For the rest of the trip, the mood between me and the cat girls stayed solemn. We barely talked, Elizabeth tried to initiate conversation numerous times, but I rejected her every time. I had to stay away, I had to keep my distance, or they might end up like the rest, that was something that I wasn't going to let happen, not again.
Finally, a week or so later, we entered the Zagria kingdom - the destination of our short journey, it was finally time to get rid of these nuisances for their own good. We stopped at a small settlement near the border. It was already getting late, so I decided to stay the night in an inn and leave the next morning (more like afternoon).
I was sitting in my room, stuffing herbicide down my throat, feeling miserable as usual, maybe even more so, until I heard a knock at my door. Who dares to interrupt my sulking? Annoyed, I opened my door and found a redhead cat girl waiting for me on the other side. I sighed. "What do you want now, Elizabeth?"
"You're leaving tomorrow, right?" She asked, her eyes glued to the floor.
"Yeah, that's the plan. We agreed that I would drop you off in the Zagria kingdom, is there a problem? The money I gave you should be sufficient to last you for years, do you need more?"
"No, it's not about the money, it's just that…" She went silent.
"Spill it, I still have a lot of poison to consume, what do you want?"
"Can I… Can we continue to travel with you? I promise not to burden you anymore, I…"
"No."
"Why?" She asked.
"No." I answered adamantly.
"Just tell me why, why do we have to separate here?" Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Do you hate me that much? Is it because I got in your way?"
"If you stay with me you'll DIE! Is that what you want?!" I snapped.
"What? Is it because of what happened then? It was my decision to try and protect you, it wasn't your fault."
"It was…" I sighed and stepped to the side, gesturing to the inside of the room. "Come in, I'll explain everything."
She walked in, looked around and took a seat at the table. I followed and sat on the bed right in front of her, I just sat, not saying a word for what felt like an eternity. "Well?" She finally asked.
"Following me will be the end of you." I answered. "I'm cursed, you see, everyone and everything that gets close to me are subject to the same fate, none are spared." She listened intently, not saying a word. "I've been searching for a way to lift this damned curse for more than half a year, but was greeted with the same answer every time - there are no curses in this world."
"That's true, curses don't exist, it must all be in your head…"
"In that case, explain why my mother, my friends, my lover, my student, all are dead or on the verge of death! Explain to me why I'm always alone, why everyone I love or care for ceases to exist! Explain to me what that is if not a curse!" I was shaking with anger and frustration, at the verge of tears.
"You're not alone, you have me and Lilia by your side and we'd like to stay with you. You've had it rough, I can't imagine losing so much, but don't push us away, We'll stay by your side as long as you allow it." She talked slowly and calmly, her voice strangely soothing. I started crying, all the pain and despair flowing out like a torrent.
Elizabeth hugged me tight and began slowly patting my head. "There, there, you can cry all you want, I'll stay with you for as long as you need." I wept like a baby for what felt like an eternity, the inside of my mask was wet from tears and snot, but I didn't care for any of that, I didn't care about anyone seeing or hearing me in this state, I didn't care what people might think, I just cried and cried until I had no more tears left.
Finally, after calming down a bit, I escaped Elizabeth's grasp and said. "Are you really okay with risking your life by coming with me, mind you, your life wouldn't be the only one at stake here, what about your sister? Are you okay gambling with her life as well?"
Elizabeth smiled. "I don't believe in curses, neither does my sister. Besides…" She added. "Isn't it natural to gamble your own life in the pursuit of happiness?"
I chuckled. "Happiness? With me? Are you insane or are you just stupid? I'm a harbinger of death and destruction leaving nothing, but despair in my path. I'm not someone that brings happiness."
"The time we spent with you was one of the happiest in my life. Yes, you are a bit cruel, but you're quite nice when you're not trying to hide it."
"A bit cruel? Understatement of the century. Have you forgotten that I just stood and watched you getting whipped hundreds of times? Is your memory really that short?"
"You helped us in the end, didn't you? That's what matters." She said, stroking my hair. "Look at you, you're a mess, give me your mask, I'll clean it for you."
I jumped back. "No thanks, I can handle it myself. I don't show my face to people."
She smiled. "Very well, so, how about it, can we come with you?"
"There's still something that you don't know about me." I said. "Curses might not exist in this world, but I was cursed before even entering it…"
"What you're saying is that…"
"Have you ever heard of the heroes summoned from another world by the Chelyan kingdom? Well, I'm one of them. Before even entering this world, I lost my mother. I never knew my father and spent most of my life alone. After entering this world, I lost everyone I cared about in a matter of months. I'll ask again, are you still willing to travel with me?"
She thought for a while. "Are you this nice to beast men because you're from another world, or is it just you?"
"It's because I'm from another world. In my world there are no slaves, everyone is relatively equal and…"
"And?" Elizabeth asked, intrigued.
"We have no beast men there and I'm fascinated by your fluffy ears." My mask hiding the brightest blush that I ever had.
She laughed. "You can pet them, if you want, but that's on the condition that you let us tag along."
After thinking for a while, I answered. "It's your life, I granted you freedom because you deserved it. If coming with me will truly make the two of you happy, who am I to stop you?" Elizabeth beamed with excitement. "But… I have a few conditions, if you're unable to follow them, we're done."
"Yes of course, we'll do anything you ask." She answered immediately.
"First of all, you are to never try sacrificing your life for mine."
"Yes!"
"Second, you do all the chores in the camp."
"Of course, I wouldn't dream of it being the other way around."
"And finally…"
_________________________________________________________________________
Days later in a big city at the outskirts of the kingdom of Zagria. The three of us were walking around and shopping for poison, catching the gaze of all the bystanders.
"I know I said that we'd do anything, but isn't this a bit much?" Elizabeth, clad in full plate armor asked.
"A deal is a deal. Now, lower your helmet visor, you never know when a stray arrow might come barreling at you." I answered.
"Still… This is…"
"Just temporary, deal with it for now, I'll get you something far better than this armor very, very soon."
"Why does that make me feel so uneasy? The way you say it, it's like…"
"Worst case scenario, a few cities might crumble, it's easy to rebuild and lives are quite expendable. Nothing to worry about." I said. "Now hurry, poison won't be bought and eaten by itself."
Join me on patreon at patreon.com/BonsaiCat for early access to new chapters or buy my book 'How to rule a fantasy world' on Amazon. It's the same stuff that you read here, but I fucked up with the naming and the book is already out, so fuck it, let's go with this name for the book. I appreciate all of your support and your forgiveness for my utter incompetence. Best regards, BonsaiCat.