Cat Princess and Human Knight

As Ilya transformed into a silver beam and shot out, she felt increasingly uneasy, sensing that Astraea's behavior earlier had been rather strange.

While she was furious and cursing that she never wanted to see that bastard again, Astraea was overjoyed and eagerly asked if it was true.

What if it's true? What if it's false?

The silver light froze, and Ilya revealed herself, her expression becoming increasingly intriguing.

Astraea... You wouldn't be... trying to steal my man, would you?

The thought of Astraea lying in Yi Yin's arms, passionately kissing the lips, hands, thighs, and genitals she had once kissed...

Ilya's pupils contracted instantly, her hair exploded in all directions, the water within a ten-mile radius froze, the trees ignited, and the sound barrier-breaking shockwave exploded violently, transforming into ice and fire that swept and spread in all directions.

"Astraea! Don't even think about it!"

Ilya was furious. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her guess made sense. She blamed herself for trusting that woman too much and actually telling her about her man.

That was a young man unlike any other in the world. How could Astraea, who cared so much about the survival of humanity, not be tempted?

The continuation of the race is of utmost importance. If Ilya is unwilling to go, there are plenty of women eager to do so.

Thinking about this, Ilya felt it was becoming more and more real, but when she thought of Yi Yin's shameless and greedy face, she became furious.

But if another woman were to steal that bastard away, Ilya would never be able to bear it.

After thinking it over and over, Ilya finally snorted and muttered to herself.

"I'll give you one more chance, I'll give you one more chance, okay? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll... I'll... Humph..."

Following her heart, Ilya changed direction, transforming into silver light and heading towards the rocky hills.

---

At this moment, Yi Yin was completely unaware of the turmoil and sorrow in Ilya's heart. He was watching the knightly tournament initiated by Duke Snowclaw, completely absorbed in the experience.

In order to prepare for the potential raids by the nomadic cats of the Boundless Plateau, which have suffered a severe white plague, Duke Snowclaw holds a knightly tournament as usual.

On the one hand, it was to boost the morale of the troops on the rocky hills, and on the other hand, it was to select more warriors through the conference to prepare for the battles to come.

Ten days ago, written or verbal invitations were received throughout the Shattered Hills by messengers representing the Duke of Snowclaw.

Knights with noble blood are eligible to participate in this competition, which gives many noble families' sons an opportunity to advance their careers.

Traditionally, noble lords followed the primogeniture system. Lesser noble families had limited resources, and the children other than the eldest son had to fend for themselves when they grew up.

They either became vassals of the eldest son, joined other noble families, or became free knights, seeking opportunities to earn merit and be granted fiefdoms.

The jousting tournament was an excellent opportunity for the sons of minor nobles without inheritance rights to demonstrate their martial prowess to the higher nobles.

As a comprehensive event, the knightly tournament will feature various competitions over several days, including lance fighting, archery, and melee combat, interspersed with artistic performances such as musical performances and poetry recitations.

Meanwhile, a temporary arena had been set up on a plain in the Snowclaw Duchy, with a rectangular area separated by wooden fences, where a signature equestrian lance competition was being held.

The nobles sat on a wooden platform covered with silk and blankets, chatting quietly as they watched the game.

Each family erected its own colorful flags and family crests, while the great nobles had their own tent areas and even their own separate high platforms.

The civilians could only stand outside the venue and watch the situation inside from a distance.

For ordinary people, they don't care about winning or losing the competition; they just want to make money by participating in the event. So they set up temporary markets outside the venue to sell food and various supplies.

As a human, Yi Yin had his own high platform, where the cat people watched him with awe and interest.

Seeing his carefree attitude, one can't help but feel sorry for Ilya's sentimental and melancholic nature.

The group of cats from the Huru-Ling Lady, who had come with them, also sat on the separate high platform, benefiting from Yi Yin's influence.

It wasn't that Yi Yin didn't care about his own troubles; it was just that this medieval-style horse-drawn lance competition was really interesting and temporarily captured all his attention.

The two sides of the knights lined up at opposite ends of the track. The cat knight, clad in armor, rode on the back of his lynx mount and charged forward with a long spear in hand.

At this moment, occupying one end of the track is Luna, the calico knight, dressed in light chainmail and holding a long spear.

Upon hearing the horn, the two lynx mounts charged out. Luna accurately hit the opponent's shield, and her immense strength threw the unsuspecting opponent off the lynx's back, securing a perfect score.

Seeing the valiant female knight defeat the enemy once again, the noble cats on the surrounding high platforms screamed at an alarming rate.

They seemed to have lost their minds, wrapping gold and silver jewelry in various handkerchiefs and throwing them into the venue as if they were free, amidst thunderous cheers.

Meanwhile, the orange cat Paladin Bell looked at Luna, who was as valiant as any male cat, on the lynx's back, his eyes sparkling with admiration, and he clapped his paws vigorously.

"Invincible! Invincible! Invincible!"

Screams echoed across the field. Luna dropped her spear, which had shattered during the charge, jumped off her horse, took the sword from her opponent who was already raising his hands, and offered it to Princess Sophia, the short-legged cat.

Just then, a command came from a tent. A cat knight waiting outside bowed, jumped onto his lynx mount, and entered the arena to issue a new challenge to Luna.

On the highest platform with the best view, Duke Snowclaw and Marquis Velvet Carpet sat in the two chairs closest to the front.

Behind them, several female cat ladies covered their faces with ornate fans, whispering secrets and occasionally letting out melodious giggles.

Duke Snowclaw frowned as he looked at the new challengers appearing in the arena.

"This is the fourth challenger, isn't it? Marquis Iron Oak is still sending people to challenge him? Isn't this going a bit too far?"

"The Marquis of Velvet Carpet said with a smile."

"Perhaps he felt uncomfortable because his subordinates kept losing to a female cat?"

Duke Snowclaw rolled his eyes at the Marquis of Blanket, who was spouting nonsense. He knew that the cow cat was teasing the Marquis of Iron Oak and that his playful words should not be taken seriously, so he retorted.

"But you can't just send people out in waves to keep coming back for more, can you? Wouldn't that be even more shameful?"

There are 108 feudal nobles with representative power in the Seven-Tailed Council, and the Shattered Hills are three of them, making a total of one duke and two marquises.

The Duke of Snowclaw, the Marquis of Velvet Carpet, and the Marquis of Iron Oak are the heads of these three families. Almost all the nobles in the Shattered Hills region are vassals of these three lords.

The more than two hundred manors in the rocky hills, with one hundred thousand cats, are mostly under the control of these three families, except for the church manor.

The Duke of Snowclaw and the Marquis of Velvet Carpet are hereditary relatives by marriage, while the Marquis of Iron Oak is a border noble, or military noble.

They're completely incompatible; deep down, neither of them respects the other.

From the perspective of the Duke of Snowclaw, the Marquis of Iron Oak's undignified and reckless behavior at the knightly tournament he had organized was truly disrespectful and somewhat provocative.