The ruffians who opened the door of the shabby cabin became doubtful of their own eyes.
Over there, the only remaining things are the dress that the princess was supposed to wear—being left behind on the floor, and the rope that was used to hold the prisoner captive was neatly remained.
"What the hell is going on… The person herself, where did that princess go?"
"In such a short time, too. Did someone creep in and released her?"
However, the cabin's door was locked, and there was no presence of anyone other than them inside.
The moment the men lifted the dress up and examined it, the small white kitten who quietly concealed herself near the door, managed to leave the cabin without the men noticing, and set her feet trottingly into the forest.
It was Marietta who transformed with the help of magic.
When she looked at the men who finally went out of the cabin and searched the surroundings, she gradually increased her speed and went further inside the forest.
Although it was suffice to say that the speed was only about the standard of an adult's semi-jogging speed.
As she has taken the form of a cat, her intelligence was also influenced and downgraded along with her form, and as a result, Marietta gradually became unable to understand why has she become a cat and where she should go.
"Mi?"
She stopped to think about what she should be doing with her small head.
The only thing she can remember is that there was something really frightening, and about the person that she really wanted to see.
I want to escape from the scary place, and I want to meet that person.
With those thoughts alone, the kitten advanced through the forest.
"…Mi? Mi?"
When she proceeded forward a bit, she became unable to understand of what was going on, again.
It was really scary.
While trembling, she began to think again about what she should do.
Then, with her teary eyes, the kitten went towards the forest with her shaky feet.
"Marietta, where are you?! Marietta!"
Belvant who urged forward on his favorite horse, Mistral, in accordance to River Link's instructions, found the cabin inside the forest.
The shady men were showered with blows and were thrown down.
In truth, he wanted to immediately decapitate their heads, but since Adlan reminded him to not kill them as they still need to clarify the real motive behind those kidnappers and send them to the authorized people, he spared their lives.
Nevertheless, the ruffians who were struck and received the blows that the raged great devil, General Belvant Fargus gave with his whole seriousness, have reached the peak of their fear, as they have seen this world's hell, proceeded to confess everything that they know to Belvant as their whole bodies were burned with the sensation of pain from all the blows.
"Damn it!"
The angry Belvant who has lost his mind, pierced his sword to the ground with a staggering sound.
Accidentally, just by chance, the ruffians whose heads were close to the proximity screamed, "Hiii!" and just like that, soaked their underpants warm.
He has no doubt that around this time, Marietta is thinking that she is helpless and shivering.
Belvant glanced towards the useless men, and thinking that it was indeed more risky to just kill them like this, stared at the men who were lying down at his feet.
At his dreadful glance, the ruffians began to think that perhaps it would put them at ease if they were to die just like this. And at that time…
"Belvant-!"
Adlan and his other subordinates who mounted the horses, finally arrived.
He vigorously rushed his army horse towards Belvant, leaving the others behind.
"What about the princess?"
Adlan who nimbly went down of his horse took a glance and asked.
"Why don't you guess it yourself?!"
"Calm down. According to Link's instructions, she should be hiding herself in the forest, right? It's the situation that we can expect."
"With Link's magic, Marietta turned into just a normal kitten! A delicate kitten, if some animals in the forest attacked her…"
Belvant scratched his hair, imagining the dreadful situation.
"Where should we search for her, then?! Can't we find her using magic?"
"It seems that Link's power is bound just until here."
"Oi, haven't you seen a cat? It's a small white kitten! Answer!"
Belvant seized the head of the man lying on the ground, trembling due to his fear, with just one of his hand.
Even if the bloodstained man's head was shaken until bubbles could be seen from his mouth, he didn't know the whereabouts of the kitten.
Marietta concealed even her footsteps, and managed to skillfully run away.
"Don't kill! Don't kill him, Belvant!"
Seriously, you are still reading this on another site that stole the translation? With all this disturbing text?
Adlan tried to hold Belvant back, and he finally separated his hand from the man's head.
The ruffian's head, who has lost his consciousness, fell on the ground.
"…that's right, Mistral!"
Belvant entered the cabin and picked up Marietta's dress, then he went outside and thrusted it towards the snout of the army horse.
"Remember this smell. Bring me to where the owner of this smell is, okay?"
"That's absurd."
Adlan reflexively spouted his comment, but Belvant, who was cornered, seriously said that.
"If it's you, then you can do it! Understand, Mistral?"
The general's horse cried out to answer, and Belvant leaped on the saddle. Then, the two of them entered the forest.
"You are totally serious?! Like master, like horse. Please somehow find the princess. The others should also split into groups and begin searching! It's a small white kitten!"
Adlan who followed Belvant's back until it was out of his sight, issued the instructions to the subordinates.
(For heaven's sake, please stay safe, princess. If not, the general would go mad that he would ruin this country's outskirts.)
A person with power, should he use his power in the wrong direction, would become a living murder weapon.
Adlan was pretending to be calm, but deep inside, he was earnestly worried over the war that might happen.
"…Mi?"
The kitten who earnestly advanced forward in the underbrush, sensed an unpleasant presence and stopped.
Something was targetting her.
She instinctively jumped at the nearby tree and began to claw her way up. Simultaneously, sharp claws were digged into the spot where the kitten was at.
The kitten didn't turn back, she just continued her way up.
After she managed to climb up until the nearby slender twig that was around 3 meters high, for the first time she looked down, and noticed that she just barely managed to escape a dangerous situation.
Over there, a lone wolf was staring back at the prey, as it turned round and round and growled.
"Mi…"
The kitten was overwhelmed with fear, and she digged her claws into the twig.
It seems that the wolf is planning to make the small prey as his dessert.
However, since climbing the tree was originally not its forte, it only walked round and round the tree's surroundings while thinking on how it could get its claws on the kitten.
"Mi!"
There was no more twig that she could climb up to, so the kitten raised her voice in fear.
Eventually, the wolf who's determined to get her, made use of its jumping power and jumped while targetting the tree's twig.
It attacked the twig with its front legs, and then it violently shook the twig.
The kitten was frantically clinging on the twig.
"Mi, mi!"
(Scary, so scary!)
The twig would surely fall down by the next attack.
If the wolf were a human, it would be grinning by now.
Without giving any sign of leeway, the wolf sprung up once again.
The wolf's front legs strongly stroke the twig, breaking the root of the twig that the kitten was holding on to.
The kitten was thrown down to the ground along with the twig.
But fortunately enough, the heavy twig fell down first, and the light-weighted kitten didn't seem to get hurt at all.
"Mi."
The kitten who fell down to the ground removed her claws from the twig and tried to escape, but before that, the ruthless wolf stood in her way.
The wolf opened its mouth to the extent that it was as if its ears were burst open, showing off his sharp fangs, and drool drooped from its mouth.
"…Mi?"
(Is it over for me?)
The kitten who felt that everything was over, closed her blue eyes, and tears dropped from them.
(I wanted to return. I wanted to go back to your place, but…)
Inside the form of a kitten, Marietta thought of her beloved person.
Near their place, a cold aura could be felt.
The wolf's wild instinct noticed the danger, and although it was so close to his attempt in gulping the kitten, the wolf halted its movement.
"Don't touch that kitten."
The small animals near the vicinity simultaneously ran away.
The trees that shouldn't be able to move, were shaking although it was not windy, trying to get away from the dreadful existence.
"That's my kitten. Understand that, you mongrel?"
The wolf couldn't understand the human language.
It only sensed the tremendous dismay in that tone of voice, and folded its tail between its thighs.
The terrifying existence mounting a huge horse went down to the ground easily at such a height.
I will be killed, I will be killed, I will be killed…
"Kyu, kyuuun…"
The wolf cried out a miserable voice that it never did ever since it was born, and threw itself down on the ground, showing its belly.
At least, if you want to kill me, finish it off quickly!
At least, if you want to read this novel, consider reading it in the original site as a way to give your support to the translation, or just a way to say thanks. Be nice and civil since you get this for free.
That stomach was then nudged by the tip of his leather boots.
"Hey, dog, go elsewhere. You're a nuisance."
The wolf who was rolled over upside down stopped its miserable cry.
G, gotta escape!
G, gotta read this in the original site! Show the translator some support so that I can read more!
As he turned aside adroitly, the wolf quickly ran at full speed towards the deep ends of the forest.
It still couldn't believe that its life was spared.
The kitten who closed her eyes tightly was rolling into a small ball and her body trembled.
She somewhat understood that an unknown dreadful existence was nearby, but she didn't have any way to defense herself.
The one that may want to eat her isn't only the wolf, right now.
(T/N: Oh yeah, you got that right, girl. That dreadful existence also wants to eat you, but… in another way ( ?° ?? ?°)).
*nudge, nudge*
Something was nudging the kitten who was like a round furball.
D, don't! Don't steal my content, you thief!!
"Are you okay?"
The cold atmosphere that was being let out by the dreadful existence until just now disappeared. The kitten noticed that she was being raised, and she gently turned up her face.
"Marietta?"
A huge human was there, and she was riding on top of his big palm.
"Are you hurt? Are you alright?"
"Mi?"
Because that person spoke with such a gentle voice, the kitten's fear was a little bit relieved.
"Do you recognize me? Sorry to scare you, but everything's alright now. Let's go home together."
The man removed a few of his coat's buttons, and took the kitten inside.
It was warm and comfortable inside, so the kitten only let her head out from there.
When she showed her head, a big hand brushed her head gently.
"You did well, Mary."
"Mi?"
Did I do something praiseworthy?
She didn't really understand, but since the hand that brushed her gently felt good, she closed her eyes.
Then, since she was very exhausted, the kitten fell asleep.
"Belvant!"
Adlan who was tying the ruffians to the horse in front of the cabin, saw Belvant's figure and raised his voice.
"As expected from my horse, it managed to find Marietta."
"Mistral did? Did he detect her smell? Awesome… And of course, the princess is safe, right?"
"Yeah, as you can see."
"…"
(A brooch made of a kitten's severed head? It's scary, and it really doesn't suit him.)
Upon seeing the face of the adorable white kitten in Belvant's chest, Adlan felt relieved, but at the same time, he was thinking about that.
"That is weird…"
Belvant and Marietta (in her cat form, Mary) returned safely to the castle and met the head of magician, who said that while lightly poking the severed head brooch—or not, the head of the adorable kitten who peeked through Belvant's chest.
"She shouldn't have stayed in her kitten form for such a long time."
"What?"
"Like I said, she should have already turned back into her human form for a long time ago. Please take her out and let me examine her a bit."
"No, wait, it will be troublesome if she were to turn back into a human here."
He cannot afford to have the bare body of his fiancee being exposed.
That is how they moved into Belvant's room which is located inside the castle. Belvant then tucked her body in a sheet, and said, "Yosh!"
"Wait, can you please stop ordering me around like a dog?"
"Haha, can you please stop reading this at a site that stole content? And show the translator some love and support?"
Though he was complaining, River Link snapped his fingers and chanted an incantation towards the kitten.
"Mi?"
"Oh my?"
The kitten didn't return to being a human.
"What's wrong?"
Belvant rolled up the sheets and asked River Link in a low voice.
"Why won't she turn back? Ah…"
The kitten jumped off the bed, and climbed Belvant's leg up with her claws without any reservation, and once again crawled into his chest and let out only her head.
"Mi."
The severed head brooch is now ready.
When River Link brought his face closer, he received a cat punch on the tip of his nose.
(T/N : I really want to call it neko punch instead of cat punch, lol)
"What cute paws… or nah, it seems that this child is feeling really frightened. The magic power was going around this area, and her transformation couldn't be undone."
When River Link mentioned 'around this area', he turn his fingers round and round, in front of the kitten's nose, and Mary who was amused by it , consecutively attacked River Link's finger with her cat punch.
"Kyaaa, she's being playful! So cute-!"
"She is cute-, not that! What are we going to do? Will my bride remain a cat all her life? Our wedding will be held the day after tomorrow, you see?"
"Let's just put a white ribbon on her and hold the marriage ceremony? Nah, I was just joking. Please don't send me death rays from your eyes. Once she has calmed down, she will surely return to normal. So, just be affectionate with the princess until she has calmed down."
"That, don't be so irresponsible!"
"For there is love, there will be a way~. Well then, I will go and get the ruffians that Adlan fetched, and invesigate the ones behind the princess' abduction. By the time your marriage is finished, the Gouda country should resign themselves, but since their mischief was too much, I thought to give them a little punishment. I will make sure to avenge the princess' grievance, so please leave it to me, okay, Miss Marietta~!"
"Mi."
Incidentally, the country of Gouda speculated that the strong connection between Oltaire and Stellaus would become a political disadvantage for them, and they were the mastermind behind the assault on Marietta, just right before her wedding.
"In that case, I will participate in punishing them, too."
"If you are involved, a war might occur and it would be a serious trouble, so please let it go this time. In exchange, Adlan and I will thoroughly deliver their punishment."
When they said that the two of them would thoroughly do that, then they should be able to beat them down quite considerably, so although quite reluctant, Belvant entrusted that matter to them.
Leaving that aside, the problem right now is about Marietta.
"…What a poor thing. Were you so scared that you couldn't return to your human form back?"
"Mi?"
The kitten who didn't want to come out of Belvant's chest felt like she has forgotten something important, and tilted her head in confusion.
Author's Post-Chapter Comment:
"He will surely be able to save her!" As expected by everyone.
Marietta safely came back, but…
In the next chapter, will there be a little bit of adult's t-i-m-e?