Chapter 66: Is This Automatic Hunting? (4)

“Ugh, all my friends have been captured… Please save them.”

“Trust us. We’ll definitely save them!”

“I-I’ll do my best too…”

“First… um. Can we let Nine go?”

“Ahhh!”

Don’t wipe your snot and tears on my fur!

I barely managed to retract my claws and slipped away from the kid.

Mental care is fine, but I can’t stand being treated like a handkerchief.

Do you know how much I care about cleanliness?

“Ah…”

“Nine doesn’t really like being held.”

I can tolerate it since it’s part of the business, but I don’t feel the need to endure it.

Even if you look at me with those teary eyes… sigh.

I quietly approached the nameless kid and sat down beside them.

At least this time, they seemed to realize what they had done and only petted me instead of hugging me.

“Then, can you tell us the story again? To save your friends, you need to tell us everything you know.”

“Okay… so—we were living under the adults, doing whatever they told us to do… but one day, my friends started disappearing one by one.

Even when we asked, they just told us to shut up and meet our quotas, so we had no choice but to keep working… but a while ago, I saw a friend being sold.”

“…Buying and selling children.”

“Whoever it is, they’re a real piece of work.”

“Yeah…”

No wonder they’re the main characters—they can’t stand injustice and speak up.

I licked my fur and listened carefully to the child’s story.

“My friends might be sold at an auction house in the black market.”

“I’m sorry to ask, but can I ask you one thing?”

“Sure… I’ll answer anything.”

“Is there anything in common among the children who were sold?”

“Uh… I’m not sure.”

Yeah, it’s understandable not to know.

It’s too extreme a situation to find commonalities.

They don’t have power, let alone any authority.

In situations like this, there’s no choice but to do as you’re told.

This is why, in a world where violence and magic thrive, you need to be strong first.

If only they were as strong as the average knight academy student, they wouldn’t be crying for help here.

But what can you do?

They were born into this environment.

I was born a cat and suffered for three years too.

“Is there anything else? Like, are they the same gender…”

“They don’t seem to care about gender. Age… uh, they might care. They only took kids younger than me…”

“Younger than you? How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“Fourteen?!”

Irina shouted in surprise.

“Don’t shout. You scared them.”

“But—ah, never mind. Sorry.”

“It’s… it’s okay.”

She must have been surprised since there’s only a year difference.

Looking at their size, they seem like an early teen.

Anyway… based on the information the kid gave, the age limit is probably due to a ritual.

Even though I’m a Korean who mashes the space bar as soon as the script appears, I roughly understand the reason.

It’s just that if I do everything from 1 to 10, these kids will lose the chance to grow, so I’m staying put.

I pretended not to care, like a cat, and continued to gather information in my head.

…Well, there wasn’t much useful information.

Here, I just need to combine my original story knowledge with the information the cats gathered to make a plan.

The problem is that it’s hard to have a conversation with this kid around…

…I guess I have to play the villain here.

I looked up and made eye contact with Orca.

Then, I winked as a signal to cause a distraction.

“Ugh…!”

“Alice?!”

Why are you collapsing?

I stared blankly at Alice, who was clutching her chest and hyperventilating.

What? Why is she like that?

A sudden heart attack?

Did someone write her name in the Death Note?

“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Ni-Nine winked at me…”

“Is that all?”

At Irina’s indifferent remark, Alice, for once, glared at her.

“Nine, who never acts cute, winked at me!”

“Hey, calm down.”

Sigh.

I swallowed a sigh and stood up.

You scared me by suddenly clutching your chest.

Anyway, I need to do my job.

I jumped onto the windowsill like a stray cat and opened the window.

“Meow—”

Then, I jumped down.

“Nine?!”

How would an owner react if their pet cat ran away?

The answer is, they’d chase after it.

I deliberately stuck close to the inn’s entrance and waited for the group to come out.

Orca came out after a short while.

I casually jumped into Orca’s arms.

“Nine, if you suddenly fall—”

“This way, we can talk. Let’s go somewhere quieter. There are too many people here.”

Not that many people would eavesdrop on a whisper, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.

We went into an alley and started talking.

“…I see.”

“So, what do you think?”

“It doesn’t seem like they’re lying.”

“Right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s make a plan.”

“A plan…”

“Orca, how much money do you have?”

Plans always require funds.

Orca thought for a moment before answering.

“I’ve never counted, so I’m not sure.”

How much money do you have?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

“Then let’s go get some clothes made.”

—————

“Ugh—this is so stuffy.”

“But we found a dress that’s not bad for movement…”

“I-I’ve never worn a dress before.”

“Alice, weren’t you from the Darkmoon family?”

“I-I was always ignored… I’ve never been to a ball or anything.”

Well, that makes sense.

Her parents kept forgetting about her, so she enrolled in the academy to fix her constitution.

It should be somewhat resolved by the end of the first year…

Or not?

The timing is too different from the original, so I’m not sure.

This side quest isn’t supposed to happen now anyway.

“Ready? Put on your masks, everyone. And—”

“I-I’ll carry you…”

You want to enjoy this legally, huh?

I jumped into Alice’s arms.

Alice hugged me tightly, supporting my body with her arms so I could rest comfortably.

“Alright, let’s go.”

At my words, everyone nodded.

“…But why do I have to wear a mask too?”

“It’s… it’s cute…”

“It’s cute, right?”

“It’s cute, so it’s fine, right? You might look like a cat lover.”

“Sigh… fine.”

The mask strap is so uncomfortable.

But I’ll endure it.

We headed straight to the auction house.

I had already memorized the way, so there were no obstacles.

The problem was the entry conditions.

Well… there’s a way around that.

“Orca and Irina, scout the area and create an escape route. Come back when you’re done.”

“What about Alice?”

“She’ll come with me to scout the inside.”

“J-just me?”

“Just trust me.”

This is why your constitution exists.

“Go, Alice! I choose you!”

“Ehehe…”

Alice made a strange noise as she walked towards the entrance.

“…?”

And she wasn’t stopped at all when she entered.

As expected.

Since it’s night, when Alice’s constitution is stronger, they didn’t notice even when we walked in openly.

It’s really the perfect constitution for an assassin or thief.

“Alice, can you check if there are any magic alarms around?”

“Ah, I think I can… ah, there’s one over there.”

Hmm, where the ‘merchandise’ is?

“Alice, keep moving around and let me know where the magic alarms are.”

“Okay.”

Alice and I quietly walked around the auction house, pretending to be visitors, while checking for magic alarms.

Comparing it to the original… well, it’s pointless.

I don’t even remember it well.

My walnut brain is too small to remember such details.

But I roughly understand the structure.

“Let’s go get Orca and Irina. It’s about time to start the operation.”

Alice nodded at my words and headed back to the entrance.

Fortunately, we didn’t need to search for them—Orca and Irina were waiting for us in front of the auction house.

“Nine, how is it?”

“It won’t be easy. Rescuing the kids won’t be too hard. So, you two need to cause a distraction.”

“A distraction? Should I start a fire or something?”

“Are you crazy?”

“No, why not? It’s effective.”

She’s insane.

I smacked Irina’s head with my paw and then spoke.

“Alice will use magic to blow out all the lights. Then, Orca and Irina will join me in rushing in to rescue the kids and get them out.”

“After we get them out?”

“Leave it to Ruyen. As a dog, he’ll figure something out.”

Since he’s a self-proclaimed great elf mage, he’ll handle it if we push him.

If he doesn’t, we’ll… no, that sounds weird.

“Anyway, let’s start now.”

Everyone nodded with determined eyes.

[The auction will begin shortly! Please take your seats!]

It’s about to start.

“Alright, let’s head into the auction house.”