Don’t Be Obsessed With Your Cat Butler - Chapter 99

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Nox cast his gaze toward James, who was watching the battlefield from afar. The moment their eyes met, James drew his sword. With a face filled with exhilaration, he closed the distance to Nox in an instant.

Clang!

The sound of steel colliding rang out with an almost crystalline clarity, ill-suited to the chaos of the situation. After exchanging several blows, the two were pushed into an open space away from the soldiers.

Putting a bit of distance between them, Nox swallowed an irritated breath. He didn’t like wasting time like this. James, who had been watching him closely the whole time, extended his sword forward and shifted sideways at a leisurely pace.

“So you’re the famous Duke Blois.”

“…The wolf tribe has sharp ears for pointless things.”

“Our physical abilities have always been superior, as the wolf tribe.”

“……”

Nox had no desire to trade idle words with James. He wanted to wrap things up here as quickly as possible and return to Sia’s side. In truth, his anxiety had risen to his throat, to the point where he almost felt he wouldn’t mind handing over a territory of this size to the wolf tribe.

“If I said I’ve been dying to cross blades with you for a long time, would you be pleased?”

“You really do spout all kinds of nonsense.”

As Nox considered how to attack, he noticed that James, too, had black hair. If this had been before meeting Sia, he might have been shaken by the sight of a black-haired man before him. But now, whenever he saw black hair, Sia came to mind before anything else, and Nox lunged without hesitation.

James narrowly avoided the blade that cut in toward his side, then swung his sword in a wide arc, but Nox was already no longer in front of him. Clicking his tongue, James immediately pulled his body back.

No sooner had he done so than a sharp blade came crashing down vertically, as if swords were pouring from the sky.

“Huh…”

He had long heard rumors of Nox’s skill. As a catfolk, his agility had been expected. Still, he was far faster than anticipated. It was obvious that most ordinary subordinates would have lost their lives without even realizing how they died.

James quickly stepped back, then leapt forward and thrust his sword. Clang, claaang! The sound of blades colliding and scraping rang out harshly, enough to draw the attention of nearby fighters all at once.

To avoid Nox’s sword sliding along his own blade and drawing closer to his face, James retreated once more. However, the distance refused to open. That was how much Nox kept advancing.

While moving backward with their swords locked, Nox abruptly pulled back, then surged forward. Clang, crash! The sounds of clashing steel rang out in rapid succession.

As he parried Nox’s blade, James pressed his tongue firmly against the inside of his cheek. It seemed he was being pushed back, if only slightly.

He had confidently thought he could take the head of the black cat with ease, but Nox was far stronger than he had expected. In particular, the timing of his retreats and sudden advances was wildly irregular, making him difficult to read.

CLANG!

“…This is troublesome.”

James wanted Nox even more. In the Lupensia Empire, he had never met a swordsman superior to himself. A duel with an opponent who might be stronger made his heart pound tightly and sent a thrill through him, his hair practically standing on end with excitement.

Too precious to kill.

So, after spotting the search team returning in the distance, he changed his mind. There was no need to kill him this time.

They had invaded anyway, partly to prepare for winter, and partly to get a look at the black cat.

Winter preparations would not end with this one time, so James decided he would cross swords with Nox again next time. With their blades still locked, he spoke.

“Are you also looking for that human?”

It was a meaningless question about a human whose trace they hadn’t found so much as a single hair of yet. At that moment, Nox, who had shown no opening at all, flinched ever so slightly. James did not miss that fleeting instant.

Shrrk, clang!

Scraping his blade against Nox’s and forcing a collision, James slashed diagonally toward Nox’s shoulder. If the attack landed cleanly, it would surely be a fatal wound. However, Nox’s counterforce was far too strong for the blow to go through completely.

Nox barely managed to block it, but he couldn’t stop everything. Blood streamed down from his shoulder, scraped by the tip of the blade.