25 Divine Cat Mii-chan loses to a village kid in terms of physical strength.

Before I knew it, the first light of dawn was beginning to appear.

With the goblins gone, I collapsed in relief. If the goblins came back now, it would be bad news.

“Can you stand, Neiro?”

“I-I can’t, my legs have given out…”

“Hey! Someone help him!”

Farlen called over some fellow hunters.

“What? You’ve lost your legs? Oh man.”

“Please at least praise me for not chickening out.”

“Well, I suppose so. Good job! Hahaha!”

Once inside the barricade, Mii jumped on me and started rubbing and licking me. Even though the goblin attack had just ended, it was a soothing gesture. I welcomed it.

“Mii~”

I petted the girl who was holding Mii, and she smiled widely before running back to her mother. I was really glad to see her smile.

As full daylight arrived, the village women started preparing food, and the men began repairing the gate.

While I was playing with Mii, Farlen came over. He mentioned that the village suffered losses: five members of the guard were killed, and there were many injured, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

“I know it’s a breach of etiquette, but I’d like to know what that dagger and the last item were.”

“If you promise to keep it a secret, I’ll tell you.”

“I promise. I won’t tell anyone.”

“The dagger is an AF (Artifact). The last item is Mii’s toy.”

“AF and a toy…”

I handed Farlen the dagger and the cat toy. Mii, seeing the toy, turned into a beckoning cat in my arms. Please be patient; this isn’t playtime.

“Mii…”

After examining them carefully, Farlen returned them.

“I understand the AF, but why use a toy…?”

“It didn’t really matter what it was, as long as it drew attention. Also, it emits light when used this way.”

I held Mii securely and demonstrated the laser pointer. I hoped Mii would stay still…

“I see, so that’s why you targeted his eyes…”

Unless someone has appraisal skills, they wouldn’t be able to understand the effects of the cat toy. Feel free to look all you want, but I’m not giving it away.

“There’s no departure today. We’ll be heading out tomorrow morning. You should rest up.”

With that, Farlen went back. It was expected. I definitely want to rest.

It seemed the food was ready, and they began distributing it to everyone. I got in line with a plate, but I could hardly taste the food. I was half asleep… Mii was full of energy, finishing her cat food and sipping on the mineral water.

I decided to head back to the tent and sleep. My eyelids felt so heavy… As I was heading back, the girl who had been holding Mii and a few other village children came running towards me. I wondered what was going on.

“Kitty…”

They seemed to want to play with Mii. What should we do, Mii?

“Mii~”

“Please don’t do anything that Mii doesn’t like.”

The girls nodded enthusiastically, so I handed them the cat toy. I guess they’ll figure out how to use it…

I fought the urge to collapse into the tent and managed to take off my gear before falling into a deep sleep.

I don’t know how long I slept, but the outside was getting noisy.

When I stepped out of the tent and headed towards the center of the village, I saw a large group of unfamiliar hunters. It seemed reinforcements from Quart had arrived.

“Well, well, kid, you’re still alive?”

It’s Gais… What a way to put it.

“Yep, I’m perfectly fine, as you can see.”

“Pamir kept pestering me to check on your safety. Well, as long as you’re alive, that’s what matters.”

I think this person being the head of the Hunter Guild might be a bit off.

Hmm? Mii is wobbling towards me from the distance and suddenly collapses in front of me… What’s wrong, Mii?

“Mii…”

The children came over, petted Mii’s head, and then ran off somewhere. The girl who had been holding Mii returned the cat toy to me. After petting Mii, she ran back to join the others.

It seems even Mii couldn’t keep up with the children’s energy. I poured some mineral water into a dish for Mii. Her drinking seemed unusually weak. Her fur is also quite dirty, so I’ll need to give her a bath later.

After drinking the mineral water, Mii seemed to calm down and showed a cute yawn. She hasn’t slept much either. I’ll let her rest in the tent.

After putting Mii to sleep in the tent, I headed back to the village center to check on the situation. When I arrived, I found Zeph and decided to ask him about it.

“Thank you for your hard work last night. I heard you were quite active.”

“Active? I think I was just struggling to survive.”

“Even so, without you, Neiro, we wouldn’t have been able to defeat the Goblin Leader.”

“It was just luck.”

“That may be true, but it’s important to value that luck.”

Indeed, for someone like me with limited abilities, relying on luck is sometimes necessary to survive. Luck is important. Yes.

“We’ve managed to replenish the potions, so we’ll depart as planned tomorrow morning. The hunters from Quart should be able to handle things here without issue. Also, the village chief has entrusted me with the payment for the potions you provided.”

Zeph handed me a small pouch.

“Please use this for the village’s recovery efforts. It wasn’t a significant amount of potions, so don’t worry about it.”

“I understand. I’ll pass on the message. Also, remember to collect your reward from the Hunter Guild once we return. It might feel awkward to mention it to the staff, though.”

The reward is for acquiring a large number of cores and for assisting with the village’s defense. It seems goblins are processed into fertilizer or feed after the cores are removed. They mentioned that nothing goes to waste…

There’s still some time before dinner. I’ll head back to Mii and rest a bit more.

There are still tasks to be done.