Chapter 77 The timing wasn't right; an untimely reunion...
"Are you feeling unwell anywhere right now? Did Hisewen say when the curse will take effect?"
"...No, none at all."
Completely helpless, Leosley could only let Dragon carefully press him down on the sofa, looking at him like he was a fragile object.
Such a clumsy lie, I was afraid Mainkuhn would doubt it, but why did you believe it so readily, Villette?
"Meow?"
The cat pounced, its bright yellow eyes flashing with undisguised confusion and astonishment.
Sniff, sniff.
The fuzzy beard prickled and scratched in Leosley's palm, and Mainkuen, clinging to his sworn brother, grew increasingly puzzled by the smell.
[Hormonal levels are normal, sweat composition is higher than normal, smells slightly milky, did she eat creamy chicken stew? Good appetite, strong odor, probably ate a lot, aside from some stress, no matter how I smell it, there are no signs of illness...wait, this smell is—Amelie's mom!?]
When two hundred million olfactory receptors are working at full capacity, almost no clue can escape the nose of a half-demon.
[It was indeed Amélie, and it wasn't just a casual passing by.]
The cat made its conclusion.
[The scent was clear and unmixed; the two of them had been in a closed room for a long time.]
[...]
Navilette persisted in pressing for answers:
"Who cursed you? Is there any way to get him to lift the curse? After all, the method to lift the curse is really... well, I, I, I mean, we might not be able to find your brother, since we haven't heard from the captains of the security force yet."
Looking at the Water Dragon King, whose face was full of worry but who still tried to make amends, Leosley couldn't help but laugh and cry.
It seems like the acting is more realistic now, which is good.
"No problem, the prisoner is under my control."
He couldn't bear to make up any more stories, so he could only give a vague answer.
“But just in case, I still want to see Mainkuhn, you know, it’s called a safety precaution… Of course, even without this, I would still very much like to see him.”
"..."
The big cat, which had been carefully sniffing his clothes with its nose, suddenly stopped, wagged its short tail, and lay down without moving.
"?"
This reaction... do they believe it or not?
Leosley suspiciously reached out and touched the cat.
"Don't worry about me at all, Vilette. Speaking of which, have your students been... oh?"
Normally, its thick fur conceals its shape, but you only discover its true form when you reach out and pinch it—
"You seem to have lost a lot of weight."
"...Is there? Let me see."
After the cat god's identity was exposed, Navelette became less inclined to touch him in private. Now, when he suddenly hugged him, she immediately realized something was wrong:
"It definitely feels much lighter."
Then smooth his back and pinch his paws.
"The fur has thinned too?"
“.
He could do whatever he wanted with the cat.
"What's going on? I remember Fontaine is in the beginning of winter, not summer, right?"
Leosley then deftly picked up the big cat and stroked it twice.
"Navelette, has he not had a good appetite lately?"
"Sorry, I don't know. As you know, Cat God hasn't wanted to spend much time with me lately, and he's always out playing with Funina all day long..."
"Play? Playing can turn out like this?"
Leosley observed the cat's listless and lethargic state:
"Naviette, tell me the truth, does Funina often forget to feed the cat while playing?"
"Nonsense! Leosley!"
Panting, Funina finally caught up and angrily shouted her accusations:
"The Cat God has eaten every meal with me, and there's a record of it! You stole my cat, and now you're slandering me! I'm going to lock you up in Mello Petersburg!"
"Thanks."
After giving a polite, perfunctory reply, Leosley exchanged a puzzled look with Mainkuhn:
"Then why have you suddenly lost so much weight? Hmm, are you unhappy?"
"......"
Cats, of course, won't answer people's questions; they won't nod or shake their heads.
"Hey, what's bothering you?"
Having gained nothing, the older brother could only helplessly reach out and scratch the cat's neck to comfort it.
"Look at you, you already have so many friends. No matter what sadness or difficulties you encounter, everyone will be there for you."
"Mimi".
The cat let out a listless meow, looking somewhat disapproving.
*
How can I save you, my family, my teachers, and my friends?
"Cat God, come on, try this shrimp, it's very sweet."
Under the watchful eyes of the maid, Furna forcefully stuffed food into the cat's mouth, then secretly pinched its ear and scolded it:
"Didn't I tell you not to be anxious? Just trust me!"
But Funina, you yourself can't sleep at night because of anxiety, and you can only take a nap peacefully when you're holding me.
“Mr. Xiao En, if you keep causing trouble, I’ll regret telling you the truth.”
Fucarus gently refused to answer any of the boy's questions, simply standing beneath the blue greatsword and promising:
"Believe me, the day you fear will never come."
But Fucarus, you yourself are a prisoner of a machine, and you are even pleasantly surprised and nostalgic for the sea dew flowers I brought by chance.
Trust you? How can I trust a reed about to break, or a bird about to die? You should take care of yourselves first.
"Mr. En?"
Even the children could sense the half-demon's terrible condition.
"Is...is it that you're out of money?"
Linnie was as prone to overthinking as ever:
"How about you let me go out and perform magic to earn some money... Don't worry! I won't run away or report you to the police!"
"Ignore him, Mr. En."
Lynette tried to put the warm pastry into my hands:
"With Fimini's help, I baked some cookies. Would you like to try some?"
"Eat something, Brother En. I never see you eating anything."
Fimi was very worried standing nearby:
"The appliances that my sister Lynette uses always break down for no reason, but that's okay, because I can fix them all."
"But it would be terrible if Brother En broke, because I really don't know how to fix it at all. You have to take good care of yourself."
The boy with droopy ears silently picked up a biscuit with his fingernail, turned his back to the children, and crunched it into his mouth.
"Is it good? This is my first time making it, is it too sweet?"
Mainkuhn didn't know what sweetness was, but he was indeed happy after eating it, so he nodded haphazardly.
"Let me try it!" Linni reached out, grabbed a piece, and started eating.
“Eek! Sister—” He was so sweet that his face stiffened: “It feels like the sugar is beating my teeth.”
"That's too exaggerated...wow."
Linette was retorting defiantly when she saw Linette open her mouth and actually spit out a bloody baby tooth.
"Oh no, my brother's front tooth has been knocked out by the sweetness." Her face turned ashen.
"I'm sorry, Linnie, you won't be able to eat corn anymore!"
"Huh? Never mind, little sister, I can skip the corn for you."
"Hey? But corn is so delicious, I... I'll try to see if I can put Lin Nige's teeth back in!"
“.
Calm down, it's just a lost baby tooth, you'll all lose them eventually.
He took the screwdriver from Fimini's hand, rubbed Lynette's head with the back of his hand as a form of comfort, then pointed to the cotton ball and told Lynette, whose mouth was slurred, to bite down on it to stop the bleeding. Mainkun finally picked up the bloody baby tooth, cleaned and dried it, and examined it in his palm.
Unlike the tiny, sharp teeth that the half-demon lost in its childhood, its crowns are flat and straight, without any inward curve, making it look friendly and harmless.
Linnie quickly adapted to being missing a tooth and felt a little ashamed that she had accepted the assassin's help again.
"Mr. En, stop looking."
He muttered:
"Give it to me, I'll throw it away, it's useless now."
"......"
Maine knew he was right.
There is no need to keep things that are useless to oneself.
But the half-demon never understood his own actions. He simply followed his heart and took out the jewelry box left behind by the Fools, threw away the ring inside, and put the baby tooth in.
"Leave."
He handed the jewelry box to Linni and gave her this command.
Leave.
Leave them all for me...
*
Leosley did not return to Mello Petersburg tonight.
He spent some time making an appointment with Fontainebleau's best veterinarian, and by the time everything was over, it was completely dark, so he simply stayed overnight in a guest room at Moman Palace.
The water god and the judge live here, so a duke wouldn't be out of the question.
“By the way, Your Honor, there’s something I need to tell you before I go to bed.”
...
"What? You're not cursed?" the water dragon exclaimed in surprise.
"Villet, you actually believe that?" Funina exclaimed in surprise.
"Ms. Funina, where did you come from?"
Leosley simply pushed the chair up and escorted God out of the guest room.
"Mo Mang Palace is my territory, I can go wherever I want! Ugh! Why can't I hear gossip?! You guys are having late-night chats and pajama parties behind my back!"
Good night, my divine being, may you have a wonderful night.
Ignoring all complaints, Leosley deftly locked the door and turned to meet Villette's slightly widened eyes.
"What, are you going to scold me for being disrespectful to the gods? But she was the one who came uninvited first... and she has repeatedly interfered with my contact with Maine."
Unable to pinpoint which of the two reasons fueled his resentment, Leosley compromised:
"Since you care so much, I'll apologize to Ms. Funina tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Supreme Judge opened his mouth wide in surprise.
"I didn't bring my pajamas, so can we just have a late-night chat?"
"..."
"Sorry, judging from your expression, I think I've misunderstood something again."
Feeling a little embarrassed, Navelette looked away and tried to change the subject:
“It’s alright. Ms. Furina doesn’t really like people treating her with too much respect… So, why did you lie? Was it to see Mainkuen? Didn’t you not want to make things difficult for him?”
Of course.
But Violet, you don't understand.
The feeling of being so close yet unable to look at each other is unbearable.
"I can't feel at ease without seeing him/her."
Leosley confessed: "So I had to use a shameful lie to trick him into coming out. He can blame me if he wants. I just really didn't expect to waste your sincerity. I'm sorry."
"I never meant to blame you, it's just..."
The forgiving dragon was not angry, but worried:
"This reunion is something you forced upon yourself."
"Maybe, I mean maybe."
"It might not be so natural and pleasant."
"Don't worry, I'm prepared."
At that time, Leosley was worried, but still relatively optimistic:
“He’s extremely afraid of people, so I’ll be careful with him, not disturb him, and keep a safe distance.”
"As long as we treat him with the same care and tenderness as a shy child, there shouldn't be any problems."
But Leosley soon realized he was wrong.
That's completely wrong.
"elder brother…"
When a faint, ghostly wail echoed in the darkness, Leosley was immediately jolted awake. He tried to throw a punch to retaliate, but found himself powerless, unable to move like a dead fish.
"!"
What a brilliant method of administering the medicine.
"Brother... Waaaaah..."
He could only lie on the bed with his head turned to the side, watching a thin, agile figure sob as it clumsily climbed in through the window.
"..." Is this a thief or a ghost?
Stop yelling, buddy, you're really scary.
Lyosley lay on the bed, his muscles tense, struggling to open his mouth to say something sarcastic, but no sound came out.
"..."
Where did you buy the medicine? I want to buy several boxes of Hisewen wholesale.
*Thud!* The little thief was so panicked that he fell straight to the floor. He didn't get up, but just curled up in a ball, sobbing softly.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, brother... I was just so scared..."
"?"
No, why are you crying? Which of us is the victim?
Under Leosley's sharp yet bewildered gaze, the little thief finally slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of reflective golden eyes.
"So, I knocked out your medicine."
"..."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Leosley hadn't done anything, he was just watching, yet suddenly he became terrified, his ears drooping and his sharp fingernails twitching as he put them in his mouth and started biting them.
"I shouldn't have seen you, I don't deserve to see you—"
"!??"
Wait! This is Mainkuhn!?
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