Combat Cat Maid !! Nicole

Chapter 72: City on the shore (Part 9)

The next day, after having thought of a way to fight, I went to the Adventurer’s Guild to get permission to do it.

Like the previous day, the employees of the Adventurer’s Guild were busy, and didn’t stop moving at all.

The fact that half of the jobs they did should have been done by the Commerce Guild was strange.

Even though Atora-san was the one giving orders, the Commerce Guild’s employees were also doing their jobs normally.

I found Atora-san, who seemed really busy, and talked to her.

"Nicole, why are you here?"

"I wanted to discuss something with you. If I may, I want to ask a favour from you."

"What would that be? If it’s Nicole’s request, I would do anything."

If I were a boy and heard this 『anything』, I would surely have a reaction.

While I was thinking about that, Atora-san approached.

Her big chest came close to my head.

Don’t put those big things in front of me, please.

I wasn’t jealous at all, okay!

"Is it okay if we go somewhere private?"

I looked around and asked that, so she led me to a room at the back of the guild.

"It’s a bit messy, but please sit."

There were mountains of documents.

Were they all related to her additional responsibilities?

It started yesterday, right? Was it possible that Atora-san didn’t sleep at all?

"So, what’s your request?"

"I was thinking about defeating the Kraken, so I just wanted to request a few things from you."

"…………"

Atora-san’s mouth opened wide.

"Are you for real?"

"I now have a reason to kill it, so…"

"And what is this reason? Is it worth enough to put your life on the line?"

"It’s not a significant reason. It’s just really personal."

I couldn’t really say that it was for the rice and soy sauce.

"Haa, so your request is “I want to defeat the Kraken, so help me, please”, right?"

"I will fight the Kraken alone, so don’t worry."

Atora-san approached me and put her hand on my forehead.

"You don’t seem to have a fever… You know, a Kraken is not something you can fight on your own. Just because you were able to fight the bandits, that doesn’t mean you can also fight the Kraken, you know."

Well, it was not a monster that you could fight alone in the game either.

"If I say ‘Trust me’, would that be enough?"

"I will just ask this. What are the chances of success?"

"If the Kraken appears at the place I want it to, I will defeat it."

Atora-san peered into my eyes for a long time, and then let out a little sigh.

"……I understand. So, what do I have to do?"

"On the path where the bandits appeared, there is a big cliff facing the sea, isn’t there?"

"Yes."

"I want to fight around there, so I don’t want anyone to approach it. Also, it will get dangerous on that day, so I would like for no one to go fishing."

"You will fight it there?"

"I don’t really know how big the Kraken is, but with a cliff like that, I think it will be okay."

"And how will you make the Kraken go there?"

I explained what I would use as a bait.

"I don’t know if it will work though."

"Fufufufu, that’s right. Nobody would ever think of baiting the Kraken, so no one has ever tried it, after all. But, even if you do manage to bait it, there is a possibility of it fleeing, isn’t there?"

"I don’t plan on letting it flee."

When it came to the cliff, it would be in my territory.

I would carve the fear of being hunted into this Kraken.

"Hmm, I understand. I will need three days. Also, could you give us a bit more wolf meat?"

Atora-san thought about it for a while before accepting my request.

The three days were meant to convince the fishermen to not bring out their boats. The wolves were meant to restock, because there were none left.

I left everything concerning the residents to Atora-san and went to the cliff for some preliminary investigations.

As confirmed yesterday, mistakes weren’t allowed when the Kraken appeared. If the Kraken didn’t appear, it wouldn’t be a problem. If it came and I failed, it wouldn’t be possible to bait and capture it with the same method ever again.

From what I remembered, the Kraken’s length could range between twenty to hundreds of meters.

Between the depths of the sea and the highest point of the cliff, there was more than enough space.

After that, there was just one thing left to do. Pray that it would go well.

—-

The next day, Atora-san came to the inn.

"Nicole, two days from now, all boats will stay in port. I will also forbid everyone from leaving the city."

"Hmm, this might be strange coming from me, who asked for this to happen, but aren’t you way too fast?"

I had made the request just yesterday. She had to explain everything to the residents, and persuading them should have taken even more time.

"I just had to convince the eldest and the most important person among the fishermen, and since the Adventurer’s Guild will be the one to take care of the cliff, there should be no problems."

"But this grampa, did he really willingly accept not going out to sea that day?"

In such a case, it would be more normal for a stubborn old man to decline it.

"Well, in this city, no one would refuse a request that comes from you."

"That’s just…"

"Well, you provided food, subjugated the bandits, and ended the oppression of the Commerce Guild. And now, you are also going to fight the Kraken for this city’s sake."

"Regarding the Commerce Guild, that was not…"

"We discovered those problems when you gave out food and subjugated the bandits. It was also thanks to Nicole, wasn’t it? That’s why this gramps happily agreed to prevent the boats from setting sail. He also gave me a message for you. 『Don’t do the impossible. We are grateful already, Cat Missy. I don’t know how you will defeat this monster, but if you need some help, don’t hesitate to ask.』. It’s really impressive that you could make that gramp say something like that, you know."

It was becoming harder and harder to admit that I was only fighting for the rice’s sake though…

The day of the fight came.

When I woke up, I looked outside my window.

It was a nice day to go and fight.

Having good weather was better than having rain, of course.

Since Atora-san had already made the preparations for the fight, I would be able do my best. I really couldn’t say something like ‘It is raining today, so I won’t do it’, so I was really happy that the weather was good.

"Missy, are you going somewhere today?"

"I will go and take a walk. Why do you ask?"

Deiga-san asked me, but I couldn’t really say that I was going to subjugate the Kraken like it was nothing, so I said that.

"A walk, huh… Missy, I will make you a good breakfast, so eat well before going, okay?"

"Your meals are always delicious, Deiga-san."

I told him how I really felt.

"Don’t make me cry!"

He sniffed, and I faintly saw tears in his eyes.

"I will prepare a meal and wait for you, so you have to come back!"

"Of course. I will be in your care for some more time, after all."

He worriedly repeated that I had to come back so many times that it almost became awkwardly troublesome before I left.

Was he worried about me not paying for my stay?

When I arrived at the entrance of the city, I saw some employees of the Adventurer’s Guild, Atora-san included.