The decision

That night, we stayed in the palace. The middle-aged butler directed us towards a luxurious bedroom to sleep in, and along the way, I couldn't help but admire the sheer amount of expensive things in the place. I, of course, quickly pocketed some good-looking ornaments before entering the bedroom.

The bed was massive, with feather-like fluffy pillows and quite a lot of stuffed toys neatly arranged to increase the cuteness of the room. My favorite was a big, brown bear-shaped stuffed toy. It was perfect for annoying the black cat perched on my shoulder.

The sheets, too, looked like they were woven from clouds. It was the kind of room that made me feel like a prince—well, until I remembered that I was about to sign away my freedom to become a butler for this noble family. Looking at the luxurious room, I felt like becoming a butler in this mansion wasn't a bad idea.

Systie and I eventually settled into the cloud-like bed, the softness practically pulling us into sleep. Just as my eyelids were drooping, the black furball kicked my head, causing me to snap open my eyes. Before I could scream at the damn cat, it asked a surprisingly serious question.

"Human, are we going to accept that contract?"

I blinked, the drowsiness lifting just a bit. "Hm, I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet. What do you think we should do?"

There was a pause, and then Systie's ears drooped as she replied, "I don't think it's a good idea to accept this contract."

Immediately after saying that, the cat promptly turned around and closed her blue eyes, falling back to sleep without offering any further explanation. 'The heck! At least tell me the reason before going to sleep. Why is it a bad idea to accept the contract? Is there some trap in it?'

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, turning her words over in my mind. Why wouldn't she want me to accept the contract? The only reason I had to even consider signing it was to gain access to the Natural Dungeon in the capital. 'Is the cat scared of entering a dungeon? Is that why she doesn't want me to accept the contract?' I recalled how Systie wasn't exactly the bravest creature in the world. But something about that didn't sit right with me. There had to be more to it.

Irritated and curious, I grabbed a pillow and whacked the cat with it. "Nya! Damn it, human! I was having such a nice dream!" she snarled, her claws instinctively reaching out to scratch me across the face.

"Ow! My beautiful face!!" I yelped, clutching my cheek. In retaliation, I swung the pillow again, starting an impromptu pillow fight that quickly turned the once pristine room into a chaotic mess. Feathers from the torn pillows floated around like snowflakes, and by the time we were both out of breath, the room looked like it had been hit by a tornado. It was fun!

As we paused to catch our breath, I decided to ask the question that had been nagging at me. "Why don't you want me to accept the contract? Are you scared of entering the Natural Dungeon?"

I expected the cat to throw another fit, but instead, she just dropped her ears and muttered, "I don't want to face my past just yet." She then moved to a corner of the room, curled up into a ball, and yawned, but I noticed her eyes weren't fully closed. She was spacing out while staring at her paws, something was bothering her.

I didn't say anything more. If the cat was really feeling sad, then it must be because she was remembering something related to her past. I had no idea what happened to her, and I didn't want to ask her about it. It was her life, and if she ever felt like sharing about it, she would have done so by now.

With that thought in mind, I walked over, gently picked her up, and before she could protest, shouted, "Shut up, I want to sleep," and flopped down onto the king-sized bed, pulling the cat down with me.

"I am not your pillow," I heard the cat say, but she didn't push me away. Instead, she snuggled closely toward me, hugging my arms tightly before drifting to sleep.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by a loud, throat-clearing cough right next to my bed. I let out a yawn and opened my eyes, only to see the butler standing there, looking like someone had taken away his soul as he observed the state of the room. Feathers, torn pillows, and scratch marks covered every surface.

'Yikes,' I thought. Almost feeling pity for the man. He was practically burning a hole in my skull with just his stare alone, and I swear I saw some tears in the corner of his eyes.

"The cat did it while I was asleep," I lied instantly, throwing Systie under the bus without a second thought.

The butler just pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly suppressing a headache, and gestured for us to follow him. Systie glared at me for throwing her under the bus but still hopped onto my shoulder.

We trailed behind the butler as he led us out to a beautiful flower garden. The morning sun was already high, providing a warm glow to the blossoming flowers. There were two large oak trees at the center of the garden, providing some shade for the small white rabbits underneath them. The rabbits were some kind of beasts and had a sharp horn atop their foreheads, but they looked pretty docile.

As we walked toward the center of the garden, my eyes landed on Hestia, the head of the noble house, painting a portrait of two red-haired children while giving the most charming smile I have ever seen in my two lives. When she noticed us, she set down her brush and turned to greet us, her smile fading away and replaced by an expressionless face.

"Good morning," she said, gesturing for me to sit on the chairs in the center of the garden. "So, what's your choice?" she asked, causing me to let out a deep sigh.

"I'm sorry," I began, catching both the cat and Hestia by surprise. "I don't think I'm prepared to sign a contract just yet. I'm too young and immature, and I'm definitely not strong enough. Would you consider offering me the contract once I've become a bit stronger?"

Hestia didn't look all that pleased with my choice. "Are you sure?" she asked, and I nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to get stronger first."

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Fine. A noble can only have up to five contracted adventurers, and there are many talented adventurers that I want to recruit, so I can't keep your slot open forever. If you manage to reach level 35 within one more year, I'll offer this contract to you again. If not, then you'll have to try becoming a contracted adventurer for another noble."

I nodded again, relieved to know that the contract wasn't entirely off the table. "Thank you! But can I ask you for something else?"

Hestia just nodded, waiting for me to continue.

"Um, I know I just rejected a contract, but will you become my business partner?" I asked, noticing her eyebrow rise in intrigue. "I plan on 'borrowing' some expensive objects from rich, pompous idiots and am searching for buyers who are interested in those objects. Are you interested in purchasing them for the low, low price of 50% of their market value?"

"Five percent," Hestia immediately countered. "I'll buy those objects at 5% of their market value, and I'll only buy objects belonging to corrupt individuals."

"Forty percent," I shot back, trying to haggle the price up. After some back and forth, we finally settled on a deal. "You'll provide a list of corrupt individuals. I'll 'borrow' their objects and sell them to you at 8% of their market value."

We shook hands to seal the deal, and with that, I finally left the mansion, feeling lighter than I had in days. As we walked away, Systie finally spoke up, her voice uncharacteristically soft. "T-thanks, human."

I reached up and patted her head, smirking. "You've got one year to build some backbone. Don't wimp out when the time comes."

With that, we made our way toward the adventurers' guild, ready to face whatever came next.