Chapter 31 Cats Raise People, Long Nights Without Return...

Wow, they really took it!

Clementine leaned against the window, watching the boy and child's figures recede into the darkness.

"But Pepe, is this really okay?"

Clementine began to worry belatedly.

"Leaving aside the fact that the problem of the uncontrolled demonic power hasn't been solved yet... and it even went slightly out of control just now, just looking at Xiao Mei's current mental state, he's not suited to raise children!"

In human form, it's fierce and terrifying, silent and easily angered, with absolutely no experience communicating with normal people; it probably wouldn't even dare to enter a crowded restaurant...

Oh no! I hope little Femini will be alright!

Or perhaps, Mei transformed into a cat to take care of the children...

Clementine imagined a large, silver-gray cat standing on its hind legs, meowing to lull the child to sleep.

...So cute.

No, no! If Fimini isn't taken good care of, Mayne's psychological problems will definitely worsen!

"hope..."

Clementine's tuft of hair hung down softly:

"We did not make the wrong decision."

"No need to worry, Mainkuhn wouldn't risk a child's life."

With the former dean dead and no one to hand over the reins to Arecino, she had to personally dig out the documents and check them one by one:

We may light the fire in the fireplace, but we cannot dispel the darkness behind it. Fools' schemes will always be with us; we can only try our best to protect the innocent smiles of children...

Speak like a human.

"...Since Maine is willing to lend a helping hand, it is also an opportunity for that child."

When Maine decides she can't keep the caring animals and gives up, it won't be too late for the Fireplace House to take over... Hmm?

Pepe picked up a stack of intelligence reports and fell into an eerie silence.

"What's the matter?"

Clementine leaned closer to look:

"A report on the possibility that the serial killer Lynx is an undercover agent for the law enforcement? Is he a villain who specializes in killing villains? Oh, this is thick; he must have committed quite a few crimes."

"There's another arrest warrant? It's official but hasn't been made public yet? That's strange. Let me see the criminal's characteristics."

Height, weight, age... well, he's a child about our age, suspected of being abused, hates evil, is emotionally volatile, incredibly strong, and extremely dangerous...

[His methods of treating prisoners are excessively cruel and brutal. This person could not possibly be a spy for the Court of Justice. His existence is detrimental to the Fools' plans both inside and outside Fontaine. It is recommended that he be eliminated as soon as possible.]

Clementine watched for a while, then fell into an eerie silence.

Such a familiar description...

...It must be him.

"Little Maine! This must be Little Maine!"

Clementine snatched the intelligence from Pepe's hand, her pupils dilating in shock:

"So this has happened so many times already?! Are you physically okay?!"

"I'm more worried about his monstrous constitution than his physical health."

Looking at the extremely brutal description in the intelligence report, a hint of worry flashed across Peruvier's cold eyes:

"Human malice and fear."

"It's not something that can be easily tamed."

*

Although they had taken Fimini away, Mainkuen had no idea how to deal with the child.

Anyway, let's go to the place Peipei provided first...

Mainkuen bowed his head and hunched over, his hands in his pockets, glancing cautiously behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Human children.

Although not as terrifying as an adult, if only...

I really don't want to communicate with them in human form—I want to run away!

"Big brother, slow down..."

But that won't work.

"Fimini can't keep up..."

You kidnapped this child on your own, so you have to take care of him!

Mainkuhn forced himself to slow down, stiffly sensing the child's increasingly close breathing.

"......"

Humans are terrifying!

The short tail under the coat popped open.

Don't come any closer!

*

Big brother is so scary!

Little Fimi fidgeted with her fingers, anxiously looking up at the boy's retreating figure.

So silent, speaking in short sentences, and giving off a very fierce vibe!

She suddenly appeared, suddenly beat up the director, suddenly took me away, and didn't explain anything... Mom! Will I ever see you again, Fimini? QAQ!

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and the more frightened he became, the more he wanted to see the boy's face hidden under the hood—humans have an instinct to read people's expressions, and if they see a gentle face, children will instinctively relax.

...What?! Fimi is looking at my face?! Wow, that's terrifying—

Mainkuhn immediately pulled his hood up even tighter.

I look strange and scary, and I have a pair of golden eyes that reflect light. Don't look!

If they cry from fright, I don't know any other way to comfort them besides a backflip...

Fimini tiptoed to look, while Mainkuen secretly hid; the unexpected happened in that back and forth.

"Thump!"

Unlike cats, children are not agile creatures. They are top-heavy and can stumble even on a normal road, let alone when they are walking at night with a restless mind.

"!!"

By the time Maine realized this, Fimini was already lying on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

You have to...you have to be patient—"Ugh!"

Even in pain, I cannot cry—"Waaah!"

"!!!!" Mainkun's tail fur immediately bristled.

So human children have such poor balance?

No wonder they all walk together, the older ones holding the younger ones' hands!

"Ugh, oh!" Fimini lay on the ground, trying hard to hold back her sobs.

The half-demon immediately pulled its claws out of its pocket, its vertical pupils fixed on the sharp tips.

What should we do? Should we help them up?

Won't it scratch them? Their skin is so delicate, and my claws are so sharp!

Hesitantly and struggling, little Fimini braced himself on the ground and bravely got up.

"I'm sorry, big brother."

The child stood up, but his first words were not a complaint or a cry of pain; instead, he apologized in fear.

"I accidentally fell and wasted your time."

"Please, please don't be angry, boohoo!"

"......"

Maine was sharp-eared and sharp-eyed; she could hear the child's trembling voice and see the dirty little hands.

It's strange, this kid has already stood up by himself and even apologized in a very sensible way, saving me the trouble of helping him up and coaxing him. I should be happy.

The cat ears, which were already flat, drooped even lower, and little Fimi became increasingly uneasy because of the boy's silence.

"Shall we keep going, big brother?"

He stammered nervously, rubbing the mud off his hands.

"......"

Maine stopped looking at him and turned away.

It's finally time to leave.

Little Fimi breathed a small sigh of relief.

The seemingly fierce and cold older brother wasn't angry, nor did he scold me like the headmaster did. I'm so lucky...

The child lifted his still-painful knees and tried to walk forward.

Mom said I should be obedient and not cause trouble for the adults...

"......"

But a silent figure blocked his way.

"Big brother, aren't we leaving?"

Fimini saw the boy's hairy ears peeking out in the darkness, twitching with extreme agitation.

"......"

Suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he turned his lynx fur outward with extreme determination and shrank his body.

"!"

The half-demon knelt down in front of the human child.

"Come up."

A concise and straightforward command.

...Huh?!

Little Femini stared blankly at the back in front of her, wondering if she had misunderstood.

"Big brother?"

"Come on up!"

The gloomy voice rose sharply in response to stress, then immediately fell back down, offering a reassuring reason.

"...You're too slow."

*

With his left hand holding his right wrist and his right hand holding his left wrist, the half-demon boy hid all his ferocious claws in his sleeves, encircling the human child on his back.

With his feet dangling in the air and no reliable footholds except for his arms at his thighs, Fimini had to move his small torso forward and press himself against the back of his dreadful older brother.

"!"

Fimini could feel the muscles in his back contracting, twitching like they were on fire.

"......"

It subsided quickly, returning to a state of stillness, like a dead fish.

Big brother.

Fimini tentatively placed her little hands on Mainkuen's shoulders to steady herself.

It doesn't seem as fierce as I imagined?

The boy was thin, but his steps were extremely fast.

The weight of a human child is less than that of a feather to a half-demon.

...but its presence is much stronger than that of a feather.

How terrifying! Why is it moving around on my back?!

"Big brother!"

Maine could feel Fimini's little head nudging and nudging behind him:

You smell like your mother!

That's right, all your clothes were given to you by your mother!

Little Fimi got excited and almost forgot to be on guard.

"Big brother, did Mom send you to pick me up? Where is she?"

"Big brother, what's your name?"

"Big brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

...Human children are so noisy!

Mainkuhn didn't dare answer a single question, letting the child ask questions from excitement to exhaustion, and then from exhaustion to drowsiness.

“zz…”

It's good that I'm asleep.

Mainkuhn instantly relaxed, grabbed the key Pepe had given him, and opened the house that had once belonged to the Fools.

Neat, clean, and could even be described as luxurious.

Ah... even a casual gift can be a good thing.

Pepe seems to have become someone extraordinary.

Mainkuhn belatedly realized this.

But it doesn't really matter.

Remove the child's coat and cover their small body with a soft down jacket.

"Mom...zz"

Okay, okay, I'll take you to see Amélie tomorrow.

Beside the sleeping Fimini, the half-demon took off his clothes and neatly folded them.

A surge of demonic energy swept through the room, and furry paws stepped onto the bed.

"Mimi".

This shape is still the most comfortable.

The large, silver-grey cat stuck out its thin tongue and casually smoothed the child's golden bangs.

Whether it's a servant or Arecino, it's all Pepe.

Just like your cat form and human form, they are both your little favors... This time, I swear to the gods, I will never hurt you.

So don't be afraid, just sleep peacefully.

Goodnight, Fimi.

The cat yawned, burrowed into the blankets, and lay down close to the child with its fluffy back.

Just like when they were in the Grey River.

*

The fireplace house at this time.

Clementine is applying medicine to the little girl who has been whipped.

Lifting up the clothes, every scar was familiar, every one had been treated thousands of times.

"Aren't you going to cry?"

His tone was gentle and sorrowful.

"?"

Testing my loyalty?

The little girl looked at her warily, then glanced at the newly arrived executive officer beside her.

"This minor injury isn't enough to make me cry... Besides, it was my fault to begin with; I failed to complete the mission."

"I see."

Clementine suddenly brought up a new topic.

“I have a companion who cried for four hours straight the day he arrived at the Hearth House.”

"?"

What kind of creature cries so much?

The little girl suppressed her doubts and tentatively answered.

"Why was he beaten?"

"No, it's because someone said some very bad things to him, which made him very sad."

"Huh? Just because of that? What a coward..."

The child was silent for a moment, then suddenly his face turned cold:

"He must be dead by now."

"On the contrary."

Peruvéli made a startling remark from the side.

"He not only survived, but also killed his dean."

"??ah?"

The style suddenly changed! The child was completely dumbfounded.

"So crying is not a sign of weakness!"

Before the child could react, Clementine immediately gave a heartwarming smile and gently took the child's hands.

"It's okay to cry when you're sad, it's okay to get angry when you're upset, it's okay to laugh when you're happy... Only by fully expressing our emotions during childhood can we grow into well-rounded adults."

"It can also wield immense power."

Peruvelli added from the side.

“Kill the dean.”

The blue wind elemental power illuminated the child's wounds and also illuminated his bewildered heart.

No, you two are just weirdos—

Perhaps you are all right, but—

You're the dean now, right? The one who was killed by a child who cried for four hours, right? Why do you still seem a little proud when you talk about this?

*

"Pepe."

"Um?"

"Are we doing something wrong with our psychological counseling? None of the children cried."

I was even a little scared.

Arecino did feel something was off, but having received special upbringing, she wasn't very able to empathize with these more ordinary children.

"At least they all seem much more relaxed, don't they?"

"Hmm... I will prepare psychological counseling that is more suitable for people with a fireplace-like constitution."

Learn from this experience, then apply it to Little Maine! Yay!