The Cat and Witch Bathe in the Moonlight 1
After returning to the inn and finishing dinner, I took a look at Alexis’s foot. He had been bitten by a poisonous snake, and his skin had swollen and turned yellow with some bright pink polka dots popping up here and there. It really was quite the fashionable look.
When I had reached my room, I removed my armor and relaxed in the bed of the best room in the hotel. Right when I was starting to get comfy though, there was a small *ton* *ton* on echoing from my door. I took a look at the time, but it was still too early for room service to stop by. How strange.
“Miss Monette, are you awake?”
After several seconds of knocking, I heard Percival’s voice come from the other side of the door.
I rolled out of my nice, comfy bed and started to make my way over to the door. I had just taken off all my armor, and in addition, the lightening magic had worn off on it. I thought about recasting it when I had first removed it, but the bed looked so comfy……..curse these idle thoughts.
“Miss Monette, I have something I want to give to you.”
“…Can’t you give it to me tomorrow?”
Does my voice not m.u.f.fled by the helmet sound ugly to your ears? I pressed myself against the door, anxiety brewing in my heart.
Because it was the best room in the hotel, the door was built solidly, and it was obviously locked. So it’s all okay, or so I kept telling myself, but the thought of my unm.u.f.fled voice being heard caused my heart to run a marathon. If anyone were to enjoy a conversation through the door like this, then the only thing I could call them would be m.a.s.o.c.h.i.s.t.
However, I was able to endure my nerves and mortification, sealing away the trembling of my voice and locking it away deep inside my chest.
He could not have noticed the conflict that was occurring behind the door, but did he have questions about why the door would not open? After a few seconds, Percival asked what was wrong. When I told him that I had taken it off, I tried to lower my voice a bit to make it deeper and hide my natural voice.
I started to rub my arms together. Instead of the usual loud, hard clang of the metal, my bare skin is quite soft isn’t it?
“You took it off?”
“Yes…..In order to renew the light weight magic spell, so…..”
“Took it off… light weight… unarmored!?”
“…That’s right, I’m unarmored.”
In response to Percival’s astonished voice, I answered with a sigh and wrapped myself back up in the blanket on top of my bed.
“Unarmored.” What kind of word is that? Is it even a real word? It seems all this anxiousness has turned me stupid.
“I am sorry. It is just weird for me to hear that you are unarmored.”
“Eeeh? Is it because Percival thinks the armor is Monette?”
I gazed around my room while sweeping away Percival’s remarks.
It might look like a display piece when set down like it is, but the armor lined up against the sofa certainly stood out compared to the rest of the gorgeous room. That thing is Monette… or at least that is what I started to call it inside my head while looking at it.
Then when I was about to sigh again, I heard a cough from the other side of the door.
Apparently he seems to have realized the insensitivity of his remarks, and he now wants to change the conversation in order to start off fresh.
“That’s why, I have something I want to pa.s.s along…”
“To Monette, or that person always wearing her?”
I said so with a little bit of malice, and I heard a cough a lot louder than the previous one in response. The voice yelling, “They’re both the same!” was rough and sounded like it came from a sleazy type of guy, but I still ended up laughing in spite of myself.
“What do you want to pa.s.s on?”
“Ah, well, it’s a sugar confection that looked tasty while I was looking around.”
So he bought it. At the thought of what type of sugary treat Percival had with him, I unwrapped myself from my blanket, if only a little.
When this journey started, the idea of getting something from Percival was not even funny, and when he bought me one, I refused to even look at it. After that, Percival hara.s.sed me with his usual behavior whenever he gets sleepy, and I accepted the sweet as payment for forgetting what had happened–although I would have wanted to forget about it even if he had not offered a bribe.
Perhaps he wants a repeat scenario of when I dropped that sugary confection in my armor? He is trying to supply the ammo for my embarra.s.sment.
While I was running through the scenarios of why he might do something like this, Percival must have been getting impatient as he called out, “Well?” from the other side of the door.
What does he want? With the door, I cannot see what expression he is making, and I obviously cannot open it to check.
“In that case, please leave it in front of the door. I will take it when Percival leaves.”
“Oh, I got it. Well, I mean, about this though…..”
“This?”
“No, it’s nothing….I will give this as well on another occasion….”
“This is?”
What story? I am confused.
However, Percival would not go into detail about whatever “this” was, and when I asked for more, he did not answer me and instead just told me good night before quickly disappearing down the hallway.
I was very confused, but I ended up shrugging and pushing it out of my mind. I walked towards my suit of armor next to the sofa, cast lightening magic on it, and grabbed the left behind confection after putting the armor on.
“Alexis is constantly attracting bad luck to hamper us, and Percival is really troublesome when he is sleepy. With these two people, traveling like this can really be a pain.”
I threw the sugar confection in my mouth while making my complaints heard. The moderate sweetness and aroma spread inside my mouth, and my expression naturally melted inside my helmet.
I was currently walking inside a forest that was a short distance away from the town with a fancy looking kitty-cat joining me at my side.
After I had cast the weight reduction magic on my armor, I decided to take a leisurely night stroll. As I left the inn and walked for awhile, this cute cat appeared from out of nowhere, and he has been walking beside me ever since. He would diligently follow me along, but occasionally, as if he knew where I was going to go, he would take a step forward leading the way.
Such a mysterious cat. Fighting back the urge to just get on my hands and knees and cuddle up to him, I peeked back over my shoulder where he was strutting along. He had a fascinating color scheme with a pale hair color mix of white and gray with a splotch of black around the nose. Most interesting were his beautiful jewel-like eyes that were a deep blue on the right and a bright yellow on the left.
Whit his slim and supple body, you could easily feel a fascinating charm. But even if he was fat, the loveliness of a cat would not change, and its soft, flowing tail was beautifully swaying with every step it took.
“Hey, do you hate insects or like to bully spiders? If you are fine with it, how about living together when I move to this city?”
I decided to send out an invite.
A cat and a spider, dissimilar, but could they coexist?
I walked around aimlessly, entertaining such peaceful thoughts right up right up until I saw a sight that took my breath away and blew off any other idle thought I had. It was the type of beauty that most people would only ever see at most once in their lives.
The full moon floating in the sky was reflected on a lake’s surface like a radiant jewel.
Even though there were no decorations or craftsmanship involved, the natural sight provided a beautiful scene straight from a fairytale. But most of all, there was a magical energy that played on the senses in the air…
The area was a power spot that only a witch could feel. Together with the full moon, this power enveloped me, a still fledgling witch, in its warm embrace.
“Amazing… To think a place like this really exists.”
The whole experience brings me to awe as I walk closer to the lake.
The water felt warm when I immersed my hands at the lake’s edge, and ripples radiated away from me as I stroked the water’s surface.
When I pulled out a piece of parchment from my pouch, I wanted to hit myself when I noticed that parts of it had gotten wet. “I should have pulled it out before starting to play in the water,” I tell myself.
The cat was resting in front of me with the lake creating a perfect background as if everything had been set up beforehand for me.
“I can draw this! With such a beautiful model, I will be able to draw even better than usual.”
Sizing up my subject, I used one hand to measure up the cat, and with my other hand *Sha~!* my pen rocketed across the parchment. I was giving the cat a bit of an intimidating air, but he would still look cute so it will be fine.
………..There is a bit of sand on its hind legs, but I’m sure it will be pleased with the details.
“Good, apart. I should clear out any people.”
Thinking so, I started casting a spell on the ground.
I took a small breathe before reciting the activation words. At that moment, the cats ears perked up along with the tip of its tail, and it started to curiously look around itself.
It must have felt a change in the air, so I petted the tip of its nose in order to calm him down some. Nevertheless, to be able to quickly adapt to a human’s affairs and to notice the effects of a spell, you really are a mysterious cat aren’t you?”
“It’s alright. I just cleared out any prying eyes for a bit.”
The cat eventually calmed down underneath the palm of my armor.
The previous spell is now active. My spell now covers the whole area, and while it will not last long, people will not come by this lake so long as it is still in effect. Anyone who was nearby will confusedly make their way away, and anyone coming over here will unconsciously end up going in a different direction.
It is a simple spell to use, but it is effective at driving away any unnecessary onlookers. However, uneasiness still remained in my heart, so just for the sake of doubt, I drew two more spells into the ground beside me. Is it a little excessive?
However if my skin is going to be exposed, I will end up restless without at least this much preparation.
I took a quick look around to confirm the spell’s effect, and I started to take off my armor.