Ch.7066 – Romantic Cat

“HNYAAAAAAAH! Huh? Tsk.”

Just another day in District 15.

Early merchants called out loudly for customers, while hungry dogs barked at their owners for lunch.

And here was a girl, still half-asleep despite the sun being high in the sky.

As she scratched her head and tried to lie back down, she frowned upon noticing her damp pillowcase.

She decided there was no way she could sleep on fabric soaked with what might be sweat or drool.

Though Adella rarely dreamed, today she felt like she’d had an unusually long and lingering dream.

Even if she couldn’t remember any of it.

“HAAAAAAWN. I wanted to sleep a little longer…”

She’d been chased by guards all night after getting caught stealing, and had only fallen asleep at dawn.

Her head wasn’t clear, but she wasn’t in the mood to go back to sleep either.

Reluctantly, she threw off her nightclothes.

“He only said to be back before dinner. Hmm hmm.”

Uncle Gestalt had issued a rare summons to everyone in Abyss.

Even when she asked Alperion, he claimed to know nothing about it.

Her cat-kin instincts told her this smelled like an interesting mission.

‘Maybe I’ll buy some perfume while I’m out.’

She hummed a tune while tossing a coin purse in the air.

She never bathed before important missions—it was Adella’s personal superstition.

But since she couldn’t smell bad when meeting people, she planned to at least bring some perfume.

No matter how little cats care about others’ opinions, she was still a woman first.

When she went downstairs, the dining hall was already bustling with mercenaries having lunch.

People glanced at Adella as she crossed the central hall, but no one greeted her.

She didn’t particularly want to be friendly with sweaty mercenaries either, so she ignored them just the same.

The streets of the district were crowded with people of various races and species.

Jingle-jangle—

Her ears twitched whenever she heard coins, but she had to resist her thieving urges now.

If she stole in broad daylight, she’d truly lose her head.

After walking three blocks, she entered what was classified as District 7.

This area, home to wealthier classes than District 15, had shops buzzing with activity.

Her plan to buy just one perfume had clearly failed, judging by the armful of glass bottles she now carried.

‘Suddenly I’m really craving a drink.’

Drinking Abyss’s low-quality draft beer every day had accustomed her tongue to cheap tastes.

At times like this, she needed to treat herself to expensive food and drinks.

“One tuna baguette sandwich and, hmm, a sparkling wine please?”

“…”

Though a sandwich and sparkling wine was an odd lunch combination, the shopkeeper handed over her items without comment.

Then the shopkeeper held out a hand.

“How much?”

“…”

“I said, how much?”

“…”

The shopkeeper just stared at her intensely without speaking.

“Ugh, how rude.”

Adella checked the price tag herself, paid, and left the shop.

She thought the service had deteriorated because they had so many customers they didn’t need to care about customer service.

It was the first time she felt bad despite spending money.

She uncorked the wine in the street and gulped it straight from the bottle.

“Damn, this tastes awful.”

She’d bought what looked like the best one in the shop.

‘Should’ve spent this money on draft beer instead.’

Cursing the increasingly harsh society, she returned to the inn.

“Susan, I need a glass and three bottles of beer.”

“Adella? Want me to bring them to your room?”

“No, I’ll wait and take them up myself. How long will it take?”

“…”

Susan ignored Adella’s question and went to the kitchen.

Adella took a seat at a corner table and irritably took a bite of her sandwich.

“Am I naturally invisible or something?”

She was getting annoyed at being ignored everywhere she went.

Being unnoticeable might help with thieving, but it didn’t feel good to be disrespected.

“Here you go, Adella. Enjoy.”

“Hmph.”

As soon as she entered room 302, she threw off her outer clothes and changed back into her nightwear.

She poured beer into a glass chilled with ice magic.

“AHHHHH! That’s the stuff.”

Her tail shot up at the refreshing sensation tickling her throat.

With alcohol steadily flowing in, she started feeling drowsy.

She couldn’t guarantee she’d wake up by evening if she slept now, but her eyelids grew heavier.

“Someone will probably come wake me up when it’s time…”

She wanted to enjoy this tipsy feeling a little longer.

With that irresponsible thought, she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

[Ouch!]

[This is the last time I’m covering for you. Get downstairs right now and apologize to the branch manager for being late!]

[No! I deliberately didn’t go anywhere today so I wouldn’t be late. This is unfair!]

[Hurry.]

Adella, who had slept through the meeting time, was dragged out by Daniel.

It wasn’t entirely true that she hadn’t gone anywhere, but she felt wronged since she had tried to be punctual.

“And you, NoName, I won’t assign you difficult missions. You’re still a rookie and haven’t been with our Abyss for long. You understand, right?”

That was Branch Manager Gestalt’s order to the forest guardian.

The forest guardian from Arsheria who had appeared like a comet a few days ago.

Adella strongly agreed that difficult missions shouldn’t be given to inexperienced rookies.

“Good to see you decide quickly. Then you’ll go with Adella tonight. It’s a simple diversion operation, easy, right?”

But Adella never imagined she’d be included with that rookie.

‘Of course it would be like this…’

It was always the same.

The branch manager had never once entrusted her with honorable missions that everyone else got to do. He must really not trust her.

Having to team up with a rookie who’d joined just days ago made Adella’s blood boil.

She tried to calm her burning insides by finishing her remaining beer before the branch manager arrived.

“Life is too bitterrrr… even this cheap beer tastes too sweeeeet…”

Wanting some fresh air, Adella opened the window and blew into the empty bottle.

Her gaze turned to the full moon hanging lonely in the night sky.

‘It’s really bright…’

She had the silly thought that with such brightness, moonlight might reach even the darkest alleys of the empire.

Two years ago, after being expelled from the academy and wandering aimlessly, Adella had lost her purpose in life.

Branch Manager Gestalt, who had reached out to her then, had always been like a bright lighthouse.

‘How nice would it be if that full moon were actually a gold chandelier in my home…’

With that impossible fantasy, she fell back onto her bed.

She wanted to enjoy this comfort and haziness before the alcohol wore off.

At times like this, she resented her body’s high tolerance for alcohol.

BANG-!

“Damn, you scared me!”

But her plans were disrupted by an unexpected visitor.

Adella irritably checked the entrance.

After confirming the sunny golden hair, snow-white skin, and pointed ears, she calmed her startled heart.

“It’s rude to barge in without knocking, you know.”

First the shopkeeper, then Susan, and now even this elf…

Adella lamented how many inconsiderate people there were these days.

“By the way, forest guardian, what’s your name?”

“NoName.”

“Ooooh. That’s a name that rolls right off the tongue.”

Adella kept repeating the forest guardian’s name.

It was a familiar name that seemed like she’d heard it somewhere before.

“What?”

The forest guardian expressed confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“My name, isn’t it strange?”

“Not really? It actually feels familiar. If you live in the district long enough, you’ll hear all sorts of weird names. Yours is actually decent by comparison.”

For example, the shopkeeper Adella visited today was named “Etteugab Cepen,” which was difficult to pronounce, and among the nobility was someone named “Emiger Tneicna.”

When dealing with different species like Lizardmen, even stranger names would appear.

‘Was she teased about her name as a child?’

Adella speculated internally.

She took the last sip of her drink.

But the curious forest guardian continued to pester Adella.

“Adella.”

“What?”

“Adella.”

“Why do you keep calling me? It’s embarrassing. If you have something to say, just say it!”

Perhaps she was unhappy about being paired with Adella for this mission.

Judging by the forest guardian’s attitude, that seemed likely.

Maybe this forest guardian would complain to the branch manager like previous members had.

“Huh? Eek! W-what…? Did I do something wrong?”

When she opened her eyes, the forest guardian was suddenly right in her face.

Adella was so startled she almost dropped her beer bottle.

Those bright eyes blinked, and lips moist like morning dew-covered cherries moved slightly.

The fragrant scent of grass tickled Adella’s nose.

Experiencing the elf’s beautiful features up close, Adella couldn’t calm her pounding heart.

“Want me to brush your hair?”

“Whaaat…?”