Chapter 172 The Cat for Her Master
Further inside the clearing where the tea party was held, one could see a large garden surrounded by a flower fence. It was the center of the forest, with a lake where a Gryphon guarded a Mock Turtle, and a green area for a croquet match.
In the innermost area, several castles stood, forming a palace. At this moment, the city gate was opened, and from within the entrance, a coachman slowly drove a carriage out to the suburbs.
The King of this place, Louis, was a good-natured man but didn't pay much attention to state affairs, even leaving national matters to the Queen to handle.
On this day, he rarely put aside his favorite locksmithing work and left the territory of his Kingdom of Hearts within the forest to go sightseeing outside. This area was no longer a dense forest but a pastoral landscape, planted with lush green pasture and golden grain, inhabited by some farmers.
"Alright, today we will also look for young nobles worthy of the royal family. After all, our princess has reached marriageable age."
"Yes, Your Majesty the King!" The servants and soldiers replied in unison.
"Your Majesty, I implore you to reconsider this matter!" The princess, a young girl with long, straight golden hair, also sitting in the carriage, blushed and said respectfully upon hearing the King's words. However, her demeanor was more like a knight than a princess.
"Hehe, my lovely princess, do you want to stay by your parents' side for the rest of your life? What an affectionate child. But don't worry, I will choose the best husband for you," King Louis said with a loving smile.
"Your Majesty, that's not the issue. The premise itself is wrong," the princess said, blushing with anxiety.
The carriage wheels turned, slowly moving forward with the clip-clop sound of the horses' hooves on the ground.
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Meanwhile Shirou had finally straightened out his thoughts and accepted his new identity. Shirou searched through his tattered, patched clothes to ascertain his current situation.
His real self was probably asleep on the airplane now; he seemed to be having some strange dream. He was mentally sober, but it seemed impossible to wake up for the time being.
There was a faint magical energy reaction all around, and now even a Servant had appeared. Clearly, this dream was not that simple. Feeling bewildered, he could only take things as they came and wait for Chaldea to notice the situation and contact him.
In this dream, his self, as the youngest son of a farming family, was driven out of the house by his brother after his father's death, and the only family property he was allocated was a tabby cat.
But this cat had now turned into a strange girl. She seemed to be a Servant belonging to the youkai category. Although she talked to herself and acted on her whims, communication was not too difficult. Shirou sighed and said:
"In short, I'm penniless now. All I have left is a cat that suddenly turned into a Servant at some point, is that it?"
At this moment, should he kick down the door and go back to the person inside to redistribute the family property?
"Master, Master, that's not right, nya. Besides Meow, don't you also have a pair of boots?" Tamamo Cat reminded him.
"Ah." It was only then that Shirou noticed a small pair of leather boots he had picked up and brought home before, which had also been thrown out with him. They were too small for anyone except a two- or three-year-old child to wear.
"Master, if you grant Meow those boots, I can help you get the house and the fields. Meow is an amazing all-purpose pet. Master only needs to sit and wait for dinner. Leave the cleaning, cooking, and supporting the family to Meow." Tamamo Cat vowed confidently.
"Don't you already have shoes?" Shirou asked, looking at the girl. The girl, who called herself a cat, had a fluffy large tail. Her hands and feet were covered in long fur suits connected to cat-claw-like paws, reaching the length of her elbows and knees. Could those be real?
"Hmph, Master, how dare you stare at Meow's fur and paw pads so openly." Tamamo Cat said with a blush on her face, seemingly quite pleased, and continued, "Although Meow doesn't need new shoes, I will hug the boots to my chest and keep them warm, nya."
"No, no, if you imitate them so casually, both the Sixth Heavenly Demon King and the Golden Monkey will get angry." Shirou complained, then handed the boots to the cat. "But if you want them, then take them."
"Yay! I got a gift from Master! But next time, please give me a radish!" Tamamo Cat happily hugged the boots, which then vanished from her hands, presumably hidden somewhere.
"Alright, so now I really have nothing left," Shirou clapped his hands and said with a smile.
"It's okay! Master, please come with me. Meow will bring Master bread and milk." Tamamo Cat took the young man's hand and pulled him forward with surprising strength.
Scouting ahead, Tamamo Cat kept her eyes and ears open and spotted the King's carriage approaching.
"Master! Master! Over here." Tamamo Cat ran back, grabbed the young man, and quickly slipped into the bushes by the roadside.
"What are you doing?" Shirou was pulled by the monstrous strength and could only follow, asking as he walked.
"Take them off!" Tamamo Cat smiled at the young man and said.
"Eh? Why?!" Shirou cried out in surprise. Although the other party was a Servant with no ill will, she was difficult to communicate with in various ways.
"It's okay. If the old clothes are gone, the new clothes will come! You have to believe in Meow!" Tamamo Cat immediately took action.
"Wait! Can't you listen to others, you cat?" Shirou said angrily.
Tear, the old clothes couldn't bear the strain and were directly ripped into shreds by Tamamo Cat, both his upper and lower garments.
"Ooh, Master has a wonderful body. Meow wants to sleep on Master's abs," Tamamo Cat covered her eyes with a blush, but was peeking through the gaps in her claws. Her eyes weren't closed at all, and she kept looking him up and down.
"Sigh... I wonder if Projection can be used." Shirou sighed helplessly, silently recited the chant, flipped the switch, and released magical energy from his hand. A set of clothes slowly formed.
Tamamo Cat suddenly shouted, "Master, look, the clothes are here."
A moment later, they heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from a distance.
Tamamo Cat immediately ran onto the road where the King's carriage was passing and shouted loudly, "Marquis Shirou has been robbed! Who will save him?"
"Marquis Shirou has been robbed! Is there any kind person who can help him? His clothes have all been stripped off. Is there any kind person who would like to help Marquis Shirou return to his territory? You will surely be greatly rewarded."
"How could a Marquis suffer such a misfortune? Someone, bring my best clothes over for that Marquis to change into," commanded the good-natured King Louis inside the carriage.
"Your Majesty, please be careful. That might be a trap. Please allow me to dismount and guard you," the princess said, drawing a rapier.
"What are you doing, my princess? You should sit there like a lady. Put the sword down quickly."
"Ugh, I know, but Your Majesty, please be careful," the princess reluctantly put away her sword and advised again.
"I understand. When you deliver the clothes, go and confirm the situation, then come back immediately," King Louis winked and instructed his trusted servant.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The servant agreed, held the clothes in both hands, and walked towards the bushes.
"Master, you continue walking forward with these people, and leave the rest to Meow," Tamamo Cat whispered, then ran towards the front of the road.
Since Shirou was naturally good-looking, and although he didn't live in luxury, he lived in the modern era, ate well, and exercised frequently, his complexion was healthy and rosy, and his skin was better cared for than that of the nobles of this era.
His athletic muscles were not the irregular bulges caused by farm work, but possessed male charm, a solid and well-toned physique that was not bulky or clumsy, achievable only through consistent, accumulated exercise. Therefore, the King's servant believed the young man's noble identity after just one look.
As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, the saddle makes the horse." After Shirou changed into the King's luxurious formal attire, he was completely transformed, looking capable and handsome. The people outside the carriage also brightened up at the sight: what an elegant and refined young man!
"How is he? Was the Marquis injured? What kind of young man is he?" The King asked his loyal servant.
"Your Majesty, he was not injured. He is an elegant and refined young nobleman. Even if you said he was a prince of a country, perhaps no one would doubt it."
"Is that so? Then I must meet this young man properly," the King adjusted his attire, drew back the curtain, and stepped out of the carriage.
Shirou also felt that if he could establish good relations with the ruler of this world, he might be able to learn more about the world here.
"Hello, esteemed King. Thank you for your assistance," Shirou thanked him politely.
The King was a kind-hearted man to begin with, and now very satisfied with this young man, he said with a smile, "Young man, say no more. People sometimes have bad luck. Now, why don't you join us. I will have the soldiers escort you home. Someone, lead a horse over for this young Marquis."
"Yes!" The accompanying soldiers followed the order and brought over a bay horse.
"Thank you." Shirou took the bay horse, patted its head as a greeting, and lightly mounted it.
It was fortunate that he had learned how to ride a horse from Mordred to some extent before, otherwise, he would have been exposed now. After all, this world was probably in ancient Europe, where the horse was, to some extent, a symbol of nobility.
Moreover, this was an era where horses were the primary means of transportation throughout the land. Even the sons of wealthy farmers learned to ride horses because using horses for plowing was four times more efficient than using oxen, let alone nobles.
Just like the ancient European proverb, 'Not everyone who can ride a horse is a noble, but a noble must be able to ride a horse.'
If he had made a mistake in this step, the King and the soldiers would have had to suspect they had met a swindler.
Of course, another possibility was a noble who had been sickly since childhood and unable to go out, who might not know how to ride. Regardless, the impression they had of him would have been greatly diminished.
Fortunately, Shirou sat cleanly and skillfully on the horseback at this time. The bay horse twitched its ears, not disliking the human on its back, and proceeded very steadily. King Louis looked on and nodded approvingly.
The road ahead was lined with stretches of pasture and wheat fields, almost endless. All together, they could perhaps feed over a hundred head of cattle and sheep for a year, and the food for a thousand people for a year. There were farmers in the fields harvesting fodder for the cattle, sheep, and horses.
Tamamo Cat ran up and called the farmers over. She used her yōjutsu(youkai magic spell) to transform into a ferocious-looking figure and threatened them: "If anyone asks, you are to say that all these pastures and wheat fields belong to Marquis Shirou, or else your heads will be chopped off!"
The farmers were so terrified that they kept nodding their heads.
When the carriage procession behind passed by these fields, everyone also praised the rich harvest.
"What excellent, fertile fields. Whose property are these?" The King asked curiously. The servant called the farmers over to question them.
"These belong to Marquis Shirou!" the farmers said in unison.
"Oh, oh, I didn't expect this young man to have quite a decent estate," the King looked at Shirou, who was riding a horse to the side, and the admiration in his eyes grew brighter.
"..." Shirou remained silent, feeling awkward.
However, this was another point in his favor in the King's eyes; this young man possessed the humble virtue of a knight.
Tamamo Cat, running ahead, soon saw a magnificent and luxurious castle standing in front of them.
Tamamo Cat, in the front, grabbed a nearby farmer to inquire about the castle.
It turned out that a Demon King lived in the castle ahead, and everything in the vicinity was property seized by the Demon King.
The elderly farmer said, "The Demon King in that castle is a very terrifying monster. The former owner of the fields was swallowed by the evil dragon under the Demon King. We only survived by actively offering tributes. You'd better not go over there. The Demon King can freely change size; he can become a giant more than ten meters tall, or shrink to the size of a mouse. He can summon countless evil dragons at will and breathes a flame that burns everything."
The farmer was already trembling just recalling the sight he had witnessed.
"A Demon King, huh? Looks like I can't just ignore this," Tamamo Cat said, resting her chin on her hand.
"Master, let me go and defeat the Demon King for you, and then seize that castle, nya! The kitchen needs to be filled with lots of radishes~!" Tamamo Cat happily waved her hands and ran toward the castle.
Tamamo Cat said this and immediately started running, displaying a feral speed that even a horse couldn't match. She ran straight into the castle.
Strangely, the castle was undefended. Although there were servants cleaning and gatekeepers guarding, no one came forward to stop her when they saw her arrival. Tamamo Cat didn't think much of it and ran straight towards the main hall in the center of the castle.
"Sniff, sniff, the Demon King is indeed waiting in the central hall for the Hero Meow to defeat him, nya~!"
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