The Heavily Armoured Noble Girl Monette: How To Break a Curse You Don’t Remember Casting - Chapter 26

The Cat and Witch Bathe in the Moonlight 2

Taking off my armor piece by piece, my skin was gradually exposed to the night air.
Only wearing a white camisole and my underwear, I felt a little tinge of fear rather than anxiety for the first time in years, but because of the overflowing magical power from the lake, I was calmer than I thought I would be. Or perhaps it is because of this cat that was in the middle of sniffing every piece of armor that I took off.
Bemused, I removed all of my armor before I dipped my feet into the shining pool of water. It was not cold, but it wasn’t really warm either. It was serenely pleasant, and I could feel my aches and pains disappear.”
Sitting on some rocks, I moved my legs around inside the water a bit causing waves to ripple around the edge. *Pshaw!* Then I violently kicked the water’s edge, disrupting the waves and kicking up a few droplets of water that sparkled in the moonlight. What a beautiful sight. To think that there was ever a time in my life where I could live without such a spectacular view. I feel so comfortable.

Nicest of all, the moonlight poured down onto my exposed legs floating inside the crystal clear pool, filling me with magic power from the tips of my toes up throughout the rest of my body.

And for awhile, the only sound that could be heard was the water dancing along the lake’s edge, but then the grass began to shake.
Something was there. My line of sight reflexively turned towards where the grass had been disturbed.
But whatever had disturbed the vegetation was nowhere to be seen. After watching for awhile, the leaves began to move again, but whatever it was, it was gradually moving away from me, and eventually the sounds of leaves rubbing against one another became smaller as well. Still, I kept staring in the direction that the sound had come from even after everything had long stopped moving and silence returned. Soon, only the sound of water droplets, trickling down onto the lake’s surface could be heard echoing inside this enclosed space.

“What was that…….”

I muttered to myself underneath my breath.
It was certainly a living thing that moved through the plants. However, whatever that ‘something’ was, it was most likely an animal as when it was discovered, that ‘something’ just kept moving without tripping itself or hastening its escape. Not to mention I placed a spell to drive away all unwanted visitors. I actually double and triple-placed the spell.
Only a witch slayer would be able to get by that, and they have all been dead since long ago.
The only thing that that ‘something’ could be that would act like that and bypass my spells is an animal. Therefore, there was no reason for my heart to beat right out of my chest.  Animals and humans have a different sense of beauty, and of course, they are both different from a spider’s. I lived with Robertson at the old castle, and I was made aware of the differences when I picked up the courage to remove my armor in front of him for the first time.

The previous shaking is probably from an animal that had come to drink the water but had decided against it when they saw a human present.
Judging from the sound, I cannot think of it as a small animal, but could I say it was the size of a person from the sound and how the trees moved? Maybe I am overestimating the size, and it was actually a weak child who felt threatened by me.

“The poor thing probably just wanted some water.”

I spoke to the cat sitting beside me. It had done nothing but stare at me since I started playing in the water awhile ago, but once whatever that ‘something’ was had disturbed the bushes, its eyes had shot open and its gaze had also been fixed on where the noise was coming from.
It seemed to be very wary, so I tried to calm it down by stroking its back…….but it managed to avoid my outstretched hand. Does it not want to be touched by a wet hand? So I decided to poke his nose instead. A single drop of water stuck to the tip which he ended up licking off with a *pero*.
It seems that his vigilance was placated a bit, and I ended up returning a bitter smile when he started looking up at me with his eyes closed and relaxed.

“I wish you could join me. This lake is full of magic power, and I’m a witch… You could become my familiar.”

I really said it only as a joke, but the cat might have understood my feelings because he started rubbing his nose against my arm. I settle him down and he comforts me. Such a good kitty.
He ended up jumping down from his seat next to me to a rock a little ways below us, and from there, he dipped his tail into the lake. Once the fluffy tail hit the water, the hairs at the end of it started to swirl around along with the waves my feet were making.
What on earth is he doing? Right when I was thinking that, the cat slowly raised his tail out of the water, and then slapped it back down with a *pat*………..

And then his fluffy body began to shine with power.

The racket of iron armor beating against itself echoed out as I charged down the corridor, skidded to a halt, and started pounding on a door.
It is possible that my gentle pounding may have been a little rough, but as this is an emergency situation, I feel that I should be excused.
Besides, thanks to that, I heard the people on the other side of the door scrambling to respond immediately. When the door swung open, Alexis’s head popped out.

“Monette, what’s wrong?”
“Alexis, this child…Hm? Where’s Percival?”
“If it’s Percival, he is doing some work outside……….Eh? Is that cat shining!?”

Alexis’s eyes popped out of his head when he saw what I was holding in my iron hands.
But I suppose that type of reaction is normal. The cat really is shining after all. Anyone would be captivated by his beauty. Especially his tail. When he waved it around, the light would leave a trail creating radiant artwork wherever we went. Of course, he was an adorable cat before he started to glow, but all of those features were augmented with this illustrious light.
I looked back and forth between the cat and the bewildered Alexis, and while Alexis was enraptured with this strange sight, I tried to explain this cat’s identity. However, at that moment, a rough voice interrupted me.

“Oh Concetta, tonight you are shining especially well.”

The speaker was a passing waiter for the inn.
I swallowed my words as the waiter came towards us while Alexis looked more confused than ever–shifting his gaze back and forth between ‘Concetta?’ and the waiter.

“Who is Concetta?”
“That’s this child’s name. It shines like this sometimes.”

The servant stretched out his hand and started to gently pet the shining Concetta’s head.
Concetta made a sound deep in its throat, blinking accordingly. When I started to pet the side of his neck along with the waiter, the purring became louder and melted in my arms.
What a mysterious cat……..No, maybe this goes beyond what you would call just a mysterious cat.
Well, whatever. Concetta is adorable in my arms, so I scratched his nose a bit which made his tail light up all the more. Alexis was the only person who really cared though. The waiter’s petting became a little more vigorous, and between the two of us, we had Concetta rolling around in my arms.

“So Concetta……..belongs to a witch?”
“Yes he is a magic little kitty. He usually lives with his master in the valley, but every once in awhile he comes down here to play and shine a bit.”

While answering Alexis’s question, the waiter looked up at the clock, and suddenly remembering he had a job, turned a shade of blue shockingly similar to Concetta’s beautiful glow and left down the hallway. I watched him go for a second, but my attention was once again preoccupied my Concetta after.
This shining is certainly flashy even for a witch’s familiar. But in this town, even Concetta is treated like this. Indeed, a noble lady who always wears armor certainly lacks impact when compared to a glowing cat.

But I guess it is okay to have a slight larger reaction.

While thinking so, I continued to watch Concetta resting in my arms, but he……Originally this cat was walking around with his eyes half closed, but now his eyes now were trembling and misty.
Alexis and I watched him fight to stay awake in my arms. It was a sight that could be called strange. In a way, it was stranger than his glowing tail that left light trails as it orbited around.
Even though that waiter’s words are still dancing around on my brain, it is impossible to get worked up with something like this looking right at me. Besides, Concetta is not going anywhere, and his eyes can no longer stay open at this point.

“…For now, let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
“…Agreed.”

The tension is irreparably low now, so Alexis and I agreed to talk tomorrow.

The next morning.
“After all, this is way too amazing!” Once I woke up, I managed to regain some of my excitement, so I took Concetta and raced down to the inn’s dining room. By the way, Concetta’s glow fell off sometime while I was asleep, but whenever he shakes a little, glitter disperses into the air.
I pushed the attitude of last night’s waiter into the farthest corner of my mind, raising my tension to its maximum. I made a straight dash to the table those two were seated at. Alexis, who’s mouth was half full of bread, noticed my approach and lifted his head up to look at me. He looked like he was already almost finished eating. Percival was still preoccupied with his morning soup, but I have no doubt that he knew I was here.

“Concetta is a witch’s familiar!”

Once again, it is possible that I was a little rough in my entrance, and it could be said that my excitement was possibly a little exaggerated and unnecessary. Of course, when compared to that lack of tension perpetuated by a certain waiter, I can definitely say that a little excitement in this type of situation is certainly better than none at all.
Even though something like this is obviously a fact,

“Good morning Monette. Good morning Concetta. Breakfast?”

Alexis was still in a tensionless state. At least look a little surprised please.
And Percival, he never even raised his face at my colorful entrance. All he has done is sigh deeply with his nose buried into his soup.

“…I miss the lake.”

I grumbled in melancholy.