<Chapter 37>
Sigma used every bit of knowledge she had to figure out Kitty's reaction.
'She's close enough to be hit by the Blue Moon's madness, right?'
So, the Gridwolf girl should either be in pain or totally fine because of immunity.
'But a cat loving this madness...? Never heard of such a thing.'
Sigma's body shuddered. The thrill was way bigger than anything she'd felt dissecting beastmen in that dank lab.
"I knew the Gridwolfs wouldn't have adopted just any normal cat, and I was right..."
Sigma returned to the leopard's territory to report, a dangerous smile on her face. The lives of the fox beastmen were not her concern. Her only focus was on the cute cat they were to kidnap.
Her eyes, totally excited, stayed glued on Kitty until the end.
* * *
"Although faint, the madness is getting closer."
Clide reported to Elliot. Elliot handed all the gift boxes he was holding to his aide and began to give instructions with a look.
It meant to tighten security – beastmen were approaching, hiding their scent with some kind of device.
'She's still just a kid, and a cat at that – way more sensitive to magic than wolves. Who knows what even a little bit of the madness could do?'
Luckily, Kitty was small enough to handle, even if the madness took over.
Soon, the suspicious individuals took another step closer. Just as Elliot was about to give the order to attack, Kitty stretched out her arms and said in a voice filled with happiness.
"Kyaa—! I suddenly feel so good!"
"……?"
Madness is fun? Elliot was shocked. But the guys creeping up on Kitty looked even more confused.
Elliot quickly spoke, taking advantage of the enemies' dazed state.
"Subdue them."
"Yes!"
Theo and Deon surrounded Kitty and crouched low. Meanwhile, the wolf knights grabbed all the suspicious guys.
Clide, who forcibly dispelled their magic by raising his magic power, soon hardened his expression like stone.
"……You guys, are you foxes?"
"Krrr!"
When their robes were removed, the blonde hair characteristic of fox beastmen was revealed. It wasn't as golden as Clide's, but it was definitely a feature of fox beastmen.
"Don't even think about helping them just 'cause they're foxes too. Get back. They look like they're being controlled."
Eden grabbed Clide's shoulder and took a step back. Kitty, still surrounded by Theo and Deon, was muttering while huddled up.
"Ninety-nine, ninety-eight… Ah, what’s next?"
"Ninety-seven."
"Ninety-seven……"
"You can get up now, Soft Paw."
Kitty decided she'd practice counting down from a hundred and stood up.
Then she saw Clide, pale and trembling. Theo clicked his tongue and explained the situation to Kitty.
"Looks like some fox beastmen messed up by the Blue Moon tried to attack our Kitty and failed."
Even now, subdued by the wolf knights, the foxes were growling at Kitty.
Sigma's brainwashing target was right there, so their hunting instincts kicked in, whether they wanted them to or not.
Elliot shouted in a stern voice.
"Knock them out. If they try to do anything reckless, it’s okay to break their legs."
The fox beastmen who had lost their minds were brutally trampled by the wolves. Clide clenched his fist, grinding his teeth.
The wolves knocked out the fox beastmen one by one by striking the back of their necks with their hand blades.
While Clide hesitated, unable to attack his own kind, a fox beastman who had not yet been subdued suddenly lifted Kitty up and ran at full speed.
"Kyaa!"
"Kitty!"
"Miss Kitty!"
The fox beastman held onto struggling Kitty tightly and jumped high into the air.
"Stay still."
"No way!"
Because Kitty struggled with all her might, the fox beastman gradually lost his balance. The Gridwolf knights simultaneously leaped to a high place.
The fox beastman used magic to stay in the air and quickly tried to get away.
Seeing the shopping district gradually moving away below her feet, Kitty took a deep breath. The fox beastman smirked.
"I know you’re the daughter of a stray cat. I heard you stole food and were chased out of the territory?"
"……!"
"Is a cat going to howl or something?"
Kitty flinched. Her howl was definitely weak compared to the wolves. She hadn't even been praised for it in class.
But.
"If I stay still now, I’ll get caught!"
Nyawooooo—!
When Kitty let out a huge howl, the fox beastman's face twisted. He tried to cover Kitty's mouth, but it was too late – he suddenly dropped to the ground.
Thud—!
A huge figure soared up and slammed the fox beastman to the ground. At the same time, someone gently caught Kitty's body.
Kitty quickly knew whose hand it was that was stroking her.
"Lord Caris?"
"My dear, that was a wonderful howl."
"……!"
"Thanks to your awesome howl, we were able to get here and save you."
Kitty's cat ears, feeling proud, perked up. It was because she had lost her hat when she was kidnapped.
The dust cloud spreading over the body of the fox beastman slammed to the ground subsided.
Jackal, holding the perfectly bound fox beastman in one hand, stroked Kitty's head.
"Your howling has become louder now that you’re seven years old."
"Heeik! Lord Jackal’s hair……"
It was the same hairstyle as the burly cats Jerian always brought with him. If he had been holding a studded wooden plank, it would have been exactly the same.
"I cut it a little. Is it scary?"
"……"
Kitty shook her head without realizing she had a terrified expression. Jackal smiled bitterly.
The wolf knights and the carriage quickly followed Kitty. Theo and Deon rushed over and hugged Kitty.
"Kitty, are you okay?"
"Soft Paw, are you hurt anywhere?"
Kitty shook her head slightly. Her heart was racing – even though her howl wasn't perfect, the wolves had all rushed to save her.
Of course, the most relieved person was Elliot, the head of security.
"Oh, Miss Kitty! Thank you for howling. You just saved my paycheck!"
"……?"
"We'll question those foxes thoroughly and make sure this never happens again,” Elliot said.
Only then did Kitty recall the fox beastman's words that she had forgotten because she was being kidnapped.
"I know you’re the daughter of a stray cat. I heard you stole food and were chased out of the territory?"
Kitty's mind went blank, and she didn't even realize that her legs had given way.
She pictured the fox beastman's blank stare and the Gridwolf couple's faces turning dark.
The words 'daughter of a stray cat' tore Kitty's heart to shreds.
Stray cat.
'No, my mom isn't like that...'
She was just hungry. She had to eat enough for the little ones in her belly too.
That's why she reached into Jerian's food storage. That was an unchanging fact.
"……"
Should I tell the truth after all? It would be better for me to tell them first than to have them find out the truth from the foxes' mouths.
But if she did, she might be kicked out of the mansion. She could be misunderstood as a cat with sticky fingers.
As Kitty hesitated, Caris took something out of his bag. It was a cloak with a wonderful wolf fur trim.
"Kitty, you seem to be very surprised, so I’ll give you your present in advance."
"This is……"
"You’ve always wanted to have a wolf fur trim, haven’t you?"
Kitty looked back and forth between Jackal's noticeably shorter hair and the cloak that warmly wrapped around her body.
Thinking that Caris and Jackal had worked hard to prepare presents to celebrate her birthday, her eyes welled up.
Even if she was kicked out of the mansion, she couldn't lie to these people.
"L-Lord Caris……"
Kitty said in a tearful voice. Caris, flustered, hugged Kitty tightly and patted her back.
"My dear, don’t you like the present?"
"It's not that, it's just... I have something to tell you.”
Kitty sniffled in Caris's arms and began a short story. It wasn't easy to confess that her beloved mother had stolen someone else's food.
And she wasn't exactly innocent either – she'd shared the food her mom stole from Jerian's storage, even when her mom was pregnant.
Saying that she had never stolen anything might be a lie.
"But back then, Mom had little ones in her belly… sniffle, Mom was……"
Tear drops like beads fell from Kitty's large eyes.
"Mom was a cat. Me too… My dad and brothers too… But I didn’t lie about being a wolf to hide the stealing… Really……"
Kitty struggled to say each word. She closed her eyes tightly, afraid of the wolves' reactions.
But even if she was kicked out like this, she didn't want to lie to the kind and gentle wolves anymore. Nor could she fabricate a family to prepare for revenge for her family.
"Kitty."
Caris called Kitty's name in a trembling voice and then hugged her tightly. The warmth that enveloped her whole body as if saying that any lie was okay made Kitty's sobs subside a little.
"You don’t have to say anymore."
"……"
"We adopted you not because you are a baby wolf."
Kitty opened her eyes wide at Caris's careful voice.
"We decided to take you in, temporarily, because you came to us that day, even though you were having such a hard time."
"Ah……"
Caris continued, gently patting Kitty. "It's okay about your mother, too. Parents are supposed to do anything to protect their kids. Kitty's mom, and me too..."
Caris's eyes also became as red as Kitty's. Caris explained in a soft voice as if talking to himself.
"There was something to protect, but the situation didn’t allow it."
"……"
"People call that 'doing what you have to do.' So you don't have to feel guilty about it."
"Lord Caris……"
Caris patted Kitty until her crying completely stopped.
It was unavoidable, so you don't have to blame yourself.
She said that to Kitty, but even at this moment, she was thinking of her daughter buried by her own hands.
Was she a little better now that she could make excuses for herself thanks to the small cat sobbing in her arms?
"I’m glad you’re safe, my dear. Happy birthday."
Kitty smiled brightly with tearful eyes. The tear marks that had not yet dried were sparkling.
"Thank you, Lord Caris."
"Do you like the cloak? It’ll be very cozy because it’s wolf fur."
Kitty wiped away the tears that were welling up and smiled brightly.
"It’s this much warm!"
When Kitty, wearing a red cloak, spread her arms wide and said, the wolves couldn't hide their satisfaction.
