After chatting with the noble Princess for a while, Nymera finally found an opportunity to stand up and take her leave.
She had initially worried that Hibiki would be reluctant to go, but to her surprise, the fellow left quite readily, mainly because he had already finished that massive pile of special food and had even licked the carpet clean.
Regardless, the Princess's pet puppy looked utterly despondent.
Before they departed, the Princess folded her small fan and pointed it at Nymera, signaling for her to wait.
She then summoned the Head Maid and whispered a few instructions.
The Head Maid left quickly and soon returned carrying an exquisite little wooden box.
In front of Nymera, the Princess flipped open the small box, revealing a pendant resting on a soft cushion, shimmering with a faint purple glow.
It was a Talisman of no small quality.
"Collecting Talismans is a hobby of mine. Isn't it beautiful, ja?" The Princess lifted the Talisman with her fingertips and asked Nymera.
Unsure of how else to respond, Nymera nodded and said, "Indeed it is."
"The protection contained within this Talisman can strengthen the user's body, allowing them to run for long periods without tiring (Marathon Runner), while also allowing them to leap higher and jump further (Evade Extender).
Gift–"
Thinking the Princess was merely showing off to her, Nymera hurriedly stood up. "I cannot! I have performed no service; I truly do not deserve such a gift..."
"Do not interrupt me, ja!" The Princess glared at her, then beckoned to Hibiki.
Hibiki ran up to the Princess with his tongue lolling out. The Princess continued, "This child is pleasing to the eye, so this Talisman shall be a gift for him to wear as an ornament, ja~!"
As she spoke, she tried to hang the Talisman around Hibiki's neck, but the Palamute's neck was too thick; it wouldn't fit no matter what.
The Princess inspected the situation, then casually hung the Talisman onto one of Hibiki's sharply pointed ears.
Hibiki felt a bit of an itch and shook his ears, nearly sending the Talisman flying.
Nymera hesitated to speak. Who gives a Talisman to a dog? The protection of a Talisman doesn't even work on a Palamute. Even as slow as she was, she could tell the Princess was just using a random excuse.
Just as she was about to refuse again, the Princess stood up gracefully and walked toward the exit of the drawing room. "I am tired. Lina, see our guests out, ja."
Nymera wanted to follow, but she was blocked by the smiling Head Maid, who saw her out of the manor with a manner that was gentle and polite, yet firm.
Looking at the closed iron gates and the two sentries guarding the entrance with vigilant gazes, Nymera had no choice but to leave with Hibiki.
Hibiki, walking beside her, suddenly tossed his large head and shook the Talisman off. Nymera scrambled to catch it, but when she tried to hang it back on Hibiki, the latter skipped away to dodge her.
Helpless, Nymera had to put the Talisman away for the time being.
"I'll write a letter to Teacher later and ask her what I should do." After muttering to herself, Nymera gave Hibiki's large ear a firm tug. "You really are a troublemaker."
"Woof!"
Human adaptability is a powerful thing.
On the first day she was dragged from her own bed back to the Training Area, Isis had been in agony, so exhausted by the end of the day she felt like vomiting. But after more than half a month of continuous high-intensity training, she had become numb to it. So, when Instructor Altman told her yesterday evening that her special training was over and she could take two days to rest and relax before returning to "work"...
Isis was completely stunned. Rest? Relax? What were those?
Early this morning, before the sun had even risen, her mind was still in a fog, but her body started moving on its own. It wasn't until she reached the Training Area that she realized she could have actually slept in today.
But after all that commotion, any lingering sleepiness had vanished.
Since things had already turned out this way, she might as well train.
Thus, when Nymera followed the address to Isis's home and was guided to the Training Area by a deeply gratified Amos, Isis was already drenched in sweat.
Upon hearing that Isis had been training like this for over half a month, a visible look of shame immediately crossed Nymera's face.
What had she been doing during her time back in Kamura Village? Playing with dogs, petting cats, and eating dango...
Seeing her partner arrive, Isis, whose brain was numb from training, ran over happily and pulled Nymera, who was a full head shorter than her, into a tight embrace.
She sniffled, suddenly feeling a strange urge to cry.
Ugh... next time there's a holiday, I'm not coming back!
Pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat that Isis had smeared onto her face, Nymera was just about to introduce Hibiki when she saw the large dog darting over to the equally sweaty Clawdia.
He extended his nose to have a sniff, but Clawdia leaned back in disgust to avoid him.
When he stuck out his long tongue to try and lick her, Clawdia let out a sharp "Meow!" and delivered two quick "thwack-thwack" swats right across the tip of Hibiki's nose. The pain sent Hibiki ducking his head and whimpering as he pawed at his face.
"Clawdia!" Isis quickly scolded.
"It's fine, it's fine." Nymera, however, just found it amusing; this was the first time she had ever seen Hibiki come out on the losing end.
The boy was strong and young. Among the Palamutes raised by Master Iori, the skilled ones didn't bother with him, and the younger ones couldn't beat him, so he had gradually developed the temperament of a bully. It was good for him to learn a lesson.
But Hibiki wasn't one to take a loss lightly.
After howling for a few moments while clutching his nose, he suddenly lunged forward, trying to pin Clawdia to the ground to show her what he was made of!
However, he greatly underestimated Clawdia's strength.
Long before Hibiki even leaped, Clawdia had already judged his intent based on the movement of his muscles.
Her feline pupils narrowed.
Confirming that Hibiki hadn't bared his teeth meant he wasn't intending a truly harmful attack, so Clawdia didn't extend her claws, sparing the scene from becoming too bloody or cruel.
But she didn't intend to let this stupid dog off easy, either.
Acting so rowdy the moment they met... if I don't beat him into submission now, communication will be impossible later, meow!
Clawdia's movements were so fast that Hibiki couldn't even see them. With a flash, she vanished from his line of sight. Her fluffy little paws, which looked entirely non-threatening, hooked around Hibiki's neck from below. Using the momentum of his forward lunge, she twisted her body and flipped him.
With a loud "THUD!"
Hibiki, who weighed more than ten times as much as Clawdia, was slammed onto the dirt floor of the Training Area in a perfect back suppress.
"Awoo!" Dazed and disoriented, Hibiki let out a pitiful cry.
"You still dare to cry, meow?" Clawdia continued to rain down punches and kicks on Hibiki's head. "That's for the sneak attack, meow! You're just a stray from the roadside, did you think you were special, meow?
Try that again, and I'll beat you to death, meow!"
Hibiki curled up and twisted around, trying to dodge Clawdia's assault, but her paws always managed to bypass his defense to stomp hard on his nose and other sensitive spots.
Nymera was stunned.
Clawdia wasn't large for a Felyne, she was even considered petite, with a round, adorable face. Since she wasn't wearing any Armor at the moment, it was easy to get the false impression that she was harmless.
It made Nymera momentarily forget that this creature was capable of soloing 4★ threat level Monsters...
Though Hibiki was physically large, he lacked real combat experience. He could handle things like Bullfango or Jaggi, but he'd be chased off by something like an Arzuros. The two were simply not on the same level of strength.
Isis was also dumbfounded; she hadn't expected Clawdia to be so ruthless.
She hurried forward, intending to pull Clawdia away, but having been deprived of hunting for the entire holiday, Clawdia was in the heat of the fray. She twisted out of Isis's hands and delivered another kick to Hibiki's chin.
"Awoo!"
Isis had no choice but to crouch down and grab Hibiki's body with both hands. Under Nymera's ghost-stricken gaze, she gave a shout of "Heave!" and lifted the man-sized Palamute high above her head, keeping him out of Clawdia's reach.
"That's enough, that's enough, stop fighting..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)