Kays Translations

Chapter 227: Cat Diplomacy and Giant Diplomacy

The “Bonyaal” pose, named after Pierre Bonnard’s famous painting White Cat, involves a cat stretching its four legs to their limit while arching its back.

The tabby cat that had so elegantly demonstrated this common post-nap pose let out a single meow before calmly stepping out of the basket. Without any sense of urgency, it began grooming itself with its front paws.

“What… What an adorable creature…”

The queen pressed her hands together over her mouth and let out a sigh of wonder.

Her eyes glistened, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

“This creature is called a neko—a cat. Are you familiar with the familiar that accompanied Isamu during the recent ceremony and engagement announcement?”

“Oh, of course. I heard it followed him from his original world. A very cute yet brave familiar, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. That familiar—her name is Orihime—happens to be distantly related to this one, Ash.”

“Distantly related? But Orihime is from another world, isn’t she?”

“There is a rather surprising coincidence behind that…”

Nicolette proceeded to explain:

• The founder of a now-lost kingdom had also been a wanderer from Isamu’s world.
• Like Isamu, this wanderer had arrived with a cat companion.
• This world already had creatures resembling cats, though they were rare and only found in certain areas.
• These creatures were able to breed with the wanderer’s cat, and their descendants had continued to thrive alongside the lost kingdom’s heirs.
• During an expedition to ancient ruins, Isamu had happened upon one of these descendants, bonded with it, and brought it back to Claufendam.

Nicolette omitted mentioning Avalushi, as it would complicate the story, but her explanation was largely accurate.

“When I came to this territory, several cats accompanied me. Ash is one of them.”

“I see… That explains a lot.”

Even as Nicolette spoke, the queen’s gaze remained fixed on Ash, who continued leisurely grooming himself.

“Meow?”

Noticing the intense stare, Ash tilted his head slightly and let out a soft cry before approaching the queen.

Reaching the edge of the table, he flopped onto his side, rolling over to expose his snowy white belly. Then, he gave another small meow.

“!!”

The queen’s eyes widened as she gasped, speechless.

“Lady Luru, would you care to stroke his throat? This pose is a sign that he trusts you. He’ll only be pleased, not bothered.”

“I-I see…!”

Encouraged by Nicolette’s smile, the queen nodded eagerly.

“L-Like this?”

She hesitantly reached out and gently stroked Ash’s throat. His tail flicked lazily as he lay sprawled on the table.

Ash narrowed his eyes in delight and purred in a soft, circular rhythm.

“～～～!!”

The queen let out another soundless exclamation. Her expression resembled that of a grandmother meeting her first grandchild.

Nicolette then commented.

“Ordinarily, cats dislike being touched in certain areas, but it seems that with Lady Luru, he’ll allow you to pet him anywhere.”

And so, the queen continued to tenderly stroke Ash all over.

(She’s fallen for him… As expected of Ash… What a formidable creature…)

Watching the scene unfold, Nicolette mused to herself.

It hadn’t been mere chance that she had chosen Ash to bring along.

Currently, there were three cats in Klaufendam, aside from the one that had partnered with the magic giant golem rider.

Ash was one of them, and he often spent time at the church.

Among all the Avalushi cats, Ash was the most sociable and relaxed.

As Nicolette had mentioned, many cats enjoy being petted on areas they can’t reach themselves, such as their throats or behind their ears. However, very few cats allow their bellies—one of their most vulnerable spots—to be touched.

But Ash was different. As long as he was handled gently, he would let people pet his belly freely.

More than that, he enjoyed it, gazing up with blissful, half-lidded eyes.

Because of this, he had quickly become the beloved mascot of the church.

“This Ash currently resides at our territory’s church.”

Once the queen finally snapped back to reality after stroking Ash for a full ten minutes, Nicolette resumed speaking.

“The bishop mentioned that, as Orihime’s acknowledged kin, Ash has already been enshrined as a divine familiar of the church. He cannot be given away, but there may be a possibility with his offspring…”

“Oh…?”

“In fact, one of our cats is currently expecting Ash’s kittens.”

“…I see how it is. Understood.”

The queen exhaled, as if resigning herself to the inevitable.

“As promised, I’ll issue an official endorsement for the kamishibai storytelling project, provide funding, and personally attend the theater’s opening night. Let that scheming bishop know my decision.”

“…Understood.”

“Honestly… Well, fine. It will benefit His Majesty as well. There’s no harm in it. Continue working for the royal family’s best interests, will you?”

With a slightly begrudging expression, the queen concluded the conversation.

Nicolette, ever composed, bowed deeply in response.

“Oh, it’s quite large.”

“It looks like a giant knight clad in armor.”

“To think that this thing moves just like a human… it’s hard to believe.”

The king, prime minister, and minister of military affairs arrived at the observation seats set up at the training grounds and each gave their impressions upon seeing the first-generation Magic Giant Golem standing in the center of the field.

“This time, we were fortunate enough to capture a fully operational unit, so I would like to show you how it moves. Would that be acceptable?”

Standing nearby, Selfers checked with the king and his entourage.

The Magic Giant Golem was a magical artifact, but more than that, it was a full-fledged weapon.

Even though they were seated at a safe distance, its head stood higher than the lowest row of seats. Operating it directly in front of the king was not something to be done lightly.

“Ah, I don’t mind. If it were planning to attack, there’d be no point in waiting around, would there?”

“Thank you.”

After receiving the king’s approval with a respectful bow, Selfers stepped to the front row and called out:

“Begin!”

“Understood!”

A knight who had been training in piloting at Klaufendam climbed into the first-generation golem from the rear with the assistance of support soldiers.

“So, they pilot it from inside?”

Muttering as he watched the preparations, the king turned to Selfers for confirmation.

“Yes. The pilot inserts their arms and legs into tube-like devices, and their movements are transmitted to the Magic Giant Golem.”

“I see. That means there would be a considerable difference between an amateur and a trained knight.”

Responding to Selfers’ explanation, the military minister, Bertrand, spoke up next.

“Exactly. Due to its sheer size and strength, even an amateur can wield it as a formidable weapon. However, when controlled by a trained warrior, it becomes a true one-man army. That said…”

“That said?”

“There is a trick to maneuvering it. For example, even if the Magic Giant Golem bends its arm completely, the pilot’s arm only bends about two-thirds of the way.”

“Hmm.”

The first-generation model primarily adopted a master-slave control system.

However, unlike the second-generation, which had a 1:1 movement ratio between pilot and golem, the first-generation’s movement ratio was about 1:1.5.

In a neutral stance, the pilot’s movements were amplified by approximately 1.5 times when reflected in the Magic Giant Golem.

While this allowed for movement with minimal physical exertion, it also made precise adjustments difficult.

Based on the analysis of Isamu, it was likely a design compromise, balancing the limited space available for the cockpit and the need to improve responsiveness.

“Therefore, even a master swordsman cannot immediately replicate their movements perfectly within a Magic Giant Golem. Rather…”

“Rather, those with ingrained combat reflexes would struggle more, wouldn’t they?”

“Exactly.”

Selfers’ explanation made Bertrand furrow his brow.

“I myself have tried piloting it. While walking and carrying objects posed no problem, in combat situations, I found myself overcompensating and failing to control it properly.”

Recalling his experience, Selfers let out a small, wry laugh.

The more experienced a fighter, the more their body reacts instinctively rather than consciously thinking through movements.

This tendency was especially prominent in disciplines like swordsmanship and martial arts, where even a fraction of a second’s delay could determine the outcome of a battle.

As a result, trained fighters often moved reflexively, but since the first-generation model did not have a 1:1 ratio, their intended motions would be exaggerated and misrepresented.

Indeed, the knight chosen for today’s demonstration was a new recruit with minimal combat experience.

Veteran knights found it far more difficult to adapt to piloting.

“Conversely, this means that with proper training, even those with moderate skills can become highly effective pilots.”

This time, it was Prime Minister Zaid who spoke up.

His assessment was correct. Rather than having elite warriors struggle to adjust, it was more efficient to train specialized pilots with basic combat knowledge and limited live combat experience.

Combat training was necessary, but excessive training could be counterproductive—making it a challenging weapon to integrate into military operations.

Seeing that there were no further questions, Selfers gave a large wave of his hand to signal the start of the demonstration.

Noticing the signal, the Magic Giant Golem gave a small nod, then drew its sword from its waist and assumed a stance.

The dulled blade, modified for training, caught the slanted afternoon sunlight and glinted faintly.

After holding its stance for a moment, the Magic Giant Golem began to move once more.

A mechanical whir filled the air as it fluidly performed the standard forms of the kingdom’s swordsmanship.

Each time it changed direction, dust billowed from the ground, and every step sent a subtle tremor through the viewing stands.

“Its movements are surprisingly smooth.”

“It can move this well…?”

“Hmph… to think something of that size could move at such speed…”

The three onlookers each murmured in astonishment, though their words differed.

“Yes, I was equally shocked when I first saw it.”

Picking up on their murmurs, Selfers responded in agreement.

After about five minutes of demonstration through kata, the performance continued for another fifteen minutes, with the Magic Giant Golem responding to various requests (mainly from Bertrand).

Once the demonstration concluded, the golem was brought to a halt and placed in standby mode, allowing the pilot to disembark.

The group then descended from the viewing stands and moved to the training ground.

“Hmm. It doesn’t seem to be made of metal.”

The king muttered as he knocked on the exterior of the magic giant golem.

“Yes. It has considerable strength, but it is also quite lightweight. Even Isamu couldn’t determine what it was made of—it appears to be an unknown material.”

Isamu had suspected it was something like FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic), but since it was difficult to explain, he publicly referred to it as an unknown material.

“If there are more than a hundred of these, it would be quite a threat…”

“No wonder the Zun forces invaded. If we fought them unprepared, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Zaid and Bertrand sighed deeply as they considered the golem’s performance.

“The only issue is the power source—the attribute-less magic stones, correct?”

“The Zun forces likely thought that as long as they could obtain attribute-less magic stones, they could handle the rest.”

“…And there were also certain others who sought to take advantage of that situation.”

Recalling the explanation about the golem’s heavy consumption of attribute-less magic stones, the king and his ministers sighed once more.

“But to think we managed to defeat this thing—and even capture it…”

Having witnessed the golem’s combat capabilities firsthand, Bertrand was astonished by the outcome of the recent battle.

As someone with extensive battlefield experience, he could vividly grasp the vast difference in power between them and their enemies.

“It was largely thanks to Isamu’s skill and quick thinking, as well as the assistance of Lord Felker.”

Seeing an opportunity, Selfers summarized the battle report he had received from Isamu and provided additional details that were not included in the official report.

“Hah, that Samuel… He hasn’t changed one bit.”

The king chuckled upon hearing that Marquis Samuel Felker had personally entered the battlefield.

Zaid and Bertrand, also smiling wryly, responded, “Indeed.”

“And above all, it was Isamu’s skill and magic tools that made the difference. Without them, the situation would have been dire.”

“Agreed. Recognizing their effectiveness early on and allowing Lord Matsumoto to freely create magic tools was a wise decision by Lord Klaufeldt.”

“Indeed. And it was also Lord Matsumoto who, upon learning that the golems required attribute-less magic stones, immediately had Klaufendam’s supply hidden away. That was a sharp move.”

“Yes, thanks to that, the bandits were unable to steal them when they infiltrated.”

Naturally, the conversation shifted to Isamu, the greatest contributor to this victory.

And by extension, Selfers, who had taken Isamuunder his wing, was also recognized for his achievements.

“With that in mind, I intend to bestow rewards upon Selfers and Isamu for their contributions in this matter.”

“We are honored by your words.”

“What do you desire?”

“…It is not our place, as vassals, to request rewards.”

“Hmm, then let me rephrase. I plan to promote Selfers and grant Isamu a noble title. Would that be acceptable?”

“What?! …My apologies. I am deeply honored by your high regard. However, as this is an unexpected matter, I would like to confirm with Isamu before giving a formal response.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected offer, Selfers was momentarily speechless before hurriedly responding.

“Heh. At last, I see a surprised expression from you.”

The king smirked.

Zaid seemed unsurprised, suggesting he had been informed beforehand, but Bertrand and the royal guards all showed a brief moment of shock.

“Lord Felker and others will also be rewarded, but the two of you stand out in merit. A noble title is the most fitting recognition.”

Zaid supplemented the king’s statement.

“The war is not yet over, so the official recognition will come once the situation is resolved. But confirm with Isamu in the meantime. Some past ‘Wanderers’ have refused such honors, after all.”

“That is true. Many of them have different values from ours, so it is not uncommon for them to decline. However, rejecting a reward after receiving it would be quite improper.”

“Understood. I will confirm with him and report back promptly.”

“Good. Oh, that reminds me—there’s one more thing to consider.”

After nodding at Zaid’s explanation, the king added something as if he had just remembered it.

“When the upper ranks are too full, awarding new noble titles can be troublesome. It would be much easier if we could demote or strip a title from someone. Now, wasn’t there an unruly fool who caused trouble somewhere…?”

“…………”

“Well, that’s the situation. Your efforts and contributions in this matter are greatly appreciated. I hope you will accept the rewards in good faith.”

“As you command.”

After leaving those words to Selfers, who gave a deep bow, the king departed from the training grounds with Zaid and Bertrand.

“Good grief… It seems things will remain eventful for a while yet.”

Watching their retreating figures, Selfers muttered quietly to himself.

And so, the audience with the king and the tea gathering with the queen came to an end.

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