The Grand Duke, Catsy (4)

Eshima’s terrain is somewhat low-lying.
Considering that it is situated along the Katusia River, it is a rather unusual topography, and the fact that the capital was established in such a place was incomprehensible to other countries.
However, the Katus Empire did not place much importance on its capital.
Even though it is the capital, not all administrative functions are located there as in other countries, and each tribe has its own territory, so in fact, the Katus Empire is more like a federation.
The imperial palace of Eshima was surrounded by a moat.
Since it is the location of the imperial palace, a minimum line of defense against war had to be drawn, and a moat is ideal for that.
The water source can be drawn from the nearby Katusia River, so a deep and wide moat was optimal for defending the capital and the imperial palace.
And within the imperial palace surrounded by that moat.
Even now, the leaders of the Azrami tribe, with Aporza Al Azrami as emperor, were holding out.
And outside the imperial palace, warriors of the Azrami tribe gathered in front of the moat, facing off against the Meadow Gill tribe outside the moat.
The Lizardman shamans, Adinimu and Barikian, stood side by side and looked down at the scene.
“Lord Catsy has agreed to cause a flood, right?”
At Barikian’s question, Adinimu nodded.
Catsy had clearly confirmed that he would do as requested.
He was a little disappointed when Catsy, who is also a god of water management, descended upon them, but considering the geographical features of Eshima, he thought it might be better.
“Won’t the flood damage the imperial palace?”
At Barikian’s words, Adinimu shook his head this time.
“A flood is better. If we enter by force, it will surely be damaged more. Considering the time it takes to repair the imperial palace, it’s better to sweep it away with a flood and use that time to conquer Emporousia.”
“Indeed.”
When the Meadow Gill tribe held imperial power, the Katus Empire was not this weak.
They were able to maintain a confrontational stance with the Capatia Empire of All Mankind, and at the same time, they were able to aim for the annexation of Emporousia, and with the port of Emporousia in their hands, they were finally a powerful empire with the vast plains of Capatia in their sights.
But when that imperial power came to an end and the Azrami tribe took over, the atmosphere immediately reversed.
Because of the cowardly snake tribe who were skeptical of war, the Katus Empire was subdued, contrary to its reputation.
“Our Meadow Gill tribe is the chosen race to make this Katus Empire great once again. Lord Catsy is the one who will surely brighten the future of our Meadow Gill tribe.”
“I’m sure he is.”
It was then.
A breathing sound was heard.
【Hear me. I am causing a flood in response to your prayers. After that, it is up to you.】
Like a cat, Catsy’s movements were soundless.
Catsy, who approached Barikian and Adinimu silently, glanced at Adinimu and Barikian, who hurriedly bowed their heads, and looked down at Eshima.
“Yes, Lord Catsy. Barikian, begin.”
Barikian calmly untied the load he was carrying on his back.
When he untied the load, which was wrapped in a thin but large cloth, a worn-out drum, which must have been used for a long time, was revealed.
He unfolded the stand that was tied together with the drum, firmly fixed it to the ground,
and placed the drum on top of it. Barikian then took out the drumsticks that were tied to the side of the drum.

Boom— boom— boom— boom— boom—
A large drum sound echoed from the top of the hill.
In the meantime, Adinimu brought and erected a tall flagpole, and at the end of the flagpole, a flag with the symbol of the Meadow Gill tribe painted in green on a white background was fluttering.
The sound of the drum traveled through the wind in all directions. The booming sound was simple and crude but had a strong force, and the sound eventually reached the warriors of the Meadow Gill tribe stationed below.
A tense atmosphere prevailed between the warriors of the two tribes facing each other across the moat.
Inside the moat where the imperial palace was located, the warriors of the Azrami tribe were lined up with tridents, equipped with scale armor, and outside the moat, the warriors of the Meadow Gill tribe were lined up with shields and flails.
The Azrami tribe had far more numbers. Like snake beastkin, they hung their tails, constantly flicking their venomous tongues and exhaling strongly to warm their cold blood, and the Meadow Gill tribe facing them, despite their small numbers, were staring at the warriors of the Azrami tribe with solid armaments.
It was a strange sight. There were times in the history of the Katus Empire when civil wars broke out, but unless absolute power existed, struggles for power were rare. It would make more sense if there was a war between tribes, but a civil war for imperial power like this was the first.
The tense atmosphere was further intensified by the sound of the drums.
The sound of the drums crossed between the warriors of the two tribes who were staring at each other across the moat. At the sound of the drums echoing from the top of the hill, the Meadow Gill tribe felt confident, while the Azrami tribe, on the other hand, felt their hostility burning.
“Lord Catsy, will the god of the Azrami not interfere?”
Catsy’s golden eyes turned to Adinimu. Adinimu bowed his head even deeper at the gaze that stared at him without answering immediately.
【Do you think that a mere godling can subdue me?】
“I, I apologize. I’m sorry, Lord Catsy.”
【I have already trapped him in an illusion and stuffed him in that cart. That woman who calls herself a Saintess, and that princess you were trying to take, are all in the cart, so take care of them yourselves.】
“Yes, I understand!”
The lower reaches of the Katusia River have been a problem area for a very long time, flooding whenever it rained. Since Catsy started as a deity worshipped in such a place and came to manage water, he must be incomparable to the snake that those weak Azrami serve.
Adinimu thought so and convinced himself. If there was interference, there would be no way that Catsy could slowly come out and try to cause a flood without any resistance.
【Then, I shall begin.】
Catsy appeared on the hill.
It was not strange that the eyes of the warriors of both tribes who were facing each other turned to the hill, and there, the figure of a giant cat—far beyond ordinary in itself—Catsy revealed himself to everyone.
【Since those who called me are here, I will now descend and bestow my grace upon the children of the Meadow Gill.】
It seemed like he was speaking normally, but Catsy’s voice was not. His voice, filled with divine power, was quiet and low, but it spread with the momentum to shake the battlefield in an instant, and the declaration that he would clearly lend his strength to the Meadow Gill tribe was also clearly heard.
In an instant, the atmosphere of the battlefield became turbulent. The Meadow Gill tribe was already a powerful warrior tribe, and if it weren’t for the protection provided by the moat, they were strong enough to have already captured the imperial palace. If it weren’t for the moat, they wouldn’t have dared to face them until now, and in addition to that, a god named Catsy had descended.
The fierce fighting spirit emitted by the warriors of the Azrami tribe quickly dissipated. Shouts of encouragement from the commanders were heard here and there, but the warriors of the Azrami tribe, who were closer to snakes, were undoubtedly overwhelmed by fear at the appearance of Catsy, an overwhelmingly powerful being.
Meanwhile, Catsy stepped into the empty air. Although it was transparent and there was nothing there, Catsy strolled through the air as if there was a foothold there. Each step was light, cheerful, and also alluring.
The waterway drawn from the Katusia River began to sway little by little whenever Catsy moved. The waterway was close to still water, but there was still a flow, so it was very visible that the waterway was shaking.
【Hear me, sacred river Katusia.】
As Catsy’s voice echoed, the warriors of the Azrami tribe were slowly retreating. They were facing a being they should not and could not antagonize, and that being was showing hostility towards them, so the fear quickly spread.
Adinimu swallowed a cry of joy as he looked down at the scene. It had been quite a long time. It was embarrassing how they had been wasting time in this standoff. But thanks to Catsy’s actions, it seemed that the defense surrounding the moat could be easily breached, and he even thought that they might not even need to cause a flood.
They just had to break through the moat. If they threatened them with the life of Amira, a member of the imperial family whom they had barely managed to capture, the emperor of the Azrami tribe, who valued his blood relatives like his own life, would surely give up his imperial power. Imperial power in Katus was not that weighty.
【Rise and move. I, Catsy, command you to rise and obey my command.】
As Catsy’s words continued, the moat began to change drastically. The water in the moat, which had been rippling and creating waves, now created waves that could not be ignored and hit the walls of the moat, and each time, the amount of water that splashed over the walls increased.
【Listen carefully.】

Splash…!
With the sound of water, the waves began to rise abnormally. Now, the waves were so fierce that it seemed like a raging sea rather than a moat, and the waves began to directly hit the warriors of the Azrami tribe beyond the moat, and the waves, which were louder than the sound of the horn signaling retreat, surged and flooded the inside of the moat.
“Truly, he is Lord Catsy. To so easily destroy the defenses…”
Adinimu admired the scene, expressing his sincere respect for Catsy.

“What? A Saintess or whatever woman? Woman? Say it again, woman?”
【Le, let go! I didn’t do it on purpose… O, ouch! It hurts! Let go! Be, Berbaria! Help me!】
The angry voice of Yona and the screams of Catsy mingled together.
Yona was holding Catsy by the scruff of his neck, once again raising a cloud of sorcery, and Catsy was screaming that he was dying in Yona’s grip.
【St, stop it, Saintess. You know it’s an act.】
“It seemed like there was too much sincerity in it to be an act!”
Yona glared at Catsy, grinding her teeth.
Then, with a huff, she threw Catsy away. However, Catsy landed on the floor with the unique flexibility of a cat, and then ran behind Berbaria—Berbaria in the form of Rubina—and hid.
“You should be glad that it’s really effective.”
As Yona said, it was a sight to see all the Lizardmen of the Meadow Gill tribe lying down.
Whether it was the shaman or whatever, or Barikian or whatever.
Including those two, over thirty of these Lizardmen were wriggling and smiling happily, as if they were defeating the Azrami tribe in their illusions.
“Amira, let’s load all of them onto the cart. It seems like we should also go to Eshima quickly. Since we’ve come this far, I need to see if you can safely enter the imperial palace.”
Besides, if this Meadow Gill tribe took over the imperial power again, it would cause a lot of trouble for Capatia.
So, she couldn’t just leave them here.
“Still, it’s fortunate that things seem to be going smoothly because of that cat.”
It was fortunate in many ways.
Certainly.