Chapter 22

Chapter 22

If they stayed here defenseless, they would be the first to be attacked. Valen hoisted Argen’s limp body onto his shoulder as if hanging laundry. He never wanted to play the hero again, but if Argen disappeared, the contract would be null and void. He didn’t want to throw away all the nights he had endured with disgust.

As Valen dashed through the underbrush with all his might, Argen’s hair swayed like waves. At that moment, a dark curtain loomed overhead. Instinctively tilting his head back, Valen came to a sudden halt.

“Holy sh!t, what is that?”

The identity of the thing covering the sky was…

“It’s a cat.”

“……”

“It’s a longhair.”

Argen, lifting her head from Valen’s back, answered. Despite seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his ears, Valen doubted that this could really be called a cat. It was as large as a well-fed elephant, and it had four pairs of thin, dragonfly-like wings on its back.

Every time the wings flapped slowly, gray and white fur fell like dandelion seeds, fluttering down like rain. Soldiers coughed here and there.

When it came to hunting parties, certain images naturally came to mind—dragons covered in scales like snakes, or balrog-like creatures wielding whips.

Yet, contrary to imagination, there was a small, emerald-eyed cat with a dainty nose. The cat lay sprawled in mid-air as if the sky were its bed, rolling around and exposing its plump belly.

Wait. From the demon’s perspective, dragons or balrogs were not targets of a hunt. They were beings that fought alongside demons against human armies.

‘…I’ve let my guard down again. I’ve been thinking too much like a human.’

Maybe it’s more reasonable that such a cute creature would be the target of a hunt. However, aside from its intimidating size, the cat gave no sense of imminent danger. Still, it wasn’t something to be admired like a drifting cloud.

The constant shedding of fur was a problem, but there was a bigger issue…

Boom! Crash-!

A tremendous sound erupted from the cat’s tiny bottom, and a dark explosive object fell from it. A crater formed in the field where the soldiers had been leisurely eating their lunch, and a fire ignited.

The good news is that the fire didn’t spread much thanks to the snow that had accumulated. But if these explosive drops continued, it would turn into a wasteland.

If they tried to climb the cliff, they would be trapped. It would take at least three hours to descend, and there was no guarantee that the explosive drops wouldn’t continue during that time.

It would be better to die in battle than to face a humiliating death from a cat’s poop while fleeing.

He needed to drive it away or kill it…

None of the soldiers drew their weapons. Of course. They had come with nothing more than lunchboxes, so it was unlikely they had any weapons. Moreover, their leader, Seinrich, was…

“Phew, cough, cough!”

Seinrich seemed to be suffering from a cat fur allergy, coughing and unable to focus. With the commander in such a state, it was no wonder the soldiers were in disarray.

At that moment, a chunk of the explosive stool was falling rapidly towards the spot where Valen stood. He thought he had spotted it early, but no matter how fast he ran with human legs, it was impossible to fully escape the blast radius.

Instinctively, he pulled Argen into his embrace and crouched down to minimize the exposed area. A long stream of fire, like a snake’s tongue, struck Valen’s right forearm like a whip, burning away the hem of his robe and melting the skin on his forearm in a matter of seconds.

Before he could even feel the pain, another explosion erupted nearby. If he stayed here, he would surely die.

He couldn’t just wait for the demon soldiers to deal with it, especially unarmed. Inthe first place, relying on demons for his life was disgraceful. Valen set Argen down beneath a wisteria.

“What about you?”

For the first time, the voice that had been plain the entire time called out to Valen with a different emotion—confusion.

Valen didn’t bother explaining. Instead, he cut through the vine with his sword, slung the heavy stalk over one shoulder, and checked the position of the cat.

“You’re holding the sword in your left hand.”

“I know.”

Although it was in the air, the terrain was elevated, and there was a convenient foothold for jumping. With the calculations complete, there was no room for hesitation. Valen’s feet slammed heavily into the ground as he sprinted forward.

“Heh…ugh!”

He stepped once on Seinrich’s knee, who was busy blowing his nose, then used his shoulder to launch himself up. The explosive debris, tangled with fur, came flying toward him. Cutting through it wasn’t a problem.

The real issue was swinging the stalk with his right hand. Due to the recent injury, his strength was slower than usual.

Despite this, Valen gritted his teeth so hard that the tendons in his jaw stood out and swung the stalk. The heavy object sliced through the air, wrapping around the cat’s paw. The cat wobbled, its massive body tilting, and its tail puffed up in surprise.

Ignoring the pain, Valen pulled with all his might. However, the force was directed oddly. Contrary to expectations of a struggle, the cat began flying toward Valen instead.

The inertia of the pull caused Valen’s body to be yanked backward. Wobbling. Losing his balance in mid-air, there was nothing to support him.

Even as he fell, he drew his sword, but another unexpected attack came. The cat’s jaw gaped wide enough to swallow Valen’s entire face, and a barbed tongue extended out.

The cat’s tongue struck Valen’s already scorched right arm with precision. There was a sickening snap, and he was slammed down into the ground.

Just before his body hit the uneven surface, Valen used his wits and rolled agilely. He barely managed to regain his balance, leaving a long trail as he skidded on his feet. Although he avoided a broken neck, the sensation in his right arm felt wrong.

But there was no time to check. The cat was charging at him with fierce speed.

Where’s the sword? D!mn it, the only weapon he had was lying far away.

The crisis of life and death struck with sudden urgency. Valen was gritting his teeth and glaring at the cat when it happened.

Pop. With the sound of a balloon bursting, pink smoke spread out around the cat. The massive form that had filled his vision was gone, and instead, a cat the size of Valen’s palm fell lightly to the ground.

Seinrich caught the cat in his hands and lifted it, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, things could have gone really badly… Achoo!!”

Seinrich handed the cat to the youngest soldier. The furball’s claws were extended but didn’t seem threatening at all.

Seinrich extended his hand towards Valen, as if urging him to get up.

“It was a tough hunt, but thanks to you, it ended safely. If you hadn’t dealt with that furry poop at the end, we wouldn’t have had a chance.”

Valen ignored the outstretched hand and pushed himself up. His face, passing by Seinrich, was a mask of cold fury. The youngest soldier, holding the cat, froze in surprise when he saw Valen’s expression.

Valen couldn’t shake the feeling of being made a fool.

‘You don’t need to worry. The soldiers will take care of it.’

There was a reason they had gone on this hunt without a weapon. It wasn’t becausethey were dumb; the mission simply didn’t require a weapon. Unlike Valen, who risked his life swinging a sword, they could subdue the enemy with a mere gesture.

Realizing this, Valen felt ashamed of his own foolishness for having stepped forward as if he was capable. The stark difference in strength left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You’ve worsened your injury.”

Argen, who had approached unnoticed, grasped his two fingers gently. Valen pulled his hand away roughly, irritated, and continued walking, staring straight ahead. He could feel urgent footsteps behind him, but he didn’t look back.