Kays Translations

Chapter 13: Henry’s Awareness

　Mai went up the stairs and Henry collapsed on the posy blanket. As he warmed himself in front of the fireplace, he thought back over the hectic day.

　That morning, the Minister of Land Development had criticized  him.

“You want sorcerers to maintain the roads?　Let ordinary people do it, even if it’s less efficient. His Majesty has given us instructions. We should make sure the poor are paid their wages.”

“There is no problem on that point. We want the ordinary people to do the construction work and also have the sorcerers to help them using earth magic.”

　The construction of the road was falling behind schedule. Henry’s men had been receiving constant urgings from the lords who used the road. So, with Kyrias’s approval, they reworked the construction plan, intending to make up for the cuts in the Department of Magic’s budget with the construction fee.

　

　But unlike Henry and his men, who had the nobles’ complaints heard by their representatives, the minister could complain freely because he only had to look over what Henry had written down.

　The wizards themselves say, “We don’t want to be given more work,” and repeatedly say, “We want more budget, and we don’t want to accept a reduction in our current budget.”

　Kyrias, who is in a position to coordinate the wizards, would be a bit more understanding, but he excels in earth magic and is away clearing up a landslide far away.

“If you participate in this construction work, you can buy those diamonds you’ve been wanting for a while. You must need them for some kind of magical tool, right?”

“That’s true, but if we cooperate with the construction, we won’t have time to experiment with the magical tools. That would be putting the cart before the horse.”

(You’ll have time eventually. How long are you going to keep whining? Are you a child?), but he resisted the urge to say so. Henry had never raised his voice at anyone in his life. As a civil servant, his motto was “Fulfill your duties without causing any conflict or making any enemies.”

　There is a senior colleague of Henry’s who is good at his job but has many enemies because of his usual words and actions, and he is unable to do his job efficiently. In the end, he failed to produce results in his work and despite his inherent excellence, he is now Henry’s subordinate. He thought that was an inefficient way to live as a civil servant.

“I would take on a less time-consuming job, though.”

“But that kind of work is inexpensive.”

“It’s terrible.”

　I was annoyed with both of them for being so selfish.

　So I put on a hooded coat and went to “Romi’s Bar” to vent my frustration, just in case I got drunk and accidentally exposed my ears out.

　Not being an expert on bars, I headed to Romi’s thinking, “If Mai-san frequents this place alone, it’s a safe bet the food is good.” I won’t deny that in a corner of my mind, I had hoped, “Maybe Mai will come too if I’m lucky.”

　When I was feeling a little tipsy, a customer sat next to me on my right, and I realized it was Mai from her scent.

　Before I could even say hello, the store owner and Mai started talking. Before I knew it, I had overheard what they were saying. I was shocked by what they were talking about.

(It seems Mai is planning to enjoy the Spring Waiting Festival with her boyfriend)

　At that thought, I suddenly felt a sudden heat in the pit of my stomach, and in an instant my ears and a tail appeared.

(Thank goodness I had my hood on), I thought, but my body heat just kept rising. I panicked when I noticed soft black hairs growing on the back of my hands.

(When I was a child, I turned into a cat when I had a high fever, but why now? If I turned into a cat with this build, all hell would break loose.)

　I quickly left the store. I was alarmed, almost scared, as I realized my body was changing. I quickly took off my clothes while my fingers were still in human form.

　I would like to commend myself for realizing in the midst of my panic (if I turn into a cat while wearing human clothes, I won’t be able to move). If someone sees a huge cat stuck in clothes, they will immediately realize that it is a beastman. If I’m not careful, my life could be in danger. Most people in this country have never seen a beastman and do not consider them as humans.

　

(No matter how hard I work, no matter how careful I am not to make enemies, if I’m seen like this… it will ruin …… everything.)

　I felt nauseous with tension and fear as I took off my clothes.

　By the time I finished removing all my clothes, I was no longer able to stand on my own two feet. What occupies my mind now is what I had heard at the counter.

(Mai has a lover with whom she spends the night intimately.)

　When I imagine Mai with some guy whose face I don’t know, I get a raging jealousy. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I shudder at the thought (I want to tear that man apart with my sharp claws and fangs).

My heart is torn between the calm thought (If I attack someone, my life will be over. Above all, I never want to hurt someone out of jealousy) and the wild emotion (I don’t want Mai to be taken away from me. Absolutely not).

　This is the first time I have ever felt such emotions in my 25 years of life. I felt like a different person from the one who had always lived a life of peace and tranquility.

(For now, I need to make sure Mai doesn’t find me.)

　With that single wish, I hid in the darkness.

　But Mai came looking for Henry. She wasn’t afraid of Henry’s changed appearance. In fact, she is much kinder to him than usual. It made him so happy he wanted to cry. However, the more kind she was to him, the more pathetic he felt.

　Henry, born of a beast mother and a human father, had given up hope of love as a human being. So he had never been attracted to any woman. He had always had a liking for Mai ever since he started going to “The Hideout,” but he had never intended to tell her how he felt about her.

　Henry, the 25-year-old head civil servant, had no choice but to finally give up and admit that (I like Mai). Still, he didn’t want anyone to know that he had turned into a cat because of the horrible, ugly feelings he had had at that time.

　He looked at himself sullenly, relying on the flames of the fireplace.

“Mai’s scent lingers on my fur.”

　As he sniffed his back, he remembered the blissful look on her face as she stroked him.

“Mai-san seems to really like this look. As a cat, that is.”

　Henry’s honest feeling was that of half happiness and half confusion.

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