Meanwhile in Kingsland, a certain Cait-Sìth was walking through the halls of White Night Castle. Dressed in a white lab coat, she was none other than the first princess of Ishtarica, Katima.
“Mrow... It’s about time,” she muttered, checking her watch.
She had a feeling that the trio had already left the Leviathan, and that Lloyd had ordered the ship to turn around. This was perfect. No one was around to get in her way. With Lloyd away, only Chris could break through the barrier to Katima’s lab...and she was fast asleep. The Cait-Sìth walked through the hall and to the hospital wing.
“Princess Katima,” a knight on guard said. “May I ask why you’re here?”
“Are you perhaps headed off to visit Officer Dill?” another knight inquired.
Katima nodded. “And I need to speak with Bara too.”
“Of course,” a knight responded. “Miss Bara is still inside, I believe.”
“Oho? Thank mew very much!”
“But Your Highness, are you sure that you don’t need to remain in your room?”
“Mrow? Why do mew say that?”
“His Majesty was furious when he learned that you went to Ist without permission.”
“Indeed! I won’t lie, I did get a meowssive scolding when I got back! But we all have our own things to deal with. And I was pardoned thanks to Lady Misty covering for meow.”
Katima had acted for Ein’s sake, and had also coincidentally played a role in resurrecting the Demon Lord. Silverd, a strong believer in dishing out punishment for misdeeds, but ensuring that no good deed went unrewarded, had found himself unable to scold his daughter too harshly.
“So please excuse meow!” Katima said.
Even she knew not to be so noisy around the injured. But when she laid eyes on those in treatment, they smiled joyfully at her. She was the type to liven up the castle and was extremely affable to the knights and the castle’s servants. The current royal family were all amicable, but Katima was especially so. Her willingness to level with her people had gained her an extreme level of popularity.
“Mrow...” Katima sighed. “I so kindly chose to enter this room without even a single purr... But if you guys are all meowing, I guess I’m not being all that considerate.”
“Ha ha ha! There’s no use in us being glum, is there?” one replied.
“Quite right! An injury cannot be helped!” another agreed. “In fact, I’m proud that I was hurt while protecting my nation!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear all that,” Katima said. “But don’t reopen your wounds, all right? That’s an order.”
She walked through the knights lying on their beds and headed for the room in the very back. After a gentle knock, Bara, likely having heard the knights’ ruckus, opened the door and ushered the princess inside.
“Was I a bother, mew think?”
“Oh no, not at all,” Bara replied. “If your mere appearance livens up the knights, I couldn’t be a happier nurse, Your Highness.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Bara pointed to a chair near a desk in the back. “Please have a seat here, at Officer Dill’s bedside.”
Dill’s condition was the most precarious, and Bara had stationed her desk beside him.
“When mew were...fighting in the war zone, were mew near the wounded?” Katima inquired.
“I was, Your Highness,” Bara replied. “I advanced with the crown prince’s army, and we discovered many injured people upon our arrival in Bardland.”
“But no one was as injured as Dill.”
Bara paused for a moment before she replied, “Precisely.”
“I knew as much. Mew don’t need to look so sad. Ahem. I just merely wanted a glance at my sleeping guard’s face before I took a catnap.”
Katima sounded cheery as usual as she walked ahead, but it was clear that her footsteps were rather sluggish.
“And how was it?” she inquired.
The question was vague, but Bara immediately understood the implication. “You must be referring to the medical magical tools you retrieved from Ist.”
“Mrow! Looks like... Ah, found it.”
“Right. Those tubes are connected to a small tool that resembles a magic stone furnace. I’m impressed by what they built in Ist... They’re truly on technology’s cutting edge. Usually, I’d need several magical tools for this, but this tool alone is good enough to handle the task.”
Good enough. That was all. It was far from excellent. Katima emitted a large sigh, unable to help herself.
“Even the tool I stole from Ist isn’t good enough to help him in his state then...” Katima said.
“Er...” Bara trailed off.
“I know, I know. It was just one of the many pawsibilities that was worth testing out, that’s all.”
Despite the resignation in her voice, the expression on Katima’s face said that she was far from giving up. When Bara peered into the princess’s visage, the royal looked dignified, as though she had steeled her resolve.
“Are the other knights all right?” Katima inquired.
“Th-They are!” Bara replied. “The other nurses are ensuring that they’re well looked after!”
“Hmm, meow... Then I don’t need to hold back with my request!”
“A request?”
“Purrecisely! I need mew to carry Dill’s bed out of here!”
Bara stared at her in utter confusion, but Katima only smiled in response. The princess stood up and walked towards the door.
“Carry Dill to my underground lab, please,” Katima said. Her tone was forceful—one that implied that she refused to hear any complaints.
“Do you have another way to treat him?!” Bara asked.
“I do... Mrow... I do indeed, but...it’s a bit of a trial to do alone. I need your help, Bara.”
As Katima’s lab was filled with oodles of expensive magical tools, Bara had assumed that some of them were also from Ist. Out of a simple concern for safety, the tools hadn’t been used just yet—the princess needed to carefully analyze and prepare them. With newfound joy and hope in her heart, the little nurse flashed a smile.
“Of course, Your Highness!” Bara cried. “I shall bring him right away!”
She faithfully followed the royal’s orders without an ounce of doubt in her mind.
However, Dill was still fighting for his life, and his chances of survival were very low. His parents prayed and believed that their son would make a full recovery, but Katima wasn’t so optimistic. In fact, she was certain that he would perish soon if she sat around and twiddled her thumbs.
“Mmm... He’s sleeping well!” Katima remarked.
Despite her thoughts, Katima didn’t appear to despair at all as she opened the door to her lab. After watching Dill carried in on a stretcher, the princess smiled and extended her paw to touch him.
“A squad of healers will be here tomorrow,” Bara explained. “If your new treatment method works out, I’m sure that Officer Dill will turn the corner, Princess Katima.”
“Mrow... To be furrank, healing magic won’t do much to help Dill’s condition, unfortunately.”
“And you’ve got a better method in mind.”
“I think I do. I asked Lord Arshay all about it on the train ride back... So I think it’ll be effective.”
“Asked her about what, Your Highness?”
Katima didn’t respond, but her whiskers swayed in the air. “Good grief. I went through all that danger and trouble, so if mew don’t get better, I won’t furrgive mew! Don’t furrget: mew still have to be my guard.”