Chapter 20: Chapter 18 – Cat girl hears the mother cat girl story

Even after the intense fight at the Church of Divine Light, Cleo still offered to carry me home on her back. I initially refused. But she wouldn't take no for an answer, and before I knew it, I found myself being lifted into her arms.

"Hey, if you don't want a piggyback ride, how about I carry you like a princess?" Cleo said.

"Nu, that's not it." I protested. "I can still walk nya!"

"But you walk too slow! And no worries, I'm fine."

Cleo's voice was so tender and soft. I couldn't say no, so I let her carry me. Being carried like a princess felt a little bit embarrassing, so I chose the piggyback ride instead.

"Thank you." I rested my head on her shoulder. "And sorry for not listening to you nya."

"Don't mention it," she replied softly. "I'm just happy you're safe."

Hearing those kind words, I buried my face into her fur cloak. Before I knew it, my emotions got the best of me, and I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. I sobbed like a baby. Back then at the church, when I was questioned by the Inquisitor and when I was undertaking the Madness Gem trial, my entire existence felt like an overstretched guitar string, and I could snap anytime. The amount of horror and stress that I faced at that time was almost too much to bear. But now, it was all over. My heart was now overflowing with gratitude and love for this wonderful woman who had protected me, even though we had only met two days ago.

"But why?" I murmured. "I'm just a stranger you just met nya. You didn't know anything about me. And yet..."

"Like I said," Cleo interrupted me. "You are an innocent girl. I just cannot let someone like you fall into the hands of Emeliah."

"But how do you know I was innocent? What if I was a very bad guy who lied about losing my own memories nya? Why do you have such a strong belief in me nya?"

"Because you are special, Felicia. You were sent to me by the Goddess. I have absolute faith in her. So I have absolute faith in you as well."

But that... didn't really make sense to me. How come being found in the Temple of Aquilonyan already proved my innocence? She said the same thing when I asked her whether I was cursed by the gods or not. She said that Aquilonyan was protecting me by letting me stay inside her temple. Maybe this was part of the religion? I really wanted to know more about this, to find my own answer, to understand Cleo.

So I asked. "Have you met the Goddess before nya?"

But Cleo shook her head. "What are you saying? A mortal cannot see the face of a god, or meet with them in person."

"Then... why do you have such a strong belief nya?"

"Hmm..." Cleo paused for a moment. She looked up, staring deeply into the blue sky. "If you really want to know, then how about I tell you my story?"

With those words, Cleo began to tell me her story. It was a tale of love and hope. It was about that time when she received a miracle from Aquilonyan.

---

17 years ago...

With a fierce yell of "HAAA!", the young and valiant cat girl knight launched herself into the inferno, her body a blur as she raced towards the towering Asazar. It was one of the 72 Demon Kings, a monstrous being with six wings of dark fire and eyes that could ensnare mortals' souls.

Any other person would be instantly vaporized by the intense heat, but not her. With the power of time at her command, she could delay any damage done to her body, and with the power of lightning, her speed was enhanced to incredible levels. Thus, she was able to approach the demon before its fire barrier could burn her down.

And then, "Eat this!" The girl slashed the demon with her giant sword. Asazar's skin was thick and tough, but her blade was sharp and deadly. With a single, swift strike, she sliced open the demon's belly, spilling its entrails onto the ground. She then summoned forth a storm of lightning from within her body, each bolt of millions of volts pierced into the creature's flesh!

Struck by that sudden attack, Asazar tumbled to the ground in a state of paralysis. In that brief moment, all of its abilities were rendered inert, including the fire barrier that had shielded it from countless assaults. Not letting this opportunity slip away, the other knights immediately surged in, raining down hundreds and hundreds of powerful magicks and abilities. Meanwhile, a young male knight sprinted towards the cat girl and chanted his most potent healing spell. Flowers blossomed and glowed brilliantly, nourishing the girl with the blessings of earth and life.

"Cleo!" The man shouted, scolding her for her thoughtless behavior. "What were you thinking? That was too reckless!" His expression was full of fear.

The cat girl, Cleo, roared in agony as her skin was being peeled off and regenerated simultaneously. Time dilation could only delay the damage for a few seconds. After that, she still had to deal with the searing burns. Fortunately, that knight's healing spell was strong enough to counter the effect. Without him, she would be dead in the blink of an eye.

But Cleo was still able to smile. "Well, it worked, didn't it?" she said. "We had no other option. And besides, I know that you will always be there to save me, Leon..."

Leon let out a heavy sigh after hearing that. He was at a loss for words. He was mad at her, but at the same time, he knew that his wife was right. Without her, breaking Asazar's defense would have been impossible. If she hadn't acted, there would have been many more casualties, and even then, there was no guarantee that they could even beat it.

But still, Cleo was his wife. She was the person he cherished above and beyond his own life. How could he possibly carry on if anything ever happened to her?

So, "Just... don't do that again, okay?" Leon muttered and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace

"Yes," Cleo smiled and stroked her husband's hair lovingly. "I will never do that again."

However, just right after saying that, she did it again.

The battle was not over, her bloodline skill suddenly activated and she caught a glimpse of the deadly attack that was about to befall them. 'Instinct' was a skill that would alert her to any potential life-threatening danger. That skill was screaming to her! With only a split second to act, she pushed Leon away. But that was all she could do. In its dying moment, Asazar raised its hand and unleashed a powerful blast. The cat girl took it in full force. Her body was thrown back and slammed against a wall.

"NOOO!" Leon screamed and rushed to her side. His hands were shaking as he desperately tried to put out the fire that was consuming her.

Everyone else fell silent. They were convinced that Cleo had been killed. There was no way she could survive an attack like that!

But a miracle happened. Cleo opened her mouth and spoke. "Le...on..." she muttered, her voice barely audible.

Leon's eyes widened in disbelief as he realized his wife was still alive. He quickly poured all his remaining magic into another healing spell. Dozens of clerics also rushed to the scene, chanting life saving spells in the hope of saving this young cat girl knight.

In the end, Cleo survived. Her recovery was quick, and everyone celebrated after that.

They all thought everything was over, yet the disaster hadn't even begun.

Fast forward one year...

Tears filled Cleo's eyes as she heard the high cleric's words. Lucas, also known as Fenric of Light, was renowned as the best cleric in the kingdom, and even he could not help them. With a deep sigh, he handed her the sleeping baby girl and said, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. The Curse of Death has invaded her heart. There is no cure for it. I can only offer you pain and sleep medicine."

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Cleo's heart shattered as she received her child, desperation in her voice as she pleaded, "Please... there has to be a way, there has to be! Please help my Lilia... I can't lose her like this... "

But Lucas had already said it. He could not remove the curse on Lilia. Even as someone who had received divine blessings from the Goddess of Light herself, the Curse of Death was too much for him. Pain and sorrow hung heavily in the air as the high cleric could only offer a helpless shake of his head.

Devastated and defeated, Cleo sank to her knees. No words of hope or comfort could spare her from the grief that threatened to consume her. Meanwhile, Leon stood there beside his wife, his hands trembling and his heart heavy. His silence spoke volumes - despair, regret and shattered hope.

If only they were more cautious.

If only they paid more attention to the early signs...

At first, they noticed that Lilia was crying more often than a typical baby, but they thought that it was just her being like her mother who was a little bit on the annoying side. But as time passed by and Lilia showed more signs of the curse, having frequent fevers and seizures, it was only then that they knew something was wrong. But normal clerics couldn't diagnose her and just spoke nonsense. And when they finally brought the baby to Lucas, it was already too late.

Turns out, Lilia received the Curse of Death when her mother was hit by Asazar's last spell. She didn't even have arms or legs back then, and Cleo was unaware of her existence inside her belly. Yet, Lilia still shared the burden of that curse with her mother, and that was why Cleo didn't die.

"Actually, there is still a way!" Lucas suddenly remembered something and said. "Have you ever heard of divine flowers?"

"Ah! Of course!" Both Cleo and Leon shouted in response. Their eyes lit up with hope when Lucas spoke of divine flowers.

As followers of the Goddess Aquilonyan, how could they not know about those sacred plants? Legend said that the ruler of the North had a secret garden in which divine flowers grew. When these flowers bloomed, they were said to radiate a light so powerful that it could drive away any evil force. But there was a catch. No one knew where that garden was, or whether or not it really existed in the first place. It was nothing more than an ancient myth, with no way to confirm.

But that information was already enough. Cleo and Leon split up and went on a desperate mission to find divine flowers in the Northern Lands immediately. Without a cure, Lilia had less than a year to live. It was a race against time.

And then, 6 months later...

It was a freezing night when Cleo rested inside a temple of the Goddess Aquilonyan on top of a high mountain. The Northern Land was a harsh region with blizzards and snow storms happening frequently. However, one could always find sanctuary inside the Goddess Temple. After all, Aquilonyan was the ruler of the land. Her temples were holy territories that even the biggest snowstorms would never dare to reach. Sleeping inside the temple was also safe because no monsters would come. Thus, Cleo put up a small campfire and prepared to sleep. Suddenly, her pendant glowed. But before she could investigate it, her consciousness was already transported to another realm.

As Cleo opened her eyes, she found herself inside a beautiful garden, with thousands of different flowers that she had not seen before. Some looked like extra sparkling tulips, others were like roses made of crystals and gems. Butterflies danced in the sky, their count in the thousands, yet every single one of them was unique in color, and shape, and size.

Seeing all of that, Cleo gasped in awe. She then walked towards a nearby rose. It was a rose shining in emerald light, which reminded her of Leon's and Lilia's eyes. She examined the flower, sensed a tremendous amount of magic from it. Not just any magic, but pure, ancient type of magic that only the divine could provide. No doubt about it, this was exactly the divine flower that could save Lilia! The joy in her heart made her body tremble. But as soon as she reached out her hand to touch it, she was abruptly awoken. It was already morning.

"So... it was just ...a dream?" Cleo sighed and lay down again, her eyes filled with tears.

But then, she noticed something lying inside her palm. She turned to look, and here it was, the rose with an emerald hue! She cried again, but this time it was tears of happiness. She had never been fond of flowers before. But that day, that rose, it was the most beautiful thing that she had ever seen in her life. She smiled as she tucked it away, holding on to the hope that it could save her daughter's life.

---

"So, do you now understand?" Cleo asked. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Felicia, that's why I have to protect you. Like I said, you were sent to me by the Goddess. I have absolute faith in her. So I have absolute faith in you as well."

"Nya..." I nodded. I couldn't say anything else as my heart was still recovering from that story. So Lizz almost died. I was terrified just thinking about what had happened, so how could I ever truly understand what Cleo felt back then? Her heart must have been broken countless times. But despite that, she never gave up on that faint line of hope, even when it seemed impossible.

"Now I'm starting to think, maybe the Goddess was the one who protected you from the Demon King? After you fell down, your pendant was shining brightly. Could it be a sign of divine protection?"

"This?" I looked at the pendant Lizz gave me. "Is this the same one that you were wearing when you found the divine flower nya?"

"Yes, it was the same one." Cleo replied.

"Then, I will take good care of this nya,"

"I'm sure it will be in safe hands,"

Looking at the pendant one more time, I felt a deep sense of appreciation. The fact that Lizz had given me this showed me how much she loved and believed in me. I then tucked it away, telling myself to treasure it for the rest of my life.

---

Later, when night came...

Me and Lizz had some good sex, then hugged each other to sleep. We didn't do anything too crazy since I was still tired and recovering though.

"Hey, did it hurt nya?" I asked, my face buried into her chest as I squeezed her tightly in my arms.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Lizz asked, her mouth still nibbling on my ears.

"This." I said and pointed at her chest. There was a very faint mark on it in the shape of a very small, dark flame. I thought it was some kind of birth mark at first, but apparently, it turned out to be evidence of the Curse of Death.

"Well, I don't remember actually. I was too little back then."

"But after that? Did it ever hurt nya?"

"Nope."

"That's great. I'm so glad nya..."

I said and gave that mark a little kiss. And then, closing my eyes, I said my first prayer to the Goddess Aquilonyan. I thanked her for looking after us all.

"Thank you, Goddess Aquilonyan." I said. "And the next phrase? What is it nya?" I asked Lizz.

"May the Auraelis Aquilonia shine eternally in the heavens," Lizz replied.

"Ah, that's right nya. May the Auraelis Aquilonia shine eternally in the heavens... nya."

---

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