SWNOVELXO Chapter 181 - The Divine Cat Mii-chan Overlooks the Rebel Army.
181 The Divine Cat Mii-chan Overlooks the Rebel Army.
We were allowed to use the former royal bathhouse.
Perro, Lu-kun, and Laru-kun are with me. Mii-chan is apparently joining Lady Leene with Luka and the others.
After washing Perro and the others together with the maids, the maids suddenly bowed and left… I have a bad feeling about this.
Sure enough, when I turned around, the handsome king had already entered the bath, looking very relaxed. Mii-chan, acting like a beckoning cat, had an intense allure.
“It’s been a while, Nero. For now, could you hand me that?”
The butler handed me a mug filled with ale. I wondered if wearing that outfit in the bath wasn’t too hot, but I handed the king the ale, supercooled.
The king flicked the mug with his finger, showing a boyish grin. He seemed even more pleased.
Perro, Lu-kun, and Laru-kun were leisurely swimming in the distance.
“Delicious! As expected, this is the best! Nothing beats it!”
It seems he’s quite fond of it.
“Lord Nero, might you share the secret recipe with us? We gathered all the water and ice skill users in the royal palace to recreate it, but not a single one could make it.”
“I ask this as well. You may name any reward.”
So, they went that far just to have a drink…
“I don’t mind, but could you keep it secret for a while? I’ve been selling this in the central plaza of the city, so I’d like to keep the production method a secret for the time being.”
It’s bound to be imitated someday. Water skill users are more common than air skill users, after all.
“The people in the city can enjoy this whenever they want…”
Although we don’t serve alcohol. But I feel like this could sell well. Maybe limiting it to an hour in the evening could work.
“Papa Nyanya of Leene-chan.”
“Grr.”
“Squeak.”
The butler gave me some fruit juice, which I froze and handed to Perro. I put out dishes for Lu-kun and Laru-kun.
“So cold! Let’s race again!”
“Grr.”
“Squeak.”
“Your companions are full of energy.”
“Haha…”
Being full of energy is their only redeeming quality. Sorry about that.
“Since Luka, Rea, and Noa came, Leene has brightened up a lot. I’m grateful. I, too, find solace in Noa.”
“They’re all good kids. Lady Leene is kind, and Luka and the others adore her.”
“Indeed. By the way, you’ve heard about tomorrow, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
A rebellion, huh… I don’t like the sight of blood, but I guess I’ll just have to accept it.
“To reward you for your efforts, Nero, I shall ensure they are dealt with. We’ll make Rotaringia see the consequences. Once we succeed, you will be granted a title of nobility. I trust you’ll accept it.”
“Huh? Wait, um…”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a nominal title. Nothing will change for you except having an extra title.”
That’s what makes it bothersome…
After a bit of small talk, I left the bath. I felt unusually tired, even though I had just taken a bath. I wanted to go to sleep quickly, but then Nia showed up and made me make frozen drinks… I swore I’d teach someone else to do it tomorrow.
The next morning, after breakfast, I conducted training with the king’s attendants and the queen’s maids on water skills. They were struggling quite a bit. People like Kaya-chan, who are young and flexible in their thinking, or people like Claudia-san, who have a basic understanding of ice skills, seem to grasp the concept more easily.
But for those with more life experience and rigid thinking, even if I drew it out for them, their preconceived notions got in the way. Unlike air skills, which are easier to demonstrate through experiments, it’s quite difficult to explain invisible water molecules.
At that moment, a soldier came over and spoke with Nia about something.
“Lady Annaliese, it appears it has begun.”
“Oh? What’s the damage?”
“It seems the town has not suffered any harm. The soldiers have gathered at the front gate.”
“Well then, shall we go? Nia, take Leene to her room.”
“Understood.”
Hmm, where should I go?
“Nero, come with me.”
Looks like I’m going that way… Mii-chan, shall we go? Everyone, take care of Lady Leene.
“Mii!”
“Got it, nyan!”
“Grr!”
“Squeak!”
The place the queen took me to overlooked the city of Beruna and the gate from the royal palace. It was the spot where the king waves to the knights when they depart.
About 200 meters from the gate, fully armored soldiers had lined up their shields, and behind them stood soldiers of various appearances. Flags indicating nobility fluttered here and there, as if to flaunt their status.
Even as enemies, I have to admit that a gathering of two thousand soldiers is quite a spectacle.
“Mii!”
Along the castle walls on our side, archers were lined up in a row. In front of the gate, the royal guards stood tall and firm, awaiting their commander’s orders.
“I’ve garnered quite a bit of hatred, haven’t I? To think so many nobles would gather against me.”
“It is unjust for them to hold such a grudge against Your Majesty. They should be ashamed of their incompetence.”
The king and the chancellor had already arrived and were gazing down below.
“Indeed, this will be a good opportunity to clean house. We can rid ourselves of these useless pests and fill the national treasury.”
“Quite so. If we use the money we’ve been wasting on these fools for state affairs, many issues could be resolved.”
The rebel army seemed to have finished gathering, and about fifty shield-bearers and a palanquin advanced toward the castle gate. They stopped about 120 meters from the gate, where the shield-bearers formed a circle, bracing their shields. They were likely preparing to defend against arrows.
At 120 meters, it’s an easy shot for a longbow, but sniping accurately would be difficult. An expert archer might manage it, but there’s still time to raise their shields after an arrow is fired. They probably calculated the distance with that in mind.
An old man, who appeared to be the head of the household, emerged from the palanquin.
“That’s Duke Wittelsbach.”
“The epitome of an old fool.”
“Indeed.”
Another man, dressed as a noble, stood beside Duke Wittelsbach.
“It seems Duke Liechtenstein is also present. Wittelsbach must have been hiding him.”
“So, Wittelsbach is the mastermind. How convenient—now we can avenge the former king, Julius.”
“Ah, they’ve come right to us. Let’s finish them off for good.”
I heard later that Duke Liechtenstein was once a close aide to the previous king and the mastermind behind his poisoning. He had been missing until now, making this a fitting moment for the appearance of our sworn enemy.
Duke Liechtenstein stepped forward and took out something like a loudspeaker. Apparently, someone other than Zergad had made it.
It looks like they’re going to make a speech. This battle seems to be quite relaxed.
What’s the point of all this?
“Mii!”