Cat Princess and Human Knight

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight rose over the eastern mountainside, the church bells rang out.

In feudal times, the peasants lived a simple life, working from sunrise to sunset and bearing heavy taxes. Their only spiritual solace was the village church.

The church bells were their daily routine, the only bright spot in their lives.

Within the small territory of Viscount Huru, there is only one medium-sized manor.

The nobles lived in courtyards, the farm cats lived in the village, which was surrounded by a large area of ​​farmland, and there was a dilapidated castle on the mountain not far away.

The castle is perched on the mountainside because of a spring there, and the surrounding terrain is treacherous.

But living in a castle isn't comfortable either. It's used daily to reinforce the castle with resources, and it's only activated during periods of frequent invasions by foreign enemies to protect the nobles and settle the people.

The village church is not a building that a medium-sized manor should have. The village cats do not have enough money and food to build a church, and the regulations do not allow them to build one. Generally, only chapels are allowed.

But Milo of Huru Territory. The Light Speaker is a retired former bishop of noble status. He was born here and, after retiring in his old age, returned to where he started his life.

Out of respect for her, the church made an exception and allowed believers to donate to build a church, which can be considered a benefit that the Light Speaker brought to her hometown.

At this moment, the sky was already bright, the sun was rising slowly, and the early spring farming season had made the village lively very early.

The kittens frolicked and played at the doorway, only to be greeted with a few scoldings and light scratches from their mother every now and then. Then, one by one, they were picked up by the scruff of their necks and led obediently up the path to the church.

The church entrance was teeming with cats of all sizes. The chef, a fat cat, arrogantly directed his assistant cats as they prepared the Holy Communion, a type of unleavened bread.

Today is Sunday, and the old bishop with the golden shade, dressed in a holy robe, devoutly placed his paws on the Golden Claw Gospel, praising Mother Earth.

Beside him was a choir of farm cat children, singing some off-key hymns.

The kittens' parents bowed their heads reverently, constantly treading on the linen bundle woven from moonlight hemp in front of them with their paws.

The rising sun shines through the stained glass of the roof onto the statue of Mother Earth, where a calico cat goddess holding a fish smiles with her head down, as if watching the cats in the church completing a kneading ritual.

After the kneading ceremony, the kittens lined up and walked to the old golden shaded bishop.

Old Golden Shaded cat smiled and dipped its paws in peppermint oil, then placed its paw prints on the foreheads of each kitten, wishing them health and peace.

After each kitten was picked up, its parents would express their deepest gratitude and leave with their kitten.

The work in the fields still awaits them. Although praying for divine protection is important, filling their stomachs is just as important.

Yi Yin followed the dwarf cat princess to the entrance of the village church, watching groups of cats and animals leave amidst blessings.

They looked at the tall humans with awe and bowed to the dwarf cat princess from afar.

The farm cats lined up at the door to receive unleavened holy bread, which was the breakfast prepared for them by the church, and then hurried off to the fields.

Yi Yin found it amusing, squatted down to watch the fat cat chef dividing the cakes, and asked.

"Could I have one?"

Chef Fat Cat's legs trembled as he spoke timidly.

"I... I don't keep my word, I can't just give it away randomly."

The bishop said, "This...this is Holy Communion prepared for the faithful. Are you religious?"

Yi Yin touched his nose and shook his head.

Despite being terrified, Chef Fat Cat mustered the courage to refuse.

"Then I can't give it to you."

The short-legged cat princess blocked Yi Yin's view and gave a salute.

"I am a devout follower of Mother Earth, please give me a piece of holy bread."

Chef Fat Cat breathed a sigh of relief and quickly gave her a piece of holy bread, repeating his habitual words.

May Mother Earth bless you.

Princess Shorty Cat led Yi Yin away from the crowd and said.

"Why are you, a human, going up there to cause trouble? Can't you see they're terrified of you?"

Yi Yin scratched his head and said.

"I'm just curious. Those kittens look really cute, and I'd love to pet them."

Princess Munchkin shook her head and said.

Do you know why they are so afraid?

Because most humans treat cats like Illya, the Oath of Ice and Fire, only caring about their own happiness from petting cats, completely disregarding whether the cats are happy or not, which has led to countless tragedies.

In the fairy tales where cats scare kittens, humans are always terrifying. Disobedient children are captured by humans, and the poor princess is always locked in a castle by humans.

The cat race fears the human race because the human race always interferes with the cat race's normal life based on their own likes and dislikes, and the powerful human race is something the cat race cannot resist.

If you were a cat, wouldn't you be annoyed?

Yi Yin touched his bald head.

"I'm just curious and want to see what they eat. Besides, what business is it of mine how the humans in this world mess things up?"

Princess Shorty Cat shook her head and held up the holy bread she had just taken.

"Then give it a try."

Yi Yin bent down, picked up the Holy Biscuit, and examined it closely. The Holy Biscuit was only half the size of his palm, similar to the size of a cookie. He simply threw it into his mouth and began to chew.

"Ugh, why is it so hard? It feels like it's going to cut my throat. It tastes awful."

After barely swallowing the holy bread, Yi Yin smacked his lips and shook his head; it was more unpalatable than he had imagined.

Princess Munchkin seemed to have known this outcome all along, and said calmly.

"The method of making Holy biscuits dates back to a very long time ago. At that time, there was no fermentation process, so they were pure unleavened bread, which of course did not taste good."

But for those farm cats who usually eat even worse, the Holy Communion is probably their greatest expectation at each church service.

Princess Munchkin spoke in a cold tone that made Yi Yin very sad. He looked at the kittens who had followed their parents away, most of them with that awful Holy Coin still in their mouths, and they were extremely happy.

Yi Yin sighed.

"What an unpleasant world."

As the man and the cat talked, almost everyone in the church had left.

The old bishop with the golden shaded coat walked out of the church, first nodding to the short-legged cat princess, then expressing his gratitude to the fat cat chef in a gentle tone, and handing over a bag of coins to the fat cat chef.

Chef Fat Cat pretended to refuse twice, but finally accepted the money with a big smile, carefully packed up the remaining holy bread, and left happily.

The old bishop with the golden shaggy hair watched with a smile as the fat cat chef leeched off the church's profits in front of him, then lowered his head in embarrassment and slipped away.

The dwarf cat princess walked behind the old golden shaded bishop and whispered.

"Grandpa Milo..."

The old bishop with the golden shaded coat sighed and turned to Princess Shorty Cat.

"Sophia, it's not that I'm unwilling to help you, but please take a closer look at them."

They are your people, and you have a responsibility to make their lives better, not to subject them to a dead future for your own selfish reasons.

I also have my own selfish motives. I admit you are innocent, but they are even more innocent.

I was born in this small village, and by chance became a pastor, achieving some success. I hope my hometown is peaceful, and I hope these simple farm cats can live well.

I am so sad, Sofia. Your mother is my goddaughter. She is a good girl, and I love her very, very much.

It was her parents who sponsored my admission to the church school; otherwise, I might just be a slightly clever farm cat. I will be grateful to them for the rest of my life.

But I can't, I can't do anything for you. I'm really sad. I'm sorry, Sophia, I'm so sorry.

Princess Munchkin Cat stood there, listening to the old golden tabby bishop's sincere apology, and seemed somewhat moved.

But only Yi Yin, standing beside the two cats, knew that the dwarf cat princess was completely unmoved.

She has lost her conscience and has no empathy whatsoever; everything she does now is based solely on weighing pros and cons.

After hearing the old golden shaded bishop's apology, the dwarf cat princess looked melancholy and said...

"I'm the cat who should apologize, Grandpa Milo. What I said yesterday must have hurt you deeply. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

The scholar from Sass said a lot to me yesterday, and I've realized how naive I was.

The Mankikang royal family had long been at odds with the vast majority of royal families and nobles. Even without Rein and Shadowmoon, other cats would have taken action against the Mankikang royal family sooner or later.

I shouldn't have dragged my innocent people into this; even with their strength, I have no chance of winning.

So I decided to live well, because I know my mother would want me to live well too.

By the end, Princess Munchkin was in tears, and the old bishop of the golden shaded cat was also moved to tears by her words.

Only Yi Yin sighed in admiration, secretly giving the short-legged cat princess a thumbs up.

The cunning cat is truly ruthless, and its acting skills are also exceptional.

Once the two had calmed down, the short-legged cat princess took out the two boiled ears of corn and said with a smile.

"Grandpa Milo, I'd like you to try this."

The old bishop with the golden chin took a corn cob, examined it carefully, and asked a question.

"Is this grain? I don't think I've ever seen it before."

"Yes, this is grain brought from afar by Lord Yiyin's friend. It's delicious once cooked. Please try some."

The old bishop with the golden chin nodded, took a bite of corn kernels and chewed them, nodding in agreement.

"Yes, it tastes really good."

Just then, Princess Shorty Cat suddenly spoke.

"You also think corn tastes good, right? I'd like to donate five tons of corn to the church, is that alright?"

"Five...five tons???"

Caught off guard, the old golden shaded bishop choked on a corn kernel while chewing and coughed violently. The dwarf cat princess quickly patted the old golden shaded bishop's back with her paw.

"Grandpa Milo, are you alright, Grandpa Milo?"

Yi Yin watched coldly, as if he saw a slight smile appear on the corner of the short-legged cat princess's mouth.

This short-legged cat has lost its conscience, but it still has a vengeful heart. What a cunning cat!