/
After about 10 minutes, Meow woke up. Like the pro-magical monster origin, Meow immediately understood the situation without any explanation.
「Catherine… You’re often ridiculously broad-minded.」
And Meow left a short exclamation toward Catherine, who was calmly turning over the bookshelf.
“I told you. Cesare told me to read a book.”
「Even if you are not anxious when you hear anything like this, you would normally prepare a plan.」
Meow is also lying on her bedside and yawning on the subject. Catherine is a person who is more concerned about others than with herself.
“Where and what are Madame Pompadou and Percyville doing? I feel sorry that I’m the only one who’s relaxed.”
「Even if Catherine joins in between, it won’t help at all.」
How can Meow say the same thing as Cesare? Soon after, the atmosphere of the Lilith, which had been as calm as underwater, began to noticeably clutter.
Even in the VIP area, the murmur was so loud that Catherine closed her book and listened to it.
“We will inform you. This situation is not a practice situation. We ask all the VIP guests to evacuate on board. We will—”
She wasn’t paying attention to the book because of the constant magic guide sound.
「It seems that the illusion has been completely dispelled.」
Certainly, the fantasy between her and Meow seemed to have been dispelled faster than others.
‘Shall we go out for a moment?’
It was when she opened the door slightly and checked the atmosphere outside. If it wasn’t an illusion, it was as if a familiar voice had been heard in her ears.
“….Mu… Ugh!”
Whose voice was it?
「Hoam… Hmph!」
While she was in the middle of listening, she covered the mouth of Meow, who was yawning without notice. The voice was never heard again. However, the face of the owner of the voice suddenly flashed.
「Hmph! Pfff! Why are you suddenly blocking my snout?」
“…I think I just heard my sister’s voice.”
If it wasn’t an illusion, it was definitely Maggie’s voice.
‘A great shipboard party is scheduled at Christopher in a week. It’s a place that not anyone can attend, but I was lucky to have a chance.’
Yeah, she definitely said that even on the day they reunited after a long time. Confirmed that it was Maggie, Catherine left the cabin with a bag and Meow.
「Ugh!!」
It wouldn’t have mattered if it was just a mere presence, but Catherine’s ears certainly heard an evil scream.
The passage had been quieter than before. Did she all get on board? Catherine ran in the only direction the sound could be heard.
“Get out of my way!”
Maggie, whom she met after a few days—.
“Where do you put your hand on a Lady’s elbow!”
She was punching someone.
“I, this, on the place, to survive, how much!”
Maggie stands nearly half a head taller than most men. She also differed from him in terms of physical power and strength, as she studied chivalry as a minor at the academy.
Hit!
That’s true, but—.
Hit!
No matter how small the opponent is—.
“Nevertheless, the stress, I received, well done!”
She was thinking about whether she should hide or pretend she didn’t know. But wasn’t it Meow who jumped out of the bag, grew in size, and flew to Maggie?
「Ah! A delicious magician!」
The man in the black robe, who was being beaten by Maggie, was then swallowed whole by Meow.
「Ugh… Yikes! This bold hair is not good.」
Maggie looked up at Meow with a puzzled expression as soon as Meow puked and spit on the man.
“What…”
The wandering Maggie’s gaze turned to Catherine. The appearance had changed with magic, but Maggie seemed to recognize her immediately.
“Unnie?”
It was when she was about to tell Meow to bring Maggie right away. From the cabin opened between them, five or six men in identical black robes poured out.
“Monster?”
“How could a monster be here…”
“…Gargoyle.”
Suddenly, the man’s greedy eyes gleamed white. He raised his hand and pointed to Meow.
“Obviously, it’s a pure-blooded gargoyle. Capture it now!”
「Huh?」
In an instant, Catherine’s mind was confused between the two options.
One, believe in the strength of Meow and wait for the situation to be resolved.
Two, runs away with Meow and Maggie.
For the first option, the penalty for failure was quite large.
Pure-blooded monsters were the ones that research-obsessed wizards were looking for with their eyes lighted. Therefore, it was possible to predict what Meow would look like if caught. She saw it a few times when she was young. Definitely—.
‘…Ah, that’s never going to happen.’
Catherine stopped worrying and shouted out in her mind.
“Meow, take Maggie and run away that way!”
「H, huh? But Cathe—」
“Hurry up! I’m going to Cesare!”
At the same time, as she said it, Meow turned its back and ran out. Meow seemed unwilling to pursue Catherine, leaving the precious subject behind. Instead of the sound of footsteps, an urgent Maggie’s voice came from behind.
“Catherine Unnie!”
However, seeing the distance, Meow seemed to know how to run away well.
‘I have to go back to Cesare.’
Damn it, she needs to know where Cesare is!
Because the ship was so large, it took a few minutes to cross the maze-like general cabin passage. Catherine could sit on the floor and catch her breath only after arriving at the empty indoor cafeteria.
“Haa—”
It was then. Not far away, she heard a sigh, not hers.
“It will be difficult, but the high ground is right in front of you. You must finish it on the sea.”
“That’s right. If only the Bronze Ruler can be successfully summoned, we will own a great devil that the empire and the Pope cannot ignore.”
She can’t believe she’s meeting more dangerous people here.
Seeing that the contents of the conversation were very suspicious, the main culprits of the devil’s summoners covering Lilith seemed to be plotting something.
‘But, the ruler of bronze?’
Few beings can have the terrifying title of the ruler. Among them, if it was bronze, there was only one thing Catherine knew.
The great devil, Behemoth.
Dangerous, but not usually dangerous, Catherine once again prepared to run away.
‘I can’t get caught. If I go up two more, it’s the deck.’
She will have to quietly walk and return to the way she came in. However, as always in these situations, unexpected mistakes are bound to happen.
Tak.
Damn it.
Catherine bowed her back close to the sound made by shoes and floors. Contrary to the hope that they didn’t hear it, she could see four shadows standing up one by one over the curtain.
“There’s a rat hiding.”
And the simplest way to shut the eavesdropper’s mouth.
“I didn’t have enough to the sacrificial offering, but it was just fine. They crawl in on their own.”
As expected, kill them.
In this case, there was no other choice but to jump from dying to living. Raising her body, Catherine ran towards the stairs. After all, this always happen when there is no Damian nor Meow!
But her escape didn’t last long.
“Ugh!”
A strong hand moved over Catherine’s mouth and body. It was such a great grip that she couldn’t help it.
“We need 40 certain sacrifices before the magic circle is completed. We don’t know what will happen on board because the Grand Duke and the Pope’s dogs are here.”
“If I include this, how much do I need?”
“Even if it’s not enough, it’s still not enough. But don’t worry, our people are searching for the cabin.”
It’s an urgent situation, so she can’t get her head around it properly. At best, the ability to nullify magic is everything. What could Catherine possibly do, let alone use magic, without even considering martial arts?
‘But I have to.’
How?
‘—Calling a demon without a contract is like hitting your hand in front of someone who can’t see or hear.’
Cesare’s voice, which she had heard in a dream, pierced her mind in an instant.
How to summon a devil belonging to Cesare.
Yes, this is it. She doesn’t know how, but she had to call it out somehow. No matter how urgent the situation, she didn’t want to shout Cesare’s true name.
‘But how do I call it?’
In a moment when there was no time to ponder, Catherine suddenly had a thought.
If Cesare can be called by just his true name, wouldn’t it be the same for his devil?
“Ugh!”
Catherine, who chewed her fingers with her jaw force, shouted with more urgency than ever.
“[Remor!]”
The same silence flowed even in the moment.
How short and long was it?
She felt her body, which had been fine, turn cold. Eventually, Catherine’s teeth were gritted in pain as her stomach rolled over.
“Ugh…”
Somewhere there was the sound of a blue wave crashing hard. Even in the midst of confusion, the sound was as clear as it was.
Shortly thereafter, the cool sea breeze begins to blow in from the other side of the narrow passage. At the same time, a red magic circle was drawn in the air.
The man who was locking Catherine up loosened his arms.
“I hope I didn’t hear it wrong. How can the devil of the Grand Duke—”
Unbelievable, absurd, and desperate voices were heard between them.
“Sperm whale?”
Catherine, who didn’t miss the opportunity, hurriedly jumped over the magic circle. Among the sea foam that filled the passage, a sperm whale appeared, much smaller than before.
「My Lord.」
It’s a thrilling presence to the point of standing upright. Catherine stared at the devil, Remor, with her dazed eyes.
‘I must have been a genius.’
Catherine herself was stunned. Cesare said to wait for five years, and she will surely succeed at once.
The chill of the chilly sea surrounds her whole body and makes her shiver. Not only the men but also the one-sided Catherine couldn’t step on.
「My Lord— No, this is not it. This familiar smell is that of the Master’s servant.」
Half of the whale’s transparent and huge body crossed the wall of the passage. Remor rolled its big eyes and stared at Catherine.
「Is it you? This little kid can’t even get a bite out of it. You called me.」
A gloomy voice circled around Catherine.
「To dare to call this Remor—it’s quite pretentious—but rules exist to keep. What is the purpose of calling me?」
Purpose.
To be honest, it is difficult to determine how to act after this, as it was not expected to succeed.
Catherine’s vision, who had been blinking her eyelids quietly, filled the sight of the men slowly stepping backward. She spits out something in a hurry.
“Please drop them off on an island close to here. in a state of being naked.”
「It’s a trivial request.」
Remor opened its mouth wide with a tone full of dissatisfaction. Unlike the transparent body, the whale’s mouth was filled with black galaxies.
“A, arghhhh!”