Catgirls And Dungeons-Chapter 271: Biggest liar

That statement feels like thunder in my ears. The world spins, and every sound is muffled. I grow so dizzy I nearly faint.

But still, I need to know the whole truth.

So I fight the urge to throw up and press on, asking Eris more and more questions about her condition. Soon, she has no choice but to open up to me.

*****

Turns out, it is true. There is no such thing as a Mana Ring returning to its former state.

What she showed me all this time was nothing more than a carefully crafted illusion. A perfect façade. She had made me believe everything was fine.

After the incident in that S-rank dungeon, after she killed Lucian, Eris searched desperately for a method to restore her strength. She roamed countless dungeons, visited so many healers and clerics and searched many great libraries scattered in both the two grand worlds.

And she found it, a method.

But... it was not a cure.

It was only a makeshift solution.

There exists a technique that can force shattered Mana Rings back into shape, helping the person restore their old mana capacity.

But the cost is cruel.

It is like binding a broken statue with thin strips of cloth. From a distance, it may appear whole. Yet the cracks remain. And no matter how tightly it is bound, it will never truly return to what it once was. In time, it will fracture again.

And to make matter worse, the "binding" she uses... is her own life force.

So, each time she gathers her mana, each time she displays her strength, each time she casts a spell, she burns away a fragment of her remaining years.

In truth, she is trading her life for power.

And for what?

At first, I could not understand. Because to me, life is sacred. To live, to breathe, to wake and see another dawn, those are treasures beyond measure. Why would anyone shorten their own days so willingly?

But the more I think about it, the clearer the answer becomes.

It was painfully simple.

Because... That is just who Eris is.

Even if the price is her life, even if the cost is everything she has left, if it means she can fulfill her wish, if it means she can see her father again...

Just once.

Only once.

Then for her, that alone was enough.

****

"Eris... how could you do this to me? How can you be so heartless?"

The words tear out of my chest as I sob, my heart splintering in a way I have never felt before. This pain is cruel, like there is hell fire burning through me until I can barely breathe.

She lied to me.

Not once, not twice. Again and again.

This catgirl is the biggest liar, a master of deceit. Every smile, every calm assurance, every moment where she told me she was fine. All of it was a lie.

Just when I thought I finally understood her, when I believed I had seen every part of her, she shattered that illusion with yet another truth heavy enough to crush me and shatter my world. And even now, I cannot be sure this is everything. I don’t know anymore. I just can’t trust my own judgment.

If not for Alter’s keen perception, I might never have learned the truth at all.

And then, it gets even worse.

Because Alter didn’t only see through Eris’s condition. She also found the writings Eris had been hiding all this time.

They are not notes.

They are a will.

A quiet farewell, written in careful words. A promise that she would "go somewhere" to search for her father, leaving everything she has behind, to me.

All the wealth, all the weapons and artifacts, all the money she got.

But that was another lie.

She was not planning to return. Instead, she meant to die somewhere far away, alone.

So I would not have to watch.

"ERIS! I HATE YOU!" I scream, pouring every ounce of my anger and grief into those words. My voice trembles, echoing weakly through the cold dusk air.

"Felicia..." Eris whispers.

She does not defend herself. She does not argue. She only looks at me, and her expression is filled with pain so raw it almost silences me.

"And yet... I can’t bring myself to hate you..." My voice collapses into another sob.

Because to me, Eris is everything I care for.

"Forget this mansion. Forget the gold. Forget all the fine food in the world. I don’t want any of it!" My hands curl into my clothes, shaking. "I only want you, Eris!"

She is my world, and I love her more than words will ever be able to carry.

If one day she disappears, if one day I reach for her and find only empty air, I do not know how I would continue. The thought alone terrifies me.

"So Eris... Please don’t leave me... please..."

My knees give way. My legs feel like water, unable to bear the weight of my despair. I fall forward, trembling.

Eris steps toward me.

"Felicia... I’m sorry..." she begins, as though she wishes to explain, to comfort me.

Suddenly—

"Urgh—!"

Her voice breaks into a cry of pain as she collapses onto her knees. Blood spills from her lips as she coughs violently, her body trembling as though her lungs are about to tear apart.

"ERIS!"

I rush to her side, tears already blurring my vision. I clutch her hand tightly.

And God...

Her skin is so cold, it feels like I am holding a piece of ice.

"Alter, what do I do?" I ask in panic. "Help! Eris is—"

(Hey, don’t worry.) Alter replies calmly. (Those are just injuries from the fight with me.)

"I... I see..." I breathe out in shaky relief.

But then—

"Wait..." I mumble, my grip tightening. "Alter! You already knew about Eris’s condition, so why did you still beat her like that? What were you thinking?!"

(Tch. Beat her? I was helping her!)

"Please, Felicia... you misunderstand..." Eris murmurs in my arms. "What Alter did... was actually breaking the blockages in my mana circulation."

She coughs again, more blood staining her lips.

"Thank you, Alter," Eris says. "I feel much better now."

(Heh. You’re welcome)

****

A few minutes later, I finally calm down enough to think clearly.

"Wait, Alter! You knew about Eris’s condition. That means... you can cure her, right?"

Hope flares within me once more.

Because yeah, Alter is not just your normal catgirl. She’s the catgirl princess of a lost civilization! She once wielded power that rivaled the literal gods themselves! Surely she must know how to fix some mere broken mana ring, right?

At my words, Eris straightens slightly, her breath catching.

I clutch her hand tightly, praying for a miracle.

However—

"I can’t, unfortunately," Alter replies. "While I may be powerful, I don’t possess much medical knowledge. Repairing a broken Mana Ring... is not something I’m capable of."

"No..." I breathe, as despair crashes down on me once more, heavy as a mountain.

"Hey, it’s alright, Felicia." Eris pulls me into her embrace. "Now that you know the truth, being able to spend my final days with you by my side is already more than I could ever wish for."

"No... Eris..." I look up at her, tears gathering in my eyes again.

Her fingers brush gently along my cheek, wiping away my tears. Then she leans down and presses a soft kiss to my forehead.

"Let’s make our remaining days as happy as possible, shall we?"

"Nn!" I nod, forcing a trembling smile.

"But," Alter suddenly interrupts, "while I can’t fix it, I never said I don’t know someone who can."

"Wait—what?" Eris’s eyes widen.

"W-What?! REALLY?!"

Hope bursts through my chest again, bright and fierce.

Seriously, Alter! Why does she have to toy with my heart like that?! That’s so cruel!!!

"Please tell us—who is it?" I press.

"Hmph. Who else could it be? It’s not like I know many people in this world!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Oh Felicia! she means her wife!"

And in that instant, it clicks.

"Wait... Morvena?!"

"Duh!"