Chapter 38: The Fluffiest Day In Victoria's Life

The crown of light peered towards the ground. Its warm flickering rays filled the entire green meadows, showing its dominion over them. It was nothing but one big gentle thing. It clicked perfectly with the honey-scented breeze - offering the horde of sheep, goat, and cows with nothing but a pleasant day to pasture. All they had to do now was lower their head, chew on the verdant green fields, and they had reached the peak of their life.

Anyway, I confirmed that the little girl had one nasty tongue. Did she just wish my death like it is nothing?

Cursing a still living but paralyzed aunt like me in broad daylight, that’s just unacceptable.

"So she… is dead?" The young lad's voice shuddered. "We're goin' to tell everything to Gran-Gran, right? Let’s dig a hole and drop her in."

The little girl kept her silence for a few seconds, hands on her chin. "Let's check her first."

“But she might stink!” The lad quipped. "I-I mean, she might already start rotting. Smelling something nauseous would kill all my appetite for Gran-gran's rat stew!

I almost swallowed my spit. Okay, little boy, you’re officially registered on this aunt’s list of bad kids. And what the hell is that rat stew? Is that something so appetizing? Peh! You know nothing, brat!

"It's fine! Just let me. My stomach is made of stone," the little girl said. "Even Gran-gran agreed so.”

"Y-ya sure bout' that, Tabi?" The lad asked, unsure whether it was the right decision.

I nodded inwardly at the young boy's wariness. That's the right attitude, lad. You must not carefully approach anyone, especially if you don't know them yet. It's for your safety. Anyway, not all people laying in some meadows are dead. Some are just paralyzed like me. But just don’t assume things brat. I take a bath every day, scrubbing every nook and cranny.

"I'm sure!" She was still giving the stare. What a fierce little girl! This aunt shall teach you a lesson you'll never forget.

Soon, I heard the steps of the little girl as she strode forward. Following my short script, I closed my eyes and waited for the brat to bite my trap. Scaring them a little might serve as a pleasant experience.

Just as she was about to go near me, the wind spirits lifted me to my feet. A light blast of wind followed, making the brave little girl fall onto her butt. I could feel myself slowly rising through the help of Alistair and Maggie.

The wind kept me at my feet. Though I couldn't move the rest of my body aside from my head, I still faced the little girl while slowly opening my eyes for some dramatic effects.

"What are you doi...ng?" I was supposed to play as an enchanted princess, but my script shattered, cut-off as I gaped in stupefaction. I blinked like a madwoman.

The little girl had something that makes people on earth partly crazy. Not all, but I’m a member of that cabal. The little girl’s scarlet-hued hair sashayed up to her waist. Laying beside those fiery threads was a pair... of cute… "Cat-ears?"

The brave little girl stumbled, falling butt first after she saw me rising from the ground like a vampire from its coffin. She immediately stood up from the ground like a feline. Her crimson tail stood straight like a ramrod. Then she suddenly started hissing at me. Oh, oh, I know what I should do next. Her cuteness had crushed all my plans into fluff. What to do mates?

My eyes turned watery. Everything happened so fast that I had lost all control. Blame it on my instinct as a cat-person, enabling me to break free from my [Paralyzed] status by sheer will. Miracle exists. I pushed a hand forward toward the little girl, making an inviting gesture, and said, “Dear kitty-kitty.”

“...”

The little girl trembled, showing her cute fangs. Did she get triggered or something? Aigoo, how deadly... and cute! Please continue and showcase it to this aunt. All of it! Ah, someone! Please catch this lady aunt, I’m going to faint. I had this wish that I shouldn’t have been brought into this world. But after seeing the little girly, all of my motherly instinct kicked in, knocking all those stupid thoughts to oblivion. This world reeks of perfection! It had dragons, zombies, walking giant parsley, and now a humanoid kitty!

Oh, there was also another naughty one right. I must skew his views, I mean chastise him for thinking that I'm dead and reeking. I turned my head and saw the little boy shuddering. He pointed at me, his neck slowly turning crimson, “Beautiful!”

"..."

“Eh?” Okay, brat. You’re good. Very good. I’ll immediately remove you from this aunt’s list of naughty kids. Gosh, this kid is really honest that it makes me blush. The little lad was also a catkin. Unlike the scarlet girly, the lad boasted smooth golden-colored silk over his head. It shone along with rays of the sun. My senses tingled. His path as a lady killer was already as clear as day.

Sensing that I was looking at him, his eyes widened, while his ears moved forward showing both excitement and glee. Unlike the wary kitty, he was looking at me like was some kind of tempting catnip.

Thus, I showed good manners, apt for those who could appreciate genuine beauty. I smiled before waving at him through the help of the green blobs.

Seeing that my attention was shifting to the lad, the little catkin called Tabi ran. She pulled the little boy behind her, covering the little guy from my gaze. She was one wary kitty.

I approved of that. All cats I knew had varying personalities. Maybe they're not so different after all, aside from being humanoid. I took a step forward, but got stopped by a hiss.

"S-stay where you are! O-or elsh." The little cat bit her tongue as she tattled. Her pupils constricted as she glared at me in agitation. She bared her little sharp teeth against me, a thin crimson fog rising from her. "Who are you? What are you? Why are you here?"

"One question at a time, little missy," I said with a beam. "So what question would you like me to answer first? Who? What? Or the why?"

The little girl fell in deep thought for a moment and said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Victoria. A Magus. And I'm resting here," I said. Despite asking what I should answer first, I answered everything in one go to save time. I knew children long enough after babysitting my best friend’s kid when they're out of town with his husband.

"Oh really," said the little girl, lifting her eyebrows in doubt. "So you're not an undead? Magus? But what is a Magus?"

"I'm not an undead," I said. I thought that everyone in Endramion knew the word Magus, but it seemed like I was wrong. Was I transported to some far-flung areas? After my answer, the thin crimson fog cleared, the little scarlet kitten squinted, watching my every move.

Anyway, when explaining to a child, it’s always better to show it than to talk about it. After all, their innate curiosity to ask questions would tire the hell out of you. A little magic trick is all you need to shut their mouth and appreciate them.

I beamed at the kids as if I was showing a magic trick that would shame all those clowns on earth. With the help of the tempest wind, a bite-size swirling wind floated beside me. I glanced at the two kittens and said. "A Magus is someone who could do this."

The two little kids jumped after seeing the churning wind. Their eyes shook, gazing at me with terror and awe. Both of their ears fell flat, their tails losing strength. The little girl became rather tame, acting submissive in a blink of an eye.

Eh, did I do something wrong? I remembered my shocking experience with the tornado cum Wind Arrows and shuddered. I turned a look at the swirling piece of air, sighing in relief that it was not the same one.

The little lad paled as his lips quivered. He took a step back, almost stumbling on his feet. “A-A Witch! Tabi, she’s indeed a witch! W-we’re in trouble. We’re going to be punished like those naughty kids in Gran-gran’s tales!”

“Not a witch but a magus.” I patiently explained. “Okay, repeat after me. Now say it with me, ‘Magus’.”

“A Witch,” tattled the little boy. He bowed his head, refusing to meet my gaze halfway.

“Witch,” the little girl replied. Her face turning into a deadpan as if she was already losing hope.

Okay Victoria, calm down! They're kids! A few memories of mine when I was still an earthling flooded me. Even though I like children, most of them don’t reciprocate my feelings. Most of the time, kids tremble and scatters upon the mention of my name. Oh, yes. Just like this. For some unfathomable reason, they like to hide away from me. Am I that really scary?

Technically, I am indeed a witch. I even have an actual title if anyone asks for proof - [Witch of Rothfield]. Even though I couldn’t open my status window, fearing the painful backlash, I still knew it was there.

I thought for a moment and decided to just play along. I threw a gaze at the kittens and grinned. "I'm indeed a witch. What of it?"

The duo's eyes widened as if it was going to burst forth any moment now.

But why do they fear witches? Now I am quite curious, maybe I should ask them the reason.

With the help of the wind spirits, I moved akin to a puppet in strings. I strode towards the catkins, planning to ask a question. But before I could even go near, the scarlet kitten lowered her head to the ground, picking a stone before hastily throwing it to my face. She pushed the lad, forcing him to move backward. Then, she ran straight at me with another stone in her hand. "Run, Coby! Tell Gran-gran that we've met an undead witch. I'll hold her off for you! Run now!"

Fortunately, the little green blobs had protected me from the stone. The pebble bounced against the wind barrier, doing nothing aside from making my heartache for a good reason. Do they hate me that much? I felt a bit of sadness pricking my fragile heart.

I turned at the shaking golden kitten called Coby. I saw a line of tears in the lad's eyes before he ran away nimbly like a gust of wind.

I stood there, gawking. Dumbfounded by all the drama unfolding before my eyes, I felt like a great villainess tearing families apart. I lifted my hand, planning to stop him with the wind blobs, but stopped midway after realizing that I was getting pathetic. Why do I have to catch the kid? It's not like I'm going to hurt them.

Feeling a little tired, I asked the little blobs to lift the fierce little scarlet-haired kitty into the air. The crimson fog burst forth from her again. Is that some sort of special effects? "Nyaaa! Bring me down. Bring me down! You evil undead! Rah!"

Her struggle and her angry face were so cute that I ignored her babbles. Okay, how do I fix her? I kept her spinning in the air for a few seconds.

I thought hard. Searching through my old memories about those fantasy geeks theories on how to tame catkins. One said that I must have a good catnip, but I had none at my disposal at the moment. Another claimed that you should just give them milk, but I sensed it won't work. Oh, maybe I should just do the usual thing I do to tame my neighbor's kitties. I trembled in excitement. It's incredibly favorable for me. Muhehe. It's decided then!

If only I could move on my own… why. Why! Move! I want to touch it on my own. Come on, just a little. My eyes turning bloodshot as I ignored the weakness gnawing on me.

[Your negative status, [Paralyzed], has been forcibly cleared through your unfathomable will.]

Soon, I felt my body turning lighter. I had reclaimed control of my entire body. As for the notification, I ignored that shit. With no second thoughts, I immediately drew closer to the young catkin named Tabi. And I finally did my ultimate kitty taming technique. Of course, I suffered from scratches and bites. The experience was worth it. After all, it's faster to learn by experience.

I let my fingers loose on her chin as she floated in the air. At first, she struggled fiercely, but after a minute, I heard her first barrier-breaking, "Nyaaaaa."

I had the momentum to my advantage. Thus, I slowly moved up the ante. My hands crept up gently, scratching her cheek, stopping just below her cat ears. "Muaww."

'Haha, it works!' I shouted in my heart. The cat lover in me burned brighter than that damn sun above my head. Oh, the noble lady who had sent me here. I give thee thanks from the bottom of my heart. Wait, how did I know it was a lady? Well, who cares!

Ah, the scarlet kitten's expression was so precious. Her smile felt like she had reached nirvana. I almost melted along with her. Her face was as red as a beet as if someone had dipped her into a barrel of high-alcohol liquor, staggering after battling my hands. She was heaving in happiness after getting nuzzled.

I took a deep breath and gulped. Time for the last strike. The catkin’s fall had been long fated as soon as she fell into my hands. Even on earth, they all long failed to overcome my skills.

From below her ears, I move my fingers at her sensitive ears. And I heard it breaking - her last barrier. "Purrrrr. Nyaaaa!"

Then, along with her, I said, "Nya!"

Ahh, heaven...