Upon receiving Lindy’s intel, I arrived at the designated location. As she had said, there were three Demons there. The frustrating part was that all three were merely Intermediate Demons. The bright side, however, was that even these three counted as middlemen.
Through a brief interrogation, I discovered the existence of another hiding place not too far away where more Demons were stationed. Unfortunately, before I could determine their exact numbers or levels, the Demon who had been spilling the secrets unexpectedly died. I should have kept one more alive for further questioning, had I known this would happen.
“Hmm… From here on out, it’s likely to get dangerous, so stay well hidden nearby.”
Unlike Lindy, who had already left, Luna continued to follow me closely. It would be easy enough to shake her off completely, but doing so might cause her to be abandoned by the Assassin’s Guild. At the very least, I needed to maintain the pretense of her continuing her mission.
“Can’t I just follow you in? Even with my current skills, I’m actually pretty good at hiding…”
Luna playfully teased while hiding behind me, making light noises.
Though Luna had failed in her assassination attempt on me, she was chosen for the task of assassinating a Hero for a reason—she possessed considerable skills. That said, all her movements were still predictable to me.
“I’m saying this out of concern for you, so listen up. Otherwise, there will be no dinner tonight.”
As I scolded Luna, tapping her head hard, she stuck out her lower lip and made an upset face.
“Hmph…”
Without a word, Luna disappeared into the surroundings.
Though Luna acts rather capriciously, handling her isn’t too troublesome. With my excellent cooking skills, I’ve effectively “tamed” her. Whenever the topic of food arises, she usually complies without much resistance.
We’re almost prepared, and if I’m to return before sunset, as promised to Luna, I’ll need to hurry.
As Luna vanished, I too concealed myself in the darkness and proceeded toward the hideout where the Demons were lurking.
“Phew…”
Under the dark night, illuminated only by the moonlight, I briefly rested after pushing myself to the limit.
Since it was a hideout, I had anticipated some level of resistance, but the Demons put up a far greater fight than expected. Among them was an Upper Demon, and their vigilance was intense.
It feels like I’m walking a tightrope with my life on the line, but these days, I’m almost getting too accustomed to it. In fact, this is relatively manageable for me.
There was a time I spent an entire month eating only dried meat and never sleeping as I hunted Demons, which was far more exhausting. And the time when my identity was revealed while I was infiltrating a village controlled by Demons was much more perilous.
Still, I’m not afraid of dying. It’s just frustrating to know I couldn’t take out even one more Demon.
Creak…
While I was lost in thought about the past, I suddenly felt something sharp prod my back.
Must have been pretty worn out if I didn’t sense someone sneaking up right behind me. I jolted forward in surprise, startled that I had let my guard down so easily.
I quickly grabbed my Holy Sword, which had been briefly set down, and pointed it toward the unknown figure.
Even in the pitch-black forest, lacking any extra light, I could clearly see the face illuminated by the moonlight, free from the shadows of the trees.
“Luna…?”
“Weren’t you the one who said not to worry? What’s this, Senior…?”
It seems the sharp object pressed against my back was Luna’s dagger. Throughout her time with me, Luna’s stealth skills have greatly improved, and now they’re impressive enough to sneak up on me, even when I’m fatigued.
For her, this could have been a rare opportunity to successfully complete an assassination mission, but she let it slip so easily.
I don’t know what made her decide not to kill me. Perhaps she’s grown attached to me just like I have to her, or maybe she plans to wait until she’s learned everything she can from me.
“If you’re going to do this, you should’ve just come along in the first place instead of being so stubborn…”
Luna pouted, clearly showing her dissatisfaction by muttering complaints. But despite her improved skills, she’s still essentially like a child to me, both in behavior and capability.
It would be foolish to risk her life by exposing her to unnecessary dangers when I can just handle everything myself.
“Get back. As a junior, it’s better for you to stay behind and watch your senior’s back.”
I ruffled her hair rather roughly in an attempt to placate her pouting.
“Ugh! You’re messing up my hair!”
As Luna protested loudly, she stayed silent and let my hand remain on her head, merely grumbling under her breath.
“And earlier, I was completely caught by you. I’ll mark that down as a debt for today! Expect me to come back and stab you twice tomorrow!”
“Sure, sure. How about I include interest, and you can come three times tomorrow? For now, let’s head back. It’s very late.”
“It’s your fault I went hungry tonight! Perhaps it’s something you’ll have to compensate for…”
As I started walking back toward the forest’s edge, Luna hurried to catch up, linking her arm around mine while still smoothing out her disheveled hair with her other hand.
“Hmm… Should I make an extra effort tonight? You’ve never tried my meat pie yet, right?”
“Meat… pie?”
“Aha, so you’ve never had any, it seems. Just wait and see—trust me; it’ll be delicious.”
It appears Luna didn’t grow up eating much good food and knows little about cooking. This has made her even more inclined to enjoy my meals.
It’s been a while, so I think it’s time to showcase my culinary skills. Even though I know my meat pie isn’t the easiest to eat, there’s a saying that after hard work comes relief, right? The difficulty in eating it only heightens its special flavor.
However, these Demons keep regenerating. Especially the Upper Demons—thinking back, it seems excessive how many I’ve encountered in this lifetime. In the last three years, I’ve already taken down more than ten Upper Demons. Among those fights, the dirtiest one was against a Demon much like myself.
We knew each other’s presence but not each other’s exact locations. Neither of us wanted to rely on others, but even the smallest sound of breathing could reveal our positions…
As a result, during that over one-week ordeal, I endured starvation and sleep deprivation, making it an unpleasant battle that still stands out in my memory. Thanks to my rank as a Sword Master, I’ve overcome most of the physical disadvantages between humans and Demons, but the struggle was mutual.
Fortunately, an wandering merchant accidentally dropped some magical reagents that exploded right above the Demon I was hunting, and by the tenth day, I was finally able to claim his life. Had that merchant not been there, I would have had to endure at least another month.
Given the distance, it was uncertain whether we’d reach the nearby village, so we decided to camp out on the road. At this late hour, finding proper lodging in the village would be difficult anyway. It was better to rise early and head straight for the city where Lindy could contact me with more information.
“Hehe… Senior…”
Despite my intentions to prepare more for both of us, this time too, I ended up giving all my food to the ravenous Luna, leaving me with dried meat. Now stuffed and satisfied with my meat pie, Luna seemed pleased and was already half-asleep.
This kid. Resting her head on my thigh, she’s purring contentedly, just like a cat. Looking at how she behaves, it’s uncanny how much she resembles one. She’s always clinging and throwing tantrums with Lindy but acts cutely spoiled around me, while occasionally teaming up with Lindy to make me endure their complaints.
Even her appearance seems oddly cat-like, fitting in well with the comparison.
Speaking of cats, it reminds me of the Academy days.
The stray cat we called Meow possessed a shiny black coat, despite being ownerless. Initially, it showed no interest in me and I could only catch occasional glimpses of it sleeping. But once we became friends, it began regularly visiting my room to sleep. Of course, once I moved into a dorm room shared with friends during the second semester, such visits became impossible.
It was also amusing how Meow would playfully wag its tail when scratched, despite pretending to dislike it.
I wonder how Meow is doing? Three years ago, on the day the Demons attacked, I had to rush off without checking if Meow was safe. Fortunately, soon after leaving, I confirmed that the temporary link magic I had established with Meow hadn’t broken, which meant it was still alive.
Finding Meow using the magic connection isn’t possible, since it’s not a formal contract. It only allows me to vaguely guess its location.
Still, it’s comforting to occasionally sense Meow through this temporary contract. Just thinking about the magic link now, I can almost see Meow vividly in front of me: its glossy black fur, the bright green eyes that gleamed even when sleepy, and the small, sharp claws hidden in its tiny paws.
Even its voice feels like it’s right beside me.
Huh? So clear… Claws…?
“Meow!”
Wait…?
