Black Cat

After parting ways with Officer Natalie at the entrance of the Scarecrow Club, Lynch wasn't sure why, but he felt a faint twinge of melancholy.

Well, just a little. It was surely because he had grown accustomed to her presence after spending morning to night together these past few days, making this sudden separation feel a bit unfamiliar.

Indeed, Officer Natalie had been bustling about everywhere with Lynch for the past couple of days, and quite a lot had happened. But the square incident was, after all, a long-term investigation. As a Watcher, Officer Natalie had other cases on her plate. Now that the investigation was temporarily on hold while awaiting information from various sources, the female officer naturally needed to return to her regular work.

And so, the two agreed to search for leads separately over the next few days and take the next step in their investigation once the results came in, before waving each other goodbye.

Lynch planned to walk back.

It definitely wasn't to save money; rather, Lynch intended to use the travel time to properly plan his future arrangements.

Since he planned to live in this world long-term, aside from the Archbishop's commission, he had to start considering his future life. He needed to earn as much money as possible to make his daily life more comfortable.

After all, not even being able to afford an instructional document for an ability or arcana, or a single mystery relic, was frankly a bit disgraceful for a Soul Severer. While his current income might be fairly substantial for an ordinary person, in the world of Soul Severers, it amounted to barely scraping by. He needed to improve his situation as much as possible.

However, making money was secondary; surviving was far more important than earning a living.

His wealth of experience from another world told Lynch that once one stepped through the gates of the transcendent, nothing was more reliable than personal strength. He had to improve his strength to the point where he could fight properly as soon as possible. Otherwise, hiding behind the female officer every single time—though not an unpleasant position to be in—would eventually breed self-disgust if it happened too often.

The female officer fully agreed with Lynch's reasoning. Originally, she had planned to take Lynch to test his arcane affinity today. However, after encountering that powerful ghoul expert, she needed to report such sensitive and dangerous intelligence promptly, so she certainly wouldn't have the time today. Besides, with Lynch's current funds, going there would only amount to taking a test; he couldn't afford to buy anything anyway, so it was better to wait for later.

Even so, Natalie had left him several addresses. They were all private clubs, like fencing clubs, combat clubs, and shooting enthusiast societies, as well as covert establishments similar to Madam Bessie's magic shop. She even gave him the entry passwords so Lynch could visit on his own whenever needed.

Lynch planned to explore Rhine City thoroughly over the next few days, visiting all these locations before kicking off his training regimen. But that was something to consider tomorrow; right now, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

By now, he had once again stepped into that cobweb of alleys.

Surely I won't get hit by a rock again today. I'm wearing ordinary linen clothes, and that little punk should still be in bed nursing his injuries. Even as he thought this, Lynch still placed his revolver and ring within easiest reach.

Even knowing they were just a bunch of kids, Lynch had no intention of coddling them. If they truly didn't know what was good for them, he would teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget.

Fortunately, quite a few residents were walking through the alleys at this hour, making it ill-suited for muggings. Having walked halfway through without encountering any robbers, Lynch breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to amuse himself, “Come on, this city is actually pretty safe.”

Perhaps that comment had tempted fate a bit too much, for less than a minute after uttering it, Lynch felt something was off.

An inexplicable feeling of being watched crept over him.

There were no illusions in horror movies, and in a world of mystery, there were no coincidences. Lynch instantly snapped to alertness. Maintaining his normal walking pace, he discreetly scanned his surroundings.

The surroundings were very quiet. There wasn't a single soul in the alley, yet that prickling sensation of being watched refused to fade.

He had been moving constantly, so the observer couldn't be someone hiding inside a room. They had to be following him on the move.

But where?

There was absolutely no one around. Just what on earth was watching him?

Lynch decided to take back his earlier comment. This city was indeed bizarre and dangerous.

Still feeling a bit creeped out, Lynch whispered in his mind, 'Neighbor, you still there?'

【Always.】

'What's the situation right now?'

【I shall remain by your side, witnessing your journey to immortality.】

'Just here for the show, huh? And without even buying a ticket—truly obnoxious.'

Having company really did feel reassuring. Lynch immediately lost his fear. As he calmed down, a dark shadow flashed in the corner of his eye.

What was that?

He abruptly stopped in his tracks and quickly looked up, spotting a black cat lying on the eaves of an adjacent building. A pair of green eyes lazily stared down at him.

Huh? It was you staring at me? Was I scaring myself again?

Lynch examined the black cat closely; it looked remarkably handsome.

Its pitch-black coat was as sleek and glossy as satin, its body slender and supple yet solid and agile. Though its eyes looked languid, they shone brightly, resembling a beautiful spirit of the dark.

One high, one low; one large, one small. The two stared at each other across the distance for a long while before Lynch raised a hand and waved. “Good evening.”

The black cat flicked its tail and shut its eyes completely, as if totally uninterested in indulging a fool who talked to cats.

My intelligence just got questioned by a cat.

Lynch curled his lip and turned to walk away in dejection. After taking a few steps, he looked back and found that the distance between himself and the black cat remained virtually unchanged. It was clearly tailing him.

Something's off. Is it deliberately following me?

Lynch's heart tightened. He immediately picked up his pace and swiftly darted through an alley. When he looked back again, the black cat was still perched on the wall, lazily swishing its tail.

It really is still there. Are you actually stalking me?

I can't let it keep following me. This thing is a bit bizarre, its motives are unclear, and friend or foe can't be distinguished. If I let it follow me, trouble will brew.

Lynch stood his ground, staring at the black cat in contemplation for a moment before suddenly drawing his handgun and pointing it at the feline. With a yowl, the black cat flicked its tail in annoyance and vanished from Lynch's sight in a few nimble leaps.

Was it traumatized by guns before, or does it actually know what a gun is?

Lynch couldn't be sure for the moment, merely feeling that even cats in this world were so bizarre; he had better stay cautious.

Fortunately, the feeling of being watched disappeared with the black cat's departure. Lynch relaxed slightly, but the fact that he was being stalked by a cat still bothered him quite a bit, so he quickened his pace immediately.

Afraid of getting lost, he didn't dare take detours in the alleyways. The moment he burst out of the alleys, Lynch plunged right into the crowd heading home after work near Charles Square. The noisy chatter and milling figures immediately surrounded him, finally giving him a sense of security.

Looking back once more, Lynch spotted the black cat again. It was crouched on the eaves at the entrance of the alley, gazing at Lynch from afar without following any further.

Doesn't seem to harbor malicious intent?

After some thought, Lynch still found it peculiar. He simply took off his flat cap, pressed it against his chest, and bowed slightly toward the distant black cat to apologize for drawing his gun earlier.

This time, the black cat finally showed a reaction. It licked its paw, turned around, and disdainfully pointed its rear and tail toward Lynch.

“Mr. Levive?” A soft voice came from beside him. “Why are you standing out here?”

It was the landlady, carrying a grocery basket as she returned from the direction of the square, a warm smile gracing her delicate face beneath her blonde hair.

“Nothing much, just saw a cat.” When Lynch looked up again, the distant black cat had disappeared. Everything from just now seemed like nothing more than an illusion.

“Stray cats frequent this area. You don't need to pay it much mind, Mr. Levive. Let's head home.”

“Mm.”

Lynch nodded and glanced back at the empty eaves before following behind the landlady. Just as the two opened the front door to the 221 apartment, a meow echoed from above.

Looking up, he saw the black cat licking its paws, its green eyes casting a chilling gaze that swept across Lynch before it leaped away, vanishing into the surrounding ancient architecture.