LIGHTNOVELWORLD chapter 46 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Rejoices in Nero's New Skill
46 Divine Cat Mii-chan Rejoices in Nero’s New Skill
After Mii-chan finished her interaction with the stray cats, we left Zergardo’s workshop.
Before heading to the Hunter’s Guild, I bought sandwiches from a food stall and took Sumire from the stable for a walk around the outskirts of the town. Today, I let Sumire roam freely halfway around the town. Since nothing showed up on the appraisal, I can assume she’s fully recovered. Now, she just needs to gain weight, as she’s still quite thin.
I laid out a sheet by the defensive wall and had lunch with Mii-chan.
After lunch, Mii-chan curled up in the space between my crossed legs and fell asleep. Sleeping Mii-chan is adorable.
I took out the transparent board that appeared in the labyrinth the other day. It seems I can learn new skills. The options now include poison resistance, water, and stamina increase. I assume poison resistance is due to the Averant Lizard’s poison. Stamina increase might be from all the walking and running. As for water, maybe it’s thanks to the mineral water?
Water, huh? It sounds intriguing. Water exists in the atmosphere, so it should pair well with the air skill. With creativity, I could do a lot with it. Alright, let’s go with the water skill. Here we go.
Huh? It’s still there. Maybe it’s because the Averant Lizard was a tough opponent. Well, I’ll take it as a stroke of luck.
Next, I chose the luck skill as originally planned. Increased luck and the luck skill—without much strength, relying on luck is all I can do! Hahaha! … It feels a bit sad.
I filled Mii-chan’s bucket with regular water from Sumire’s water bottle. Time to test the water skill.
Alright, water around me, gather! Drip… a single drop fell into the bucket… Is that it?
Let’s try using the air skill to gather moisture-laden air. Then switch to the water skill to convert it. Here we go! Drip drip drip… This is useless!
I really messed up… How wide an area of the atmosphere would I need to draw water from to get a decent amount?
I’m about to give up… No, not yet. This happens because there isn’t any water around. Let’s try manipulating the water in the bucket.
First, let’s change its shape. Become a sphere! Whoa, it’s a sphere now. But that’s all it is… Move! It’s sliding around the bucket like a slime. Float! The spherical water elongates and rises but stops at a certain height. Seems like it can’t defy gravity…
I feel even more like I’ve messed up…
Is there anything else I can do? Oh, right, let’s try that.
Freeze! Whoa, the water is freezing!
Success! I stopped the water molecules! So, I should be able to do the opposite. Move, water molecules! Steam begins to rise from the bucket. Yes!
But… what’s the practical use of this?
“Mii~”
At some point, Mii-chan woke up and is happily splashing the warm water from outside the bucket. Maybe this is for Mii-chan’s bath…
Sumire returned, so I reverted the water back to a liquid and let her drink. I guess it’s convenient in a way?
After returning Sumire to the stable, I went to the communal bath and enjoyed the hot water as usual. Mii-chan is also getting pampered and groomed by the lady at the bathhouse counter.
When I arrived at the Hunter Guild, it seemed that a party had returned from a dungeon exploration.
Two parties had gone and both claimed they had hit the jackpot. Apparently, the second floor had not only hidden rooms but also openly accessible rooms where they found weapons and other items. They also discovered the path to the third floor, so it looks like we’ll be exploring the third floor starting tomorrow.
As it was time, Mii-chan and I got to our usual duties.
As the end of the workday approached, something caught my attention, and I decided to ask Henry-san about it. My intuition skill seemed to be alerting me to something.
“Henry-san. Isn’t there an unusually large number of goblin cores today?”
“Hmm? Were there really that many?”
“Not just goblins, but also Goblin Warriors, Archers, and even Thieves.”
“Hmm. Show me today’s purchase slips.”
The receptionist handed over the stack of slips to Henry-san, who began checking through them.
“Indeed, Nero-kun, you’re right. By leaving the cores to you, I must have missed this. I apologize.”
Henry-san immediately went to see Eva-san.
“Is this a goblin raid?” I asked.
“Even if it’s not a raid, it’s possible they’ve formed a large settlement. We need to quickly gather information from the hunters.”
As Henry-san and Eva-san began organizing a survey among the hunters, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. A large goblin settlement could mean trouble for the surrounding areas.
“Mii-chan, let’s stay alert,” I murmured to my divine cat, who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.
“Mi~” Mii-chan responded, her ears twitching as if she sensed something too.
With the guild’s attention now on the potential threat, we would soon have more information on the situation. Until then, all we could do was prepare and stay vigilant.
“Got it. We’ll start tomorrow morning.”
Nero couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy about the relaxed approach. While the fortified walls of Quinto could hold off goblins, nearby villages wouldn’t be as fortunate. A sudden realization struck him about the village nearest to Quinto, just a few hours’ ride away by wagon.
“Excuse me…”
“Yes, Nero?” one of the others responded.
“When I was traveling with the merchant caravan, we were attacked by goblins near the next village after the city of Quarto. It happened two days in a row.”
“So you’re saying the villages might be the targets instead of Quinto?”
“Yes. It’s easier for the goblins to attack the villages rather than Quinto.”
“You have a point, Nero. We’ll send hunters to check the villages.”
With nothing more he could do, Nero finished his day and returned to his inn for dinner. Tonight, the members of Azure Dragon’s Roar weren’t around. With an early start planned for the next day’s dungeon exploration, he decided to head to bed early.
“Ready to sleep, Mii-chan?”
“Mii,”