Chapter 801

After finishing her surprise, Fran started drinking her tea with a satisfied look on her face. Meanwhile, I decided to ask Nadia what I was curious to know.

『How did Fran's parents end up in Castel? Couldn't they have stayed at Nocta or one of the ports?』

Since the residents of Castel had to constantly be on the lookout for antidemons, it was no place to raise a child.

So why choose the harsh environment of Castel?

「That, huh……? They told me they came to Gordicia to train their skills. And they started by working in Nocta, just like you said.」

『So how did they end up in Castel?』

「I heard they were on the run from slavers.」

「Slavers.」

Fran squinted her eyes as she repeated the word.

「Yeah. The blue cats have always hated the black cats. Apparently, the blue cats chased out of the other continents all gathered up in Gordicia.」

Since the Beast King stepped up the pressure on the blue cats, many of them fled to this continent where even criminals were accepted. As a result, the slave hunting probably became more intense for the black cats here.

And as the number of blue cats increased, naturally the black cats were targeted more often.

「Anyone recognized as a black cat is in danger. The reason I dye my hair is so that people won't instantly recognize me as a black cat.」

『You've dyed your hair?』

「Yeah. It was originally black just like Fran's.」

It wouldn't work if she met a blue cat face to face, but they would find it hard to tell she was a black cat from a distance. She must have wanted to reduce the risk of being recognized as much as possible.

「On this continent, there are quite a few such drugs available for ex-criminals who want to erase their past.」

「I really thought that was your natural hair color.」

「Yeah, I guess you've only seen me like this.」

「Nn.」

Apparently she's been dyeing her hair for the last ten years or so, ever since she started living in Castel.

『Fran and her parents didn't dye their hair?』

「No, Mom and Dad's was still black.」

「Ah, well, the one for dying hair would be a little hard to get.」

Not extremely expensive, but it was enough for the average villager to hesitate.

If a warrior of Nadia's caliber would have to go that far…… Just how bad did the slave hunting get?

『Then why didn't they run away to a different continent? Wouldn't that be the best way to escape from the blue cats?』

「Well I can't say for sure. I suppose there was the problem of travel expenses, but more than that, I think they had their pride.」

『Pride?』

「Imagine being a black cat? The blue cats are your mortal enemies. You get chased by them and all you can do is run? Would be frustrating as hell.」

「……I see.」

Fran nodded her head broadly when she heard Nadia's words. It seemed that she could understand how her parents felt. As one would expect from parent and child.

「I'd rather die than run away from the blue cats.」

So it all comes back to the blue cats. Fran voiced her complete agreement in a passionate statement.

「I don't think Kinan and Framea were quite that stubborn…… but I guess it did cost them their chance to escape.」

Fran's parents never left the continent of Gordicia because they didn't want to be defeated by the blue cats.

They eventually drifted to Castel and lived there quietly, but in the end they were caught by the antidemon season.

Apparently they had lived in Castel for about three years.

「Hey, tell me about your story now, Auntie.」

「My story, huh? It's nothing as spectacular as yours though.」

Though she started with a disclaimer, Nadia told us the story of what happened to her.

「That fateful day when the antidemons destroyed this village…… I was in Nocta.」

Nadia had her residence in Castel, but occasionally went to Nocta and other places for work.

When she heard the number of antidemons was increasing rapidly, she wanted to return to Castel. However, she had just accepted a long-term escort request.

Since the request was from an influential person in Nocta, it would be difficult for her to cancel it. Moreover, she could not return to Castel immediately after the request was completed because Nocta was still surrounded by a swarm of antidemons.

『Were you fine working in Nocta with all the blue cats there?』

「Sort of. I dyed my hair, and I had my fellow adventurers, so I never worked alone. Besides, I'm a Rank B adventurer, so I was well known enough to be difficult prey for the blue cats.」

The main reason Nadia dyed her hair was to prevent word from spreading that there were black cats in the area, so that the blue cats would not come to Castel. She did not want to cause trouble for the other villagers.

In a city like Nocta where there were many people, it wouldn't cause major problems if she was identified as a black cat.

「Even after participating in the defense of Nocta, it took yet another week before I was finally able to return to Castel……」

In the end, the village had already been destroyed by the time she arrived.

「The only living people were me, the dumbass who failed to be there at the critical moment, and a traveling merchant.」

「Merchant?」

「Yeah, they go around to all the illegal villages to trade goods. He would take letters from villagers and send them to the guild too.」

Nadia had heard more details from this merchant.

She learned from him that the village had been destroyed more than a month ago, and that there were no survivors.

「For all my big talk about being the protector of the village, I couldn't even get there in time for the important part.」

Nadia muttered to herself in a self-mocking manner.

「After that, I've been the gravekeeper here ever since.」

『Gravekeeper? You mean you're guarding the graves in this village?』

「Yeah. I will never let antidemons have their way with this village again…… Never.」

Nadia's words of determination didn’t have any positive emotions. It was a resolution filled with self-mockery and regret.

She noticed Fran's worried look at her, and smiled to cover it up.

「……Oops, didn't mean to put it like that. Oh yeah, I think the merchant from back then is still doing business in Nocta. Go pay him a visit if you have the time. I'm sure he'd be excited to see you.」

「Excited? Was he friends with Mom and Dad?」

「No, not like that…… He's always regretted not being able to save you.」

The merchant named Mulsani had been in the village until just before it was destroyed, delivering potions and other supplies to Castel. There he had been caught in the antidemon season.

Mulsani successfully delivered the supplies and was about to make his attempt to escape from the village. That's when Fran's parents entrusted him with a letter, their guild cards, and――a child.

The letter was addressed to one of their acquaintances on another continent. And they gave him their guild cards because they knew their deaths were approaching.

This was a relatively well-known tradition among adventurers. Before a dangerous mission, they leave their cards with the guild, and then they go to retrieve it if they survive.

And of course, they wished for the survival of their beloved daughter.

That's why they entrusted Fran to Mulsani.

But he was unable to save Fran. The antidemons invaded with speed beyond anyone's imagination, and he did not manage to reach the house where Fran was hidden before the antidemons.

Weighing his life against Fran's, Mulsani chose the former and ran.

「But don't hate him. That man was no warrior. He was risking his life simply by coming to the village to deliver supplies……」

「Nn, I know. It can't be helped.」

I can't blame Mulsani for what he did either. He's just a merchant, and a merchant couldn't wade through a swarm of antidemons to save Fran.

Well, as a traveling merchant on this continent, he must have the bare minimum of combat skills.

Mulsani managed to escape, and deposited Fran's parents' guild cards and their letter with the guild. Then, he reunited with Nadia one month later.

『A letter, huh……?』

「To Amanda?」

『Probably.』

「Amanda? Oh, that must be who Kinan and Framea kept writing letters to.」

『She's the one who raised Fran's parents. And also the one who built that grave.』

「Oh, that grave! I was wondering who did that, since Mulsani said he didn't make it either.」

Amanda said she dashed over as soon as she received the letter. She and Nadia must have missed each other somehow.

『Yeah. So anyways, Amanda told us that she put their belongings in the grave……』

「Nn. We came to get those.」

「I see. Well, I'll come too. I'm the gravekeeper here, after all.」

She didn't show any aversion to the idea of digging up graves. I guess in this world, there is often no body left to bury, and many believe the souls of the dead have already departed for the heavens.

I guess graves don't have the same weight as they do back on Earth.

『Well, let's get on with it.』

「Nn!」