Chapter 20

Well, the leader has become a star in the sky, but this means we can't ask him about the location of the safe.

However, talking to him any further would have been futile, and actually, I learned something from my conversation with the leader just now.

It was this—

"I've been watching this spot the whole time."

—Right in the center of the pile of rubble.

Every time the word "safe" was mentioned, his eyes would definitely go there.

When the topic came up, he would talk over my words with great enthusiasm, and his voice would get louder.

I think he was trying to divert attention by deliberately calling me bad or mocking me, so as not to let on that he knew about the safe.

"Totally obvious."

The eyes speak louder than words.

In gathering information, words are important, but so are non-verbal cues like facial expressions, eye movements, and trembling hands. The leader was very easy to read.

So, here we go.

"Is this it?"

I moved the rubble that had been shattered by the [Cat's Claw] with ease.

Soon, the wooden floor was visible, and at first glance, it didn't seem different from the surrounding floor—

Knock knock

When I tapped it lightly, it made a hollow sound, different from the other parts.

There's definitely a space here.

Looking closely, it seemed like a storage area in the kitchen, with the floorboard lifting up in a square.

I inserted my claw into the gap and lifted it easily, and the floorboard came off.

What appeared was a dark, open space.

If this were a game, it would be like checking each square and getting a status update like "There seems to be something here" when you reach a point.

In a game, you'd have to tap-tap, but in reality, observation is key.

Nodding in understanding, I used the ladder to go down.

I could jump down with the [Hare's Boots], but I didn't know what the ground was like, so I decided to be cautious.

The distance I descended was about 1 meter, and I quickly reached the bottom.

"It's dark."

I put both feet down and looked around, but it was pitch black without any light.

A normal person wouldn't be able to see anything.

"There's a lot of food."

I could see that there were shelves in the dark room, and they were lined with food.

The space was about 6 tatami mats in size. Surprisingly large.

"...Cat's eyes, pretty convenient."

I can see in the dark because of the [Cat's Hand Gloves], which turn my eyes into [Cat's Eyes].

Do real cats see this well? I looked around curiously.

But I didn't expect [Cat's Eyes] to be so useful.

In the game, there's an item called [Fairy Lantern] that illuminates the dark, and it was easier to use. If the item level was high, you could use it before entering a dungeon and it would stay bright until the end.

Of course, I could use it now, but if I used [Fairy Lantern] in reality, everyone would benefit from the light, not just me.

That would make it easier to be noticed, and I'm currently on a stealth mission.

"Suspicious... suspicious..."

The shelves were lined with canned goods and dried foods, typical of items stored for long-term preservation.

But that's what makes it suspicious.

If it were a food storage area, the entrance would be in a place where people could easily enter and exit. But the entrance here was hidden under a regular-looking floorboard.

There's definitely something here.

With this certainty, I moved further into the basement. Then—

"Here it is."

On the lower shelf of a simple wooden rack.

There were paper bags of flour lined up.

At first glance, they looked normal. But I could see a black or silver object in the back.

I moved the bags of flour with ease.

Each bag probably weighed about 30 kg. Without the [Cat's Hand Gloves], I wouldn't have been able to move them.

When I was trying to move the [Recovery Potion] and [Fertilizer], I wouldn't have failed if I had the [Cat's Hand Gloves].

...But I can't wear the [Cat's Hand Gloves] in front of my parents. I'd turn into a cat.

It's perfect for disguises, but not for everyday use. Yeah.

While thinking about this, I moved all the large bags of flour to the side.

When I moved the bags, I saw that the back wall was indented, and a black rectangular object was fitted into it.

It was—

"Found the safe."

The safe had a silver handle and a dial lock.

You know, the type where you turn it right to 5, left to 20, and so on.

To open the lock, you need a combination.

Of course, I don't know it. The leader is a star in the sky.

But don't worry! I have the [Cat's Hand Gloves]!

"Unlock!"

I brought the claw of my right hand close to the silver handle.

This is the [Unlock] effect I added through repeated synthesis.

Click

A dry sound, and the lock opened.

When I opened the safe, it was filled with a large number of documents.

"Deeds, deeds, ... more deeds."

I took them out one by one and checked them.

There were a lot of promissory notes, but that's not what I was looking for.

There must be something more important.

So, without giving up, I checked each document I took out from the safe—

"...Found it."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

There it was. It was definitely there.

In my hand was a document that proved the misdeeds of the mayor, Schultem.

—The secret ledger.

I don't know the details, but I think it's probably about falsifying financial statements or embezzlement.

There was also something that looked like human trafficking.

If my mother had been caught by the debt collectors, her name would have been on the copy of the human trafficking contract.

For now, I gathered all the suspicious documents in my arms and returned to the entrance of the basement.

Unlike when I came in, my hands were full, so I couldn't use the ladder.

So, I decided to use the power of the [Hare's Boots].

"Jump!"

I looked at the entrance in the ceiling of the basement and kicked off the floor.

The entrance wasn't very large, so I didn't want to hit my head if I miscalculated, but as expected, I managed to escape through the entrance.

"---Phew!"

Oops...! Maybe I jumped too high...

I flew higher than I expected.

I only needed to land on the first floor, but I ended up back on the second floor.

The momentum increased the air pressure, and some of the documents in my arms started to slip out.

Distracted by the papers fluttering down, I reached out.

This caused my posture to become unstable in mid-air—

"Danger—!"

A beautiful, bell-like voice rang out.

Someone's here!? I was surprised and looked down to see a girl with shiny golden hair and vivid blue eyes...

"Over here!"

While my posture was off, I was floating down.

The girl caught me firmly.