Chapter 123: Kitty? Just a Tsundere, Lecherous Little Maiden. (Patreon)

"You're bringing this much stuff? The Fatui already have testing grounds and gathering points over there."

Piers stepped up and lifted the parcels — several dozen times larger than themselves — off the little robot and Pulonia's backs, loading them into the ship's cabin.

"What do you know? These parts are old models from a long time ago. They're not much use these days, but they still mean a lot to me."

As the two of them talked, a young Fatui soldier suddenly walked over.

"Lord Piers, regarding this lady's lodgings, what... sort of specifications would you like?"

"Huh?"

Sandrone was stunned. For a moment, she wasn't even sure which of the two of them was actually the Harbinger.

Oof, kid — if it'd been anyone else, a line like that would've gotten you sent packing one way or another. Lucky it's me.

"Watch your words. This is the Seventh Seat of the Fatui Harbingers, Lady [Marionette] — besides the Tsaritsa, she's the highest authority any of you answer to."

The young Fatui soldier was clearly flustered. Truth be told, he'd never even seen a Harbinger before — and now he was being told that one, his own highest superior besides the Tsaritsa, was standing right in front of him, right after he'd just said something like that.

"Lady [Marionette], I... I—" He lowered his head, not daring to look at Sandrone. He'd never actually seen her before, but he'd heard plenty of rumors — mostly about her strange temper and her ruthless streak, and of course, the gossip about her and Piers.

When he'd first heard that gossip, he'd been stunned — that Lord Piers could actually win over such a ruthless Harbinger. For a moment, Piers's image in his mind had grown even taller.

"Forget it, forget it, go on then. Honestly, look at the kind of subordinate you pick — doesn't even recognize me."

Sandrone waved her hand at the young soldier. He didn't hesitate for a second — even bent double the entire way, he still managed to sprint off at top speed.

"Nellie, you really can't blame them. Think about it — how many years has it been since you last showed up for a new recruit's induction ceremony?"

"That thing's a waste of time and effort, with no real use." Sandrone crossed her arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"So, hardly any of your subordinates even recognize you anymore. But don't worry — give it about five minutes, and everyone on this ship will know exactly who you are."

Piers said this as they walked. Nod-Krai wasn't far anyway — by the time they'd made a full loop of the ship, they'd have arrived, and along the way, the rest of the Fatui soldiers aboard could get a good look at Sandrone.

In truth, if the destination were just Nod-Krai, it would only take about half an hour. Snezhnaya all but bordered Nod-Krai — only the border ran along the very northern edge, while the Fatui's home base sat a little farther south.

"Huh? Why?"

"Most of them enlisted around the same time — at most a batch or two apart — so they're actually pretty close with each other. And you, well, you're famous throughout the Fatui. They'll definitely be quick to warn their friends to watch out for you."

Something about that felt off to Sandrone. The way Piers put it, it sounded like she was some terrifying, ruthless superior.

"The way you're talking, it sounds like I'm some kind of vicious superior. Is that really what you think of me?"

She asked, testing the waters for his real opinion. She certainly didn't care what other people thought of her — she was just a little afraid Piers might think the same.

Her worry, it turned out, was needless. Piers had already made up his mind about exactly what kind of person she was.

Just a tsundere little charmer, nothing more.

"Those are nothing but rumors. Nellie, in my mind, your image has always been a positive one."

"Tch. Who cares what you think."

666. Though — wasn't it you who asked me in the first place?

And so, Piers led Sandrone on a loop around the ship. By the time they finished, the ship had reached the Fatui testing grounds — except Piers still needed to make a stop at the Frostmoon Scions first, so the rest of the way, she'd have to go on her own.

Truthfully, Sandrone wanted to tag along with Piers, but she didn't want to be the one to bring it up. Besides, she still had a mountain of parts she wasn't willing to entrust to anyone else.

The first thing Piers did upon reaching the Frostmoon Scions was head to Nasha Town to buy some honey-glazed grilled meat — he figured Lauma probably wasn't feeding Columbina anything normal either.

But when Piers, relying on his rough memory of the location, found Silvermoon Hall, he discovered it was completely empty — not a trace remained that Columbina had ever been there.

If Columbina had stayed there for any length of time, the Lunar Force concentration in that area should have been noticeably higher than elsewhere. But after sensing carefully, Piers found the place no different from anywhere else.

With no other option, Piers had to go find Lauma among the Frostmoon Scions. Fortunately, since Lauma was the Moonchanter, finding her residence was far easier than finding Silvermoon Hall had been — at the very least, there were animals to point the way.

Piers wasn't sure if it was because of adeptal arts or simply from spending so much time around Columbina, but he'd found he could communicate with animals to some degree. He couldn't understand the sounds they made, but he could grasp the general meaning.

After a round of gesturing so incoherent even Piers himself couldn't follow it, the Rimehorn Deer in front of him somehow got the message anyway, and led him the whole way to where Lauma lived.

Lauma, for her part, was already standing at her door waiting before Piers had even drawn near. Sure enough, within the Frostmoon Scions, it was as if she had the whole map revealed to her.

It wasn't until he'd actually arrived that Piers smacked his forehead, realizing — his Corpse God had been following Columbina the whole time. He could have just used it to pinpoint her location.

"Milady Moonchanter, it's a pleasure to meet you." Piers stepped forward without hesitation and extended his hand.

That Lauma already knew he was coming came as no surprise to Piers at all — after all, no matter how you looked at it, these animals were far closer to Lauma than to some outsider like him. Of course they'd have told her.

"May I ask... who you are?" Lauma extended her own hand in turn, clasping his, her expression gentle and kind.

"I'm here to see a friend. She arrived in Nod-Krai a few days ago. This is my first time coming to the Frostmoon Scions, so I thought I'd ask you, Milady Moonchanter."

"Ah, looking for a friend, is it? Just call me Lauma. Could you tell me what your friend looks like? Or her name? I can have the little animals help search for her."

"Her name is... Kuutar. She has an ornament of three pairs of small wings at the back of her head, and a lattice-patterned ribbon covering her eyes."

The instant Piers said the name, Lauma went on guard. The hand holding his slowly withdrew.

"Are you certain... she's your friend?"

The gentle warmth had vanished from Lauma's tone. She might look soft on the surface, but that didn't mean she was weak.

Two days ago, she'd found a weakened Columbina — Kuutar — within the Frostmoon Scions. Now someone had come looking for her, and Lauma couldn't help but suspect that Piers meant the Moon Goddess some harm — or worse, that he was the very reason Columbina had been left so weak.

"Columbina, if you don't come out and clear this up, Milady Moonchanter here is about to have at me."

Piers called through the open window. This was Nod-Krai, after all — no matter what, Columbina would be far better off here than back in Snezhnaya, her senses considerably sharper too. He guessed she'd probably sensed him the moment he arrived.

Just as Piers finished speaking, a small wing appeared at the window, wobbling and bobbing once. Then Columbina's head poked out from beside it, a smile still on her face — though she looked somewhat weak.

"I just wanted to see what you'd do. I thought you'd need to explain a bit longer."

Columbina hopped lightly, and her whole body sailed out through the window, landing beside Lauma.

"Look how weak you are, and you still have the mood to mess with me."

Piers reached out and flicked her forehead. Lauma tried to stop him, but he'd moved a little too fast, and with her caught unprepared, Columbina took the flick and clutched her head, looking hard done by.

But right then, Piers pulled out the honey-glazed grilled meat he'd prepared beforehand, and just like that, Columbina — a moment ago clutching her head with a wronged look — did a complete about-face, instantly forgetting the pain and snatching the meat straight out of his hands to start eating.

The sight left Lauma, who'd been about to step in and pull the two of them apart, utterly dumbfounded. For the first time, she learned... that a goddess actually needed to eat...

"Miss Lauma, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. It's about... Kuutar."

Piers called out to Lauma, who was still standing there in a daze. She snapped back to herself, and by now she understood clearly that Piers wasn't an enemy after all.

"Come in and talk." Lauma gestured for him to enter, striding forward to pull open the door. Piers followed her in.

As he passed by Columbina, still eating, he casually scooped her up with adept power the way one might grab a pigeon by the scruff, carrying her along with him. Columbina didn't seem to mind in the slightest — she just kept right on eating.

By the time they were inside and Lauma had shut the door, Columbina was still eating.

"Miss Lauma, the truth is, besides coming to find Kuutar, there's one more thing I need your help with."

"What is it?"

"I need the Frostmoon Scions' sacred relic — the Moon Marrow."

Piers was blunt, with no hedging at all. Still, the sheer boldness of the request clearly startled Lauma — she'd only just begun to lower her guard around him, and now it snapped right back up.

"Look at how weak Columbina already is."

Piers pointed at Columbina beside him — awkwardly enough, she must genuinely have been starving, because right now she was eating with such ferocity that she looked anything but weak.

"Never mind... I think you already know Columbina is weak. And the only thing that can help her recover is your Frostmoon Scions' sacred relic — the Moon Marrow."

Just as Piers finished speaking, Columbina finished off the honey-glazed meat — and it had been a huge portion, too. Piers had specifically asked the shopkeeper for an extra-large serving, at double the price. She'd polished it off in the time it took to say a few sentences.

"Is there more?" She asked with her eyes closed, tilting her head with an innocent look, some sauce still smeared around her mouth.

"Columbina, don't interrupt me." Piers reached out with both hands and gave her cheeks a tug. "I'll take you somewhere good to eat later, all right?"

At the mention of more food, Columbina immediately stood still and obedient.

"I already spoke to Kuutar about this once before, but she said she can't use the Moon Marrow."

"Since, after all, she isn't the Eternal Moon Goddess herself — using the Moon Marrow would require a vessel to hold it, so a portion could be drawn off gradually to replenish her."

At Piers's explanation, Lauma hesitated a moment, then looked toward Columbina.

Wait, no — look at her, sitting there looking utterly clueless. What good would that do? If she'd actually known, she'd surely have told you already...

"I'll go with whatever Piers says."

"If we're to bring out the sacred relic, it needs to be done during a certain time each year..."

"Miss Lauma, these are extraordinary times, extraordinary circumstances. If we get hung up on timing, Columbina will only grow weaker and weaker. I know the Moon Marrow is the Frostmoon Scions' sacred relic, but surely it can't outweigh the importance of an actual Frostmoon goddess."

"Very well. I'll find a way to bring it out as soon as possible."

The moment Lauma agreed, Columbina immediately stepped between the two of them, tilting her head with a smile at Piers.

"Food."

"All right, all right, let's go. I'll take you to get something good to eat."

Watching Columbina act so lively, Lauma started to wonder whether her earlier weakness had been faked. Just then, she suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, Mister Piers — Kuutar is a goddess, after all. Just taking her out like this—"

"Don't worry, I have a way. No one will recognize Columbina."

As everyone knows, NPCs in games are all blind as bats. Even if you stood Columbina right next to her own statue, as long as nobody told them she was Kuutar, they'd never figure it out.

The distance from the Frostmoon Scions to Nasha Town was still considerable — even on the game map, the two islands weren't exactly close together. For Piers, though, that hardly mattered.

This kind of distance amounted to nothing more than two teleports. These days, the energy a teleport cost was practically negligible to him.

"...three servings of honey-glazed grilled meat."

"Coming right up."

People streamed in and out of the The Flagship nonstop. Piers led Columbina to sit down outside a nearby grilled-meat stall. Just as he'd expected, nobody here recognized Columbina at all.

Soon, the shopkeeper set three servings of honey-glazed meat down on the table. The moment they landed, Columbina pulled all three toward herself, single-handedly.

Piers was long past being surprised by this and had no intention of stopping her. The shopkeeper, on the other hand, stared at Columbina in undisguised shock.

Not because he'd recognized her as Kuutar, of course — he was simply stunned that a girl who looked so slight could put away three whole servings.

"Boss, I'll have an egg roll, extra sugar. Also a cake, and a pack of chocolate."

Just as the shopkeeper stood there in shock, another voice rang out nearby — young and girlish. For some reason, Piers found his attention drawn by it too, and his gaze drifted over.

The little girl sported a head of curly pink hair that nearly trailed past her own height, held back by a screw doing duty as a hair tie, with one curled strand sticking straight up in a cowlick.

She wore clothes that were absurdly oversized, in a style so old-fashioned it looked like something only a middle-aged person would wear — yet her face was spotlessly clean.