

"Per."

"Perrrrrr!"

After strolling through the forest for quite a while as if nothing had happened, we soon collapsed onto the ground and cackled our heads off.

Those stupid humans!

At the end there, they had entered the hideout all tensed up and ready for war — and the sheer solemnity on their faces nearly made me burst out laughing on the spot.

"Grrung!"

I lifted my snout high and nodded. As expected, this small and precious form of mine was nothing short of a cheat key. The advantage of easily winning humans' affection was far more useful than I had imagined!

I rate this petting strategy extremely highly.

A new rumor would now spread through the martial world: beware of children, women, and the elderly. And also—

Beware of young animals!

Ah, wait — this is a fantasy world, isn't it. Shame.

"Grrung."

Having successfully escaped Thrillzhak's hideout, I soon found myself parting ways with the Ellafae.

"Per! Perrrr!"

"Peruru!"

The Earth Ellafae must have grown attached to me in that short time, because they spun circles around me, expressing their reluctance to leave.

"Grrung!"

Homeland? Did that mean the fairies had a country of their own?

My question resolved itself naturally. As the Earth Ellafae performed a ritual and communed with nature, a portal leading to their homeland materialized before us.

"Per!"

"Perurururu!"

The Ellafae circled around us for a long while, saying their goodbyes, then departed for home. I watched the portal with a bittersweet feeling, then turned my head to the side.

"……."

Over there, the Exiled Prince was sitting on a flower petal with a face that screamed I have a tragic backstory. Looking at that melancholy, dew-damp expression, I curled the corner of my mouth upward.

"Pfft."

"Per?"

Eryllion, briefly flustered, composed his expression and asked with solemn dignity—

Oh? Is that so?

I firmly shook my head.

Eryllion, who had apparently assumed I would of course accept, opened and closed his mouth a few times before asking again.

"Grrung."

I'm not joking.

Ha, this is a genuinely serious problem, and I have no way to explain it. After thinking for a moment, I extended my claws and began to draw.

One goblin. One human.

As Eryllion stared blankly at the drawing, I raised my claws and slashed the goblin's neck.

"……!"

It's still too early to be shocked. I shrugged my shoulders, then—

Scriiitch.

—slashed the human's neck as well.

"……Per!"

"Grrung."

I nodded. Eryllion wilted completely. He looked me over with disappointed eyes, but staring at me like that wouldn't change a thing. I hadn't killed a human yet — but it was entirely possible I would, going forward.

I wordlessly glared at him. Damn, what a bothersome little guy! Had he been banished because he talked too much?

Hmm. After thinking for a moment, I pulled out Brother Beak's egg and drew a shield in front of it. Then I stood before that shield and swung my claws.

That should get the point across, right?

If anyone tried to kill us — goblin or human — they were completely screwed. So if you followed me around, there was a real chance you would get screwed too. I was already marked by the goblins, you know?

That was roughly the idea.

Shudder.

Eryllion trembled once, as if struck by a profound shock, then began to sparkle suspiciously in the eyes. And then he declared—

What is he even saying.

There seems to be some kind of misunderstanding here...

I stared at Eryllion with a look of pure incredulity. Faced with his tightly wound expression, I reluctantly nodded.

Whatever. After surviving a few near-death experiences, he'd peel off on his own.

"Grrung!"

"Per!"

Still, having a fairy friend wasn't such a bad thing. And a prince, no less?

Thok!

Eryllion's tiny fist bumped against my front paw.

"Grrung!"

Maybe I was caught up in the moment. Riding that high, I explained my next plan to him.

Raise a shield in front of the humans. Cut the goblins' necks.

"Per?"

Ah, come on.

I drew a crooked picture as I explained the operation. While escaping Thrillzhak's hideout, a method for breaking through this situation had occurred to me. Referencing the titles of those books, I scratched out some crooked writing.

I decided to go meet her. There was something I needed to confirm — what that thing written on her status window actually meant.

I was curious about her true identity.