Chapter 3: Little Cat-Eared Girl

After finishing his meal, Field rented a room. As a newcomer, he didn't have a permanent residence yet, so he had to stay temporarily at the mercenary tavern. The cleanliness of such places was quite random and depended on whether the owner cared about it. Obviously, Evelyn was quite meticulous and made sure to clean regularly, so the rooms didn't have any strange smells.

Field stored his belongings in the room and took some equipment that might be needed for the task. Then, he headed out. This task was relatively simple—it was an escort mission. Similar to escorting a nuclear bomb in his previous life, but this time, they were escorting a cart of magical potions to the Hades Magic Academy in Grila City, which was 135 kilometers away.

The employer was the owner of a magic potion shop. It was said that this batch of magic potions was quite expensive, so the pay was high, a whopping 1,500 gold coins. After Evelyn, the middleman, deducted her commission and some security deposit, Field was left with about 1,200 gold coins.

Due to the high value of the cargo and the frequent robbery incidents near Hades, typically, such missions required a large team for escort. Evelyn also suggested that Field find a few people to accompany him on the mission. However, Field declined because he didn't want to split the earnings with others. With such a large appetite, he wanted to swallow the entire 1,200 gold coins himself.

Evelyn didn't try to persuade him further. After all, mercenaries were like that—if they weren't greedy, they wouldn't be mercenaries. However, having a big appetite also required corresponding strength; otherwise, whether one could handle it was still a question. She wanted to see if Field could complete the task alone. If he failed, she would lose some credibility. But if he succeeded, she would gain a formidable ally, giving her the capital to undertake more advanced tasks.

It was like gambling—people in Hades loved to gamble.

The convoy departed in the afternoon, and when Field arrived at the city gate, the convoy was ready. The convoy had its own escort team, but with only five people, they needed additional manpower. When they saw that Field was the only one who showed up, the leader of the convoy's escort team was taken aback.

"Just you?" he asked.

"Just me, and that's all you need," Field grinned.

Wow, was he really that confident?

The leader of the escort team, Geof, looked Field up and down with a skeptical gaze, clearly not trusting Field's abilities. However, Field's advantage as a big guy became evident at this moment. Geof thought that with Field's physique, he couldn't be a complete rookie. Moreover, although robbery incidents were frequent near Hades, Field had chosen a longer but safer route. That route was newly opened, with imperial patrols passing by, making it unattractive to bandits. So, there probably wouldn't be any trouble along the way.

Earlier, Geof had advised the owner of the magic potion shop that they didn't need to add extra manpower; their escort team was enough. However, because this batch of potions was quite valuable, the owner was worried and insisted on adding more people.

So, with or without Field, Geof felt that it didn't make much of a difference; he just thought the owner was wasting money.

"Alright then, let's get going," he said.

The convoy set off, following the road towards Grila City. Field leisurely trailed behind on one of the wagons. The wagon was pulled by a tamed magical beast called a pack beast. These creatures were strong and gentle, perfect for pulling carts.

Geof, the leader of the escort team, remained vigilant, holding his longsword and shield, sitting at the front of the convoy, keeping watch on all sides. He appeared very dedicated to his duty.

Field, on the other hand, sat by the cargo of the second wagon, leaning against it, yawning. The area within a thirty-mile radius of Hades was a protected zone, with regular patrols by stationed troops, so the first thirty miles were quite safe. Field decided to take a nap since he hadn't rested much on his journey to Hades. 

But someone wouldn't let him rest.

"What's your name, meow?" came a crisp voice.

Field opened his eyes and looked up to see a petite figure crouching on the cargo. Standing at just over five feet tall, she had two furry cat ears on top of her head, and behind her, a long fluffy cat tail swayed unconsciously.

Field immediately recognized her as a sub-branch of the Orcs, the Cat Tribe. In this world, except for the Orc Empire, Orcs generally didn't hold high status in other places.

The little cat-eared girl was just... unbelievably cute!

With chestnut-colored short hair, slim-fitting light armor, a small dagger at her waist, bright big eyes, and fair, delicate skin, she appeared to be a lively and wild cat girl.

Field thought to himself, this girl was so damn cute!

He replied, "I'm Field."

"Strange name, meow," the cat-eared girl tilted her head, then revealed her sharp little fangs as she smiled and said, "I'm called Qiqi!"

Field couldn't help but laugh at this adorable little girl. She even had a cute little suffix to her speech.

Before Field could continue the conversation, Qiqi found her own topic.

"I'm the scout for our team, and I'll be going on reconnaissance later, meow."

"That big guy up front is our captain, named Geof. He's a formidable shield swordsman, meow."

"Those two are the Warrenwater brothers, both swordsmen, meow."

"That one is Martina, a very accurate archer, meow."

"What's your profession, meow?"

Field thought for a moment and said, "I'm a warrior-type mage."

"?" Qiqi looked puzzled. "What's that, meow?"

"It means I fight like a warrior but with magic," Field explained.

"So, you're just hitting people with a magic stick, meow?" Qiqi teased, waving her arms.

"Haha, you could say that," Field nodded, picking up the iron hammer beside him. "This is my magic wand."

"I call her Angel."

"Because she can send people to heaven."

"Hahaha!" Qiqi's sense of humor was a bit low, as she laughed, clutching her stomach and rolling on the cargo.

Her laughter was crisp, and with her lively antics, Field found himself no longer feeling sleepy. This was also the benefit of having the body of a giant—he had abundant energy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to travel two thousand kilometers in half a month to get here.

"Big guy, you're quite interesting, meow," Qiqi said after laughing. "I thought you'd be as dumb as those big guys with skin as hard as rocks... meow!"

As she spoke, a small bird flew by. Qiqi's ears immediately perked up, and with a burst of effort, she leaped several meters high like a cat. However, the bird reacted quickly, and with a sharp turn, Qiqi only managed to grab a few feathers.

Lightly landing back on the cargo, Qiqi expressed some regret. "It got away, meow..."

Field watched the little cat-eared girl and suddenly had an idea to tease her. He caught the feathers that fell from the sky, then jumped off the wagon and ran into the nearby bushes, pulling out a piece of grass about the length of his arm. He tied the feathers to the end of the grass, creating a makeshift cat toy.

"Qiqi, look here," Field called out.

Qiqi tilted her head and looked over, then saw Field shaking the makeshift cat toy in his hand.

Instantly, Qiqi's pupils dilated, her ears stood tall, her body crouched low, her butt raised, and in the next moment, she pounced towards the cat toy.

"Meow!"