29th
The Nemean Cat
029 ?
Shit, I never thought I’d end up getting bitten by rats and experiencing the realm of death. Is being an adventurer not the right fit for me?
What a fucking world. How can I go back to the Earth I used to live in? When I’m seriously thinking about that.
. .
The mice stopped moving at the sound of a soft melody coming from somewhere. Then, one by one, they left their cages and disappeared somewhere.
“… I thought you were going to lose.”
Only after the guys had all disappeared into the shadows was I able to calm my pounding heart. I looked around and saw Luna and Malco curled up on the floor, shivering.
“Hey, the rats are all gone. You can get up now.”
Only then did Luna raise her head and look around.
“Oh, Lord, I thought you were going to die. I guess my heartfelt persuasion worked.”
“I got attacked by rats! This is why you shouldn’t associate with the likes of Mente! Phew, that was a close call.”
“Is everyone okay? Check to see if you’re bitten anywhere.”
The group stood up at my words and checked each other’s appearances. Their clothes were torn here and there, but they weren’t injured or anything.
I don’t know what it is, but I can’t tell you how thankful I am that the little rats ran away.
.
Then I heard a soft tone again and turned my head. It sounded like some kind of artificial sound, like the sound of blowing on a wind instrument.
Thud, thud-.
At the same time, I feel someone’s presence. Soon, someone’s shadow is fully revealed in the light reflected by my torch.
The first thing I saw was a gray robe.
The pale skin and thin lips visible underneath, the long instrument like a recorder that the lips are holding, and the prominent chest that is clearly visible even under the robe steal the eye.
Woman? For a moment, the tension eased slightly, but then the thought that a woman wandering around an underground passage like this couldn’t possibly be normal made me tighten my grip on the sword and torch again.
The woman who had suddenly appeared took her lips off the flute and spoke.
“A fateful encounter. Thanks to Mercury.”
Although he was somewhat awkward in speaking, his voice itself was clear and pure, rivaling the sound of the instrument.
Just hearing the voice made me feel like all the frustration and fatigue that had been building up in my throat was gone.
“The sound of the whistle that calls the rats! Are you not Hamelin?”
Instead of me, who was wondering what kind of person he was, Malko, who had gotten up from the floor, opened his mouth and asked about his identity. The woman in the gray robe answered with her small lips.
“That nickname. I did have one. I am Augeas. The guardian of the task that leads to glory. Also…”
“Oh my, I can’t believe I’m meeting you in Hamelin! This is such an honor! I’m Malko, Axa Malko! I’ve been wandering these underworlds for months looking for you!”
Malko was foaming at the mouth like a cockroach that had eaten boric acid and was chattering noisily at the woman.
He was just dying from being covered in rats, and now he’s acting all worked up like he doesn’t care.
Because of this, interest in the extraordinary arrogance of the guy Malko and the woman he is passionate about rose at the same time.
“Duke Hamelin! I would like to ask you the secret of the music that even the rats admire!”
“That’s a secret that must be kept. Anyway, I took a step forward because of the familiar feeling-.”
I felt eyes scanning me from under the black robe.
Flash.
At that moment, the evil red eyes shining beneath the robe met mine, and a chill ran down my back. My legs almost gave out, damn it.
I don’t know what it is, but I naturally felt that I shouldn’t get too involved with this woman. The only people in this world who make me tremble like this are witches.
Could it be that this woman is something similar to that?
Controlling rats by blowing a flute! How that could be possible without selling your soul to the devil is beyond my meager imagination.
“A familiar smell. You. A friend from Nemea. Right?”
However, my wariness towards the name Nemea was somewhat eased. The name of the witch at the alchemy shop who had commissioned me to find a cat was probably Nemea.
“Ah, yes, yes. That, that’s right. That, thank you for saving us.”
“Amazing karma. But it’s undercooked. Two? No, three or more beings mixed together. A warrior of the gods. No, a toy. Poor guy…”
The flute-playing woman, who had been mumbling something incomprehensible to herself, clicked her tongue and turned around to start walking somewhere. As we watched her blankly, the woman spoke to us without even looking back.
“Follow me. I have the cat you are looking for.”
The woman’s back slowly moved away. However, we were overwhelmed by the situation or the atmosphere, so we couldn’t move away and just stared blankly at each other’s faces.
Luna said as I was trying to decide what to do.
“I, I just have a bad feeling about this….”
“Sister, is that your opinion as a sorcerer?”
“No, that woman’s breasts are too big. They’re still big even with the robe covering them. She’s clearly a monster disguised as a human.”
“Fuck. You still haven’t given up on that concept?”
But I also had a hard time deciding whether it was right to follow that woman.
But as the rats began to squeak again from all sides and the eerie wind blew from somewhere and caressed the back of our necks, we all followed the woman at the same time as if we had been pushed.
*
“Hey, Malko. Is it really okay for me to follow you like this?”
Even though he followed the woman for a long time, he showed no signs of stopping.
I’ve been going around and around in the winding underpass for so long that I can’t even tell where I am on a map anymore.
So, my worried heart rose and I asked Malko again.
“Hey, I think you know that woman. Are you sure she’s trustworthy?”
“There is no one among the musicians and bards of Sodomora who does not know Hamelin. I thought it was a legend or a ghost story. I never thought we would actually meet like this.”
No, why are you bringing up a legend when you’re asking if someone is trustworthy or not?
“Anyway, he really is a great musician!”
What should I say? My younger sister, who was a huge idol fan, ran away from home one day and went to a concert.
That day, I had to listen to the compliments of a little kid who didn’t care about me until I fell asleep. Malko looked exactly like my little sister back then.
He was in a state of shock after welcoming the idol he had always admired. There is no way these guys could make a proper judgment.
“I just can’t believe it. That woman must be a human in disguise….”
It seemed like I was the only one in my right mind here.
If only there was even that old man, Platan, who was like an old man, he would have given me some helpful advice, even if it was just nagging. Who would have thought that I would end up missing an old man who was dying after living his entire life.
“The Nemean cat. It’s inside here.”
We all shut our mouths and stopped walking when the flute-playing woman suddenly stopped walking.
The flute woman stops at a dead-end alley blocked by iron bars like a dungeon, and runs her pale fingers over the rusted windows.
Swish, swish.
The way he’s looking at me feels strange. Is he sexually harassing me?
“Ahem, so you’re saying there’s a cat in there? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I am not like Nemea or Erymanthus. I always tell the truth. And the truth is sometimes stinky and uglier than lies.”
I don’t know what they’re talking about, but it looks like the Nemean cat is on the other side of those iron bars. If you listen closely, you can hear a strange cat-like sound like “Eeyowoong.”
“Okay, go in. And. Check it out yourself.”
A woman breaking a lock with a clang. The lock was quite rusty and corroded, but she was able to break the iron block with her bare hands. I wonder what kind of evil strength she had.
“… Then let’s hurry up and finish this and go. I, did you say Mr. Oyegeiyasu? Anyway, thank you.”
“Augeias. If the name is difficult, Hamelin will suffice.”
“Well, we have work to do. Hey, let’s go. Quickly.”
Somehow, I felt anxious about staying in this place and not getting entangled with this woman, so I pushed my body through the open window.
“Go, let’s go together!”
“I’ll go too!”
The woman’s red eyes seemed to continue to stare at my back until we entered the cage and disappeared around the corner.
I wonder if I did something wrong because of the stares that seemed to stab me with a knife. Are you mad because I called you gay?
Or maybe he was just angry because he cut up his beloved rats with a knife. That’s all that comes to mind right now.
Anyway, after I kept turning the corner and couldn’t feel his gaze anymore, I finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew, work is hard.”
“Hey, there’s white fur here!”
Then Luna sees something on the floor and screams.
I looked down at the floor, my ears bulging, and sure enough, I saw a few clumps of long white fur scattered on the floor.
“Sister, let me check.”
Malko quickly kneels down and picks up a few strands of hair. Soon he sniffs the air and even sticks his tongue out to taste the hair.
“It’s cat hair. It must have starved for a long time. It’s not in good nutritional condition.”
“Hey, I’m just curious so I’m asking. Can you tell by the taste?”
“Cats are good for your joints, and you can make musical instruments out of their fur. They’re cute while they’re alive. They’re wonderful animals. Oh, there’s some fur over there too. Hehe, I can’t cut this without tasting it.”
I can say this with certainty.
This is hell.
I actually died a long time ago. Either by falling into a manhole or being hit by a rock that suddenly flew at me. So maybe I’m in hell.
Krrrr.
As if to cheer me up from my slightly depressed mood, the sound of an animal’s howl came from deep inside that hallway.
Not only that, I felt something very light approaching me, thump …
“Wow, it’s a cat! Look over there, Hassan! A white cat! I think it’s white!”
Luna screams in a high-pitched voice, as if her night vision is quite bright. After a while, I also saw a graceful figure boasting long white hair. That was definitely a cat.
It’s a cat, though.
“Brother. Don’t you think it’s a little big? Am I dreaming?”
“Fuck, fuck!”
Karrrrrr!
It was the size of a small car, and looked more like a leopard or lion than a cat.
The sight of such a beast running towards us with all its might made all the blood drain from my body, as if I were going to pee.
“D- …
“That sounds good!”
“Hee, heeeek!”
“Hey, Luna, what are you doing! Let’s run away!”
I held Luna’s shoulder tightly, who was frozen like a mouse in front of a cat.
But the guy just froze and trembled, showing no signs of coming to his senses. Shit, should I just abandon him and go? While I was agonizing over such thoughts.
Wheeeeeek-.
With a sharp sound of something cutting through the wind, my body is lifted into the air and crashes down onto the ground.
Zizik. Warurur-.
At the same time, the package I was carrying burst in all directions, scattering all sorts of junk on the floor. What the hell, the package I bought for 1 silver?
“This fucking bastard dares to come after me, he’s a beast.”
I brace myself, my body filling with rage. The giant cat standing in front of me, no, the lion, opens its mouth as wide as a cave and roars.
Krrrr!
“Now that I think about it, it seems possible.”
No, what kind of fangs are the size of my forearm?
Garuk!
The lion began to fuss, nervously unwrapping my torn package and flailing it with his claws.
Kiyaaaaak!
The way he flipped over and clawed at the stomach and scratched at everything with his claws clearly did not seem normal. Do even animals in this world suffer from mental illness?
Anyway, the fact that the lion cub was having a fit instead of attacking us gave us a golden opportunity to escape.
“Hey, now is the time! Let’s run away!”
“Hassan, but, but we have to take that guy!”
“Fuck, right. Hah, how the fuck are you going to take that thing?”
Fighting a wild beast. It’s something I don’t want to do unless I’m given a K2 rifle a magazine with 30 rounds and the ability to fire in rapid succession.
“Hey, damn it, let’s just give up! This is not something a human should do!”
“Oh, no! I have a good idea! I think I know why he does that!”
Luna points to the floor with her finger, trying to stop me from running away.
“That grass! The bug-repelling herb! That’s it! Cats love that!”
Luna pointed to the grass that had been torn off from the underground water exploration package and was rolling around on the ground. I furrowed my brows because I couldn’t understand it.
“Sister, you really do have a way!”
“Hatsan! I’ll burn that grass, so, in the meantime, take care of that cat!”
So, it was Luna who fearlessly reached out to the white beast that was causing a ruckus. The lion nervously waved its forelegs at the guy.
Kaak!
“Hic!”
Bang-.
There was a sharp sound of metal clashing with Luna’s scream. I clenched my molars as I felt a tingling sensation in my raised left arm.
“Fuck, I can’t hold out much longer! Grrrr-!”
If I hadn’t had the armor I bought for 5 silver, the vicious claws would have cut off my arms and started to crush me, and I felt like my posture was collapsing from my legs.
At that very moment-.
Deering-.
『Nemean White lv. 15
Condition: Heartworm》 Diabetes》 Asthma》
Red spots began to appear here and there on the truck of the relatively white and clean guy, although it was stained with sewage water.
[Work review] I uploaded one more piece to row when the water comes in….. The future Michuri will take care of the hardship instead.. Heheheehee! I’ll run busily since the rice cake is coming out late ㅠㅠㅠ..
