Feoras Is the King of the Cait Sith?! “Woooooow, talking cats!” As I peeked inside, I couldn’t keep a lid on my excitement. Well, could you blame me? When we reached the end of the tunnel, we immediately saw a bunch of cats! And they weren’t just your ordinary cats, either. They were all wearing clothes, like humans, and standing firmly on two legs. “Look, look, look! Are those fairies? Do you think they’re all fairies?!” “Shhhh, Akko, be quiet!” scolded Lotte, but her eyes shone brightly, too. We all watched them with unblinking fascination. Every one of them was covered in moss-green fur and was a little taller than your average cat. Were they about our height? …Nah, definitely not that tall, but they’d probably reach our chests. At the center of the gathering was a single cat who’d been reverently handed a red hat. He held it up with both front paws, showing it off to the crowd, and they all cheered wildly. When the rally died down, he placed the hat low on his head and settled into a red velvet chair with a high back. “Long live the king!” The cat in the red hat nodded smugly, leaning on an armrest before crossing his legs in a slow, majestic way. Though the rest of them were barefoot, he was wearing a pair of dark-brown boots. “What’s with that guy? He’s acting like he’s some kind of big shot.” Lotte tilted her head as she thought. “I mean, they said this was a coronation ceremony. I think he just became their king.” “Then it would make more sense if he wore a crown, not a hat.” Right? Sucy had a very good point. Squinting, we all leaned forward, farther and farther. “Hey, Sucy, no. Don’t push!” “Quiet, Akko. They’ll see us.” “But Sucy just— Waugh, agh-agh-agh-agh-agh!” I lost my balance. Intentionally or unintentionally, Sucy definitely pushed me onto one leg as she leaned forward to get a better look. I did my very best to hold out, but it still didn’t work. I tumbled onto the floor. “Gack!” Instantly, the crowd of cats hushed. Even without looking, I could tell all their eyes had turned my way. …Oh boy. Th-this is bad. Lotte hastily pulled me up to my feet, but it was too late to hide again. “Humans!” a sharp voice called from the crowd, and the cats began to clamor and shout as though floodgates had suddenly broken open. “Where’d they come from?!” “Catch them!” “There are three of them! This is a catastrophe!” The cats dropped to all fours to lunge at us—incredibly fast. “Yaaaaaaaaagh!” Yeah, okay, fine. I admit my shriek wasn’t the tiniest bit cute. Just as their sharp claws flashed through the air, about to sink into my face… “Stop! Don’t hurt them!” A firm command rang out, causing the cats to freeze. The ones in midjump landed nimbly on their hind legs before offering a synchronized salute to the owner of the voice, the cat in the red hat. “We can’t have you injuring and leaving them unable to talk. Bring them here for now.” “Yes, sir!” They saluted him again before firmly grabbing us by our arms. Th-they’re just cats! Why the heck are they so strong? We couldn’t even struggle as they marched us up to his chair and shoved our backs, hard. “What do you think you’re—doing…?” As I saw the dozens of shining silver eyes surrounding us, my voice got quieter and quieter. Oh… Oh, this was really scary. Lotte had started to tear up, and Sucy was giving me a resentful I-told-you-so look. Hey! You’re the one who pushed me, all right?! This isn’t all my fault! Screaming silently, I faced the cat. “Um. I, um… I’m sorry we disturbed you.” For starters, I tried to apologize. He looked at us from head to toe, sizing us up. “I can’t just let you get away with an apology. No one’s allowed to enter the Country of the Fairies without permission. That’s the rule. It’s not like you didn’t know that, right?” “Well, uh…” As I debated how to answer, one of the cats beside me twitched his whiskers and brought his nose close to me. “I can smell magic on them. You people aren’t ordinary humans, are you?” “What?! Witches!” “What’s Sifla doing?! I knew a little girl like her wouldn’t maintain order!” “Execute them! Hang them!” “Hear, hear! We can’t let them get away with this, especially not if they’re witches!” “Execute them!” “Execute them!” The cats got more and more worked up, thrusting their fists into the air, and we turned pale. Eeeeeep! What should we do?! They’re really gonna kill us! As we shivered in fear, the cat in the chair gazed down at us again, smirking. His elbow was still braced on the armrest, his chin in his paw. “Now, now. Everyone, calm down. We’re mourning the death of the previous king today. Let’s try to keep things peaceful,” he commanded in a very dignified way. “From what I can see, they’re just children. They don’t seem particularly hostile, either.” “But they’re intruders!” “They may be plotting something!” “Perhaps. But today’s the day Luna Nova’s fledgling witches stop by, isn’t it? I imagine they were just running around and managed to circle the hill by accident. That’s about the size of it, isn’t it?” Something about his expression rubbed me the wrong way. Like, he seemed way too confident we’d never defy him. Even though Lotte was on the brink of giving him a full nod, I shook my head before she could finish. “It wasn’t a mistake. We came here because we wanted to.” “Akko, wait! You don’t have to be that honest.” “But I don’t want to lie, Lotte.” Looking intrigued, the cat flicked his taut whiskers with a long claw. “Oh-ho. You’re certainly a brave one, young lady.” “I’m not a young lady. I’m Atsuko Kagari. I’m a new student at Luna Nova. Someday, I’m gonna be a great witch who rivals Shiny Chariot, so remember my name.” “…You seriously don’t need to introduce yourself like that now,” Sucy said with a glower. The cat’s shoulders shook in amusement. “Come to think of it, yes, there used to be a witch by that name. But she was a heretic who vanished before anyone knew what happened to her. Is that the sort of person you aspire to be?” “Yep, that’s right. To me, Chariot’s the finest witch in the world.” Every time I said her name, I felt more courage well up inside me. “But I guess none of that matters right now. Is there a cat named Feoras here?” The cats started to visibly stir. Just as they were about to raise their voices again, the cat on the chair raised his hand to stop them and then directed a question at me. “Are you a friend of his?” “I’ve never even met him, but I did just become friends with his owner, Sifla. She asked us to come here and look for him.” “Oh-ho. Sifla did? And why’s that?” “Because she’s lonely, obviously. After Feoras went away, she cried until her eyes were all red. I feel so bad for her.” “…She was crying?” His eyes widened in surprise. He’d been acting all cool and collected up until he heard my answer, but now his eyes were moist. But he quickly regained his composure and put a paw to his chin as he thought. “And so, young lady, you’re—” “Like I said, I’m Atsuko. Or I guess Akko’s fine, too.” “Akko, then. You’re saying you came all this way for a girl you just met? That must be rough for the friends caught up in your mess.” “We’re used to it.” Naturally, Sucy was the one who answered without skipping a beat. “We decided to go with her of our own accord. It isn’t Akko’s f-fault,” Lotte stammered. “…I see.” “So? What about it? Do you know him? Is he here?” “Yes, he’s here. Allow me to introduce you.” I was really starting to get ticked off, but he flashed an easy smile my way. “I am Feoras. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” I kinda figured that was the case. I sighed. “Was this whole performance really necessary? You could’ve just told me, you know.” “Why, you—! Don’t address the king so insolently!” “…The king?” I turned around to look at the one who’d jeered at me. “So that’s what this whole ‘coronation ceremony’ business was about? Did Feoras become the king?” “Don’t speak of him so casually! You are in the presence of His Royal Majesty!” “It’s fine. No need to be so cross. If they’re friends of Sifla, they’re important guests as far as I’m concerned,” insisted the cat—I mean, Feoras. But apparently, that didn’t satisfy the other cats at all. They started complaining like crazy. “That’s why these things happen! It’s all because you coddle Sifla like that!” “Hey! What did you just say to our king?!” “He only became the king a minute ago. He hasn’t even undergone the fairy king’s trial yet!” “Even so, who besides Lord Feoras would become king, you numbskull?!” “Oh— Ow! Don’t hit me like that! Blast you!” “Why’d you strike me, you scoundrel?!” “Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! No pulling!” The cats began to fight, pummeling one another, brandishing their fists, and yanking tails and whiskers. With a long sigh, Feoras stood up from his throne. “Quiet! I’d like to speak with these young ladies. Would the rest of you leave this to me? In deference to the previous king and myself… Please?” he soothed, trying to calm them down with a wink. He was laying it on thick. At his imploring tone and sweet smile, the cats couldn’t help but look at one another and reluctantly turn their backs on us. Just like that, they filed obediently toward another tunnel, different from the one we’d come through. That said, none of them forgot to flash one final glare at us before leaving the room. Once the cats were gone, we were the only ones left in the ginormous, empty hall. “All right. Now we can talk at our leisure.” Feoras sighed, settling back into his chair. “Don’t worry. I won’t try to harm you.” “What’s all this about? Are you the king? Does Sifla know?” “You’re full of questions, aren’t you? You’re a truly gutsy young lady.” He grinned. “You see, the king of the cats crossed the great divide this morning.” “Crossed the…um, what?” “It means he died,” Sucy offered. He winked at her. “Now, aren’t you clever?” She shuddered, totally grossed out. “He was up in years, so it didn’t come as a surprise,” he continued. “But it was sudden, after all. It’d been decided ahead of time that I’d become the next king, so I had to attend the funeral and coronation ceremony. I flew out in a rush, which must’ve startled her.” “So it’s not because you didn’t like her anymore.” “‘Didn’t like her’! Not a chance! Not even if this land fell to ruin. I don’t know any other girls as innocent and beautiful as that one. I’m so blessed to be by her side.” “Um…” Lotte was the one who’d spoken. Though she’d been all jumpy up until now, her eyes filled with an intense curiosity. “Could you possibly be the Cait Sith?” “Indeed we are. Did you think there were other cats dressed like this?” Cait Sith… Hmm, what was that again? I felt like I’d heard that word before. Sucy noticed me racking my brain and secretly told me the answer. “They’re cat fairies. This was in your homework, too, remember?” “Oh, right, yeah, that’s right.” As we exchanged quiet whispers, Lotte’s cheeks became super-red. “Ooooh, I knew it! I’ve never seen any before!” “Now, young lady, you mustn’t be rude. Don’t say you’ve never ‘seen any.’ You’d think we were an exhibit at the zoo or something.” “Oh! I-I’m sorry.” “It doesn’t bother me personally, but quite a few of our felines are hotheads, and I wouldn’t want to see someone bully a charming young lady.” …And again with the winking. Even though he was just a cat, the gesture made Lotte blush. Wow. Talk about corny. Blech. I was turned off by the theatrics of it all, but I guess I sort of understood how Lotte felt. I mean, if this guy were a human, he probably would’ve been pretty hot. At the very least, he behaved chivalrously and dressed smartly, and he was more of a gentleman than any other boy I’d ever met. But Sucy’s reaction was totally different. “…I’m no good with this type.” She was making a face. Actually, I could kind of understand how she felt, too. I turned to Feoras. “And? Are the funeral and coronation ceremony over?” “Yes. Just now, I became the king of the Cait Sith.” “In that case, you can go home now, right? Back to Sifla.” He swung his head back and forth. “I can’t. You heard them say it yourself. There’s a trial.” “A trial?” “That’s right. To become the fairy king who governs Doras Hill. And”—he gave a long pause before continuing—“to settle my fight with Alan, my sworn enemy.”
Chapter 5
12 min read