Chapter 47: Where Is Lira

Jayde performed a deep bow, holding the shirt I had given her as if it were an elegant gown, and slightly inclined her head. This was a noble gesture of the Catkin race, a sign of total submission when showing respect to someone they considered far superior. Manaia was shocked by what she saw. She had never witnessed a Catkin bow their head to anyone. They were a race proud to the bone, so much so that they would prefer death to humiliating themselves before lesser beings, and humans were considered far inferior to them—or at least, that’s what she had always heard. Manaia’s former master, the matriarch of two generations ago, had been murdered by a cat woman during a tribute delivery. According to her master, she was the last human capable of defending the village, a powerful warrior who could face orcs hand-to-hand and had even once fought a young golem, breaking its arms. However, the cat woman had decapitated her in less than a second without giving her a chance to defend herself, simply because the old matriarch had stepped on her shadow. Jayde noticed the tense atmosphere and that everyone was looking at her the way they looked at the Demon King’s emissary. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage to introduce herself. "Good afternoon, my name is Jayde Moonclaw, and I am a subject of Jax," she said in a clear voice. "From now on, I hope to get along well with all of you. If I can help you with anything, please don’t hesitate to ask. I hope to live here with you in harmony." This was an even greater surprise. Everyone thought Jax had only invited her as an ally, not as a subject—especially Manaia, who was the only one who knew how powerful the Catkin were. In a one-on-one fight in an open field, they were considered invincible thanks to their ability to hide. Only the Dogkin could subdue them because of their sense of smell. "Manaia, please take Jayde and give her a hut to rest in. Also, show her around the place so she can feel comfortable. I’m going to get some rest. Today was a complicated day, I used a lot of energy, and I would like to sleep like a log." My words startled Manaia, who was still processing the situation. She jumped, scared, since she hadn’t considered my state. Maybe I was the only one who could stand in front of Jayde without feeling fear, since I had been through worse things, like killing a Demon King, which made me very resistant to any intimidating auras. Despite her fear, Manaia quickly regained her composure and approached Jayde. "Please, follow me. I will show you our village. I hope you find it to your liking." Manaia’s voice sounded unusually odd, a mix of respect and fear that made her seem even more formal, like a housekeeper of a luxurious mansion. I couldn’t help but laugh a little, covering my mouth so they wouldn’t think I was mocking them. Suddenly, Manaia stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, searching for something with her eyes. Her gaze fixed on me, and her expression grew increasingly panicked as she urgently asked, "Jax, where is Lira? Why didn’t she come with you?" Her question caught me off guard, making me frown. "I haven’t seen her since yesterday. We just arrived. Why would she be with us?" As soon as I finished speaking, Zela tried to run toward the outskirts of the village with a look full of desperation. Leila, her companion, reacted quickly and intercepted her, holding her firmly from behind. However, Zela was no longer the same due to her training and increased level. With a simple movement, she effortlessly threw Leila through the air as if she weighed nothing. Seeing this, Riven and Zyra jumped on her, pinning her to the ground. Zela desperately tried to break free, twisting on the ground. "Lira...!!! Noo...!! Let me go, I have to go save my sister...!!" Zela’s words sent a shiver down my spine. I didn’t want to think about it, but I had a very bad feeling about this situation. "What’s going on here?" Manaia hesitated but finally answered, her voice trembling. "Lira... Lira went to look for you a few hours ago, but she hasn’t returned." Those words hit me like thunder. What I feared was happening. "Damn it...!" I didn’t think; I just ran out the way I had come, but not before giving them a direct order, shouting with all my might to make sure everyone heard: "No one else leaves! That’s an order...!" Everyone couldn’t help but look at each other, filled with panic, since no one knew where Lira was or who had given her permission to go try and help Jax. As they all looked for an explanation or someone to blame, Manaia turned to Jayde with teary eyes. "Jayde, can you... can you go with Jax and watch over him?" Manaia’s words were filled with a plea, imploring the help of her new member. All the villagers felt an immense danger and also began to beg Jayde to follow Jax to help and protect him, since they felt a great instinctive danger coming from this young Catkin. Years of training had made them sensitive to anything that could threaten their lives. Jayde, with a frightening calmness, answered them: "Jax’s order is absolute; no one can leave the village. But you shouldn’t worry. Jax is too strong; if it’s something he can’t handle, it’s likely I wouldn’t last a minute against it." "In that case," Manaia ordered, "everyone patrol the area to prevent an attack during Jax’s absence." She organized the women into groups of five to completely watch over the island. They couldn’t afford an attack right now. After settling the situation, she took Jayde to a hut they quickly prepared so she could rest properly in Jax’s absence. The last thing they wanted was for this young cat to become hostile and start a massacre.