Chapter 77

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 77

Chapter Title: The Grandis Cat's Meow

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Nyahaaaaang?!

-Nyaah~

The Grandis cat was strolling leisurely through the midst of the rampaging abandoned familiars, all by herself.

Unlike the other frenzied abandoned familiars, this one seemed perfectly calm and composed on her own.

"No way?"

It was an absurd thought, but that voice just now...

I quickly snapped a photo of the scene and posted it to the gallery.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Just take out that cat, huh.

They were focusing suppression around Harisha, but hadn't found a solid solution yet.

Slaughtering them all would work, but the Abandoned Familiars Club president was dead set against it.

Which was letting the damage pile up.

Should I go tell them to prioritize killing just that cat?

Excuses for how I know can wait—suppressing the situation comes first.

But something made me hesitate.

Even Grandis was still young and easy to kill, but... it felt like a waste, somehow.

Of course, taming Grandis was impossible. And yeah, she needed to be punished for causing this mess.

But let's ask one more time if there's another way.

If not, then we'll have to kill her.

No other way, huh. Guess it's unavoidable.

"Hold on, President!"

I raised my hand and bolted toward Harisha as I slipped out from under control.

But with so many evacuating and student council blocking access, it wasn't easy to push through.

I was about to yell that killing just the cat would fix it,

But then a frantic late comment stopped me dead.

Furrylike, showing up late—probably mid-furry antics.

Her comment was shaking wildly, maybe familiars interfering.

The comments were blowing up.

Gallery folks saying just kill the beast already, what's the problem?

Versus Furrylike insisting hard on a non-lethal solution.

I had no idea what her method was.

But looking at the chaos, we couldn't wait long.

"Deploy!"

At that moment, the deployed mages successfully raised a massive barrier.

The beasts trapped inside couldn't wreck the outside anymore.

But the debate on killing the abandoned familiars was still unresolved.

At least the situation was contained for now.

But the aftermath was an issue too—they were still rampaging inside.

I shoved past the student council blocking me and got close to the scene.

Near the barrier, Harisha, a few professors, and the Abandoned Familiars Club president were arguing heatedly.

"Why not use a mass sleep spell on the kids?"

The president was still against killing the familiars.

Not for nothing—she had an overwhelming love for the "kids."

But to regular folks, humans came before familiars.

"You know putting them to sleep takes more effort than killing, right, President? You gonna cast that mass spell yourself?"

"Th-that's..."

Harisha was ice-cold, unlike when she was with me.

With manpower thin at this hour, yeah.

Killing the cat seemed quickest.

Then we could save the others.

"I've got a way—"

I squeezed in and shouted,

"—Hold up, kids!"

A panting, furry guy dashed in from somewhere, cutting me off.

Looked like the Abandoned Familiars volunteer club's supervising professor.

"Professor! We have to save the kids! Killing them all is insane! Even if we use every anesthetic in the clubroom, we should put them to sleep first..."

"No, President. That's not it. I've got a method. On my way here, it looked like the kids are being manipulated by something. Some kind of mental control."

"...Pardon?"

"There was one familiar in the midst, not rampaging, mind intact. A young beast with vast power—she's likely the cause."

Oh, not a scrub professor for nothing.

He hadn't pegged her as Grandis, but he'd zeroed in on the culprit fast enough.

"No clue how she has that power, but handle her and we're good."

"Then..."

"Yeah. Save the others, but kill that one. Can't leave the kids out all night."

"...Yes. Got it."

Kill one familiar, spare the rest.

The president looked heartbroken but didn't protest further.

Consensus reached: kill Grandis.

Great, came all this way for nothing.

Anyway, seemed sorted. I opened the gallery again.

Furrylike's belated solution post.

Pet her if you can reach—easy peasy.

Problem: breaching the beast horde.

And folks had already decided on killing Grandis.

"Clear a path! It's heartbreaking, but grit your teeth and take out that one kid, President!"

"Hng... Yes... Understood...! Wish I could euthanize her at least, sorry!!"

The Abandoned Familiars club's supervising professor and president were tearfully prepping to off the cat.

Student council and other mages cracking the barrier partially,

calculating attack routes on the cat.

Couldn't see the cat's state from here.

Trapped in the barrier, apparently.

"...What now."

She'd die like this.

If she was overexerting as Furrylike said, no further destruction—just a kid's tantrum.

Suddenly felt like it.

'Plowing through that gap's definitely risky.'

Mages finished prepping to open the barrier just enough for a cat-only strike.

Probably end it with guided magic.

Oh well, no choice.

She did cause the rampage, fact.

Could shout to fetch and pet her instead.

But that risky job means more work.

Clear path, subdue blocking beasts non-lethally—exhausting.

And who'd volunteer for the danger?

All resolvable with one cat sacrifice.

Debatable if sacrifice—she's the cause.

I got Furrylike's sentiment, but...

Frankly, leaned toward the other gallery comments.

Not like I adored kids sickeningly like Hisenna or the club president.

This solution felt rational.

That's what I thought.

"Now!"

"Sorry for killing you!!"

Prep done, the furry supervising professor cast his spell.

Ending it with his own hands.

Tears streamed down his face as he chanted.

And through the opened barrier gap, I glimpsed it.

Amid big and small beasts, the tiniest one huddled, trembling.

The cat, clueless, curled up and glanced around wildly.

Barrier up suddenly, humans outside plotting her death—oblivious.

Just terrified.

Then, I felt something was wrong.

Who was I to judge if it's hard or not?

That furry prof was breaking down over one cat.

If it meant risking it, he'd dive in and save her.

Tell him Furrylike's method, he'd fetch and fix it.

No deaths, problem solved.

And maybe that cat was just defending herself.

We labeled her bad for rampaging from our view.

From hers: clueless, caged, lashing out to survive.

Would a true villain tremble with that pitiful look?

And above all... I hated it.

Death. Sacrifice. Those words.

She wasn't precious to me.

But creating loss... wasn't right. I knew it.

Silly to agonize over one cat,

but

Furrylike's desperate plea, maybe.

Doing this much for some unknown cat from another world.

Back to reality,

my body was already moving.

"No!"

I charged the furry professor, body-checking him.

"Gahk!"

"Ian, underclassman! What the—"

The furry prof crumpled mid-cast.

Harisha and the crowd freaked.

But I didn't stop.

Yanked the broom off my back, hopped on.

Blasted max speed into the barrier gap like a bullet.

-Kyoooook!

-Byurip! Byurip-byurip!

-Kiyaaaak!

Frenzied beasts' shrieks rang in my ears.

Familiar attacks grazed me.

Luckily no fatal hits—dodged while flying somehow.

Reached Grandis cat in a flash.

Grabbed her scruff, shot upward.

"Kyaaak?!"

Suddenly scruffed, the cat flailed.

But I didn't let go—pulled her into my arms instead.

Up in the air, but not done.

Some familiars could fly, swarming above too.

Barrier was a dome, ceiling sealed.

To exit, back through the gap—but no confidence.

Instead, flipped the cat in my arms belly-up.

Dodged flying familiars' attacks, checked her belly.

"...There!"

As Furrylike said—a bulging, glowing spot under her belly.

Lower than expected. Near the privates. Huh, she's female.

Anyway, rub here.

I started stroking her essence.

"Nya, nyahaaang!?"