NOVEL WEB Chapter 103 - Divine Cat Mii-chan, Furious at the Knight
103 Divine Cat Mii-chan, Furious at the Knight
By evening, we arrived at the alabaster labyrinth, having overtaken many wagons along the way.
Though we had only visited a few days ago, the labyrinth’s appearance had changed. A new wooden barricade was being constructed around the original stone fortifications, indicating that a significantly large fortress was in the works.
The forest in front of the barricade was also being cleared, transforming it into a vast plain.
After requesting the soldier at the gate to relay our presence to Bernhard, the leader of the Third Knight Order, we entered the fortress.
The soldier returned and guided us to Bernhard’s tent.
“Ah, Inspector, welcome.”
“It seems the work is progressing well.”
“It’s still a long way to go. If we were to be seriously attacked, this wouldn’t hold for long.”
“I see… Have you selected the knights who will accompany us?”
“Yes, I’ve already sent for them. We’ll depart early tomorrow morning, correct?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. We’re scheduled for five days. Hopefully, we can gather some useful information during that time…”
“Ike here, reporting as requested!”
A soldier entered the tent, appearing to be in his late twenties.
“Ike will accompany the Inspector. I can vouch for his skill with the sword.”
“Pardon me, but do you intend to go in that outfit?”
“Is there a problem?”
The members of Azure Dragon’s Roar and Fangs of the Dark exchanged glances as if to say, “Are you kidding me?” And for good reason—he was wearing full plate armor, which might be standard for the knight order, but was he serious?
“That armor is unsuitable for this mission. Please match our attire.”
“However, this is the official armor of the knight order. I take pride in being a knight.”
“I see… In that case, let’s pretend this never happened.”
“Wait, Inspector! What’s the issue?”
“Marching around in such noisy armor is like asking the enemy to find us. We are going on a reconnaissance mission, not a battle.”
“…”
Members of Azure Dragon’s Roar and Fangs of the Dark nodded in agreement. Did these knights not realize this? They must be a rigid bunch—what a hassle.
“Mii…”
Even Mii-chan looked exasperated.
“Then what should I do?”
“Please wear lighter armor. We’ll be walking on rough terrain, and you’ll quickly tire out in heavy gear.”
“Very well, I’ll prepare lighter equipment. Anything else?”
“Please take care of the horse I rode here on, especially my battle horse. It needs to be let out of the gate once a day. It’ll come back on its own afterward.”
“Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. So, please take care of it.”
“Understood…”
“Then we’ll depart early tomorrow morning. I look forward to it.”
The next morning, before departure, I visited Sumire and told her I’d be gone for a bit and asked her not to cause any trouble for everyone. She snorted as if to say, “Nero, you’re the one who’s going to cause trouble.” Unfair.
Mii-chan, Sera, and Lu-kun rubbed noses with Sumire, and even Pero tried to pet her, but she headbutted him with her horns.
“Sumire-nyan is a tsundere…”
Everyone seemed ready. But when we arrived at the meeting point by the gate, my jaw almost dropped at the sight before me.
Ike from the Third Knight Order had indeed changed into leather armor. But the luggage he carried on his back was enormous—probably weighing as much as Ike himself.
“Nero, is it really possible to take him along?”
Müller-san, I was thinking the same thing…
“Bernhard, I’m afraid we’ll have to cancel this mission. It seems the purpose of our journey is not understood.”
“What do you mean?”
There are three knight orders stationed in the royal capital: the First Knight Order, the elite of the elite; the Second Knight Order, slightly inferior but still elite; and the Third Knight Order, mostly composed of nobles who couldn’t join the first two. Although it’s not just about connections, there’s no denying they have a different sense of commonality due to their upbringing.
“You switched to lighter armor only to carry even heavier luggage… Were you planning to wear that armor while carrying all that?”
“But isn’t it necessary?”
“That might be fine for knight order drills, but we’re not going to a training ground. Don’t you see anything wrong with our light gear?”
Both Azure Dragon’s Roar and Fangs of the Dark have members with storage skills, and we have Mii-chan, so all our luggage is stored away. The most we carry are backpacks or shoulder bags—light gear only.
“Müller-san, could you help sort out the essentials?”
Lu-san and Shaina-san from Azure Dragon’s Roar eagerly began sifting through Ike’s luggage.
One item after another, they pulled out things that seemed useless for the mission. When they found perfume, my hand shook. I was seriously tempted to throw it at him.
After the sorting, only a third of the original load remained, though it was still quite heavy. We had no choice but to ask Mii-chan to store it in her bag.
And then I heard something unbelievable.
“If you have storage skills, put everything in there.”
Sigh… What I thought was a kind gesture turned out to be a mistake. Mii-chan, sorry, but could you dump that luggage here?
“Mii~!”
With a crash, the luggage scattered on the ground, causing everyone to flinch.
“What are you doing?!”
“Ike, do you think you can mock the Inspector? Bernhard, this is unacceptable. I’ll be reporting this to the Chancellor.”
“Please, wait, Inspector!”
“Let’s go. We can’t waste time on fools.”
Realizing the gravity of his mistake for the first time, Ike turned pale and began trembling. Bernhard seemed equally at a loss, standing frozen.
We had wasted enough time. Let’s get back on track.
Mii-chan rubbed against me with a look of accomplishment on her face. Could it be that she was also angry at Ike’s attitude?
“Mii!”