CATMAN - 17 Graveyard of Cats

“Woah…boss, you sure are great. You killed the monster of the mansion. I expect nothing less from you.” Froy said clapping his paws.

“Tsk…Don’t praise me with false words. You know how I was bitch-slapped by the monster right at the face, don’t you?” Auden said as he looked at the corpse.

“I am weak and that’s a fact. If I want to keep on chasing my dreams…it has to change. I need to change this self of mine if I want to grow stronger.”

“Well boss, you’re great as compared to others without magic and you’re improving as well. So, don’t get disheartened.” Froy said as he walked to Auden, “If you want to become strong then what has to change isn’t you boss…if I were to say it then what you have to change is your method.”

“You’re still challenging small non-magic user criminal so there’s no way you can improve by much. If the boss wants to become strong then you should try killing monsters that can use magic from now on. If you keep on pushing past your limits then only will you be strong, boss.”

“Oh?” Auden raised his eyes in surprise.

‘Is this the same Froy I know?’

He felt like something was different about Froy right now but he just couldn’t put his paw on it.

Froy walked to the corpse and seeing the floor drenched in blood, he said, “Boss, isn’t this a monster?”

“Yeah…so what?” Auden asked.

“This blood. You can drink it if you want to. You want blood every now and then, don’t you?” Froy said.

Auden shot a cold glance at Froy and said, “You…you’re seeking death, aren’t you?”

“But why boss? This is the blood of the monster as well!” Froy said.

“Can’t you see that the blood of the monster is spilled all over the floor…moreover, the blood is touching the mucus, so why the hell would I drink it?” Auden angrily shouted.

“Well, if it’s only that then I can wash it for you since it has become dirty and all,” Froy said.

Cough~ Cough~ Cough~

‘I might die coughing blood if I keep on listening to him…what I said before, I take it all back. This guy hasn’t changed at all.’

“Nah…we’ll let it be. I don’t want you to dirty your paws washing the blood.” Auden said.

“Oh…boss, you care so much about me.” Froy joyfully exclaimed.

“Yeah, yeah,” Auden said.

He was confused at the moment. Even though he killed the monster residing in the mansion, he still hadn’t heard the ring he had expected to hear after killing the monster.

“I guess killing the monster doesn’t mean a heroic deed. Hah…I did all of that for nothing.” Auden sighed.

“By the way boss? Is it because of this monster that this house was called ‘Graveyard of Cats’?” Froy curiously asked.

“Who knows…?” Auden said with a sigh, “The secret died with him, I guess.”

“I see…” Froy replied shooting a glance at the headless corpse, “I wanted to know since I hadn’t been here before but now that he’s dead…I guess I won’t get any answers.”

Both of them were disappointed. But then Auden suddenly heard a ring.

Ring~

[A quest has been issued.]

[Many secrets hide within the mansion what seems like a haunted house. Everything is covered in darkness and unless the host uncovers it himself, the riddle continues.

Objective: Find the secret concealed by the mansion.

Reward: 10 CP and a space key.]

Reward? His eyes suddenly gleamed with holy light. He was now motivated to find the secret that the mansion concealed inside it.

But he had one question, and it was about the reward he would receive after he completed the quest.

‘What is the space key?’ He asked in his heart.

[For the question of the host, the system would like to answer by asking another question.

What would happen if a Space magic-user creates a personal space?]

‘Space magic-user creates a personal space? Well, won’t the person just be making a room in an atmosphere which doesn’t cause distress to Earth’s space so that the person could hide or rest?’

[Affirmative. The space key also does the same and creates a personal space for the host to rest and hide.

But since the space key is still in its beginning stage of manufacturing… it may have some other effects.

It might cause distress in space causing spatial transportation to a random place.

*Note 1: The chance of creation of personal space is only 1% and the percentage of failing is more. Use it at your own risk.

*Note 2: If the host wants to use the space key despite the risk then he can use it, but just pray to God before using it so that the host doesn’t end up falling in the Pacific Ocean.]

Listening to all those, Auden’s ears twitched. The item was good but there were too many risks…and the system said it was newly manufactured as well.

But it was good than nothing. He then looked at Froy and said, “Hey, let’s search for the answers ourselves.”

“Boss?” His eyes sparkled with happiness when Froy said it, “Yeah, Let’s find out why this mansion is called ‘Graveyard of Cats’! After I get out of the mansion, I’ll brag to all my fellow catizens how I heroically conquered the place that all the cats including the mighty ones feared. Then that white kitty will have no choice but to fall for my bravery. Quite a good plan, isn’t it boss?”

“Boss…?” Just for a moment, he turned his eyes and Auden was gone.

“Boss, we should solve the mystery together. Don’t you know that only one person can’t solve the mystery of the mansion…you’ll need me too.”

He couldn’t see Auden even after getting out of the room.

“It’s not fair. You always leave me alone to search for things.”

Or…

“Is it that the boss trusts me too much that he thinks I can search half the mansion alone? oh…I should have known this from the start.”

“I won’t disappoint you, boss. I will search every room for the secret and will find it sooner than you.” He couldn’t clench his paws but he was determined, and most of his confidence came because the house wasn’t dark like as it had been before.

***

In one of the rooms of the mansion, Auden was keeping his air in touch with the floor as he knocked on the floor.

Knock~ Knock~

“Not here as well…”

Auden was in a hurry to find the secret because if Froy stumbled upon the secret before him then there was a chance that he would fail to complete the quest.

Froy knew that he was a CatMan and Auden didn’t hide it from him because he trusted the cat. Well, even if he didn’t have faith in Froy, it wasn’t like Froy could go just and spill his secret.

Since humans couldn’t understand animals or monsters…no matter who of the animal kingdom saw him using Cat Form, his secret was safe.

He also couldn’t explain why he was in a hurry to find the secret to Froy because if he did then his biggest secret would be revealed. He hadn’t told even Froy that he had a system inside his mind that helped him.

He was knocking every corner of the floor for a slim chance of finding a hidden door.

If the mansion was to have a secret then it was bound to be hidden well and there might always be a hidden room inside a big mansion, He thought.

Knock~ Knock~

“It’s dud again…”

He then went to another corner and rested his ears on the floor.

Knock~ Knock~

“Its a dud again…”

He didn’t hear what he wanted to hear but his eyes saw something. It was like a notebook that was trapped in the back of the study table.

Walking on his knees, he came in front of the crevice where the book was stuck.

“This book seems suspicious.”

“OK then,” He shoved his hand inside the small gap between the wall and the table to grab the notebook.

“Come here…little book. I would like to arrest you for the suspicion of holding the secrets of the mansion. Come to daddy, the secret of the mansion.”

But no matter how far he stretched his hand, he didn’t reach the notebook. His hands weren’t long enough.

***

Kirrrrrrch~

With a red face, he moved the study table away as the notebook fell down.

“That was dumb of me to do before. I could’ve just moved the table from the start.

” Now then…” He sat cross-legged with the notebook all covered in dust in his hand. Patting off the dust, he anxiously looked at the book.

“This notebook was too dirty. I hope it doesn’t contain all the dirty secrets of the mansion.” He said as he turned the cover.

It was at that moment he found out that it wasn’t a book but a personal diary. He slowly began to read from the first page.

*I don’t know if I’ll be alive till you’re born but my son…if you get to this diary of mine then read it to know how heroic your father really was…and if I’m alive then you don’t have to read it since I’ll tell all the details to you myself.

Auden turned another page…

*The first day when I entered the army, the commander asked me what I wanted to be…and when I said historian, he laughed before make me starve for two whole days. But I didn’t give in to the hunger and gritted my teeth through it…I know I’m great.

Flip-

*Today, the commander asked me to buy him a bun…but I ended up eating the bun myself. I am writing while hiding from the commander…hehe, he’s searching everywhere for me.

Flip-

Flip-

Flip-

Flip-

Auden when he turned, he found most of the pages inside the diary plucked out or torn. Furrowing his brows he kept on turning till he saw notes again.

*Today the situation is intense here. The meeting is going to start…I hope it doesn’t turn out for the worse.

Flip-

*I don’t know why I was born? Nor do I know what makes me different but I feel something is going to happen. Higher-ups are deciding what to do… while I’m here guarding outside the room. Sucks to be me for the first time.

Flip-

The writing written on another page was just like a scribble of a little baby as if it was written in a hurry, so Auden had to concentrate his focus solely on the writing for a whole minute to understand it.

*Can’t believe they are going to do this…I have to hurry and deliver the message to the commander. If they do that then…

Flip-

“What?”

Flip-

Flip-

Flip-

Flip-

The diary ended on that page as most of the pages were missing from it.

“What the heck? Most of the pages are torn from the diary. What was the person trying to say?” Auden had glanced through all the diary but he couldn’t guess what the writer was trying to say.

“And at first the writer said heroic deeds…but where are the heroic deeds he mentioned?”

“Did someone tore all the notes he had left? But if someone did it then who was it? It’s becoming more and more confusing…”

Creak~

Just as Auden was frowning, the door of the room opened.

“Boss, you’re here. Did you have any luck with the secret? I checked all of the rooms but to my catluck, I didn’t find any secret for this house to be called ‘Graveyard of Cats’. Now, only three rooms remain for me to check.” Froy said.

“Did you even check all those rooms?” Auden asked as he put the diary in his back pocket of his pants.

“Yes, boss. I checked all those rooms.” Froy said.”Have you checked this room?”

“Yes,” Auden said.

“Then let’s move on to another room,” Froy said.

Auden stood up and followed Froy to the hallway as he again rested his ear in the hallway of the floor and knocked.

Knock~ Knock~

“Boss, what are you doing? Let’s move on to the next room!” Froy said as he walked towards another room.

“You really are dumb. In mansions like these, there are always hidden rooms. You can’t just find the secrets of the house in ordinary rooms. You have to think outside the box. Do you understand… outside the bo-”

“Boss I found it!” Froy said.

Cough~ Cough~ Cough~ Cough~

Auden coughed to the point he was about to choke on his own cough. With a red face, he stood up, embarrassed and walked to Froy.

“Don’t take what I said before to heart.”

“Don’t worry, boss. Except for something, I don’t take anything you say to heart.” Froy said with a paw up.

“Ha…ha. You sure like to joke a lot.”

“But, look at this boss. How cruel was that monster…he did such awful things to the fellow cats.” Froy said as he looked inside the room with angry eyes.

“That’s how monsters are. I now see that they don’t discriminate against humans and animals. Anything that isn’t their race, they slaughter them all mindlessly…I kind of now get where the mansion got itself the nickname from…but why did that monster do this to the cats who can’t even fight back against them?” Auden said also looking at the scene before him.

The room didn’t have any pieces of furniture inside it as the lifeless corpses of about fifty cats were nailed on the wall like some decorations. The corpses were all set as they had no blood inside them.

Auden could see why the corpses were in such a condition.

There was a big round crimson circle in the middle of the floor which was no doubt made using blood and seeing the corpses even a dumb person could figure out to whom the blood belonged to before.

Auden opened his mouth wide in shock… not because of the big crimson circle but something that was written in the wall with big letters using blood. The name written on the wall was very familiar to him…

ASURA!?