Dragons, elves, beastmen, and magic. That's right. What's a talking cat when you already have all these? It's a fantasy world, after all. Nothing to be surprised about. Nonetheless, I still couldn't fall asleep after that. A talking cat? Fine. An abused talking cat? Still fine. But an abused talking cat murmuring "Found you" before disappearing? Not okay. Seriously, what was that supposed to mean? That would imply that he was looking for me in the first place, right? Why? I don't know you, Mister cat. Besides, what was the point in finding me if you disappear right after that? It only makes me even more confused. Wait. It's not one of those creatures that have the ability to detect one's inner power or something like that, right? Or maybe it was the familiar of some insanely strong mage? Because if that's the case, I hope you never come back and leave me alone.
It really didn't come back. A few weeks passed since my birthday party. I had expected the cat that showed up that night to reappear any time, but it just sank without a trace, just like if everything I saw was just a dream. Maybe it was. It was late at night, after all. Since it didn't show again, I concluded that it was just a random talking cat and eventually forgot about it. Big mistake. I shouldn't have let him get away.
The next months passed smoothly, and there were a few changes in my baby life. First, I can finally walk. It's been a while since I had my first steps, but now I finally developed enough coordination and muscle strength to walk on my own. I also tried to run, but I failed miserably. I guess even a Goddess can't skip steps. Walking allowed me to go outside more often, but paradoxically, I feel like I've regressed since I'm never left alone anymore. Now that I can walk, there is always one or two pairs of eyes to watch over me.
The second change is mother. I think she's finally starting to feel at ease in the neighborhood. She's still very secretive and a bit paranoid, but at least she started opening herself to the others. She is now the mascot number 2. Since they had the occasion to see her face through the gap in her robe more than once, now people know her as the "beautiful woman with a hood," and there have been some pretty hilarious rumors going on about her. Some say that she's a runaway princess, while others think that she's wearing a hood to hide a wound or a scar. My favorite is the rumor saying she's a criminal hiding herself from the authorities. But in all cases, she became people's favorite gossip talk.
Currently, I'm in the marketplace together with mother, brother, Leonara, and her son Viran. We were strolling through the street, making friendly conversations with the sellers and looking for ingredients for tonight's lunch. Leonara was a kind lady. She was an honest person and she treated me like her own daughter. She has been trying to get closer to mother ever since she started working at the inn. Mother tried not to get too friendly with Leonara, but since she was the owner's wife, she couldn't really avoid her. Eventually, they became friends thanks to Leonara's perseverance, but the fact that Viran and Aoban are getting along so well helped a lot too.
As we were approaching a shop, an old man selling crops noticed our little group and smiled at us. "Good afternoon, ladies. What can I do for you today?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Oddin," Leonara replied. "Can I have two bags of potatoes, please?"
"Of course, right away!" The vendor filled two small bags of potatoes before weighing them on a balance scale. At the same time, his eyes rested on me, who was currently in my mother's arms.
"Well, well, little Lyni is here too?" He asked with a silly voice. "Are you shopping with your mom?"
I shyly nodded. "Yesh~! Mwommy ish buying nums nums for din din!"
Ah~ Look at him, melting away because of my baby talk. No one can resist my cuteness, fufufu. Ever since my birthday party, I've been more careful not to get exposed, using a much more childish way to talk. At first, it was a bit tiring to act like a baby all the time, but as time went on, I eventually got used to it. I also have to admit that I quite enjoy watching people's silly reactions when I display all my adorableness.
The vendor handed over the two bags of crops. Leonara took one, mother took the other. "That will be thirty copper coins!"
"Hum... Is there any way to get a discount?" Leonara asked.
"Eh? You know I can't, my lady. I have to make a living too!" The vendor complained.
"Even for little Lyni?" She added, this time with a huge grin on her face.
The old man turned his gaze one more time to me. "Pweeeees??" I said as I tilted my head to the side.
"Ugh... Fine," the vendor reluctantly agreed.
Uhm... I'm starting to feel guilty now. This is actually the third time this month something like this happens. At first, I didn't understand why Leonara insisted on bringing me each time to the market. I walk slowly, and carrying me all day must be tiring. Basically, I'm a burden. But I get it now. She sure is cunning! Well, she's a businesswoman too, after all.
"Thanks for your purchase..."
Please, don't use such a defeated voice. I'm really feeling bad right now.
As mother and Leonara were concluding the deal, Aoban and Viran were fooling around a bit further. They've been trailing behind the whole time, talking, playing, and messing with each other. With so little attention, they would have been lost a long time ago if mother and Leonara weren't walking slowly. Ah, boys... Seriously, it's not a good idea to fool around in the street. You will get in trouble.
And just as I thought, they did get in trouble. I think they were playing the soldier and the thief. Brother was the thief. He was running around in the middle of the crowd, avoiding people, while Viran was chasing after him. And in accordance with Murphy's law, what had to happen happened. Brother eventually lost his balance and charged someone drinking outdoors. He immediately stood up, as the beverage he was drinking spilled on his clothes. That someone was wearing a high-quality silk apparel along with some jewelry screaming "I'm a noble!" and was accompanied by a personal guard.
Oh, dear. Of all people, it had to be a noble. Troubles, troubles, troubles...
"You fucking brat!" Noble guy - that's how I will call him from now on - shouted.
Startled, Aoban froze for a few seconds. Then he sincerely apologized, understanding what he had done. Viran, on the other hand, did not dare to move.
The sudden commotion attracted people's attention, and a crowd soon gathered, eager for something interesting to watch. As they noticed that their sons were involved, mother and Leonara forced their way through the crowd to rush to their side. The boys quickly hid behind them.
"Aoban! Are you okay?" Mother asked, putting me down on the ground.
"That's me who you should be asking, bitch! Are you that brat's mother?" Noble guy growled.
How rude! Watch your mouth, you fool! Being a noble doesn't give you the right to insult people like that. But mother didn't flinch. She simply bowed her head politely.
"Yes. I'm not sure what happened, but I apologize for the inconvenience. Please forgive my son; I'm sure he didn't mean any harm."
Noble guy frowned. "To forgive him? Look at this!" He pointed at his attire. "My clothes are ruined because you couldn't keep an eye on your damn brat!"
What an asshole! He's definitely the kind of guy to make a fuss over nothing and who will jump on the first occasion to oppress the weak. Looking at the amount of jewelry he's wearing, there is no mistake this single piece of cloth is worth nothing to him. He could probably afford a hundred like this. Still, he felt the need to humiliate my mother in front of everyone. Rotten noble...
Leonara stepped forward. "Please, sir. Let's settle this calmly. There is no reason for us to make a fuss over a simple mistake. You know how children are; we will make sure to scold them later."
You go, girl! Tell him!
"Huh? What did you say? Are you saying that I'm overreacting? You damn commoners, then how about you pay this back for me, mh?"
He did not dare! Is he using the opportunity to extort us right now? Don't you have enough money already? Noble guy grinned wickedly. This asshole. He perfectly knows that we can't pay.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything anymore?"
Noble guy stayed silent for a few seconds, then he started to inspect mother intensely from head to toe, which made her really uncomfortable. He approached, placed his finger under her chin, and lifted her head up, forcing her to look at him in the eyes.
"Well, well, look at this. Such a beautiful face. Why would you be hiding it? You know what, I've got an idea. How about we settle this just the two of us? Alone," Noble guy said, looking at mother with lustful eyes.
WHAT THE HECK IS HE THINKING?! Get away from her, you lecher! This has gone too far; I am SOOO going to kick your ass! Why isn't anybody saying anything? That rotten noble is clearly in the wrong, but he's taking advantage of the situation. There are so many witnesses here, yet no one is defending mother. The passers-by, the vendors who were so friendly just a moment ago, and even Leonara. Everyone is watching, but no one is daring to move. Are they seriously going to let this happen just because they're afraid of one noble?
Umh? Wait... Is that the moment where Super toddler - in other words, me - is supposed to jump in and rescue the maiden in distress? This won't do... I can't do that... It's not even a matter of keeping up the act of the normal human baby. Even if I wanted to, how am I supposed to help mother? Now that I think about it, I am supposedly a Goddess, but I have no idea how to use my power... I mean, I don't know any magic incantation. Ugh... Such a useless power...
"That's enough," a dull voice ordered.
Finally! Someone decided to step in! I turned away in the direction of the voice, trying to catch sight of its owner. Suddenly, high-pitched screams could be heard as someone was making his way through the crowd. What are they so scared about? Then I saw him...
Oh... Oh! Ooooooooooooh!
T-Those black fluffy ears! This little tail waving behind him! They're real! It's a cat-boy! A real one! I'd give him fourteen years old, maybe fifteen. He had short black hair and green eyes.
"A demihuman!" a man shouted with a note of indignation in his voice. "What is a demihuman doing here?"
"Hiiiiiiii! Don't let him get any closer than this!"
Right. I had almost forgotten about this. The racial prejudices. Clearly, seeing all the disgusted looks directed toward him, I was the only one happy to see the beastman. But he couldn't possibly be a bad person. Out of all the people present here, he was the only one who raised his voice against the rotten noble. I already knew what to expect, but it was still really striking to see such strong discrimination, even though he only wanted to help. Back in my old world, he would have been worshipped for those ears and tail.
When Noble guy saw him, his face distorted in disgust. He wasn't even bothering trying to hide his aversion. His personal guard immediately tensed up, holding the grip of his sword, ready to strike if needed. But Noble guy glanced at him and raised his hand before him, signaling not to intervene.
"Be careful, my lord, it's a demihuman," the guard murmured, loud enough for everyone else to hear.
Noble guy stepped forward. His lips curled into a smirk as he finally spoke up. "What do you think you're doing, playing hero, slave?" His eyes eventually fell upon the slave collar the cat-boy was wearing. "Did you lose your master?"
He's a slave? I was so absorbed by his fluffy ears and tail that I hadn't even noticed the collar around his neck. Looking carefully, it should have been obvious. His skin was covered with scars, and his ears were in pretty bad shape. He had clearly been mistreated.