Sorry for the late update!
“““Cheers!!!”””
A shout that felt completely out of place.
It was the signal for the banquet to begin.
The first thing we saw upon entering the Great Tent was a crowd of beastmen making a boisterous ruckus as they drank together. It seemed the voices we had heard from outside earlier were indeed the sounds of a party.
I mean—wait, what on earth was this?!
Just what did they think they were doing?!
The cat-eared Little Witch holding my flowerpot stood frozen at the entrance, looking utterly dazed.
“Hey, Alraune. Is this maybe a chance?”
“It certainly might be!”
Inside the tent, an uncountable number of beastmen were shoveling alcohol and meat into their mouths. Between the rows of rowdy warriors, members of the beast-ear race were busily scurrying about as serving staff, carrying trays of food. No one seemed to be paying us any mind.
At the very back of the tent, a large, lion-faced beastman sat drinking. He looked exactly like Beast King Marticoras, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army. Which meant there was no doubt—that had to be their leader, Beast Ogre Mantiger.
Tied to Mantiger’s waist was a small cage. Inside, I saw Fairy Kiri lying bound and gagged.
—Kiri!
Thank goodness, she was safe! Well, safe was a relative term since she was still a prisoner. I had to find a way to rescue her.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a girl from the beast-ear race called out to us.
“You there, white cat! You help out too, nyan!”
It seemed the Little Witch had been mistaken for one of the beast-ear race who had come to assist with the serving. Since she currently had cat ears and a tail, she looked like nothing other than a girl of the beast-ear race herself.
Still, it might actually be a good thing for her to join the serving staff. By pretending to be a server, we could get closer to Beast Ogre Mantiger.
However, the problem was that the person who had spoken to us was an acquaintance. Yes, she was the "stray cat" from before who had stolen Kiri and the others from the carriage! If I recalled correctly, her name was Katze. Apparently, she was the Princess of the Beast-ear Race.
Having been addressed by Katze, the Little Witch was clearly flustered.
“Eh, me...?”
“We’re so shorthanded we’d borrow a cat’s paw, so you showed up at the perfect time, nyan. Come on, white cat, carry this alcohol to the beastmen, nyan.”
Despite successfully infiltrating, we had immediately run into someone who knew us. With a troubled expression, the Little Witch hid the pot I was in behind her back.
“What are you just standing there for, nyan? Hurry up and help... Wait. You look like that human from before, nyan?”
Oh no, she was suspicious after all! If she caused a scene here, things would get complicated fast.
“You’re suspicious, nyan.”
“I-I’m not suspicious... nyan, nyan.”
“Hmph, nyan. A fake can be spotted immediately just by touching their ears, nyan.”
As she spoke, Katze began to knead and rub the Little Witch’s cat ears. The Little Witch’s face flushed a deep red with embarrassment from the touch.
“This soft texture—it’s the real deal, nyan! But I don’t recognize your face, nyan.”
“Umm... I was just brought here by the Beast Ogre... nyan.”
“Is that so, nyan?”
Katze, who had been wary just a moment ago, shifted to a gentle tone as if speaking to a precious comrade.
“It must be hard for you too, but we’re fellow members of the beast-ear race. If you have any trouble, tell me right away, nyan.”
“...I understand... nyan.”
After winking at the Little Witch, Katze moved away toward the wall of the tent. I’d had the impression she was just a common thief, but it seemed she had a kind side when it came to her own people.
“Alraune, what should we do?”
“For now, let’s mingle with the servers and watch for an opening.”
Kiri seemed safe for the moment, so there was no need to force a confrontation yet. We still didn't know where the Mandrake was, after all.
So, the Little Witch and I carried food to the beastmen while pretending to be members of the beast-ear race. During our rounds, a bear beastman beckoned us over.
“Hey, you white cat! Where's the Saint Nectar?!”
“Eh? Not alcohol, but Saint Nectar? I-I’ll go look for it now... nyan.”
Oh dear. The Little Witch’s head was spinning. She hadn't done this kind of serving work since the party in the forest, and she had no other experience to fall back on. As she struggled with the unfamiliar task, she looked visibly exhausted.
As her older sister, I had to step up!
“Gentlemen, if it's Saint Nectar you want, it's right here!”
In a spot where they couldn't see me, I poured a generous amount of nectar into a vessel. Perhaps the sweet aroma tickled their nostrils, because the bear beastmen immediately began to gulp it down.
“I-It’s the Saint Nectar! I’ve been dying to drink this again!”
“Seriously?! Give me some too!”
“It’s so sweet! This stuff is addictive!”
“I can’t live without Saint Nectar anymore...”
Yes, yes, I didn't know what kind of banquet this was, but since they were here, I hoped they drank their fill. After all, this might very well be their last supper...
As I watched the beastmen greedily consuming the nectar, the crowd inside the tent suddenly began to let out rhythmic war cries. At the center of the noise sat Beast Ogre Mantiger. He stood up in time with the shouts.
“Gentlemen, the time has come!”
It seemed his speech was beginning. The beastmen fell silent, waiting intently for his words. The Little Witch and I moved toward the wall of the tent to stay out of the way. Standing right next to us was Katze.
“The time for war is upon us! We shall be folded into the Prime Minister’s Third Legion!”
War? Was he talking about the same thing Priest Pandia mentioned—how the Demon King's Army was targeting the Royal Capital to reclaim the Witch Queen? Furthermore, the Prime Minister was the Sister Dragon, the Flame Dragon Lord’s older sister. These guys were her subordinates.
“Our target is the Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Gardenia! The time has finally come to exterminate the wicked humans!”
It seemed this banquet was a departure ceremony before the invasion. The reason they had the beast-ear race collecting Saint Nectar was likely as preparation for the long march to the capital.
“First, we shall occupy Edelweiss, located south of the Royal Capital, and strike at the heart of the kingdom from there!”
“““OHHHH!”””
The moment the name of that town was mentioned, my eyes widened. The Little Witch also recognized it and whispered to me.
“Hey, Alraune. Edelweiss is that town from the map, right?”
“Yes, that’s right...”
Edelweiss—that was the name of the town where I, Saint Iris, was born. These monsters weren't satisfied with just attacking the capital; they were planning to raze my hometown as well. Strength naturally surged through my vines.
At that moment, Beast Ogre Mantiger shouted, “Bring them out!”
Several girls of the beast-ear race, bound in chains, were led before him. They were dressed in tatters, their eyes hollow and vacant. They looked like slaves.
“We head out on expedition soon. Any dead weight other than warriors is unnecessary. These ones will be tonight’s dinner! Eat your fill and build your strength!”
“““OHHHH!”””
The girls, declared as mere fodder, began to weep. Seeing that, the serving staff of the beast-ear race hung their heads in frustrated silence.
“Now then, I suppose I’ll start on the main dish!”
Mantiger pulled Kiri out of the cage. Surely they didn't mean to eat a fairy too? It was unbelievable. Indiscriminately treating people like livestock was unforgivable.
“Fairies taste best when you swallow 'em whole!”
Kiri was letting out muffled groans of “Ugu-gu!”. I couldn't let him eat her. Just as I decided to reveal our true identities and attack, I noticed Katze next to me poking at a familiar flowerpot.
The Mandrake had been placed there, blending in with the other houseplants lined up against the tent wall.
“Hey, don't sleep. Wake up, nyan. If you don't hurry, everyone is going to be eaten, nyan.”
Was Katze trying to wake the Mandrake? But why? If it woke up, its scream would knock out everyone in the tent.
Then, I noticed something else. Tucked inside Katze’s cat ears were earplugs.
Could it be that the reason Katze stole the Mandrake was for this...?
“Wait, this is no time for that!”
When I looked back, Beast Ogre Mantiger was pouring Saint Nectar over Kiri’s body. He was actually muttering, “The seasoning has to be Saint Nectar, after all.”
It seemed that, whether I liked it or not, the villain was a fan of my nectar. But thanks to his pickiness, I had a moment to save her.
“Rufe, throw me!”
“Eh...? Okay, I understand... nyan.”
The Little Witch wound up and tossed me. I sailed toward Beast Ogre Mantiger just as he was about to devour Kiri. The plan was to extend my vines in mid-air and snatch her away.
The flowerpot flew over the heads of the partying beastmen, drawing a gentle arc through the air. And at the exact moment I extended my vines toward Mantiger’s wide-open maw—a familiar, ear-splitting scream echoed through the tent from behind.
“ONGYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”
The Mandrake was awake.
Next time: The Banquet in the Tent.