Chapter 212: Tampering

"Where is Princess Mei Mei? Give her back to me at once!"

After a brief rest, Pudding and the crowd of cat-folk finally recovered their senses.

Part of the reason was that the spell cast by the Witch Cat did little damage, serving mostly to drain stamina and physical strength.

The Witch Cat was now turned back by Tally, revealing her true form.

She was a cat-folk with pure white fur.

While possessing the same fur coverage as other cat-folk, the contours of her face leaned somewhat toward human features.

She bore some resemblance to the furries Rod had seen on Earth.

Perhaps she would be beloved by those with special hobbies?

Facing Pudding's accusation, the Witch Cat sneered in disdain.

"Hmph! Who do you think I, the Witch Cat, am? Even if you hold a sword to my head, I will not yield!"

Pudding flew into a rage and drew his sword, stepping forward.

Seeing him so serious, the Witch Cat shivered, then slid to her knees with a thud: "I will lead the way!"

Rod: (。_。)

Very good, perfectly fitting my impression of the students at Bahadur Magic Academy.

Whether it was that time in the Jade City Open-Air Labyrinth, or the Wen Yi Fa Amel we met, these people simply lack the potential to be bosses!

They speak so nobly and powerfully, yet their actual nature and habits are like flies swarming around rotting flesh, unable to disperse.

However, thanks to their weakness and tendency to compromise, they basically require no interrogation; they will tell everything.

The Witch Cat named a location: a hidden cave on Shanfeng used to imprison prisoners.

Eager to save his beloved, Pudding forced a breath of energy and set out again with the soldiers.

Seeing that he didn't even ask about the location of the Dragon Body materials and treasures, Rod really wanted to kick such a love-struck fool.

With no choice, he had to ask himself.

"Dragon Body materials? What Dragon Body materials?"

The Witch Cat looked confused.

Had she not slid to her knees so quickly, Rod would have truly thought she was deceiving them.

But her expression did not seem fake.

"Hehe, last night your subordinate, the Headless Knight Mimi, clearly stated that the Dragon Body materials are with you, Tally. Bring out Mimi's head."

The Succubus was obedient and quietly moved to bring out Mimi's head, yet her expression was also bewildered.

"But my lord, what are the Dragon Body materials?"

Rod paused for a moment.

When facing serious matters, Tally would absolutely not lie.

"So, you certainly don't know either."

Holding the head of the Headless Knight Mimi, he asked the same question and received the same answer.

Rod questioned Pudding and the rest of the cat-folk again.

None of them knew what the Dragon Body materials were, nor did they remember the theft of treasures from the palace at all.

"Ho, a mental spell? Interesting."

Generally, mental spells cause him almost zero damage, but one would normally detect them.

This kind of spell, which seeps in silently and alters the thoughts of everyone present without form, was something Rod had truly never encountered before.

Even more interestingly, this Witch Cat's memories had also been tampered with by a mental spell.

However, Rod had no intention of doing anything about this matter.

He intended to let nature take its course.

But Tally still needed to be reminded; she naturally chose to believe her master without hesitation.

Quickly.

The group of cats moved forward and soon arrived at the secret cave pointed out by the Witch Cat.

This was a massive cavern directly connected inside the mountain; two peaks met above the cave entrance, and up close, the sky revealed only a thin line.

Upon entering, it was pitch black, so dark one could not see a finger; after walking the first hundred meters over slippery rocks covered in moss, a dim light penetrated from the cave ceiling, finally allowing them to see a little.

Cat-folk possess night vision by nature, Rod's 【Guardian Veil】 has this skill, and Tally, needless to say, possesses night vision naturally within her demonic bloodline.

Thus, the group did not even need torches and went straight deep into the cave.

After walking another dozen steps, they finally saw a natural cavern room ahead.

Inside, there was firelight, and vaguely visible was a cat-folk in magnificent robes, curled up with their back turned.

Accompanied by the sound of soft sobbing.

Pudding rejoiced: "It is Princess Mei Mei!"

He ran ahead, while the other soldiers exchanged glances and followed in turn.

As for the Witch Cat and Duke Andy, they were left behind.

Duke Andy fell into a puddle of dirty water, and his excessively long fur immediately made him look wretched.

He roared: "Witch Cat! You deceived us! You failed to protect the love between me and Princess Mei Mei!"

"Your love? Hahaha, compared to the future of the cat-folk, what does your love amount to?"

Seeing the cat-folk all enter that cavern room, the Witch Cat burst into loud laughter.

Immediately after, she cast 【Unbinding】, and the shadow ribbons on her body instantly loosened.

She leaped out and swept a wide-area 【Ink Cloud Technique】 toward Rod.

Tally immediately came to his side, leading her master into the shadows.

When she appeared again, she saw magic lines of a spell ritual appear on the ground.

"Master."

"Mm, I know."

Boom!!!

This time, a tremendous explosion suddenly erupted inside the cavern room.

At the same time, there came the anguished shrieks of the cat fairies.

The stone walls of the cavern room were blasted open, and one cat fairy after another was hurled out by the shockwave.

The violent explosion made the cavern shudder terrifyingly, and the unstable stalactites on the ceiling came clattering down.

Witch Cat laughed uproariously, using 【Levitation】 to rise to the top of the cavern.

"Foolish Royal Knights, and you too, foolish Evil Dragon Envoy — did you really think I would be caught so easily?!"

Rod smiled without a word.

Duke Andy, meanwhile, rejoiced on the ground:

"Witch Cat! I knew you were reliable! Untie me quick, and we'll take them down together!"

"Shut it! You foolish, lecherous Duke Andy — did you really think a noble figure like Princess Mei Mei would elope with a mangy, pee-everywhere lout like you?!"

"Wh-what?"

Witch Cat sneered disdainfully, spread her arms wide, and faced the cavern ceiling.

"Come! Princess Mei Mei! Our sisters' beautiful Ascension Plan!!"

She channeled her magic, and the ritual lines of the array on the ground instantly blazed with powerful light.

Rod shook his head quietly.

Ascension? With nothing but a sixth-tier Chu Duan Fa mage?

And Witch Cat, noticing his expression, laughed: "The loser eats dust, Evil Dragon Envoy. Just wait and become nourishment for us sisters."

As she spoke, ripples of 【Spatial Shift】 appeared beneath her feet — clearly, she meant to leave the ritual's range.

But the next instant—

A ball of fire burst with a boom against her chest.

The tremendous shockwave blasted her flying, slamming her into the cavern wall, then sent her tumbling across the ground with a clatter.

Witch Cat struggled to prop herself up, her face full of disbelief.

With trembling hands, she pulled from her chest a small crystal box, half of it blown apart.

She was instantly stunned.

"How—how is this possible? Wh-why?"

Rod strode forward and snatched the small crystal box from her hands.

He immediately saw the words written on it: "To my dearest sister, Witch Cat."

(End of this chapter)