Published at 17th of August 2019 11:49 am

Volume 22, Chapter 4: At the Barrier

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Sunday, November 21

While O-hime had reached the Elfaria faction base, Koutarou and the others were still inside the forest. As expected, having landed within a forest, and having to travel on foot made a big difference.

"Hey, Satomi-san"

"What?"

"Didn't something move over there?"

"... You're starting with that again?"

"But...!"

Koutarou, Yurika and Theia could only move at night. And Yurika was bad at dealing with the forest at night. She was always scared that something might jump out from the nearby bushes and attack.

"You really do become useless once you lose motivation"

"Even if you say that, I can't help it! It's scary!"

"Boo!"

That was when Theia snuck up behind Yurika and scared her with a loud voice.

"Kyaaa― Mmmm!"

As Yurika suddenly let out a scream, Koutarou quickly covered her mouth.

"Theia, think about the situation we're in! What are you going to do if there are enemies around!"

"I know, I checked the area with my sensors before doing it. There's no problems"

"Mmmmmmm, Mhmm, Mmmmmmm!"

"But why would you do it right now!"

"I figured she might calm down if she got a little shock"

"That just has the opposite effect on her!"

"Mm, mmmm... ... ..."

"... She's gotten quiet"

"Ah, Yurika!! Breathe!!"

While it was misfortunate for Yurika, the truth was that her constant fright was useful for Koutarou and Theia. As they were in a bad situation where they isolated from their allies, they were starting to get gloomy. But Yurika's fear of absolutely nothing helped erase that. She was what was keeping them together. But unfortunately for Yurika, none of the three realized that.

"... I think the both of you don't have enough consideration for me! I'm really scared here!"

Even though the commotion had died down, Yurika was still angry. But as the anger made her forget about her fear, she was walking like normal. So in the end, it was just as Theia had planned.

"I said I was sorry. It wasn't on purpose"

"If you really feel that way, hold my hand harder"

"Okay, okay, you really are a handful"

That said, Yurika's anger was starting to die down. Because as an apology, Koutarou was leading her by the hand. Thanks to that, Yurika's focus shifted from the commotion just before to the sensation of Koutarou's hand.

"... Ehehehe..."

When Yurika was holding Koutarou's hand, she was thinking back to that kiss on the cheek. As she did, the feelings from back that filled her chest and pushed out what anger she had left. It would only be a matter of time before the anger was completely gone.

"... You little"

Ding.

"What now?"

"It's nothing"

"Then why did you kick me?"

"I said it was nothing!"

"Ding. Ding.

But for some reason, the anger within Yurika was moving over to Theia. Koutarou would receive quite a few more kicks until he realized that and properly dealt with it.

Koutarou's armor and Theia's Combat Dress had used up most of their energy during the atmospheric re-entry, but the other parts were still functioning. There were some parts damaged during the re-entry, but nothing had ceased to function. So while they couldn't fly or put up barriers, the other functions worked as normal. That's why both the armor's and the dress' sensor picked up the approaching enemy.

"Alert, detected an approaching heat source. Distance 200 meters. Based on the quantity of heat, there is a 70% chance of it being a pack of wild wolves"

While the planet's ecosystem was artificial it still had somewhat dangerous creatures living on it. If they had no predators, the herbivores would increase without end, and would eventually make the ecosystem unsustainable. In order to avoid that, they intentionally prepared a top of the food chain. That was the wolf. Wolves had the intelligence to realize it was dangerous to approach people. Because of that, humans and wolves would rarely cross paths, but that was just when they were in their own territories. Right now, Koutarou and the others were in the middle of the wolves territory. They were in a situation where they couldn't complain about being attacked.

"S-See, there really was something"

"Stop clinging to me. I can't move"

"I'm scared!"

"Theia, why are you joining in!"

"It's a joke"

"Jokes don't work on wolves"

"I know, I know"

"You get off too, Yurika"

"... Okay"

Koutarou and the others had panicked a little when they first noticed the wolves existence, but they quickly recovered and began making plans. That was probably thanks to their many battles worth of experience.

"We're the ones intruding on their territory... I wonder if there's a way of avoiding a fight"

Koutarou could tell the killing intent the wolves were giving off thanks to the powers Sanae had given him. They were angry at Koutarou and the others for intruding on their territory. Koutarou and the others had just happened to pass by the area, and they didn't know the rules of nature, so they had ended up intruding. Koutarou wanted to avoid a fight.

"What can we do to make them forgive us?"

Yurika spoke as she squinted into the darkness. Because of the distance she couldn't see them, but in front of where she was looking there were without a doubt bared fangs. Yurika was scared.

"We should hurry and distance ourselves"

"If we run away too quickly, they'll think we're weak and attack"

"Really? What makes you say that?"

"That's what I would do if I was a wolf"

"Well, there's no doubting that"

"... If there's something you want to say, why don't you just say it out loud"

"Oh I wouldn't dare"

"Then how about we run away slowly?"

"That would normally be the way to do it. But there are exceptions"

"Like what kind of exceptions?"

"Like when they're starving"

"Hiiiii!!"

In order to avoid fighting wolves, Koutarou and the others slowly changed direction. As they did, the wolves changed direction as well, following Koutarou and the others without closing the distance. It didn't seem like they would attack, but they showed no signs of leaving either.

"So for now we're observing each other's moves"

"Can't we just hide and wait for them to go away?"

"I'd love to do that... but they are beasts with excellent senses"

"How about it, Yurika?"

In this situation, Yurika's magic was the most reliable thing they had. If they used their weapons they would stand out too much.

"If I wanted too, I could get them to go away, but that would use up a lot of magical power"

"Then Darkness Rainbow would catch on, huh"

"This is a painful problem"

They wanted to get away from the wolves pursuing them. But if they carelessly used magic, they would end up calling forth Darkness Rainbow. It was a rather difficult situation.

"Grrrrrr, arf arf!!"

That was when the wolves in the darkness began stirring up a commotion. It was as if they had started a fight.

"What happened!?"

At first, Koutarou thought that the wolves had attacked. That was a natural conclusion in their current situation. However, the sounds of the wolves wasn't getting closer at all. They still kept their distance. That was where the armor's AI gave them an answer.

"Warning, enemy craft approaching. There is a 95% chance of being a small reconnaissance drone"

The wolves had started a commotion because a strange machine had approached. Unlike Koutarou and the others, the strange machine, the reconnaissance drone approached without giving a care of the wolves. Because of that, they decided to stop worrying about Koutarou and the others who showed no signs of approaching, and turned their attention to the machine.

"I see, so that's why the wolves―"

"Koutarou, Yurika, we're hiding right now!!"

"Got it!"

"O-Okay!!"

Koutarou and the others hurriedly hid under a fallen tree. Right after that, the reconnaissance drone appeared. Its design was similar to the fighters that Ruth always used. The reconnaissance drone lit up the area with a searchlight and gradually approached Koutarou and the others. Moreover, behind was the pack of wolves. As the wolves were still raising a commotion, Koutarou and the others couldn't miss them when they entered the area lit up by the searchlight.

"... Did they find out that we were using magic to move around?"

Looking at the searchlight panning back and forth to the sides, Yurika uneasily whispered. As she was always haunted by misfortune, Yurika's first thought was that she had messed up her spell.

"... If that was the case, they'd come straight for us. It's either just a coincidence or they found the situation suspicious"

Theia's battle hardened intuition told her that this wasn't Yurika's mistake. If Yurika had failed, than the surveillance drone wouldn't be panning around the area, but charge straight for them. Yet it had come into contact with the pack of wolves first. Theia believed that meant one of two things.

The first was that the reconnaissance drone was simply on patrol, and happened to encounter a pack of wolves. It then decided to examine the nearby heat sources.

The second was that it came to investigate the area as the wolves were acting strange. In the forests of Alaia, wolves were amongst the top of the ecosystem. Yet that pack of wolves were following and keeping their distance to three small animals, being Koutarou, Yurika and Theia who had a much smaller heat signature, instead of attacking. Chances were that the drone had come to investigate that strange event.

"... So they're not certain either?"

"... That should be the case. They shouldn't know that we are using magic after all"

The surveillance drone had either come across the wolves by chance, or come to investigate their strange movements. Either way, it wasn't here because it assumed Koutarou and the others were near. It just came to make sure that it wasn't that one in a million chance.

"... Then let's just keep hiding here"

"... Yurika, I find myself agreeing with you for once"

"... Alright, it's time to stop talking"

The three closed their mouths, held their breaths and observed the drone. It was still spinning its searchlight around as it got closer. It was far from slow, but it sure felt like it to the group. The few minutes it took for the drone to get close felt like more than an hour. This was the first time any of the three had felt like time was moving this slowly.

After what felt like an hour, the reconnaissance drone was now right next to the three. As it was so close they could practically touch it if they reached out, they could hear the small mechanical sounds coming from it. Theia and Yurika silently held onto Koutarou's hands. Both of them thought that they would be able to fool the sensor, but they weren't certain. Knowing what would happen if they were found by the imperial army here, that small risk created a great deal of anxiety. In order to erase that anxiety that they could do nothing about, they needed the heat of someone else. That probably would have been the case even if Koutarou wasn't with them. Having experienced the same thing several times over on the battlefield, Koutarou understood that feeling very well. That's why he firmly squeezed back.

Was the operator cautious, or had the AI been made to be thorough? In order to examine the small heat sources under the fallen tree, the reconnaissance drone reached out with a small arm.

Not good!

Koutarou noticed those movements and sweat started dripping down from his forehead. Theia and Yurika instinctively squeezed Koutarou's hands harder. If the arm had a camera or a different type of sensor on it, they were out. Steeling himself, Koutarou behind thinking of how he should protect Theia.

However, that was when it happened.

"Kikiki!!"

A small animal jumped from between Koutarou and Yurika at the reconnaissance drone. The animal brushed the side of the arm and ran past it, and the drone turned around to chase after the animal, and it followed the animal that it had missed.

Come, both of you!

Not wasting that opening, Koutarou pulled on Theia's and Yurika's hands and got out from under the fallen tree. While keeping an eye on the searchlight, they moved to a different fallen tree in an area that had already been examined.

Fortunately, the reconnaissance drone hadn't noticed their movements. After confirming what the small animal that had run off was, the reconnaissance drone returned to where Koutarou and the others had originally been. After examining the fallen tree until it was satisfied, it disappeared off to somewhere. It seemed the pack of wolves were chasing the reconnaissance drone as their howls grew distant.

"... Geez, it's finally gone..."

Koutarou was better at handling tension in battles than the kind he felt while hiding. That\s why, once he was certain that the drone and wolves had moved on, he leaned over the fallen tree and let out a sigh.

"Phew. We better grateful for that small creature..."

"That was scary~"

"Really, I thought my heart would stop"

Yurika was simply scared, but Theia felt the same as Koutarou and let out a big sigh. Those few minutes had exhausted the three.

"Theia, there's still some time left before dawn, but how about we leave at this for today"

"You're right. It's best not to push our luck too far"

"I can finally rest..."

Their exhaustion had reached its peak. There was still over an hour left before first light, but nothing good could come from continuing to move while their concentration was dulled. The three decided to find a place to hide and rest.

Koutarou and the others slipped out of the forest on the night of the fourth day after falling onto Alaia. They had in a straight line, travelled a distance of 100 kilometers over three and a half days. Considering they had taken detours to avoid coming into contact with enemies, that was rather quick.

Past the forest was a small town. Once they got past that town they would enter Pardomshiha which would make things much easier for them. While the people on Alaia were supportive of Elfaria, the people in the Pardomshiha territory were even more so. The citizens felt that they were members of the Pardomshiha family in spirit. As a result, the majority of the local imperial army were part of the Elfaria faction.

However, it wouldn't be easy to get through the town. The town was on the border to the Pardomshiha territory, and the soldiers here were under Lord Bandarion's rule. Which meant that getting past this town was their last hurdle.

"Can't we just take a detour around the town instead of going through it?"

"The town is situated within a valley, if we want to go past, we'd have to climb up cliffs. Moreover, the cliffs have various defensive means to keep the animals from entering the town"

"Would it shock you?"

"It would start with that and gradually get worse"

The devices made to keep the boundary between animal and man were made by taking the creatures of the forest into consideration. At first they would serve as a simple warning, and gradually get harsher. Sensing that they were in danger, the animals would give up half ways through.

"How about we fly with magic?"

"Flying in and infiltrating is practically a rule of magic, that would be one of the first things they set up countermeasures for"

"I see... so we're all thinking the same"

Yurika's judgment was that they would do best to avoid using magic to fly. As tactics using magic advanced daily, there had of course been attempts of using magic to infiltrate using flight, and countermeasures for it existed. One of the very basic countermeasures was antiaircraft magic monitoring.

Moreover, as there were less people flying in and out of the town, then there were people entering from the surface, it was possible to check everyone more thoroughly. Making their security even tighter, they might even shoot down anyone without permission.

"In that case, breaking through the front without using magic is more efficient against magic"

Normally, using magic for stealth was a battle between stealth magic and detection magic. The stealth user would need to conceal their appearance, erase their sounds and hide their traces of magical power. The detectors on the other hand would need to detect them somehow. That's why not using magic was an efficient way of avoiding the detection means.

That said, not using magic, chances were that they would get detected by the army's surveillance at the gate leading into the town. As Theia was famous, that risk was especially high. A disguise might be good enough, but they didn't have the tools for that with them. Overall it was a tough decision.

"Or we might go all out and use a large spell to get us through instantly"

As detection using magic would need to be consistently used, excluding times when the detectors are especially prepared, the effects were limited. Because of that, using a spell at full force for a very short period of time might make it possible to escape detection. While that might be impossible in Folsaria, in Forthorthe where magic hadn't spread to the imperial army, it was certainly possible.

"So Yurika... if you turned us into dogs or cats and erased the traces of magical power, how long could you keep it up?"

Koutarou had chosen the latter option to get through the town, using a lot of magic in a short span of time. As Theia was with them, breaking through without magic would be difficult. And if they were to use magic, it would be easier to turn themselves into small animals than to simply disguise themselves. Animals wouldn't get checked out by soldiers after all. But since that would use more magical power, there was still a risk.

"Well... with three people to transform and a need to conceal a wide area of magical power... uhm... ten minutes, maybe...?"

Yurika used her fingers to count and figured she would last ten minutes. Turning humans into a completely different creature required a high level spell. Doing that for three people while also erasing any traces would use up several times more magical power than just for one person. Even with Yurika's ability, ten minutes would be around her limit.

"How many minutes are you absolutely certain you can last?"

"I'm certain that I can last five minutes"

"Wouldn't using an illusion be better?"

Theia felt uneasy after hearing that they might only last five minutes. There was quite a distance from where they were currently hiding to the city, and Theia felt like five minutes might just barely be enough. On top of that, not knowing what the situation was past the gate was another cause for concern. That's why Theia suggested that an illusion which would drain less magical power might be safer.

"In that case, the observation devices at the gate would be a problem. I think a transformation is the only way to fool them all"

"I feel the same way"

"Hmm, that is problematic..."

Illusions had their own limits. While they could fool humans, they couldn't fool machines. Another spell would be required for that. Weight sensors, X-rays, heat sources, voices were all devices that might be used. In order to fool all of them, the amount of magical power would in the end be about the same as simply transforming.

"Then how about we get close to the gate with an illusion before transforming?"

Unexpectedly, Yurika came up with an answer to the problem. As she rarely showed much intelligence on a daily basis, Koutarou and Theia looked at each other.

"You're awfully bright today"

"Yes, that method would make full use of the five minute time limit of transforming"

The observation equipment was focused near the town. In other words, they could use a more haphazard method until they got close before transforming.

"Ehehehe, I'm good at managing my small allowance"

How they would get past the gate with a limited amount of magical power was similar to how to get by a month with a small allowance. Yurika had an abundance of knowhow in this area.

"... That's definitely not a technique you can boast about"

"Koutarou, why don't you praise when she's useful for once"

"... Good girl"

"Satomi-san, you can buy me food later if you want"

"You really are a strange girl"

"I'm a magical girl after all"

"That's true"

Thus Koutarou and the others decided on their plan. They would transform into animals and go through the front. But with that decided, they still had the problem of figuring out what kind of animal to transform into. Each animal had its good and bad parts.

"... Yurika would be fine as a horse's rear"

"No way!!"

"Wasn't that your specialty"

"While I'm good at it, why would I just be the rear!? That's clearly strange!!"

While they would stand out less as small animals, but the smaller they got, the shorter their legs, which meant it would take more time to travel. While being larger meant longer legs, they would probably be stopped by soldiers. If they turned into birds they would be small and fast, but then they would act suspiciously by going through the gate. They needed animals that wouldn't be suspicious to the soldiers, but not too slow.

Maybe I want Yurika to become a horse because of my sentiment...

Koutarou was thinking back to the magician he met in the past who had transformed into a horse. So despite knowing the circumstances, he had suggested that Yurika should go as a horse. Realizing that was impossible, Koutarou withdrew his opinion"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry"

"You're always quick to get so mean to me, Satomi-san, geez"

"Realistically speaking, cats and dogs would be the most appropriate"

When it came to being close to humans, and not being suspicious despite crossing the gate, pets were the best choice. As there were cats and dogs in Forthorthe as well, it was easy for Yurika to get a clear image in her mind.

"Satomi-san will be a dog, Theia-chan will be a cat, and I will be―"

"A pony?"

"Satomi-san!!"

"I get it. Just make it a chicken"

"No way!! I'll be a cat too!!"

In the end, it was decided that Koutarou would be a dog, and Theia and Yurika would be cats. All that was left was to walk alongside some people entering the town and cross the gate. The soldiers would surely just assume they were the pets of the person they were walking next to.

Up until now, Koutarou and the others had moved at night, but since they would stand out when there were so few people out and about, they waited for day before going into the town. Fortunately, unlike in the forest, there were plenty of people around, so the chances of being spotted were low.

As the time came, the three first used an illusion to turn themselves into different people and approached the town. Once they were close enough they then transformed into animals behind some cover and headed towards the town once more. As luck would have it, no problems occurred and nobody was paying attention to Koutarou and the others.

"Woof, woof"

"Nyaaa"

Up front was Koutarou as a dog. He had become a Shiba dog with lovely round eyes. Following him was Theia who had become a Persian cat with beautiful golden fur. Lastly was Yurika who had become a cat with pink color, her strange appearance looked like something straight out of a manga.

Cats and dogs existed in Forthorthe as well. Strictly speaking, they were different creatures, but in terms of pets with almost the same look, they existed. Thanks to that, nobody seemed suspicious as the three approached the gate to the town. At best, animals lovers snuck a few peeks at them.

"Woof"

"Nyaa"

However, Koutarou and Theia were panicking. That might only be natural as this was their first time turning into animals. Because of that, both of them had trouble walking, as walking on all fours were harder than expected. They were only somehow managing because they were athletic. That's why they were always worried that someone might think their walking was strange.

"Meow meow"

Meanwhile, Yurika showed off some magnificent footwork. She had light and delicate steps, and moved almost like a normal cat. That was because Yurika's acting as a horse's rear had reached a master's level and affected her walking. A horse and cat had different ways to walk, but Yurika had a clear image of how creatures with four legs walked. That allowed her to take such magnificent footsteps.

"Meow"

"Woof"

The situation was the reverse of normal. Usually it was Yurika who was getting in the way, but there was no worry of that now. If anything, Koutarou and Theia were the ones who would likely get in the way. Knowing that, Yurika began taking the lead as they walked. While it hadn't been her intention, it worked out in the group's favor. Yurika cheerfully walking in the front and Koutarou and Theia following behind with awkward steps made it look like the two were reluctant subordinates following their boss. As a result, nobody held an unnatural impression of them, only a humorous one.

"Nyaa"

All three felt tension as they reached the town gate. It was open, but protected by five soldiers. There was one soldier on either side of the gate, one soldier in the middle and two in a nearby small outpost. The soldiers on either side of the gate were holding weapons and keeping an eye on their surroundings. The soldier in the middle was confirming the identities of those entering the town. Finally, the two in the building were taking a break while also confirming that the observation equipment weren't giving off any alarms.

The problem was if they could get past these five soldiers without being questioned. While they were transformed into animals, it wasn't guaranteed that the soldiers would let them past. They might get simply chased off, or if they were bad soldiers, even put down. The three couldn't help but feel nervous. Yurika who was a coward, who had been standing in the front, was now frozen in place due to the tension.

"Nyaa, nyaa"

Even with Koutarou pushing her from behind, she wouldn't move forward. She had completely lost her nerve.

"Woof"

"Nyaa"

Sensing that nothing else could be done, Koutarou and Theia left Yurika behind and continued. They only have a few minutes. It might have seemed cruel, but they had no time to stand around.

"Meoooooow Meoww!!"

"Woof"

"Nyaa"

Confirming that Yurika was chasing after them, Koutarou and Theia looked at each other and called out. They had left Yurika behind because they knew this would get her to move. Knowing her personality, Koutarou and Theia knew that this would get her to act.

"Woof"

"Nyaa"

"... Meow"

However Koutarou and Theia knew how Yurika felt. From the perspective of cats and dogs, humans were very large creatures. The pressure from those huge giants was overwhelming. That sensation grew stronger, the closer they got. By the time they were right in front of them, their hearts were beating extremely fast. Even the possibility that they might get crushed cross their mind.

"Are you little things on your way back home?"

However, the voice of the soldier protecting the gate helped defuse the tension.

"I've never seen them before, and they're of some unusual kind"

"They probably left through another gate and just happened to come around here"

Fortunately, the soldiers here were generous towards cats and dogs. Based on their tone, it seemed like quite a few cats and dogs passed through the gate. So even if some animals they didn't recognize came through, they didn't think much of it.

"Wof"

"Oh, aren't you quite the polite one. Go on through"

"Nyaa"

Feeling relieved, Koutarou and the others passed through the gate. Joy filled up their chest to replace the tension. Having suffered to get this far, they felt like breaking out into dance. But if they did that now, everything would go to waste. They would need to keep the joy bottled up until they were out of sight of the soldiers.

"An unusual kind!? Where!?"

However, all of a sudden, an unexpected problem occurred.

"Look, over there. Just by that corner"

"You're right! Species of cats and dogs that I've never seen before! I'll go take a closer look!"

"Hey, wait! We're on duty!"

"It's just a little, just a little!"

The unexpected problem was one of the soldiers in the small outpost came chasing after Koutarou and the others. The soldier was an animal lover, and came flying out of the outpost when he overheard the others talking. He was excited to see species of cats and dogs that he had never seen before, and instinctively chased after them.

"Wait up! I'll give you some snacks! Woof woof, meow meow!"

"Woof!?"

"Meow!"

"Nyaaa, nyaaaaa!!"

Yurika was the first to run. Her decisions were swift at times like these. But when it came to simple speed, Koutarou and Theia were a step above her. They quickly overtook her and left her in the rear. The three dashed into an alley in the order of Koutarou, Theia and Yurika.

"Nyaaaaaaa, Nya nyaaaaaaa!!"

"Don't rampage about, I just want to get to know you better"

However, the soldier caught up to them, and Yurika was caught. She desperately struggled to escape the soldier, but due the overwhelming difference in physique, she was quickly lifted up.

"That's strange... Is this fur natural? It's awfully flashy..."

"Grrrrrr"

"Don't get so angry. I'm not trying to be mean"

Koutarou barked to scare off the soldier, but he didn't seem to be letting Yurika go. As expected, a small Shiba dog wouldn't scare anyone.

"Nyaaa!!"

Realizing that intimidation wasn't working, Theia took direct action. She bit on the soldier's sleeve and hung onto him.

"Woah!?"

"... Hissss!"

Surprised, the soldier let go off Yurika. Yet Yurika displayed her very un catlike ability as she landed face first into the ground.

"You guys are really tight-knit, aren't you?"

"Unyaaaa!?"

Yurika had somehow been able to escape, but this time Theia was caught. Her fangs were caught on the soldiers sleeve, making it impossible for her to run away.

"Nyaaaa, Nyaaaaaa!!"

"You're really energetic... and you're even more unusual than the last one. Let me get a closer look at you"

Theia struggled even more than Yurika, but even then she couldn't escape. The difference in physique between humans and cats really was overwhelming. The sensation of going up against a giant wasn't wrong.

"Woof!"

It was a very bad situation. Sensing the crisis, Koutarou headed towards the soldier, knowing he was at a disadvantage. He had to rescue Theia as quickly as possible. But―

"Woah, w-what!?"

Just as Koutarou was jumping at the soldier, their bodies was covered in white smoke. Once the smoke vanished, Koutarou and the others had returned to their normal appearances. Having been caught by the soldiers, they'd wasted the remaining time they had, and the transformation spell ran out.

When the smoke dissipated, the soldier was first surprised by the cat in his hands turning into a girl. He was stunned at the impossible spectacle that had just happened before him.

"The cat, turned into a person!? W-What just happened!?"

The soldier couldn't believe his eyes. Since he couldn't tell even by touching her, it wasn't just a hologram. In that case, it meant some other scientifical technology had to have been used, but he didn't know of any that could turn a person into a cat.

"W-Who are you guys― Ah!?"

However, his confusion was stopped by yet another surprise. Even more so than a cat turning into a girl.

Princess Theiamillis!? How could it be!?

His voice faltered from the surprise. Golden hair, perfect features and eyes full of power. The soldier recognized the girl the cat had turned into. It was the seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire. Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

Is it the real one!? Or is something wrong with me!?

Encountering Princess Theiamillis while on duty on the sixth planet from the sun was completely unexpected. Compared to his surprise from a cat turning into a person, something more realistic was even more surprising. While his confusion had settled down, he began worrying for his sanity.

But wait, if this is the real one, why is she here? I see! The report about illegal aliens that landed a few days ago!!

However, the knowledge he had proved that the person in front of him was Princess Theiamillis herself.

A few days ago, an unidentified spaceship had landed on Alaia. And there was a chance that some of the crew of that ship had landed in the forest by the town. As a result, many of the soldiers stationed here had been sent out to search. Even the ones that remained as guards at the gate had been ordered to strictly check all who enter the town. And now, a girl that appeared to be the wanted Princess Theiamillis had appeared before him.

The unidentified spaceship was part of the Elfaria faction, and for some reason, Princess Theiamillis had gotten separated from it, and landed in the forest. Many soldiers were mobilized in order to capture her. While he didn't know how she had transformed into a cat, it seemed fitting that it was some kind of technology protecting the royal family, and it would also explain how they escaped the encirclement.

Thinking of it like that, the soldier became convinced that the girl in front of him was none other than Princess Theiamillis. That was the most natural explanation for the situation.

Not good...

The knight protecting Princess Theiamillis instinctively placed his hand on the handle of his sword. That was because if the soldier were to attempt to capture the princess, things would get very bad.

"Well, isn't this an unusual species... such long and golden fur"

However, the soldier didn't try to apprehend the princess. He spoke as if he was speaking to a cat, and slowly put the girl back on the ground.

"... What, are you doing...?"

The one surprised by that was the princess. They were still on enemy territory. The soldiers should have orders to capture the princess on sight. The soldiers had their own families to protect, so it would be difficult to go against those orders. Yet the soldier let Princess Theiamillis go.

"I'm sorry for being mean, kitties. I pride myself in my love of animals"

The soldier put his hand on his chest and deeply bowed to the puzzled princess. While his words were aimed at cats and dogs, his behavior was without a doubt aimed at a princess.

"... Thank you. I won't forget your loyalty for the rest of my life..."

The soldiers loyalty towards the royal families was unshakable, and he held pride in that, he simply changed the words to be more suitable directed towards a cat. Realizing that, Princess Theiamillis, thanked him in a gentle voice.

"Go on, don't dilly dally. I hear the north side of town is a gathering place for cats, so you'll do well to go there"

"Yes. Thank you for your troubles!"

Princess Theiamillis wiped away the tears forming in her eyes and turned her back to the soldier, and she ran up to her guarding knight who had watched over the entire thing. The knight had already removed his hand from the handle of his sword and had a nostalgic look in his eyes as he stared at the smiling princess coming running towards him, and towards the guard behind her.

"... You've helped us again, Orion. Thank you"

Before turning his back to him, the knight threw those words to the soldier. He left taking the princess and the other girl with him. The soldier stood in place, looking at the princess and the others until they could no longer be seen.

"Hey, how long are you going to be playing around"

"Hm? Ah, sorry, it was such an unusual cat, I couldn't help myself"

Just as the princess and the other could no longer be seen, the other soldiers came running up to him, worried that he might incur the wrath of their superior officer. The soldier looked in the direction of where the princess had vanished one last time before returning back to the gate with his companions.

Why did that knight know my name...?

As the soldier returned to his post, he kept thinking of why the knight knew his name. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't figure out the reason. He didn't know, but his heart leapt with joy for some reason. That's why he was satisfied with his decision.

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