Outsmarting the Dragon Witch

"Is that so? Then I must give this young man a proper audience." The emperor straightened his clothes, lifted the curtain, and stepped out of the carriage.

Shirou also felt that if he could build a good relationship with the rulers of this world, he might be able to learn more about it.

"Hello, Your King, thank you for your help," Shirou said politely.

The King, a kind-hearted man, was quite pleased with the young man and said with a smile, "Young man, no need for further words. Everyone has their bad luck sometimes. Now, come with us, and I'll have soldiers escort you home. Someone, bring this young Marquis a horse."

"Yes, sir!" The accompanying soldiers obeyed the order and brought over a chestnut horse.

"Thank you." Shirou led the chestnut horse over, patted its head as a greeting, and lightly mounted it.

Fortunately, he had learned a bit about riding horses from Little Mo beforehand, otherwise he would have been exposed now. After all, this world should be set in ancient Europe, where horses are, to some extent, a symbol of nobility.

Moreover, this was an era in which horses were the primary means of transportation. Even the sons of wealthy farmers learned to ride horses because plowing the fields was four times more efficient than using oxen, let alone the nobility.

Just like the old European proverb, "Not everyone who can ride a horse is a nobleman, but every nobleman can ride a horse."

If something goes wrong at this stage, the emperor and soldiers will inevitably suspect they've encountered a swindler. Of course, there's also the possibility that a nobleman who has been sickly since childhood and unable to go out might not know how to ride a horse. In any case, the other party's impression of him will be greatly diminished.

Fortunately, Shirou readily sat on the horse's back. The chestnut horse shook its ears, showing no dislike for the human on its back, and the journey proceeded smoothly.

Emperor Louis, observing this, nodded approvingly.

On both sides of the road ahead were stretches of Pasture Grass and wheat fields, almost endless. All of them together could probably feed more than a hundred cattle and sheep a year, and provide food for a thousand people for a year. Farmers were also harvesting Pasture Grass in the fields to feed the cattle, sheep and horses.

Tamamo Cat ran forward, summoned the farmers, and used her magic to transform into a ferocious demon, threatening them. "If anyone asks, just say that the Pasture Grass and wheat fields here belong to Marquis Shirou, or someone will chop off your heads!"

The farmers were so frightened they nodded repeatedly.

When the caravan behind them passed through the fields, everyone marveled at the abundance of produce there.

"These are truly fertile fields. Whose land is all this?" the emperor asked curiously, and a servant called the farmers over to ask them questions.

"This belongs to Marquis Shirou!" the farmers exclaimed in unison.

"Oh, I didn't expect this young man to have such a good business." The emperor then looked at Shirou, who was riding a horse to the side, and his eyes shone with even more admiration.

"..." Shirou stood there awkwardly, speechless.

However, these qualities were seen as a plus by the King, who observed that the young man possessed the humility and virtues of a knight.

Tamamo Cat, running ahead, soon spotted a magnificent and luxurious castle standing in the distance.

The Tamamo Cat in front grabbed a farmer and asked him about the castle.

It turns out that a demon king lived in the castle in front, and everything around here was his property.

The old farmer said, "The demon king in that castle is a terrifying monster. The original owner of the land was swallowed by the evil dragon under the demon king's command. We only survived because we offered sacrifices."

You'd better not go there. The Demon King can freely change his form and laugh; he can become a giant over ten meters tall, or shrink to the size of a mouse. He can summon countless evil dragons at will, and he can unleash flames that burn everything.

The farmers trembled just recalling what they had seen.

"The Demon King? It seems we can't just leave him alone," Tamamo Cat said, resting her chin on her hand.

"Master, let me go and defeat the Demon King for you, and then steal that castle! Woof! We need to put lots of carrots in the kitchen~!" Tamamo Cat waved its paws happily and ran into the castle.

As Tamamo Cat spoke, she started running, displaying a wild speed that even horses couldn't keep up with, and galloped straight into the castle.

Strangely, the castle was not guarded. Although there were servants cleaning and guards watching over it, no one stepped forward to stop the person who came. Tamamo Cat didn't think much of it and ran straight to the central hall of the castle.

"Niff, the Demon King is indeed waiting for the Hero Cat to defeat him in the very center of the main hall, woof~!"

[Just a quick update: By the end of the month, the average daily subscription for this book had reached a peak of 790, so reaching one million words is achievable. My next goal is to reach an average daily subscription of 1000, which will get me 1.5 million words. I hope to finish every book, but without subscriptions and readers, it won't work either. So thank you to all my subscribers.]

[My goal this month is to adjust my sleep schedule, maintain a consistent update schedule, and try to update as often as possible. I want to find a healthy balance between life, studies, and writing; I want to write for the rest of my life!]

Chapter 173 Battle of Wits with the Dragon Witch

The carriages were moving slowly along the narrow path between the two carriages.

Emperor Louis sat at the carriage door and began to talk to Shirou, asking Shirou about his studies and whether Shirou was married.

Although it was Tamamo Cat's scheme, Shirou did indeed receive a favor from her. While he wasn't very good at dealing with emperors, respecting those who had helped him was a basic courtesy. So, throughout the journey, Shirou answered the emperor's questions earnestly whenever he could.

Emperor Louis discreetly observed the young man, nodded, and thought to himself, 'Although he is a foreigner and his manners are somewhat different, this young man is indeed very well-mannered, and he has no communication barriers. He is also very sincere, and even knowing that I am the emperor, he did not fawn over me. He is probably quite confident in himself.'

Although Shirou didn't know that Tamamo Cat had used some tricks, the farmers along the way all seemed to have been frightened, and they all said in a trembling voice that this was Marquis Shirou's land.

However, Shirou still couldn't hear Tamamo Cat's voice along the way. Even if she was a wild cat-like Servant, she was still a girl. Shirou was really worried that she hadn't returned for so long.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your help. I will now go after my companion and will certainly express my gratitude to you later." Shirou bowed to Emperor Louis again, making his promise, and then spurred his horse to chase after the place where Tamamo Cat had run off to.

"Oh, what a kind and helpful young man." The emperor nodded, seemingly increasingly pleased with the boy. "My lovely Princess, what do you think of this young man?"

"..." At this moment, the Princess, who had not shown herself, sat inside the carriage, gazing thoughtfully at the departing figure of the young man.

Inside the Demon King's castle, atop the innermost steps, sat a luxurious chair adorned with black armor and long silver hair. She rested one hand on the armrest, propped her chin up, and dozed off listlessly.

The girl was indeed Jeanne d'Arc of Arc Alter; she had fled the tea party, emerging from a strange place. At Merlin Rabbit's suggestion, he prophesied, "The boy you wish to meet will surely pass through here; you only need to wait."

Having arrived at this place, she kicked the annoying nobles into the dungeon and took over the place. All she needed was to see Shirou.

Then, with Merlin's help, the Holy Grail was used to create this magnificent castle. Merlin then used illusion magic to make the nobles' servants acknowledge Jeanne d'Arc's identity and continue working, maintaining their daily lives.

After completing these tasks, Merlin bid farewell to the girl.

"Then, you can just wait here for Shirou to come. As this is the only way to get to the entrance, he will definitely come here to meet you."

"Hey, what about you? Where are you going?" Jeanne d'Arc asked.

"I've had enough fun, so I'm going back to updating my blog. Although there are many beautiful women in this world, it's a pity that they're all incompatible with me. Kai Cha Hui is a crazy person who likes to sing but just makes noise."

The Countess I serve is a strange little girl, the queen is a villain who always shouts for people to be beheaded, and the Princess is that... sigh, in the world of dreams, I, the dream demon, should be free and unrestrained." After Merlin finished speaking, he took off the pair of long, Fou -like ears that had grown on his head as if removing a hat, his body became transparent, and then he left this dream world.

Jeanne d'Arc was looking forward to meeting Shirou, so she instructed the servants not to stop anyone from entering through the main gate. However, after waiting for a long time, what arrived was a cat.

"What? You, a cat wearing an apron, are also Servant? What's the matter with you here?" Jeanne d'Arc Alter asked, frowning.

"Meow, you're a guest! Hurry up and bring out the carrots to entertain us!" Tamamo Cat said with a smile.

"Radishes? What a strange hobby! Aren't cats supposed to be catching mice and fish?"

"Meow doesn't hate mice, but fish is nice too. Hurry up and get the carrot out, woof!"

"Well, sure, it's fine. Considering we're Servant, it's no big deal to give a stray cat or a stray dog a meal." Jeanne d'Arc Alter waved her hand, signaling the servants to prepare dinner.

"Thank you, Demon King. If I didn't already have an owner, I'd let you pet my tail and paws," Tamamo Cat said happily.

"Huh? Who cares about your stuff? I'm just bored waiting for someone. There's no one here to talk to," Jeanne d'Arc said with a grin.

"Speaking of the Demon King, I've heard you're very powerful, able to change size and breathe fire?" Tamamo Cat asked.

"Ah, of course I'm not like a wildcat Servant just popped up out of nowhere like you. I'm very strong. If my Master came, needless to say, I'd be invincible," Jeanne d'Arc said proudly.

"What! My owner is amazing! We're the perfect match!" Tamamo Cat retorted, unconvinced.

"Ha, you want to have a spar with me? I'm so bored I'm even sleepy in my dreams!"

"Then let's see how it changes! Meow can change too, woof!" Tamamo Cat said.

"Hmph, I have nothing better to do anyway, so I'll show you!" Jeanne d'Arc pulled out a biscuit, took a bite, and instantly her whole body grew several times larger. If the newly built castle hadn't been so tall, her head would have already broken through the roof.

"Wow, so big! What if it shrinks? What if it shrinks?" Tamamo Cat asked.

"Huh? Now that you understand my power, that's enough, isn't it? I'm not here to play with stray cats," Jeanne d'Arc Alter said awkwardly.

"You said you were bored, so I only played with you, woof. You can't actually do it, can you? Meow haha." Tamamo Cat said, covering her mouth and mocking.

"Who said that! I'll show you right now!" Jeanne d'Arc then pulled out another mushroom, took a bite out of it, and her body shrank instantly, eventually turning into a figurine placed on the ground.

"Meow, it's shrunk! It really looks like a black mouse," Tamamo Cat exclaimed in admiration.

"Hmph! Now you know how powerful I am," Jeanne d'Arc of Arc said smugly.

"Now! Gaaah!" Tamamo Cat pounced, opening its mouth to bite the shrunken Jeanne d'Arc!

"Whoa! You bastard, what are you trying to do?!" Jeanne d'Arc cried out as she was suddenly grabbed.

"Hey! Tamamo Cat! Where are you?" Shirou had caught up with them, also noticed.

But what they saw was a strange sight: a silver-haired girl shrunk into a tiny figure was being held in Tamamo Cat's mouth, and upon closer inspection, she looked very familiar.

"Master! Meow, I've caught a black mouse. But it's so tough, I feel like it'll upset my stomach if I eat it," Tamamo Cat her eyes, looking conflicted.

"Jeanne d'Arc? Why has she become so small?" Shirou looked closely and realized that this was Jeanne d'Arc Alter, his comrade-in-arms from the Shinjuku days.

"Ah! You bastard, put me down! Shirou!! What's wrong with this stray cat?" Jeanne d'Arc screamed frantically as she was being carried around with only her upper body exposed.

"Ah, Tamamo Cat, this is my partner, quickly put her down," Shirou said hurriedly.

"Meow? So Master has a partner who's a demon king? Ptooey~!" Tamamo Cat spat Jeanne d'Arc onto the ground.

"Waaah..." Jeanne d'Arc of Arc, her lower body sticky, pitifully collapsed to the ground. Even after regaining her figure, her skirt and stockings were completely soaked.

"Meow? So the person this woman said she was waiting for is the master?" Tamamo Cat blinked, rolling her eyes as she sized up Jeanne d'Arc.

Jeanne d'Arc lowered her head, seemingly gathering her simmering anger, and whispered, "You bastard, you really dare to do this! You dared to lie to me, and then do this to me, especially in front of... Shirou!"

"Ah! The Demon King is angry! Master, protect me!" Tamamo Cat squeaked happily and climbed onto the boy's back, but showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, from the boy's perspective, it bared its teeth at Jeanne d'Arc.

"Damn it... you damned monster cat! Get off Shirou!" Jeanne d'Arc angrily grabbed the flag, ready to set it on fire!

"Alright, alright, this is a misunderstanding. Tamamo Cat is attacking too, stop arguing." Shirou spread his arms and stopped the rampaging silver-haired girl.

"Although you only need one pet, and the rest can be thrown into the forest to eat bamboo or fed to tigers, I won't do anything that will annoy you, so please accept me as your companion. But even if you give me carrots, I won't let you pet my paws or tail," Tamamo Cat said disdainfully.

"Who wants to touch your fake cat!" Jeanne d'Arc roared.

"It's so good to see you, Jeanne d'Arc. I was wondering when I'd see you again," Shirou said with a happy smile when he saw the girl.

"Hmm... You still remember your promise to me? Well, with me around, Shirou can't defeat any enemy." Jeanne d'Arc paused, taken aback by the boy's words, then awkwardly turned her head away, stood up, and said softly, "... Anyway, I'll be leaving for a bit."

"Huh? Jeanne d'Arc, where are you going?" Shirou asked, puzzled.

Jeanne d'Arc turned around and roared, "A bath! Do you want me to talk to you like this, all sticky and slimy?! If you dare follow me, I'll burn you to the ground!"

"I'm sorry, please take your time. I'll be here waiting for you," Shirou said to the girl, surrendering.

Jeanne d'Arc slammed the door and walked out.

"Oh dear, is it over already?" At that moment, the holographic image of Chaldea was projected, and Da Vinci peeked out and asked with a smug look on his face.

"Da Vinci, what kind of development do you want to see?" Shirou said irritably to the black-haired woman, then asked, "Well, I've finally found you. Tell me what's going on here?"

"Yes, Shirou, you've already sensed the anomaly in this world, haven't you? You've been sucked into the world created by the black mud Heroic Spirit," Da Vinci said.

"What's going on? This should be a dream world, right?" Shirou asked, frowning.

"This is the world we live in, somewhere between reality and dreams, leaning more towards a dream world than reality. Although it's a dream, we don't know what adverse effects might occur if a soul is injured here. And if we don't find the door, we might not wake up in the outside world," Da Vinci warned.

"Can't go back? What's going on! Has someone else been dragged into this world?" Shirou asked, his eyes wide.

"That's right. This world is the most troublesome. When we were dealing with Britain, the dragon Vortigern affected the outside world by eroding the land, but now the black mud Heroic Spirit of France are directly eroding the spirit. It seems they've found the weak point in the protection of your world."

"This effect will continue to spread. As for the specifics, Shirou, you should take a look here." Da Vinci said, pressing a button.

The screen switched directly to the news broadcast on the large screen in Chaldea, where the anchor sitting at the front of the stage was reporting on the latest news.

"A strange illness has recently emerged in Paris, tentatively named 'Hibernation Syndrome' based on its characteristics. Since last month, residents in various districts of Paris have been experiencing sleeping in bed and not waking up, much like hibernating polar bears. No matter what methods are used, they cannot be woken up. The patients have been sent to hospitals in various locations and are not in life-threatening condition."

Parliament has passed a plan to contact elite experts from across Europe to investigate, and it is believed that the cause of the illness will be found soon, bringing everyone to a head.

The news report showed several people of different skin colors and ethnicities being carried on stretchers to ambulances while they were fast asleep.

"How could this happen? We have to defeat the black mud Heroic Spirit! Da Vinci! Where is that guy?" Shirou asked through gritted teeth, looking at the woman on the screen.

"It's a pity, Shirou. The black mud Heroic Spirit of this world have completely hidden themselves, and even Servant from outside Chaldea have been absorbed into it. We can't understand their intentions at all," Da Vinci said, shaking his head.

"Is this what Tamamo Cat is like? How did you come into this world?" Shirou asked, looking at the cat grooming itself to the side.

"I think I came here while taking a nap, woof? But I never expected to meet my beloved owner in my dream. This is simply destiny." Tamamo Cat smiled happily, cupped her face, and said shyly.

Da Vinci looked at the boy and said seriously, "The number of Servant here is increasing, and the detected magical energy will become more chaotic. Across multiple worlds, it will be very difficult for Chaldea to locate the black mud Heroic Spirit. The situation will only become more chaotic. Shirou, you will have to find that black mud Heroic Spirit on your own. Fortunately, you have your Magic Eye. Once you encounter it, it definitely won't be able to escape."

"I know. Anyway, let's set off now and find a place where there are other Servant," Shirou said, clenching his fist into his palm.

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside the hall.

"My lord, a convoy has arrived at the gate. They claim to be the emperor of a neighboring country, here to pay a visit. As you instructed, do not stop anyone. They have already entered," a servant announced loudly as he ran over.

"The emperor? Those people from before?" Shirou said.

"Shirou! We've detected the Servant' reactions among those who came in," Da Vinci warned.