So, the next day, it’s time to leave for the capital.
We put on our traveling outfits early in the morning, and walk out of the house.
“Do you have the Scarlet family’s invitation with you?”
“Is everything ready? Did you forget to pack a handkerchief?”
Mister Sirius and Miss Reina sound worried, and ask us if we didn’t forget all sorts of things.
“Geez, you two worry too much…”
“Yes, the capital isn’t that far.”
“Y-yes… Well, it will be fine if Chrom is going.”
It’s not like we’re going on a long journey.
We need a change of clothes, since we’re not coming back today, but it will be fine as long as we have canteens and money.
We can just buy anything we need there.
“Myself and Reina can’t leave town during our busiest season, but… Give my regards to Lord Scarlet. He has been a big help recently with dungeon investigations and town security.”
“Got it.”
“Be careful on the road. I heard that monsters that were in Almana’s underground dungeon might be out on the main road…”
“Yes… The lady next door told me about these rumored ‘black shadows’ that move very quickly.”
“…Hn?”
“Apparently there are these humanoid shadows that slash living beings and extract their blood…”
“Some people say it might be a new monster weapon developed in secret by the Sorcerer Association.”
“Geez, you two! Don’t scare us right before we leave!”
“I-I wasn’t trying to scare you… I just want you to be careful.”
“…”
Those black shadows… Are probably me.
I’ve been going out during the night and thinning out the monsters that appear on the main road, but I guess from other people’s point of view, I just looked like some kind of fiend.
“Well, it’s just a rumor, haha…”
I say to try to gloss over it.
“Well then, mom, please take care of my flower bed. And don’t do any weird arrangements.”
“I know. I won’t blow up the flower bed again.”
“What exactly happened?”
“And dad, don’t swing the sword near them and break the flowers with wind pressure.”
“Y-yes… I’ll be careful.”
We finish our goodbyes.
““Have a nice trip.””
““Thank you.””
El and I leave the house, and reach the entrance to the town.
“Someone you know will be giving us a ride on her wagon, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I talked about it with Nekoko, a traveling merchant.”
El’s connections are no joke.
Her ability to become friends with anyone incredibly quickly is coming in handy now.
“But it’ll probably be hard to find the right one in the middle of so many wagons…”
Almana is a small town, but merchant wagons are constantly coming and going at this time of the year.
There’s so many wagons filled with flowers at the entrance to the town…
“No, it’s fine. Nekoko’s really stands out.”
“Stands out?”
“Yes, just wait~…”
El says while looking around.
“Ah, there it is!”
She says while pointing, and I turn my head in that direction.
“…Ah…”
I see, I get it.
Yes, that wagon really does stand out. I mean, it’s not even a horse-drawn wagon. Instead of horses, a giant cat is attached to it.
And in front of this cat-drawn wagon is…
“…Nyanne… Nyanne…”
I hear a troubled sounding voice and see a big leather backpack shaking.
“Nekoko!”
“Nyanne?”
The backpack suddenly turns around, and behind it is a small girl with cat ears.
I guess I didn’t see her because that small body was hiding behind that big backpack.
She has fluffy light-brown hair, and is wearing an overcoat with embroidery that is probably traditional clothing of her people.
But peeking out of that hair and overcoat… Are cat ears and a tail.
(Is she a… Cat Sith?)
A race of cat people that interacts with human society.
It’s a very mysterious race, but they’re said to have built a country somewhere in the world that surpasses any of the countries of humans, and sometimes they come to human towns to sell their goods.
In that ruined future, Cat Sith were the only distribution network but… In this age, they’re still merchants.
“Ah, nyanne Miss Ellunyan. It’s been a nyaile.”
“Nyanne～♪.”
“Nyanne!”
The cat girl approaches El, rubs her head on her, and starts smelling her.
It’s like a cat that’s attached to its owner. She’s even closer to El than I thought.
“I see you’re buying a lot of flowers again this year.”
“Nyafufu… Almana’s flowers are popular with the nobles, my good source of revenue in the capinyal♪. I get to charge outrageous nyaices♪ Money just rolls in nyanne♪.”
Says the girl named Nekoko with kind of a dark smile.
“…Nyanne?”
She notices me looking at her and stares at me.
She then realizes I’m with El, and bows.
“Ah, excuse me nyanne. My nyame is Nekoko Catwalker, a traveling salesman Cat Sith. Let’s get along free of charge nyanne.”
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