CH 90

For the time being, in order to get a clue on the missing children, we decided to go and see the dried well once.

But since you couldn’t enter the quarry without any permission, me and the boy named Mark would stealthily enter first, and then Ar-niisama and the others would come looking for me afterwards. That was our plan.

“I wonder if it’s really alright to have Yuuri-chan and him go first, with just the two of them?”

Amanda-san looked worried, so I laughed to show that I was alright and lightly tapped my white cat robe.

“Noir and Purun are also with me, so it will be fine.”

Actually, I was hiding Purun and Noir who had become small inside my robe. Since Noir had always assumed its big form inside the town, nobody would’ve thought that Noir would become this small and hide in such a place. When push comes to shove, the two of them would be able to help out.

Besides, I am a sage! Be it an offensive magic or recovery magic, come here! Something like that.

“Noir and Purun, please help Yuuri.”

“Nyaa!”

Pururun.

In response to Ar-niisama’s request, the two Familiars responded as if saying, ‘Leave it to me!’

Ehehe. The two were like my knights, for some reason.

“Be careful, little girl and young lad. Escape once things are looking dangerous.”

Mark-kun nodded although he seemed a little bit embarrassed being told that by Frank-san.

“Yes.”

“Then, we’ll be going.”

Mark-kun and I held hands as we headed towards the quarry.

Only one road was available from Abbot town to Colora mountain. Two stone pillars with monsters-repelling magical formation installed were built at the two sides of the road, so there was no need to be worried about being attacked by monsters.

“Hey.”

Mark-kun suddenly called out to me, so I turned around in wonder. His orange eyes were staring at me fixedly.

“You know, about your pet… No, about the cat that’s your family. If I were to learn Cure, is it possible for me to tame it?”

As I was feeling annoyed for Noir being called as pet, Mark-kun quickly revised his wording in a fluster.

Even so, he was quite sharp for being able to catch this just by listening to our conversation quietly.

“Hmm. I think we’d be able to tame them quickly if it were a slime, but if it’s like Noir, then it’s a little bit unreasonable, I guess?”

After all, those that could be subjugated were only mutant cubs. Also, I think we couldn’t really find them other than during the Monster Flood.

But hearing that, Mark-kun bit on his lips until it turned white.

“But I… also want to be stronger…”

I see. That’s right. Even if his family helped, nothing could be done with children’s power alone.

But even if he were to learn Cure, I wonder if that would equal with him becoming stronger? Let’s put aside the war priest like Frank-san.

…Oh, right! If he were to aim to become like Frank-san, it’d be fine, right?

“If that’s the case, it’s fine to aim to be like Frank-san. War priests are strong, you know?”

“…A priest can fight?”

“Hmmm. I wonder about that. But, he was quite powerful that he managed to defeat an Armored Insect around this big.”

When I tried to show him by using my left hand, Mark-kun couldn’t believe it and said, “What? There’s no way such a big Armored Insect like that even exists.”

“It is true! We sold the horn to the guild here, so please take a look at it after this.”

“That’s such a lie. But that guy, he certainly looks strong. …I see, a war priest, huh?”

Ooh, Mark-kun seemed to be motivated.

Or rather, calling him Mark-kun was a bit hard to my mouth. Then, Maa-kun would be fine, right?!

“Maa-kun, too, please become a strong priest like Frank-san.”

“Y-yeah!”

Maa-kun’s ears turned a wee bit red, perhaps he was happy to get my encouragement.

Good luck, I cheered for him from inside my heart, and at the same time as that, Maa-kun stopped.

“After this point, there will be the quarry’s guards at the entrance, so we will enter from here.”

Apart from the road, there were lots of slimes jumping up and down.

If Karin-san were to see them, she’d be dancing wildly.

“The slimes won’t attack unless we were to attack them first.”

Maa-kun clasped his hand powerfully as he said that, perhaps he thought I was scared since I was looking at the slimes fixedly.

“Yes. If a strong monster were to come attacking, then I’ll protect you!”

“Eh… No, that’s where I should be the one protecting you, though…”

“Even if I look like this, I am strong!”

I made a gesture to flex my arms.

Ah, but I only used magic, so my arms’ muscles didn’t develop at all. Tehehe.

“Now, shall we go?”

At a time like this, let’s just deceive him with a smile!

“Ah, yeah…”

Yosh, he agreed!

Maa-kun led me to a small crack found in the fence circling the quarry.

It seemed like only small children could pass through it.

“We have always entered from here to play.”

Following Maa-kun, I also crawled on all fours to pass through the crack. I have to keep Noir and Purun from falling.

One of my hand was supporting the place where Noir and Purun were, and I could hear Noir’s small cry, “Nyaa,” as if it was saying that they were fine.

Uwaa. So, this is the quarry, huh?

Square-cut marble of various sizes were piled up here and there.

That alone was a spectacle magnificent enough, and I ended up feeling as if I had wandered into an ancient ruin.

“This way.”

When I was looking all around, Maa-kun pulled my hand.

“There is the dried well ahead this road… Wait. Someone’s there.”

Maa-kun suddenly stopped just as we were about to arrive at the dried well.

It seemed like there was someone ahead.

We hid behind a big marble in a fluster.

A few people seemed to be conversing, but it seemed like there was a familiar voice—one that I have heard before—mixed in somewhere…

Huh? This voice is—

Translator’s Note:

Guess who is that?