Chapter 21: The Thorn Rose Seeks the Killer; the lynx belongs to the feline family...
White, his sparse blond hair was neatly combed, and his curled-up body was straightened.
He looked like an old man who had passed away peacefully in his sleep.
"Alright, my little... cough, great gentleman."
Navia put down her small parasol and bent down to pick up the deceased's furry family members.
With nearly twenty pounds of weight, it was still a bit too much for her still-developing shoulders, and the girl's voice trembled under the weight:
"Sigh, say goodbye to...your family."
The fire made the cat's whiskers curl, and he watched as an adult went in and a black box came out.
The members of the Rose Society picked up shovels and buried the boy and girl together.
*
The Rose Society has many things to do and cannot allow Navia to remain immersed in sorrow.
"A good cat doesn't scratch people... Nina—the survivor of the lynx case, and that little child, where are they?"
Navia, petting the cat, asked the old housekeeper.
Lynx?
Maine immediately perked up his ears.
"Master Carles is already on his way, perhaps we should wait for him to arrive before..."
Myles didn't want Navia to investigate any cases; she was still a minor!
So he petted the cat while trying to persuade it.
“Young Miss, that lynx must be an extremely vicious creature. If you continue investigating, you might be in danger... This big cat is indeed docile. It was my fault for mistaking it for a wild animal.”
Maine: ? ?
"I'm the young lady of the Rose Society! If I'm afraid of danger, how can I be a boss in the future!"
Navia ignored her and pinched the cat's head hard in anger.
"Goodbye, sir, I'm off to investigate—Wayne! How are they? Are they eating well? Sleeping well? Are they healthy? Are they in good spirits? May I ask them questions?...
"Hey! Miss!"
Navia burst into the tavern, and Miles couldn't stop her at all, so he quickly turned back for help.
"Miss Clorind, please help me persuade her—"
"Would you like some dried fish?"
But then they saw the purple-haired girl petting the cat while trying to stuff food into its mouth.
"Why aren't you eating anything? Are you still grieving for your family?"
"Ah...it's rare to see such a loyal pet."
Mellors was overcome with emotion by the sight of the young man, whose fate had been filled with hardship.
White, finally something good has happened to you.
"If you don't want to eat, then don't. I don't want to eat when I'm sad."
The purple-haired girl, a few years younger than Navia, patted the cat's head one last time.
"I'm going to thoroughly investigate the lynx case, so I'll leave 'The Great Gentleman' in Mr. Myles' care for now."
"Wait a minute, Miss Clorind, isn't this going a bit too far for you?"
The old butler took the cat in disbelief.
You're a minor too!
However, Claurind had already begun her own analysis:
"Both victims at the first crime scene showed signs of NexG addiction, and while the identities of the eight people at the second crime scene have not yet been confirmed, bottles of NexG were found upside down in the house... A series of murders targeting NexG addicts? Doesn't seem like it."
“.
The more she talked, the stiffer the cat in the old man's arms became, and the expression on her face gradually became complicated and puzzled.
"The only certainty is that the murderer was extremely brutal."
Clarind held up two fingers and calmly winked goodbye to the old man and the cat:
"Hopefully we can find some more clues. Also, please stop sending people to help me; they'll just vomit on the ground."
"..." The brutal murderer watched her leave.
"...Ah, I forgot for a moment that she was a disciple of the Shadow Hunters." Myles stared blankly at her retreating figure.
The two girls left the old man behind and walked away from each other.
One was bright yellow, the other dark purple; one smiled at the survivors, the other collected the remains of the victims.
The only similarities are their young faces and their unwavering commitment to justice.
They are soulmates, natural partners.
"There's no stopping them; they're destined to become extraordinary people."
With a sigh, the old man gave up trying to dissuade him. He stroked the cat in his hands and smiled kindly.
“Young people all have their own paths to follow. It seems that I, this old guy left behind, can only raise cats and play with dogs. Come on, gentleman, let’s shake hands.”
"......"
The cat looked up, its golden vertical pupils staring blankly at him.
"Won't you?"
After thinking for a moment, Miles took an egg out of his pocket and touched the big cat's paw, saying, "Shake hands for a treat."
"...Slap."
The Maine Coon was oblivious to the egg; it merely gave Miles a high-five in a daze, its cat brain churning wildly amidst the old man's loving smile—
"!!!"
So, is murder such a serious crime in the human world?
The half-demon was dumbfounded.
*
Driven by a mindset he himself couldn't quite understand, Mainkuen ran away from the Rose of the Thorns' stronghold.
How strange, humans.
Mainkuhn randomly picked a roof and listlessly jumped onto it.
Murder is a terrible thing that is not allowed... This view seems to be common sense in human society.
but.
The big cat stood up, sniffed the rusty air of the gray river, and felt the demonic power surging within its body.
...Quite a few people have died here, haven't they?
The Grey River has experienced countless conflicts over the past four hundred years, and its blood has soaked into every inch of its land. The half-demon, smelling this, was once again plunged into confusion.
Is he planning to make a move secretly? My demonic power has gone too far out of control.
Mainkun pondered, his paw dangling from his mouth.
I don't understand why, I don't understand the reason.
"......"
Although I don't understand why what I did frightened Navia and the other good humans...
The cat's ears drooped limply.
I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry, but the next time I encounter an evil person harboring malice and committing evil deeds... I will still lose control of my demonic power.
"Fimini, you must stay at home. Something very bad is happening outside, it's not safe."
The cat twitched its ears and heard a human mother under the eaves, anxiously kissing her child's forehead and repeatedly warning:
"Don't open the door for anyone. It wouldn't be good if the murderer, cough, I mean, the big bad wolf, got in."
"Mmm..."
It's not the Big Bad Wolf.
The cat weakly retorted from the eaves of her house.
It's a big gray cat.
"Mother..."
It would have been better if I hadn't said anything, because the child was clearly frightened and clung to his mother's leg, refusing to let her leave.
"It's not safe. Does Mom have to go to work too?"
"Of course, Mom needs Mora to buy delicious things for Fimini, so she can't stay at home."
His mother thought he was scared and quickly comforted him:
"It's alright, as long as we don't open the door for the Big Bad Wolf, Fimini will be safe."
"Mimi—"
I would never knock on a human's door—
"But, but—"
The child stammered, his grip tightening even more.
"Let go, baby!"
The mother was in a hurry to get to work and didn't have time to listen to the child's explanation.
"But--"
Even the most patient mother is still human; three attempts at persuasion exhausted her patience.
"Let go! Fimini! I said it's alright!"
She forcefully slapped the child's small hand away, her emotions slightly out of control:
"You naughty child! Can't you behave for once! Mommy's going to be late!"
"But—I'm afraid Mommy will be hurt by the big bad wolf!"
The child could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
"Mommy, please don't go to work, okay? Fimini can skip meals, waaaah..."
It turns out that the childish fear was not for himself, but for his beloved family.
The crying wasn't because of pain or grievance, but because she knew that as a young child, she was powerless to stop her mother from stepping into the dangerous outside world.
".......!"
Mainkuhn sat up anxiously on the roof, his short tail swishing.
Finally, the cat heard a faint rustling sound of clothing, and the mother gave her sobbing child a hug.
"I'm sorry, baby."
Thump.
The sound of the door closing.
Mom is gone.
"Waaah..."
But her child was still crying.
......
No! Child!
I can't hurt your mother!
Mainkuhn couldn't bear to hear children cry. When those little ones cried, he felt pain in his neck, arms, and his whole body, as if he were being electrocuted—"Mommy, don't go! Help!"
But his mother walked briskly, farther and farther away, as if walking quickly could leave all the suffering behind, which made Mainkuen anxious and howl in despair:
"Meow!"
No! A person!
"Meow—"
Hold him a little longer and comfort him!
"Aww—"
I'm willing to go to work in your place—come and coax him!
...if your job allows for a cat to take over.
"Whoa...w-what's that sound?"
The howling didn't bring the mother back, but instead made the child's sobs grow closer.
Little Femini sobbed, tiptoeing, her hands gripping the windowsill, her tearful eyes straining upwards to meet the beast's vertical pupils.
"--ah!"
The short, startled scream made Mainkuhn's neck hair stand on end.
So big!
With tears in her eyes, Fimini couldn't help but open her mouth wide.
The cat shuddered as it looked at his front teeth.
Oh no! I'm going to be so scared I'll burst into tears!
Maine couldn't bear to see children cry, especially when the crying was because of her; it was an unbearable torment for her!
Fimini: "Help..."
Help? They're terrified!
—I need to think of a way to distract this kid!
Perhaps it was a flash of inspiration, or perhaps it was genuine talent, but the moment Little Femini uttered the first word, the cat suddenly stood up, its hind legs explosively pushing off the ground, its spine contracting, and its head tilting backward—
With his exceptional explosive power and body control, Mainkuhn completed a perfect backflip!
It didn't even use its tail.
"!!!"
Fimini stared, mouth agape, completely stunned.
"......"
Its front paws landed steadily, its face always calm and composed, but its vertical pupils were furtively peering at the child's face.
I saw people in brightly colored clothes on the street doing somersaults, and the children rushed over, shouting and laughing...
Sure enough, little Femini's blue eyes lit up, and she pressed her little hand, red from her mother's slap, against the glass, giving Maine a big smile:
"My savior! No, my savior cat!"
"You're amazing!"
......!
Wow.
Mainkun then noticed the little blond-haired creature.
She has such beautiful blue eyes.
My brother's eyes sometimes show such a beautiful blue.
"......"
Wait, there's one more thing.
Who is the cat that saved my life?
*
Mainkuhn forgot that he once saved a child, but little Femini did not.
Although it wasn't very clear in the water, its large body, long silver-gray fur, and black spots confirmed it was the big cat that saved me! There was no mistake!
"Mr. Cat, wait for me to open the window, don't go! Waaaaaahh ...
When Mainkun was pulled into the house by his front paws, he was completely stunned.
Kid, you certainly followed your mother's orders perfectly.
Don't open the door to strangers.
You open the window for the strange cat.
Incidentally, you also brought the murderer your mother feared most into the house.
*
Little Navia had no idea that she had already met the murderer, and had even praised his beautiful fur and pitied his broken tail.
"Ms. Nina, you must have seen what the murderer looks like! Why won't you tell us?"
"I...I..."
Nina stammered, and after being discovered by the Rose Society, she only hesitantly gave a route, and then refused to say anything more.
Goddess of Justice! She said nothing, and everyone thought it was just an ordinary domestic violence case, with a husband who hadn't learned his lesson driving his wife and child to the Rose Society for help or something. Heaven knows how many people were terrified when the door opened!
Eight unrecognizable corpses... Disgusting—
Little Navia didn't see the scene. Myles was keeping a close eye on her, but just thinking about it was enough to send chills down one's spine.
The murderer who committed such a heinous act must be utterly devoid of humanity! He must be apprehended as soon as possible to prevent further harm to the lives of others in Gray River.
Therefore, I will stop at nothing to achieve this.
“Ms. Nina, although it’s not good to talk about these things now.”
Little Navia had made up her mind. She took off her hat, revealing a sad expression.
"But I have to tell you some terrible news."
What?
Under the woman's anxious gaze, the blonde girl began to read the obituary:
“‘The one who killed these eight people was a lynx,’ but more than eight people died that night.”
"Before the bodies of the two Grey River residents, the same words were written in blood: 'The killer of these two men was a lynx.'"
Ah, I should have told her this terrible news when she calmed down.
But allowing the serial killer to continue roaming will only harm more residents of Grey River.
Navia lowered her eyes, avoiding looking at the woman's still-shaken face.
"Madam, I regret to inform you that one of the two deceased was named Marlowe, and he was your son."
"Madam, the murderer you are protecting killed your son. Are you still going to hide his appearance from the Rose Society?"
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