The Great Intellect (2)
In the end, the incident was closed with the bounty hunters successfully putting down Yuglerus.
Nei would be hounded by the security forces for a while, but that wasn't something I needed to concern myself with.
Once the operation in Lesert was over, I brought Sinel and the Sword Saint back to the office.
The chaotic battle was finished. Now it was time for a party of our own.
"Well then — a toast."
"You all worked hard!"
"Looks like it's going to be good."
Hiss. Steam curled up as the beer can cracked open.
Three cans of various drinks met in midair with a soft clink. After trading toasts with my colleagues, I took a long pull of canned beer and set it down in front of me.
As the alcohol settled into a body still coming down from combat, a pleasant heaviness began to spread through my limbs. Choosing, of your own free will, to stand at the edge of life and death turned out to be considerably more exhausting than I'd expected.
"You asked us our favorites, then ordered way more than I thought you would."
Across from me, the Sword Saint took a sip of her cocktail as she spoke. She wasn't wrong — the table was buried under delivery food of every kind, all of it ordered to match Sinel's and the Sword Saint's tastes. For three people, it did look like a lot. Her reaction was only natural.
But there was a reason I'd ordered this much.
"This much should about cover it."
"Is Percival going to eat a ton?"
"Look to your right."
The Sword Saint turned her head toward Sinel, who was seated beside her. On the Sword Saint's right, Sinel set a stripped chicken drumstick down in front of herself. She must have kicked off the meal with Haste running, because several bare bones were already rolling around on her side of the table.
"Is no one else eating?"
Meeting our eyes, Sinel picked up a french fry with a face full of genuine confusion. It wouldn't have been strange if a question mark had floated up over her head right then.
The Sword Saint watched her in bewilderment, then let out a sigh and reached for the food.
"…I think I'm starting to get it."
"That's the reason."
"So you eat light at lunch."
"Well — she's the type who can polish off a two-person set by herself."
I ran the numbers in my head on how much we'd spent on food over the past month. Ramen, cola, coffee, hamburgers — we'd bought all kinds of things, and some of those places hadn't been cheap. No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't a small sum.
But looking back over those meals, I realized enough time had passed that I could already calculate a full month of food expenses with Sinel. It was about time to give her a paycheck.
"Come to think of it, Sinel."
"Yes, boss?"
"Tomorrow's payday."
"…!"
Sinel's eyes went wide at the word. Had she grown so used to a life without money that she'd simply forgotten? She looked like someone only now remembering something long buried. It was time for her to put that impoverished lifestyle behind her.
I asked what she planned to do once she got paid.
"Once you get your paycheck, what are you going to do first?"
Sinel had been freeloading at the office because she had nowhere else to live. Pay off debts, or find a place of her own — I was sure that would be her answer. What came back was something else entirely.
"I need to go buy cat food first."
"…"
"I'll step out for a bit tomorrow."
Cat food, with her first paycheck. If it was for Blackie, there should still have been plenty left. An image of Sinel sharing feed with the strays in the back alleys flashed through my mind. I had a pretty good idea why she wanted more, but I asked her one more time anyway.
"I'm curious where you're planning to go."
"I'm going to share food with the cats."
"…Right."
A Sinel-like answer if there ever was one. A wry smile crept onto my lips before I could stop it. Maybe even after this paycheck, she'd keep freeloading at the office. Knowing the Sinel I knew, it wasn't hard to imagine.
"Hey, Percival."
"I'm listening."
"You're not giving me a paycheck?"
This time the Sword Saint, who had been watching our exchange, pointed at herself and asked. I looked at her quietly.
A paycheck. A paycheck, huh. Most businesses coordinated payday and paid everyone at once, so I understood the point of the question. I still didn't feel like giving her one.
"You haven't even been here a week."
"Ah…"
"Start working first."
"Got it. I was hoping a little, but as expected, my expectations never pan out."
It had only been a short while since I'd fixed her broken sword. She hadn't even covered the repair costs yet, and here she was already talking about a paycheck — pretty cheeky. The Sword Saint sighed and looked dejected.
I picked up a chicken drumstick from the table, faced her, and casually stuffed it into her slightly open mouth.
"This time, I'll give you a drumstick instead of a paycheck."
"Mmph — mmph…!"
"Enjoy."
Chew, chew. The Sword Saint's face flushed red as she protested around the drumstick. The chicken was large enough that her cheeks puffed out full. Unfortunately for her, with her mouth blocked by poultry, there was no way her words were going to reach me.
An alley in the sparsely populated District 7. There, a territory of countless teeming cats had taken root.
Why so many cats had gathered here, even the local residents couldn't say for certain. At some point it had simply become famous for them.
"This is a sacred place for cats."
"Is that so."
A legion of cats of every color carpeted the street. In their midst, Sinel stood with Blackie perched on her head, clutching a bag of cat food. Whether captivated by the animals surrounding her, her eyes sparkled as she looked at them. Considering her passion for Blackie, there was probably no place on earth happier for her than this.
"But why did you come along, boss?"
"Because I was worried."
Last night I had promised Sinel a short break. Intentionally or not, she had been guarding me nearly twenty-four hours a day until now — when I ate, when I went outside, even when I slept, she stuck firmly by my side. So today, I intended to let her move as she pleased.
"…I see. Well then, I suppose it can't be helped."
Why had I followed her, then? Because I was worried about being separated from her. Of course, that didn't mean I was worried about Sinel's safety. Naturally, I was worried that my own life would be threatened without her.
Whether she knew my true feelings or not, a faint smile played on her lips as she opened the bag of cat food.
"By the way, Sinel — what are you going to do if you lose Blackie here?"
"I trust Blackie."
"Hmm. Blackie doesn't seem to trust you."
As if to prove something, Sinel raised a finger toward the top of her head. Blackie swung a front paw and swatted the approaching hand away. Anyone could see it was a gesture of rejection. Sinel's interpretation was the exact opposite of mine.
"Blackie… just high-fived me."
"…"
"See? Blackie would never run away and leave me."
"Sure. Of course not."
What good would running away do, anyway? Sinel would just catch her with Haste. I was more worried about whether Blackie might get mixed up with the other black cats around and cause confusion. Fortunately, she seemed to have grown a little attached through everything that had happened, and didn't easily leave the top of Sinel's head.
What was unusual was that not only Blackie, but the surrounding cats as well, showed no fear of us.
Sinel flung the bag of cat food wide open and began stroking the animals with her gloved hands.
"The cats here are so gentle."
"They really are. Almost unnaturally so."
I wasn't the only one who felt something off. Just as that uneasy feeling settled over me and I started observing the cats around us, footsteps began to sound from around the corner of the alley.
Thud—. Thud—. Thud—.
Slow yet rhythmic footsteps. From beyond the corner, an old woman leaning on a cane came walking slowly into view. Despite advancing with both eyes closed, she approached in a straight line without bumping into anything.
"I kept feeling like someone was poking at my eyes, so I figured word must have gotten out somewhere."
The old woman approaching us spoke. From the very first word, what came out of her mouth was anything but ordinary. Someone was poking at her eyes — anyone would find that strange, so I couldn't help but ask.
"Did you just say 'eyes'?"
"When you draw close enough to the mysteries of the world, anyone can borrow the eyes of animals."
"Is it some kind of magic? Nothing comes to mind."
"For someone who calls himself a mage, even if it's a fake title… isn't your field of vision a bit too narrow?"
Her tone sounded like someone who had seen through the world. Her outward appearance carried the weight of years that would justify it. But what was more shocking was what she said next.
"By the way… you're a rather peculiar fellow."
"…What's peculiar about me?"
"The gap between your body and soul is far too severe… as if the two of them are misaligned."
Hearing the old woman's answer, I closed my mouth.