Uhm? Wait, that looks familiar. Those matted confetti ears, those scars, and that locking steel collar. Mister cat? That's definitely Mister cat from the other night. But why is Mister cat in human form now? Huh? I'm confused.
The cat-boy didn't reply. Instead, he tilted his head to the side, absentmindedly looking at the noble, like a rebellious teenager forced to listen to his parents' lecture. This rude behavior did not escape the noble guy, as his upper lip twitched a little.
"Haha. First, it's a commoner, and now even a slave disrespects me? What kind of bad joke is this?"
The noble guy stepped forward and grabbed Mister cat by his collar. "Let me show you how to respect nobility! I do not remember allowing you to look at me in the eyes. A dirty slave like you should be begging-"
Before he could finish, the cat-boy bent backwards and suddenly headbutted the noble, forcing him to let go. Under the impact, the noble guy fell to the ground. Not understanding what just happened, he blanked out for a few seconds, staring blankly at the cat-boy who was now looking down on him literally.
Everyone was dumbfounded by what they just witnessed. A slave and a beastman attacked a noble in the middle of the day.
"Fufufu. Serves you right, rotten noble. Mister cat, you're my hero."
Coming back to his senses, the noble guy's face suddenly reddened in indignation. He had probably never been humiliated like this before. He stood up, pointing at the cat-boy with his finger.
"Y-You! Did you just dare to attack me?! What are you waiting for, Bruno?! Kill him!" He ordered his guard.
"Y-Yes!" His escort responded, as his employer's voice suddenly pulled him out of his confusion.
Immediately complying, Bruno threw himself at the cat-boy, pulling out his sword. He tried to bring the slave down with a diagonal slash, but the boy effortlessly avoided it, twisting his upper body. As the slice cut through the air, the cat-boy brought his knee to his assailant's nose before taking him down with a swift sweep to the shin. A loud CRACK sounded. With his leg broken, the guard was unable to fight anymore. The battle had been over almost as soon as it began.
"You useless guard! What do you think I'm paying you for? Get up and-" Noble guy started, but the cat-boy slammed his flat palm against his face, immediately interrupting him. Losing his balance, he almost fell backwards.
"Fufu. This is hilarious. He completely overpowered them. They never stood a chance. So this is the famous strength of beastmen? They sure live up to their reputation."
Slowly recovering, the noble guy could only gaze at the cat-boy in astonishment. He was no longer looking upon him with disgust; instead, a glint of fear could be seen in his eyes. His previous arrogance was now completely gone.
"Y-You... You think you will get away with this? Look around you! With so many witnesses, you're already a dead man! You attacked me, not once but twice!"
Ignoring his words, the cat-boy stepped forward. "W-What are you planning to do?" Noble guy asked, his voice wavering. I'm almost starting to pity him.
Mister cat then threw something at the noble. It was a pouch filled with gold coins. As he saw the contents of the bag, Noble guy's eyes widened in confusion.
"Huh? What?"
"Compensation. For the clothes," Mister cat simply said as he pointed to his dirtied apparel with his finger.
Not sure what to do, Noble guy simply stared at the cat-boy. I could guess what he was thinking. Why would a slave have so much money? Did he steal it? He didn't seem to find the answer, but he started to regain some confidence, mistaking the cat-boy's action as an attempt to gain his forgiveness.
A grin appeared on his face. If the slave had so much money, then his master must be even richer. Everyone knew he was going to use this opportunity to threaten him.
"You think this is enough? You attacked me, a noble! This is a serious crime!" He shouted.
People like him never learn, do they?
"Don't think you can get away with just a few coins. Who is your master? He will hear about this! As his slave, he should take responsibility for your actions!"
Mister cat sighed.
"Fine. I'll tell my master that you request a meeting with him. You just have to head towards the Whiteheart Estate. I believe you know where it is, right? My master will receive you in his mansion," the cat-boy answered with a flat voice, looking away, unimpressed.
"Did he say the Whiteheart Estate?"
"He is a slave of the Whiteheart household?"
These simple words caused a commotion in the crowd. People whispered to one another. Noble guy's face suddenly paled, and his grin vanished in a second. For a few minutes, he stayed silent, staring blankly at the cat-boy, trying to put his thoughts in order. This abnormal rudeness and arrogance, despite being a lowly slave... He should have known the beastman wasn't just a normal servant and had some backup. Noble guy frowned, cursing himself for getting involved with him.
"I-It's fine. You don't have to bother your master. Everyone makes mistakes. I feel like forgiving you today, be g-grateful," he changed his mind, trying to keep his composure in order not to lose face in front of the others, which was useless since he already lost it a long time ago.
Wow. I'm not sure how much influence this Whiteheart household has, but it must be a really powerful family, seeing how fast Noble guy backed down. His confidence vanished in an instant!
Not even waiting for an answer, he quickly disappeared into the crowd, leaving poor Bruno behind. He was probably afraid that Mister cat would insist on him meeting his master, but he obviously couldn't care less.
Anyway, troubles avoided! I'm grateful, Mister cat. You saved us! If there is something I learned from novels, it's to never piss off nobles. They always bring more troubles than necessary, and they're a real pain to deal with. I'm not sure what would've happened if not for Mister cat. I'm sorry for trying to chase you away the other night.
The unpleasant episode was finally over, and I rejoiced. But turning to mother, I noticed that something was wrong. Was she sick? She really didn't look good. Shouldn't she be happy that we avoided the worst? Actually, it wasn't just mother. Even Aoban didn't look well. Why were they so pale?
I was naive.
Back then, I didn't know. We did not avoid the worst, quite the opposite actually. We walked directly into the lion's den. Mother and Aoban perfectly knew that.
As I stared at my family, trying to understand their strange behavior, the cat-boy casually approached us. He stayed silent for a while, then he smiled.
"Hello, Azariah."
Huh? He knows mother? So it wasn't me whom he was looking for? Well, that makes sense. I mean, I don't know him...
As his smile widened, mother, on the other hand, kept getting paler and paler. I immediately understood: Mister cat was not an ally, he was an enemy.
Seemingly enjoying mother's reaction, he quietly approached her and whispered something in her ear. "How long did you think you could keep running away from us? I told you I would find you."
He stepped back.
"Let's meet again very soon, alright? I missed you!" The cat-boy said as he showed us his brightest smile. Since he knew he probably wouldn't get a reply, he simply walked away.
"Ah, and you're welcome, by the way!" He added before disappearing into an alley.
If not for mother and brother's reactions, I would have thought that he was a very friendly person. But they felt threatened. Obviously, something was up with him, and I didn't know what. However, I could at least understand this much: Mister cat meant troubles, big troubles.
That afternoon, we returned home in silence.
Leonara kept apologizing on the way for not having spoken in her defense, but mother would only reply with a sad smile. She didn't blame her, how could she? She was a mother too, so she understood her feelings perfectly. She had a family to protect and couldn't take the risk of endangering them by angering a noble. Actually, mother had already forgotten about that. She didn't listen to a word Leonara said, as she kept thinking over and over about Mister cat.
When we arrived in our room, Aoban was the first one to break the silence.
"Mommy... Are we leaving?"
Mother reluctantly nodded after staying silent for a while. "Yes... We will be leaving tomorrow morning."