The sizzle of oil in the frying pan was the only sound filling my one-room shack. I sliced the rabbit liver pieces with precision. My treacherous hands, usually trembling at the slightest sign of danger, were calm now.
"Almost done, Mingau. Almost there," I whispered.
The white kitten rubs against my shins, letting out an impatient meow. He was the only living being in this kingdom who didn't look at me as if I were a mistake; he's a little selfish, but he's adorable.
"You know, Mingau... they did well to kick me out," I sighed wearily as I chopped the meat; cooking is the only thing that keeps me alive. "The Hero Group... I lasted twenty-four hours. A personal record, I'd say."
I shook my head, feeling the weight of the memory.
Yesterday, at this exact time, I was trying to carry potions for an S-Rank Paladin. When a pack of dark wolves attacked, I panicked, of course.
I tried to conjure a Fireball to create a barrier, and what came out?
A glowing grape that didn't do any damage to the wolf, but managed to burn the leather clothing of one of the Heroes.
"They're absolutely right... Rank F is too good for me. They should create Rank L, for Loser," I use the back of my hand to wipe my teary eyes.
"The worst part is that I can't find a job; if we have food to eat, it's because I'm lucky enough to find a few things in the forest."
I placed the food on Mingau's ceramic plate.
The aroma was incredible, a blend of fine herbs and perfect seasoning. "Look at me. At least I know how to cook, don't I, Mingau?" I smile for a second before sighing and remembering what really matters... "But I can't maintain a magic barrier for ten seconds."
Seeing Mingau eat with such enthusiasm is the best part of knowing how to cook at least the basics, seeing someone appreciate my existence.
"True adventurers spill blood," they told me.
"I'm trash, Mingau... trash."
I put the plate down and leaned over to watch Mingau. He devoured the rabbit liver with a ferocity I had never seen before.
"Eat it all, Mingau. They say you can't put seasoning in cat food, but this time I put some in so you could taste the delicious spices I grow and harvest myself."
But when he raised his head to lick his whiskers, I froze.
"Mingau..." My voice faltered. "Have you always had blue eyes?"
They were blue. But not the common blue of a domestic cat.
It was a strong, bright blue. The brightness was so intense that as he moved, he left a luminous trail in the air.
"And why are they glowing so brightly? Did you accidentally eat some alchemy herb?" Before I could reach out to grab him, Mingau, in a blur of fur and blue light, shot off.
He didn't just run, he leaped from the table to the window with a trajectory so perfect it seemed to defy gravity.
With his momentum waning, he disappeared into the darkness of the night.
"Hey! Mingau! Come back here!"
I stared at the open window for a few seconds, incredulous.
"Well..." I sighed, returning to my mug of weak tea. "Cats are agile, I think. And fast.
Probably was... whatever.
I shook my head, laughing at my own paranoia.
[POV: Mingau]
The cat didn't run across the rooftops like a common animal. He glided through the air, his paws barely touching the tiles. With each leap, the blue glint in his eyes flickered.
He crossed into the upscale district in minutes, entering through a half-open window into a huge apartment.
It was a very large room, decorated in pastel pink and cream tones, exuding an expensive scent of lotus flowers.
In the center, seated in a velvet armchair, was Suzane. To the world, she was the Rank S Mage, the "Black Flames." To the cat, she was just the woman who took him in when he grew tired of Alaric.
"You're back, White," Suzane said in a melodious voice, closing the book she was reading.
She picked up The cat was handled with the affection of a cat lover, but her smile vanished the instant her fingers touched its fur. Her eyes narrowed.
"White?" "Where are your green eyes?"
She held the cat's face, feeling the vibration emanating from its small body.
The mana circulating there was as dense as her own.
"That pressure... your mana is incredibly high," she murmured. "It's as if you've eaten dragon meat or drunk some Runic-level elixir." "Did you eat something strange on the street?"
His ears curled back. He leaped from Suzane's lap with elegance and lightness, landing silently on the floor.
He didn't look at Suzane.
His bright blue eyes were fixed on the solid oak door of the room.
Suzane noticed the change in posture instantly. She was an S-Rank, but the cat sensed it first.
Someone was there.
Someone who had gotten past the building's guards.
Someone who was perfectly concealing their presence.
Behind the door, the silence was absolute, but for Mingau or Branco, the scent of The murderous intent was terrifying.