Chapter 50

Thank you for your feedback!

I'm so glad, I'll post two chapters today!

I look forward to your continued support.

The black panther, who was being petted calmly by me, showed no sign of trying to escape.

Everyone looked at it curiously, and when Digray tried to pet it, the panther growled.

Digray quickly pulled his hand back, but I, who was petting it as if I were half on top of it, seemed to be fine.

"That's a smart beast, it seems to understand who saved it."

The panther growled as if in response to Yegram's words.

Everyone was surprised by the timing, as if the panther was negating Yegram's words.

"Did, did this thing just negate Yegram's words? Was it just my imagination?"

"It looked that way to me too?"

"Ah, I get it! It's not just a beast, it's a demon beast, isn't it? It doesn't have the characteristics of a monster, but it's too powerful to be just a beast. Its eyes seem to have... reason. Maybe it felt a sense of kinship with you, Keita-sama, because you're a fairy?"

The black panther snorted at Nista's words.

"Ah, Nista-san, you seem to be right. That was definitely a response to your words! I've never seen a demon beast before, but... it seems to be quite weak, probably from being cursed. Its fur lacks luster, and its body is thin. What do demon beasts eat?"

As Digray spoke, he took out some portable food from his bag and offered it to the panther's mouth, but the panther only turned its face away. It didn't even look at the fruit Yegram offered.

Is it the wrong person? I offered it, but it only licked my hand and didn't try to eat.

"What do you eat? (What do you eat?)"

In response to my question, the black panther only licked my hand. Remembering my conversation with the spirit from yesterday, I gathered magic in my palm and offered it to the panther.

The panther licked the ball of magic on my small palm as if it were delicious.

"It licked the magic! Does that mean demon beasts are like fairies? But they have a physical form, right?"

"Ah, what was it? I remember hearing something about it before, but I can't recall it now."

"Is it about demon beasts?"

"Um, I think demon beasts exist to protect fairies, so they have a physical form, unlike fairies, and they eat something other than just magic. That's why fairies do something with the prey demon beasts catch?"

"......So, fairies and demon beasts have a symbiotic relationship? Maybe fairies purify the prey demon beasts catch?"

"Yeah! That's it! Purify! If they keep eating unpurified prey, they get weaker and eventually become just beasts!"

The black panther growled, as if angry, but also as if it agreed.

It was a clever beast.

It had more expressive features than Yegram.

I took a rabbit monster from my magic bag, purified it, and placed it in front of the panther.

"Go ahead."

The panther, after licking me once, ate the rabbit monster happily.

It finished it in no time and looked at me expectantly. I took a fox monster from my magic bag, purified it, and offered it. It finished that in no time too and looked at me again. I took out three more rabbits and foxes, purified them all at once, and offered them. The panther ate them all with great enthusiasm, leaving no bones, and then licked my face contentedly.

Surprisingly, there was no blood or smell after eating.

The satisfied black panther moved a little away from us, stretched out, and took a deep breath. It seemed to have flowed magic through its body, as it glowed for a moment. When it came back to us, its fur was lustrous, and its face looked more dignified.

When it lay down in front of me, it looked at me as if to say, "You can pet me!" I didn't hesitate to pet it.

The black panther, with its wonderful luster, had a touch that was incredibly smooth and silky, making me want to keep touching it.

We spent quite a while, but it was time to move on.

It was a bittersweet moment.

"See you! Be careful next time! (See you! Be careful next time!)"

I waved to the black panther, but it moved closer to me as I moved away.

Puzzled, I tilted my head.

"Maybe the demon beast wants to follow you, Keita-sama?"

The black panther barked in agreement with Digray's words.

Since I was a guest, I looked at Arlshein.

"Bringing it along is fine, but... with its size, I'm not sure if the academy will approve."

"That's true. Some students have monster familiars, but demon beasts are rare. Since there's no familiar contract, it might be difficult to get permission for a large demon beast."

Yegram, who was the vice president of the student council, seemed to know the rules well and explained with a troubled look.

The black panther, which seemed to understand our words, didn't know what the rules were, but it understood that it wouldn't be allowed to come along. It moved away from us, flowed magic through its body, and glowed even more strongly than before. The next time it appeared, it was in the form of a cute kitten.

"Meow?"

The kitten rubbed against my leg as if asking for something.

Without thinking, I picked it up and rubbed my cheek against it. When I looked at Arlshein and Yegram, Yegram, who believed in the power of cuteness, was covering her mouth and trembling, while Arlshein smiled wryly.

"This size should be no problem! Yes! I'll do my best to get the permission!"

Yegram was fired up, so it seemed we could make it work.

Arlshein, holding me and the black panther, asked,

"It will also guard Keita, and you can take care of it, right?"

I nodded, and the black cat huffed in dissatisfaction.

Unlike the black panther, the black cat's behavior was cheeky and very cute.

On the way to the base, the black cat and I hunted all the monsters in the area, which amazed Arlshein and the others.

I can't help it! I need to ensure the black cat's food! When I said this, it seemed that the academy would provide food for familiars if we got permission, but it would cost money.

Well, since I can catch them now and put them in my magic bag for free, I won't stop hunting!

When we arrived at the base, more students had already arrived, and our group was the last.

Our strict but intellectual teacher looked surprised for a moment at the black cat I was holding but said nothing and gestured to the appraisal area with his chin.

At the appraisal area, the same appraiser from yesterday was there. When he saw us, he rolled up his sleeves and seemed to be getting pumped up, breathing a bit heavily.

First, Arlshein released the monsters one after another. Since we didn't encounter any big ones, the appraisal went smoothly, unlike yesterday.

Still, it seemed we had more monsters than other groups, causing a stir in the back.

Next was my turn.

As I released the insect monsters one after another, Yegram was backing away, but the appraiser looked very pleased as he appraised them.

The insect monsters, which the black cat didn't want to eat even after purification, numbered 160.

The pile of insect monsters made Yegram move quite far away, but the appraiser was extremely happy.

With that, today's exercise was over, and all we had to do was get back to the academy by carriage.

In the carriage, Yegram threw imaginary flowers at me and the kitten on the swinging hammock from the ceiling, and the young ladies squealed, making the return trip more lively than usual.

When we arrived at the academy, we first went to the headmaster's office to get permission for the black cat.

Yegram and, for some reason, Digray also came with us.

The headmaster saw us immediately, and when the secretary saw me holding the black cat, she made a big fuss, saying, "Another one of ours!" and was chased out.

"......I see, a demon beast. Indeed, I can feel a strong magic from it. Its eyes show reason, so it won't attack students without reason. It's fine for it to stay at the academy. However, Keita-sama, Prince Arlshein, or one of your attendants should not let it act alone. We want to avoid any trouble."

"Understood. Thank you for your permission."

"Thank you very much!"

We thanked Arlshein and left the headmaster's office.

"I'm glad the permission was granted!"

Yegram said, looking even happier than I was.

"Really, if the permission wasn't granted, I didn't know what Yegram would have done!"

Digray teased, adding a bit of genuine worry.

"......I wouldn't have done that."

Yegram answered with a meaningful pause.

We made a plan to meet at the cafeteria after changing at the dormitory and parted ways.

When I returned to my room, Sheryl's eyes sparkled at the sight of the black cat. After I explained the situation, she said she would immediately arrange food for the familiar and rushed out without giving me a chance to stop her.

It seemed Sheryl was an animal or cat lover.

The clothes for changing were already prepared, so I went to the bath with Arlshein.

The black cat came into the bath without any resistance, so I washed it thoroughly, and it took three washes to get all the black foam out.

After the bath, I dried it with a magic dryer, and it became fluffy, smooth, and lustrous! Sheryl was eager to touch it, but the black cat only growled and wouldn't let her.

We need to get used to each other a bit more.

It seemed that familiars were allowed to eat with their owners in the cafeteria, so I carried the black cat, and Arlshein, who was carrying me and the black cat, went to the cafeteria with Sheryl.