Chapter 36

Without a strategy, the two slimes simultaneously shot their water guns at Georg and Emma. It seemed that the effect of the vinegar William threw had also become ineffective.

The prince's shield was deteriorating rapidly.

Originally, in the worst-case scenario, Emma and Georg were supposed to act as bait to attract the slimes, while the hunters would create a wall and use a localized hazard barrier to contain the slimes and minimize the damage.

Slimes take over 10 hours to consume their prey once they catch it.

However, with the prince as the target, it was impossible to use him as bait.

The hunters couldn't create a wall to protect the prince.

On the other hand, it was precisely because of the prince that Emma and Georg were still alive.

According to the manual for dealing with slimes in a localized hazard, the two would have been destined to become bait once the hunters arrived. They could only keep running, but they were still alive thanks to the prince.

Slurp

Even after dodging the two water guns, the hand holding Emma slipped with blood, causing him to lose balance.

He barely managed to catch Emma without dropping her, but his landing was unsteady, and he ended up kneeling on the ground. While trying to quickly regain his composure, he remained vigilant against the slimes, who could still shoot their water guns. Suddenly, he heard the prince's scream.

"Georg! Behind you! Please, run away!!"

Since the hazard and the slimes were in front of them, they hadn't been cautious about the back. Georg reflexively turned around at the prince's voice, and at the same moment, he felt something hit his back.

"Meow!"

………What!?

"Komei?!"

There, in front of him, was the cat that was supposed to be at home in the palace. Komei, the Steward family's cat that Emma loved so much, was panting heavily and gently placed a paw on Georg's back. The sweat seeping through his clothes from the soft paw was noticeable.

"Hey! Georg! What are you standing around for!? Run quickly!"

The prince shouted from a distance, but Georg was too shocked to move. Seeing the cat's heavy breathing and sweat, he asked in surprise.

"Did you run all the way from the palace???"

"Meow!"

The cat answered while catching its breath, sniffing at Emma in Georg's arms with a worried look. Suddenly, the cat's heavy breathing stopped.

Seeing the slimes through Georg,

The cat's fur bristled.

The cat's golden eyes narrowed sharply.

Facing the two slimes about to shoot their water guns, the cat hissed loudly, as if saying, "Did you do this to Emma?" with all its anger directed at the slimes.

Then, in a blink of an eye, the cat moved between the slimes and Georg, delivering a cat punch.

Whoosh!!!

The two slimes shot their water guns from different directions, aiming at Georg and Emma, but the wind from the cat punch alone deflected the water guns.

"!!!!"

The prince, the hunters, and Georg all looked in disbelief.

Georg, who had hunted with the cat before, knew it was strong. However, the one who always excelled in hunting was the martial arts expert, Kan. He had seen Komei take down monsters with minimal movements, but an angry Komei was incredibly strong.

The continuous body slams and water gun attacks from the two slimes were also deflected by the wind from the cat punch.

Our cat... is incredibly strong...

Georg felt relieved and gently laid Emma on the ground. If Komei could defend them, he could provide first aid to Emma. She might have a chance to survive.

"Georg!!! Is that big monster on your side?"

The prince finally seemed to understand the situation and asked.

For a moment, Georg thought about what "monster" the prince was referring to, then realized he meant Komei. He stroked the cat's back and answered.

"Prince, don't worry. This is our cat, Komei, Emma's favorite."

Is our cat really that big?

The same thought crossed the minds of the prince and all the hunters.

Moreover, Komei was defending them without moving, even from attacks aimed at the prince.

Is our cat really that strong?

The same thought crossed the minds of the prince and all the hunters again.

Komei was handling the attacks from the three slimes, which they had struggled against, with just the wind from the cat punch.

With no need to worry about attacks, the prince and the hunters tried to approach Georg, but Komei hissed at them.

"Ah! Ah!"

The lead hunter nearly fainted.

William, who had been keeping his distance, ran over to help the hunter who had nearly fainted and apologized.

"Sorry. It seems Komei was wary of anyone who might harm Emma."

It might be difficult for anyone other than family to get close.

Georg borrowed a first aid kit from the hunter and went to treat Emma.

"William!! I told you to stay back!"

Georg scolded him, but with Komei there, it should be safe. He needed to provide first aid to Emma as quickly as possible; otherwise, she might really die.

"Komei will protect us! We need to save Emma!"

Even Georg, who had been prepared to die with Emma, was wavering.

However, they couldn't risk the complete annihilation of the three brothers.

A gust of wind surrounded the conflicted Georg.

In the blink of an eye, more cats arrived, joining Komei. Three more cats, panting heavily, appeared.

"Kan! Ryu! Cho!"

"Meow!"

Surrounded by the four large cats, Georg looked at William.

"Let's provide first aid to Emma!"

I've added more cats.