Chapter 5
“Why did you run away when I called you yesterday?”
Sia, realizing that the person who had grabbed her was the one she had seen yesterday, calmed her startled heart.
“Ah, you’re…”
“I’m called Karin.”
“Oh, Karin. I’m… Sia.”
At the very least, she now fully understood that this was not the Earth she used to live on. Because she had no idea how names were structured in this place, she answered cautiously and subtly looked up to gauge Karin’s expression.
Thankfully, her name itself didn’t seem to be an issue. Karin appeared far more interested in the catnip Sia had handed her yesterday than in her name.
“By the way, about that leaf from yesterday—what exactly is it? Where can I get some?”
Karin, asking the question she had been wanting to ask since yesterday, pulled out the small pouch that still contained the leaf’s lingering scent and held it out toward Sia.
“It smells amazing. There’s still some scent left, but I don’t think it’ll last much longer. If you tell me where it’s from, I’ll reward you. Come on, let’s share good information.”
“Ah…”
Sia found it difficult to answer. How was she supposed to say she ordered it online? But Karin misunderstood her hesitation.
“Wait… did you smuggle it in?”
“Huh?”
“Ha…”
Karin let out a short sigh. The place she lived in—Blois territory—was closely tied to the land of the wolf werebeasts. In that context, smuggling was a serious crime with harsh punishments.
But she didn’t want to give up the shockingly captivating scent she had experienced yesterday. Just then, while Karin was deep in thought, a loud sound reached her ears.
Gurgle, grrrrgle.
“…Are you hungry?”
“Ack, um…”
Sia fidgeted, embarrassed and nervous. Growing impatient, Karin suddenly grabbed Sia’s wrist.
“This isn’t the place to talk about this. Come with me for a bit.”
Karin could sense that the mysterious herbal scent, though faint, was still drawing attention from those around them. On top of that, she didn’t want others to think she was getting close to a woman with ominous black hair.
For various reasons, she took Sia back to her shop.
Sia was quietly amazed at the interior—it looked like something out of a fantasy game. Once again, she was reminded that this really was another world.
“This is my break time before dinner service. Is steak okay with you?”
Karin asked as she casually tied on an apron.
“Yes, more than okay!”
The moment she heard the word ‘food’, Sia answered without hesitation. She realized this wasn’t a situation where she needed to run away from Karin like she did yesterday. On the contrary, she began wondering how she could stick close to Karin instead.
“Ah— Cola!”
Then she suddenly realized that Cola had gone missing again. As she stood up in surprise, Karin approached her from behind and said,
“If you mean the black cat that was with you, he disappeared right after we met.”
Thud.
She placed a large plate of steak on the table and continued.
“Honestly, it’s a relief he disappeared. To be honest, bringing that cat into the shop too would’ve been a bit much.”
Sia, distracted by the savory aroma of the steak, widened her eyes in surprise at Karin’s words.
“What? Why?”
“I know it’s rude to say this, but I have to ask.”
“…A-Ask what?”
“Where on earth are you from, that you seem to know absolutely nothing about the Pelles Empire?”
“……”
Sia had no response. She had only just learned that this place was called the Pelles Empire—what could she possibly say?
“The only neighboring countries to the Pelles Empire are the lands of the wolf and snake werebeasts. But Sia, you don’t seem to be from either. So then… what kind of werebeast are you?”
Faced with this long question, Sia just blinked her eyes. Karin’s words and what had happened yesterday came back to her. She had assumed they were wearing cat ear headbands, but that wasn’t it.
Apparently, everyone she had seen with cat ears and tails in this place were actually cat werebeasts. Now it made sense why there were so many cats in the square yesterday. Since this was a place where cat werebeasts lived, it must naturally be cat-friendly.
So then… was the Pelles Empire a nation of cat werebeasts?
Her thoughts were racing. After deliberating for a moment, Sia cautiously answered.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. What I can say for certain is—I’m not a cat, wolf, or snake werebeast.”
“…So you came from somewhere even farther away?”
“Yes…”
At Sia’s reply, Karin assumed she might be a rabbit werebeast, something she had only heard of in rumors. The rabbit werebeasts lived far from the Pelles Empire, and she had never actually met one. But being a herbivore, it made sense that she might want to keep it a secret.
Either way, Karin was relieved. Sia wasn’t a wolf or snake werebeast, and that was good enough.
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