Colt woke up at around five when the sun had yet risen from the east.

‘Ack…dammit, this still hurts.’

The pain was still very much present all over Colt’s body. The Chick lied about everything being all right. He couldn’t feel his right leg, and both arms were fucked. His head was pulsating, and his body was burning for odd reasons.

‘Though that warmth is rather pleasant.’ He’d at least give the Chick that.

He also lost the urge to cry and scream. It may have been because he got used to the pain, which did not sound good to Colt.

Either way, it was not good.

“Hey, Chick, I don’t think I can get used to this. I need to go to a proper Healer; I’ll lose my mind if I endure much more. Let’s just break my bones later. That sounds more pleasant than staying like this.” His words were very soft; it was almost a whisper, but it should have reached the Chick.

It didn’t even respond.

For someone who’s on the verge of dying, Colt was even talking calmly to sound nice. However, that didn’t matter, for no one heard his words.

As he creased his brows, Colt looked at the heavy ball of feathers on his chest. He blew on its round and imperceptible behind and asked, “Did you even hear me?”

It didn’t even to notice his calls. This irritated Colt. Having an almost broken body, it was vexing when no one even noticed his cry for help. It may have been his fault for lowering his voice too much, but that didn’t quite register.

‘Do I have to lose my head for proper healing...? I miss Mina.’

He needed help, and he was prepared to let the Chick know of his presence. He moved his head and bit on the Chick, but then, he saw the view clear-out and with a purple Chick in his mouth, he saw it, an odd and bewildering view.

“What.the.hell?”

A cat was reclining on a chair with a soft pillow as a cushion. There was an assortment of colorful berries on the left armrest, and on the right was what seemed to be the spine of the roasted fish Fluff devoured.

But the most bewildering of all was the one on the ground, on his knees with both hands creating an elaborate, almost mystical set of movements; Gilbert, the Dragon Slayer, was happily massaging Fluff’s paw.

Colt and the cat met eyes; they didn’t separate for some time. And slowly, without a hint of guilt, the cat took one berry and asked, “Meow??”

It asked whether Colt wanted some or not.

Colt looked at it with unanswered questions. He was too shocked even to comprehend such a sight. He was more shocked at this cat’s shamelessness and this overall situation than when he found himself playing Uno with three Goddesses while watching one of them steal pudding.

“…”

In the end, he failed even to make any appropriate retort. He just felt…exasperated about this whole situation.

Pituu!

Colt spat out the Chick while he was at it. The Chick still could not regain itself. It was too shocking to see Fluff being treated like it was some Deity.

Colt could hear it speak the words, “Sovereignty and regain” repeatedly from its corpse.

With a sigh and a body aching so much, Colt asked, “So, what is happening right now?”

Fluff waved its paws around as it explained, “Nya, nya.”

“Because you’re cute? Shut up. You’re not helping.”

Colt turned to Gilbert, who he so much respected hours before this display, “Sir, please, stop that, it’s simply deplorable, and I can’t help but want to smack that cat for enjoying it without so much as a sign of guilt.”

“Mya!? (What did I do?)” Fluff felt wronged.

“Shut it, and please pass me a sweet berry. I have not eaten since last night; I can’t move, so feed me.”

“I’ll—”

“Sir Gilbert, please stop at those words. I respect your strength and your deeds, so it simply feels wrong thinking you hand-feeding me berries…Ugh.” Colt shivered at the thought.

Fluff sighed at the words of this human and shook off Gilbert. Carrying the bowl, it kicked the Chick out of the way and jumped onto Colt’s chest. The cat begrudgingly stuffed the food in Colt’s mouth.

It was now Gilbert’s time to watch how the cat he treated like a Deity serves Colt.

Colt and Fluff looked at Gilbert and asked, “What?” “Nya?” they were genuinely confused.

Gilbert shook his head at the situation. While watching Fluff feed colt, Gilbert chose to excuse himself.

“It appears that the Young Master is hungry. I’ll go and fix us a meal if you’d excuse me.”

Gilbert was also hungry from all the foot massages he did. With Gilbert leaving the room, Colt, Fluff, and an idiotic Chick remained.

“So, what exactly did you do to make Sir Gilbert do that? I don’t remember you doing anything to make him kneel before your flabbiness.”

“Mya.”

“Stop saying, “because I’m cute”, just tell me what you do.”

“…Mew…”

Fluff recounted the events with a sigh, how he saw Gilbert’s wife and how he found her pitiful and handed her the Ancient Wooden Box, which Colt kept with him at all times.

“I call bullshit.” Colt was not impressed with its lies, “You’re a heartless being who watches me die and deceive my daughters and youngest sister to buy you food and rub your belly…”

“Nyu!”

“Don’t give me that shit about it being a fee for your lessons on cat tongue! I’ve seen how you effectively, somehow taught Mina and Sera how to speak it; why can’t you do it with them? You hack!?”

“Nyani!? Meow! Meow, mya, mew, nyaaaaa!”

“I know I’m the hack, I’m no master, nor am I perfect noble. But at least I don’t act, wait...hmmm.” Colt realized that he somehow shot himself on the foot on that conversation.

“Nyeeee? (See?)”

Colt gritted his teeth as he thought, ‘How the hell am I losing an argument with this cat?’

He was perplexed, and Fluff managed to masterfully diver the conversation from its source. The Lord was indeed, skillful.

Gilbert was cooking food when he noticed the time and heard the subtlest of audible sounds coming from Elpyie’s room. The pressure from the wood being stepped on entered his ears.

From the sounds of it, Elpyie was walking, but then, Thud, she fell. A low grunt echoed in Gilbert’s ears.

“Elpyie!”

When Gilbert opened the door, he found a kneeling Elpyie on her knees. She was trembling from the pain, and yet she kept her form.

Her forehead touched the ground, and both her arms lay flat on the ground. Her palms touched the wooden floor.

The wooden box was on the bed, far from her reach.

Gilbert moved in haste to get to her side and assisted her up, “Elpyie, what are you doing? Also, do not let go of this for the time being.”

He scolded as he helped her back to bed. The wooden box was also handed to Elpyie.

“Why are you even praying at your state?”

“Heh, heh, I thought of praying to the Deity after so long. It had been too long since I made such a sincere prayer.” Elpyie giggled as she stated.

Gilbert took note of the time and noticed it was already that time of the morning. Most Demons like Elpyie pray to their Deity and God at this timeframe. It was said that they were born from their Deities’ flesh.

Demons and beastmen were inherently full of devotion, for they were the closest to their Deities.

Colt could hear from the first floor of Gilbert’s loud voice.

From the tone he had, it was different.

‘His tone, it’s different.’

“Fluff, did you give them a timer on how long they can use the box?”

Fluff shook its head.

“Well, let them keep it for the time being. It’s helping them much more than it can help me.”

Fluff nodded in agreement as it looked over at the bone sticking out of Colt’s leg.

“Meow nya.”

“Yeah, I really need a Healer to stick my bones together.”

Sadly, it would be three hours later until Elpyie would fall back to sleep.

It was only when noon was about to strike that Gilbert remembered he also needed to go to the Magic Tower to be healed. After eating and watching Fluff feed Colt, it was finally time to leave.

“Will you come with me, Young Master?”

“Yes, I need to get healed up and get back to the manor, I have to do.”

Gilbert nodded his head and then created a makeshift stretcher with some bamboos and cloth.

‘Good thing I’ve been into crafting.’

Gilbert had many items to spare.

Colt was carried out of there by the hawk that had just returned from the Edgeworth Manor.

The hawk was rather depressed after returning empty-handed, but after witnessing Gilbert rub the feet of a flabby cat with respect, it forgot about the matter.

Gilbert didn’t seem to have shown much reaction after returning with only three Evergreen; thus, it reckoned that everything was alright.

‘If Gil is not worrying about it, then no one would.’

It had already known how much Gil loved Elpyie.

‘His complexion had also brightened after my return. It appears that everything is going well.’

They arrived in the Magic Tower, and Gilbert took the rest. He spoke with some people.

Colt heard his name multiple times but, that was more to inform who he was.

People carried Colt’s stretcher, and after seeing how badly injured he was, all of them were slack-jawed.

“How is he still alive?”

This was the first question Colt heard when he was getting carried inside the Magic Tower. He felt secured as he felt a genuine concern in their voices.

But then, he heard someone utter the words, “I want to dissect him; he may be a unique kind of human.”

"Yes!"

"I'll ask the Tower Master!"

It was then that Colt remembered a certain description from the novel.

[The Magic Tower is a congregation of the smartest and most eccentric of people. They view Magic as their life, and once something piques their interest, they would use all their power to see the answers. They will stop at nothing and even go as far as experimenting on a different life—including humans and any of the five races.]

The Magic Tower had a lot of people from different species. They did not discriminate, for they were all lunatics. And as Colt entered the Den of lunatics, in their eyes, he seemed to be the most interesting subject they had in a while.

Once more, he fucked up.

"Noooo!"