Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 160: Slowing down.

''Hm...''

How do I say this... it's getting warmer these days.

Well, it does make sense since we're already approaching the middle of May. Contrary to my expectations, nothing major occurred ever since the Harvest Festival.

Unlike the previous demon appearances, where battles took place suddenly and ended relatively quickly, the fight against Efil is bound to take a while to round up. Besides, Ravenous Moon has still not made a move.

Thanks to that, I've had the nicest break in a while.

I'm not a student, nor do I really have a job, so I have a lot of free time to fiddle with a bunch of affairs. The first thing I have accomplished these few weeks is sufficiently resting. After realizing the importance of a sound mind, I've decided to sleep normally half of the time instead of switching bodies and ignoring mental fatigue. 

I can say that it has indeed improved my focus and overall mood.

My mood is even better, especially now that the fortification of Zircon is going well. The Tower of Horrors has been completed, literally piercing the clouds with its height. A growing concern of the people lately is that they can see an ominous tower rising from the forest of evil. They're afraid of another monster invasion, and the government, which has been caught up in this mess, is struggling to respond.

The old emperor's haggard complexion is nothing beautiful to see, but I can't help being amused.

Well, aside from that, the forests—all four of them—are now filled with monsters again. They're mostly artificial ones that practically function like golems, but we plan to bring in organic monsters from all over the world soon. The plan is to thoroughly put them under our rule, then let them multiply, and we will have an army to play with.

It is quite fun, like playing a kingdom-building game, even though I have never played one before. We wouldn't have been able to execute many of the crucial steps if not for Sikare and the doc, and I honestly didn't think this was possible whenever I was still alone in the forest.

''...''

We have come a long way since then, haven't we?

Even though it hasn't been a year, an unusually large number of things have happened. I still remember how disoriented and confused I was when I first flapped my wings, but now, I can't imagine living without them. Even though they might seem useless at first glance, they can substitute a quilt or grab things—just like extra limbs that are foldable.

Aside from that, I've met good people, too.

The kids are quite endearing, actually. They certainly work hard, and that's admirable.

''Ugh... I'm dying...''

''...It's already over, so stop whining.''

''Rather, don't mention it at all...''

''That's reasonable.''n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

''What? Why are you guys like this?''

Astra Academy, Green Pond Park.

At one of the stone tables, the usual group is assembled—Claire, Chloe, Amelia, Scarlett, Luxia, Nydia, and then me. The reason four of those six are sprawling out on the table like this is none other than the exams that have just concluded.

Needless to say, in terms of physical tests, they all performed well, but the written ones seem to have troubled them a bit. Chloe—the blond one—and Nydia are the only exceptions. 

The three airheads I can understand, but broadly speaking, isn't it bad for Yugen's image if their miko is this miserable?

''Ugh... why do I have to know fire magic theories if I can't even use them...?!'' A certain pink-headed saintess whines, her cheek glued to the hard stone surface. ''Such is the unfairness of the world... oh, dear mother goddess, how could we return to normalcy?''

''Even if you don't use them, your opponents will.'' Chloe sighs. ''Think about it a little more, will you?''

''Uh...''

''Wait, isn't this the first time I've heard her mention the goddess?''

At Amelia's sudden comment, everybody focuses their attention on Luxia. The saintess, now looking visibly flustered, tries to play it cool by whistling, but it's apparent she can't even do that, instead puffing out air tepidly.

She isn't very religious at all, is she?

''A-Anyway, since the exams are all over, why don't we go somewhere to relax for once?''

Thankfully, her attempt at diverting the attention works well this time as everyone perks up at her words.

''So?''

''What do you mean 'so?'?''

''How'd we get here?''

My complaint goes largely unnoticed—naturally, since the others are all busy with cats nuzzling up at them. All... except me.

Earlier, we were discussing a spot for all of us to visit. Because we support democracy, even though this is a monarchy we're living in, we ran a vote, and the destination was decided as a cat café.

Now, that's fine and all. I like cats, and I also like coffee. The problem is that, for whatever reason, the cats avoid me completely. No attempt to meow them in or give them treats has been able to solve this problem.

''...''

I can't help but feel my mood sour, hearing all the purring sounds from the cats and squealing sounds from the human in all directions.

Hah... calm down. I have Smiley at home. He's much better than these cheeky cats.

''Aurora... I think you should try to soften up. These kids are scared of you. Look.''

''...Really?''

Beside me sits Nydia, who is holding two cats in her embrace and one on her lap. She looks at me affirmatively and nods, nudging one feline specimen toward me.

It's a void cat with yellow eyes.

I take a deep breath and slowly extend my wing toward it. At first, the cat does flinch and tries to escape, but eventually, as I gently pet its head...

''See? He's relaxed now.''

''...''

Somehow, I'm finally able to hold a cat. The little thing lazily squirms in my wings, rubbing its cheeks against my feathers. The eyes squint uncontrollably, looking a bit ugly.

''Hey, congrats!''

''Oh, you finally did it!''

''Man, you guys made it sound like she's having a baby...''

Soon enough, the others start to chime in. 

Luxia, with a stylish pink cat sitting on her head. Chloe, with an orange between her ankles. Scarlett, with maybe too many cats following her steps. Looking to the side, I also see Claire, who looks ecstatic as she feeds a tabby, and Amelia, who has fallen asleep on the sofa with several ones perching on her body.

''...''

Maybe... this isn't so bad after all.

Mhm. I should do this sometimes. With these guys.

''Heheh, what do you think, Aurora? It feels nice having a cat nearby, right?''

Chloe, the mastermind of this cat café idea, pokes me with a smug face. As much as I want to say that hugging my snowy siblings still feels better, I can't break the mood here.

I should take the loss for no—

''But this isn't like hugging one of those snowy owls from Zircon Forest, right?''

'''' ... ''''

All of a sudden, all eyes shoot toward Claire. 

Ah... I remember. There was an incident where one of the owls wandered into the academy. Did she ever hug it?

Perhaps sensing the interrogatory atmosphere, the heroine quickly puts up her hands, 

''Ah, you know, the owl is big and so fluffy, with such lush feathers that are softer than pillows...''

Huh. They do look curious. Too curious, even.

Should I let one into the academy later?