Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: 14. Into the World of Agriculture! (6)
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#5 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain Daughter.
It had already been a week since Dad announced we were moving.
The grandpa next door had talked Dad into staying, so we were going to keep living here!
Buoyed by that joy, I spent the whole week diligently harvesting the crops.
Thanks to my hard work, I finished gathering the potatoes, wheat, and several vegetables in just that time. Now, it was finally time to tackle the last one: the cornfield.
Ah!
“Dad, quit slacking off!”
“Sorry!”
I scolded Dad as he stopped working.
Sometimes Dad would just freeze up, lost in thought, and stop moving.
I had to snap him out of it quick.
Winter was almost here!
“Dad~ hurry up~”
“Got it, got it. Aren’t you picking on your old man too much?”
Corn needs to be harvested fast and stored properly.
It spoils easier than other crops.
Plus, it’s not just corn in there.
There are beans planted too, and pumpkins here and there.
According to Dad, planting corn wears out the soil.
So you mix in beans and pumpkins to protect it.
I don’t really get the reason, but if Dad says it, it must be true.
“Hmm…”
I reached for a nearby ear of corn, but my fingers barely missed it.
Being so short really sucks sometimes.
I wish I’d hurry up and grow tall enough to reach the highest ones…
“Looks delicious…”
I stretched up on my tiptoes, but all I got was a whiff of that sweet corn smell.
Corn is yummy.
You can roast it like potatoes or boil it.
Dad hasn’t fried any for me, but I bet that’d be good too.
You can even grind it into flour for bread or press it for oil.
If you squeeze out the oil and fry chicken in it, it’d be amazing.
‘But isn’t that basically corn cuisine?’
I paused for a second, but Dad always says good is good.
So corn is good. You can make chicken with it.
“Ungh~”
I even jumped to grab it, but still came up empty.
Disappointed, I plopped down and started picking the fully grown beans when someone tapped my back.
“Huh?”
“Meooow!”
“What’s up?”
The little paw jabs came from one of the stray cats I feed sometimes.
“Sis is busy.”
Nobody treats me like the big sister around here.
Even the youngest fruit seller’s daughter is a month older than me, so I’m the baby.
The only ones younger are newborns who can’t even walk yet.
That’s why I had to adopt the cats as little siblings.
“Nyaaaoow!”
“Oh, no.”
Am I getting the cold shoulder for being too busy with harvest to play lately?
This cat, who usually listens so well, kept batting at my back today.
“Oh, no. For real! We have to harvest every last bean, at least!”
Dad said he’d handle the heavy pumpkins.
He’d get the high-up corn too.
So beans are my job!
Beans make great oil too.
Chicken fried in corn oil is tasty, but bean oil chicken sounds good too.
Chicken is always delicious!
“Nyaaaoow!”
“Jeez, what’s with you today!”
There are lots of other cats, but they’re all smart kids.
They’d wait patiently from afar while Sis farmed or harvested.
What’s going on?
“Dad! Mind if I step away for a bit?”
“Hm? Something wrong?”
He was working so hard, I couldn’t even see him.
Just rustling cornstalks.
“The cats are swarming me! Something’s up, I think.”
“Cats? Well, can’t be helped. Go check it out.”
I worried I’d get an earful since I’d scolded him earlier.
But Dad’s got a big heart, as always.
“Nyaaaaow!”
“Coming, coming. Hold on.”
The second I stood, the cat bolted.
This is urgent!
“Nya! Nya! Nyaaaoow!”
“Nyaaaoow!”
Soon we neared the hills, and I heard the cats’ frantic cries.
Something was definitely wrong!
“Kids, what happened?!”
They’re usually such quiet little ones.
For them to yowl like this, I had to sprint over too.
And there it was: red blood.
“Kyaaak!”
A cat with shimmering golden fur had a huge gash!
“I’ve never seen this one… You guys didn’t do it, right?”
Of course not. These sweeties wouldn’t hurt a fly.
They mobbed me the second I arrived, rubbing against me and meowing like, Fix it!
“F-First, Dad!”
The blood kept pouring out.
For stuff I can’t handle, report to Dad fast! That’s the best trick he ever taught me.
But,
Shhkk!
“Kyaaak!”
As I approached to carry it to Dad, it slashed me with sharp claws.
“O-Ow…”
I clutched the scratches on my palm.
Red drops welled up. It hurt.
“Kyaaanyaa!”
The fallen cat staggered up and glared, trembling.
Stay back, it seemed to hiss.
“You’re hurt!”
“Nyaaaaaoow!”
It propped itself on shaking front legs and yowled at me.
But I get it.
It’s just lashing out because it’s scared of more pain.
I’ve been there.
I was mean to Dad back then.
But he hugged me anyway.
No matter how much I pushed him away!
So now it’s my turn to be strong!
“It’s okay.”
“Nyaaaoow!”
I inched closer, hand out.
Dad said cats hate palm, belly, or tail pets.
I whined about where to pet then, but not anymore.
“Nyaaaaat!”
“Eugh…”
The second its eyes locked on me, I scooped its body.
It screamed and clawed my forearm, but way more blood poured from it.
“It’s fine, don’t worry. Dad’ll fix you right up!”
Its claws dug in, but I had to calm it now.
Like Dad did, I stroked its head with one hand and bolted back yelling.
“Daaaad!”
“Ellis?”
“T-The cat’s hurt!”
“Wait, you’re hurt too!”
“The cat’s worse!”
Dad burst from the corn at my panicked shout, eyes wide at my bloody arm. But he quickly checked the cat I’d brought.
“Nyaaaa!”
“Where!”
It had quieted a bit, but bared claws again as Dad neared. He deftly pinned its paws and inspected the bleeding wound.
“Knife cut… Happened outside the village?”
Nobody here would do something that bad.
Kids playing rough? Not in our village.
The big sis who leads all the village kids wouldn’t stand for it.
No kid disobeys her.
Doesn’t matter if they’re older, bigger, or tough!
One flick from big sis, and they’re all squealing confessions.
“Ah…!”
Thinking of big sis brought back memories I’d buried.
Too late.
Dad had already grabbed the struggling cat and was sprinting home.
“N-No…!”
It wasn’t just old hurts from others that made me lash out at Dad.
Even now that I understand, the terror from that massive pain lingers!
“Kitty, run!”
I chased Dad’s back, screaming, but my legs couldn’t keep up.
“Hah, hah… hah…”
But the house came into view.
Door’s open—Dad’s inside. Not too late yet.
Just some salve and bandages!
“Ar hand is healing hand!”
“Ahh…”
Big sis’s cheery voice hit me, and I knew what I’d hear next.
“Nyaaaaaooowaaaaoow!”
“Sorry, sorry kitty…”
I was too slow… I made you suffer this.
Pain so bad you’d rather die!
“Kyaaanyaananyaaow!”
“Tch, feisty one! Once more!”
“Kyanyaaaaaoow!”
“Looks rough here too?”
“Nyaaaaaaaow!”
First, screams of agony.
Then roars of rage.
Now pleas to just end it—the poor kitty feels it all.
All I could do was cry and pray the treatment ended soon.
***
“Knyaang…”
I stared at the cat flopped over, eyes rolled back, tongue lolling.
My little sister Ellis—now basically the cats’ keeper—rushed off when it meowed and brought it back. The one who scratched her up.
Seeing my precious girl hurt made my blood boil, but a gentleman’s revenge waits ten years. Mine? Iron Bat handles it.
Ellis begged, and I wanted payback, so I asked Iron Bat to treat it. Result: this.
Oh, right…
“Ellis looks banged up too. Take a peek.”
“Huh? No way! My adorable second sis hurt?!”
Iron Bat bolted from the room at my words, followed by screams.
“S-Sis! It’s not bad! I’m fine… so! Kyaaak!”
“Treatment’ll be over soon.”
Can’t buy fancy meds in a backwater village like this.
Breaks my heart, but I can’t let my pretty girl scar.
“Anyway…”
Up close, the cat’s golden fur was stunning.
Who’d stab a beauty like this?
Premium breed at a glance…
“Noble?”
Maybe some traveling punk noble got bored of his pet and ditched it?
Lately, though, the neighbor’s gramps being called Sword Saint had my paranoia flaring again.
“Cats this gorgeous with golden fur in novels are usually…”
Beastkin. Royals among them, often.
Romance genre? Heal the hurt kitty, get a hot beast guy or tsundere cutie.
Fantasy? Comes with killer looks as a warrior, falls for the hero who patched it up. Saves him at the clutch.
“So my girl’s the protagonist?!”
No way. Can’t let my cute daughter suffer as some annoying main character!
“…I’m losing it.”
Had to admit my suspicion was terminal. Time for serious counseling.
Just a hurt cat, and I’m thinking beastkin I never even crossed paths with back in Howling days!
Rud was half, but purebloods—especially the noble-called elite beastkin—can shift between animal and human forms anytime.
It’s innate racial ability, not magic, so no spell detects it. They swap and flee, and no other race catches them.
Beastkin resembling beasts or humans with beast traits? Totally outclassed by the nobles.
No reason to run into them, right?
“Right? You’re not some beastkin noble… or crown prince, are you?”
Grabbing its paws and asking, I looked kinda pathetic.
#6 Their Circumstances: The Circumstances of a Certain ???.
Hellish time over.
Eyes drooping slow.
But not fully out—faint awareness lingered.
Then a man’s voice reached my ears.
Couldn’t make out the words.
Barely audible.
Just sleepy. Wanna sleep.
Doubts fading as I drifted, then he grabbed my arms.
“Right? You’re not some beastkin noble… or crown prince, are you?”
H-How…?
That thought ended it. Couldn’t fight the body’s rest anymore and blacked out.