Chapter 65: Is This Automatic Hunting? (3)

“Hey, what time is it now?”

“There’s still an hour left, so stop asking, you idiot.”

“Damn, time’s crawling…”

​In a dark, damp space illuminated only by artificial light conjured by magic, two men chatted to pass the time.

Their duty was to stand by the main gate, enduring the boredom, so they casually chatted to kill time.​

This was usually how guard duty at the auction house went.

If they caused a disturbance here, they’d lose their hard-earned chance to enter the auction house, so the guests were generally polite, and they didn’t provoke the guests either.

What good would it do to harass the guests?

All they’d get in return was a scolding and a kick from their superiors.

“Hey, is that rumor true?”

“How should I know?”

“You know, the rumor about kids being sold at the auction house.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Useless curiosity will only shorten your life.”

“Yeah, it’s not our business anyway.”

They did their assigned tasks and received their assigned pay. 

And with that pay, they lived each day like mayflies, enjoying the day before returning to work the next.

No savings, nothing, but the two men didn’t care.

‘If we slip up even a little, we’re dead, so why bother with noisy kids?’

They were too far gone to feel pity.

Standing here was the result of their bloody, stinking trajectory.

As if mocking them, a chilling cry echoed from afar.

“Damn it, why are those damn kittens crying so much today?”

“Is someone feeding them? I should catch and kill them all.”

The two men spewed colorful curses, then fell silent as they sensed movement in the distance.

A guest had arrived.

So now they had to shut their mouths and play the part of solemn guards.​

And so, the night in the underworld flowed on as usual.​

—————–​

The city of Pelisec was disgustingly large.​

The academy itself was terrifyingly vast, but even it only barely covered a third of the city’s area.

You could count on one hand the number of cities on the continent larger than this one.​

And if you considered factors like economic power, it wouldn’t be strange to call it the empire’s second capital.

Which meant there was plenty for the cats to live on.​

Specifically, if each alley was claimed by a cat, they could live decently.​

Of course, they had to be mindful of the humans living nearby, so it wasn’t easy to get three square meals a day, but still, the cats followed my orders and came to report what they knew.

At first, I tried to receive information through a chain of intermediaries, but it failed.

“A really big human went ‘Aaaah!’ and cried!”

“A human threw a rock!”

“Humans are stupid! They just throw food on the ground!”

“A human living in a smoky hole gives us food when they see us! They must be our servants!”

…My brain was about to explode.

It was like proving that a group of walnuts is still just walnuts—most of the information passed from cat to cat was useless.

Most of them didn’t even properly understand my orders.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any smart ones, but in the end, they were still cats, so their intelligence had limits.

So—it was much more efficient to gather the smart ones and send them to the underworld.

At least they could communicate minimally, so the chances of them bringing back meaningful information were higher.

By the way, when are those guys going to show up?

Momo must be waiting for me too.

As I waited idly for the cats, the black cat grooming itself next to me suddenly spoke up.

“…Even seeing it again, it’s hard to believe. What do you eat to get so big?”

“Tasty stuff.”

“How tasty does it have to be to get like that…”

Don’t look at me with that innocent, admiring expression.

This guy talks calmly, but in the end, he’s still got a walnut brain, so it’s a bit unsettling.

Explaining things like directions one by one was such a hassle.

“I want to grow as big as you someday…”

“What will you do when you grow big?”

“Size equals strength. So if I grow big, no one will threaten my position.”

“If you grow big, you’ll have to eat more, you know?”

“If I’m stronger, it’ll be easier to get food.”

“Well…”

This isn’t a forest but the middle of the city, so there’s not much merit in growing big.

If anything, you’d just become a target.

As I chatted with the black cat to pass the time, the cats I had sent to the underworld began to appear one by one at the dump.

“Finally, you’re here. Now, one by one, tell me what you saw.”

“I scouted really hard!”

“No, not that. What did you see?”

“Humans!”

​“…”

Should I just go scout myself?

“Ahem, oh great leader. I have brought back reliable information.”

Why does this guy talk like that?

I looked down at the rare calico cat and urged it to continue.

“Alright, tell me.”​

“I went up to them and acted cute, but they didn’t give me anything and chased me away. They’re bad humans.”

“Ugh.”​

As I clicked my tongue in frustration, some of the cats flinched.

Well, my size is intimidating, so even a little discomfort from me scares them.

Being big has its perks.​

“Next.”​

“A human gave me food!”

“Next.”   

“Oh great white one, I entered a shiny hole and came back.”

“Yeah, yeah. And then?”

“It was warm and cozy, so I felt good.”

Not your feelings, the information.

“And?”

“There were a lot of humans gathered there.”

“…Next.”

“Humans in soft clothes gave me food!”

Huh?

​“Were they wearing anything on their faces?”

“Yeah! They were wearing something weird!”

“Pass…pass!”

There’s still hope after all!

I looked at the nameless cheese-colored cat with hope.

You! You’re useful!

As a reward, I gave it a mouse I had caught earlier out of boredom.

​“A mouse!”

​“A mouse!”

​Well, that’s about it. 

I should head back.

​“Alright, I’m going back. See you later.”

​“Got it. See you later.”

​I left the black cat and the others behind and headed back to my den.

​—————-

​“…In. Nine?”

“…Oh, you’re here?”

I opened my eyes and scanned the three people in front of me.

They were in casual clothes.

It felt strange seeing them like this.

Especially since they wore the same outfits in the game.

“Nine, can I hug you?”

“No.”

​“Alice, in situations like this, you just go for it! It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission…”

​“Do you want to get hit more?”

​“Hit me more!”

​…What a formidable opponent.

I left the seemingly broken Irina alone and turned my gaze to Orca. 

Orca was watching Irina’s antics with her mouth open in amazement.

Why, though?

​“It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission…”

Why are you acting like you’ve just had a cultural shock?

​“…I don’t get it. Let’s talk about work. Those kids are probably suffering even now.”

“You’re right.”

“First, it seems there was an auction in the underworld yesterday. It’s hard to find out the details, but…the auction won’t end in just one day.”

I mixed the information I heard last night with what I already knew and shared it.

If I only told them what the cats brought, it wouldn’t be much help.

“Then infiltrating the auction house would be the best option.”

“That sounds good. Before that, let’s see the face of the person you found…”

In the end, whether or not we can communicate makes a big difference.

“Let’s head out now.”

Everyone nodded at my words.

It was a heartwarming response.

——————

“Here we are.”

…They rented this expensive room entirely.

I watched Orca unlock the door from Alice’s arms, impressed.

I’ve never stayed here myself, but to just rent out a room like this, that’s impressive.

“Selly, I’m coming in.”

Creak-

The sound of hinges scraping echoed as the room’s interior was revealed.

The furniture, adorned with luxurious patterns, clearly showed that this wasn’t a cheap inn but one frequented by nobles.

High-quality wood that I wanted to scratch with my claws.

Even the lamp was made with magic.

Every detail screamed money.

In contrast, the child huddled in the corner of the bed, covered in a blanket with only their nose peeking out, still looked filthy.

Ugh, the smell.

…They haven’t washed.

“Uh, uh…my lord?”

“Did you sleep well?”

Orca, unusually gentle, approached the child. 

As we marveled at her uncharacteristic behavior, the child’s gaze moved past Orca to us.

“Eek…”

​“It’s okay. They’re my friends. They’re here to help you…”

​Orca tried her best to calm the child, but the child couldn’t relax easily.

It seemed like being surrounded by people itself was frightening.

Sigh, I guess I have to step in.

I jumped out of Alice’s arms and approached the girl.

The girl couldn’t take her eyes off me as I cautiously approached.

“Wow…”​

“Meow.”

If I just sidle up to her and meow once…​

Hug.​

I’ll endure it this time because I feel sorry for this human. Just this once…​

I curled up my paws as she suddenly hugged me.