I Became a Mountain Tiger in a Fantasy World

< Chapter 18: Help! >

I stared intently at the young lady who appeared before me.

‘Hmm, as expected.’

Her trembling lips and sparkling eyes were intensely burdensome.

Is this the destructive power I possess?

Yare yare, a hopeless young lady indeed.

Sorry, but I have no intention of giving in so easily.

I first checked the young lady’s guards.

‘A knight, huh.’

Though I couldn’t see much from a distance, there was at least one visible knight.

Well, there could be other invisible guards too.

“Grrr!”

I decided not to pay much attention to them.

It didn’t matter how many there were or how skilled they were.

After all, the one who moved them was this young lady in front of me.

If I could win her favor, I wouldn’t be threatened by the knights.

I gazed at the young lady, who stood there uncertain and flustered.

‘But to think she would come to meet me first.’

In fact, I had planned to seek her out, but I hadn’t dared to enter the human village recklessly.

The knights were far more skilled than I had anticipated.

I then realized why the status window subtly encouraged me towards the human race.

‘It was a human scam map! Damn it!’

The soldiers guarding the entrance were mostly on par with goblins in level.

But the knights who occasionally appeared were consistently unreadable in terms of information.

Even though I considered myself somewhat stronger now, I couldn’t match up to the knights, which was frustrating.

‘Skrillzhak was level 25, though.’

Were these knights each more elite than Skrillzhak?

I finally understood why the goblins had been driven into the forest.

‘If I had chosen to be a human and became a knight…!’

Ah, just thinking about it made me furious.

From today on, I decided to become an aura tiger.

I would flatten those knights’ noses with my claws!

Why suddenly hate the knights?

Absolutely not because of that memory of being intimidated by Albert or whatever his name was, so don’t misunderstand.

Anyway, I took the glorious first step towards becoming a ‘greatsword tiger.’

“Grrr?”

“Fer!”

After exchanging glances with Fer, I executed the pre-arranged plan.

“Gyaa?”

“Huh!”

The plan was named, ‘You, become my butler!’

I couldn’t defeat the humans with my current strength. But right now, I needed their help.

So, I decided to take advantage of the rather affluent-looking young lady.

Hey, hey? Don’t see this as ill-intentioned.

People naturally hesitate to become cats’ butlers, so I’m just granting their wishes.

By the way, you should know this.

I’m not a cat, but a tiger, and a butler is just a butler.

In other words, I am the master.

I plan to show you what that means step by step in the future.

“Grrr, grrr…!”

“Ha, haaa! Purring for me!”

I hadn’t really done anything special.

I merely blinked my eyes while making eye contact, smiled once, and tilted my head slightly.

Then, I approached Lia, who was clutching her chest and trembling, found a soft spot, and exhaled comfortably.

“Purr purr.”

Hey, you there, put your hand down.

I was just exercising my natural rights as a tiger! Whether I snuggle in someone’s arms or sit wherever I want, it’s my choice.

Understand, you insignificant humans! Hahaha!

“Purrr purrr.”

“Unbelievable! Raymond! Look at this!”

“Yes, my lady. I see it.”

Look at that.

She seemed quite pleased too. Isn’t this the grace of a tiger?

As I nestled into her embrace, purring contentedly, the knight named Raymond’s expression also softened.

I was an aroma tiger, bringing comfort to my butler and those around her alike.

With a deeply flushed face, Lia gently stroked my head and spoke.

“My goodness! It looks like he was waiting for me! For some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about our ‘Lu-deus’!”

What? Lu, what?

When I looked up at her intently, Lia lifted me with both hands and made eye contact.

“Lu is from light (lux) and ruby, and deus means god. Your eyes shine brightly like rubies, so it means you’re a unique and noble being in this world. How about it? Ruby? Oh, right! Ruby is a nickname! Do you like it?”

What is she saying?

Lu-deus? Hmm, being called a noble being doesn’t sound bad?

Anyway, even if I refuse, you’ll still call me Ruby, won’t you! Damn human!

Ruby! Call me Lu-deus!

“Grrr!”

“Kya! Ruby seems to like it!”

“Purr!”

Lia unhesitatingly picked me up and started walking.

Feeling something amiss in her actions, the knight Raymond asked urgently.

“My lady! Are you really going to take him with you?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“But… what if he has a mother? And over there.”

Raymond pointed to where Eryllion was emitting a bright light.

“Ah!”

Lia, seemingly not expecting the fairy to follow, looked at me with momentarily wavering eyes.

Naturally, I answered calmly.

Yes, it’s a buy-one-get-one-free deal~

Dear customer, no refunds.

“Gyaa?”

“Gasp!”

At a mere nod from me, Lia was disarmed and quickly nodded.

“If he had a mother, she would have appeared by now. Leaving a child in a monster-filled forest…! Something must have happened to his mother!”

“But, but…”

“What are you doing?! Raymond! We must find Ruby’s mother quickly!”

“But… my lady! That’s the way back to the estate…! My lady! My lady!”

Hmm, splendid.

It seemed my butler had exceptional initiative.

Thus, Eryllion and I proudly entered the Count’s house in the young lady’s arms.

I, have descended upon the House of Bloodmoon!

.

.

.

And from now on, the real operation began.

I needed to find out what kind of person Lia was and whether she could truly help us.

* * *

Lia felt as if she was walking on air.

My goodness! To think that Lu-deus had been waiting for her!

Even now, thinking about Lu-deus, who was purring in her arms, brought a smile to her face.

She desperately wanted to run to her father and boast about him immediately…!

However, since the Count had been distressed over not finding the Phoenix’s egg recently, Lia decided to pick the right moment.

‘I should tell him when he’s in a good mood later.’

Although her father wasn’t particularly against having pets, Lia had already taken on quite a few responsibilities.

“Grrr!”

“Yelp…!!”

For instance, things like that.

The Count’s house had as many pets as it had servants.

Picking up stray animals around the estate had led to this situation.

Lia spoke out of habit.

“No, Podo. Lu-deus is still a baby…?”

Huh, why is Podo acting like that?

That’s not like him.

Podo was what one might call a problem dog.

He was a mischievous puppy who would bother other pets whenever he got bored.

“Pant, pant pant…!”

Strangely, Podo was smiling brightly and wagging his tail energetically.

He wasn’t even barking at Lu-deus?

Is he finding Lu-deus cute too? Unbelievable!

As expected, cats save the world!

How could the atmosphere in the house change so much because of one little kitten!

Feeling happy, Lia quickly picked up Lu-deus.

“Gyaa?”

Lu-deus looked back at her with an innocent face.

Hehe, so cute!

But why does Podo’s face look like that? Maybe it’s because he doesn’t usually smile.

Wow, his smiling face looks so awkward.

Lia just laughed off Podo’s changed behavior.

And that night,

Lia couldn’t close her mouth at the scene unfolding before her eyes.

.

.

.

Lia returned to her room late at night after her usual magic research.

Usually, she would immerse herself in her studies until dawn, but tonight she returned quickly because she wanted to see Lu-deus.

Creak.

“Ruby!”

Calling out to Lu-deus in a lively voice, Lia stepped into her room to find,

“Grr.”

“Fer!”

A small animal and a fairy, both looking fierce and dignified.

Oh my, how adorable.

Lia wanted to snuggle that white fluff and the fairy immediately, but their earnest efforts made her pretend to be calm.

She was half-joking.

“What’s the matter? Lu-deus? Are you sulking because I left you alone?”

She thought Lu-deus was just showing off.

She didn’t understand why he was displaying such a gallant posture, but who could interpret all animal behaviors?

She just thought he was cute and tried to hug him, but at that moment,

Thud.

Lu-deus dropped something in front of Lia.

“Huh?”

It was Lia’s ‘Certified Magician License’ which she had obtained last year.

In fact, she was the only person to have earned the certificate before even entering the academy,

So the plaque had ‘Youngest’ engraved on it.

‘Why is this here…?’

“This was definitely displayed next to my desk.”

At that moment, the fairy who was with Lu-deus exuded a warm glow and transmitted a thought to her.

「’The Exiled Prince’ is asking if you truly belong to the ‘Sigmund Magic Tower’.」

“What?”

Lia was startled.

A thought suddenly transmitted into her mind? Was this really possible?

Lia urgently asked,

“Did you, did you just ask me that?”

「’The Exiled Prince’ nods.」

“Unbelievable!”

Lia felt a chill run through her body. Communication using mana between different species. This was the ideal Lia had always dreamed of.

“How, how did you do it? Teach me! This is, this is a discovery that will go down in history! Can fairies originally use this kind of magic? Oh my goodness!”

Despite Lia’s intense reaction, Lu-deus and the fairy just looked at her with serious expressions. Only then did Lia recall their question and nodded.

What on earth was going on? Communicating like this. This was proof that they were intelligent beings. Indeed, Lia’s eyes sparkled like jewels at the thought that her suspicions had been correct.

“Yes! I am a magician from the Sigmund Magic Tower! It’s not much to brag about yet… but if you have any questions, I can probably answer them! Do you need my help for something?”

Lia’s heart was pounding. What in the world was happening? Lu-deus really seemed like a gift from the heavens.

She had brought him because he was cute and pretty, but… maybe she could get a clue about ‘communion’ magic from the fairy that was with him!

However, Lia was still unaware that there was more to be surprised about.

As Lia revealed that she was from the ‘Sigmund Magic Tower’, Lu-deus exchanged a glance with the fairy and took a step forward.

“Growl.”

Then he swung his front paw and took out an ‘egg’ from subspace.

As soon as Lia saw the ‘egg’, she recognized what it was.

There could only be one egg in this world filled with red mana.

“A Phoenix’s egg…?”

Lia muttered blankly and her mouth dropped open.

Swish, swish.

Lu-deus was scratching letters on the ground with his claws.

[Help.]

Having written that, Lu-deus and the fairy bowed their heads respectfully to her. She looked at the two who had unexpectedly greeted her, as Lu-deus continued to write on the ground.

[Repay]

Although the handwriting was crooked, Lia could understand. There was not an ounce of falsehood in the expressions of Lu-deus and the fairy. The sincerity in their eyes and the determination in their actions were more noble than any ‘knight’ she had ever seen. Lia, who had a unique ability to sense others’ emotions, felt it even more clearly.

Drip, drip.

Lu-deus and the fairy used their claws to draw blood and swore an oath to Lia. Help us. We will repay you.

Faced with the sincere plea of these small beings, Lia bit her lip, at a loss for words.

“What are you talking about…!”

With a tense expression, Lia hugged the young beings who were looking at her.

“You don’t have to say things like that… It’s only natural to help you!”