Snatching a Barbarian. Cat (2)
“Yeah, yeah. Frea, right? Alright, back off. Come on, get away. Get away.”
“Nya nya nyak…! I don’t want to!”
“Back off, you damn crow!”
Whoosh—!
Insane little cat. If she’s wearing clothes, she must be a mage, but why is she so strong?
Barca was panicking as Frea clung to his pants and rubbed her head against him, but passersby started whispering.
“What is that…? What is the Barbarian trying to do by force?”
“Is he trying to sell her as a slave? Should we call the guards…?”
No way.
His face had already been reported to the guards twice, so he had to avoid that at all costs!
His pants were getting damp, and the stares from the people whispering around him grew colder and colder.
If this continued for even a little longer, he was done for.
His heart was screaming madly inside, more dangerous than when Molkan had threatened him…!
He had to do something about this cat right now!
“Okay, Frea! Let’s head to the inn where I am!”
“Nya nyak…? Nya!”
Ah, this beast.
Dragging Frea, who didn’t even speak properly, Barca ran toward the inn.
The people who saw him running and muttering while looking for guards… well, that was a secret.
***
“You think this is a stray cat shelter?”
As soon as he entered the inn, Luna placed her hand on her forehead.
Wait, but this time it wasn’t his fault, was it?
He hadn’t wanted to bring this guy along, you know?
And look at the mess this place is. Is this really a stray cat shelter?
The cats scattered around were sprawled everywhere, even claiming tables as their own.
At Barca’s words, Luna let out a light snort and looked at Frea rubbing her head against his thigh.
“So, why did you bring this cat beastfolk again? Kidnapping is a serious crime, you know.”
“Insane mage girl. Why did I kidnap someone multiple times?”
“Shut up. So, what is this woman exactly? Why is she rubbing against you?”
“I was wondering that too.”
Completely ignoring the stares of the people around, Frea was sticking to Barca with all her might.
If he tried to pull her off…
“Nya nya nya nya nyak!!!”
She was even digging her claws into his body while refusing to let go.
If he weren’t a Barbarian, his flesh would have come off, right?
Luna, who confirmed that, looked at him with eyes full of surprise.
“Completely hooked. Did you sprinkle catnip all over the dungeon?”
“Catnip in the dungeon? Crazy woman.”
“It’s there?”
“It’s there!? Why would there be catnip in the dungeon?”
“It’s popular among pet owners, and adventurers even take requests for it? That’s pretty profitable, isn’t it? High-quality catnip is one gold coin per gram.”
Insane, insane, insane.
There was such sweet honey?
He would have to ask Luna later what catnip looked like.
“But if it’s not catnip, then why is this woman so attached to you?”
“I want to know that too.”
“Huuu…”
This guy seemed oddly fond of animals… Could that be why Mary was involved too?
Luna muttered something while watching Barca and Frea’s scuffle, but he couldn’t hear it clearly.
Wait, it wasn’t that he couldn’t hear it.
The problem was…!
“Nya~!”
“Tail down! Stop petting her butt, you crazy cat girl!”
What kind of girl was this?
Barca tried to do something about the endless teasing, but…
“Haaak!!!”
Now she was even biting.
Haha, I’m going crazy, really.
He wanted to just kick her legs and drop this girl, but a Barbarian’s reputation wouldn’t allow such behavior.
If he had done that, he would have been dragged away by the guards and made a laughingstock…
He couldn’t stand that…!
“Barca-nim?”
And just then, a savior arrived to rescue him.
“Miss Mary!?”
Yeah, Miss Mary.
She was wearing her uniform because she had been working when she was called.
When she saw Barca and Frea, she frowned. She must have been irritated after being suddenly summoned while working.
“Sorry, Miss Mary… I called you because of me?”
“Haa… Yes. I heard rumors that a Barbarian was trying to kidnap a cat beastfolk in the village, so I came just in case. What is going on here?”
“It’s like this…”
Hmm.
After listening to Barca’s short explanation, Mary nodded as if she understood.
Oh, there was a way!?
The only person he could rely on was still Mary…!
With eyes full of expectation, he looked at Mary, and she strode over.
Then she raised her hand high.
Smack—!!!!
“Nya~!”
She slapped Frea’s head.
***
Even after that, Mary continued to slap Frea’s head.
While Frea was being beaten, she wagged her tail and moved her head to dodge Mary’s attacks.
But that was easily read, and every attempt to interfere was easily pierced through, and finally Mary’s palm landed perfectly on Frea’s head.
Because the attack was so accurate, it was so perfect that Mary might as well have been an explorer. Eventually, Frea fell off Barca’s leg.
“It hurts nya…! It hurts nya…!”
Frea was holding her head in pain, so Mary reached out to her.
“Hya!?”
There had been times when Frea, hit multiple times, had reached out in surprise and touched the ceiling, but in the end, Mary calmed her down.
“So, who are you?”
“Nya… Nya~… Nya is Frea nya…”
“Frea-ssi. Nice to meet you. I am Mary, a staff member of the Exploration Office.”
As Mary bowed her head in greeting, Frea awkwardly lowered her head and returned the greeting.
She seemed unfamiliar with etiquette or anything like that.
“Hey, this cat beastfolk seems wilder than you.”
Did that mean he was barbaric?
Luna shrugged at his words.
Damn girl.
While Barca and Luna were still bickering, Mary continued talking to Frea while looking into her eyes.
“Then, Frea-ssi, why did you stick to Barca-nim?”
“Nya… Good scent.”
“Good scent…?”
“Nya, nya~…”
“What exactly is that good scent? Miss Mary, does good scent come from me?”
Since she was a beastfolk like him, he thought she might know something, so he pushed his neck toward her, but Mary wrinkled her nose and stepped back.
“Hey, don’t come closer saying I smell.”
“No…”
So, did he smell?
She tried to sniff the scent from his body, but there was no scent at all?
But Mary still didn’t approach with a wrinkled nose.
If you make that face, you’ll get hurt a lot, Mary.
“Nya. Barca, good person’s scent comes out nya.”
“Huuu…! I am a pretty good person!”
“Bullshit.”
Luna said something from the side, but jealousy wasn’t good.
At Barca’s answer, Luna raised her middle finger again.
Ah, this girl used the information I gave her immediately.
Just as Barca raised his middle finger for the second round of Barbarian vs Mage rivalry, Mary stepped in.
“Then, Frea-ssi, judging by your outfit, you are an explorer, right?”
“Nya nya. That’s right nya! I am Floor 5 nya! If I catch just the Hobgoblin this time, I can go to Floor 6 nya!”
“Floor 5… Barca-nim is currently looking for party members, right? From what I see, you seem to be alone, so it looks like you don’t have a party.”
What…!?
Party, you say!?
He could get party members without paying!?
Shocked by Mary’s unbelievable words, he poured all his attention into waiting for Frea’s answer.
Then Frea, looking troubled, just wagged her tail vigorously without answering.
Gluck…!
Time passed like ten minutes in one second.
After a long deliberation, Frea opened her mouth.
“I like it nya! Barca, the Barbarian is strong nya! And since I stuck to you without doing anything weird, I am a gentleman Barbarian nya!”
“Puh, puhuk…! Gentleman, Barca is a gentleman…”
“Well done. Congratulations, Barca-nim. You have your first party member.”
Luna mocked him from the side, and Mary congratulated him too.
Barca said nothing.
How to express the joy bubbling inside?
The answer was one.
“Wooaaah——!!!!”
“Nya~——!!”
“Kya~——!!!”
“The Barbarian went crazy!!!!”
The roar of joy bubbling inside triggered Luna’s anger.
As a result, he ended up hanging upside down in the center of the inn.
That night, rumors spread through Aurelia that a perverted Barbarian who liked hanging existed.
***
“Hoo, huu…”
“You like it that much?”
“Of course I do! I got my first party member! Netia will join someday, but not now! So, Frea is my first party member! I got a party member without paying!”
“Yeah yeah, I’m glad you’re happy. But our Barbarian guest, if you yell again and scare the cats, I’ll really kill you?”
Barca nodded in fright at Luna’s angry words.
Real killing intent was swirling in her eyes.
But she was more concerned about the cats than the guests.
Thinking that it was indeed a stray cat shelter, Frea, who had woken up after sleeping for a day, came down staggering.
“U nya~…”
“Hey, Frea! Did you sleep well!”
“Nya~…? I slept well, nya… Barca, why are you in such a good mood from the morning…?”
“Because I got a party member! Let’s go, Frea! Let’s go to the dungeon to check my skills!”
“Nya~…. I understand nya…. Instead, can you lower your voice a little…? My head is ringing nya.”
“Hahaha! I understand! Then let’s go, Frea!”
Dragging the still sleepy Frea, they headed to the Exploration Office.
Since it was still early dawn, the office was empty except for the staff.
Thanks to that, they could quickly finish the party application…!
“Hoo, huu…! Party success…”
It was long…!
It was an incredibly long time…!
For nearly two months, there had been no proper party, and finally he had gotten a party member…!
He wanted to express this joy right away, but since he had already been scolded by Luna yesterday, he endured it somehow.
“Ah, by the way, Frea. Your job is mage, right?”
“U nya? No nya.”
…No?
Then why are you wearing a mage robe and hat…?
Barca’s mouth went dry from the shock, and Frea smiled brightly and spoke.
“Nya is a thief nya. Please take care of me from now on nya.”
“Th-then why such clothes…?”
“Nya? It’s natural because it’s pretty, nya?”
“Kki…”
“Kki? What is that?”
“Kki~——!!!!”
Barbarian shock!
Afterward, the guards who ran over at the terrifying scream subdued him with a face like a munch.