CH 275

Heavyweight [Part 1]

“Awr!”

“Awr!”

“Mrow!”

“M-Master, its  been a while since these four have been behaving like this.”

When Leonard went out of the mansion because of an urgent call from the gatekeeper Evan, he saw Koumei yowling while scratching the tall fence that was surrounding the garden with her claws.

The other three cats, Ryuu-chan, Kan-chan, and Chou-chan, were wandering back and forth restlessly while anxiously glancing at the gate every now and then. 

“Something happened to Emma…”

Evan sensed a sudden chilling atmosphere in the air… and looked up at the tall Leonard’s face.

“Hieekk!!!”

Reflected in Evan’s eyes was his master’s frightening face that could even make the devil run away at a single glance.

“I. Am. Going. To. The. Academy…”

Gritting his teeth, Leonard squeezed the words out of his mouth.

“H-However, Master! If you enter the academy without permission… !”

The academy did not allow outsiders to trespass. The same applied to even the students’ legal guardians.

The Knight Order dispatched by Prince Edward’s command during the tailless whip scorpions’ incident was a special case among special cases.

Evan heard that even the Prince had to deal with a mountain of paperwork in the aftermath. His master standing before him wasn’t royalty. Paperwork alone would surely not suffice as the consequences of trespassing into the academy.

“Like I care about the academy’s rules! I must go save Emma!”

With heavy breaths, Leonard shook free from Evan’s clutches.

Hoping for the elderly Evan to be able to stop the burly Leonard, whose body was trained from years of monster hunting, would be asking for too much.

“Please! Anyone! Call for Madam!”

Even if Evan shouted at the top of his lungs, no servants were within earshot, the reason being the Stuart mansion’s land was too enormous.

“M-Master is… Please, anyone…”

“Meow!”

When Evan had almost given up, Chou-chan, the white cat, meowed once and started running into the mansion.

Evan stood blankly with his mouth agape upon seeing the cat’s behavior that seemed to be saying, “Leave it to me.” 

“Eh? The cat? understood me? Eh? No way…”

Nay, nay. That is impossible. It seems like the family’s quirky habits have rubbed off on me without me noticing… A brief moment after Evan mused to himself, the huge white cat returned with Melsa on his back.

“Meow meow!”

The cat meowed as if to say, “I’ve kept you waiting.”

“…Eh? T-Thank you? Chou-chan?”

“Meow!”

The cat… is too good at reading the room. Even though confused, Evan still thanked Chou-chan.

“Huh? Hm? Was I just conversing… with a cat?”

Evan remembered Lil’ Lady Emma saying that cat language was all about mood and spirit. Perhaps she wasn’t entirely wrong about that.

“What happened?”

*whoosh* With skillful movements, Melsa dismounted the cat as if she had been doing it several times.

For a former Duke’s daughter—currently a Countess—to appear riding on a cat heroically, frankly speaking it wouldn’t be strange if she couldn’t even ride a horse…her execution just showed that she was no doubt a Stuart despite looking like the steadiest one in the family.

“Melsa! This is terrible! Koumei-san says Emma is in danger!”

Even now, Leonard was only a step away from departing to the academy.

And during that time, Koumei hadn’t stopped scratching the fence while crying out, “Mrow mrow,” sadly.

“Calm down, Dear.”

After alternately looking between Koumei and Leonard, Melsa stepped forward to stop him.

“How can I calm down! Emma is in a crisis! We can’t afford to delay and take late actions like that time with the slimes,” Leonard didn’t back down either.

“It wasn’t something life-threatening if Koumei were here, was it?”

When Emma was on the verge of her last breath during the local barrier hazard, Koumei had immediately rushed out of the house.

“Koumei keeps her promise to not leave the mansion premise and has been holding herself back. You, too, should endure!”

The academy is the gathering spot for spoiled noble kids.

Lately, Emma seemed to be under unfounded criticism as a consequence of the Holy Maiden’s appearance. Emma herself had been acting nonchalant as if nothing had happened, but Melsa knew just how hard it could be to be spoken ill of over and over again.

“But Melsa! Koumei-san has been yowling so much like this!”

“Aaoo! Awrr!” Melsa’s heart ached from hearing Koumei’s cries… but…

“Both you and Koumei should let your daughter be independent! How old do you think she is now?! You are too overprotective!” Melsa argued.

‘Isn’t it all because the love her father and cats have for her is so much that she has turned into a hopeless child who is totally oblivious to the opposite sex no matter how hard the noble sons try to court her?

I’ve had enough of a grandchildless life, okay?!’

“Isn’t Emma only thirteen … ahem (*in whispers* thirty-five)…!”

“That’s right, she is thirteen… ahem ahem (*in whispers* and thirty-five), understand?!”

She was almost the same age as Leonard and Melsa were now. When Melsa realized this, she couldn’t help but pause. ‘Huh? …is my daughter… going to be alright?’

“My daughter is cute no matter how old she is, and I will never not worry about her!”

“Dear! Even if something really happens, she is still together with George and William anyway, so… Ah! …Come to think of it, today is the day they have Ancient Imperial Language class, huh.”

In other words, the day George became useless.

“Arghh! I knew it. I’m going to the academy, I don’t care!”