We were still on the outskirts of the kingdom, but we could already see how enormous and mesmerizing it was. The Witch's Isle couldn't even compare to it.
From far away, the kingdom was encircled by an immense, gleaming wall of white stone. Gold filigree ran through the alabaster barrier in sweeping, elegant designs. The wall soared high above the plains, crowned with watchtowers shaped like golden spears piercing the sky. We couldn't see the inside, but you could tell that the kingdom was wealthy and remarkable just by looking at the walls alone.
It took a while, but we finally arrived at the main entrance. The gates alone were a wonder. Massive doors of steel, inlaid with gold and crowned by the Kingdom's crest: a white dove and a golden victory laurel wreath.
Upon reaching the gate, we saw multiple Vermine Knights stationed in front. The knights' armor was as elegant as it was formidable, crafted from bright, white-enamelled steel, each piece gleaming like polished marble. Delicate gold filigree ran along the edges, forming swirling patterns and royal motifs that marked their noble status. They looked less like soldiers and more like walking statues of honor: radiant, precise, and proud.
We hadn't even gotten close to the gate yet when one of the Vermine Knights approached and stopped us from entering.
"Excuse me, travelers, but we do not allow people to enter without a permit. Show yours first before we allow you to pass," the Vermine Knight informed us, his tone formal and unyielding.
Oh no, we didn't know a permit was needed. What do we do? I thought, frantically trying to come up with an excuse.
Thankfully, Rein and Fae were to the rescue with their acting skills.
"Mr. Knight, we've been traveling for so long just to get here. Can't you just allow us this one time, pretty please?" Rein begged, giving him her most sincere puppy-dog eyes. Fae begged as well.
"No can do, little miss. Rules are rules. If you don't have a permit, then please go back now," the Vermine Knight answered, remaining an immovable boulder of white steel and gold.
"Let's just force our way in!" Komraad suggested, gripping the carriage rail.
"Why do you always resort to brute force!?!" I blurted out, exasperated.
We were running out of ideas when another carriage arrived to enter. The carriage looked very familiar because of its lavish and fancy exterior. It took me a while to realize, but it was the rude nobleman, whom we encountered on the Witch's Isle last time. I didn't know they were from here.
Oh no, it's them again. What would it be this time? I asked myself, preparing for a confrontation.
We thought they'd be rude and arrogant just like last time, but it was the complete opposite.
They were surprisingly kind.
"If it isn't Fae. Darling, what a small world it is," the nobleman greeted as if they were old friends. Her daughter also offered a friendly, genuine smile.
"Oh, hi Mr. Amor and Aria. It's been a while! How are you both doing?" Fae greeted them with a genuine smile.
"We're doing fine. Thanks to you treating Aria during the crisis back in the Witch's Isle, she's now doing well," Amor answered with a smile that reached his eyes.
"I'm glad to hear that. Always happy to help," Fae responded genuinely.
"Also, I'm sorry for treating all of you poorly before," Amor added, looking genuinely contrite. His little brat apologized genuinely as well.
I was so confused about what was happening, so I approached Fae to ask her about it.
"Hey Fae, what happened? What did I miss? Why are they acting friendly to us now?" I whispered.
"Back in the Witch's Isle, when you were fighting the Head Witch, Aria got injured, and I helped treat her wounds. After that, I became friends with them," Fae explained.
"I-I see."
"May I know why your group is here?" Amor asked.
"We're looking for something and it's inside this kingdom, but the knights aren't allowing us to enter because we don't have a permit," I told him the truth, hoping he would help us.
"Don't worry, darling, I got this," Amor assured. He then approached the Vermine Knight that stopped us from entering and said something to him.
The knight immediately recognized him. "S-sir Amor, you're back." The Vermine Knight respectfully greeted him, then bowed.
Didn't know his status was this high because of his arrogant personality before, but I guess I totally misjudged him.
"Allow these people to enter. They're with me," Amor instructed.
"Understood, Sir," The Vermine Knight responded.
The knight then went back to the gate to instruct the other knights to open it.
That's it? Aah, the power of nobility, am I right?
And just like that, we were finally able to enter the kingdom.
As soon as we entered the premises, we were mesmerized by how stunningly amazing and beautiful the place was. The city unfolded in symmetrical grandeur. Streets were paved in polished white stone, their edges trimmed in gold leaf. At the kingdom's heart towered the Vermine Palace, its spires capped with domes of pure gold. The walls were carved from luminous white quartz, veined with golden thread.
I can't believe inside this kingdom would look this gorgeous and fancy. It's beautiful but kind of intimidating for us. It's like only the nobility is allowed to live here. Oh well, I shouldn't let that bother me. I'm here on a quest, and I'm also here to let everyone enjoy themselves.
While we were in awe of the place, Amor said goodbye to us.
"I'm sorry, everyone, I wish I could accompany you longer, but I have to attend an important meeting as soon as possible. I'll be going now. Enjoy your stay here," Amor said.
"Bye-bye, Big sis Fae and talking cat," Aria said genuinely, waving from their carriage.
They then left to attend to his agenda.
We also said farewell to them and continued exploring the kingdom. We were so mesmerized by the place that we ended up forgetting our goal of finding a clairvoyant. We then looked for a place we could stay in and find food to eat.
Wait, we could've asked Amor to let us stay in his mansion, that totally slipped out of my mind! What a wasted opportunity.
We looked around and asked people for an Inn. Some helped, but most of them ignored us and looked down on us. This must be because we looked like the only commoners inside.
We visited some of the Inns people mentioned, but we couldn't afford any of them. They were all just too lavish and fancy. We'd been looking for hours now. It was already noon, and we were starving, but we still couldn't find an affordable place.
"I'm hungry!" Komraad complained loudly.
I also heard Fae and Rein's bellies growling.
"Aah, let's forget about finding a place for now. Let's go find something to eat first," I suggested to lift everyone's spirits up, and also to fill everyone's belly.
We saw a lot of restaurants, but all of them looked fancy and expensive. Thankfully, we saw a public market nearby. We looked around the market for food, but most of the things we saw were accessories and clothes for nobles. Luckily enough, we saw a fruit stall, but even those were pretty expensive.
"Let's settle for fruits, for now," I suggested.
Fae and Rein agreed, while Komraad was disappointed because he wanted to eat meat.
We were purchasing some fruits when a middle-aged woman near us suddenly got her purse and the fruits she bought snatched by a thief hidden in cloak.
The thief was a small kid, but their appearance was completely obscured by the cloak. They had a large, long sword strapped to their back.
Komraad, itching for something fun, found this as an opportunity. Without a second thought, he chased after the thief, not just to retrieve the stolen goods, but to play catch.
Ugh… Komraad! Why can't you just stay still for a while?
"Rein, please stay with Fae here. I'll try to follow them," I whispered to her.
"Don't worry, Ms. Ina, we'll be fine here. Do what you must," she whispered back.
I was worried Komraad would mess up, so I followed after him.
Komraad and the thief were incredibly fast. Thankfully, I could fly, so I managed to catch up. The chase was like an action movie. The thief was so slippery. It was like they knew every corner of the alleys and streets.
Komraad looked like he was having fun. He was about to catch the thief, but due to his clumsiness, he ended up slipping and crashing into a stacked-up pyramid of wooden crates.
Instead of helping him, I continued chasing after the thief. The thief was fast, but they couldn't shake me off because of my ability to fly. After minutes of running, the thief was finally cornered. They were closed off between me and a tall wall.
"Ha! I got you now! You have nowhere to go!" I shouted.
The thief flinched a little and was surprised to hear me talk. I forgot I was still in my cat form.
"A talking creature, huh? That's a first for me. I wish I could continue playing with you, but I have more important things to do, later," the thief answered calmly.
I was so shocked when I heard the thief talk. It was the voice of a little girl. I was planning to close the gap between us when she suddenly took out and unsheathed the long sword behind her back.
I was wary, so I stepped back a little.
I thought she was going to attack, but I was more surprised by what she did. The blade of the sword she was holding extended, lifting her all the way up to the top of the immense wall surrounding the kingdom.
"See you later, talking cat," she yelled from the top of the wall before descending on the other side.
Just like that, the thief was able to run away. I gave up on chasing any further because the Vermine Knights finally noticed what was happening and decided to check it out. I came back to the fruit stall where Fae, Rein, and the woman who got robbed were waiting. Komraad also arrived moments after me, dusting himself off.
"I wasn't able to recover anything," I said to Komraad sheepishly.
"Don't worry, I was able to recover the purse from the thief," Komraad flexed, holding up a small leather pouch.
I wasn't sure if I should be happy or annoyed, but I was glad that our efforts didn't go to waste.
Komraad gave the purse back to the woman.
I hadn't noticed it before because I was so busy thinking about the thief, but the woman who got robbed was one of the few people who didn't appear to be a noble. She had a pleasant, almost serene atmosphere around her. She was a middle-aged woman, her eyes gently closed and framed by faint smile lines. Her chestnut brown hair was neatly braided to one side, and her clothing was simple and practical: a long, oatmeal-colored linen dress and a worn apron.
The woman thanked Komraad after he returned her purse.
"Thank you for recovering my purse. Is there anything I can do to pay you back?" The woman asked with a gentle, appreciative voice.
This is now our chance!
I placed myself on Komraad's shoulder and whispered to him. "Hey, ask her if she can let us stay at her house."
"Sure!" Komraad answered, and then immediately shouted, "Hey, lady! Let us stay at your house! And give us food too while you're at it!" Komraad demanded, oblivious to his own rudeness.
That's not how you ask someone who just got robbed, you dumb dog!
We thought the woman would be overwhelmed by Komraad's demanding tone, but to my surprise, she was very calm and collected.
"Oh, I see… You guys must be travelers. Yes, you can stay at my place. We have an extra room you can use," she responded with calm and gentle composure.
I was surprised and happy when she said yes, and I forgot once again that I was still a cat.
"Oh, thank you so much, lady," I said politely.
She was surprised, but still remained calm and composed. "Oh, a talking cat, you don't see that so often, how nice. You can just call me Amalia instead of lady," she said.
"Thank you, Amalia. You can call me Ina. This guy here is Komraad, and these two girls are Fae and Rein," I responded.
"Nice meeting all of you, and thank you for your help. Come with me and I'll treat you all to a meal. I'll also show you the place you'll be staying after," Amalia said kindly.
We helped Amalia buy another set of food after the first one got stolen. We also gave her a lift in our carriage so we could travel faster to her home. Her home was actually all the way out of the kingdom. We had to exit the main gates and pass through the nearby forest to get to her home.
It took us minutes, but we finally arrived at her large, modest house.
"Welcome to our home. It's not much, but I hope it'll do just fine," Amalia said.
The house was big, not because it was the house of a noble, but because it was an orphanage. It was a two-story building of weathered stone and timber, looking cozy but well-used.
"We have a lot of orphans staying here, so I'm sorry in advance," Amalia informed.
"Don't be sorry. The fact that you're letting us stay for free is too much already. Thank you," I said politely.
We were about to enter her house when a big man carrying a bulk of wood greeted us. The man was a towering figure with broad shoulders and a frame carved by hard labor. His face, despite his imposing build, was calm and gentle, and his green hair was short and tousled.
"Oh, we have some visitors. Welcome to our home! Ha-Ha!" The man greeted warmly.
"Thank you for having us," we said in unison.
"It's nothing! A friend of my wife is a friend of mine," he assured.
"Honey, I'm back." Amalia kissed the man on his cheek.
"Welcome back, honey," the man greeted back and kissed her.
After we finished greeting each other, we entered their house and saw a lot of orphaned kids who were very well behaved.
"Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Alcantara," the orphans greeted them in unison.
"We're back, kids," the couple greeted back.
"Honey, can you help our visitors settle in? I'm going to cook a meal so we can all eat together," Amalia requested.
Her husband agreed right away.
Amalia's husband put the wood he was carrying back in the kitchen and helped Komraad carry our baggage into our room while Fae and Rein immediately started playing with the orphaned kids.
"All your belongings are already in your room. Rest or walk around, do whatever you want. If you need anything, just call my name, it's Miguel."
"Thank you for the hospitality, Miguel. You can call me Ina, and this guy here is Komraad," I responded politely.
"Nice meeting you both. I'll take my leave now."
Miguel left to continue chopping wood while Komraad and I stayed in the room to rest and talk.
"Thank God we found a place, or we'd be sleeping in our carriage. I kind of feel bad staying here without providing anything, though. They're already feeding lots of mouths. I feel guilty that they have to feed four more," I said to Komraad.
"Just think of it as their way of saying thank you," Komraad answered, lying on the bed.
"You're right. For now, let's rest and eat. After that, let's focus on our goal: finding a clairvoyant."