Chapter 14
“What do you mean? Why Tete?”
The black cat with red eyes is the closest existence to the form of the divine beast passed down since ancient times, isn’t it?
Besides, Tete was practically my lifesaver. Telling me to drop him? What nonsense!
“I refuse.”
I hugged him tightly, almost defiantly.
[Envy: Ha, how frustrating! That thing is wearing an evil mask right now!]
As if finding it utterly unfair, Envy immediately retorted. But once again, I had no idea what she was talking about……
“Meow.”
Tete also seemed to be saying, ‘Don’t listen to that nonsense.’
‘Certainly. If it’s a word from a god whose inside and outside are completely different……’
Maybe it’s better not to listen?
But he remained steadfast.
[Envy: Ciela, that’s not a cat, it’s—]
[Arte: Then! Is Tete just a cat? A very amazing cat~! ( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°)]
But at that moment, Arte cut her off. It sounded right, so I wasn’t curious about Envy’s next words.
‘Hmm, Tete *is* an amazing cat.’
I even found myself nodding in agreement.
[Envy: No, it’s not that he’s amazing—]
[Arte: Not just amazing, he’s the strongest cat~ (∗ᵒ̶̶̷̀ω˂̶́∗)੭₎₎̊₊♡]
[Envy: Ah, really! Will you please shut up!]
‘Are you two doing a comedy routine?’
After that, Envy and Arte started arguing with each other. Before I knew it, the conversation about Tete was long forgotten.
‘Well, it probably wasn’t anything important.’
Since the god who placed Shine by my side was involved, it was probably something like keeping Tete in check.
‘And Arte seems to like Tete.’
If that were the case, I really should change his epithet to ‘The God of Water and Jealousy’.
Shaking my head slightly, it seemed like this could really go on until nightfall, so I slowly started backing away.
“Can I go now?”
[Envy: No, why do you keep interrup—]
[Arte: When did I ever do that hehe]
[Arte: Ciela, you can go. I’ll stay and talk with Envy a bit more.]
‘Thank you, Arte!’
For the first time, Arte seemed reliable. Walking backwards slowly, I quickly scurried towards the door.
After about a minute of walking, unlike before when it took so long, the door miraculously appeared ahead!
‘You can’t reverse the path, but can you shorten the space?’
Wondering what the criteria for that was, I pushed the door with a *tap*.
*Creeeak—*
The door, which hadn’t budged when I tried to get Tete out, now opened easily.
But……
“Huh?”
This isn’t the place I first entered?
The basement, densely lit with candles, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a corridor filled with bright sunlight stretched out before me.
“Where is this? Was I spatially transported?”
It wasn’t the temple I was in. That building only had two floors.
In contrast, the scenery outside the window here was quite high. At least five stories, maybe.
Stunned by the absurd situation, I stopped dead at the boundary between the door and the corridor.
Then suddenly, the door pushed me out!
*Slam!*
“Eek!”
Reflexively hugging Tete tightly, I barely managed to keep my balance and not fall.
When I finally came to my senses, the door had already vanished……
“Hey, you’re supposed to send me back to where I was!”
It was one thing after another. Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair and started walking down the corridor.
“Ugh, it seems like it’s the church building, right?”
“Meow.”
Tete responded to my lonely muttering. I nodded in agreement.
Just like Envy’s statue, Envy was painted on the ceiling here too, so it must be right.
“But it doesn’t seem like a place you can just easily enter and exit…?”
I wondered if I’d be mistaken for a thief.
Imagining the worst possible future, I shuddered.
“I need to get out of here quickly.”
I had a feeling I couldn’t just brush off.
A premonition that if I stayed longer, something bad would happen!
*Tap, tap, tap, tap.*
I quickened my pace and walked down the corridor.
I found the stairs not long after.
My goal was to get down to the first floor, so I headed downstairs without hesitation.
……But I should have thought a little more carefully at this moment.
“Keuk, kuhahahahat!”
Just five steps from the lower floor.
A laugh, dripping with madness, came from not far away.
“Kuk kuk, finally! I have Siren’s Reverse Scale in my hands! Kheuheuheu!”
Judging by the villainous line, he wasn’t a follower of the Envy Church.
He looked like a thief who came to steal a sacred object of the church.
‘…This is even more messed up than I expected?’
I slowly started backing up the stairs.
‘Qui, quietly. I have to walk quietly……’
My mouth instantly went dry.
“Hehehe, so this is the elixir of immortality! Now I shall become a god…… I will trample everything! Kuhahahat!!!”
The very air around us seemed soaked in madness, feeling heavy.
I had a预感 that if we met, I couldn’t guarantee my life.
I closed my eyes tightly and stepped back—
*Tap!*
“……!”
My shoe heel caught on the stair and made a sound.
I managed to steady my stumbling body and avoid injury, but…
“……Hmm?”
The thief noticed me.
*Drip drip.*
Cold sweat that had been beading up since who knows when started streaming down my chin.
I tried to pull myself together and run, but it was already too late.
“—A little rat was here!”
The thief, who was closer than I thought, spotted me and charged.
‘I’m done for!’
The only way for me to escape was upstairs.
In this situation, it was obvious I’d be caught eventually. Moreover—
‘Legs, please, move!’
Perhaps fear had paralyzed my whole body, it wouldn’t move.
“Grrrr.”
In the midst of this, Tete growled at the thief.
“Grrr!”
“Tete, please……”
Just holding the struggling Tete in my arms made my body scream in protest.
At my desperate call, Tete fortunately quieted down, but that was all.
“Tch, a believer? You clearly sneaked in looking for an opportunity!”
The robed thief had already reached right in front of me.
He seemed flustered too, probably not having anticipated this kind of standoff.
‘What do I do?’
Should I seize the chance and run like this?
No. That’s impossible. I’d be caught in no time.
‘Arte?’
He’s not here. If he were, he would have shown up by now!
‘Something, something that can help—’
Ah!
My blocked mind suddenly cleared. Right, I have the Arte Shop!
It was the moment I hurriedly tried to call up the shop.
*Clink!*
“P, put your hands up, believer!”
His panic was brief. The thief pulled a dagger from his robe.
It was small, but a knife is still a knife.
I hastily obeyed the thief’s order. There wasn’t much time.
[—Te’s Bay……]
[Item…… : ……Worst…… gives.]
‘Use!’
I bought the item at the very top of the shop list.
The situation was too chaotic to see it properly, but it must be a weapon, right!
*Tiriring.*
[Use completed.]
Letting the familiar fanfare sound pass by, I opened my eyes wide.
At the same time, something was gripped tightly in my held hand.
“Huh? What is tha—”
Before the surprised thief could even finish his reaction, I threw the object in my hand with all my might.
But.
*Poof—shhh.*
“……Huh?”
“……?”
Why did a pillow fly past and land on the thief’s face instead of a weapon…?
“W, what is this?”
What is this!
In the face of the ruined situation, both I and the thief were stunned.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
“Eek, how dare you!”
Angered by the fact that I threw something at him, he lunged at me wildly.
‘Gasp!’
I hurriedly hugged Tete with my whole body and squeezed my eyes shut.
…….
…….
……I squeezed them shut, but?
‘Huh?’
For an instant, the surroundings fell into a strange silence.
Sensing something odd, I cracked my eyes open.
*Poof—shhh.*
“Keeugh, keuk! *Zzzzz.*”
The thief was sleeping, using the pillow I threw as his pillow?
“Is he really asleep?”
“Keuk! Kheuk, Kyang!”
He’s really asleep.
“Meow.”
“Ah, Tete!”
As the tension left my body, Tete wriggled out of my embrace.
I was worried he might wake him up by accident.
“Nyang, nyang!”
“*Zzzzz!*”
Even when Tete slapped his cheek hard, he didn’t wake up……
“Sleep well.”
Leaning my unsteady body against the wall, I belatedly read the item description.
[Failed Attempt at Stealing – <Arte’s Pillow>]
[Item Description: An item modeled after the ‘Pillow of Rust’ said to provide the best sleep and dreams.
The combination failed, resulting in the complete opposite object.
The user falls into a nightmare, reliving the worst possible life in their dreams.]
“……It *is* a weapon.”
As soon as I read the description, the thief groaned and thrashed about.
Sweating profusely and muttering “I’m sorry” over and over, just as the item description said.
“Haaa.”
Once I was sure he wouldn’t wake up for a while, the remaining tension in my body drained away completely.
As I slumped down, Tete, who had finished venting his anger in the meantime, hopped over to me.
“Meow!”
As if saying, ‘I did well, right?’
“Ung, thank you.”
“Nyang.”
This time, it felt like he was saying ‘You’re welcome’ with a laugh.
I ended up giggling at his expression.
It was then, as I was hugging Tete tightly.
“What exactly are you doing here, Miss Ciela.”
A cold voice suddenly fell upon me.
Since when had he been there?
Shine Adielle was standing nearby, looking at me and then at the thief sprawled at my feet with a displeased expression.
“Um, well……”
I was putting a thief to sleep?
“……”
“……”
