A couple hours into our second stake-out of the day and I could say I had way more respect for the law enforcement officers that had to sit outside a criminal's house and wait for hours in hopes that they'd show up. And considering how we were essentially doing just that; I could truly sympathize with how mind-numbing the waiting can be.
"..."
Sharing in the boredom, Mana let out a long breath that I was sure would have been a sigh if her Big Sis wasn't still diligently watching for the thieves. Knowing how her own ears worked, she knew she needed to be quiet, so she kept her energetic self sat in a very un-lady-like position in front of me to wait the day away.
She'd taken a good while to calm down after her frightful outburst and was mostly calm now, though she did still shiver whenever boredom led her gaze towards the wall. From what I could tell, as long as she wasn't looking over the edge, she could pretend she was on the ground.
"…"
Though the occasional suppressed sigh made it apparent she was no longer enjoying herself. While she was taught the patience needed to hunt, it was easy to see that waiting around like this was not the part of it she enjoyed.
The piece of fruit I'd given to settle her stomach was long gone and with nothing else to do, she carefully let herself fall back to lay down. I took her closing her eyes as an okay and joined Yua by the wall.
"Nothing yet?"
"Nope. The last cart passed by over an hour ago."
It was getting late. The sun was still lingering in the sky, but I didn't need to check the time to know dusk was threatening to take over.
"What's taking them so long?"
We had a head start getting here, sure, but they've had more than enough time to catch up. It was starting to feel like we were wasting our time.
I leaned over for a look, only to be reminded of my limitations as a human. From this distance, I couldn't distinguish men from women, let alone tell their faces apart. My info box couldn't even reach them.
Heaving a sigh, I slumped and slid against the wall to sit again. Yua's tail had kept up its casual sway this whole time, so at least she wasn't struggling against her constant vigilance.
Mana, however…
"Ahhhh…"
The moment I pried my eyes off Yua's tail and faced forward, the sight I was met with made my cheeks heat up.
Having had enough of staring at the endless blue sky, Mana had gotten up, only to squat right back down. With her knees spread wide and her skirt hiked all the way up to her chest, she pulled her panties so far to the side that they looked like they would have torn if the material was any cheaper.
She let out a long, pleased sigh before closing her eyes.
"W-Wait, Mana. You can't do that here."
"Eh? Do what? This panties-thing was rubbing against my special place too much. I hate it. Big Sis, how do you stand wearing this thing?"
"It stopped being an issue for me soon after I left the village. When you're out in the wild where animals and plants can kill you at any second, things like that just don't matter."
"Really…? Hmm."
Thanking Yua for her calm logic, and while I reeled from my mini-heart attack, I pinched my eyes shut. I couldn't bring myself to stop Mana from airing it out. Not like anyone but us can see her up here anyways.
Still, if she's this uncomfortable with my hand-made clothes, we should push going to a clothing store up higher on our to-do list before she ends up hating clothes even more. Hopefully a proper pair will be more comfortable.
"Aside from that," Yua continued. "Mana, since we're alone, you should call your special place a puss…!"
Thankful that she stopped, Mana and I turned to see what made her pause. Her ears were standing on edge.
"Alex, hurry, he's here."
I shot to my feet.
"He? Not they?"
"Yes. Look," she pointed down into the crowd. "There. The one walking towards the knights."
Scanning the crowd for our target, I found that one of the ants was indeed walking towards the knights, but he wasn't exactly alone. At least six more people were walking in that general direction before turning off side-streets or stopping by one shop or another.
Straining my eyes the best I could, I eventually managed to focus on one that continued in a straight line towards the guard, but that's the best I could do. Everyone was just too small.
"Who is it? Tillmann?"
"No. It's Arthur. And he's alone."
"Why the hell would he be alone?"
Looking again, I saw that he was without a cart.
"Do you think he got spooked after seeing the knights and left the crystals somewhere else?"
Yua paused, considering the question without taking her emerald eyes off of him. She shook her head.
"I don't think so. The way he's walking tells me he's calm. Maybe even confident. At least, he walks like he's healed his injuries."
"Or maybe he's drunk enough to not feel them."
Knowing that Yua had been taught to observe the differences in how people walked thanks to her time living with a bunch of former thieves in the slave house, I knew I could trust her judgement on this, but what did it mean? How could someone with the Thief tag not be at least a little worried? One small slip up, one check on a scrying orb and he's done, arrested.
For him to blatantly ignore that risk, he's either drunk, or he knew they'd be there.
"Tch… Yua, are you ready to listen in on them?"
"Yup."
Focusing on the spot we agreed on earlier, I opened a small portal to a narrow alley along the wall a good distance away from where Sir Astore was posted. Thanks to the way the wall was shaped, the portal's light shouldn't cause us any issues. And as long as she kept herself quiet, Sir Astore wouldn't notice her.
"Alright!"
Pumping herself up, Yua knelt in front of the portal and stuck her head through so easily, she might as well have forgotten the affle's demonstration earlier. She then pressed the back of her skirt down before I could see anything.
Taking this as her way of saying she didn't trust me not to look, I accepted the blow to my pride and looked away. I didn't need to see the portal to keep it open.
Keeping my attention on the other end of the portal, I did what I could to keep a bird's-eye view on Yua just in case someone spotted her. After that, all we could do was wait until Yua could let us in on what happened.
Her opinion on Arthur's calm demeanor was quickly proven correct as I spotted him waving at the guard approaching him. It was most likely Sir Astore.
I watched for some time as they talked and gestured at one another, but since none of it made any sense to me, I decided it best to just wait for Yua.
"Hey, Big Bro, can I try listening too?"
"Sorry, but not right now."
"Eh? Why not? This is something I can help with."
"Because I can't change the size of the portal once it's open. And Yua might miss something if I pull her out to start over."
"Mm… Fine."
Ignoring the audible pout that came with her disappointment, I focused on my spell. She sat beside me, thumping her discontent as well as her forehead against my leg. Thankfully, she understood the potential danger of my spell after I'd explained it to her again, so she sat quietly for the duration of our spying.
Her first trip to a human city must have been really boring so far, if you didn't count her stuffing her face with fish, but this was a necessary evil.
And as luck would have it, it was an evil that didn't persist for very long.
Yua pulled back out of the portal and I quickly closed it behind her. The mental strain from the spell was nearly non-existent, but I still felt as though I'd been holding my breath.
"Alright, girls, get ready. We'll teleport back down and follow him. You can tell me what you heard on the way."
I threw up a hand to get ready to move us, but was promptly stopped by Yua before my spell could be cast.
"Wait," she said, a hint of worry in her voice. "I know where he's going, but there's something you need to hear first."
"What happened?"
"The crystals aren't coming today. There's been a delay."
"… Did he say what happened?"
"No. Sir Astore tried to get an answer out of him, but he wouldn't budge."
That was unfortunate, but understandable. If Tillmann was in such a hurry earlier, then something must have happened after we left to keep them away.
Mana's brow quickly took on the same worry Yua's had, but when she dropped her chin, I figured it was for a different reason. Maybe she was thinking something along the lines of if I hadn't shown up and made all that noise, we'd know what happened. But this couldn't be further from the truth. They were already searching for us regardless.
"That's a shame," I said. "But our primary objective is Arthur. We're lucky he's the one that showed up."
"I don't know about that," Yua said, looking over the edge again. "Arthur and Sir Astore greeted each other by name."
"Are you saying they know each other?"
She nodded and added, "Not just that, but Sir Astore knew all about what they were doing in the forest. But it's strange. He sounded a little relieved when he learned they weren't coming. Said his lord was already furious about having to entertain some Vierre nobility that happened to stop by the city for a visit. They were worried that noble might sniff out what they were doing."
"Wait… did he say Vierre noble specifically?"
"Yes, why?"
I pressed my hands to my eyes and sighed. Every second this mess goes on, it just gets more complicated.
"Alex?"
"… If he specified that this noble is from Vierre, then it's likely that Sir Astore and his lord aren't. And if the thieves were hired by someone from Dragma, then…"
Then the thieves weren't just digging up some valuable rocks to make a ton of money. This was an international heist of sorts. Regardless of the crystals' uses, they were valuable enough to say that another country stealing them was a huge issue. One big enough to go to war for. Or, at least, one big enough to spark a border conflict or two.
And on top of this, if the Duke of Guerraway really allowed a foreign military force to occupy and quarantine part of his city that is both heavily travelled and essential, he might be in on the whole thing. So, any plans we had of reporting the theft to them is now off the table. If anything, we should be reporting this to the king instead.
"Does that really matter?" Yua asked.
"Maybe not, but do you remember the owner of the General Store back in Amoranth? He looked like he wanted to stab me the moment he found out I wasn't from Vierre"
"Why would he do that? He seemed nice enough to me."
"Because he thought I might have come from Dragma. I don't know much about it myself, and you might have been locked up in the slave house when all this started, but the people of Amoranth, maybe even all of Vierre, seem to hate Dragma."
First the General Store owner, then the baker grumbling about the sugar shortage caused by Dragma, then Madame Turquesse complaining about them no longer selling potion ingredients.
Actually, now that I think about it, everyone I knew that took issue with the country was a merchant, and their problems stemmed from the poor trading situation between the countries.
"Hmm. Did Sir Astore happen to say anything about why his lord was there?"
"No. Just that he was going to be upset if the delay took too long. Why?"
"… No reason, I guess."
Probably just overthinking things again.
Yua cocked her head at this, but let it go with a shrug. Mana, on the other hand, had started looking disinterested once the concept of foreign countries came up. She'd returned to squatting and tugging at her panties again.
The moment I started blushing at the sight, Yua dashed over and forced her to stop.
"Yua," I said. "You said you knew where Arthur was headed, right? Where was it?"
"Some place called The Snoring Dove."
"That sounds like the name of an inn."
"It is, I think. He said he rented a room there."
If that's the case, then we're in luck. Not only did we need a room ourselves, we could use our stay there as a reason to talk to him. But knowing where he'd be meant we had a little time to spare. It'd probably be better to talk to him once he's settled in.
"Wait, do doves snore in…?"
I almost tacked on in this world to the end of my question, but Mana thankfully beat me to it.
"Nope!" she exclaimed as Yua helped pull her dress back into place. "Birds are quiet when they sleep. That's why hunting them at night is difficult."
Amused by her enthusiasm, I patted her head in thanks and Yua sighed. Smoothing out the dress Mana had wrinkled, she was quick to bring us back to topic.
"Why did you want to know where he was going? I was close enough to catch his scent so tracking him shouldn't be too hard."
"Because I wanted to know if we had time. I think we need to stop by Guerraway's tailor shop now."
Arthur having a destination in mind within the city meant he wasn't leaving just yet. And I was seriously starting to worry that Mana might be thinking her current clothes were so unbearable that she'd be better tearing them off in the middle of the street.
Can't say our ideas of modesty aren't in stark contrast with one another, but I sure as hell didn't want her running around showing herself off to the entire city. Hopefully, something more accommodating to a woman's sensitivity than my shoddy crafting will help her to adapt.
"And I think she may need a weapon of some sort, so we should also stop somewhere to buy one."
While I was certain to a degree that Yua and I alone could handle Arthur if things turned violent, I didn't want Mana to be entirely unprotected. She wasn't someone that enjoyed a fist fight like Yua, so something like a knife might be best.
"Eh? Big Bro, what's a tailor?"
"Someone that makes better clothes. Those are uncomfortable, right?"
Taking girl out on what might as well be our first date with the intention of buying her an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes should have felt like a giant flex meant to impress her, but as luck would have it, Mana's the only girl I know that actively hates clothes.
"No way… Aren't these enough? Do I really have to wear more?"
Mana hit me again with what looked like another puppy-dog pout, but I quickly realized that it was actually a look of genuine disappointment. So, I checked the alley we started in to make sure it was still vacant and scooped her up into my arms. She flinched a little at the sudden increase in elevation. I cast Dimensional Step.
"Mana, it's our mate's wish."
"But clothes are…" she mumbled to herself under her as we walked through the portal.
"Who knows, maybe you will find something you'd like to try on. Besides, if you do this for me, I'll buy you anything you want to eat for dinner when we're done."
"Can I have pork?!"
Her eyes sparkled with a renewed light so suddenly that she didn't have time to wipe the drool dripping down her chin. I chuckled and wiped away her saliva with my thumb.
"What's with you girls and pork? There are other meats, you know?"
"It's because there are hardly any pigs in the area," Yua said, pulling her hood back on as we exited the alley. "And the Expeditionary Force rarely brings back pork that isn't dried and salted. So, it's always been sort of a delicacy for us."
"And it's really tasty!"
"If that is what you want, I'll let you eat until you're full."
"Yay! Big Bro, let's hurry and get clothes!"
Leaping out of my arms, she pulled on my hand to hurry me along, even though she clearly had no idea where to go. I laughed again. Allowing myself a moment to think that she might get used to all this faster if I just bribe her with good food, I let her lead the way.
After a bit of asking around, we quickly found where both the Guerraway Tailor and Armorer were, as well as The Snoring Dove. Apparently, even when confronted with a man carrying a sword that's shadowed by two figures dressed in full cloaks, getting information out of someone is as easy as dumping a couple coppers into their hand. Even in this world, money is power no matter where you go.
I did feel just the tiniest bit stupid paying for such basic information, but I didn't want to waste daylight searching.
The tailor shop we stepped into could have been described as a little hole in the wall. Found at the backend of a street filled with restaurants, it was out of place, empty of people save for the owner.
Though Mana seemed to hate clothing as a concept, the moment we entered the shop, she started spinning on her heels looking wondrously at all the things she's probably never seen before. Meanwhile, Yua watched over her with an amused grin, likely remembering her first time in a shop like this.
Working hard to straighten her back once our eyes met, an older woman whose gently-wrinkled face put her age around her fifties or sixties greeted us with a warm smile. She quickly circled the counter to welcome us. Well, quickly as she could, anyways.
"Welcome to my shop. I am Gertrude, the best seamstress in all of Guerraway. How may I help you, Dear?"
"I'd like to have this girl's sizes measured," I said and pointed to Mana. "I'd like to get her a week's worth of clothes and I'd really appreciate your input. As you can see, I'm just a man and these two aren't very knowledgeable when it comes to clothes."
Wanting to skip the embarrassment of looking like a lost child like I had with Yua, I came right out and asked for help this time.
Realizing that the cloaked figures behind were women improved Gertrude's mood even more. It quickly became apparent why she might have been a little on edge when I noticed that the shop had nothing but women's clothes in stock. I must have looked lost the moment I stepped through the door.
"I see," Gertrude said with a small smile. "Not knowledgeable with clothes, aye? That explains the silly cloak. It's much too big on her."
I laughed. "It's actually mine. The dress she's wearing is cheaply made, so I thought it better to cover her up."
"Mhmm. I see. I see. That explains it. And here I thought you were trying to hide her tail. But still, the thing looks a little large even for you, Dear. If you'd like, I can hem it for you."
"No thanks. I can just…"
About to consider rejecting the idea of hemming my cloak on principal, since I liked the way it felt sort of like a lightly-armored mage's robe, I stopped myself.
"Her tail?"
"Oh, yes, Dear. The little one's tail has been trying to poke a hole through that cloak since she stepped in my shop."
"Hey! I'm not sma…!"
Snapping out of her wonder, Mana immediately broke into a yell, only for it to be snuffed out by Yua's hand.
That's twice they've been caught. Why does it feel like their disguises are completely pointless?
Gertrude giggled softly to herself behind her hand as she watched Mana flail about, trying to reach for and grab her cheeks to give her a pinching. Mana's hood fell off in the struggle, revealing her ears.
"This isn't going to be a problem, is it?"
"Oh? You mean them being cat-kin?"
"Well, the people here don't seem too friendly towards them."
"Nonsense," she said, brushing the idea away with her hand. "If these two are no good with clothes, I take it they're from that little village in the forest?"
"You know it?" Yua asked.
"I do. My son happened to take quite the liking to one of your women when he was delivering some things your people ordered. The two got married several years ago and moved out to Terrajule."
"Really?" Yua said, her interest piqued. "I never heard of a human marrying one of us."
"Maybe it happened while you were away."
Yua hummed at the idea. I thought she might have been upset at missing someone she may have known find their own happiness, but instead she just looked to me and smiled.
"So, then you don't mind them?" I asked.
"Not at all. Anyone and everyone are allowed in my shop so long as they don't muck up the place. Now, how about I get my tape and we can get started? Young miss, could you take that cloak off?"
Gertrude moved behind her counter and Mana's ears shot straight to attention at the sound of getting to undress. She quickly tore the cloak off and threw it rather forcefully, at me. Yua had to step in again to stop her from taking anything else off.
"You know," Gertrude continued, slowly making the effort to kneel before Mana, who looked at her confusedly. "I know your people don't have the best reputation in this city, but from what I've seen, you lot seem like fine people."
She held the tape in front of Mana's chest, but the cat girl only stared at it until Yua lifted her arms for her. Gertrude wrapped it carefully around her and wrote down her size before continuing.
"Ever since those ruffians started trying to convince the people that Guerraway owned the forest, there's been nothing but trouble."
She slipped the tape down to Mana's stomach and Mana squirmed, tickled by the gentle pressure.
"Do the people here not actually think they own the forest?"
"Oh, Dear, no. I may be old, but you don't have to have lived through history to know Guerraway was founded long after the cat-kin set up there. It's the more gullible youngsters that believe that nonsense."
"But why would they bother spreading lies like that?"
"Who can say? Maybe they're… Hold still, miss."
"Hehe. Then stop tickling me."
With a small, shoulder shaking laugh, Gertrude slipped her tape under Mana's swishing tail and measured her hips. Then quickly did the same for her thighs and arms to avoid further squirming.
Mana watched this all with an acute interest playing out in an amused smile before finally asking, "What's that string for?"
"It's so I can tell what clothes will fit you," Gertrude said, her patience likely stemming from experience with her daughter-in-law. "You said you wanted a week's worth of clothes, correct?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Just pick out anything you think suits her. Preferably something thin and not too heavy. And a cloak for her, if you have one."
"I believe I do. Just a moment, please."
Gertrude wondered off to the far side of the shop and all the while my Merchant class was screaming at me for essentially giving her a blank check to pile up the most expensive clothes in the place, but I figured expensive meant higher quality. And higher quality meant Mana might actually enjoy wearing whatever we bought here.
At least, I hoped so.
Gertrude came back with a large stack of clothes made almost entirely out of dresses and skirts. After checking through it all and picking up a white, lightly frilled sundress, my heart thudded at the idea of the already cute Mana wearing something like it when I held it against her. She, however, looked none too pleased.
"There's room in the back," Gertrude said. "If you'd like her to change."
"Oh, uh. Yes, please. Could you show her how to…"
"Just leave it to me, Dear. Come along, Miss. I assure you this dress will be more comfortable than what you're wearing now."
Taking back the dress I handed her, Gertrude went ahead and took a few more things from the pile, one article of which happened to be a plain pink pair of panties. For this, I was immensely grateful the woman was experienced enough for me to not have to ask she include underwear in our order.
Mana took one look at the pile in the older woman's arms and grimaced as it increased in size. She sucked in a deep breath to reassure herself, but it failed to perk her ears back up.
"… Do it for the pork. Do it for your mate. Do it for the pork."
Lowering her chin, she accepted the hand Gertrude offered and walked with her into the back to change. I, meanwhile, tried not to let myself be bothered by her placing me lower on the totem pole of importance than food.
Yua laughed at this, her tail swishing.
"Oi, don't think you're getting out of this unscathed, Yua."
"My my. Whatever do you mean?"
"… You know," I coughed, feeling my cheeks heat up. "I happened to see a few negligees over there in the corner."
"I don't know what that is. Did you want to wear it?"
"… Okay. Now you're definitely going to get it."
Taking a moment to make sure Gertrude was still in the back, I aimed my hand at the wall of women's nightwear and used Telekinesis to pull a few over.
And not having learned from my mistake enough to account for their weight before pulling them over, they quickly flew through the air towards my face.
The first one, a green one that looked to be made of silk smacked me good on the nose, but Yua managed to catch the rest, giggling all the while.
"Hehe. So, that's how you hit yourself with the fruit earlier. I was wondering."
"… Now you're getting two of them. And two for Mana."
"No fair!" shouted a cute voice from the back of the shop. "I didn't even do anything!"
Her giggles doubling over into laughter, Yua said, "I'll accept anything you want me to wear, Master."
Grumbling, but not really as I was already looking forwards to it, I held up the green negligee in front of Yua to see how it'd fit. And then I quickly tossed it into the pile because it was a more dangerous image than I was expecting.
"And here she is."
A few more minutes of shopping for the girls (for myself) later, Mana and Gertrude stepped back out into the shops main floor and I was absolutely certain my heart started beating so fast that it almost appeared to have flatlined.
Not only had Gertrude taken it upon herself to straighten out Mana's hair, but the outfit she'd picked out consisted primarily of the white sundress that hung down to just below her knees. A shiny, black leather corset sat right below her petite bustline, where it hugged her just enough to show off her figure. And down below, tying the outfit together was a simple pair of black shoes on white socks. Knee-high socks. I hadn't even noticed them in the pile and yet, here they were attempting to elevate Mana's cuteness to levels no mere mortal should be capable of.
And despite the vast improvement to her already peerless cuteness, Mana just stood there, looking bored out of her mind. That is, until her ears shot up and she looked at me with concern scrunching up her face.
"Big Bro, are you okay? Your heart sounds weird."
Yea. Yea, no. I am definitely making this girl my second wife. Even if I have to use up every drop of my mana trying to blow up that damn barrier.
"… I'm fine," I said trying to gather enough braincells to think of a proper response. "You look super cute. How, uh… How do they feel?"
"Mmm… This clothes-thing on my special place is softer, I guess."
Gertrude blushed a little at this, likely knowing what exactly Mana meant, but Yua shook her head, exasperated.
"They're called panties."
"I don't care what it's called. I still don't like it."
Mana fidgeted, rubbing her thighs together. Moving quickly before she could try to remove anything, I ushered Gertrude over to the counter, paid for everything, thanked her with a tip and stuffed it all into my item box through Yua's bag before leaving.
The directions we got to the city armorer ended being useless, but with Yua and Mana at my side, they were able to listen for the sounds of various metal works, so we found our way pretty quickly.
Seeing how barebones the Armorer's shop was with its non-existent décor, which was only just enough to display their weapons on shoddily crafted shelving, I was forced into the opinion that we were directed to a second-hand weapon shop, not a proper blacksmith.
It certainly didn't help the owner's case when I inhaled a five-pound cloud of dust the moment was stepped inside. Not that this affected the girls much, as they both let their curiosity take them on a tour of the shop.
"Alright, Mana," I started. "You don't like fighting with your hands, but is there a weapon you're good with?"
"Eh? Why?"
Yua lifted her head out of the waist-high crate she'd been bent over looking through and we both stared at her. Mana shrank back, but only for a second before thrusting her hands on her hips.
"I told you I don't wanna fight anymore."
"I understand that, but this is for your protection."
"But you said you'd protect me."
"I will, but there may be times when I can't."
"I know. But then Big Sis can do it."
I stared at her blankly, unable to speak another word while Yua stared at her loud enough to make her ears jump.
Is this girl really so spoiled that she'd rather depend on others protecting her instead of just carrying a knife? I mean, Yua did warn me about this side of her, but still…
"Mana," Yua started, throwing her hat in the ring. "Didn't you use to practice the bow with Mochi?"
"Yea. I still do, why?"
"Then Alex, why not just get her a bow? You can make arrows with your… Tools, can't you?"
Thinking she was about to say Material Creation, I realized that the shop's owner, a man with a thick wiry beard was leaning on the counter, resting his cheek on his knuckle as he watched us. Or rather, as he watched Mana. Her new, more female-friendly cloak hid her ears just fine, but her tail was just a little too energetic to keep hidden for long.
The man, a level 35 Blacksmith named Barry, didn't look at her with outright hatred as some had, but he did seem especially weary of her.
Noticing me staring awkwardly at him in search for his info box, Barry straightened himself and finally decided to greet us.
"Welcome. I assume yer here for a bow?"
"Nope," Mana answered instantly.
Come on, Mana. Yua doesn't use weapons and I already have one. Surely you know we came here for you?
"Yes, sir. Do you have any a girl like her could use?"
"Aye. I should have one."
Barry disappeared into the backroom with a grunt and Yua jumped right into scolding mode the moment he was out of earshot.
"Mana, the world outside of the village is dangerous. You need something to protect yourself. We won't always be near you."
Seeing her face take on a slightly forlorn twist, I asked, "If you don't like fighting, why do you keep practicing the bow?"
"Mm. I like bows. I think I'm pretty good with them, but I don't wanna shoot animals."
I nodded. If Mochi taught her, he must have wanted her to be a hunter like him, but her love for fooling around with the animals in the forest must have kept her from pulling the trigger when faced with one of the woodland critters.
Even if her denial of that class conflicted with her carnivorous nature, it would explain why she didn't have a second class yet. Assuming, of course, that all she needed to do to get the class was kill an animal with a bow. Not like using a sword to end a couple of wolves got me anything but their pelts.
"Then you don't have to fight with it," I said. "But I still want you to carry one. For your own safety."
Grumbling back, she gave in. "Mnmm… Fine, but I won't shoot any animals."
"I wasn't going to ask."
If I ever got tired of paying for our food, I was sure the absurd ease in which I gain classes could help me to become a Hunter. No need for her to get her hands dirty.
"Here we go," Barry said. He carried with him a long bow that was reinforced with steel. "This one's a little big for a girl her size, but a beast-folk shouldn't have any trouble with it. Why don't you try it out?"
Barry offered the bow to Mana, but she made no move to take it. Eyeing it as though the object had offended her, she pouted.
Leaning in to whisper to her, all I said was one single word to convince her.
"Pork."
Instantly her ears shot to attention and she lunged for the bow. Incensed by the thought of a good dinner, Mana began looking it over. Perhaps giving into the warrior nature of the cat-kin, she inspected it as diligently as any trained soldier would their rifle before a battle. Weight, balance, curvature, nothing escaped her inspection. She even gave it a good sniff or two, for some reason.
Finally, she straightened her back and held the bow. She took hold of the string and pulled it back, but not without a struggle. Her face reddening from the intense effort and with the bow creaking under the pressure, she managed to pull the string back only once before letting it snap free. The force of the release caused her to stagger forward.
The tensile strength of the bow was clearly too much for her.
"Mm. It's too heavy, Big Bro."
"Sorry, but that's the only bow I have for her right now," Barry said, scratching his head. "I have others, but if she can't handle that one…"
"It's fine," I said, reaching for my coin purse. "We'll take it. And a quiver of arrows, please."
Shrugging as if he were more interested in ending the conversation than making a sale, he collected a quiver off one of the dusty shelves and moved towards a barrel full of arrows.
Like anyone in her strength-obsessed tribe would likely do after their weakness was put on display, Mana continued trying to pull the bowstring, struggling each and every time.
Sorry, Mana, but a bit of elbow grease isn't going to loosen it up.
While I didn't enjoy the context of how I'd be able to, once she was my slave, I should be able to level her Strength to the point where she can use it easily. Helping her to get stronger was supposed to be a part of our deal, after all.
This would just have to be something similar to finding a late-game item that was so rare, you decided to plan your build around using it. Although, my Appraisal ability said the bow was nothing special and I doubted she'd be willing to pop back into the village to pick up the bow she usually uses.
Giving up, Mana sighed and threw the bow over her shoulder and Barry brought a generous hand-full of arrows over to the counter where he started counting them out for us. As he did, Yua's eyes opened wide and her ears perked up, much like they had in the forest.
Looking to me, she put a finger to her lips and gestured towards the doorway. No more than five seconds later, another customer entered the shop. Before, I'd only seen him at a distance, but I recognized him immediately.
Arthur's face had been healed of his injuries, but only partially. Any and all cuts he'd sustained at Tillmann's hand were gone, but the bruises remained, almost like he'd taken only part of a health potion to tide him over.
Proving his injuries subsisted of more than a bit of bruising, he limped straight passed us. Our eyes met for less than a second before his glare all but demanded I lose interest in him. He did look Yua up and down, but his gaze was no more intrusive than a man glancing at a pretty lady on a trip through the grocery store.
He didn't recognize us. As Yua promised, he never saw our faces, so he had no reason to be weary of us. And seeing as how not even Yua's good looks were capable of saving him from his brooding, I guessed he didn't want in them market for conversation. He moved straight for the display full of daggers and started looking them over intently.
Careful not to provoke him, I ran my hand down Mana's back to press her tail down. Barry already caught wind of who she was thanks to this little energetic appendage, but I didn't want Arthur to.
Mana looked up at me, her cheeks slightly red as a small smile appeared on her lips. Knowing my actions made her tail want to move again, I held firm. I must have looked like I was groping her ass when Barry raised a brow at us, but the embarrassment was a small price to pay.
I whispered as low as I could so only a cat-kin's ears could hear me and briefly explained who Arthur was and Mana stepped behind me.
Giving her and Yua a thumbs up, I brought my coin purse to the counter and, using my Appraisal ability, took out the appropriate amount of coin before Barry could finish calculating the cost. Dumping it all on his silver tray, I accepted the arrows with a thanks and we left the shop.
Circling around to the back of the building, we hid in the alley and waited.
Keeping ourselves out of sight, I left the scouting to Yua as I helped Mana equip her new quiver. We were going to wait for Arthur back at the inn, but now that he's dropped into our laps, it'd be a waste not to follow up on him.
"Why do you think he's looking for a weapon?" I asked.
"You saw what Tillmann did to him," Yua said, focusing on the street. "He probably wants something he can hide up his sleeve incase he gets attacked again."
I could imagine Tillmann waving his hammer at him and Arthur pulling a dagger out of his sleeve to defend himself, but I couldn't shake the thought of it being pointless. If he landed a critical hit to the neck or eye then sure, he could do some damage, but Tillmann was strong and his high level suggests he must be skilled. Arthur, on the other hand, liked to drink on the job.
If he didn't attack Tillmann in his sleep, I doubted a confrontation between them woould go in his favor. Meaning we needed to talk to him before he did something stupid.
"Big Bro, that's the male you want to talk to, right?"
Her ears twitch in the same direction as Yua's and I nodded.
"Yes. Sorry, but dinner will have to wait."
"Mm… I'll go bring him to you."
With a giddy skip to her step, Mana started back towards the street. Scrambling to catch her, I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back.
"Hold it. You can't just walk up to him like that."
"Eh? Why not? If you talk to him, we can become mates sooner, right?"
"No, well… Maybe, but you have to be careful. If he knows a cat-kin is following him, he might not want to talk."
"Mmm…" Mana hummed, crossing her arms as she scrunched up her brow in thought. "Fine. But can I go look at that stuff?"
She pointed down the street towards a stall that looked more like a pawn shop than anything with its random assortment of goods.
"I don't…"
I was about to say that I wanted to keep hidden, but I did just confirm that he didn't recognize us. It's not like we actually had to keep out of sight as long as we didn't make it obvious we were following him.
I looked to Yua and she shrugged.
"We have time," she said. "He's asking the blacksmith a lot of weird questions about the daggers. Like can it cut this or would it stab through that."
So, that idiot really is trying to get himself killed.
"Okay, Mana. You can go, but try to keep your ears and tails hidden. At least from Arthur."
"'Kay.~"
Her enthusiasm for whatever it was that caught her eye carrying her forward, she took off running for the stall. Thanks to Yua, I knew they could actively control their tails when the times called for it, so I let her be and opted to keep an eye on her.
"Hmm…"
Several minutes into watching Mana ask the merchant what each and every item he had for sale was, Yua hummed to herself.
Catching the interested flick of her ear, I asked, "What is it? He finally buy something?"
"No. Well, he's trying to, but he's trying to pay using one of those crystals, but the blacksmith won't let him."
"You mean an Essence crystal?"
"Yup."
The man must still be drunk. Even without checking, I knew nothing in that shop was pricey enough to warrant the trade of something so absurdly valuable. It'd be like asking a cashier to make change for him, only to then hand him a thousand-dollar bill.
Ignoring the fact that I basically did the same thing a month ago, I had to question his motives.
"He must have pocketed the crystal when his buddies weren't looking. Any chance one of them mentioned what the crystals are used for?"
"Nope. As soon as the blacksmith appraised it, he rejected it."
"Yea, because he's basically trying to pay for a knife with a gold ba…!"
"There you are!!!"
"Erk!"
Something powerful grabbed me by the throat, forcing out a gasp of the breath I'd only half finished. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
Yua spun on her heels, surprised and alert due to the sound I made, but I was already being lifted into the air. The thing wrapped around my neck, a hand, squeezed tighter before it slammed my back into the wall behind me.
My head knocked against the brick, dazing me. My vision blurred for the briefest of seconds before the pain registered and lit trails of fire up and down my spine. Barely able to draw breath, I couldn't utter a sound.
The amber lights of the late afternoon were now as blinding as the pain, but it didn't last.
Though the force wrapped tight around my neck left my feet dangling in air, when my eyes stopped spinning, I couldn't help but notice that the hand choking me trailed down to the thin arm of a woman. Blinking sense back into myself, I was stunned speechless.
A long mane of golden hair billowed softly in the wind. It was neater now, long and straight save for a pair of braids that had been expertly woven on the sides of her head. It was hairstyle made to keep her strikingly cobalt-blue eyes always visible.
It was those same eyes that were trying to flay me alive, but it was the absurdly huge battle axe she aimed at my neck that had sweat pouring down my face. The thing must have been three times as wide as her chest and heavy enough to require three normal people just to lift it, but she held it aloft like it was weightless.
Do. Not. Make. Her. Angry.
"M-Miss Bellenfort?" I choked.
"You bastard! I've been looking all over for you!"
"Why? What did I do?"
Her face reddening with anger, she gnashed her teeth and pressed the cold steel of her axe against my neck. Just barely managing to control the volume of her voice, she said,
"You turned me into a Thief!"