Thanks to that, Chloe got a convenient, handsome way to update her Status, and Njörðr was not in a position to resist with her holding that over him.
"I can't update my Status if I'm not like this, meow~."
Lying down on the soft sofa, she gave the impression of a queen. She was enjoying herself since he had covered the high fee to get into the tavern. The god grimaced as he moved beside her to update her Status.
A secret room with a half-naked god and mostly naked girl.
If a waitress brought the alcohol now, she would unquestionably misunderstand what was going on.
"Because you are such a good, handsome god, I'm letting you see this unladylike figure, meow. My lovely nude body honed for assassination…
Does it take your breath away, meow?"
"Take my breath away…? Your chest is flatter than mine."
"What?! I'm just still developing, meow!"
As an assassin, there were times I also used my feminine wiles. Well, only idiot targets were done in like that, though. Truly wary men were usually on guard.
—Incidentally, when Chloe had been about to do it for real once, she scratched her partner's face, so she was still a virgin.
"There, it's done."
"Grrr…you'll pay for that, meow."
Miffed, Chloe took the update sheet and looked at it.
Chloe Lolo
LEVEL 4
Strength: G 267 -> F 301 Defense: G 222 -> 279 Dexterity: B 711 -> 751
Agility: B 737 -> 776 Magic: E 412 -> 455 Immunity: G Synthesis: H Escape: I
It's been a while, but still…it's gone up a good amount, meow.
She sighed.
Doing people in without too much effort was supposed to be what assassins did, but her Status continuing to rise was proof of a lot of hard work.
"So? If you got an update, does that mean Black Cat got another troublesome request?"
"Please don't call me that name, meow. As far as I'm concerned, it's a blemish on my record, meow."
Code name aside, having a second name or alias from other people was proof of failure to an assassin. Having a second name made meant that an assassination failed or that someone had seen her. This was all because the adventurers in Orario were too strong…
Being compared to a bounty hunter like Black Fist is a real nuisance, Chloe thought.
"Hey…you're tired, right?"
"…"
As expected of a god, he had figured her out and seen what she was feeling in her heart. Chloe silently got off the sofa and grabbed the food on the table with her fingers in a show of poor manners.
"In times like this, that's how it has to be, meow."
"If you feel like it, why don't you come to my familia?"
Chloe froze for a second and then tried to cover it with a suggestive smile.
"What's that? Have you been captivated by my beauty and fallen prey to your desires, meow?"
"Aah, yeah, something like that would fine. If I got my hands on a cute female helper like you, the gods would rejoice."
Njörðr responded to her teasing with a wry laugh, meeting her eyes with a concerned gaze.
Njörðr is a good god.
He's handsome, tall, and cares for children. He's a god of good character.
While knowing the true identity of Black Cat, he had not revealed it to anyone, and while he complained about it, he still put up with her selfish and absurd requests, as if he was trying to give her a brief moment to relax.
After being quiet for a bit, she smiled slightly in a way that was different from before.
"You should stop that, meow. A cat who stopped killing people and reformed to be crazy about fish…it's kind of ridiculous, meow." "…I see."
That was how she truly felt.
She was honestly happy at his offer, but she could not quite see herself taking it.
"And familia aside…I don't really understand things like comrades and friends, meow."
That was also how she really felt.
With no interactions since her first familia, she was a lonely stray cat. She did not know how to go about joining a group.
That's way harder than killing people, she thought.
"Is there anyone who gets along well from the start? No, it starts with conflict. You shout at each other; you want to punch each other."
"You gods are always talking about 'fighting under the sunset'; is that what this is, meow? But as for me, I don't even know how to do that much, meow…"
Chloe's bread and butter was deadly fights. Alive or dead were the only options she knew.
She could not face Njörðr, who was kindly gazing at her as he tried to convince her. She suddenly looked up at the ceiling. She said the thought that popped into her head.
"But, you know…if there was someone who could fight me with all their strength, come at me to kill…and still crack jokes with me…it would be nice to be that carefree, meow."
They held many feelings in their hearts.
However, they would soon encounter each other.
"When are you going to do in Gale Wind? Think about how many days have passed since you took the contract."
"You're annoying. I got it already."
The client had called Runoa out to pester her. Glaring back at him in the tavern on the outskirts of the outskirts, she laid out her plan.
"Let me be clear: I'm washing my hands of everything after this job. I want a promise from you guys at the Bruno Corporation to not get involved with me again after this."
"…Thinking you can return to an honest life after all this?"
"I don't know anything. But if I don't make a start, nothing will happen." She responded clearly as the human from the corporation scowled.
"Don't worry, I'll do the job. Just wait and I'll finish her, like I always do."
Adjusting her scarf, she announced with a piercing gaze: "Tomorrow night—that's when it starts."
"Black Fist is targeting Gale Wind, it seems! She even said she would do it tomorrow! What should we do?"
"Mmm~, this is bad timing."
In a forgotten belfry, a concerned client's voice echoed. Chloe had been called out here; she used her business tone and slowly replied.
"Competing for prey…These times are really exhausting."
"What are you saying so casually? If we don't get her quickly, they'll get there first!"
The dwarf's voice came at her from both sides as the hood she wore low over her eyes shook. Chloe understood why she was so tired. It was because Orario was stagnating in darkness. After experiencing so much darkness, she knew that it had borne more swirling malice, more chaos than any other country or city she had seen before.
"…But even that is done."
By none other than Gale Wind's hand. Orario had been reborn. Chloe felt that.
"Who'd have thought I'd get stuck taking out Gale Wind…? What an unpleasant job."
"O-oh?"
"Relax. A job's a job, and I already took the prepayment, so I won't ditch the contract."
While the client lost his composure as though he were seriously getting scared, she reminded him that she was a professional.
The existence of Gale Wind was a breeding ground for future troubles.
People who resented her would probably come at her with malicious intent some point. So her disappearing now was for the sake of the future.
Arming herself with that pretext, Chloe steeled her resolve. "Tomorrow night, I'll do her in."
4
"…"
Moving through the hallway of the side building, Lyu stopped and looked out the window.
The early morning sky was cloudy.
Gray was covering the whole sky, creating a disquieting feeling.
I'm being watched…
Since she had started working at The Benevolent Mistress, Lyu had felt someone watching her. At first the gaze did not include hostility or malice—more exhaustion—so Lyu had written it off as a non-problem, but at this point she could clearly sense the intent behind it.
Namely, bloodlust.
I didn't think it was a pursuer…but clearly my intuition was off.
A gaze like that had only one explanation. Someone had tracked down Gale Wind. The misgivings she had about getting Syr and the rest wrapped up in this by letting them shelter her had come to fruition. And just when she had been taken on as an official employee of the tavern.
At this rate, I'm going to cause trouble for The Benevolent Mistress…for Syr and the others.
Those thoughts in her mind, Lyu silently started moving into the side building. She headed toward Mia's room.
"Pardon me. I'm sorry, I need to talk...Syr?"
She had knocked and started to open the door when she saw Syr in the room with Mia. Unlike Lyu and the other girls, Syr did not live in the side building. Lyu was surprised to Mia's unexpected visitor so early in the day.
"Good morning, Lyu."
"…Good morning, Syr."
"What do you want this early?"
Nodding, Lyu walked over to the two. As Lyu was about to start, Mia cut in.
"You're about to say something like 'I'm sorry since you just employed me, but I'd like you to let me quit,' aren't ya?"
"!"
"Sheesh…Don't get jumpy just because some people started coming sniffing around for you."
Lyu was caught off guard as Mia just shook her head and crossed her arms.
"…It's too soon to say if they have figured me out. But me being here will cause problems for—"
"I've had nothing but problems since we first brought you here, idiot." "Guh!"
Mia brazenly looked down on Lyu, not letting her string two thoughts together.
"The one who hired you is me. And this bar and all the employees here are mine. I won't allow any of them to up and disappear on me." Lyu was bewildered as Mia gave a shocking reply.
"Lyu, we finally got to work together, so separating would be lonely."
"Syr…but…"
"It's okay. Mama aside, Ahnya and the others are strong, too. This place is safer than any other place you could go." Syr entreated her to stay and then smiled.
Lyu had already gathered that this restaurant was far stronger than the average familia. Not just Mia individually, either; all of the staff that had special circumstances were highly skilled. What Syr said was likely true.
Even so, Lyu kept hesitating, with "buts" and "howevers" and endless excuses.
"Don't be so hesitant. I always knew this time would come. If you don't want to cause problems for us, then just work hard and pay what you owe."
The giant dwarf poked the elf's chest with a thump. Lyu winced at hearing such an absurd thing…but after a pause, she smiled.
"Understood…I started this. I'll handle it somehow or another."
She was happy that Mia and Syr treated her almost as if she was a member of a familia. Just as she felt that, her stomach rumbled. Syr and Mia both started laughing.
"Speaking of, what did you come to talk about this early in the morning?"
"About that…Tonight, we have errands, me and Syr. The bar won't run without the two of us, so we are closing for the night."
"Errands? Syr, too?"
Lyu followed up, curious about the sudden announcement.
"What kind of errand?"
"A new hire like you thinks she needs an explanation for everything…
You're awfully overprotective of this stupid girl." Me? Overprotective of Syr?
Completely confused, Lyu shifted her gaze to Syr, who just smiled wryly. When she tried to ask again, Mia waved her off, not in the mood to pay it any mind.
"Jeez, this stupid girl is way more annoying than you…Maybe I should just throw her out."
"Mama Mia~, I didn't do anything~!"
Mia looked extremely annoyed as the girl pretended to cry. Lyu was just perplexed, unable to follow the semblance of a conversation.
"Well, because of that, I'm counting on you to take care of things. Let the others know, too."
"…Understood."
"Incidentally, this has nothing to do with what we were just talking about, but don't go breaking anything in the bar. After I come back, if anything has happened to my place…you'll pay for it."
More ludicrous demands…
As the dwarf leaned in with a threatening expression, Lyu subconsciously pursed her lips and nodded. "I'll remember that."
Evening.
Mia and Syr left the tavern, and Ahnya and the rest threw their aprons over their heads and cheered in celebration. The staff, which was usually oppressed by heavy labor, gladly welcomed the unexpected time off.
They cheered so much that Lyu found herself thinking, Are you that excited? And of course, it was pointless for Lyu to try to stop them.
While Mia was away, a small party began in the side building's dinner hall, everyone eating and drinking what they wanted. The catgirl Mei made all of the tavern's signature dishes and lined them up on the table. It looked so good that even the conscientious elf reached out and took some against her better judgment. The next day, the mistress's wrath was sure to strike.
Several girls became drunk and were sleeping together in a huddle in the dining hall.
Of the dozens of employees, Lyu was the only sober one. She gave up on carrying them to their individual rooms and just spread blankets over them.
She returned to her own room, sighing and smiling as she remembered getting up to similar antics while she was in Astrea Familia.
Moonlight shone through the window.
In the side building, Lyu had been allocated a single room. There was no vestibule and no furniture, except for a bed and a table. In the corner was a knapsack with her weapons and tools stuffed into it.
When she lay down, Lyu was soon wrapped in a peaceful drowsiness. She had the adventurer's habit of sleeping lightly while still maintaining some degree of alertness, but for some reason, tonight she felt comfortable.
In that case, she would be able to make it until that time without opening her eyes.
A sweet fragrance invited Lyu even deeper into sleep—
"—!"
In an instant, she was awake again.
She wrenched open her eyes as she shook off her drowsiness. She pinched her cheek and held her arm up to her nose.
"This smell…Sleeping Scent!"
It was an item that put anyone who inhaled it to sleep. Depending on the ingredients and how it was made, it was possible to make a normal person sleep so deeply that practically nothing could wake them up.
It had been so strong that she had almost slept despite her well-developed Resistance, which made Lyu shudder. A skilled herbalist—someone with a built-up Synthesis ability—had undoubtedly used the best ingredients to make this. She could guess it had cost a lot of money.
Even now, her head was still fuzzy, making it hard to think. "Tch—!"
She shook her head to maintain her consciousness. Don't stop moving. If I stop…Lyu took out the two shortswords she had hidden under her pillow.
This can't be natural…An enemy attack!
There was no need to think further than that. Without a doubt, the target was Lyu.
Pursuers had come. An assassin to take out Gale Wind.
The enemy must have observed that The Benevolent Mistress employed many highly skilled people, so they would not have gone about it that simply; at the very least, they would not straight-up attack the tavern...After forming a hypothesis, Lyu cursed her carelessness.
They only want me…but I'm worried about Ahnya and the rest.
The Sleeping Scent had probably permeated the three-story building. Other than Lyu, every other staff member would have fallen completely asleep and would not be able to wake up. Fearing the possibility of hostages, Lyu moved immediately.
Stopping only to quickly put on her boots, she approached the room's wooden door.
—There.
Grasping the knob with her fingers, Lyu could feel it. Some shadowy existence shrouded in the dark night had come down the hall and was just on the other side. Holding her breath, she turned the doorknob.
Giii…! A creaking sound rang out as Lyu opened the door.
"…?"
As she entered the hallway, she looked around, but there was only stillness. She could not see any suspicious shadows. The only light source in the hall was the pale gleam of the stars through the window.
The wooden hallway returned to silence.
—Nothing?
Lyu doubted her instincts, but the next instant…
" "
A shadow stuck to the ceiling dropped down without a noise.
Shining in the darkness was a pair of green cat eyes.
Their owner was holding a sharp assassin's dagger. The claws of the figure's left hand let go of the wooden slats, and it kicked off the ground. A strong attack came from Lyu's blind spot.
"—?!"
Instinctively, Lyu jumped to the side with a grunt. As she moved, she just barely dodged the surprise attack.
Zan! The blade of the knife stabbed into the floor as Lyu's roll kicked up some dust.
"A-ah…!"
A bead of sweat flew as Lyu quickly righted herself. The shadow in front of her stood up in a slow, graceful motion.
A black hood pulled low over her eyes, battle clothes that emphasized ease of movement, high-laced boots.
The small assassin smiled, her slender tail wriggling back and forth, and her cat ears making two mounds in her hood.
"It would have ended more easily for you if you were asleep."
Lyu eyed the sharp assassin's blade in her right hand as she drew in her breath and spoke.
"You're…Black Cat?"
The assassin only responded with an elusive smile. Hidden behind her hood, she sighed ever so slightly.
"The assassination was a failure…"
She gently released the weapon she was holding. In accordance with the laws of nature, the knife dropped. Just as Lyu was caught off guard by the odd movement—Black Cat kicked the knife.
"Guh!"
"Now I'm coming with brute force."
Lyu dodged the knife flying at her. In that opening, Black Cat took a smoke ball out of her breast pocket and threw it to the floor. A smoke screen.
"Frolic."
Using the smoke as a distraction, she chanted softly.
An incantation!
Lyu only just made out a spell. It was most likely an extremely short-triggered chant.
What's coming?
Her field of vision constrained, Lyu's tension increased dramatically. In a hall too narrow to be a proper battlefield, she immediately readied her swords.
" Guh!"
From behind.
Betraying Lyu's expectation, Black Cat charged. Hidden in the smoke, she sliced from behind. Shocked her opponent had caught her unawares from behind, Lyu responded with her shortswords, Futaba.
But…
"What?!"
The blade she swung with her left hand hit only air. The blade sliced through her enemy's torso with no feedback—Black Cat's figure disappeared like a haze of fog.
"An illusion?!"
What scattered instead of blood were particles of light called mana.
As her eyes widened, the black shadow again aimed at her back.
"Correct."
Her opponent whispered, her lips curved enchantingly. It was illusionary magic to confuse her enemy. This time, the real Black Cat flashed a high-speed thrust.
"Whoa!"
Lyu responded to the unexpected attack with whirlwind-like force. Her right hand swung so fast her body blurred as she turned around and deflected the fatal attack aimed at her back.
"!!"
A loud metallic sound rang out. Sparks lit both of their faces to reveal Lyu's strained profile and the shocked expression on Black Cat's lips below her hood. Having survived the attack, they immediately put some distance between them.
"You could block that…I really hate Level Fours. I even used my trump card."
"Tch…!"
"But I cut you."
Barely visible in the smoke, Black Cat showed her the blood residue that indicated her knife had hit.
The enemy's weapon, the blade was dyed a light purple.
Poison? Lyu guessed.
The small scratch on her right arm was giving off an abnormal amount of heat, confirming her suspicions.
"This one is called Violator. It's cute, right? This is my special tool. I have it absorb lots and lots of poison."
"…!"
"What it absorbed today was…Liquid Poison Vermis."
Lyu's face twisted as she heard the name of a certain valuable drop item. An intense toxin so strong that even a couple drops could make a top-tier adventurer suffer, even if they had Resistance. And of course, it would be deadly if left untreated.
"You don't have the special antidote, right? Well, not that I'd let you use it even if you did."
From behind Black Cat, another illusion appeared, giggling. Sleeping Scent, poison, illusion.
I see. Just like the rumors—an abundance of attacks aiming for weak spots. Between all of that and an agility that made Lyu break out into a cold sweat, she was sure this was Black Cat. The assassin whose name resounded loudest in Orario's underworld.
"…You were hired…to come kill me, huh?"
"Yes. The payment is the reward on your head, though."
"The person who hired you?"
"You think I'll tell you?"
As Lyu started to sweat from the intense poison eating away at her, Black Cat smiled scornfully.
The combination of the smoke curtain and the enemy's illusion was brutal. It was near impossible to find her real body, with only the faintest footsteps separating the two.
She had to escape the smoke-filled corridor. But of course, the enemy also recognized that and had surely strung out traps—her Strategy.
Smiling coldly, Black Cat, along with her illusion, disappeared into the smoke. She chanted "Frolic!" again. This time she intended to end it.
—I have to get out of the enemy's assassination range.
Bracing herself for a few wounds, the instant Lyu pressed her boots into the floor…
"Hi, I'm butting in."
Outside the window, a shadow danced.
" "
The moment Lyu and Black Cat heard that voice in their ears, a fist swung down from the shadows. Immediately after, the window frame shattered.
"Uuuuh!"
"Unyah!"
Though Lyu had immediately taken evasive action, the force tossed her into the air as the the cat wrapped in a curtain of smoke cried out. Countless fragments scattered as the wooden floor collapsed.
Lyu gave up trying to understand the situation and chose to retreat instead. In the back of the tavern, there was an area set aside for another planned building—the inner courtyard where she landed.
"…The side building…"
Raising her head, Lyu lost her voice at the scene above her. On the three-story building, one hallway…was gone, as if it had been blown to smithereens.
"…How am I going to explain this to Mama Mia?"
The first thing that came to mind was the ogre-like expression Mia would make. Covered in cold sweat, the elf immediately shook her head.
Chasing away stupid distractions, she looked out over the destruction.
"Magic…No…Could that have been bare hands?"
Thinking back to the voice she heard just before the explosion, Lyu had a terrifying thought.
They probably jumped from a nearby building and approached the side building. And put all of their strength into their fist.
Finally, a shadow slid out of the hallway where the remnants of the smoke screen were dissipating and landed in the courtyard where Lyu was standing.
"I guess this really won't be easy, huh…? Well, surprise attacks don't really sit well with me, so it's okay, I guess."
A scarf wrapped around her neck, her shoulders and chest covered by lightweight clothes, and leather fingerless gloves on her fists, a human girl stood before Lyu, her chestnut-colored hair fluttering.
"Wh-what are you doing meow? Cough! Why are you here, all of a sudden! Are you really Black Fist?!"
"Oh, yeah. Aren't you Black Cat? Then it's a double bounty!"
In the dense smoke of the hallway, a dust-covered Black Cat screamed out. The human who was being shouted at looked up and disinterestedly responded.
"When two people have the same target, the faster one wins—that's my rule. No grudge over who gets her first."
"Eei! A muscle-brain, just like the rumors…"
As Black Cat spat in frustration, the girl turned to Lyu.
"That being the case, I'm going to kill you now."
"…Even Black Fist is after me…"
Standing before Black Fist, a bounty hunter whose fame matched Black Cat's, Lyu felt out of place more than scared.
The assassin aside, being followed by a bounty hunter drove it home that people really did want her dead.
At the same time, Lyu felt a sense of wonder, realizing that both Black Fist's and Black Cat's appearances and behaviors were those of girls a similar age to hers.
"Get ready. I don't really like fighting people who don't know what's coming."
"…"
Lyu took her stance as Black Fist hit her fists together, preparing for war.
Figuring out an escape is pointless, since I probably can't avoid a fight anymore. But unlike Black Cat, she is straightforward and by the book.
A speech like that did not really suit a bounty hunter.
A three-way fight with Black Fist and Black Cat…can I hold out?
She examined her body as sweat glistened on her skin, the poison already working its way through her system.
"Orraah!"
"!!"
They charged together, trading punches and slashes. Weaving together dodges and counters, they kept switching places as a dizzying display of offense and defense unfolded in the blink of an eye. Lyu's outline blurred as her blade sang through the air.
Black Fist's—Runoa's—body pitched about as she unleashed a storm of blows.
Befitting her name, she did not target any weak spots like Black Cat. It was just a straightforward brawling match.
Using both of her fists in a bare-knuckle brawl—just straight-up hand-tohand.
She's faster!
Runoa clicked her tongue at her opponent's Agility.
Her strength is higher.
Lyu scrutinized her opponent's Strength.
""!!""
One deflected swords; the other parried fists. The flash of a blade sent blood spurting from a cheek; a barely dodged punch ripped part of a tunic. As the evenly matched battle unfolded, Lyu and Runoa's battle for supremacy sped up.
"Muscle-brained freaks are nice and simple, meow."
As Lyu and Runoa violently battled, Black Cat—Chloe—looked down from the top of the building she had climbed. She left the hot-blooded fools to themselves. Aiming to profit from their struggle, Chloe laughed derisively, waiting for Gale Wind and Black Fist to wear themselves out.
"They probably both expect me to intervene…but it's hopeless, meow. I'll just keep attacking from the outside and sweep when the going gets good, meow."
A nasty smile on her face, she took out three throwing knives and held them between her fingers.
Other than the three combatants, no one would intervene. The people in neighboring buildings could surely hear the struggle and sounds of fighting, but they would prioritize avoiding trouble, accustomed as they were to brawls between ruffians. By the time the Guild and other adventurers hurried out, Gale Wind would already be dead.
It was the same for Gale Wind's coworkers. They were surely still deep in dreamland at this point thanks to the Sleeping Scent Chloe used.
There was no one to intervene. Chloe smiled from her unrivaled perch. Or so she thought.
"Fuwaa~ahh!"
"?!"
She spun around in shock at hearing a stupid-sounding yawn from behind her back.
"Mmmmeow…Something was kind of annoying and it woke me up, meow."
A girl with brown fur emerged on the rooftop, a catgirl like her. She was one of the staff at The Benevolent Mistress.
That stupid-looking catgirl. The one that spent so much time with Gale Wind, like that platinum-haired girl.
If I recall, her name is Ahnya.
Chloe was dumbfounded.
"That's…! The scent's effect should have kept you from waking up for several hours—do I smell alcohol?!"
"Uuuuh~! I drank a little too much, mmmeow…"
The stench of alcohol wafted over as Chloe covered her nose instinctively. She recognized what had happened.
It's not that this catgirl was unaffected by the scent like the other staff. She was already asleep before the scent, and the sound of the hallway exploding and the fight finally woke her up. In other words—she's just an idiot!
"So you guys…are having some kind of showdown. Are you enemies of Lyu, meow?"
Though she was still half-asleep, Ahnya's eyes sharply narrowed in an instant. Chloe stared dumbly as a wave of tension built inside her.
Putting aside her stupidity and whatever else, she must have a Resistance on par with Gale Wind's to have overcome the sleeping scent. She's pretty capable for a restaurant worker.
Chloe found it suspicious that she had come to the roof instead of going over to Lyu. She could not tell whether she was insightful or just an idiot.
She had come holding something in her hand: a long, pole-shaped club wrapped in white cloth.
"…And if I am?"
Putting on a bold smile again, Chloe grabbed the assassin's blade Violator in one hand.
"I'll blow you away, meow!"
Ahnya launched herself forward. Chloe threw all the knives she had pulled out before as her opponent came at her head-on. Without waiting to see whether they had been deflected by the thing Ahnya was wielding, she threw a smoke bomb to her feet like before. "—Frolic!"
Without a moment's delay, she chanted. As smoke shrouded Chloe, light particles swirled to her left and right.
"Felis Kurus!"
In an instant, two illusions appeared soundlessly.
Felis Kurus. An illusionary short-trigger magic that gave birth to mirages that were mirror images of the caster. The upper limit was two bodies. Without a real body, the mirages could not attack or defend, they just moved under Chloe's command. Chloe used this magic for confusion, disturbance, and surprise—all sorts of tricks useful for assassinations.
Hem her in, meow! Before she figures out they're mirages, stab her back!
For Chloe, who was bad at head-on fights, this was her method for a guaranteed victory. Distract Ahnya with the smoke curtain and surround her with mirages dancing all around her.
"I can't see anything, meow!"
Chloe licked her lips as Ahnya froze. However.
"This is annoying—meow!"
She was dumbfounded again as the girl used her weapon to kick up a whirlwind.
"Haaa!"
Taking a stance, she spun once with her weapon. The club mowed down both mirages and dispersed them in one blow before she returned to face Chloe, who instinctively began an emergency retreat. She was unable to dodge a strong hit to her shoulder that knocked her away.
"Meoww!"
With that, she was sent flying toward the courtyard where Lyu and Black Fist were fighting.
"What?! You're a catgirl, too, meow?"
Having blown away the smoke screen, Ahnya jumped down, too, landing right in front of Chloe.
Now that her hood was gone, Chloe stared in annoyance at her opponent.
The hallway had been narrow, but the rooftop was wide open; plus, the reach of Ahnya's weapon made her a very different opponent from Lyu. As did her wholehearted stupidity.
"Dammit, you just keep…!"
"Isn't it hard talking like that, even with another catgirl, meow? Don't try to act, just be yourself, meow!"
Crick! Something snapped in Chloe.
"Nuuuaa You're talking pretty high and mighty, meow! Aren't you getting in the way of my greatness?"
"Oh, she talked, meow! And you even smell a little like me, meow!"
"Don't confuse me with an idiot, meow!"
"Who's an idiot, meow?"
Lyu and Runoa glanced over in annoyance at the yowling cat pair.
"I know, meow! This is like that doppelganger thing, meow!"
"Who's a doppelganger, meow? Look closer, meow, my body and tail are more slender. I'm a cool beauty, meow!"
"But my breasts are bigger, meow!"
"Y-you…!"
Ahnya put her hands on her waist and thrust out her chest in pride as Chloe's voltage skyrocketed.
"Oh…it tore. Guess I'll take it off, meow."
Ahnya removed the white cloth wrapped around her club weapon. What emerged was a masterfully crafted spear. Chloe's eyes opened wide.
"An engraved golden long spear…It couldn't be."
She had heard of it before. In a certain Goddess of Beauty's large faction, there was a silver spear–wielding cat-person adventurer who was called "the fastest." That adventurer had a younger sister. She had disappeared from the main stage at some point: a golden spear wielder. Her other name was…
"You…Vana Alfi?!"
"It's been a long time since I've heard that name, meow…"
Ahnya's ears seemed to droop sadly at Chloe's words. But that was just for a split second. Pulling herself together, Ahnya put on a cheerful smile.
"Right now, I'm just the stray cat Ahnya. I don't know anything about
Vana Alfi, meow."
She spun her spear and prepared herself.
"Time to blow you away real quick and go help Lyu, meow."
"Tch…Just you try, meow!"
Glaring at each other, they sprinted. The knife and spear flashed as the two catgirls collided.
"…!"
As Lyu dodged the barrage of punches by the skin of her teeth, another bead of sweat splashed from her skin.
"Orrrah! How about this?"
Runoa resolutely attacked, her scarf dancing as she moved.
She's strong…
Runoa's—Black Fist's—true strength was greater than Lyu had imagined. Her self-taught style of attack was ferocious, and the force behind each punch was tremendous. When she hit the ground, the paving stones shattered, leaving craters. She had that much force without using enchantment—her stats in that area were superior.
Just as her alias indicated, despite using only her fists, her storm of wild hits did not give Lyu the time to counterattack.
It's the poison…No, even if I were at full strength…!
Lyu was fighting a defensive struggle, racked by the pain emanating from her right arm where the assassin's blade had nicked her. Even accounting for that, Black Fist's attacks would have been difficult to manage.
She restricted her enemy's paths to escape using her natural genius for brawling and raw instincts. The gloves she wore had plates installed across the back of the hand to aid in dealing with swords, so even when Lyu thrust her swords in desperation, they were parried.
Finally, Runoa's fist landed cleanly on Lyu's chest.
"Guh?!"
She reflexively jumped back as she was pummeled by an unthinkable blow. Her internal organs were wounded, and she coughed up some blood as she hit the ground hard.
She rolled to the side as a tightly clenched fist landed for an immediate follow-up attack; the stone flooring shattered behind her.
—I have no choice…
This was not the time to be holding back. Standing up and wiping the blood away, she resolved herself. She opened her mouth as she continued trading blows with the girl rushing in:
"—Distant forest sky. Infinite stars inlaid in the eternal night sky."
"Concurrent Casting?!"
Runoa's eyes went wide as the chant began before her.
She's trying to use magic? I'll wait and see…
The high-speed casting was unleashing enough magic to make her opponent tense up. Not only did they not know the nature of the spell, but they also had to be wary of the chance it was a sure-kill trump card. The prudent choice for Runoa would be to switch to a hit-and-run strategy— —As if!!
But she did not.
"Orraaaaa!!"
"?!"
Far from it, she increased her attacks on Lyu by another level. Her opponent's sky-blue eyes clouded in distress.
It's a bluff, I'm not falling for it!
She read Lyu's aim.
She was pretending to bring in the big guns in order to get her opponent to fall back and find a chance for attack or else try snatching an opening to disappear. With that much magic in front of them, even an upper-class adventurer would get impatient and mess up their strength and rhythm. It was a tactic commonly used by magic swordsfighters.
However, Runoa was unperturbed.
Runoa's strongest trait was not the force behind her fists but strategy. Just by herself, living only on her own strength, even in Orario her nerves were a cut above the rest.
Corner yourself with Ignis Fatuus—!
Concurrent Casting is amazing, but it's a bad choice for fighting me.
With that much magical energy, once she lost control of it, Lyu would destroy herself from the inside from the blowback.
Runoa had finished off countless magic swordsmen in dramatic close-range fights like this.
Runoa howled, showing what she was worth without any fear.
"Blow yourself up and drop dead!"
She wound up even higher, unleashing more and more punches.
"—Heed this foolish one's voice, and once more grant the starfire's divine protection."
However, Lyu kept chanting.
" "
"Grant the light of compassion to the one who forsook you."
As Runoa went wide-eyed, Lyu continued to weave her spell without faltering or slowing down. She kept chanting without stopping, sweat flying as fists grazed her, like a singing, dancing fairy. Far from stopping, she sped up.
This elf…did she really—
Runoa realized she had misread her. Lyu had recognized she would move in to try to stop her and intended to ride out her Concurrent Casting.
Attack, defense, movement, evasion, and chanting—she did all five at once. She had an unabated, overwhelming battle speed that far exceeded what Runoa had imagined. She continued to chant at the front lines of the battle, putting out everything she had.
It was not a bluff or anything of the sort.
This elf believed in herself. Her Technique, her experience overcoming countless scenes of carnage.
The strength of magic had saved herself and her comrades in the abyss of the Dungeon, which Runoa had never seen.
"Come, wandering wind, fellow traveler."
A single misstep would be self-destruction. If she took a hit from Runoa, she would be pulverized. As if unconcerned by any of that, Lyu's chanting voice did not waver at all.
A will of steel, or rather "the spirit of the great tree."
Lyu had nerves to rival the great holy tree said to be raised in the elven forest—Runoa's heart trembled at a foolhardiness that exceeded than her own. She did not have any way to get out of range of the magic anymore.
This is bad—!
Sweat poured out of her body.
"Cross the skies and sprint through the wilderness, swifter than anything.
Imbue the light of stardust and strike down my enemy!"
Lyu did not overlook her hesitation. She completed the chant in one swoop.
She activated it instantly. "Luminous Wind!!"
A giant ball of light shrouded in a green wind burst forth with a flash.
"""~~~~~~~"""
Lyu and Runoa were both blown back.
"Funyaa!"
"Hey, wa—Meowwwwww!"
It also devoured Ahnya and Chloe nearby.
Lyu's tremendous attack sent all four girls flying. Several magical bullets flew around where Runoa and Lyu were fighting in the courtyard. All of the buildings nearby were covered in cracks, billows of smoke rising from the scene of destruction.
"Guh~~~~~! You were prepared to blow yourself up…You really did it…!"
"If you were farther away, I wouldn't have hit you…"
Runoa dragged herself out of the broken storage shed, a hateful smile on her face. Peeling herself off the wall of the side building, Lyu wiped her sweat- and burn-covered face. Lyu had not given Runoa the chance to dodge, unleashing her magical cannon at short range.
"You idiot, Lyu~~~~~~~~!! I came to help you! What are you doing, meow?!"
"Are you trying to kill us, meow?!"
"Ahnya aside, didn't you come here to assassinate me?"
As Ahnya and Chloe stood up from the wreckage, whining, Lyu looked at Chloe with half-closed eyes. She was about to apologize to Ahnya, but she stopped when Runoa approached.
"Ahhhh! Nice, I'm burning up! Idiots like you are why I could never quit this job."
Runoa laughed savagely as she punched her right fist into her left palm, true to her nature.
She knew it was imprudent, but in front of such a straightforward personality, Lyu broke into a smile as well.
She immediately fixed her expression and readied her twin blades. "—Ha-ha-ha! This is perfect; you beat yourselves up!" All of a sudden, a new voice rang out through the courtyard.
"…Huh?"
"This is…"
Runoa raised an eyebrow and Lyu looked around as a crowd of thugs emerged. They were holding swords and clubs in their hands.
"The Bruno Corporation…? What's all this? I told you to leave Gale Wind to me!"
Runoa fixed the human leading the thugs with a piercing glare. Next to him was a dwarf with a vile smile.
"That dwarf…he's the one who brought me this contract, meow!"
Chloe's eyes narrowed, as they all started to recognize what was happening.
"I see how it is…It wasn't just Gale Wind, it was us, from the beginning…"
"Correct! Black Fist and Black Cat—you two are also thorns in our side!"
The human merchant—one of the top brass of the Bruno Corporation—grinned.
"We had you two fight Gale Wind, so that we could take you out once you had been weakened…That was the real meaning of the contract! It was convenient that only our Bruno Corporation had Leon's information!"
In other words, the double bounty on Gale Wind was also part of their plan.
The two people who were secretly part of the same group used the same information in order to lure in Runoa and Chloe, working to get them both to eliminate Lyu on the same day.
"The Evils were defeated thanks to none other than you, Leon! After that, this town, Orario, was reborn!"
The merchant put to words the same future that several people had felt and then continued.
"And the one who will establish the order of the newly reborn Orario is our corporation!
"So now, we can't afford to leave disruptive elements like you two has-been, unaffiliated mercenaries!"
The mastermind ecstatically announced his plans.
Their eyes narrowed as they caught a glimpse of the merchant's greed as he gratified his own selfish desires.
"And most importantly, we can't allow people who know about our connection to the Evils to live! Do it, you guys!"
He thrust his hand out, ordering the throngs of men forward. Licking their lips at the wounded beauties in front of them, the net of thugs started closing in.
However.
"Hmph…pointless."
"Such a third-rate villain, meow…"
Runoa and Chloe sighed deeply after this disheartening revelation, losing their drive.
"I'm most mad about being used for such a pointless plan…"
"It was unavoidable, meow. I was already worrying about retiring after this, meow…"
As they looked into the distance, Ahnya talked to Lyu.
"Hey, Lyu? Is it okay to blow them away, meow?"
"I don't mind. There's no reason to hesitate."
The next instant, the thugs dove in to attack. Heaving a weary sigh, Runoa raised her head and spoke for everyone.
"—If you want to bring us down, then you better come with at least ten times this many."
Immediately after, there was a chain reaction of screams. In an instant, the agonizing cries rising into the starry sky were cut off, and the mob of thugs were viciously beaten and splayed across the courtyard.
It was an easy victory.
"Wh-whaaaa…?!"
"Ten times, my ass! Even twenty times wouldn't be enough, meow!" While kicking the human and the dwarf client, Chloe laughed sadistically. The merchant was beaten until his face was disfigured, his lips opening and closing like a fish.
"D-don't think you've seen the last of us…! Our Bruno Corporation lurks in the shadows…!"
"Ah, you're annoying. Shut up already."
A fist swung down, and a squelched whimper followed.
The masterminds pulling the strings behind this violence were easily wiped out. The only ones left standing in the end were the same as at the start: the four girls.
"Shall we continue?"
"Obviously. Just had to take care of a little business first."
"Bring it, meow!"
"I'll beat you to death, meow!"
Runoa, Lyu, Ahnya, and Chloe exchanged sharp gazes. Their heads hot with fervor, they prepared to start fighting again.
"Let's go!"
However— Thud, thud…
As they took their stances, they heard the earth trembling.
"This sound is…"
"What, meow…?"
"...…"
"...…"
Runoa and Chloe were confused.
Ahnya turned ghostly pale, while Lyu started sweating anew, and not because of the poison.
Finally, the source of the trembling earth appeared before their eyes with a shout of rage. "—Oi, dumbasses!"
It was Mia.
"What is this?"
The window and hallway of the side building were blown away, and the storage shed and alcohol warehouse had a big hole in them with food and bottles in disarray. The carnage covered the carefully set-aside area that had been planned for a new building.
It was laughably battered.
"Whose bar is this? Huh? Answer me."
The owner of The Benevolent Mistress had returned. A waterfall of sweat started flowing down Lyu's brow. Sensing that this was not just some random shop owner, Runoa and Chloe stood stock-still. Ahnya was wracked with sobs as tears welled up in her eyes. Mia's face was downcast in the darkness, so they could not tell what she was looking at.
"Mama! Mei and the girls got drunk on the alcohol ...…Ah-ha-haha! It's probably better not to say that…"
As Syr came running over, she saw Mia and then Lyu and the rest after she had already started speaking. Seeing the situation, she forced a laugh before she ran away by herself.
No help was coming.
"M-Mama, Mama! Hear me out, meow! There's a good excuse—!"
Ahnya ran over to Mia, unable to hold out. Kabam!!!! The catgirl who came before her, desperately trying to explain, sank to the ground after a single blow from the giant dwarf.
" "
The other three were at a loss for words as Ahnya lay facedown, smoke rising from the top of her head. The earth trembled again as the giant dwarf moved in front of the frozen girls.
Standing in her shadow, Lyu knew the feeling she had when they first met was correct. She had thought she had just mistaken her for someone else, but she had not.
Beautiful and lovely. A certain adventurer with the same name. She looked nothing like the rumors, so Lyu had not believed it. Her lips trembled now that she knew for sure.
"Mia…Mia Grand."
"That's…Freya Familia's former head."
"Level Six…Demi Ymir, the little giant."
Runoa and Chloe turned pale as they murmured. Their bodies knew it. Or rather, they remembered…
In Orario—there were monsters beyond imagining.
"You—"
The dwarf looked up with a dreadful expression and released all of her fury:
"—dumbasseeeeeeeeesssssssssss!"
5
Warm morning sun poured down.
A clear, cloudless blue sky announced the beginning a brisk new day. The clamor of people on Main Street was peaceful.
"Uuuhh…why am I doing this kind of thing, meow…?"
"You're annoying. Just shut up and work, stupid cat…"
On that peaceful morning, a couple of people choked back tears as they worked. Chloe and Runoa.
They were wearing waitress outfits—the uniform of The Benevolent Mistress. They were nailing boards to the broken-down parts of the side building and storage shed.
"It's because you guys busted up the shop, meow…"
"The one who broke the building wasn't me, meow! It was this muscle-brained bounty hunter and that homicidal elf, meow!"
"Wait, don't go blaming other people, stupid cat!"
"I always go too far…"
Along with Chloe and Runoa, Ahnya was removing rubble, and Lyu was pulling the wheelbarrow it was loaded into.
It was three days after the incident.
Having suffered Mia's imperial wrath, they were forced to do the cleanup work for the destroyed areas around the tavern, working until today. As indicated by their outfits, Chloe and Runoa were The Benevolent Mistress's newest employees.
The careers of Black Fist and Black Cat, terrors of the underworld, had ended with a whimper.
"I'm going to escape. I'll definitely escape, meow…!"
"That's a bad idea, giving up is better…"
"Mama's special distilled fruit wine. When the storehouse was blown to pieces, it went bad, meow…"
Chloe swore she would escape as she swung her hammer with teary eyes, but Lyu and Ahnya had knowing looks. Chloe and Runoa had smashed up Mia's property. They were ordered to work until they had paid back what they owned. The amount specified was 100 million valis.
"It's just some booze and an old building, that's absurd, meow!" "Yeah, yeah!" They had tried to argue, but they were laid flat with a single blow from Mia's clenched fist. Trying to plead their case with the dwarf they had enraged was hopeless.
—Incidentally, the catgirls who had started a party by themselves were even now working triple shifts in the tavern to dry up.
The open area that had been planned for another building had been damaged too much, so it was now being turned into a courtyard.
"But I think this is good, meow. Thanks to Mama, the guys who knew your identity were caught by the Guild, so now no one will come after you, meow?"
"Probably, although this isn't good at all. In the end, that crazy dwarf is the one controlling my fate!"
The black-and-blue head of the Bruno Corporation who had tried to take down Gale Wind, Black Fist, and Black Cat had been taken to the Guild on that day. They took that opportunity to round up the entire Bruno Corporation, too. All of it was Mia's work.
She had not been satisfied with simply dealing with the girls who had busted up her tavern.
"If you say anything about these girls, I'll bury you. If you leak anything to the Guild, I'll bury you. Whatever I do, I will bury you."
Looking furious as she lightly tied them up, that faction of the Bruno Corporation literally started foaming at the mouth. Five years later, she would make a heroic march into the corporation and single-handedly destroy the familia-scale organization that hid behind the scenes—.
After that trauma was impressed upon them, the names of the wanted people never crossed their lips ever again.
"Quit chattering, you stupid girls!"
Mia's angry shout rang out from the direction of the tavern, sending shivers down their spines.
Seeing them freeze in terror, Lyu averted her eyes, knowing this involved her, too.
What happened that night…I don't ever want to remember it.
"Everyone, breakfast!"
"Hurray, meow!"
"We've been at it since early, so I'm starving…"
Chloe and Runoa cheered when Syr came to the courtyard to call them, and the four girls started to move.
"Ahh, at this point the only reason to keep living is the food, meow…"
"Ah, this is bad. We're in such deep trouble…"
"According to the owner, eating delicious food is reason enough to live."
"That know-it-all face is so annoying, meow!"
"Yeah, yeah, this useless elf!"
"What? Correct yourself! I'm not useless!"
"Mya-ha-ha-ha! Lyu is definitely useless, meow!…Meow? Idiot or useless…which is better, meow?"
"You're super-dumb and annoying, so just shut up, meow!"
"What'd you say?!"
"Everyone's getting along well, it seems."
""""Not at all!""""
Syr seemed to be smiling as they responded in unison. She started giggling and then turned toward Runoa and Chloe. "Also, you have guests, Runoa and Chloe."
"Us?"
"Meow?"
As they followed Syr to the entrance of the tavern— "Congratulations on your new job~!"
"You surprised me. Who'd have thought you'd be working at a tavern."
"Demeter?!"
"And Njörðr, meow?!"
The cheerful goddess and congenial god had come bearing produce and seafood.
"I heard from Syr that there were new workers, so I wondered if it might be…"
"When I heard the description, it was dead on. Here, a celebratory gift."
"De-Demeter, you've got it wrong!"
"We aren't staff, meow! We're slaves! Slaves, meow!"
Njörðr and Demeter smiled broadly as they watched Chloe and Runoa struggling to explain.
"But it's a relief. You've gotten used to it and all."
"You've put on various facades, but you look much livelier than before."
Runoa and Chloe were at a loss for words as the gods looked at them with kind eyes, as if watching over children. They glanced at each other with an uneasy, dissatisfied sort of look.
"We're a lot alike, meow! And we get along perfectly, meow!"
"Don't lump me with an idiot like you, meow!"
"Well, it's probably fine not to worry…That is, there's no need to."
"Yes, I agree."
Ahnya jumped in with a misplaced sense of pride and Chloe snapped back instantly as Runoa and Lyu nodded in agreement.
As a result of their gigantic fight to the death, or perhaps just a brawl between them, they had become coworkers who could argue and trade fists without concern. Chloe and Runoa were certainly smiling at that point.
Seeing that, Demeter and Njörðr both grinned.
"Next time I'll bring Persephone and the rest. We'll enjoy the food you bring us."
"Okay…Thank you very much for everything up until now, Demeter."
"Looks like you got some companions finally. You said you couldn't make friends, but you've got a place where you belong. Treasure it."
"Njörðr, I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused, meow…Thank you."
The way the girls said their thanks and accepted the gods' gifts was reminiscent of the bonds between deities and their followers.
Demeter and Runoa hugged. Chloe's tail trembled as Njörðr patted her head, announcing the end of their relationship. The girls smiled until it was over.
"—Recently, we've had more employees loafing about, so this is a good opportunity. Gather 'round."
After the gods had left and breakfast was over, Mia assembled the staff of the tavern. Crowded among the chairs and tables, they focused on the mistress standing behind the counter.
"I'm the law in this shop. I'm the owner. Whatever I say is absolute. Even gods don't quibble with me."
"She's really not scared of the gods at all, meow…"
Chloe whispered absentmindedly as Mia crossed her arms and looked cocky.
"And since I'm the owner, I'm your Mama. You all are my girls. Everything in this bar in mine, and anyone who tries to lay a hand on anything of mine will pay for it."
Lyu, Runoa, and Chloe all went wide-eyed. Syr and Ahnya and the rest, who had been at the tavern longer, smiled.
This was The Benevolent Mistress.
The tavern that could send any strong adventurer, outlaw, or villain running away in fear.
And no matter what their past, girls would be worked like mules, serving delicious food and alcohol, sharing smiles with lots of guests—a benevolent restaurant.
"Got it, you stupid new girls? Starting today, you call me Mama!"
This time she looked directly at Lyu, Runoa, and Chloe. One groaned, another was embarrassed, and the third made a face of disgust, but the scolding voice prodded them.
"Quickly, now!"
"…Mama Mia."
"…Mama Mia."
Their cheeks red with embarrassment, Runoa and Chloe mumbled her name. Finally came Lyu.
"…Mama Mia."
She looked straight at the mistress, the words coming out without resistance—to her surprise.
For some reason she could not comprehend, she smiled. Smiling in acknowledgement, Mia nodded.
"Well, then, guests are coming! Raise your voices! Even at the shittiest of times, this is a place to come eat food with a smile."
Grinning, she gave a rousing shout. Obeying their mistress, the cute girls in uniform gathered by the front door.
They greeted the guests approaching with a smile, and said in unison: "Welcome to The Benevolent Mistress! Come on in!"