Chapter 25. Back to Serious Business

 'It seems that this catgirl has been through many difficult situations in her life. It's no wonder she has such an unusual personality... Well, that can be deduced from her story... But is what she said entirely true? Although this catgirl is very cute and appears to be quite sociable, I mustn't forget that she can be ruthless. The heads of the mercenaries she brought are proof enough of that. In addition, she said that she is a follower of the so-called ninja path, which she leisurely explained is based on creating illusions and keeping secrets. How can she identify as a ninja when her behavior seems to be the exact opposite? Anyway, even if she claimed to have descended from the stars, I couldn't find anything to counter her words, as the fact that no one has heard of her until now allows her to come up with any story about her past she desires....', Rina's grandmother thought as she watched her granddaughter trying to console Lucy.

 Even though Rina's grandmother had started to have more and more doubts about Lucy's story, which, although didn't contain contradictions, seemed more suitable to be a theatrical plot because it contained so many twists and turns, she ultimately decided not to dwell on Lucy's past, because regardless of her origins, Lucy did not seem like a person with ill intentions, and if what she had told the guards at the village entrance was true, she could indeed be considered their savior.

 'Besides, if Lucy is as talkative in reality as she appeared before us, it's not unusual for her to want to share all these troubles to ease her mind...', Rina's grandmother told herself, trying to bury her doubts about Lucy's story deep in her mind, to prevent them from influencing her future interactions with Lucy, because she still had a lot to learn from her about those who tried to attack the village, and she didn't want to make her to avoid answering more questions.

 "Well, there hasn't been a catkin settlement in this region for a long time, but you're welcome to live in this village for as long as you'd like. It's the least we can do to show our gratitude for saving us from the surprise attack by the mercenaries."

 "Huh, what attack? What are you talking about, Grandma?", Rina interrupted her grandmother, not having heard anything about this subject until now.

 Upon hearing Rina's questions, her grandmother felt like banging her head against the wall.

 'My granddaughter is truly amazing. Although she spent the most time with Lucy out of everyone in the village, she knows the least about why she came to our village. How could she spend almost two hours with Lucy and not find out any information? What was she thinking?'

 Fortunately for Rina, no one told her grandmother that in the last two hours, her mind had been occupied only by thoughts of pastries and sex; otherwise, there was a good chance her grandmother would have beaten her.

 "Forgive me, Rina. I didn't consider that you didn't have the time to learn about what I discussed with the guards at the village entrance...", Lucy said to Rina, feeling a bit guilty for putting her in such an awkward situation in front of her grandmother.

 To quickly rectify her mistake, Lucy immediately began to recount the confrontation between her and the group of mercenaries and the information she had gathered from them, including the fact that some subordinates of the person who had hired the mercenaries would visit the location where the mercenaries killed by Lucy had set up camp next morning.

 .........

 "We must capture those humans. We need to find out how they discovered the approximate location of our village..." Rina said with determination, trying to keep her anger in check after learning about the news from Lucy.

 'At least I can take comfort in the fact that Lucy gave them what they deserved. I wasn't wrong when I said she's perfect for me...', Rina thought to herself, looking at Lucy with admiration and gratitude.

 "Well, don't worry, Rina. I intend to see this through. After I get about 6-7 hours of sleep, I'll head straight to the location where the meeting between the mercenaries and the subordinates of the person who hired them was supposed to take place...", Lucy said, feeling quite flattered by Rina's admiring gaze.

 "Thank you, Lucy. I'm truly grateful for what you've done for this village. Do you think it would be okay for me to go with you tomorrow? Even though you're strong, it's better to have someone with you in case things don't go well..."

 "Of course, Rina! The journey will be much more enjoyable with you by my side. And..."

 "Rina, I don't think it would be wise to leave the village before your grandfather returns..." Rina's grandmother interrupted Rina and Lucy's conversation, wanting to leave such an important decision as engaging in direct conflict with representatives of a nobleman to her husband. Plus, she wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of Rina going on such a mission accompanied by someone in whom she didn't have complete trust.

 "But, Grandma, if we wait for my grandfather to return, it will be too late to take action. As for leaving Lucy to go alone, it would be completely dishonorable for all the lionkins in this village, considering that Lucy has no obligation to fight for us...", Rina said, who was determined to follow through with her decision, whatever the consequences.

 Knowing how stubborn her granddaughter could be, Rina's grandmother decided not to waste her words trying to change her mind, so she decided to go to her own house, taking Nalani with her, leaving Lucy and Rina to go to bed early since they needed to wake up about four hours before sunrise to make it to the location where the camp of the mercenaries eliminated by Lucy was located.

 ..........

 "Rina, I think it would be best if we slept in separate rooms tonight...", Lucy said upon seeing Rina's bedroom, which had just a bed that was far too narrow to accommodate two people without making contact.

 "Well, I don't have another bed available, and I can't let you sleep on the floor...", Rina said, seemingly unaware that there was little chance that she would be able to sleep that night if Lucy joined her.

 'Woman, you're playing with fire...', Lucy thought, being sure that Rina suspected what was going through her mind. However, even though she was very tempted to accept Rina's offer, in the end, she decided to sleep in the living room on the mattress she had in her storage space because she wanted to make sure that both she and Rina would have well-rested minds the next day to avoid making any mistakes during the capture of the group of humans.