Cat Commotion (2)

"A cat with two tails? How fascinating."

Ariel, who had been scouring every corner of their surroundings, wiggled two fingers in the air like a pair of feline tails.

A two-tailed cat — the sort of creature that belonged in a fairy tale. No matter how thoroughly Lowen rifled through the library of knowledge in his head, he found no record of any such animal.

"Still, if it's real, we should be able to find it quickly enough."

Lowen checked the cat drawing the little girl had made one more time.

"With features like these, someone must have seen it."

Lowen and Ariel went around showing the picture to the villagers, asking if anyone had spotted a cat like that. The harvest was zero. They had expected at least one person to recognize it, but every single head just shook.

"Well, if you do happen to see it, please let us know."

They bowed to the young woman at the fruit stall and were about to turn away when she spoke up.

"Oh, right — if you're looking for a cat, try the vacant lot. That's where all the cats gather."

A small open lot on the west side of the village. Sometimes it served as a playground where children swung wooden practice swords; other times it became a conference hall for meowing feline assemblies. The meetings weren't regular, but a few cats could usually be found there on any given day, purring and rolling about.

The fruit-stall girl kindly explained the way to the lot, and — just in case they still got lost — even sketched them a little map.

"Thank you so much."

Ariel, who had been getting nowhere, clasped both hands before her chest and offered a grateful smile.

Following the girl's directions, Lowen and Ariel headed for the western lot. There were cats, all right — two orange ones tumbling about in play. The black cat they were looking for, however, was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh?"

Instead of a black cat, a black-haired boy was swinging a wooden sword.

"It's been a while. Have you been well?"

At Ariel's voice from beside him, the boy — Ben — stopped mid-swing.

"Hello..."

His tone was blunt, but he greeted them properly. The thirst for revenge and the fury he'd shown at their first meeting had long since faded. So had the distrust of clergy he'd once worn like armor, calling them all liars.

As for that day — Ben hadn't been stealing. He was the village chief's son, and what he'd taken from the drawer was the pocket money he'd been carefully saving up, coin by coin.

Ben stared hard at Lowen standing behind Ariel. The man looked nothing like the one who had swept through those mercenaries. The oppressive aura from that day was gone, replaced by a gentle presence. Those predator's eyes that had seemed ready to sink fangs into a throat and tear flesh to shreds now looked as mild as an old billy goat's.

"Were you practicing swordsmanship?"

"Yes."

Since that day, Ben had been diligently training with the blade. He wanted to become strong like Lowen. Reaching a level where he could casually knock enemies flat with one hand might be out of reach — but he wanted to grow as strong as he could within his means. He wanted to protect the things that mattered with his own power. He had been helpless until now, forced to endure whatever came. He was done with that.

"Ben, have you by any chance seen a cat like this?"

Ariel held out the drawing.

"Is that supposed to be a cat?"

To Ben's eyes it looked more like a monster. The head was twice the size of the body, and the long tail wasn't one — it was two.

"It is a cat. These are the ears, these are the whiskers, and these are the tails. See? It's a cat."

There was more than one odd thing about the picture, but Ben wanted to get back to practice, so he just nodded.

"So — have you seen it?"

Where would anyone even find a two-tailed cat? He was about to shake his head over the drawing when a recent memory surfaced.

"I don't know about the tails... but I did see a black cat with pink eyes."

Ariel, who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had fully expected another dead end, rounded her eyes and leaned in at the unexpected lead.

"Really?!"

That pretty face suddenly filling his vision made Ben stumble backward in a fluster.

"Saintess, please calm down."

Lowen caught Ariel's shoulder and drew her back. She cleared her throat and composed herself.

"Ahem, ahem... You really saw it?"

"Yes. On the way here — in that alley over there."

Ben pointed toward an alley a short distance from the lot.

"That way! Thank you, Ben!"

Afraid of losing the trail, Ariel dashed off toward the alley in quick little steps.

"Saintess! You'll trip if you run like that!"

Just as Lowen moved to follow, Ben called out to him.

"Bishop!"

Lowen stopped and turned.

"Could you take a look at my sword grip?"

Lowen glanced toward the alley. Even if he lost track of Ariel, he could find her again — and they were inside the village, so there was no danger like last time.

"Show me."

As a small repayment for Ben keeping quiet about that night, Lowen decided to spare a moment for the boy's form.

"Yes!"

Ben took up his stance with the excitement of a child who'd just been handed a gift.

"Too much tension in the shoulders. You're holding the hilt too low, too. And don't lock the elbows straight — keep a slight bend. Now swing from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there."

The wooden sword whooshed through empty air. Whether from lack of leg strength or simply not using it, Ben's body tipped forward. Looking at the swing, he'd clearly learned some sword work — but he'd learned it wrong. Probably those mercenaries had just shown him the bare motions of swinging a blade and called it teaching.

Of course, swordsmanship came in many schools depending on the instructor. By Lowen's standards, though, Ben's form was simply incorrect.

"Give it here."

After checking that no one else was around, Lowen took the wooden sword and demonstrated himself. Two-handed grip — one clean vertical cut, one horizontal. It was only a practice sword, and the motion looked almost as casual as fanning the air, yet to Ben's eyes it seemed as if a real blade had left scars on the wind itself.

"Like that."

Even with a demonstration, Ben couldn't copy it on the spot. Of course not. The boy had barely started holding a sword, while Lowen had spent half his life with one in his hand.

"Keep at it. Few things improve as readily with practice as swordsmanship."

Lowen returned the wooden sword and gave Ben's shoulder a couple of firm pats.

"Well then."

He waved and turned on his heel.

"Well... I suppose that was inevitable."

Ariel had already vanished somewhere into the alley. If the Holy See ever found out, they'd leap out of their seats demanding to know what kind of guardian he was supposed to be — but she hadn't disappeared into a forest this time, so there was little to worry about. And even if she had gone off, she'd still be somewhere in the alley. Given the size of the village, it wouldn't take long. He'd find her faster than the cat.

"Or so I thought..."

The alley was strange. It was nothing more than a small side street in a small village, yet it twisted like a labyrinth. Even when he retraced a path he'd already memorized, the exit had vanished.

"And I can't use my abilities, either."

He tried to enhance his vision the way he had when searching for Ariel before, but some external force seemed to be interfering — nothing worked.

"......"

Perhaps this was more cause for concern than last time.

Having charged into the alley the moment she heard a cat had been spotted there, Ariel only realized much later that Lowen was no longer behind her.

"Huh? Bishop Lowen? Bishop Lowen, where are you?"

She looked this way and that, then planted both hands on her hips and shook her head.

"Honestly. Bishop Lowen is supposed to stick right by my side..."

Deciding to find Lowen before the cat, Ariel turned back the way she'd come.

"Huh? Wait—"

After wandering the alley for some time in search of him, she began to sense something wrong. No matter how far she walked, it was still alley. She knew she'd come in deep, but she couldn't seem to leave no matter which way she went. Every time she rounded a corner, the path shifted — as if the alley were being cut apart and reassembled.

Ariel pressed a hand to the wall.

"Magical energy..."

The cool, crisp sensation of magic power tangled through her warm divine energy. Magic was flowing through the wall. No — the entire alley was blanketed in it. This wasn't a complicated alley. Someone was deliberately making it complicated.

"This is troublesome."

Raising protective barriers was her specialty. Dismantling them was not — especially someone else's barrier, woven from magic power. Still, there was a way. Find the barrier's master.

"O Lord of Light, reveal the resonance of life to this lost little lamb..."

Clutching her rosary, she offered a prayer. Divine power poured out of her as if every drop of blood in her veins were being drawn into the earth, spreading in all directions.

"Besides myself... three..."

Three life forces within this alley. She opened her eyes. The divine power that had radiated outward snapped back into her body all at once, surging and rolling. Silver shards flashed across her vision, and a wave of dizziness hit her.

"One is Bishop Lowen... another is... probably the cat? Then the last one..."

Would be the one maintaining the barrier. She needed to find Lowen, find the cat, and find the barrier's master. Either way, Ariel decided to move. Whoever she found first, she needed to find someone.

The dizziness faded. The moment she took a step forward—

"Meow~"

A cute little cry slipped straight into Ariel's ear. She whipped her head toward the sound.

There it was — a black cat with pink eyes glittering like pink ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sapphires, two tails swaying gently, staring right at her.

"Darongi!"

There really was a cat with two tails. How marvelous. But before she could fully savor the wonder, Ariel moved to catch it before it got away.

"Hiyah...! Ah—!"

The instant she crept close and reached, the cat bolted.

"Wait...!"

Ariel gave chase. Was the cat teasing her? Even on her short legs, she managed to keep up.

"No!"

The cat scrambled up a wooden crate and slipped into a high, narrow opening.

"I can climb that much..."

Ariel carefully mounted the crate and pushed her upper body into the space — just wide enough for one person to crawl through.

"Heh heh. Dead end."

The far end was sealed with iron bars. The cat sat right in front of that dead end.

"Come on, into my arms."

Ariel stretched a hand toward it.

"Meow meow, come this way, kitty."

She put on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a cat voice and radiated friendliness. The cat, which had been watching her with those mysterious eyes, padded slowly into her embrace.

"What a good little kitty Darongi is."

Ariel stroked its head and gathered it against her chest.

"Well, at least I found the cat."

Cradling it carefully, as if handling something precious, she started to ease her body back out.

"Hwah?"

She pushed her hips backward — but her ample chest caught on the opening, and she wouldn't budge.

"Th-this can't be happening......?"

Ariel squirmed and wriggled, trying every which way to free herself. Far from getting out, she kicked away the wooden crate she'd been using as a foothold.

"......I'm doomed."

She had found the cat — but now Ariel was stuck in the narrow space, her rear end left completely exposed and defenseless.