Hello guys, I will be on vacation the 27 June. I'll try to release one or two chapter before then but that's not sure :(
Hope you'll enjoy it and don't hesitate to leave a comment, rate or make a review or this fiction. Thanks.
Enjoy !!
*********** ************** *********** **************** **************
As the light from the teleportation magic circle weakened, when I slowly opened my eyes, what I saw afar was a large city.
It seems that we were teleported a few kilometers away from the city, Kalten’s size really can’t be compared to any other city. It is about four time Elorgia’s size.
Even from where I am, I can see the castle. Situated in the middle of the city, if I had to describe it with 2 words, it would be unnecessarily big. I mean seriously, did they have to make a castle so big that it takes a fifth of the whole city?
Veralox: “Well then, shall we go greet them ?” He asked me with a little smirk, ready for the battle.
Shina: “No, let me confirm something first.” I said before walking toward the city as Veralox looked at me cluelessly.
I know that the main reason why we came was to take over the city, but I want to first confirm something first.
Gathering my mana in my ears and tail, I slowly retracted them, making look just like a normal human girl. I can’t enter the city as I am right now. My control over my mana being better, I am now able to transform my ear as I wish, I still remember the time when I needed Verlox’s help.
In order not to attract too much attention, I also changed the color of my hairs and eyes to brown, making look like any normal kid.
The moment my tail fully retracted and I started walking, my view suddenly changed.
“Ah….” I involuntarily let out as I beautifully fall on the ground as many interrogations.
“Puhhh” I heard some laugh coming from behind me… It hurt… Not my body but my mind is hurt.
Veralox: “Puhaha... D-Do you need some help ?” Verlox asked as he stretched his hand to me while containing his laugh.
Shina: “ I-I am fine !!” I yelled as I violently rejected his hand and stood by myself, yet…
‘Ehh?’ I once again fell on the ground, but this time it was my butt.
“PUAHAHAHA” The laughter this time are really loud… Why can’t I stand up?... Oh right, searching back in my memories I finally found out the answer, it was my tail.
My tail serving as a way to balance my body, I’ve never walked without using one. Wasn’t it the reason why I changed into a catgirl to begin with?
Veralox: “Sooooo~ Do you want some help ?” He asked me with an ironic smile.
That guy, he knew I wouldn’t be able to walk by myself and didn’t say anything… He kept silent and left me humiliate myself like that.
Veralox: “What? You still don’t want my help ?” Verlox said as he waited for my answer, he know I can’t walk by myself but still try to make some fun out of me…
Shina: “H-Help me to walk…” I weakly said as I felt my face become red.
Veralox: “I couldn’t hear, what did you say ?” He said while smiling, enjoying the situation.
Shina: “PLEASE HELP ME TO WALK !” I yelled embarrassed.
Veralox: “It wasn’t that hard, right? Here you go.” He said while laughing and taking my hand in order to stabilize my position.
I swear that I am going to have my revenge one day on him.
Shina: “Just wait that mommy come back, I’ll tell her you want to marry me…” I muttered next to his ears with a sadistic smile.
The color of Verlox’s face suddenly changed of color, turning pale and suddenly was covered in cold sweat.
Veralox: “I am sorry… Don’t make them kill me please.” He said as he almost threw his head on the ground.
Shina: “Kukuku, let’s go already.” I said as I pulled his hand.
*********** ************** *********** **************** **************
Leaving the army of old men… Or should I say Elder Dragons? We walked just the two of us toward the city, reaching the gates within a few minutes. As we were about the enter the city, we were intercepted by two guards.
Guard: “ Hello travelers, you have to pay a fine of two golds to enter the city.” The man said with a friendly smile.
Having a tax for entering the city is a simple way for the city to earn some money, even in the other cities we had to pay one, apart from Elorgia because of its current situation.
Shina “... I forgot about that” I muttered as I remembered the tax.
The thing is that I left the money to Nuya since I though I wouldn’t need any. Seeing my expression, Verlox caressed my head as he smiled.
Veralox: “I’ll take care of that.”
His smile somehow gives me a bad feeling, he won’t destroy the gates and enter by force or claim that he is the Dragon God like he did in Estiel’s home, right ?... Please seriously don’t.
Putting his hand in his pocket, I felt him gathering some mana before taking out a little purse, and handing it to the guard.
Opening the purse containing more than a hundred of gold, the guard took two and returned it to Veralox.
Veralox: “You don’t need to return it, keep the rest.” He said as he pulled my hand inside the city, leaving the astonished guard with the purse in his hands.
Shina: “Is it fine? You look like the kind of guy who would be unwilling to hand over even a tiny amount of his treasure to someone.”
Veralox: “What would I do with that gold? If I need some I can just create it like I did right now, keeping it would just be a bother.” He said as he laughed, wait what?
Shina: “You… just made this gold ?” I asked surprised, so that was why I felt some magic.
Veralox: “It’s not that difficult, the current you should be able to easily make some.”
Wait a minute… Then why did we work so hard during our travel if I could make it myself? Hearing that I now feel really depressed.
Entering the city, my first impression is kinda different from what I first though. The city look completely different from any other I’ve visited till now.
The more I walked inside the city, the more surprised I was. Because of this country’s prince, I was expecting them to keep them to ignore the people's wishes. Yet in this city, most of the inhabitant look happy.
The citizen seem friendly and the guards are seriously doing their work and sometimes chatting with the passer-by; everyone is friendly with each other.
Moreover, until now I didn’t see a single homeless man or someone living on the street.
Walking around what seemed to be the residential building, I felt someone sneak behind me and tap my shoulder. I wasn’t truly afraid of who it was since if it was dangerous, Verlox would have been the first to react.
The one who tapped my shoulder was a boy who seemed to be around my age.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Boy: “Hey you, are you new around here ?” The boy asked me as he looked at me with his round eyes.
Shina: “Y-Yeah, I just arrived in this city, although I will be leaving soon.” I answered.
Boy: “I see, then… Do you want to come play with us ?” He asked as he pointed toward a group of three other children.
Since I came to investigate the current life of the inhabitant of this city, I might as well follow them and ask them some question at the same time.
Shina: “Sure, let’s go.” I said as I pulled out my hand from Verlox, after walking in the city for a few moments, I can now manage to somehow walk and run on my own; but fighting was still out of question.
“I’ll follow you from afar.” Veralox said before disappearing in a *pouf* as if he had never existed, but nobody seems to have noticed it.
Boy: “So, what’s your name? I am Mar and there you have Kana and Fole.” He said as he pointed toward a little brown haired girl and blond boy.
Shina: “My name is…Kina, nice to meet you.” I replied.
Kana: “Kina? Hey tell me, why are your hairs of this color? How can I have the same? Why are your hairs so differents ?...” The moment I introduced myself I was bombarded of question about my looks.
It took them more than twenty minutes of questions before they finally started to calm down, they feel totally different from Fiona and Estiel… Is that how a five years old child behave? Look like we matured far too fast, but it couldn’t be helped with our circumstance.
Fole: “Fine then, where shall we go play today ?” The blond boy asked without even giving me a chance of asking questions.
Mar: “Ah, isn’t it today that Keke is coming home ?!” One of them said as if he had forgotten.
Kana: “Right, let’s go, fast !”
As Kana pulled my hand, we ran a little further in the residential district before we finally arrived in front of a large building, but as I saw it my expression suddenly dropped.
It was a large white building which looked like a noble mansion, really clean and the garden around was well done, in the entrance were a placard with written: ‘Orphanage Desalda’
The moment before we entered the orphanage, a beautiful carriage suddenly arrived. The carriage had many precious stones encrusted inside and it was surrounded by horsemen in a shining armor.
On the door was a crest which I was familiar with, it was the one as in the contract between Theristid and Aorlan, the crest of Theristid’s royal family.
As the door of the carriage suddenly opened, I was surprised by who the person who came out was.
Fole/Kana/Mar : “Keke !!” The three children yelled as they ran toward him… Toward Kerser.
The moment I saw him I became stiff, but I quickly relaxed. Even if my face and body are the same, Kerser should not be able to recognize me.
Kerser: “How are you doing guys? It’s been a while since I last saw you.” He said with a smile as they hugged him.
Mar: “How was the war ?! Did you fight a lot of enemies? Did you win ?” The boy innocently asked.
Hearing this, Kerser blanked before smiling and beginning to boast himself.
After a few dozen of minutes, an old lady came out of the orphanage, walking toward Kerser.
Old lady: “My prince, thank you for coming once again. I am happy that you managed to come back healthy from the war.” The woman said as she sighed out of relief.
Kerser: “There were some complication but let’s not talk about that anymore, I came to give you this month’s allocation.” He said as a knight behind him took a small chest out from the carriage and gave it to the old woman.
Kerser: “I added a bonus of 50 gold to the normally 200 gold allocation, please use it to buy the kids a little something from the town.” He said as he showed a warm smile.
Old lady: “Thank you my prince, may the goddess bless you.” She said as she went back inside the orphanage probably to hide it.
Fole: “Keke, let’s fight again !” Fole ran to him with two wooden branches of the half the size of a sword.
Kana: “Not fair! I want to play with Keke too !”
Mar: “I want to fight him too !” The three began to wrestle as Kerser was looking at them while laughing before noticing me.
Kerser: “I never saw you before, are you new here ?” He said as he approached me with a hint of pity and sadness in his eyes.
Shina: “N-no, my name is Kina and I arrived in this city only today.” I introduced myself with a shaking voice as I was afraid he would recognize me.
Kerser: “I see, you don’t have to be afraid of me because I am the prince, just call me ‘Keke’ like the others.” He said as he patted my head.
I was truly stupefied by the Kerser before me, is he really the same person as the one who tried to enslave me and invade Aorlan? I feel like everything that happened until now was a lie.
Shina: “I-Is it true that you went to war against the demihumans ?”
Hearing my question, Kerser had a wry smile and waited a couple of second before answering.
Kerser: “It’s true, but many things happened and we weren’t able to win.”
Shina: “I don’t understand… Why do we have to fight them? Why do we use them as slaves ?” I asked as I wanted to know his true opinion on the demi-humans.
Kerser: “Because… They are useful.” He said after thinking for a long time.
Shina: “ Useful?...” I couldn’t understand the reason behind his words, what did he mean by useful?
Kerser: “Laboring the fields, cleaning the street, transporting merchandise, fighting... I don’t really hate demihumans, but by using them we considerably improve the lifestyle of the inhabitants. Not only us, but the goddess also wish for our happiness; that’s the reason why we went in war with them. They are afraid of us so it would be easy to enslave them without any significant loss; and by using them in the next holy war after properly training them, we could have saved a high number of human life.” He began to explain to me as he looked in the sky, for him demihumans are something convenient for his country.
Shina : “I… can’t agree with this. It’s not right to rob someone of his freedom for our own sake.”
Kerser : “There are a lot of people like you, they think that demihumans should be free… In my opinion, they are some useful tools which can make my people happy. But even if I was thinking otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to change anything about it. Even my father can’t although he is the king.”
I see, since the slaves improve their condition of life, freeing them would make the citizens angry and maybe revolt against the empire. In short, menacing the royal family was useless; only the goddess would possess the authority to free them.
Knowing this made it simpler, we just need to beat the goddess and force her to free them.