Volume 6 Chapter 48 Omen of a Great Fire
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”…Do you need something?” she asked.
The voice was flat, stripped of interest, but the Beastkin standing before her only wavered for a heartbeat before holding their ground.
Cianie had just returned by teleportation from Slomvanilla. When she stepped into the inn she rented in Boorinel, strangers awaited her—Beastkin she did not know. The woman with chestnut-brown hair spoke first, her companion marked by vivid orange locks that caught the eye. Behind them lingered Charlotte, the lord’s younger sister, who had likely arranged the meeting.
”An honor, Hero. I am Silke, acting lord of Belandi,” the brown-haired one said.
”I am Annerose, daughter of the merchant of Kakeura Village. At present, I also serve as acting village head. It is a pleasure,” the orange-haired one added with a refined bow.
The pair lowered their heads. From behind, Charlotte cast a guilty look.
”They came ahead of the bazaar to inspect the grounds. When they visited the lord’s hall, I secured their pledge to follow you,” she explained softly.
Cianie tilted her head. Last night, she had indeed demanded obedience within Cattleya’s hall—but only to break open the truth, not as a permanent vow.
”We pledge ourselves to you,” Silke declared. “It is fate that brought you, Hero, to this continent. Every Beastkin clan awaits its savior. Hero, please—save the Beast Continent!”
All three bowed in unison. Cianie blinked, silent, taken aback by the sudden plea.
From the doorway, Suzette peeked in. She gestured toward the parlor: at least come inside. A faintly sweet fragrance drifted with her, evidence that tea had already been prepared. Clearly, Suzette had spoken with the Beastkin beforehand and, unable to resolve the matter, had chosen to wait for Cianie’s return.
* * *
Inside the guest parlor, conversation began with polite jabs disguised as small talk. Annerose guided it, her gaze occasionally flicking toward Cianie as if testing the distance of a duel.
”I never thought Lady Beatrice had stepped down,” Annerose said lightly. “With such a sudden change in rule, we assumed she had bent to Beast Country… or to the rumors that she gathered men in excess.”
”She did shelter many males,” Silke replied evenly. “For that, she was seized by Beast Country. The role of lord fell to me, an outsider Beastkin. Cats rarely abandon their chosen territory, so they refuse to seed every province with their kin.”
”That was the former lord?” Cianie asked.
”Yes. She was purged for movements deemed rebellious. Our bird-beast clan submitted to Beast Country’s rule and was moved here, to Boorinel. They uprooted us from our mountain stronghold and set us in these flatlands. My sister had no choice but to take the empty seat.”
The absent Cattleya, then, was promoted by bitter compromise. Her home torn away, now occupied by others.
”I see. But I have business with Suzette. If you have something to say, keep it brief,” Cianie said.
The air tightened at her blunt dismissal. No expression stirred her face, no rise in her tone—but the weight pressed on everyone present. Charlotte, who knew her well, stiffened. Even Silke and Annerose, meeting her for the first time, felt the unspoken force.
Part of it was her status as Hero. But more than that, they had clearly heard what she had done the night before in the lord’s hall.
Silke straightened. “Then I will be direct. Please, destroy Beast Country.”
Her tail twitched nervously behind her as she spoke. Charlotte and Annerose fixed their eyes on Cianie, as if in shared resolve. Suzette watched silently from the edge.
”Beast Country showed me cooperation. I have no reason to harm their empress,” Cianie replied. Her words hinted at her earlier audience.
Silke’s jaw tightened.
After returning from Slomvanilla, Cianie had stood by a riverside until the fire within her calmed. Alone, she had thought it through: there was no need to move against Beast Country.
What mattered was Klock’s return. If it was all a mistake, so be it—let him come back, and nothing else mattered. Every other concern was dust, beneath notice.
Even if the empress had erred, Cianie would follow only Klock’s judgment. At present, she herself felt nothing toward the woman.
”I understand,” Annerose interjected smoothly. “But surely, Hero, what you need now is people at your side?”
Cianie’s refusal had been merciless. Annerose—daughter of a merchant—leaned into her natural talent for negotiation.
”We heard you are searching for your husband, and that you visited the empress. No doubt she greeted you warmly. But I fear… it was a feint.”
Husband. The word made Cianie’s chest stir, though her brow furrowed at once.
A feint. If that warmth had been false, it threatened an intolerable conclusion.
”The reason is simple.” Annerose smiled, porcelain cup in hand. “Once it was known that the culprits were the Nyan Law Corps, the empress had no choice but to pretend to cooperate. After all, their leader is her own younger sister—Demon Cat Irina.”
Her sister. Kin to the Emperor of the Hundred Beasts. The dearest of ties.
”Neither the motive nor the method is known. But when power is threatened, the first shield raised is responsibility. The empress fears most of all harm falling upon her blood. Therefore—”
”Therefore, the blame might reach her sister. So she feigned support, to buy time for concealment?” Cianie asked.
”Exactly so. Well deduced,” Annerose answered, her smile sharpening.
She sipped her tea. The truth was not far-fetched—anyone who thought carefully could see it.
Cianie felt a shiver of foreboding run through her.
”…Could it be that she might betray me?” she asked.
”That is correct. There is no guarantee that your husband will be returned safely. If, after the kidnapping, he bears resentment toward the Beast Country, it is only natural to fear the Hero will retaliate. And if, by some chance, they demand your beloved sister’s life in exchange? In that case, they may choose not to return him at all, keeping him instead as a hostage.”
Hostage. The worst possible scenario.
Cianie’s greatest weakness was her inability to perfectly shield others. If someone pressed a blade to Klock’s throat in some hidden chamber, there would be nothing she could do.
”There are not many ways to solve this,” Silke said. “At the very least, we cannot place our trust in the Beast Country. To reclaim your husband, we will need an alternative. In other words, someone apart from their negotiators must attempt a rescue. That, naturally, is where we come in.”
They had not demanded she destroy the Beast Country without cause. What they offered was aid—people for the rescue of Klock.
It was something Cianie alone could not provide.
”And if you were involved, what exactly could you accomplish?” she asked.
”Why, we would certainly find him. Alone, an individual’s reach is limited. But we can rally many comrades to the cause.”
Manpower.
It had always been the most effective means of searching. In villages, when a child went missing, the entire community would sweep the fields and forests together.
”Hero, soon a great crowd will gather at the bazaar in Kakeura—not only from there, but from many towns and streets across the Central Continent. Please, let us help in this. The Beastkin clans will lend you their noses, their ears, their hands and feet to bring your husband back.”
”Leave the call to arms to us birdfolk,” another added. “We know well those who already resent the Emperor of the Hundred Beasts. Any random beastkin leader might fail to rally them—but beneath the banner of the living legend, the Hero, they will certainly obey.”
”We too will give our utmost,” a third declared. “The hearts rooted in the Forest of Belandi still yearn for their old master. Many beastkin will surely come to your side—”
”Enough. I understand. But please, calm yourselves. Give me time to think.”
The three, sensing her weakness, had pressed on with unstoppable fervor. Even Cianie had to raise a hand and call a halt.
She was here today not as a savior, but as an individual who had chosen to live for herself. She had closed her eyes to the Human Continent’s turmoil, followed her own path, and endured. Yet the conviction she had forged and the demands before her now stood in opposition. It was not a choice to be made lightly.
”I’ll decide after I speak with Suzette. Then we can discuss this again,” she said.
Once, as an adventurer in Hermine’s party, such problems would have been swiftly resolved with authority and skill. Back then, Cianie rarely needed to agonize. But her old companions were absent now, unreachable. Only one remained a possible confidant—and Suzette was best suited for that role.
”The Hero looks exhausted,” Annerose said gently. “It would be wise to rest.”
And so, the gathering dispersed. This time, unlike their first meeting, hope glimmered in their eyes.
Cianie had not intended it, yet she had left them with heavy expectations, and the burden weighed on her heart.
”By the way, when you spoke of your husband… you meant Sir Klock, did you not? I met him once in Kakeura. So wise and noble, a man of striking presence. Truly, I see why you would call him your husband. He is more than worthy to stand at your side.”
”…Is that so? Thank you,” Cianie murmured.
Annerose smiled warmly, and Cianie blushed faintly as she saw her out. Whatever came of this, she resolved to offer the woman some measure of aid.
* * *
”Ms. Mina managed to infiltrate safely, then,” Suzette said once they were alone.
Cianie recounted her exchange with the Emperor of the Hundred Beasts. The empress had known nothing of Klock’s abduction—an invaluable discovery that would shape their next moves.
Trustworthy, at least in part. Cianie had dared to hope. But after hearing Annerose’s arguments, that hope had dimmed.
She tried to hide her agitation, raising the teacup again and again to steady herself. Confusion gnawed at her, until even she admitted she did not know what path to take.
”Lady Cianie,” Suzette said softly, “you transported us not into the throne room, but within the castle walls. That was how you smuggled Mina into Slomvanilla. They urged multiple approaches, but we have already taken measures.”
It had been Mina’s suggestion. A beastkin like Cianie, trained in the shadows, Mina was unlikely to be noticed at once inside Slomvanilla.
If the empress proved an enemy, negotiations would collapse. Before setting out, the three of them had discussed it, knowing the risks, and agreed to send Mina in.
Ordinarily, it should have been impossible. The castle was nigh impenetrable; capture would mean terrible punishment. Yet Cianie’s teleportation made infiltration possible. The noise she caused, kicking open doors and drawing eyes, had been nothing more than a diversion to conceal Mina’s passage.
”Still, their proposal has merit,” Suzette continued. “If we cannot find Sir Klock in Slomvanilla, they may be our last hope.”
”…I see what you mean,” Cianie admitted softly. “If the empress refuses to hand him over, or if even the Beast Country cannot locate him, we will have to rely on our own search. More leads would help. But right now, I can’t think straight. I can’t even spare the focus to weigh their offer—”
”Lady Cianie. I know your heart is heavy. But in your position, you must think ahead,” Suzette said, pouring fresh tea and settling at her side. “If you abandon them now, even if you succeed in rescuing Sir Klock, one day he will hear of it. And when that day comes, can you be certain he will not be disillusioned with you?”
Cianie bowed her head, weighed down by both tea and truth. Suzette’s words startled her, and she raised her face with a start.
Disillusioned. That was not a word she could ignore. Of course not. What she desired was for Klock to accept her—never to despise her.
”He is, despite appearances, the sort who values the lives of others,” Suzette continued. “Even in situations of obvious danger, even knowing a wounded comrade—a spy, even—would drag him down, he would invent any excuse rather than abandon them. If your aim is to win his regard, then you would do best to extend your hand and form a cooperative bond. If fortune smiles, it may even become the very chance for him to see you anew.”
Had you not told me so yourself?
That you wished Sir Klock to like you?
When Suzette spoke thus, Cianie lowered her gaze and exhaled deeply. Her expression, long unmoving, shifted at last; the corners of her lips curved, and she turned a smile upon Suzette.
”…Thank you, Suzette. I was about to forget something precious. I’m glad you’re by my side.”
”No, my lady. It is mutual. I am the one grateful for the shelter of your umbrella,” Suzette replied.
Between people who understood one another, conclusions came swiftly. Alone one might falter, but two women together could pierce every pretense in a man.
Klock had fallen as far as a man could fall—become a thief, through no fault but the scars of his past. Yet for reasons even he might not name, he refused to embrace murder. Years of banditry, and still he would not stain his hands with blood.
Cianie cherished that trait, called it a virtue, perhaps only because she needed a reason to affirm him. Perhaps she simply wanted to believe his soul was still unclouded. It was a fragile recognition, yet one she counted among the reasons she loved him.
”…Was that why you chose Klock?” Cianie asked lightly.
”MLady, that’s a tactless question,” Suzette replied.
T/N: pun on “野暮 (yabo)”—means tactless/unsophisticated.
Suzette’s reply left her momentarily blank. Cool as ever, Suzette lifted her cup with deliberate poise, making sure to signal deference even while quietly reminding Cianie she would not compete for first place.
Her humility, her skillful composure—no wonder Klock wished to keep her close. Surely this was what people meant by calling a woman “formidable.”
Cianie paused, then let out a small laugh.
Notes:
• Slomvanilla – The white fortress, also known as the empress’s residence; a gigantic bedroom on the scale of a fortress.
• Boorinel – A town east of Ryzan, where Lord Cattleya’s manor is located; said to be a long journey from Ryzan.
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Annerose – Zain’s daughter, a fox-like dog Beastkin who is discriminatory toward cat Beastkin, she is offered as a potential companion to Klock.
• Cattleya – The lord; resides in the town of Boorinel, east of Ryzan, past the Mesa; wants to confirm Klock’s humanity.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Clea – younger dog beastkin sister who also serviced Klock previously.
• Beatrice – The lord of Boorinel, rumored to have unsettling policies regarding conscription and loyalty.
• Irina – She introduced herself as the innkeeper’s name, a 32-year-old with a youthful appearance, who enjoys being sexually satisfied by Klock. A beastkin cat.
• Hermine – Daughter of the Emperor of the Second Empire of Dusselhelm. A companion and friend of Anna. The mage. She is pragmatic and encourages Anna to focus on her duties as a hero rather than her personal revenge.
• Mina – She is a golden-haired catgirl employee of the beastman (Larana the cat woman) Inn, appeared performing fellatio, desperate and tear-streaked, with an inexperienced yet earnest approach to her work.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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