Chapter 190 : The Kitten Named Yaong
Chapter 190: The Kitten Named Yaong
The moment I saw Deron Level being carried in unconscious, I was left speechless.
‘Is this for real?’
I'd had a bad feeling.
New Level's movements had been eerily similar to Haken's.
One Master had deliberately sabotaged another Master.
It looked exactly like they were preparing to cause some kind of incident.
That's why I'd sent Raysha to investigate.
But I never expected things to blow up this openly.
‘So, out of nowhere, people claiming to be the Imperial Army attacked, there wasn't a single soldier guarding Deron Level, and there was even an assassination attempt inside his own tent?’
I'd thought they might quietly attempt an assassination like Durek did.
Instead, this side had gone much bigger.
The very fact that an external attack had been launched to create chaos proved how carefully this had all been planned.
Why would the Imperial Army that was supposed to be lurking around Saint suddenly crawl out over there?
At this level, it had clearly been decided by people much higher up.
Compared to Durek desperately twisting himself into knots to carry out an assassination, this was at least one level above that.
‘No wonder it felt strange that he knew absolutely nothing about what was happening around Saint.’
Is this guy really just a figurehead?
He'd acted so arrogant during the Lord’s Council, yet this was utterly ridiculous.
‘If that's true... then the real mastermind isn't this man.’
Who is it?
Who's the one secretly controlling New Level from the shadows?
-If they've gone this far, someone will eventually have to step into the open, won't they?
‘Probably. Well...’
Because Raysha had brought him here, Deron Level was now officially missing.
Whatever New Level's internal situation might be, the Great Lord known to the outside world was still Deron Level.
With a Great Lord suddenly disappearing, someone would inevitably react.
Since this was obviously a carefully planned assassination attempt, there was bound to be a follow-up plan.
For now, I'd have to wait and see how they responded.
“So... why isn't this man waking up?”
He'd been seriously injured, but he wasn't dead.
He was still breathing just fine.
Since Raysha had even used one of our precious special suppository potions, his life had definitely been saved.
Though he'd probably lost something important in return.
Still, that was much better than dying.
The problem was...
He showed absolutely no signs of waking up.
If New Level began moving according to their plans and this man suddenly reappeared...
That alone would make for an incredibly entertaining event.
Unfortunately, that wasn't possible at the moment.
“I believe we'll need the High Priest.”
“Is it really that serious?”
“His physical condition isn't bad. The problem lies with his mind. That's beyond my abilities.”
“Really?”
When I asked the Priest-Warrior Brito, he said Deron Level's body itself was fine.
Apparently there was some kind of mental issue instead.
According to him, only someone like the High Priest could properly treat it.
“I've already made arrangements on that front.”
More importantly...
I wondered what was happening over at Saint.
Things there must have been moving just as frantically.
Once there were results, Baurok—the master of reporting—would contact me immediately.
Since he hadn't...
The battle was probably still ongoing.
“By the way... what's this?”
What to do with Deron Level would have to wait until after he regained consciousness.
After laying him down somewhere quiet, I stepped outside the tent.
Then something strange caught my eye.
The box Raysha and the Black Lions had brought back together with Deron Level.
One large chest sat quietly beside him.
“Ah, this? Isn't it magnificent?”
“Well... magnificent is a stretch. It's just a box.”
“It's an extremely luxurious box.”
“Well, that's true.”
At first glance, it looked like it contained some kind of magical mechanism.
Apparently it'd been inside the tent.
I couldn't even begin to guess its purpose.
It wouldn't open, after all.
Personally...
I had no idea why they'd bothered bringing something like this back.
“This is an excellent trophy.”
Seeing Raysha and the Black Lions puffing out their chests with pride made it awkward to criticize them.
Seriously...
Were these girls cats or something?
Well, lions were technically part of the cat family...
But they'd never shown this kind of obsession with boxes before.
“Hrng...”
I figured I should at least find out what it was.
So I grabbed it and applied some force.
It didn't open easily.
Still, the resistance wasn't particularly impressive.
I could sense some mana...
But it didn't feel like some incredible security mechanism.
It almost felt like...
If I just used a little more strength, it'd pop open.
“Hrrrng!!!”
“Bear, there's no way a box like that would open so easi—”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“It opened?”
Her words about it being impossible to open became meaningless.
The moment I put more strength into it...
It simply opened.
“Just as expected of a bear!”
“Bear Bear!”
“What a beast!”
While all kinds of utterly disrespectful comments flew around...
I opened the lid completely.
Truthfully...
I was curious too.
So together with the lions, I peered inside.
“…What is this?”
“Isn't it a kitty?!”
A very familiar-looking animal poked its head out of the box.
A kitten.
More accurately...
It resembled a leopard cub.
Its bright, round eyes made it unbelievably adorable.
The problem was...
It was already the size of a large dog.
Its appearance was clearly that of a baby.
Yet its body was as big as a large hunting dog.
No matter how you looked at it...
This wasn't an ordinary animal.
“…Isn't this a baby Yupitelio?”
“I see. It does resemble that cat.”
“No, what do you mean 'I see'? That's not the point...”
Why would something like this be here?
“Ah... I get it.”
No wonder New Level had seemed capable of loosely controlling Yupitelio's movements.
They must have stolen its offspring and used it.
Otherwise...
There'd be no reason an Out-of-Rank Monster would leave its own territory.
That also explained why it never seemed interested in fleeing, even during such an unfavorable battle.
Seriously...
What ridiculous people.
“So... what do we do with it?”
It looked unbelievably cute on the outside.
But a monster was still a monster.
Whether it was a Magical Beast or a monster, I couldn't say for certain.
But if it grew up...
Wouldn't it become another Yupitelio?
That alone made it dangerous.
If so...
Wouldn't it be better to deal with it while it was still young—
-Kiiing...
-Kking...
“Hm. It's adorable.”
“Well...”
“I'll raise this kitty.”
“I'm telling you, it's not a cat.”
...Just as I thought that...
This terrifying little "cat" (which wasn't actually a cat) rolled over to Raysha and started whining.
After whining a couple of times...
It rolled onto its back, exposed its belly...
Then clung to Raysha while continuing to whimper.
Despite being a feline monster...
It acted more affectionately than most dogs.
And Raysha...
Who had already admired Yupitelio during the subjugation, calling it a magnificent cat...
Immediately scooped the little thing into her arms.
She'd been completely struck by the "chosen one" beam.
Of course...
It still wasn't actually a cat.
‘It seems dangerous, and you still want to raise it?’
-Does it matter?
‘It doesn't?’
-If you ask me, that lioness looks far more dangerous. Once it grows up a bit, you can always release it into the Monster Mountain Range.
‘...Is that so?’
He wasn't exactly wrong...
But it still felt questionable.
Creatures like this usually caused truly spectacular disasters if they ever went out of control.
Besides...
Did raising a monster even make sense?
If it were a Magical Beast, coexistence with humans would at least be possible.
-And this little one... after taking a closer look, it's quite different from ordinary monsters.
‘Don't tell me... it's actually a Magical Beast?’
-Half and half? It's obviously an intelligent creature. Raise it properly and it shouldn't cause any major problems. Especially if it's with that lioness.
‘Really?’
-Animals only challenge those they believe they can climb over. The smarter they are, the more true that becomes. And a creature like this will probably take quite a long time to reach adulthood.
Even the rabbit had vouched for it.
Maybe it'd be alright after all.
Thinking about it...
The moment it'd appeared, it'd immediately attached itself to Raysha.
It was obviously intelligent enough to instinctively recognize that Raysha was the strongest individual in the group.
Raysha had already been terrifying before.
After her battle with the Gnoll Lord...
She'd become even stronger.
She should be capable of controlling a half-monster, half-Magical Beast while it was still immature.
Once it grew enough...
We could always consider releasing it.
“From today onward, your name is Yaong.”
-Purr...
Since she'd already given it a name...
I supposed it'd be best to leave things as they were for now.
‘It's the size of a large dog... so why is it so cute? Shouldn't it be terrifying instead?’
Honestly...
Even as someone who preferred dogs...
I had to admit it was pretty adorable.
Thus...
The spoils of this operation became one human...
And one pet monster.
For some reason...
Everyone was paying attention to the pet monster instead of the human.
It was a very strange situation.
At that same time...
The neutral territory of Saint.
A fierce battle was raging.
It was supposed to have been a one-sided battle.
An overwhelming victory brought about by the Imperial Army's surprise attack.
Instead...
The battlefield had become a deadlock.
Because the Imperial Army's plans had been exposed beforehand...
Saint had prepared thoroughly.
Saint itself wasn't a particularly powerful territory.
However...
Combined with the troops dispatched by the three Great Lords, the city's walls were being defended with remarkable determination.
Among them...
Saint's pride, the "Knight Saint," Naibel, stood above everyone else.
Wielding Holy Aura, the Master relentlessly slaughtered the Imperial Knights climbing the walls, greatly boosting morale.
However...
One day after the battle began...
Starting with the "Knight Saint," Saint's defenders began collapsing helplessly.
Imperial soldiers that had suddenly appeared inside Saint attacked the defenders from the rear.
Most importantly...
Those troops included Masters.
Octosia and an unknown Master relentlessly double-teamed the "Knight Saint."
The "Knight Saint," who resisted until the very end...
Ultimately fell in battle.
“Ah... the Holy Knight really was stubborn.”
“You've done well.”
The mysterious Imperial force that had remained hidden inside Saint until the decisive moment...
Was actually New Level's secret unit.
Leading them...
Was the unrevealed Master, "Drake."
Not only had Drake and New Level's troops disguised themselves as Imperial soldiers...
They had also mercilessly destroyed New Level's own expeditionary force stationed here.
The sacrifice of the small for the greater whole.
It was only possible because the troops stationed here were Deron Level's direct forces.
“Now it's time to honor our agreement.”
“Hm.”
“Don't take it too personally. We suffered considerable losses too. We even sacrificed the troops stationed here.”
The agreement between Octosia and "him."
Octosia had received all the supplies necessary for this campaign.
The only reason the mostly refugee Imperial Army had been able to launch an assault on Saint...
Was because New Level had supplied them.
They had even received support in the form of an undisclosed Master, allowing them to eliminate Saint's Master, the "Knight Saint."
In return...
They had sent two Imperial Masters south to carry out Operation "Overthrow."
All things considered...
The deal had been fairly balanced.
The problem...
Was that the High Priest was part of the bargain.
Although New Level had agreed to hand Saint over...
They intended to take the High Priest for themselves.
They would surrender Saint...
But not without taking something valuable.
That hidden intention was also why they had sent two Imperial Masters south.
Don't entertain any foolish ideas.
Simply hand the High Priest over to us.
As someone who specialized in defense...
Octosia naturally found it burdensome to oppose New Level's forces with a Master among them.
“I understand. Then don't take this the wrong way either.”
“…What is this? Surely... you're not planning to betray us?”
“Betrayal? Were we ever in a relationship where such a word would apply?”
The moment Octosia raised his hand...
The Imperial forces surrounded New Level's reinforcements.
The atmosphere instantly became explosive.
However...
Drake wasn't particularly worried.
Octosia simply lacked the offensive power necessary to defeat him.
If anything...
Octosia should have been the one worried about surviving.
“No... you... Weren't you supposed to have gone south?”
Then...
Another hidden Master stepped into view.
It was the Imperial Master who was supposed to be fighting Deron Level's forces at Mount Rot.
“But we received reports from the south.”
“The people of the peninsula aren't very good at telling us apart. As long as we covered our faces appropriately, they had no way to identify us besides our weapons and armor. There weren't any Masters stationed at the rendezvous point either. Besides, communications were cut off right before the operation.”
“Damn... those underhanded tricks...”
New Level had been concentrating more on Mount Rot than Saint.
The Imperial Army...
Had staked everything on Saint.
Naturally, the thoroughness of their preparations differed.
New Level believed they had checked everything carefully...
Yet a single gap had appeared.
The Imperial Army had exploited that opening perfectly, creating this very situation.
To think...
There were now two Imperial Masters gathered here.
Drake had no choice but to admit...
That the odds had turned against him.