Being healed by a cat (part 2)

At that moment, our conversation is interrupted by a woman. My ears pivot toward her heavy footsteps a second before she even speaks.

She's wearing armor made mostly of tough-looking cloth reinforced with metal plating in various places. I can't see many details since her gear is so thick, and she's wearing a helmet mask that completely hides her head and face.

Full armor? That's unusual. But the weight of it doesn't seem to affect her elegance or slow her down in the slightest.

The most eye-catching detail is that she is armed to the teeth.

A massive spear is strapped diagonally across her back. Its tip is made of what appears to be some sort of crystal. Also on her back rests a very long, black bow with three differently sized prongs on each side. Three separate strings are attached to them. I guess each string is for shooting at a different range or something? The strings aren't taut, but I still think it looks pretty cool! It looks so fancy, practical, and pretty that I want one for myself.

She has a longsword tied to her waist, plus a short sword on the opposite side. Both weapons have dark red handles and pitch-black blades.

And slung across her lower back is... an axe? With strings? No, a guitar? It's a white guitar, remarkably thin and completely missing a soundhole. One of its edges is covered with the same sharp crystal as her spear. An electric guitar. Huh. Where does that even connect—

Oh, looking closer, I can see dense magic swirling inside the instrument. It really is a weapon after all.

'Is she some kind of knight musician?' The strings are pressed flat against her back armor, which I doubt is good for a normal musical instrument. She probably just uses it to hit things.

"Good morning to you ladies," she says, her voice echoing with a slight metallic distortion through the helmet.

"Duchess. Greetings," Ilona says, offering a small bow. Nicole just nods her head, not really caring.

'Duchess? Oh, right, we're in the castle. There are a lot of nobles here, she must be used to it.'

... Wait. An armed and armored duchess?

Oh! OOHH! Maureen suddenly flops down onto my legs, aggressively pushing his heavy head against my palm to demand more pets!

Fulfilling this noble task completely distracts me from the heavily armed stranger~

"I saw a group of naked men running desperately away from this area. I had to come see what was going on," she says. I can't see it, but it sounds like she's having fun. It doesn't sound like she's angry or cautious.

"We have no relation to them," Nicole answers flatly.

The woman snorts a little. "Anyway, who is this adorable being?" she asks, staring directly at me.

Eh.

Ilona replies smoothly. "This is Seina. Oh, and the lynx is Maureen."

'... Did she just call me adorable? Or did she mean the kitten?' But she was definitely looking right at me; I'm sure. Mm, hearing random compliments on the street is one thing, but having someone say it straight to my face always leaves me feeling incredibly shy.

Whatever. There's a giant cat on my lap right now! I do not have time to overthink this. I must pet.

"You must be Nicole..." the Duchess continues.

I completely tune out their conversation to focus on something far more important: the fur. Maureen's tips are mostly yellowish, but the roots are a deep gray. It looks like he's currently shedding or changing his coat color. Oh, will he turn completely gray when the weather gets cold?

'That makes sense. Somehow, Mom's hair and fur get even whiter in the winter.'

Carefully avoiding anything he dislikes, I gently pet his head, chin, soft sideburns, lower back, and enormous paws... Absolute bliss~

I suddenly feel a few stares fixed on me, but unexpectedly, I don't mind. Cats are the greatest medicine!

... Although this one definitely needs a bath. His sweater is very dirty, he smells a little musty, and his breath is terrible. The kind of bad breath that clearly comes from tooth decay.

'Mmm... yeah, I can help him. Cavities are technically just rotting dirt in the teeth, right? Let's get rid of it.'

First, I conjure a little ball of darkness in the palm of my hand, showing it to him like a tiny, black sun.

He stares at it for a second, then just goes right back to rubbing himself against my leg. Uh, I really hope you're just spreading your scent to feel safe, and not marking your territory or something.

I gently hold his head in place while stroking his ears, allowing the dark magic to seep into his mouth... I really don't want to feel the gross sensory details of what's going on in there, so I just focus my intent on removing any decay, dirt, and harmful bacteria.

He doesn't get aggressive, but he freezes. His short tail alternates between bristling, drooping, and tucking tight against his body.

He seems nervous, but I think he mostly trusts me. Good...

"I'm helping you, don't be afraid," I whisper, nuzzling his sideburns.

Step one is done, but there are different kinds of cavities, and removing the rot is only the beginning. Let's see... oh, he has small gaps in several teeth where the decay used to be. Most of it only goes down to the dentin, but one of his back molars has an exposed root. Ouch.

"Good job hanging in there, kitten."

'Let's get this fixed up fast. Teeth don't regenerate naturally, but they're just different types of tissue. I've regenerated tissue before. This will work.'

Now that the rot is gone, I mentally recreate the image of a healthy feline mouth. The teeth, the tissues, the gums, the nerves, the ligaments... everything exactly as it should be. The magic handles the rest.

I feel the ball of darkness dissolve on its own, as if letting me know its duty is done.

"There it is. Please open wide."

I hold his jaws gently to check my work, but he immediately turns his head away. Huh. I'm positive he isn't in pain anymore, so maybe he just has a bad habit of not letting anyone touch his mouth.

"I understand you—"

A gloved hand suddenly appears right in front of my face. I blink and look up. The armored woman from before is offering me a piece of dried meat. My nose twitches; it smells strongly of cured beef.

"He should like this," she says.

"O-oh, yes. Thank you."

'I completely forgot she was even standing there!' I really need to be more aware of my surroundings... What if I get attacked again?

For now, I offer the jerky to the big kitten... and he snatches it without a second thought! Isn't this cat a little too trusting? Then again, I doubt anyone in their right mind would dare hurt the princess's pet, so he's probably used to being spoiled.

He chews it cautiously at first... and a moment later, he starts tearing into it voraciously.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, does it? Good boy, hehe~ You definitely earned more pats!"

Oh, I might as well take this opportunity to clean him up. I hadn't even thought of that. Before he swallows his treat, I envelop both of us in a thin veil of darkness, focusing entirely on pulling the filth out of his fur.

He doesn't even seem to notice. He just keeps chewing with his little tail sticking straight up and wagging a little. There is truly nothing better than a happy kitty~

The darkness fades just as quickly as it came, taking all the musty smells with it and perfectly cleaning my dress in the process! That muddy paw print on my skirt was honestly depressing me.

'Newly acquired magical skills. Portable shower and instant laundry!'

The three women resume their conversation, but I can't bring myself to care about whatever they're talking about. Not when Maureen rubs his clean fur against me again, this time rumbling with a very loud, deep purr.

"Oooh," I can't help but laugh!

I realize my tail has been happily swaying from side to side for a while now. I'm probably making an incredibly stupid, goofy face that I would normally never show to someone I just met.

But who cares... The Duchess shifts her weight, her armor clinking softly, and for a split second, I catch a faint, surprisingly pleasant scent underneath all that cold metal... Something like crushed pine and rain? It's nice.

But.

It was a relaxing moment. Truly relaxing and surprisingly happy. Which naturally means my brain decides it's the perfect time to start overthinking again.

My mind drifts back to my attackers.

Even though they absolutely deserved a beating, I still feel a knot of guilt in my stomach for treating them like that.

'I need to be stronger. Mentally, I mean. I can't let my impulses completely hijack my body again.' Yes, they were garbage, but that doesn't mean I have to abandon my own morals just to punish them.

Sorry, Mom. I think you'd be pretty disappointed in me if you saw how much fun I was having tormenting a bunch of old men...

Sorry, Nicole. I know you want me to practice, but I'll stick to using mindless monsters from now on. Although, now that I think about it, she never actually told me to practice on living people. That was all me.

Pat, pat...

'It's best to leave the punishment to the actual authorities. I'm sure Ilona and Nicole will know exactly what to do with them. I need to keep this in mind in case something like this ever happens again.'

It's just... I mean, what the hell was I even thinking!? Who actively decides that stripping people completely naked is an appropriate punishment?

Pat, pat, pat...

Hmm, on second thought, maybe it is a good punishment. Just make sure you don't traumatize them so badly that they want to die, and that you aren't bothered by the sight of naked old men.

Which, come to think of it, I felt nothing but pure clinical disgust at the sight of their limbs. It was the complete opposite of the first time I saw one... ugh. Bittersweet memory. That was perhaps the most embarrassing thing I have ever experienced in my entire life... Is that where my weird exhibitionist tendencies came from? A story for another day. I really don't feel like unpacking that right now.

'You should never make choices when you're angry. You'll just do stupid things.'

Pat, pat, pat, pat, pat...

Just like the other day, my emotional pendulum has swung back and I suddenly feel unusually calm. Maybe Nicole was right... It's not as easy for me to fall into a depressive spiral as it used to be. I even managed to relax completely with a heavily armed stranger standing a few feet away. I suppose it helps that she isn't trying to talk to me.

I don't have much time to enjoy the quiet clarity. Without warning, Maureen abruptly stands up, his ears pinning back as he lets out a sharp hiss followed by a deep, guttural grunt.

I follow his gaze across the garden and spot an... elf? He has short white hair and incredibly long, pointed ears. He's wearing some kind of flowing white robe heavily trimmed with gold.

'Wow, what terrible taste.' Wait, no, no. Since when am I so overly critical of how random people dress? That's a bad habit. He can wear whatever he wants... But in this specific case, it really is just objectively unpleasant taste, no matter how you look at it.

The elf takes a step closer. He locks eyes with Maureen, and whatever the cat sees makes him bolt in absolute terror, fleeing deep into the thick bushes of the garden.

Ah? Did you just scare away my cat!? You stupid son of a—No! Ugh, seriously, should I go to a temple and ask a priest if they can magically suppress these aggressive thoughts or something? I'll have to ask Nicole later. They're genuinely exhausting.

'Calm down, Seina.'

I barely catch the suffocating shift in the air around us. In the corner of my eye, Nicole rises to her feet and Ilona's posture goes deathly rigid, but their movements feel miles away. Even the Duchess shifts her weight, her attention snapping entirely to the newcomer.

Because right at that moment, I finally lock eyes with him. And...

'I can't calm down. I'm going to kill him.'

The sudden, violent spike of darkness in my blood roars to life. Something deep inside my chest is screaming that the thing standing in front of me isn't a person.

It is a pest. And it needs to be exterminated immediately.

'Get a hold of yourself!' My feral instincts have been hyperactive lately. I could just be imagining things...

"Greetings, ladies. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Would you be so kind as to—"

I cut the elf off, my voice dropping into a deadly, unrecognizable coldness.

"Get lost or I'll kill you, disgusting creature."