“What is that?” The cold green eyes of Leng scanned the cat-girl holding the basket before resting on the basket itself, asking in a cold tone.
“This, this is…”
Seeing Ashe panic and stutter, Leng quickly stepped forward, not giving Ashe a chance to explain. He forcefully grabbed the basket, and upon lifting the cloth covering it…
Inside were small cakes, freshly baked and still steaming emitting a sweet enticing aroma. The scent alone would probably make any child drool.
Unfortunately, these little cakes were soon turned over by Leng, thrown on the ground and dirtied. The next second, he stepped on them, crushing them completely.
Watching the cakes she made with so much effort, under the careful guidance and patient company of 86, now being trampled underfoot by Leng like trash, Ashe didn’t dare say anything. She lowered her head and trembled with fear.
“I wonder why you keep asking us to wait again and again. What, got a bit of charity and affection from others and can’t let go? Or do you really see yourself as part of their family now?”
“Brother Leng! Actually, I called Sister Jiu here to say that Mr. Renji is different from other nobles. He… he’s a good person. We shouldn’t act against him!”
“Good person? Hahaha! Ashe, how can you be so naive? Can you look into the eyes of our fallen comrades, those tortured to death by nobles, your fellow cat-race who is harshly raped, and repeat that nobles are good people?!”
Leng’s expression twisted, his gaze at Ashe gradually filled with anger and hatred.
“It seems you’re really having a good time with that human, even speaking for him. But have you thought about what we’re doing while you’re enjoying yourself? Locked in cold iron cages, surviving on scraps of food, encouraging ourselves that better days are coming. Can you bear it? Are you being fair to everyone in the revolution?!”
“Fine, even if he is a good person, so what? He’s rich, isn’t that enough? Just kill him, take his wealth, and everyone in the revolution can live well. Isn’t that enough?!”
“No, Brother Leng, this is wrong. We shouldn’t…”
Seeing the cat-girl in front of him daring to argue back, Leng was infuriated. Ever since his last encounter with Roca, where he underwent a blood sacrifice from the ‘The Forgotten’, Leng had found it hard to control his emotions. Now, in a fit of rage, he raised his hand to slap the “traitor” in front of him.
Slap!* .
The sound of a slap echoed, but it wasn’t on Ashe’s face. Another demi-human had appeared and blocked the slap with their hand.
“Nozomi!? Why are you here…!” Leng, seeing the unexpected appearance of the fox lady, was taken aback and slightly panicked.
If Leng is considered the second-in-command within the revolutionary army, then Nozomi is undeniably the leader. As the initial founder of the revolutionary forces in the sealed city, Nozomi, a fox demi-human, had united everyone. Both in terms of prestige and strength, she stood at the highest rank among them.
“Lucky I followed you. Enough! You’ve gone too far.”
Nozomi, with a frown on her beautiful face, intervened. Fox demi-humans, though rare and featuring fewer animal characteristics compared to others, were less popular among human nobles than cat-people, who only had cat ears and tails.
After stopping Leng, Nozomi turned to look at Ashe, who dared not meet her gaze.
Smiling like an elder sister, Nozomi gently patted the lowered head of the cat-girl, who seemed like a culprit.
“It’s okay, Ashe. Leng was just speaking in anger. What you did, though not what we hoped for, was right.”
“After all, if we rob and kill every wealthy person we see, how are we different from those fake revolutionaries we despise?”
“Most human nobles do deserve death for their filthy and hideous actions, but we can’t condemn the entire human race because of them. Leng, isn’t Mr. Roland a living example? Hasn’t he been helping us all along? Without Mr. Roland’s support, we probably wouldn’t have made it this far. Isn’t he also a human?”
Leng opened his mouth to retort but couldn’t find a rebuttal to Nozomi’s words.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Ashe. Mr. Roland absolutely adored the cross you sent. He was thrilled. And the kids aren’t making a fuss anymore. They’re completely absorbed in those illustration books you sent.”
“Sister Nozomi, you knew all along?”
“Of course. Jiu’s little schemes are clear as day to me. That’s why I’m sure you haven’t forgotten about us, let alone being a traitor.”
Nozomi gently embraced the teary-eyed cat-girl, patting her back. The reason she could gather a revolutionary army and have the demi-humans rally around her wasn’t due to hatred, but because of her care and understanding for each member, and the mutual trust among them.
“Don’t worry Ashe. Remember, our original plan was to assassinate another high official before that human noble approached us. It’s just a slight delay, no big deal. So, we won’t touch Mr. Renji.”
“Nozomi!” Leng hesitated with a complex gaze.
But soon, Nozomi’s following words left him in continued silence.
“If Mr. Renji is a noble you trust, then I think he can be our next Mr. Roland, a great asset for our revolution army. So, Ashe, can we entrust you with this new mission?”
“Yes! Sister Nozomi, don’t worry! I, I will definitely pull… I mean, bring Mr. Renji to our side!” .𝒎
The cat-girl’s face flushed with excitement, her tail swishing energetically behind her.
“It’s not about pulling him down; it’s about joining us!” Nozomi corrected Ashe with a serious tone, lightly flicking her forehead.
However, what Nozomi didn’t expect was Ashe’s sudden question after she calmed down:
“So, Sister Nozomi, when are you planning to… take action?”
“Tomorrow night. We don’t want to delay any longer. I’ve already arranged our agents around the residence of that governing official. He’s the corrupt official who’s been intensifying the slave laws, exploiting us for his gain. He’s unforgivable!”
‘Tomorrow night…’
Ashe clenched her fists slightly. Even though Nozomi had comforted her and proved her right, Leng’s words still echoed in her mind. So…
“Sister Nozomi, I want to be part of this operation!”
“You?”
“Yes! I can ask for leave from Mr. Renji. He said we have five paid leave days each month, and I haven’t used any this month! I believe Mr. Renji will approve it!”
Nozomi: “…”
Looking at Ashe, who in just a week seemed to have become so aligned with Renji, Nozomi sighed.
After thinking it over, Nozomi ultimately agreed to Ashe’s request. This would also prove to the revolutionaries that Ashe was still committed, and her quick-wittedness would add some security to ensure the success of their plan.
Watching Ashe hurry back to the noble young man’s mansion to “ask for leave” Nozomi sighed again.
“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong…”
However, what Nozomi couldn’t see was Leng, who hesitated for a moment but eventually settled into a cold, hateful stare at Ashe’s retreating figure.
….
….
“You want to take a leave?” In the study, Mr. Renji, sipping hot chocolate and reading a newspaper, repeated Ashe’s words.
“Yes.”
Ashe clasped her hands behind her back. Although she had assured Nozomi that Renji would definitely agree, she still felt uneasy. And the thought of asking for leave just a week into her job felt a bit too… too…
“If it’s for medical reasons, remember to bring back the medical bill. You can get reimbursed from 86.”
“Ah!?”
Ashe was preparing her script on how to explain what she needed the leave for, and what to do if Renji didn’t agree. But unexpectedly, the young noble in front of her didn’t ask anything and even reminded her about getting reimbursed for medical expenses?
“Anything else?”
“No, nothing else” Ashe stammered in response.
“You may leave then.”
“Yes, master.”
Just as Ashe was about to leave the study, she was suddenly stopped again. The young noble, who seemed to have thought of something, finally diverted his attention from the newspaper and met her gaze, adding another line.
“Be safe.”
“Yes, master!”
After the cat-girl left the study.
Renji took off his glasses and tossed the newspaper onto the desk. It was a few days old, reporting on an incident involving a “demi-human assassin” at a dinner party in the Imperial City.
Rubbing his temples, Renji seemed troubled.
”It look like Nova hasn’t been in a good mood lately…”
Choosing this time to have the Dragon Lady come over for a meeting seemed a bit risky. But it was unavoidable.
Some matters, it seemed, were beyond his current strength to handle alone. So, relying a bit on his wife’s support wouldn’t be too bad, right?
Musing to himself, Renji tapped his fingers on the desk. Next to the newspaper was a piece of draft paper, covered with many names.
Names he still remembered, even those with just a hint of a vague memory, he tried to write them all down. In the game, besides “them” he had nurtured other Eclipsed characters, including some of Danger and even Disaster rank.
Renji pocketed these notes and left the study.
With the cat-girl gone, it meant the revolutionaries would soon take action, signaling the end of his brief life as a noble young master in the Sealed City.
Feeling a slight regret, Renji soon called Eileen and 86 back.
“After such a long period of inactivity, it was time for some action”
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