"Ugh, we're back to working inside the carriage again," Seraphina groaned, slumping onto the couch. "Lilia, when are you finally going to upgrade this thing? Can't you just shove a Rank 3 space stone into it or something?"
"Sure, if you want us all to be compressed into a very artistic pancake the moment the exterior gets compromised," Lilia replied with a flat look. "I'm still nowhere near skilled enough to work safely with Rank 3 materials. Even trying to inspect one with Mana Weave gives me a headache."
"So... when?"
"When I reach Rank 3."
"Ugh..." Seraphina let out another groan as she flopped face-first into Bastion's lap.
"We could always buy one instead," Ariel suggested. "I saw a Rank 3 luxury carriage at the Crafters Guild for 150 magic crystals. I have no idea how much space it has inside, though."
"Never mind," Seraphina said, shaking her head as she rubbed her face against Bastion's lap. "Lilia will obviously do a better job once she can enchant Bastion's processed materials. More importantly, we should start thinking about rushing to Rank 3."
"That's the plan," Bastion said, stroking her hair. "Now that we've built up a stockpile of ammunition, it's time to start hunting again. We'll wait until we're well clear of the Kingdom of Paws first, though. I'd rather not discover Aria holds a grudge by getting ambushed in a neighboring kingdom."
Three years had passed since Bastion sold Kit and the three cooks to Princess Aria. With their contractual obligations fulfilled, Bastion and the girls departed the Kingdom of Paws. Their stay had lasted far longer than expected, however, as the contract underwent extensive revisions before both sides finally reached an agreement.
In the end, Aria received everything on her wish list from Bastion's inventory at 130% of the listed price while providing all the materials required to manufacture the bullets. She also purchased the contracts of Kit and the three cooks, along with ownership of their property, for 2,000 magic crystals.
The final agreement included several additional conditions. Elyra was required to personally train the three cooks for no less than three years, ensuring they could replace her. Meanwhile, Seraphina's shampoo recipes were sold separately for 100 magic crystals. Even after three years of research, not a single royal alchemist had managed to replicate them, making the formulas valuable enough to justify their hefty price tag.
By the time everything was concluded, Bastion and the girls left the Kingdom of Paws with a mountain of premium meat up to Rank 3, enough ammunition to wipe out a million Rank 2 soldiers, and 3,000 magic crystals compared to the 500 they had arrived with. Their already formidable stockpile of bullets had reached unprecedented levels, while their emptied storage left plenty of room to gather materials during their journey.
Those weren't their only gains, however. Seraphina walked away with an even larger library of skill scrolls collected from the kingdom's many classes as well as a rank up to her Alchemy from mass producing Rank 2 shampoo. Elyra maxed out both her Cooking Arts and Cleaning Arts after three years of training Selyn and the panthers. Lilia advanced her Enchanting Arts and Rune Arts to the maximum of their current rank. And, perhaps most importantly, Bastion was able to get another 10 points in Fortune.
[Name]: Bastion Diamondhart
[Age]: 124
[Class]: Arcane Warden (Rank 2), Armory Knight (Rank 2), Diamond Knight (Rank 3)
[Ability]: Arcane Corruption, Space Node, Diamond Body
[Rank]: Rank 2
[Level]: 211
[Health]: 6105/6105
[Mana]: 4700/4700
[Strength]: 50.7
[Dexterity]: 47
[Vitality]: 61.05
[Intelligence]: 47
[Wisdom]: 59.55
[Charm]: 40.6
[Fortune]: 29
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Smithing 7, Enchanting 6, Earth Magic 6, Light Magic 6, Shield 6, Sword 6, Whip 6, Heavy Armor 6, Summoning 6, Unarmed 6, Riding 6, Cannon 6, Fire Magic 5, Water Magic 5, Dark Magic 5, Wind Magic 5, Taming 1, Cooking 1, Traps 1
[Skills]: Shield Bash 6, Block 6, Charge 6, Reinforce 6, Amplify 6, Slash 6, Parry 6, Stab 6, Smash 6, Dodge 6, Dash 6, Jump 6, Summon Familiar(Zephy, Pebbles) 6, Diamond Armor 6, Diamond Edge 6, Diamond Shatter 6, Diamond Rain 6, Diamond Steed(Steve) 6, Taunt 6, Inventory 6, Armor Slot 6, Weapon Slot 6, Quick Slot 6, Facility Slot 6, Arcane Shackles 6, Arcane Lockdown 6, Arcane Pulse 6, Arcane Sigil 6, Arcane Sentry 6, Earth Quake 6, Light Lance 6, Light Burn 6, Light Missiles 6, Light Barrier 6, Earth Rampart 6, Conjure Construct 5, Tame 1
[Skill Points]: 136
Overall, it was three years well spent.
As for Kit, he initially protested after learning he had been sold to the royal family, questioning why Bastion had entrusted him to the nobility. Bastion explained that, considering Kit's mission, there was no better outcome. In his estimation, Aria had an excellent chance of usurping the throne. Elyra's intelligence revealed that although the other lionesses held the numerical advantage, each of them was individually weaker than Aria. More importantly, Aria's mastery of free-cast Wind Magic gave her the ability to eliminate them with only a handful of well-placed wind blades.
Combined with fate's persistent guidance, Bastion had little doubt that Aria would eventually ascend to the throne within the next millennium. Once she did, Kit would have everything he needed to reshape the kingdom's food culture without interference from the nobility or the priesthood.
That wasn't enough to convince Kit, however. It was only after Aria arranged for Daisy's ranks to be raised and pledged her support toward Daisy's goal of obtaining the Scribe class that he finally relented. Even then, he had another problem to deal with. Aria had developed more than a passing interest in him, while Daisy seemed perfectly content with sharing. With Aria's willful personality, Kit clearly had a difficult future ahead of him.
As for the specifics, perhaps only the gods would know.
-----
In the heart of a dense evergreen forest, where shafts of sunlight pierced the canopy and painted the grassy ground in scattered gold, a shimmering portal silently opened.
A feline woman stepped through.
She wore polished leather armor reinforced with gleaming plates over her shoulders, forearms, chest, skirt, and shins. Fresh blood stained nearly every inch of it. Thick black gore clung stubbornly to the joints between the plates, while fragments of demonic flesh remained lodged beneath her razor-sharp claws. Her golden feline eyes carried an ancient, merciless calm, the gaze of a goddess who had personally exterminated countless armies and found neither satisfaction nor remorse in the act. Every step radiated the pressure of an apex predator returning from the hunt.
The portal vanished behind her. Instantly, the suffocating bloodlust disappeared.
Her armor dissolved into particles of light, revealing the pristine figure of an Egyptian Mau demihuman beneath. Her silver-white fur was completely free of blood, soft feline ears twitched lazily atop her head, and a long spotted tail swayed contentedly behind her. In the span of a heartbeat, the terrifying warrior had transformed into an ordinary-looking catgirl.
"Nyaaa! That was exhausting!" she groaned, stretching her arms overhead. "I can't believe the demons broke through the 109th blockade again. It's like someone lit their tails on fire. Good thing the Magic Empire came in clutch. Pew-pew! Pew! Pew!"
Without another care in the world, she flopped onto the soft grass, letting the warm afternoon sun bathe her body.
"Ugh... I'm hungry."
A beautifully arranged plate of sushi materialized in her hands through the power of divinity. She devoured it with astonishing speed, yet despite finishing every piece, her expression only grew more disappointed.
"It's just not the same..." she muttered with a pout. "Kenta, hurry up and learn to make Rank 4 sushi already."
She let out a dramatic sigh before folding her arms behind her head.
"I wonder how that's going. I hope that dud didn't ruin my plans. If he did, I don't care who his patron is. I'll rip them both to shreds."
Closing her eyes, she shifted her awareness toward her followers' kingdom. A vast forest filled her vision, its towering trees supporting countless villages built among the branches where her feline worshippers went about their daily lives. As she casually watched over them, one missing presence immediately caught her attention.
"Oh, nyah?"
Her ears perked up as a mischievous grin slowly spread across her face.
"The dud is finally gone. Oh? Kenta's already a few centuries ahead of schedule. He's even met Aria. Good... good..."
Her tail began swishing excitedly before a delighted giggle escaped her lips.
"Nyahahaha~ Hurry up and grow, my little kitties. Mommy wants her sushi!"
And so, thanks to Bastion's interference, Kit's bizarre fate began unfolding far sooner than anyone had anticipated. In time, the Goddess of Paws would get her Rank 4 sushi, while Kit would receive the rewards that had always awaited him. Their fates remained unchanged, only gently nudged forward by the brief visit of an unexpected helper.
As for Bastion, his role in their story had come to an end. Leaving behind little more than a faint ripple in fate, he continued his own journey. The exchange had proven more rewarding than he expected, leaving him eager to seek out more such encounters where a small nudge could further enhance his own powers.
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath