READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 58 - The Divine Cat Mii-chan Encounters a Real Princess
Chapter 58: The Divine Cat Mii-chan Encounters a Real Princess
Nero, along with Guild Master Zest, was guided through the royal palace by a soldier. Of course, Nero was carrying Mii-chan in his arms and holding hands with Perro.
“Amazing, nyan!”
That’s all Perro has been saying since we got here.
Mii-chan, dressed in her official outfit, had switched into work mode and was behaving calmly.
The soldier knocked on a door and entered the room to announce our arrival.
“I have brought the guests.”
“Thank you. You may leave.”
“Yes, sir!”
The person in the room looked to be around the same age as Guild Master Zest. He was tall but had a slender build, with sharp eyes behind a pair of glasses.
“It’s been a while, Zest. You usually don’t come when summoned, yet here you are today. What’s the occasion?”
“Hmph. If you need something, come to me. But since I have business here, I’ve made the trip myself.”
“Easy for you to say… So, what’s this business?”
Guild Master Zest handed over the letter that Nero had brought.
“If we don’t act quickly, another great war could break out.”
“Mm.”
The man in the room adjusted his glasses and began reading the letter. After quickly scanning through it, he turned his gaze toward Guild Master Zest and asked:
“Who is the messenger who delivered this?”
“This person here,” Zest replied, pointing to Nero.
The man adjusted his glasses again and fixed a penetrating gaze on Nero. Is he using appraisal skills? One thing Nero could sense instinctively was that it would be unwise to defy this person.
“I am Adelbert, the Prime Minister of this country. You are the one who brought this letter?”
“My name is Nero. This is Mii-chan, and this is Perro. I delivered the letter to Guild Master Zest.”
“Hmm. The date on the letter and the date it was delivered don’t match. How did you manage to get here?”
“I have a battle horse companion. I asked her to bring me here.”
“Mii~”
“A companion, you say… I would like to hear what you know.”
Nero explained to Prime Minister Adelbert about the goblin attack in Quart, the labyrinth incident, the attack on the neighboring village, and the subsequent labyrinth invasion.
“The labyrinth was attacked? Why would that happen…?”
“I have formulated a hypothesis regarding this matter. May I share it with you?”
“A hypothesis, you say… very well.”
Nero proceeded to share the hypothesis he had previously considered, focusing on the goblins’ equipment.
“Is this hypothesis your own?” Adelbert asked.
“Yes. When we faced consecutive goblin attacks over two nights, the goblins corrected their mistakes from the first night. This led me to think that goblins might possess a certain level of intelligence.”
“It’s hard to believe that goblins would be capable of labyrinth exploration.”
“However, your hypothesis isn’t entirely incorrect. We have all wondered at some point how they acquire such weapons and armor, haven’t we?”
“True, but what does that mean for us?”
“First and foremost, we need to prevent them from being taken. If there are generals involved, it implies a significant number of goblins. Clearly, they must be lacking in weapons and armor.”
“Can we mobilize the knights immediately?”
“That must be done. I’ll need to convince those old fogies.”
Adelbert then took something from his desk and handed it to Nero. It resembled a slightly large pocket watch.
“This is a clock. If you set it to the chime in the morning, it will keep accurate time for two or three days. It’s a token of gratitude for delivering the letter.”
“Thank you very much.”
It was indeed a clock, and it was probably quite valuable—something even the equipment store in Willa didn’t sell.
“Nero-kun, there are still matters I need to discuss. Please wait in the courtyard for a while,” Adelbert said.
“Understood.”
Nero stepped out and sat on the grass in the courtyard.
“That was scary, nyan…”
“Mii…”
Nero removed the work outfit from Mii-chan, leaving only the pink ribbon, and let her play freely on the grass. Perro, meanwhile, was rolling around happily on the lawn.
While Nero was playing with Mii-chan, rolling her around, a little girl appeared behind him. It was quite a surprise.
The girl looked to be around three or four years old, with a very cute face.
The girl gently petted Mii-chan and then picked her up. She moved to Perro and started poking at his paw pads with her finger.
“Squishy, squishy.”
“What’s up, nyan?” Perro meowed, clearly puzzled.
The little girl continued to poke at Mii-chan’s paw pads.
“Squishy, squishy.”
“Mii~”
She showed a big smile, clearly enjoying herself.
After that, she hugged Perro and rubbed her cheeks against his. Nero wondered where she might be from. Since she was in the royal palace, she must be of noble lineage, but…
Since she was harmless, Nero let her play as she pleased. She seemed to be very fond of Perro, clinging to him tightly and not wanting to let go. Perro was quite popular, though he looked a bit perplexed. He was handling it like an adult.
“Princess!”
A lady-in-waiting appeared from a corridor beside the courtyard.
“Kitty!”
The little girl showed Mii-chan to the lady-in-waiting, who seemed to be in charge.
Huh? Princess… she’s a princess!
“Oh, Rayne. What adorable little kittens!”
“Mama!”
“Mii~”
A different woman, clearly of high nobility, appeared. Since the little girl was calling her “Mama,” it was clear that she was the Queen!
Nero was trying to process everything.
“Is this kitten yours, my dear?” the Queen asked.
“Yes, this is Mii-chan. I’m Nero, and this is—”
“Perro nya!”
“Anneliise-sama! This person is suspicious! You mustn’t go near them! What are the soldiers doing?”
“Calm down, Nia. This Perro-chan is a Ketsushi. It is said that Ketsushi only approach those with pure hearts.”
“Is that so? Perro?” Nero thought it might just be a superstition, given how confused Perro looked. But thanks to this misunderstanding, it seemed like the situation wouldn’t escalate.
“Why is Nero-kun here?” the Queen asked.
“I was told to wait in this courtyard while the Guild Master and the Prime Minister are talking.”
“I see, then you must be free at the moment.”
“Yes, it seems so.”
“In that case, would you accept my invitation for tea? It seems Rayne has taken a liking to Mii-chan and Perro-chan, so I’d be delighted if you could join us.”
Nero wondered whether accepting or declining the invitation would be more polite. Noticing his hesitation, Nia gave a reassuring nod.
“I would be honored to accept. What should I do about the Prime Minister?”
“I will send someone to handle it, so you need not worry.”
So Nero found himself walking hand-in-hand with the Queen and the Princess, with Mii-chan being held by the Queen and Perro enjoying snacks with the Princess. His stomach was in knots.
They were taken to a more splendid garden terrace than the previous courtyard and seated. Nero was bewildered by how things had turned out.
Currently, Mii-chan was being cuddled by the Queen, and Perro was happily eating treats with the Princess. Nero couldn’t help but envy their fearless attitudes.
“Mii~”