Chapter 82: Two Cats (2)
The atmosphere among the group heated up in an instant.
“H-H-How can a c-cat talk?! I-Is it a ghost?! A ghost cat?!”
Elwin cast Gale a pitying look.
“That’s obviously not the case, Gale. We all know you’re a coward, so could you stop making it so obvious?”
“Who’re you calling a coward?!”
Ignoring Gale’s indignant yell, Elwin continued.
“I clearly said ‘companions’ earlier, right? That meant there was more than just Mr. Hake. Mr. Nero is also a feline Beastkin like him.”
“Wait a minute. Beastkin? But how…? Full Beast-Form shouldn’t be possible, right?”
Sercia, lost in thought for a moment, then asked with some doubt in her voice.
“Don’t tell me… the Binding’s been broken?”
Her question was valid.
In the distant past, after the incident known as the “Beastkin King’s Rebellion,” the then-current Top Hunter subdued the threat and imposed a punishment on all Beastkin by collective responsibility.
—Complete Beast-Form, forbidden.
Beastkin had once freely shifted between human, partial beast, and full animal forms based on their bloodline, enjoying the destructive and diverse powers unique to each species…
But after the incident, they were utterly ruined.
“Because of the Binding, Beastkin can only partially display their racial traits, right? Even then, they’re still physically superior to normal humans.”
For example, having ears or tails, or perhaps patches of fur or scales on their skin—like Nero and Hake, whose cat features were limited to ears and tails. Or Natuia the merfolk, whose ears or hands had webbing and whose legs turned into fins in water.
The Binding was cast at the cost of life by the greatest Wordcaster in history and the peerless mage of that era.
Nearly all Beastkin had sided with the Beastkin King, and the unspeakable atrocities they committed had drenched the continent in blood.
The Binding inherited by their descendants was the price of that sin. For the Binding to be broken would mean their atonement was complete.
But Nero shook his head firmly.
“Nope. The Binding hasn’t been broken-nyang.”
“…Then?”
“This is just my personal peculiarity-nyang. Has nothing to do with the Binding.”
Elwin smiled faintly. He already knew. Just as Nero said, his ability to take a cat’s form had nothing to do with the Binding.
Nero’s Unique Magic, Impostor, allowed him to transform into any living creature. Assuming it only applied to humans was a grave misunderstanding—it could be anything, anyone… as long as it was alive.
“Of course, the finer details are a secret! It’s my trump card, after all-nyang.”
Sercia nodded quietly. In this harsh world, it was only natural to keep a secret weapon or two.
“I understand. I won’t ask further. My apologies.”
“Nya-ha-ha! What a good kid-nyang.”
With a mischievous grin, Nero smoothly changed the topic.
“More importantly, shouldn’t we be getting ready-nyang? The sun’s already high. Isn’t it time to go?”
“Oh, right. We’d better hurry.”
Elwin checked the time on his Nexion and agreed.
Because of the tree shade, they hadn’t noticed how late it was—but the clock already pointed to noon.
Clatter!
“Everyone, take one of these!”
Elwin pulled something out of his subspace in a bundle, arms full. The clinking sound of glass jars echoed as they bumped against one another.
“What’s this now-nyang?”
“Potions?”
“That’s right. I prepared these especially for this infiltration! They’re all custom brews from Ms. Melasa.”
At the name “Melasa,” Hake jolted upright and raised his tail.
His ears twitched as he listened carefully, eyes darting around.
“Here, everyone take one. Miss Jana too. Mr. Hake, you’re fine as is, so you don’t need to drink this.”
“Y-Yes!”
Elwin handed a potion to everyone except Hake—even to Jana, who didn’t appear different from a typical LAMPASian.
“All right, everyone. Drink up~ Bottoms up!”
“……”
Elwin urged them on with a bright smile. Gale, however, grew suspicious.
“What’s with that grin? Looks like something a shady merchant would wear while fleecing suckers with useless junk. I don’t trust it…”
The lightly bubbling potion, its faint purplish hue, seemed dubious—and so did that overly bright smile.
It was like he was expecting something.
“Suspicious? Me? I’m nothing but honest. You need to drink this to get through the tunnels.”
“All that from just this? What does this potion even do?”
“Curious?”
“Very. Extremely.”
Even when Gale asked several times, Elwin maintained his mysterious demeanor and didn’t answer.
“You’ll just have to find out by trying it yourself!”
“…Kid, you’re really good at pissing people off, you know that?”
“That’s one of my many talents. It’s harmless to the body, so relax and drink it. Go on.”
“Ugh… fine! Come what may!”
Gulp, gulp!
In the end, starting with Gale, the Spero members and Jana drank the potion. Soon, every bottle was empty.
And then… they realized something strange was happening to their bodies.
“Oh my. My hands…?”
“This is amazing! I never even saw anything like this in Depicio!”
“…! D-Disgusting!”
Amid the unusual reactions…
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIIIIIS?!”
Gale’s shrill scream echoed through the forest.
***
After the cataclysmic events known as the “Great Witch’s Curse” and the “Beastkin King’s Rebellion,” there were no longer safe places for non-humans to exist on the surface.
Branded as “non-humans” by the LAMPASians, they made a choice. If there was no refuge under the sun, then they would seek the grace of the earth.
So they went underground—into caves, into the sea, down below.
To build a paradise just for non-humans. To protect their families and their bodies.
This place was one such underground haven.
—The Batevil Kingdom’s Tunnels.
Among all subterranean cities, the Batevil Tunnels were the largest and located deep beneath the earth.
To reach the tunnel entrance, one had to navigate countless winding paths like a maze. Even that was riddled with hidden traps and obstacles.
Without a familiar guide or someone with a good sense of direction, most wouldn’t even reach the entrance and would perish along the way.
Thus, in most cases, non-humans contacted the tunnel’s administrative office in advance through certain underground networks.
Then, on the expected arrival day, a guide would come out to escort the visitors.
Just like now.
“Ah~ thank you all for your hard work!”
At the Batevil Tunnel’s checkpoint, a guide leading a group of non-humans lifted his cap in greeting. The gatekeeper nodded in return.
The caps worn by both the guide and the gatekeeper bore the symbol of the Batevil Tunnels—a horned lizard.
“This group is today’s last visitors. They say they’re here to visit relatives living in the tunnels. Here’s the permit you were notified about.”
“Let’s have a look.”
The gatekeeper took the triangular-shaped permit and stared at it for a moment before slipping it into his pocket.
Clink!
The sound of many permits clinking together rang from the full pouch.
“Let’s confirm their identities.”
He then called his colleagues over, checking one by one if the visitors matched the names on the list.
“All thirteen confirmed. Enjoy your stay.”
The gatekeeper tapped a staff against various symbols and slashes painted on the stone wall in a curious rhythm.
Rumble…
A rock wall behind the checkpoint descended, revealing a dark passageway.
“Thanks for your hard work~ Let’s go in, everyone.”
The guide bowed once more and led the non-humans into the tunnel.
Once their shadows vanished, the gatekeepers finally relaxed with a long sigh.
The rock wall had already closed again.
“Phew! Tons of people showed up again today. My wings are killing me from flying around nonstop.”
“You’re not the only one, you know? I’ve been running around all day—my tail’s about to catch fire. Don’t complain.”
“Still, weren’t there more visitors than usual today?”
“Yeah. Think something happened on the surface? What a pain.”
As a gathering place for Beastkin and minority races, security at the checkpoint was tight.
In the war-torn Northern Continent, traffickers occasionally slipped in for human trafficking. Non-human slaves fetched high prices.
So the more visitors, the more cautious they had to be.
“Just a little longer. Night’s coming soon.”
Even a tunnel hidden deep underground shut its gates at night.
Not only did Geoma occasionally appear even underground, but nighttime also had a magical effect—it made people lethargic, or lulled them into false comfort.
“Hey, haven’t the brats from the training camp been missing lately? They used to drop by all the time.”
“Now that you mention it… I haven’t seen them in a while. Hope nothing happened to them…”
“C’mon, really? They were all hyped about getting stronger and joining the patrol squad. Maybe they went into a cave for special training or something?”
But just then, figures appeared at the single exit of the labyrinth.
“…Hm? Hold on, someone’s coming.”
A robed group approached the checkpoint at high speed.
“Didn’t the guide say the last group already passed? Was there a mix-up?”
“No guide with them. No cap in sight!”
The road to Batevil Tunnel was treacherous and complex—even seasoned guides got lost sometimes.
But now, someone had arrived without one?
It wasn’t impossible…
If they were absurdly strong, they might wander for days but still reach their destination.
“How do they look?”
A gatekeeper nudged a keen-eyed colleague.
“Pretty clean. Their robes are a little worn, but they don’t look shabby. No signs of camping or battle.”
“Hmm… that’s strange.”
Clearly something was off.
“…Suspicious.”
The gatekeepers silently exchanged glances, subtly gripping their weapons. They were all thinking the same thing.
Traffickers…?
Those gangs often tried to sneak in during the twilight hours, when gatekeepers were tired and least alert.
We subdue them first!
Identification could come after. If they were fellow non-humans, they’d apologize later.
They couldn’t let filthy LAMPASians through…!
“Haaa!”
With a sharp shout, the gatekeepers swiftly formed a practiced formation and charged at the five robed figures.
They were veteran guards with years of experience—confident in their combat ability!
We will not let intruders desecrate our sanctuary!
However, moments later—
“Kyaaaagh!”
“Guh-hk!”
“Arghhh!”
The gatekeepers lay sprawled on the ground, thoroughly beaten.
“……”
And standing over them were five shadowy figures in robes.