The Black Cat Prince Laughs At The Moonlit Sky 1-58 min read

Chapter 1-5: Encounter

“…Mhmm…”

I had a dream.

Someone was gently stroking my hair.

As if tenderly handling something fragile.

Then, after that…

Something crawled over my body…

It was like being licked.

Ticklish, but felt a little…

Good.

And then, in the end, that person.

As always, they’d whisper close to my ear.

A hair’s breadth away.

Sweetly, smoothly.

“…Soon. Soon

All of you will be mine.”

“–?!”

Jump–!!

I jumped from the bed, and with a fwip, I look around in all directions.

However, there was no one else aside from me inside the all too-familiar tent.

…A dream? That dream again.

Oh jeez, seriously… What’s wrong with me…

…Don’t tell me it’s cause I’m frustrated.

Was I letting out a weird voice while I was asleep?

I pressed down on my chest as to calm down my raging heart.

This wasn’t the first time.

I’ve been seeing this dream so much for the past month, but it wasn’t everyday.

A man I don’t know, and whose face I could never see, would caress my hair.

And then a shiver would go through my whole body.

And at the end, he’d whisper into my ear…

And that’s as far as I’ll remember as I shake my head.
No way. Get yourself together, Fiorentina. You’ve already come this far. You can’t keep on daydreaming.
‘Slap!’ I hit both of my cheeks with my hands to get myself together. With perfect timing, at that moment,
 
“Fior, it’s me. You up?”
 
A voice called me from outside the tent, and I replied in a slightly shrill voice, “Y-yes!”
‘I’m coming in.’ And after they informed me, the entrance opened,
 
“Commander Louis, good morning.”
“Yo, you’re lively early in the morning.”
“Of course! Since we’ll soon be at the border between Istrada and Loganz. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know!”
 
…Ah, what’s with my words just now?
I’ve been with his troops for 3 months now.
This person who I called ‘Commander,’ before I knew it, I started talking to him more formally.
The more you know about his personality, the more you hesitate to act cheeky with him.
Well, it sorta spread to everyone around me as well.
 
“Thank you. However, there’s no problems at all. I’ve been told as well that the spy is already going back.”
 
Commander answered in a bright tone.
 
 
The Kingdom of Istrada, and the Commander’s country…Loganz Empire, we were in the middle of the forest near the border between these two.
Yesterday, we unloaded our baggage and spent one night here.
The town that the Commander saved me at was at the center of the Kingdom of Istrada, but from there, it takes three months to finally reach the vicinity of the border.
During that time, we spent most of our time traversing it, but whenever we came across a destroyed town, we would look for survivors. Like the time when I was saved.
But we didn’t find any.
 
No, to say it more accurately.
There was not one human alive.
What was there was, “something that used to be human.”
 
The more we walked, the more we were exposed to just how terrible things were in this country.
The very last town was completely destroyed.
I couldn’t help harbouring feelings of regret, frustration, and compassion. And then.
It made me painfully realize just how much of a miracle it was that I was saved.
To not have surrendered themselves despite the situation being this dire, I wonder what this country’s king is thinking. As the country suffers.
 
“We’ll be departing in an hour. Until then, finish preparing the food.”
“Understood!”
 
Without comprehending the horrible dream I had earlier, I stood straight and replied.
With a pleasant smile, the Commander quietly went to the tent in the back.
 
…Sigh.
 
Let me wash my face first.
If I could completely wash off this sugary aftertaste coiling around me right now, that is.
 
 
******
 
Later that afternoon.
 
“How much left?”
“Yes! If we manage to move forward successfully like this, we’ll safely enter Loganz territory in about seven days.”
 
Commander Louis asked, and one of the troop members answered.
With the border as our goal, we moved on horseback through the middle of the overgrown forest with its dense trees.
The sun should be high up in the sky because it’s daytime, but because of the shadow from the trees, it was slightly dim. With the damp smell of moss in the air, it drifted all around.
 
“I see. Well, ‘s not like we’re in a hurry. A little further ahead should be a small lake. We’ll set up base over there.”
“Understood!”
 
The soldiers advancing from behind the Commander collectively answered.
But, immediately after that, everyone let loose from the tense atmosphere, and unanimously started talking.
 
“Lake, huh… it’s been a while since I took a proper bath…”
“Right? Even if you’re a magic user, there’s a limit to that as well.”
“Fior-chan, wash my back♪”
“Ah, me too, me too!”
“No. Do it yourselves.”
 
This kind of mood is an everyday occurence with this group.
They do things when they have to, but… they’re fundamentally carefree.
Everyone and I repeatedly went back and forth saying, “Please♪,” and “No.” At that moment—-
 
“…Halt.”
All of a sudden, the commander raised his hand to stop us from moving.
With the sudden order, the horse I was riding raised its front legs, and neighed.
 
“W-What’s going on? So sudden…”
“Quiet.”
 
Cutting me off, the commander’s whole body tensed, and surveyed our surroundings.
With eyes that sharpened completely like a beast looking for its natural enemy…
The other members seemed to sense something as well, and waited for orders from their silent commander.
The tension seemed to prickle my skin… As if cutting that off,
 
“–Behind! Intercept them!!”
 
The commander vigorously looked back, and shouted.
The troops as well turned around all at once, and got ready.
Immediately after, multiple glowing orbs jumped out with unthinkable speed while burning the nearby trees.
These are… fireballs? Which means it’s offensive magic?!
But, who would…
 
“Fior! Jump on over here!!”
 
Saying that, the commander came near me with his horse.
I had no time to think. I hurriedly jumped over behind him as I was told.
After checking, he looked back again,
 
“Everyone! Get down!!”
 
He said with a loud voice that made the air tremble.
In response, the soldiers, who were repelling the incessant fireballs with magic shields, lowered their heads all at once.
And then…
 
“–Fuujin, Raijin*!!”
 
With incredible speed, the Commander does a “signature” in the air, and vigorously waves that hand.
In an instant.
 
Fwooosh!!
 
As much as could be seen with the naked eye, a fierce wind appears, and literally in an instant, mows down the incoming fireballs.
Moreover,
 
Crackle!!
 
Immediately after the blades of wind, a band of dazzling light moves through with a noise that sounds like it’s ripping through air…
Even the dense trees growing in the back were struck down as if they were cut with a huge scythe. About thirty trees. The trees fall with heavy sounds along with the noises of the birds, and the light from the sun flows through.
 
“W-Wow…”
 
I unconsciously raised my voice at how fast and powerful that magic was.
This is… The magic power of someone who’s received training…
 
However, even now, the Commander had his hand ready in preparation for battle. And looking at his earlier sharp gaze…
Losing the cover of the trees, it seems that it wasn’t just the sun that was revealed.
It was a pair. They were both riding on horses, the same as us. Because both their faces are covered with cloths, I wasn’t sure, but from their physiques, they look to be men.
 
Were these two the ones who launched the previous attacks?
How did they manage to avoid the commander’s attacks?, I thought. They turned to face this way with their uninjured horses.
 
“Suddenly throwing fireballs, what a ridiculous greeting… Where are you from? Though I can pretty much guess…”
 
The Commander said in a low voice I’ve never heard before. And then,
 
Woosh!
 
The commander moves his hand just a little bit…
At that instant, the cloth from one of their faces tears, and gently falls down.
 
“…Leave. Or I’ll aim for your necks next.”
 
Shudder…
Even I understood that the commander will hit them with an intent to kill.
Even the always carefree soldiers were also donning frightened expressions.
 
This is the military.
This is a battlefield…
 
“…”
 
The pair said nothing.
Only the tense atmosphere prevailed over the middle of the forest—- And then,
 
Bang!!
 
Suddenly, an intense light spread over my vision.
 
“…!”
“Close your eyes!”
 
The Commander covered me with his mantle.
I understood even from behind my eyelids that it was a strong light which continued for a while…
 
“…Flash orb is so old-fashioned…”
 
By the time that the commander muttered that, the light and the pair had already disappeared.

*The kanji were actually “Wind Blade, Thunder Blade” but the furigana wrote it as fuujin and raijin, respectively. Fuujin actually means wind god, while raijin means lightning/thunder god.
Sorry for the late post, as always. I was bombarded with tons of homework this week, so I didn’t have time to translate anything. But anyways, classes have been getting busy, and as much as I’d want to finish this story, it’s taking a long time to get to where the juicy bits are, and because I have other stories that I’m prioritizing (I’m also just one translator lol), I’ll be updating this story either once a week, or twice a month.