Francesca's eyes went wide.
Wait, what? You're actually serious?!
Clawdia's fur stood on end, making her look like a puffy ball. She bared her teeth, ready to lunge at Altaïr.
Even though she had already mentally prepared herself for this, even though she knew this day would come eventually, she still couldn't help wanting to leap at his face and scratch it all up.
But she never got the chance. Behind her, Sajji was pulling her back with all his might.
No way am I letting you mess things up for Boss now, meow!
The two Felynes practically started wrestling with each other.
At the center of it all, Isis sat with her mouth hanging open. The greasy head of the young Khezu fell onto the table, then rolled onto her pant leg. She shot to her feet so violently that she nearly flipped the long, heavy drinking table.
"W-What are you talking about?!"
Seeing Isis so flustered actually calmed Altaïr down completely.
He realized that he had been a little impulsive. Even if he wanted to confess his feelings directly, he should have chosen a more suitable time, at least a moment when they were alone.
Perhaps he could have found an excuse to take Isis for a walk on a moonlit night, then used the opportunity to confess.
But the sword had already been thrust. Even if it missed its mark, there was no point in pulling it back midway.
He struggled to control his expression and spoke as seriously as he could. "You heard me clearly. It's exactly what you think it is.
"So, what's your answer?"
Realizing that this was no joke or prank, Isis vigorously patted her burning cheeks, took a deep breath, and steadied herself.
She sat back down, nodded at Altaïr, and said, "W-Well... alright."
"W-Well... alright?!" Francesca's eyebrows shot up. "How can you just say 'well, alright' so easily?!
"Shouldn't you say, 'Let me think about it,' then mull it over carefully and see how he behaves before making a decision?"
"Give it a rest, meow." Pawdrick, clutching the lump on his forehead, crawled out from under the table. "You talk as though you're some seasoned expert in love, meow.
"He asked plainly, and she gave him a straight answer. They both want this, so why are you butting in, meow?"
Though Isis's face was still a little red, she was no longer as flustered as before.
She said softly, "I don't really understand any of this, and I don't know how we'll need to change the way we get along..."
"You don't need to change anything on purpose, meow!" Pawdrick leaped onto the table, flicked his glossy golden mane, and swept his gaze over the three people and two other Felynes present. "All you novices in love, listen up, meow.
"The worst thing you can do in a relationship is force it, meow. Just keep getting along the way you always have. Don't push closer, and don't pull away.
"When you're both ready, things will naturally move forward, meow.
"And you two over there, even though this matter is settled, you can keep wrestling a little longer if you want, meow."
"Meow!" Clawdia let out a shriek filled with emotions too tangled to name.
She couldn't tell whether she was shocked, happy, miserable, or relieved.
Francesca reached out to shove Sajji aside, then scooped Clawdia into her arms. "Clawdia, I know how you feel. Our little Isis has been stolen away by that boy... waaah..."
"It's not really like that," Isis said, scratching her head as she watched Francesca and Clawdia huddle together. "Didn't Pawdrick say so too? Things will stay the same as before. Nothing's going to change."
Pawdrick corrected her in a somber tone. "What I said was that there's no need to change things deliberately, meow.
"Once you both acknowledge that you're 'a couple,' things can progress slowly, but they can also move very quickly, meow.
"By this time next year, I wouldn't be surprised if you two still haven't held hands, meow. But I also wouldn't be surprised if your child had already been born, meow."
"Meow meow meow meow!"
"Goddammit, let's write a letter and call the whole crew in to take this kid out!"
Clawdia and Francesca roared in fury together.
It took a great deal of effort to calm the two furious "older sisters" down before the group finally left the Gathering Hall.
—--
The three humans and three Felynes split into three distinct groups. Altaïr and Isis walked side by side at the front, separated by about a fist's width, just as they always did, neither too close nor too far apart.
Pawdrick had an arm slung around Sajji's shoulders and was whispering something to him with exaggerated expressions.
Francesca followed at the back with Clawdia in her arms, grinding her teeth as though she wanted a handkerchief to bite.
Although both of them had already accepted Altaïr in their hearts, now that the day had actually come, they still could not hide the urge to stab him.
The two people directly involved, on the other hand, quickly returned to normal as though nothing had happened.
They strolled through Dundorma's bustling commercial streets, bought a few souvenirs, and then headed toward Isis's home.
Only then did a faint, complicated emotion begin to stir in Altaïr's heart.
In the past, Master Amos had been the teacher who passed his skills down to Altaïr. Now, he seemed poised to take on another role as well.
That made Altaïr a little nervous. As Isis's home drew nearer, his steps grew slightly stiffer.
Just then, something climbed up his thigh and onto his back. Altaïr thought it was Sajji, but it turned out to be Pawdrick.
"Pretty nervous, meow?" Draped over Altaïr's shoulder, Pawdrick whispered temptation into his ear like a devil. "I can feel your heartbeat speeding up, meow."
The corner of Altaïr's eye twitched, but he did not respond.
"Still, only Grandpa Amos is at Isis's house. Her parents are far away in Mezeporta. Thinking about it that way makes you feel much more relieved, doesn't it, meow?"
"...Yes." Altaïr could not deny it. He really did feel relieved.
Isis had repeatedly told him that her parents were wonderful people. From a certain perspective, her mother could even be considered his senior fellow disciple, and she had left him that precious secret scroll.
But being friendly to their daughter's friend and hunting partner was one thing. When that partner became her boyfriend... that could very well be another matter entirely.
Master Amos was probably no different.
Altaïr could already picture the scene. He would tell Master Amos that he and Isis were together. Amos would fall silent for a long moment, then stand and tell him to grab a wooden sword and come to the Training Area for some practice... or something along those lines.
Maybe he should not tell Master Amos this time.
After all, they had only made their relationship official an hour ago. For now, the change existed in name alone. The way they acted around each other had not changed at all.
He could explain everything slowly in a letter later and give the old man time to settle his emotions. By the time Altaïr visited again, there should not be any problems.
Great, that settles it!
With that thought in mind, Altaïr was just about to knock on Isis's door when Francesca, still carrying Clawdia, stepped ahead of him and pounded on it with a loud "bang, bang, bang."
"Grandpa Amos! Isis brought her boyfriend to see you!"
Altaïr: "..."
"..."
The door quickly opened, but Amos was not the one who answered. It was Francesca's mother, Lady Gael.
Gael gave Altaïr a thorough once-over, clicking her tongue repeatedly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk."
"Huh? Mom, what are you doing here?"
Gael finally looked away from Altaïr and ruffled her daughter's hair. "We heard that Isis had been promoted to High Rank, so we came to Senior Amos's place for a small gathering.
"We figured you two would stop by. It was the perfect chance to congratulate you."
With that, she stepped aside.
There were quite a few people in Isis's living room. Aside from Amos, who wore a peculiar expression, and Fabius, who was nearly seventy yet remained tall and strong, several faces were wholly unfamiliar to Altaïr.
A tall, slender middle-aged man with long silver-white hair and a stern expression.
An athletic woman with dark brown skin and dreadlocks whose age was difficult to guess.
And an old man leaning on a cane, hunched over and coughing occasionally, clearly in poor health, yet wearing a smile that never left his face.
Their gazes all fell on Altaïr at once.
* * *
You can also read Warhammer: Stars and Ants here on Webnovel. Thank you for reading.