Free Web NovelFor now, it was still early before mealtime.
The restaurant had few people inside. A couple of employees and cooks gathered behind the reception counter gossiping, while an adventurer who had drunk all night snored with his head on a table.
The moment she stepped in, Vieya caught the faint scent of alcohol. The bluestone floor beneath her feet had been scrubbed clean; not a pebble remained to make one stumble.
So this is the place where that cat brought my daughter to steal food?
“Ah, enough chatter, we’ve got a guest.”
From behind the counter, a sharp-eyed server rose from his chair, smiling as he approached the girl standing at the door, peering around like she was looking for something.
“Young lady, it’s still a bit early for lunch. If you want to eat, you may have to wait a while.”
Vieya hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. “Mm... I’m not actually here to eat.”
“Haha, that’s fine too. If you just want to rest, you can sit anywhere.” The server had good sense. Though he had never seen her before, the figure and bearing of this girl were clearly not something an ordinary household could raise. Since it wasn’t mealtime, letting her sit was no problem.
“I heard you had a black cat stealing food here last night. Did you record what it looked like?” Vieya’s twin emerald eyes fixed on the server. She did not sit, but asked softly,
“I lost a cat. I’m looking for her.”
“Looking for a cat...”
The server froze, a lump in his throat. He remembered the bounty order spreading like wildfire through the city—
That a high noble of the Royal Capital had left behind his precious cat in Fengxiang Town. Heartbroken, unable to eat or drink, he had used his power to mobilize the entire town even during wartime to search for the cat.
Shit...
Could last night’s cat really have been the one from the bounty?
The server’s heart hammered. He thought of the secret plan they’d been making, to use poisoned dried fish to trap the violent cat.
“So it was you, miss, who issued the bounty?” He wiped the sweat from his forehead, forcing a grin. “Your cat is really clever, picking only the most expensive fish from our store to eat, and taking some away too.”
At least with that cat by her side, my daughter wasn’t going hungry here among humans.
Having to leave the Demon King’s castle she was born and raised in, forced to hide in human territory... it couldn’t have been easy.
With a faint sigh inside, Vieya neither admitted nor denied the server’s words. She simply walked toward the kitchen as she continued,
“Write me a list of what she ate. I’ll pay it.”
“That’s... embarrassing.” The server scratched his head, flustered. “And your cat also... ah, I mean, besides our place, she also took food from other restaurants. If we’re to tally the bill, it may take some time.”
“It doesn’t matter. When you’re finished, send the bill to the Saint Catarina Convent.”
Vieya disliked troubling the Convent, but she had almost no money herself.
Back in the Monster Forest, she could occasionally pick up monster materials to sell secretly in the city.
But in these years of drifting aimlessly day by day, all the money had been spent, with nothing left.
It looked like she would need to find a way to make money.
And quit drinking.
Resolving so inwardly, filled with a fragile hope for the future, Vieya followed the server into the kitchen. The cooks whispered among themselves, sneaking curious glances at the master of the black cat.
“Last night, it was here that Old Barrel and your cat had their... friendly exchange.” The server sighed. “Normally, the kitchen would have monitoring devices, but even those were broken by your cat.”
Vieya frowned for a long while before relaxing again. “Add that to the bill too. Send it to the Convent. They’ll send someone to verify.”
“By the way, where’s your boss?” Vieya suddenly asked.
“The boss rarely comes. Only when something major happens. We might see him a few times a year.” A cook in a brown headscarf added, “Oh, right. He owns the other restaurants on this street too.”
“...”
Vieya carefully searched the kitchen again, but unfortunately found no trace left by the cat.
So the trail ended here. Would they come again tonight to steal food? freewebnovёl.ƈom
If they did, everything would be simple.
If they didn’t... then trouble.
Vieya worried deeply. The black cat was hiding with the Little Demon King from that spider Demon King’s pursuit, but now that the Demon King had fallen, the news was spreading fast among humans.
Would the black cat, upon learning their greatest threat was gone, take the Little Demon King back to the Demon King’s castle?
If they left, finding them later would be near impossible.
She had to hurry. She couldn’t let them slip out of Fengxiang Town.
She would need to ask the Convent and the Lord Mayor’s office to lock down all the gates, then hire adventurers skilled in finding cats to help.
With this plan in mind, Vieya asked the server and cooks for more details. Confirming that less than twelve hours had passed since the cat’s theft, she quickly left, heading to the Convent to request help with the next step.
The server could see she didn’t want to linger, and with relief, bowed and ran to see her off.
“Take care, miss, please come again!”
Vieya gave a slight nod, and just as she turned—
Boom!
A loud crash came from the entrance!
Everyone in the restaurant jumped. The server’s face turned pale. The drunk adventurer clutched his face and roared,
“Quick! Catch that damned crazy cat! It scratched my face!” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
“Calm down, sir! That cat is extremely valuable!” the server cried.
The adventurer bellowed, “A worthless beast! More precious than me, a Gold-ranked adventurer? Die! Die!”
“Meow!”
Seeing the adventurer swinging a chair at the precious cat, the server’s face flushed and paled in turn. He rushed over to stop him, the cooks rolling up ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) their sleeves and charging out from the kitchen to help, ignoring the noble-looking girl who appeared so fragile.
Boom!
The farce did not last long. The moment Vieya confirmed the black cat was Helcat, she acted decisively. She reached out, grabbed the scruff of the cat’s neck, and lifted her up. Helcat’s limbs dangled helplessly in midair.
The chaos froze instantly. The server and cooks stared, stunned that this delicate noble girl had such skill.
“Meow~”
The black cat turned her head, licking Vieya’s hand ingratiatingly. In her golden-red eyes, a familiar voice echoed in Vieya’s heart.
“Meow, long time no see. There’s a child outside who’s too scared to come in. Should we go take a look?”
