Chapter 59

"However... the journey to Mirad Village is so far, how can we keep the things in this cave safe? We usually hunt around here and don't go too far. Moreover, this cave doesn't have a lockable door. It's possible that someone could come in and steal the materials we've hunted for these few days, meow..."

Suddenly thinking of this, Wendlung muttered to himself and became somewhat hesitant.

"Should I leave Catherine here and go to the village alone to find a merchant? That doesn't seem right. Although Catherine has become quite strong after this period of training, there shouldn't be any beasts around here that can threaten her... But if she, who lacks social experience, happens to meet a smooth-talking man and gets deceived, what should I do? That's unacceptable! I have an obligation to prevent an innocent girl from becoming a fallen woman, meow!"

Just as Wendlung was thinking this, Catherine suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. Cat, it's very easy to block the entrance to the cave so no one can get in."

"How? Meow?"

"Like this..."

At some point, Catherine had already moved a huge rock and with a "thud," she blocked the entire entrance to the cave.

"Uh... That's indeed... Not to mention a person, even a bear couldn't move it... meow." Looking at the massive rock that completely blocked the cave entrance, which was over four meters high and five meters wide, even Wendlung had to admit it.

"Good job, then let's head to Mirad Village together, meow!"

...

On the road to Mirad Village through the Shimeron Mountains, most of the people they encountered were going in the opposite direction.

Since it was early morning, most hunters had set out early to the hunting grounds and would return to Mirad Village before sunset. So when they saw Wendlung and Catherine, who seemed to be returning from outside, they looked surprised.

Of course, the surprise wasn't just that. Wendlung could vaguely hear people whispering.

"Oh, isn't this the woman who went missing during her promotion quest a while ago?"

"I heard the Hunter's Guild even sent people to search for her, but they couldn't find her and declared her missing..."

"So this woman has been in the hunting grounds with just an Ailou cat for nine days?"

"That's quite an achievement. Knowing how various monsters appear at night in the hunting grounds, she managed to survive..."

Hearing these comments, Wendlung disdainfully flicked his whiskers and thought, "Hmph, isn't that all thanks to me? And you rookies can't even handle Beaver Beasts and Blue Rathalos, only managing to take down stray Blue Rathalos and large boars, so of course you wouldn't dare spend the night in the hunting grounds... meow."

"As for the Hunter's Guild, it's a bit embarrassing. Because we didn't return to Mirad Village but went to the Valley of Dawn from the Hermit's Forest, it caused the Hunter's Guild to send people to search for us, which was a bit of a trouble... But the search funds were paid from the deposit we left when we took the quest, so it's like we prepaid for the rescue, so it's not too unreasonable... meow."

Thus, when Wendlung and Catherine returned to Mirad Village, they attracted a lot of attention from the villagers. Among them were some unfriendly gazes.

"Sure enough, as soon as we returned to Mirad Village, we were targeted..."

Realizing this, Wendlung changed his route and headed into a side alley.

"Eh? Mr. Cat... Isn't it the other way to go to Mr. Hessen's shop?" Catherine asked, puzzled by Wendlung's sudden change of direction.

"Stupid woman, just follow me. I want to take a detour... meow."

Hearing this, Catherine had no choice but to follow.

However, just as Wendlung and Catherine entered the alley, Wendlung sensed that someone else was following them.

"Sure enough, some annoying guys are following us... It must be those people..."

Since the alley was usually deserted, it was the perfect place for an ambush. Even if a fight broke out, it wouldn't be easily noticed.

Based on this reasoning, Wendlung was pretty sure about the identity of the people following them.

"It must be that white-haired kid and his stupid master... They sent people to tail us as soon as we returned, planning to ambush us in a deserted area? If that's the case, let's deal with them quickly..."

With this in mind, Wendlung chose a quiet alley he usually wouldn't take, aiming to lure the enemy into a trap. In Wendlung's view, it was better to resolve troublesome matters as soon as possible.

Sure enough, just as they reached a deserted spot, three masked men armed with weapons appeared in front of Wendlung, and at the same time, three more masked men appeared behind him. This group effectively blocked Wendlung and Catherine in the middle of the alley.

Moreover, looking at their weapons, Wendlung, who was very familiar with various weapons, immediately recognized that these were not the kind of weapons ordinary thugs would use, but hunter weapons! There were those with dual swords, one with a one-handed sword and a round shield, and even one with a light crossbow! It was a well-rounded lineup of close, mid, and long-range weapons.

"Six people...?" After carefully sensing the surroundings and finding no other ambush, Wendlung made this judgment. "These six people are all masked and armed with hunter weapons, so it's even more certain that it's the white-haired kid and that guy named Levi... meow."

"Mr. Cat, what should we do? We seem to be blocked..." Catherine said, somewhat nervously.

"Fear not, I'm here! Meow!" Wendlung said, drawing the dual swords from his back.

The reason Wendlung didn't act when he encountered the white-haired kid and Levi last time was mainly because Catherine was too weak at the time. Concerned about her safety, Wendlung refrained from taking action.

But now it's different. Wendlung was confident that even though Catherine lacked experience in fighting, the skills and reaction speed she had developed from hunting, combined with her extraordinary strength, were enough for self-defense. As long as Catherine could protect herself, Wendlung was confident he could handle the rest alone.