Chapter 267: I’m Not a Cat

Chapter 267: Chapter 267: I’m Not a Cat

In the Underground City’s safe zone.

The Silver Hand’s main party had just finished a grueling battle in the Second Area, returning to their base covered in blood and grime.

After a few days of emergency repairs, the base’s fundamental equipment and Defensive Techniques were at least operational again.

Unlike the first few days, when they’d all had to stay at an inn.

On today’s team leaderboard, the third-ranked Golden Lion Cross was hot on their heels. At one point, the difference in their Crown Values was only a few hundred points.

But they had given it their all and, somehow, managed to hold on to second place.

Julius looked at his teammates sprawled across the hall in disarray, and his heart went out to them.

Everyone was utterly exhausted.

To keep up the pace this week, they had been downing the Stamina Potions supplied by logistics like water.

He helped them up one by one and sent them to their rooms to rest.

Julius pinched the bridge of his nose, then went to his captain’s room on the second floor alone and brewed a steaming cup of black tea.

After a full day of toil, he could finally relax for a moment.

He carried his white porcelain teacup to the window.

There were only two weeks left in the Summer Crown competition.

The Underground City usually threw in a few new twists during the latter half to spice up the competition.

If they could just grit their teeth and hold on for two more weeks, this war of attrition would finally be over.

Still, looking back on this Summer Crown, Julius had only two regrets.

One was the bombing incident.

They still hadn’t gotten a single lead on the Crimson Bell of Death, and thus couldn’t exact their revenge.

The enemy was like a venomous snake hiding in the shadows—far too slippery.

The other was how he had failed Nieve.

He was the oldest member of the team, and he saw these teammates, whom he spent every day with, as his younger brothers and sisters.

Many of these kids were orphans who had been taken in by the Silver Hand at a young age, so he had always played the role of the protective older brother, looking after everyone’s well-being.

That was why, ever since that decision, he was struck by a wave of guilt whenever he faced Nieve.

This conflict between his reason and his emotions had been tormenting him, and the only way to escape the mental anguish was by physically exhausting his body.

He sighed.

Just as Julius, who had been gazing into the distance from his window, was about to pull his eyes away and go rest...

He suddenly spotted Philis, the team’s usually boisterous Cat Girl.

Right now, however, the energetic girl was hugging her knees, her head buried in her arms. Even her fluffy ears, usually so perky, were drooping listlessly.

She was crouched all alone in a dimly lit corner downstairs, looking utterly forlorn.

Julius found this odd.

He hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Philis during their battle in the Second Area earlier today.

He had no idea why she was like this the moment she returned to the base.

Julius set down his teacup, pushed open the door, and hurried downstairs toward Philis.

"What’s wrong, Philis?"

Julius crouched down, his voice gentle. "Are you worried that Nieve can’t handle the First Area by herself?"

When he had taken a headcount upon returning to the base, he’d noticed that Nieve hadn’t checked in yet.

At his words, Philis snapped her head up, her long tail lashing indignantly behind her.

"Of course not, meow!"

Tears of frustration even welled up in Philis’s eyes.

"Nieve’s been ignoring me lately! She won’t eat dinner with me, and she won’t even feed me any yummy desserts anymore!"

Julius smiled.

’And here I thought it was something serious.’

He adjusted the plates of his armor and sat down in the empty space beside Philis, patiently consoling her.

"Don’t be angry."

"She’s grinding the solo leaderboards by herself right now. The pressure must be immense."

"To maintain her Crown Value, she has to leave early and come back late. It’s only natural that she doesn’t have time to spend with you."

"But!"

Philis turned her head and retorted loudly, unconvinced.

"A few days ago, she tried to secretly take a huge batch of Stamina Potions from the warehouse! She said she was bringing them to some other man outside!"

The smile on Julius’s face instantly froze.

It was hard not to jump to certain conclusions when the words "Stamina Potion" and "man" were thrown together so unexpectedly.

"When did this happen?"

Julius’s voice dropped, his expression turning grave.

Philis thought for a moment, counting on her fingers.

"Just a few days after the base was bombed."

"I caught her red-handed early one morning. She was holding a huge case of Stamina Potions and trying to sneak out."

"I asked what she was doing, and she said she was taking them to Lance. I stopped her, so she just took her entire personal allotment instead, meow."

Lance.

Julius knew the name, of course. It had even left a deep impression on him.

He was the young man who had helped them see through the deception during the bombing, outing the Crimson Bell of Death as the masterminds.

At the time, Julius had thought him a good Samaritan, someone who acted out of a sense of justice. He had even promised the boy a reward for his help.

But now, it seemed the boy had only approached them with lustful intentions!

As an elite raised by a Grand Guild, Julius’s mind swiftly pieced together the fragments of information, constructing a perfectly logical narrative.

Nieve, having been stripped of team resources, was at her most vulnerable.

And right at that moment, this man, Lance, with his silver tongue, had wormed his way into her confidence!

He had taken the opportunity to easily win Nieve’s complete trust, all for the despicable purpose of draining the Silver Hand of its precious resources!

A surge of anger rose in his chest.

He shot to his feet.

But just as quickly, that flame of anger was extinguished by a wave of self-blame.

He realized that this entire tragedy stemmed from the decision he had made at the meeting table that night.

If he hadn’t been so heartless, if he hadn’t forced Nieve to go it alone, that man would never have had the chance to worm his way in.

’So, I’m the one to blame after all.’

A profound sense of powerlessness washed over him, pinning him to the spot.

And so, he sat back down.

The two figures, one large and one small, sat sighing in the corner of the base, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere settling around them.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the base.

Nieve walked in.

She walked past Julius and Philis, heading straight for her room.

"Philis. Julius. Good evening."

The Snow Lady greeted them in a flat tone, not even turning her head as she continued on her way.

However.

In the brief moment Nieve’s profile was illuminated by the lamplight...

Julius’s eyes flew wide. He had spotted a crucial detail.

On Nieve’s usually pale face, he saw a faint blush!

’Is it really okay for her to be blushing like that?’

’Can Snow Ladies even blush?!’

Julius let out a silent, agonized scream in his heart.

’No, I have to talk to her.’

Julius stood up, brushed the dust off his armor, and told Philis to get some rest.

Nieve had just gotten back to her room and hadn’t even had time to remove her armor when she heard a knock on the wooden door.

Nieve went to open it.

Julius was standing outside.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, putting on the air of a stern elder. When Nieve opened the door, he even coughed twice to cover his awkwardness.

"Nieve, you’re back a little late today."

"How’s your progress in the First Area coming along? I heard... you found a partner from outside the Guild?"

He planned to feel her out first, to see just how involved she was with this man.

Hearing his question, Nieve didn’t try to hide anything, simply nodding earnestly.

"Mhm. Lance is very skilled and extremely reliable. Julius doesn’t need to worry about Nieve."

Of course, she knew Julius had come this late out of concern for her safety.

"Thank you for the Stamina Potions, Julius. This way, Lance can satisfy Nieve’s..."

Nieve didn’t get to finish her sentence: "...request to team up."

"What?!"

A piercing cry, his voice cracking, shot from Julius’s mouth and echoed down the quiet hallway.

His face was a mask of utter disbelief.

’This isn’t how the story was supposed to go in my head!’

’So it’s not that bastard Lance who’s deceiving Nieve for her affection and our resources.’

’It’s Nieve who’s been draining him dry?’

’He needs massive amounts of Stamina Potions just to keep up with her?’

The answer made Julius’s head spin. He felt as though his entire worldview, built over twenty-plus years, was facing a serious challenge.