IT was after I’d said goodbye to Lady Kate and Lady Natalie that day. Lucian and I decided to head out and see what the Gardener Cats were up to.
“Oh my! Good job, everyone. You’re such energetic workers.”
The woods behind my villa had been cleared out into a field roughly the size of a schoolyard.
In the gentle spring sunlight, the hoes of the Gardener Cats sparkled in their paws.
“Meow!”
“Meow!”
“Meow!”
“Meow!”
With each cry, they swung their hoes into the dirt—special tools I’d made for them with my transmutation skill. They were the perfect size to fit in between their paw pads.
As Mythical Beasts, these creatures possessed the magical energy to grow plants. However, it seemed that preparing the soil and environment for optimal growth resulted in better crops using less energy—at least, compared to aimlessly pouring their energy into random places.
With one eye on the Gardener Cats as they diligently tilled their fields, I headed to the Snow Cats.
“Mreh mraw!”
Purr’s tiny body leapt from side to side as he hunted his prey. The prey in question was a fluffy, white, leopard print object—the tail belonging to Purr’s mother, Wintelle.
“So cute…!” I could hardly contain myself watching his tiny limbs chase after that tail.
Snow Cats were beautiful Mythical Beasts with smooth coats that resembled snow leopards. Purr, the kitten, already looked like an elegant creature at his young age. Although, he was currently playing his heart out like any other cat.
His slightly round ears bobbed as he bounced around, chasing after his mother’s tail. Purr laid his own tail down on the ground to maintain balance, raising his front two paws up in the air.
“Mraw, mraw, mreee!”
He stretched his front paws out and leapt toward the tail.
But Wintelle seemed to predict this, as she swished her tail just before Purr could reach it. I could tell this was a regular game of theirs. She watched over her dear child, calmly blinking her golden eyes.
When she noticed us approaching, Wintelle draped her tail on top of Purr’s head.
That seemed to be a signal that the tail-hunting game was over. Purr froze, looked at us, and raced over.
“Pyah!”
“Whoa!!”
Purr pounced toward me with his full force. That was when Lucian stepped in front of me and intercepted the small creature.
“Meow?”
“Goodness, what a troublemaker you are. You may be a child, but I refuse to just let you jump on Lady Laetitia without even retracting your claws.” Despite his harsh words, Lucian cradled Purr gently, so as not to accidentally drop him. I’d expect nothing less from my outstanding servant. “What’s this…?”
As he checked to see that his uniform was unharmed, Lucian appeared particularly impressed by something. There looked to be a thin layer of ice in between Purr’s claws and the black fabric of Lucian’s uniform. That ice had prevented him from leaving any scratch marks.
“Did you do this, Wintelle?” I asked.
“Graaah!” She nodded.
“I certainly did. I’m sorry for the trouble my son has caused you.”
That seemed to be an accurate translation, in my mind. She must have used her power as a Snow Cat to control ice. Wintelle was as clever and as kind as any human.
“Meeyow!” Purr had started to squirm in Lucian’s arms. He turned to look at me.
“You want me to hold you? Very well. But be slow, and don’t release your claws, okay?”
“Myah!”
Once Lucian saw Purr nod his head, he stretched his arms out to me. Purr made sure to keep his claws retracted and maintain his balance. I embraced his body and felt his long, soft tail graze my chin.
“Hehe! That tickles. Did you get even bigger, Purr?”
“Pyah?” He cocked his head as I stroked it, as if he didn’t know what I meant.
The Snow Cat felt slightly heavier than when I’d last held him two days earlier. Purr was in the middle of a growth period, and would someday reach the size of his mother, Wintelle. He was still a child, but was already a bit larger than his neighboring Gardener Cats. It was about time I taught him not to pounce on people if he didn’t want to hurt them, now that I could feel his heaviness in my arms.
But I wouldn’t be able to cradle him like this forever, so I made sure to enjoy it while it lasted. With that thought in my head, I cuddled his soft fur and felt a nostalgic sense come over me.
“Jiro…” I let out a sigh, my breath gently shaking the fur on Purr’s head.
Jiro was my pet shiba inu in my past life. My final memory of that life was Jiro running up to me after I’d been hit by a truck.
Jiro, did you have a long life in that world?
It was also possible that, if time passed differently between this world and Japan, Jiro might still be alive. Maybe he was still enjoying his food every single day like before. I didn’t know what had happened to him, but I remembered his weight feeling exactly like Purr’s did now.
The familiar sensation in my arms had been so nostalgic, I couldn’t help but call out his name.
That was when Wintelle suddenly sat up.
“Grah…”
She seated herself on all fours and lowered her head respectfully.
Then the forest bushes rustled, making way for a silver wolf to emerge.
“Lord Aroo!” I cried.
With his silver fur sparkling brilliantly, Lord Aroo, also known as King Glenreed, appeared before us.
“Aroooo…”
He seemed strangely uncomfortable. I noted his unusually sluggish steps toward us too.
What’s the matter?
I hoped I was imagining it, but I was still a bit concerned.
“Lord Aroo, are you feeling unwell?” I asked.
The wolf’s nose suddenly started to twitch.
“Whoa!!”
“What?!”
Lucian and I cried out at the same moment.
Lord Aroo ignored us both, and instead began to sniff incessantly around my waist.
“Wait, Lord Aroo, th-that tickles!”
“Get away from her, you little ○×□●!”
Lucian shouted some sort of insult as he grabbed me by the shoulders to get me away from Lord Aroo.
It…didn’t hurt. He’d yanked me toward him, but I never felt any pain or sense of impact. Instead, he’d wrapped his arms around me from behind and kept me tucked away there.