If there are rebels there are also supply depots.

<--- Chapter 2 - If there are rebels there are also supply depots. --->

Silvia could not help laughing a little at the gestures of the cat boy. "I think we're going to get along very well, Felix, should I start by teaching you a little about the city? Or maybe I could guide you to the rest and medical center for you to treat the soldiers. But I think It would be rude considering you've already used your magic today, am I wrong?"

Delapierre: "Given the level of the spell she used, surely Felix-san will be exhausted."

Felix stared at them, smiling. The truth was that he did not feel as exhausted as they exaggerated, it had not cost him so much energy to have executed that healing spell, regardless of how impressive it was. "Up to you ~"

Silvia nodded, "I prefer to consider you as a guest rather than as a new addition to the army. I do not know the country you come from - but one thing I can assure you. Either you come from a good family or hold a position that did not require being in the battlefield, right? "

Felix shook his head in negation: "Nya~ You say it because of the dress I wear, right? The fact is that these are my casual clothes. Here where you see me I'm one of Crusch-sama's knights, I'm more used to the battlefield than you think. " Felix winked, and in fact, he expected the typical and amusing reaction that his words could provoke - after all in Lugunica only the boys could be gentlemen.

However, to the surprise of the trappy cat boy, Silvia did not seem to be surprised by this. The sergeant and the lieutenant did seem a little surprised, but not precisely by the genre but rather by imagining a "girl" as apparently sotisfied as "she" in the battlefield.

Silvia: "Ah, I see... So a knight, eh? Who would say it! In this country those who have healing powers - or spells that can be useful - are always reserved for the last lines of defense. Never being the first offensive line. "

Felix: "Hmm... Maybe after all there is a difference between the meaning of being a knight in this kingdom and being it in Lugunica, hehe~"

Yosenta: "You definitely don't look like a woman who have been suffering through the battlefield... I guess you can also apply those healing powers on yourself then?" the lieutenant asked with curiosity and Felix nodded, though he couldn't even reply.

At that moment, a soldier burst into the building and quickly made a military salute and knelt down. "Silvia-sama, reporting on the situation in the capital! We have been informed that the rebels have taken one of the supply depots located northwest of the capital! What should we do? They have taken some of the workers as hostages."

Silvia frowned, obviously annoyed by the bad news. "These cowards are playing again to weaken the capital with stupid acts of sabotage... But this time they are coming very far if they dare to take hostages too... Grrg..." the captain of the royal guard seemed to be agitated by the news and clenched her fist tightly.

Felix: "Oh... This country sure has a lot of troubles, right?"

Lieutenant Yosenta nodded: "All the countries of this world could be in better condition, without a doubt. But of all of them, Fradia is the one which is worse. We are economically in ruin, there are diseases, hunger and war. Traditionally we have always been the battlefield between the two great empires of Mandis and Irandus. "

Sergeant Delapierre: "And to make the atmosphere even more beautiful... We have to deal with bandits who take advantage of the country's chaos... And with rebels that are not happy with the current royal family."

Silvia sighed, hearing at the depressing comments of the lieutenant and the sergeant, yet she smirked. "Oi, you two! Where's your battle spirit? You have forgotten to say one of the good things of our country at least. That we have an unbreakable spirit and will, that we can still survive despite it all!"

Felix: "Nya~ If you keep putting everything to me so black I will have to decline the offer to help you!" He joked with it for a moment although the rest took it seriously and some even looked at the floor, crestfallen.

Lieutenant Yosenta: "... And you'd have good reasons for it, indeed. "

Felix stared at them with a sweat drop, a bit puzzled, then sighed: "It was a joke, no matter how many have to be cured, it will be a good practice." He winked at them.

Silvia: "Try not to joke about that in this country, Felix. As you may have noticed, we are not very optimistic people here." She smiled and walked to the entrance of the building, past the cat boy. "Could you accompany us to the hospital where the squadrons 7 to 10 are resting? If they could recover completely, they will assist us as reinforcecemnts when taking back the supply depot"

The soldier who came to inform stood up and bowed as Silvia approached more and more to the entrance where he was. "Silvia-sama ... And what about the hostages?" he asked.

"There is no time to lose, I will camouflage and infiltrate myself to free them and once the hostages are secure I will make a fire signal to the sky, that will be the moment when you attack." She said as she approached the entrance and gave Felix a last smile before leaving. "Will see you later, Felix. The sergeant will bring you to the designated hospital."

Felix waved his hand. "Good luck with it!" ** I did not expect the captain of the royal guard to risk so much for simple hostages... Infiltrating sounds very risky, but I guess it also tells a lot about her. **

Sergeant Delapierre approached Felix: "I suppose I should guide you to the hospital where the squadrons 7 to 10 rest. Let's go?"

Felix shrugged. "Yup, it's an emergency, right? Feli-chan will try to do the best nya!"

The sergeant nodded. "So... this way." he said as he left the barrack, accompanied by the kitty trap.

Just out of the building and back to the filthy streets of that poor capital. Delapierre and Felix met a scruffy-looking girl - like most of Fradia's people - she had red hair reaching the middle of her back and blue eyes. "T-this..." she approached timidly to Felix and stared at him.

"A-are you the girl who healed my brother?" She seemed surprised by the appearance of Felix. It was already a fact that depending on which areas of the capital the mere fact of wearing more than rags already called the attention of the locals.

Certainly Felix did not know the girl's brother. He simply assumed he would be one of the soldiers he healed, so he nodded and smiled.

"O-on behalf of my family, I give you my most sincere thanks..." said the girl timidly as she made a small bow.

"Aw, there's no need to give them! He just got lucky that I was passing through." He answered truthfully.

"Oh, uhm... Speaking of that... Are you a traveler? I-I can not offer you much, b-but... At least let me invite you to some tea and a massage as a thank-you."

Felix was a little surprised by the offer and looked at the sergeant. "Nyaho ~ Sounds interesting, but we have something urgent to do."

"Ple-Please, the least I can do is to relieve your fatigue..." the redhead insisted.

Delapierre shrugged. "Go. It is not something that would take too long, besides Silvia-sama has to make certain preparations prior to the ."

Felix: "Hmm... Okay, I'll be happy to accept your hospitality!" He smiled.

"Thank you, a thousand thanks, please, here ..." she smiled and beckoned.

"I'll patrol the area while I wait. You just have to look for me in these streets when you're done. If I'm in one piece, of course." said the sergeant, with his classical dark vision about this world and especially Fradia's situation.

Felix didn't have any problem to follow the redhaired girl. The duo went through a few streets of that poor and chaotic place, until, eventually, they arrived to an alley that had a few small doors leading to what could be houses after all... Or rather, rat's nest. Because that's exactly what those places seemed to be.

The red haired girl went down some stairs that lead to some kind of room, it was messy and dusty, there were another five persons there that took a look to the newcomer and all of them reacted, mostly with surprise or awe, certainly noone indiferent about the arrival of the trap cat to that nest. Yet, noone made any question at all, even if they didn't seem busy right now.

"I-I'm sorry that it might not look as the places y-you are used to." the girl said as she bowed once more. It seemed that the 'house' was just that small salon, there were no rooms or doors there. There were no beds just some thrown clothing in one corner and a straw wick that were used as bed, or at least some place to rest. In the middle of the salon there were some cushions and a table.

"Y-you can sit on the cushions if you want, they are cleaner..." the red haired pointed at them with her hand, smiling.

Felix: "Hmm... " he definitely didn't want to do a comment about the state of that place. The trap cat approached the cushion and sat on his knees, seiza style.

"O-oh... T-that'd be troublesome..." the red haired said.

Felix's cat ears twitched as he turned to the girl, confused. He was invited to sit there and so he did. "Uhm? Is there something wrong?"

"Ah...S-sorry! I guess I di-didn't specify at all... I-I want to give you a nice foot massage, after all, you traveled a lot, right?" the redhaired girl of blue eyes smiled. Felix at first thought it was a bit weird, the girl talked as if it'd be the most normal thing of the world. **Well, not like I'd refuse a nice massage on my feet, hehe~** thought for himself as he nodded and changed his position over the cushion, just extending his legs towards the red haired. "Nyaho~ Better that way?" winked.

The red haired girl nodded as she knelt in front of Felix feet, carefully placing them on her lap and removing the shoes. They were covered by the black stockings that the trappy cat was wearing. Either by shyness or because it'd be too weird to ask it, the red haired didn't tell Felix to remove those. Probably, the fact that those stockings covered Felix's legs entirely up to the tight was one of the reasons.

One of the many persons that were living on that place approached Felix, offering him a small cup that seemed to be filled with green tea. Even the cup was kind of dirty, thought it was not the reason why Felix denied to take it. "Oh, it's fine, don't worry" he said. Accepting a massage from a stranger in a far away kingdom was something he wouldn't mind doing, but, to drink anything they'd offer was an immediate no.

"Please, we don't have anything else to offer you as gratitude but this massage and a bit of tea, we'd be pleased if you taste it." the red haired said as she started the massage by gently rubbing her thumbs on the soft -yet covered by the stockings- feet of the trappy cat.

"It's fine it's fine~ Just the massage will make it, I don't feel thirsty right now" he winked and relaxed a little, feeling the thumbs of the redhaired gently caressing his soles didn't feel that bad after all. ** I didn't expect such a massage as a way to thank others, but I guess it doesn't feel that bad at all, hehe~**