Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 22 - Chapter 4

Checkpoint

Sunday, November 21st

While Ohime had safely reached the main base of Elfaria’s faction, Koutarou, Theia, and Yurika were still deep in the woods of Alaia. Being forced to travel stealthily by foot slowed them down significantly.

“Um, Satomi-san...”

“What?”

“Did something just move over there?”

“Seriously? You’re starting with that again?”

“But...!”

They could only move under cover of darkness, and Yurika was particularly bad at dealing with the forest at night. She was always scared that something was right about to jump out from the bushes and eat her up.

“You really do become useless once you lose motivation.”

“I-I don’t care what you say! I can’t help it! It’s scary out here!”

“Boo!”

Right on cue, Theia snuck up behind Yurika and startled her.

“Kyaaa― Mmmph!”

Yurika let out a wail in response, and Koutarou quickly covered her mouth.

“Theia, think about the situation we’re in! What would you have done if there were enemies nearby?!”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry. I did a scan beforehand. We’re in the clear.”

“Mmmmmmph! Mmmph! Mmmmmmmmph!”

“But why would you do that now of all times?!”

“I figured a little scare might help her calm down.”

“It did the exact opposite!”

“Mmmmmph... Mm...”

“Nuh-uh. See? She’s getting quiet.”

“What? Hey, Yurika! Breathe!”

While it was taxing on poor Yurika, the truth was that her constant fright was useful for Koutarou and Theia. In such a desperate situation isolated from the rest of their allies, things were starting to get a bit gloomy. Yurika’s over-the-top ridiculousness, however, helped lighten things up for her travelling companions. Really, she was the one keeping things together. But sadly for her, no one appreciated that right now.

“Y-You two aren’t being very nice! I’m really scared here!”

Even after the initial commotion died down, Yurika was still angry. But at least she was walking like normal now. The anger seemed to supplant her out-of-control fear. So in the end, Theia’s plan had worked perfectly.

“I said I was sorry. It wasn’t on purpose.”

“If you’re really sorry, hold my hand tighter.”

“Okay, okay, jeez... You really are a mess sometimes.”

That said, Yurika’s temper was quickly cooling. That was thanks to Koutarou, who was leading her by the hand as an apology. And that was all Yurika was focusing on right now.

“...Eeheehee...”

Holding Koutarou’s hand, she was reminded of the time she gave him a kiss on the cheek. It overwhelmed her with a nostalgic sort of giddiness, which readily supplanted all the anger she was still harboring.

“You little...”

Whap!

“What now?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Then why did you kick me?”

“I said it was nothing!”

Whap, whap!

That anger, however, seemed to transfer over to Theia. And Koutarou would take quite a few more swift kicks before he realized it.

Koutarou’s armor and Theia’s Combat Dress had used up most of their energy and all of their emergency propellant during reentry, but were otherwise operational despite some minor damage. That meant they wouldn’t be able to fly or put up barriers, but their other functions were still intact. Thanks to that, both Koutarou and Theia were warned of the incoming threat with plenty of time to spare.

“Alert. Detecting an approaching heat source. Distance: 200 meters. Based on heat signature, there is a 70 percent chance it is a pack of wild wolves.”

While Alaia’s ecosystem was artificial, it still contained a slew of dangerous wildlife. Without anything to keep the herbivore population in check, they would eventually come to destroy all the flora that had been carefully planted. To prevent that, Forthorthe had carefully constructed a food chain to keep everything balanced naturally. And its apex predators—the top of the food chain—were Forthorthian wolves. They were smart enough to avoid humans, which reduced the number of incidents where the two species crossed paths. But that was only when they stayed in their respective territories—and right now, Koutarou and the others were definitely in wolf country.

“S-See?! There really was something!”

“Stop clinging to me. I can’t move.”

“I’m scared too, Koutarou!”

“Theia, why are you joining in?!”

“Just joking around.”

“Joking around doesn’t work on wolves!”

“I know, I know.”

“You get off too, Yurika.”

“...Okay.”

Koutarou and the girls panicked a little when they were first notified of the wolves’ presence, but they’d been through enough at this point that they quickly got a hold of themselves and began formulating a strategy.

“We’re the ones intruding on their territory here... I wonder if there’s a way to avoid a fight.”

Koutarou could feel the hostility of the approaching wolves thanks to the psychic powers Sanae had given him. They were angry at the humans intruding on their territory. Koutarou and the others had just happened to pass by the area, and they didn’t know the rules of nature, so they had ended up intruding. If possible, they wanted to avoid a fight.

“What can we do to make them forgive us?” Yurika asked as she squinted at the darkness.

They were far enough away that she couldn’t see them, but Yurika was sure the wolves were baring their fangs at her right now. It was scary.

“We should hurry up and get out of here.”

“But if we flee too quickly, they’ll think we’re weak and attack.”

“Really? What makes you say that?”

“That’s what I would do if I were a wolf.”

“Well, then I guess there’s no doubting it.”

“...If there’s something you want to say, why don’t you just say it already?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dare.”

“Then how about we run away slowly?”

“That would normally be the thing to do, although there are exceptions.”

“Like what?”

“Like if the wolves are starving.”

“Eeeeek!”

Koutarou and the girls slowly changed course to try and avoid a confrontation. But the wolves followed right after them, stalking them rather than closing the distance. It didn’t seem like they were going to attack, but they showed no signs of giving up their pursuit either.

“Basically, we’re just sizing each other up right now.”

“Can’t we just hide and wait for them to go away?”

“I’d love to do that... but they are beasts with excellent senses.”

“How about it, Yurika?”

In this situation, Yurika’s magic was the most reliable thing they had. If they used artillery or other weapons, it would draw too much attention.

“I could get them to go away, sure, but it would take a lot of mana to do it.”

“Which would be like sending a signal flare to Darkness Rainbow, huh?”

“What should we do now...?”

They wanted nothing more than to escape the wolves pursuing them. They could easily use magic to get rid of them, but then they’d have Darkness Rainbow on their tail instead. It was quite the conundrum.

“Awooooo!”

Suddenly, the wolves in the darkness began making a fuss. There was howling and growling like they’d started a fight.

“What happened?!”

At first, Koutarou thought the wolves were attacking, which was only natural given the circumstances. However, the snarling commotion wasn’t getting any closer. The wolves were keeping their distance. Just as Koutarou began wondering why, his armor’s AI gave him the answer.

“Alert. Enemy craft approaching. There is a 95 percent chance it is a small reconnaissance drone.”

The wolves had apparently shifted their focus when a strange machine approached in the air. Unlike Koutarou and the girls, it was directly approaching the wolves. That made it an immediate threat, which took priority over the seemingly nonaggressive humans who were fleeing.

“I see. So that’s why the wolves―”

“Koutarou, Yurika! We’re hiding right now!”

“Got it!”

“O-Okay!”

The three of them dove under a fallen tree. Not a few seconds later, the reconnaissance drone—which looked quite similar to the ones Ruth used—appeared through the woods. It flew a couple of meters in the air, shining a light on the ground below as it slowly approached the fallen tree where Koutarou and the girls were hiding. But right behind it was the snarling pack of wolves, plain as day when the searchlight shone their way.

“Did they figure out we were using magic to move around?” Yurika whispered uneasily as she watched the searchlight sway.

Knowing misfortune was never far, her first thought was that they’d already been found out.

“If that were the case, they’d come straight for us. This is either just a coincidence or they came to investigate the wolves, maybe.”

Theia’s battle-hardened intuition told her they hadn’t done anything wrong—not even Yurika. If they’d been discovered already, the drone wouldn’t bother searching the area. Seemingly, however, it had gone for the wolves first. Theia was sure that meant one of two things.

The first possibility was simply that the reconnaissance drone was on patrol, and that it just so happened to encounter the pack of wolves. Determining them to be a non-threat, it then came this way to investigate other heat sources in the area.

The second possibility was that it had deliberately come to this area to investigate the wolf pack. Wolves were the apex predators of Alaia’s forests, yet this pack was cautiously following three small animals—which were really Koutarou, Yurika, and Theia with their heat signatures magically reduced. Chances were that someone thought it was strange and had sent the drone to check it out.

“So they don’t really know what’s going on?”

“I don’t think so, no. And I don’t think there’s any way they know we’re using magic.”

The surveillance drone had either ended up here by pure chance, or it had come to check out the wolves. Either way, it wasn’t in the area because it had any idea that Koutarou and the girls were here. Even in the worst case scenario, it was only investigating the possibility.

“Then let’s just keep hiding here.”

“I have to say, Yurika... I agree with you for once.”

“Pipe down, you two. Play it cool.”

The three friends covered their mouths and held their breath as they watched the drone get closer. It certainly wasn’t slow, but each and every second that passed by was tense agony. The few minutes it took for the drone to actually reach the fallen tree felt like an eternity. Koutarou, Yurika, and Theia had never felt time move so slowly before.

But at last, at the end of that dreadful eternity, the drone was right overhead. It was close enough that they could hear the mechanical whirring of its inner workings. They could even reach their hands out and grab it if they stood up. And that only made it more terrifying. Theia and Yurika each silently took one of Koutarou’s hands. They both hoped they’d be able to fool the drone’s sensors, but nothing was certain. The only thing they knew for sure was what would happen if the Imperial Army discovered them now—just the thought of which made them nervous. In order to ease the anxiety they could do nothing about, they needed each other. That would have been true even if Koutarou weren’t there. But right now, he was. And battle had taught him both to be bold and to be there for his allies. Taking that to heart, he squeezed both Theia and Yurika’s hands back.

Was the operator cautious? Or had the programmer responsible for the AI just been that thorough? Whatever the reason, the reconnaissance drone reached out under the fallen tree with a wiry arm in order to examine the small heat sources.

Not good!

The instant Koutarou realized the arm was reaching for them, sweat started dripping down from his forehead. Theia and Yurika instinctively squeezed his hands harder. If the arm had a camera or a different type of sensor on it, they were done for. Steeling himself for the worst, he began thinking of ways to protect Theia.

But then, all of a sudden...

“Squeeeak!”

A small animal leaped out from under the fallen tree. It brushed the side of the mechanical arm and continued running past it. The drone turned and immediately gave chase to the escaping subject.

Now’s our chance!

Not wasting the opportunity, Koutarou gripped the girls’ hands and pulled them out from under the tree. While keeping an eye on the searchlight, he moved them to a different fallen tree in an area that had already been searched.

Fortunately, the drone didn’t notice their movements. After confirming the identity of the small animal that had run off, the reconnaissance drone returned to the tree Koutarou and the girls had originally been hiding under. After examining it to its satisfaction, the drone then disappeared off into the trees. The wolves continued to chase after it, and their howling and snarling slowly moved off into the distance.

“Phew... They’re finally gone...”

Koutarou was better at handling the active tension of battle than the static dread of hiding. Grateful it was over, he leaned over the fallen tree and heaved a relieved sigh.

“Yeah, jeez... We better be grateful for that little critter...”

“Waaah! That was scary!”

“I thought my heart was gonna stop.”

Yurika was primarily scared, but Theia felt the relief Koutarou did and heaved a heavy sigh of her own. The past few minutes had exhausted all three of them.

“Theia, we’ve still got some time before daybreak, but how about we call it a night here?”

“I agree. It’s best not to push our luck.”

“I finally get to rest a little...”

Their nerves were shot. They still had over an hour before first light, but nothing good would come of pressing onward under such conditions. Instead, they decided to conserve their energy and find a place to lie low for the day.

Koutarou, Yurika, and Theia finally slipped out the other side of the forest on the night of their fourth day on Alaia. In total, they’d traveled over a 100 kilometers over the course of just three and a half days. Considering the constant detours they’d had to take in order to avoid making contact with the enemy, they’d made impressive time.

Just outside of the forest was a small town, and just past that was the Pardomshiha territory. Once they reached Ruth’s family lands, things would be much easier for them. While the general population of Alaia was supportive of Elfaria, the citizens of Pardomshiha territory were deeply loyal to her. They all felt like they were members of the Pardomshiha family in spirit, including even the local members of the Imperial Army.

That said, Pardomshiha territory still felt like it was a long way away. It wouldn’t be easy to get through the border town. The soldiers who were stationed there were largely Vandarion’s flunkies, meaning Theia wouldn’t be able to pull any strings. Getting through this checkpoint would be their last hurdle to safety.

“Can’t we just take a detour around the town instead of going through it?”

“The town is situated within a valley, so if we want to go around, that will mean scaling the mountains... which have all been trapped in order to prevent wild animals from coming into town.”

“What, with shock traps or something?”

“It starts from there and gradually gets worse.”

The traps set in the mountains to keep the wildlife at bay were designed to be as humane as possible. They started with mild electric shocks and slowly upped the ante from there. It was an especially effective deterrent against animals, known for their keen sense of danger.

“Then why don’t we just fly over with magic?”

“Airborne infiltration is a standard magical tactic, so it’s likely one of the first things they set up defenses against.”

“I see... So we’re all thinking the same thing.”

Yurika’s experience told her that they were better off not trying to fly over the town. It was a common strategy, and she was sure that the Imperial Army would have countermeasures—doubly so if Elexis and Darkness Rainbow were helping them out. They might even have access to antiaircraft magic monitoring.

Moreover, since there were fewer people flying over the town than entering it on foot, they drew a certain amount of extra attention. If security was tight enough, the soldiers might even shoot down anyone who didn’t have permission.

“In that case, breaking through the front without using magic is more efficient against magic.”

Normally, magical stealth was a contest of the strength of one opponent’s stealth magic versus the strength of the other opponent’s detection magic. The stealthy opponent would need to conceal their appearance, any sound they were making, and any mana they were using magic to do so. All the detector had to do, however, was pick up on a single trace of their opponent and their cover would be blown. So, in effect, the best way to avoid magical detection was to not use any magic at all.

On the flip side, if they didn’t use any magic at all, they’d likely be discovered by mundane means while trying to enter the town. Theia was well known enough that the risk of someone recognizing her was especially high. A simple disguise might do the trick, but they didn’t have the tools for that with them. Deciding how to proceed would be a tough call.

“What if... What if we just go all out and use an ace-in-the-hole spell to get us through instantly?”

Detection magic needed to be kept up constantly, meaning that it required a magician to actively maintain it. Whenever they took a break or had to recast the spell, the detection would temporarily come down. Because of that, there would be very limited windows of opportunity where Yurika could cast a spell at full force without anyone noticing. While such a thing would have been impossible against Folsarian forces well-versed in the ways of magic, they were dealing with Forthorthian soldiers who only just barely understood it.

“So, Yurika... If you turned us into cats and dogs and erased all traces of your mana, how long could you keep that up?”

Koutarou had decided option C would be the best course of action: using a powerful spell in what would essentially be a detection blind spot. Because they had Theia in tow, trying to go through normal inspections to get through the town would just be too risky. And if they were to use magic, it would be easier to turn themselves into small animals than to try and disguise themselves. That way, they could simply bypass the soldiers and the checkpoint altogether. But since doing so would use more mana, there was still an inherent risk.

“Well, to fully transform three people and conceal all that mana... um... Ten minutes, maybe?”

Yurika added it up on her fingers and come to the conclusion that ten minutes would be about the best she could manage. Transforming a human into a completely different creature would require a high-level spell, and doing it three times while simultaneously concealing traces of the spell would dramatically increase the amount of mana it took. Even with Yurika’s abilities, ten minutes would be her limit.

“And of those ten minutes, how long are you absolutely sure you can last?”

“I’m certain that I can last at least five minutes.”

“Hang on. Wouldn’t just using an illusion be better?”

Theia began to get nervous after hearing that they might only have five minutes. They had a good way left to go just to get to the town. Five minutes might not even be enough to reach it. Moreover, not knowing what kind of situation they’d end up in on the other side of the checkpoint was cause for concern. That’s why Theia suggested an illusion spell. That would use less mana, meaning Yurika could keep it up longer and buy them more time to get to safety.

“If she uses an illusion spell, the observation devices at the gate could be a problem. I think a full-on transformation is the only way to fool them all.”

“I-I think so too.”

“Hmm, that is problematic...”

Illusions, however, had certain limitations. They were designed to fool humans by tricking the mind, which didn’t work on machines. Yurika would need a different spell to deceive scales, x-rays, heat sensors, and any audio detection devices. And by the time she had all those bases covered, she’d be using as much mana as she would have with a transformation spell, if not more.

“Then how about we get close to the gate with an illusion before transforming?”

Unexpectedly, it was Yurika who came up with a clever solution to the problem at hand. Since she rarely showed such ingenuity under normal circumstances, Koutarou and Theia looked at each other stunned.

“You’re awfully bright today, Yurika.”

“But she’s right... That would make sure we can take full advantage of our five minute transformation time.”

All of the observational equipment at the checkpoint was short-range and focused in town. In other words, they could approach using a more haphazard method than they’d need to actually get through.

“Heehee, I’m good at managing on a small allowance.”

Figuring out how to budget her mana wasn’t much different from figuring out how to get by on her meager allowance. And that, at least, was something Yurika was a master of.

“That really isn’t something you should be bragging about...”

“Koutarou, shouldn’t you be praising her for being useful for once?”

“...Good girl.”

“Aw, shucks, Satomi-san. You can buy me some food later if you want, you know?”

“You really are a strange girl.”

“I’m a magical girl!”

“That’s true.”

And so the three of them decided on a plan. They would first use an illusion spell to get closer to the town, where they would use a transformation spell to turn them into animals. With that settled, only one question remained: what kind of animals would they choose? Each animal had its pros and cons.

“Yurika would be fine as a horse’s rear.”

“No way!”

“Isn’t that your specialty?”

“While I am good at it, why would I just be the rear?! That would be too weird!”

While they would stand out less as smaller animals, being small had its disadvantages. The shorter their legs were, for example, the longer it would take them to walk through town. But if they chose an animal too large, they were more likely to be stopped in town. And even if they turned into something strategically small and fast like a bird, it would seem strange that they were flying over town rather than avoiding people. They needed to pick animals that wouldn’t bee too suspicious or too slow.

Maybe I was hoping Yurika would be a horse because I’m getting nostalgic...

Koutarou was thinking back to the magician he’d met in the past who transformed into a horse. So despite knowing it was silly, he’d suggested Yurika transform into one too. He relented, however, when his common sense won out.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Jeez, Satomi-san! You take any opportunity to be mean to me!”

“Realistically speaking, cats and dogs would be the most appropriate.”

When it came to blending in in town and not drawing attention to themselves, pets were the best choice. Forthorthe had cats and dogs the same way Earth did, so it should also be an easier transformation for Yurika since she had a clear picture of the animals in her mind.

“Satomi-san will be a dog, Theia-chan will be a cat, and I’ll be―”

“How about a pony?”

“Satomi-san!”

“Fine. Just make it a chicken.”

“No way! I wanna be a kitty too!”

In the end, they agreed that Koutarou would be a dog while Theia and Yurika would be cats. With that out of the way, the next step was sneaking their way into town with the next group of people to enter. That way, hopefully, the guards would just think they were pets.

For the past several days on Alaia, Koutarou and the girls had only been travelling under the cover of darkness. But with so few people around at night, they would only stand out more now that they’d reached civilization. As such, they strategically waited until it was light out to make their move. And they were in luck. When morning rolled around, there were plenty of people out and about to distract attention from them.

It was now time to set their plan in motion, and phase one was using a simple illusion spell to disguise themselves and get closer to town. Once they were at a comfortable distance, they hid behind cover and waited for the right moment to transform. Then, as animals, they began to make their way towards town. And so far, so good. No one was paying them any mind.

“Woof, woof.”

“Meow.”

Leading the pack was doggy Koutarou, who Yurika had transformed into a big-eyed shiba inu. Following right behind him was kitty Theia, who had taken the form of a Persian cat with beautiful golden fur. And bringing up the rear was Yurika, who was an average cat—other than her pink fur. Her strange appearance was like something straight out of a manga.

Forthorthe had its own breeds of dogs and cats. Technically speaking, they were different species, but they looked close enough to the versions found on Earth that no one would think twice about it. Thanks to that, nobody seemed suspicious of the three animals approaching the gate to the town. The only stares they got were from animal lovers who were just happy to see the cute critters walking by.

“Woof.”

“Mrow.”

However, Koutarou and Theia were panicking. But that was perhaps only natural considering this was the first time they’d ever been dogs and cats. They had trouble adjusting, especially walking on four legs. They were just barely able to manage thanks to their athletic dexterity and coordination, but they were still worried someone might think they were walking strangely.

“Meow, meow!”

Meanwhile, however, Yurika was showing off some magnificent footwork. She had light and delicate steps, moving almost exactly like a normal cat. As it turned out, her splendid performance as a horse’s rear had taught her a thing or two about the way animals moved. Of course horses and cats had completely different gaits, but knowing exactly how to move on four legs gave Yurika a distinct advantage as she pranced in front of her friends.

“Mrow!”

“Woof!”

It was an unusual situation. Usually Yurika was the one stumbling and getting in the way, but right now she was setting the pace for the group. If anything, Koutarou and Theia were the ones holding her back. Realizing that, they let her take the lead as they walked along. While that been part of the plan, it ended up working out in their favor. With Yurika prancing around in front and Koutarou and Theia timidly following behind, they looked like two subordinates reluctantly following their boss around. No one thought anything strange of it. If anything, it was comical.

“Meow!”

But when they finally reached town, all three of them grew tense. The gate was open, but protected by five soldiers—one on either side of the gate, one standing right in front of it, and two in a nearby outpost. The soldiers on either side of the gate were armed and keeping an eye on their surroundings. The soldier standing directly in front of the gate was confirming the identities of people entering the town. And the two soldiers in the outpost were taking a break while keeping tabs on the observational equipment.

As for Koutarou and the girls, the next hurdle in their plan was whether or not they could get past these five soldiers without being stopped. While they were unassuming animals right now, there was still no guarantee that the soldiers would let them through. They might simply get chased off, or worse, put down if the soldiers were cruelhearted. It was a terrifying thought. Terrifying enough, in fact, that Yurika—who had boldly taken the lead so far—was now scared stiff.

“Meeeow!”

Even with Koutarou pushing her from behind, she wouldn’t budge. She was completely frozen in place.

“Woof...”

“Meow...”

Realizing that there was nothing they could do, Koutarou and Theia left Yurika behind and continued forward. They only had a few minutes to spare. So while leaving Yurika behind might have seemed callous, they knew they didn’t have time to stand around.

“M-Meeeeeeeeow!”

Seeing Koutarou and Theia walking away, however, Yurika was overcome with new motivation and chased after them. The soldiers were scary, but being left all alone was even scarier.

“Woof!”

“Meow!”

When they realized that Yurika was chasing after them, Koutarou and Theia looked at each other and yelped. They had intentionally left Yurika behind knowing it would light a fire under her.

“Woof!”

“Meow!”

“Meow...”

That said, they completely understood how Yurika felt. From the perspective of cats and dogs, humans were very large creatures. They were intimidating to be around, and that intimidation only increased the closer they got. By the time the three friends were right in front of the soldiers, their little hearts were pounding. If he wanted to, the soldier at the gate could crush them right here and now.

“Are you little things on your way back home?”

However, the moment the soldier opened his mouth, some of the tension in the air eased up.

“I’ve never seen you guys before. What unusual breeds...”

“They probably left through another gate, wandered off, and just happened to come back this way.”

Fortunately, the soldiers here were kind to animals. And based on the way they were talking, it seemed quite a few cats and dogs lived in town. It wasn’t like the soldiers knew all of them personally, so they didn’t think much of a few pets wandering in or out of town.

“Woof.”

“Well, aren’t you a good boy! Here, come on in.”

“Meow.”

Overjoyed, Koutarou and the girls passed through the gate. Relief surfaced to take the place of the tension that had a hold over them. They were so happy that they were ready to break out into dance. The only thing that held them back was knowing it would blow their cover and ruin the whole plan. They’d have to keep it together until they were out of sight.

“Did I hear something about unusual breeds?! Where?!”

All of a sudden, however, an unexpected problem reared its head.

“Look, over there. Just by that corner.”

“You’re right! I’ve never seen cats or dogs like that before! I’ll go take a closer look!”

“Hey, wait! We’re on duty!”

“I’ll just be a sec, okay?!”

The unexpected problem was one of the soldiers from the outpost—apparently an animal lover—who was now chasing after Koutarou and the girls. He’d come running as soon as he heard his comrade say something about unusual breeds. He was excited to get a look at the unusual animals and couldn’t help chasing them down.

“Wait up! I’ve got some snacks for kitties! And for doggies too, woof, woof!”

“Woof?!”

“Meow!”

“Meow!”

Yurika was the first to take off. To her credit, she was quick to act at times like this. But in terms of speed, Koutarou and Theia had the advantage. They quickly overtook Yurika and left her in the dust.

“Mrrrrrrrrow!”

“Don’t fight me! I just want to get to know you better!”

And unfortunately, Yurika was just slow enough that the solider was able to catch up to her and grab her. She desperately struggled to escape his grasp, but he was far stronger than she was and forcibly cuddled her in his arms.

“How curious... Is this fur even natural? It’s so flashy...”

“Grrrrr!”

“Aw, don’t get so angry. I’m not going to hurt you guys.”

Koutarou turned around and growled at the soldier to try and scare him off, but he wasn’t letting go of Yurika. As expected, a small, adorable shiba wasn’t going to scare anyone.

“Mrrrow!”

Realizing that intimidation wasn’t working, Theia took direct action. She chomped down on the soldier’s sleeve and latched on to him.

“Whoa!”

“Hisssss!”

Surprised, the soldier dropped Yurika, who made a very un-catlike landing by falling directly on her face.

“You guys are really tight-knit, aren’t you?”

“Mrrrrr!”

Though Yurika had gotten lucky and managed to get away, the soldier cut his losses and scooped up Theia. Her fangs were caught on his sleeve, making it impossible for her to run away.

“Mrrrrr! Hisssss!”

“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you? And even more unusual than your pink friend... Let me get a closer look at you.”

Theia struggled even more than Yurika had, but even she couldn’t escape the soldier’s grasp. She was just no match for his size and strength. The difference was too great. It was like normal-sized Theia was trying to fight off a giant.

“Woof!”

Things were looking dire. Not seeing any other option, Koutarou bolted for the soldier knowing he was at a disadvantage. He had to rescue Theia as quickly as possible. But then...

“Whoa! Wh-What?!”

Just as Koutarou leaped for the soldier, there was a giant puff of white smoke. And once it cleared, there was no longer a dog and two cats, but Koutarou, Yurika, and Theia. They’d been waylaid by the solider just long enough that the remaining time on their transformation spell had run out.

When the smoke dissipated, the soldier was first surprised that the cat in his hands had turned into a girl. He was simply stunned at the surreal spectacle.

“The cat... turned into a person?! Wh-What just happened?!”

The soldier couldn’t believe his eyes. Since he’d just been holding the cat, he knew it wasn’t just some hologram. That had to mean there was some other sort of technology at work, but the soldier had never heard of any kind of machine or device that could turn a person into a cat.

“Wh-Who are you guys― Ack!”

That was when the second surprise came. Not only had the cat turned into a girl—he recognized the girl.

Princess Theiamillis?! How could it be?!

He was so startled that his voice faltered, but there was no mistaking it. That golden hair, those powerful eyes... This was the seventh princess of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, Theiamillis Gre Forthorthe.

Is it just some imposter?! Or is something wrong with me?!

Encountering Princess Theiamillis while on duty on the sixth planet from the sun was certainly a bolt out of the blue. Compared to the surreal experience of seeing a cat turn into a person, something plausible like this was almost even more surprising. The soldier started to worry for his own sanity. But once he started to calm down and think about it...

Wait, if this is the real princess, why is she here? R-Right! There was that report about illegal aliens landing a few days ago!

There was plenty of reason to think the girl before him now was the real Princess Theiamillis. A few days ago, an unidentified spaceship had landed on Alaia. The army had informed the soldiers that there was a chance some of its crew had actually come down in the nearby forest. As a result, they’d sent a patrol to check it out and increased security at the gate. They were under strict orders to stop and inspect every single person coming through.

The unidentified spaceship belonged to Elfaria’s faction, and for some reason, Princess Theiamillis was part of the crew that had gotten separated from it and landed in the woods. A considerable taskforce had been mobilized to capture her. And while the soldier didn’t know how she’d transformed into a cat, he was sure that if someone had incredible technology like that, it would be the royal families. It would also explain how she and her cohorts had eluded all the drones and patrolling soldiers in the woods.

The more he thought about it, the more the soldier became convinced that the girl in front of him was none other than Princess Theiamillis. Considering the grander picture, it made perfect sense.

Not good...

The knight in Princess Theiamillis’s company instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He was instantly ready to defend his lord from capture.

“My, aren’t you a pretty one with that long, golden fur! I’ve never seen a kitty like you before...”

But the soldier didn’t try to apprehend the princess. Instead, he continued speaking to her as if she were a cat and slowly set her down on the ground.

“What... are you doing?”

It was now the princess’s turn to be surprised. She was still in enemy territory and the soldiers here had orders to capture her on sight. They had their own families to think about, so it would be no small matter to defy those orders... Yet this soldier was letting Princess Theiamillis go.

“I’m sorry for scaring you, little ones. I just pride myself on my love of animals, you see...”

The soldier put his hand on his chest and deeply bowed to the puzzled princess. While his words may have been for a cat, his behavior was without a doubt meant for a princess.

“...Thank you. I won’t forget your loyalty as long as I live...”

The soldier’s loyalty to the royal families was absolute, and he took pride in that. He’d just said it in a way that made it sound like he meant animals so no one overhearing it would get the wrong impression. Realizing that, Princess Theiamillis, thanked him again in a gentle voice.

“Go on. Don’t dillydally. I hear the north side of town is a gathering place for cats, so you’d do well to make your way over there.”

“I will. Thank you for your kindness.”

Princess Theiamillis wiped away the tears forming in her eyes and turned away, running up to the guardian knight who’d been watching over her this whole time. He’d already removed his hand from his sword. In fact, he seemed to have a nostalgic look in his eyes as he smiled both at the princess running up to him and the soldier standing behind her.

“...You’ve helped us out again, Orion. Thank you.”

The knight uttered those parting words as he turned and escorted the princess and the other girl travelling with them away. The soldier simply stood there in place, watching them walk off until he could no longer see them.

“Hey, how long are you going to be playing around?”

“Hmm? Ah, sorry. It was just such an unusual cat, I couldn’t help myself.”

Just as the princess and the others disappeared into the crowd in the distance, one of the soldier’s comrades came running up. He’d been looking for him, apparently worried he’d caught the wrath of a superior officer for shirking his duties. The soldier took one last wistful glance in the direction the princess had disappeared before returning to his post at the gate.

How did that knight know my name...?

The soldier would spend the rest of his shift wondering that, but no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out the answer. He didn’t know, but it made his heart leap with joy for some reason. And that feeling alone told him he’d made the right decision today.