What’s your true identity?

What’s your true identity?

If I recall the content of the original novel, it wasn’t particularly strange for black cats to start appearing at this time.

However, it’s somewhat unusual and draws attention that they were “frequently spotted” in places other than around Rumi.

As I heard this, I asked Delia for more detailed information, and Delia pressed her reddened cheeks while speaking.

“Recently, I heard that a lot of black cats are appearing in the commercial areas centered around the Academy. Usually, there should be precursor symptoms before this happens, but it’s like they’re pouring out as if they’ve come from somewhere else.”

This could be dismissed as a simple happening.

But knowing the true identity of these black cats, I couldn’t help but fall into contemplation.

The story of so many seeds of negativity occurring at once meant that it could cause some problems in the future.

‘So there’s a need to clean up.’

Simply cleaning up would be a waste of time.

I judged that it wouldn’t be bad to feed them to Luna, who shows absolute loyalty to me after her modification.

‘Originally, I would never have fed them.’

As I was in need of someone to assist in combat,

I decided to grow this one and use it, deciding to focus on growing Luna for a while.

‘Well, that’s decided… What’s left are Rumi and Delia.’

As I was thinking about how to react to these two,

I pressed my throbbing head with one hand and just sighed.

*

As the time to leave school approached, I prepared to leave the Academy immediately and pondered my destination.

‘First, since it’s said to be a commercial area near the city center.’

It would be good to start with the largest shopping district.

I decided to go to the Lemongrass shopping district, which boasts the largest scale among those nearby, while patting Luna’s back.

[That feels good…!]

The moment I stroked her back, Luna started purring affectionately.

Then she grabbed my hand with her cat paw and rubbed her head against it, asking for more petting.

I had no choice but to continue stroking Luna’s soft and warm head, when Luna proudly said.

[You just want me to tell you where the other seeds of negativity are, right? I’ll search hard, so pet me again!]

I wonder if she doesn’t feel any reluctance to sell out her own kind?

Well, come to think of it, when she first discovered another seed of negativity, she tried to eat it, so I nodded, thinking it was a natural reaction in a way.

“That’s right.”

When I agreed, Luna purred happily and then, with her eyes shining, slipped out of my arms.

Then, after glancing around, she urgently told me.

[There are three of them around here…! Let’s catch them!]

Three of them?

Thinking that I didn’t expect there to be so many from the start, I nodded.

Luna used mana to point out the location where the seeds of negativity were gathered in the shape of an arrow.

‘It’s like a navigation system.’

Thinking this was convenient in many ways, I moved forward, feeling that modifying Luna was a good decision.

*

‘Catching them isn’t that difficult.’

Maybe it’s because my stats are more focused on evasion and escape rather than combat.

Using ‘spatial compression’ magic, which counters such abilities, I was able to catch all three without much difficulty.

I grabbed the unconscious Seeds of Negation in one hand, lifted them up, and spoke to Luna who was in my arms.

“You can eat them.”

At those words, Luna looked at me with wide eyes as if she hadn’t expected it at all.

Then, as if extremely pleased, she wriggled and exclaimed to me.

[Master, I love you…! I really like it!]

Judging by her reaction, it seems she had been wanting to eat them for a while.

Feeling awkward at her response, I nodded with a smile, and Luna transformed her mouth into a huge one, swallowing the Seeds of Negation in one gulp.

‘This feels like something out of a cartoon.’

It felt like a giant shadow eating other shadows. As I was watching this,

Luna patted her now bulging stomach and said.

[Thanks to Master, my belly is full, and I’ve become stronger.]

I guess that means she’s feeling good?

To understand in what way Luna had become stronger, I asked her about it.

[Now I can use mana more precisely, and I can draw upon and use larger amounts of mana…!]

That was her answer.

Since it’s not easy to grasp just from that, I decided to have Luna engage in combat later to test it out, and continued speaking.

“Then let’s continue.”

[Yes! I’ll do my best!]

Maybe it’s because it’s exciting plus exciting.

I hear a somewhat lively voice and feel a quick nod.

Looking at Luna like that, I decided to catch all the seeds of negativity in this vicinity.

*

Thanks to Luna’s search ability getting stronger as she got stronger.

In the end, she boasted a wide search ability that could scan most of the shopping district at once.

Thinking that while I’m not sure about combat ability, this search ability could be useful for a long time to come.

I asked Luna how many seeds of negativity she had eaten.

[About 100… Actually, I lost count while eating!]

Looking down at Luna patting her enlarged belly.

Just when I was thinking if I had fed her too much and lowered her intelligence.

Luna stretched her body and demanded what I had promised earlier.

[Pat my head! No, please pat my head!]

I wonder where she learned to use polite speech.

Since a promise is a promise, I patted her head, and Luna purred and curled up in my arms.

‘Now that things are settled. It might be good to start taking action on my side.’

So far, I’ve only been cleaning up after the Heaven God Cult’s actions.

Now I thought it wouldn’t be bad to turn the tables and give the Heaven God Cult a taste of their own medicine.

As that judgment came to mind, I turned around, deciding to start cleaning up the Inspection Department using the contract I had taken from the Heaven God Cult guys before.

‘In any case, once the things holding Espin back are removed, it will help me.’

Deciding to take down the traitors in the Inspection Department as quickly as possible, I decided to discuss this matter.

* * *

After returning home, I called Espin and shared this story with him.

Espin looked perplexed and asked me back.

“… You’re saying you’ll dismantle the Inspection Department? How?”

Although the Lercier Family’s power was considerable, it wasn’t something that could be done recklessly to a royal-affiliated organization.

Espin expressed his opinion with a worried voice while discussing this.

“Looking at the results alone, you might be able to overturn the Inspection Department itself. But isn’t that based on going to some extremes? Even if it’s the Lercier Family, it would be awkward to proceed with things while going against the royal family’s power.”

I silently looked at Espin.

Espin sighed and said to me.

“And above all, isn’t this assumption based on using all of the Lercier Family’s power? As the youngest, not even a candidate for the family head, let alone being the head, how could that be possible?”

I thought Espin was seriously misunderstanding something, so I briefly replied.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”

“Huh?”

“I never once said I’d overthrow those guys with power.”

At my words, Espin blinked at me with an expression of complete incomprehension.

I looked at Espin like that and decided to explain more intuitively.

I took out the contract I had obtained from the Heaven God Cult in the past from my pocket and continued speaking.

“There’s no law saying only the Heaven God Cult can kidnap, assault, and threaten.”

At those words, Espin seemed to realize what I was planning to do and closed his mouth tightly, staring at me.

Then, with a bewildered expression, he said to me.

“… I never thought the day would come when I’d be discussing justice. Isn’t this going a bit too far?”

I smiled slightly and said:

“In a situation where you can only win by doing something worse than your opponent, isn’t it foolish to try to use normal methods even in such circumstances?”

Espin, probably because he had already experienced it, closed his mouth and nodded.

It seems he had nothing else to say.

I decided to take this as agreement and continued speaking to Espin.

“Then, prepare a report with information about the Inspection Department and submit it to me.”

“It feels a bit like I’m selling out my colleagues, but… alright.”

“You don’t need to think of them as colleagues. They never thought of you as one in the first place.”

At those words, Espin looked at me with a bitter expression.

Then, letting out a long sigh, he said to me.

“Well… I guess that’s true. Most of them have already gone over to the Heaven God Cult anyway.”

Seeing Espin like this, I thought about comforting him.

But realizing that I had been doing too many un-Deren-like things lately, I shook my head and said.

“Then, you may go.”

“Ah, okay… But Deren, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier.”

“What is it?”

“Hah… I wanted to ignore it since it’s your preference, but if I don’t ask, I feel like I won’t be able to sleep at night. So please try to understand.”

Not knowing what he was trying to say, I nodded with a puzzled expression.

Espin, holding his forehead, asked me.

“… Who is that girl under the desk wearing black cat ears and tail?”

I looked under the desk with a disbelieving thought after hearing those words.

After Luna transformed into human form, I saw her lying boldly under the desk.