Nyaho's Feline Surrender
"Heh heh~ The peace treaty gets announced, and the money starts pouring in like crazy~ This is just perfect~!"
Sitting in the chair at the front of her office desk, Nyaho—the branch manager of the Black Thread Merchant Group's Bazelan branch—had a soft smile playing on her lips as she sorted through the towering stacks of documents.
"Hm~?"
Her eyes paused while scanning the papers.
Bastia Baron – Report
"Let's see~"
Nyaho slowly examined the report from the merchant associations that had branches in the baron's territory, her fluffy ears perking up attentively.
"No other support~? Elite spearmen fifteen hundred. Archers three hundred. Knights thirty, and lancer cavalry three hundred."
Pushing the report aside, Nyaho pondered.
The Bastia Baron's territory wasn't particularly wealthy. Spearmen and archers were standard troops that any lord raised, so large numbers weren't unusual. But for a territory free from monster threats to maintain three hundred lancer cavalry? That was way too suspicious.
"I get that he's seriously pissed at that Viscount Biorin's bastard, but still, this is weird~"
Even the lowest-grade warhorses were ridiculously expensive compared to regular horses. But cost was secondary. While territories producing warhorses were rare enough to count on one hand across the continent, lords desperate for them were endless. In short, money alone didn't guarantee acquisition.
And according to the report, the warhorses ridden by the knights and lancer cavalry under the Bastia Baron had light reddish-brown coats with tails as white as snow.
There were only three territories in the kingdom that handled warhorses, each with distinct breeds. Among them, the one producing warhorses with light reddish-brown coats and snow-white tails belonged to...
Ardel Filoria, the current head of the Filoria family—founding contributors to Vittorio Kingdom, granted the title 'Winter Sword' by the previous king, and one of the kingdom's three grand dukes.
"Three hundred Filoria warhorses would've cost at least two years' worth of the baron's budget~"
And factoring in the barding and upkeep for those warhorses...
"No way~"
No matter how she crunched it, it was beyond what the Bastia Baron could afford.
"Totally unexpected player jumps in—such a pain~"
It wasn't even worth agonizing over. Filoria warhorses were exclusively for royal purchase, then auctioned or distributed to lords with balance in mind. A relatively poor baron like Bastia had near-zero chance of obtaining them directly.
So if he had three hundred Filoria warhorses, there was only one possibility.
"The Grand Duke~ supported him directly."
Nothing else made sense. If true, this territory war would end in absolute victory for Bastia Baron—unless some freak natural disaster wiped out his troops.
The reason was simple: Since the kingdom's founding, the Filoria family had never once extended aid that harmed their house.
"Well~ Digging might turn something up."
At least, no records showed otherwise. Which led to her point: If the count's house had backed just one side, it wouldn't be an issue.
But she was fretting now because both opposing sides showed traces of the count's influence.
"This is really troublesome..."
Nyaho rested her chin on the desk, her eyes narrowing.
This was Black Thread, one of the continent's top five merchant groups—handling everything, including information, of course. Sure, they weren't as deep as the underworld, but they could extract even classified intel on Viscount Biorin's or Baron Bastia's internal affairs if they wanted.
But not this time. No trace of Filoria anywhere. No conversations, no deals. Nothing.
After staring at the desk with narrowed eyes for a while, Nyaho suddenly widened them and smiled.
"This time~ looks like we'll just have to settle for crumbs."
Her usual play—leak pre-gathered intel to spark rumors before betting big, then stir the pot on the day to rake in cash—was off the table.
Merchants had to gamble boldly sometimes, but not here.
"Haaah~! Nya~"
Nyaho stretched her arms high, her fluffy ears and tail following suit before slowly drooping back down.
"But snack time was ages ago—why hasn't anyone come?"
Brainwork demanded sugar. Nyaho always had sweets on hand. But past refill time, no one had shown.
She pulled a crystal orb from her desk drawer.
Moments later, a soft blue glow emanated from it.
"Yes, Branch Manager."
"Huh~? Where's Benar?"
"Deputy Benar went down to greet the guests from the castle."
"Guests~? Then call Nyaho—why not me?"
"There was a male in the group."
"I see~"
Nyaho nodded. Human men instinctively feared pureblood heteromorph women—unavoidable.
"But~ when did they arrive?"
"A little while ago."
"Then~ why hasn't he come back up?"
"There was an issue between the Golden Reed caravan leader—we were going to have her handle hosting—and the guests, so Deputy's mediating and standing in."
"That guy~ lost over half his goods to theft before, and now what?"
"One of the guests called the Golden Reed leader a 'money-grubbing bitch' who eats debts—quite a few heard it."
"Merchant association's~ all the embarrassment comes from him~"
Nyaho was about to order some sweets when she blinked.
'All the key people are out today?'
Then who were these visitors?
"So~ who are these guests?"
"They bear Viscount Biorin's insignia. And the male in the group—rumor has it Filoria's eldest daughter gifted him clothes yesterday and dined with him."
"What~? Ardella Filoria. Her?"
Nyaho was genuinely shocked, a rare occurrence.
'The count's daughter—who's known to refuse even royal-arranged meetings—gifted a man clothes and had dinner with him?'
"Thanks~ good work."
Pocketing the orb, Nyaho thought.
Gifts and dinner. Motives unclear, but clear favoritism. And from a house hyper-sensitive to family interests...
'Worth forcing a meeting, no matter what.'
Deputy Benar not calling her already signaled rejection, but she had to meet this man.
"Still~ popping in unannounced is rude, so first..."
She quickly scribbled on a small notepaper, folded it neatly into a black envelope.
"Riri~"
The black cat curled on a cushion in the corner lifted its head.
"Come here~"
The blue-eyed cat yawned delicately and padded gracefully onto the desk.
Nyaho placed a hand on Riri's head, closing her eyes.
Moments later, both opened their eyes. Riri's blue eyes shifted to Nyaho's heterochromatic blue-and-green.
"Perfect~ Shall we go?"
Fully possessing Riri, Nyaho hopped down from the desk in the cat's body.
'This way~'
Following Deputy Benar's scent, she trotted along.
She arrived at the room storing the crystal orbs for the territory war relay in four days.
Confirming Benar's voice inside the closed door, Nyaho scratched gently with a paw.
The door opened soon after; she darted in before Benar exited.
"......"
'What~ with that look? Just read the letter already.'
Words didn't work, but eyes did. Nyaho blinked up at Benar, who stared down in confusion and annoyance.
Benar finally read it.
'Now~ mention me again quick.'
Nyaho blinked at the folding Benar.
But his words weren't what she wanted.
I'll remove this cat immediately.
'What~? Remove me? You wanna play it like that? Fine, I'll bolt.'
As Benar reached for the sitting cat-Nyaho, she quickly rose in her original body.
Then a deep, clear male voice cut in from the side.
"Pardon? No, it's fine."
Benar withdrew his hand, straightening up.
Nyaho, en route to the room, halted at the stairs.
'What~? The man stopped him?'
Men feared cats second to monsters—yet this one intervened.
In disbelief, Nyaho maneuvered Riri to see him.
'This...'
Low vantage or his sheer size? Why was her heart pounding?
She couldn't tear her eyes from the man staring with straight black eyes.
He asked Benar,
"Mind if I pet it?"
Nyaho jolted.
'What? Pet? Who? Me?'
Precisely Riri, but shock blurred that.
She faintly heard, 'If the owner wants it, what can we do?' The women assented.
'He's really... gonna pet me?'
She approached the man, now kneeling to her level.
His large hand extended slowly. Intense heat emanated.
Nyaho mindlessly rubbed her head against it.
'Haa... haaa... What, what is this tickly feeling...?'
Just head-rubbing, yet heat surged, lower belly throbbing.
"Haaahhh...!"
He stroked from head to back— she nearly screamed.
Biting down, she drowned in the dizzying new sensation, unable to flee his hand.
Massive palm caressing her whole body. Venturing to unpermitted spots.
Unfamiliar shame made her core pulse relentlessly.
"Haa, haaa...!!"
Breath ragged beyond control—then the hand on her back vanished.
Pop—!!
"Hiyaaahhn~!!"
Pure pleasure jolted her brain unfiltered.
"Uh, uhn♥"
Nyaho blacked out.
**
"Nngh......"
Nyaho clutched her throbbing head, rising.
A sharp female voice lanced from behind.
"Finally awake?"
Turning, Benar sat at the desk, scanning documents.
With sleepy eyes on her head-clutching boss, Benar said,
"What were you thinking?"
Loaded words: Why do that when you're superior? I signaled no repeatedly—why? Ignoring me, you could've leveraged everything for a good impression, but collapsing like a slut mid-stairs? She condensed it, seeing Nyaho's poor state.
To that, Nyaho replied not with words but,
"Territory war day... who's in charge?"
"Why ask that suddenly?"
"Never mind. Doesn't matter."
Muttering, Nyaho rose from the sofa. Her deep black hair, darker than the night sky, cascaded past her shoulders. Folded ears straightened; limp tail flicked up.
"Benar."
"......Yes."
Benar vacated the seat.
Nyaho slid in smoothly.
"Change the person in charge. To me."
"Branch Manager Emma will protest..."
Benar trailed off under Nyaho's gaze—narrowed eyes piercing like soul-searing daggers.
Nyaho turned back.
"Do it."
"......Yes."
Benar said no more.