Part 3: Living Normally (5)

The intruder turned out to be none other than Cheese.

The little kitten, with its small frame and tawny fur, looked utterly pitiful.

Near its left ear was a clear scratch mark, likely from claws.

Its fur was matted and tangled, and the tip of its tail was slightly severed.

It seemed to have suffered badly at the paws of another cat… or perhaps even at the hands of people.

Maybe it hadn’t eaten all day.

The way it staggered as it walked made its condition painfully obvious.

Naturally, there wasn’t any milk left for Cheese.

The bowl was empty.

Though Lucy had poured some milk earlier in the evening, another cat must have licked it clean.

If Lucy had seen Cheese at this moment, she would have gasped, tears welling up in her eyes.

She would have run over, scooping it up with trembling hands, and cared for it tenderly.

But Aiden didn’t feel the need for any of that.

The world was a place where the strong survived by preying on the weak.

The weak perished.

This was the law of natural selection.

Only those who adapted would endure.

So, if Cheese were to die, it would simply mean it wasn’t strong enough or couldn’t adapt.

Cheese’s death had nothing to do with Aiden, and if it did die, Aiden would bear no guilt.

‘Compassion…’

Aiden silently repeated the word in his mind.

According to Lucy, compassion was a universal feeling—a tender emotion that made one feel pity and sorrow for the weak.

But to Aiden, compassion was like an unreachable mirage.

Why pity something that couldn’t even take responsibility for its own life?

Wasn’t that just pathetic?

After mulling it over for a while, Aiden found one connection between himself and Cheese.

“You little stray cat!”

Back before he joined the Thieves Guild—back when he roamed the town as a vagrant—he’d often heard those words.

Mostly when he was caught rummaging through the trash bins of restaurants.

The moment he recognized that connection, Aiden experienced something extraordinary.

For the briefest instant—barely the blink of an eye—he saw his younger self in the struggling kitten that approached him.

‘Are you not going to help yourself?

Are you not going to help something in the same plight as you?

Poor Aiden.

It’s not that you don’t know how to love others.

You just don’t know how to love yourself.’

A voice he’d never heard before spoke within him.

Stronger than steel.

Colder than eternal frost.

More parched than a drought-stricken field.

A faint change stirred in Aiden’s heart.

By then, Cheese had reached Aiden’s feet and sprawled onto the ground, exposing its belly. Even now, it was trying to act endearing.

A cat that still liked people, even after losing its tail to them…

In a way, it was foolish.

But in another way, it was better than Aiden. This cat knew how to love something.

Aiden extended his hand into the air.

Cheese’s feeding bowl floated toward him, landing softly in his grasp.

He placed the bowl in front of Cheese and pulled out a potion from his subspace. He poured it generously into the bowl.

Cheese looked at him hesitantly before licking the potion tentatively.

As the potion took effect, Cheese’s condition visibly improved.

The wounds healed, its fur regained its luster, and even the severed tip of its tail regenerated.

“Meow!”

The now-revitalized Cheese stared at Aiden and let out a long cry, as if asking, ‘Why has this happened to me?’

Of course, the answer was simple…

It had just consumed an entire high-grade divine potion worth 10 gold.

There was no reason to regret it.

Aiden had plenty of potions stored in his subspace.

“Well, look at you! Getting all chummy with a cat now?”

Mugin, the raven Divine Beast, perched on Aiden’s shoulder, its voice dripping with sarcasm.

“If you want to live normally, you’ll need to start by imitating normal people.”

“You think that’s possible? A ‘Godslayer’ trying to be normal? That’s a mismatch if I’ve ever seen one.”

“I’ll just do what I can.”

“You won’t last a week.”

“Even lasting a week would be a blessing. By the way, what’s this guy saying?”

“He’s thanking you for saving his life and says he won’t forget this debt.”

Mugin translated Cheese’s cries with ease. The raven had the ability to hear the voices of all living things when it wanted.

“You. Train this guy for a while.”

“What? Excuse me?”

“Train this little one.”

“Hey! You’re not actually mistaking me for a real raven just because I look like one, are you? I’ll have you know, in my prime—”

“If I hear that story one more time, it’ll be the hundredth. I’m not asking you to work for free, so teach it well.”

“What kind of reward are we talking about? Maybe… a Mana Heart?”

“Whatever it is, it won’t be small.”

Aiden finished speaking and leaped toward his lodging. The space around him warped, and in the blink of an eye, he was back in his second-floor room.

Lying against the headboard, he revised one thought that had been lingering in his mind.

The thought that Lucy wasn’t his friend.

Lucy was indeed his friend.

Even if she hadn’t been before, she was now.

The decisive reason he couldn’t abandon Cheese…

It was because he knew Lucy would be heartbroken if Cheese died.

Perhaps Lucy had already found her way into Aiden’s heart.

*  *  *

Meanwhile, back in the alleyway…

Mugin found himself in an awkward position.

“Meowww~”

The little kitten kept rubbing against him, seeking attention.

Oddly enough, though, he didn’t hate it.

There were many ways to classify living beings, but one stood out above the rest:

Those who wanted to be loved.

And those who wanted to give love.

The former vastly outnumbered the latter, but this little kitten belonged to the rare latter group.

Even as a mere creature, it was this trait that had stirred Aiden’s heart.

“Hey! Hey! Stop that. You’re distracting me. Step back for a second.”

When Mugin spoke sternly, Cheese backed off.

Mugin, able to hear and speak with all beings, addressed the kitten.

“It’s good to be affectionate and playful, but you need to learn how to protect yourself.”

“Meow…”

Cheese lowered its head, looking dejected.

“If you can’t protect yourself, others will worry about you. Do you want to keep making people worry?”

“Meow.”

“Right? You know that’s not how you want to live.”

As Mugin continued to speak, a strange sense of self-awareness washed over him.

It wasn’t long ago that he had translated the languages of the Spirit King and the World Tree for Aiden…

And now, here he was, conversing with a stray kitten.

It felt like a downgrade in every sense, but…

He couldn’t back out.

Aiden had promised a reward, after all.

“Alright then. Starting today, it’s special training time. Think you can handle it?”

“Meow!”

“Good. That’s the spirit.”

Mugin grinned broadly as he spoke: “I shall turn you into the mightiest stray cat on the continent.”

*  *  *

The next morning.

Aiden came downstairs to the first floor of the tavern, slightly later than usual.

What does it mean to have friends?
What does it mean to feel pity?
What does it mean to be ordinary?

A cascade of unanswered questions swirled in his mind, questions he had pondered through the night until dawn crept up unnoticed.

Aiden had never asked himself such things before.

His questions had always been confined to the realm of survival.

When he lived as a vagrant:
How can I fill my empty stomach?
How can I avoid getting beaten by the local gangs?
And if I do get hit, how can I make it hurt less?

Even during his time in the Thieves Guild, the themes remained the same:
How can I survive training?
What’s the most efficient way to assassinate someone?

But after retiring, a storm of deferred questions poured in.

Questions with no clear answers, and seemingly useless ones at that.

Yet Aiden sensed that unless he answered these questions, he would never blend in with ordinary people.

“Good morning, Aiden!”

“Good morning, Aiden.”

Carl and Lyra greeted him warmly as they spotted him. Lucy waved energetically in lieu of a verbal greeting.

“Good morning,” Aiden replied tersely as he moved toward the table where the family sat.

It seemed they had been waiting for him. Despite food already being on the table, they hadn’t started eating.

The tavern was moderately busy, with patrons occupying about three tables. Mugin’s lingering influence as the “Praying Raven” and the quality of the tavern’s food and service had steadily attracted regulars.

As Aiden approached, he discreetly glanced at the family’s shadows.

He reached out and grasped the shadows of all three family members, one by one.

He had established a Shadow Gate.

No matter what insane stunts Jack might pull, Aiden would not allow the three of them to come to harm.

Taking his seat, Aiden joined the family for breakfast.

“What’s your plan for today?” Carl asked Lucy.

“First, I’m planning to visit the Rayon Magic Association branch. I want to ask about the requirements for academy registration.”

“So eager to leave home already?”

“It’s not that—I just want to become a mage as soon as possible! I promise I’ll come back to visit during breaks if I get accepted.”

“……”

“Did I jump ahead by starting with soup? I don’t even know if I’ll get in yet.”

“You’ll definitely get in, Lucy,” Carl reassured her. “Right, Aiden?”

“Yes,” Aiden answered briefly.

He had more to say, but he chose to hold his tongue.

“How much of the town do you have left to explore?” Carl continued.

“Just the western part now.”

“Then this might be goodbye with Aiden too, huh?”

Carl’s voice held a hint of regret. Though Aiden was a retired assassin and a drifter who wandered the continent, Carl had grown fond of him. Parting ways felt like a loss.

“I’ve been thinking overnight,” Aiden began.

“What about?”

“Wandering the continent is nice, but settling down has its appeal too.”

“Settling down? You?”

“Yes. I’m considering becoming a town resident.”

Aiden revealed the conclusion he’d reached after a sleepless night.

Watching the three of them, he realized they were like a compass and lighthouse, guiding him toward an ordinary life. Staying here seemed more beneficial than leaving.

“That’s a wise decision,” Carl said with approval. “If you want to live a normal life, settling in one place is the best way. Who knows? Centum might even become your new hometown.”

“Exactly, Aiden! Stay here at the tavern with us,” Lyra chimed in.

“It’s been nothing but good news lately,” Carl added cheerfully.

Aiden, skilled in discerning genuine expressions, could tell their joy was sincere.

It had been so long since anyone had welcomed him wholeheartedly that he couldn’t even remember the last time.

Being accepted by someone, completely and without reservation, felt surprisingly… pleasant.

“Thank you. I’ll be in your care,” Aiden said.

“The pleasure’s all ours,” Lyra replied, grinning.

With that, breakfast ended amidst laughter.

Aiden and Lucy left the tavern together.

Their first stop was the administrative office to register Aiden as a town resident, after which they planned to visit the Rayon Magic Association branch.

“Still no sign of Cheese today,” Lucy muttered as they walked through an alley. She looked disappointed as she scanned the area for the cat.

“Don’t worry. He’s fine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I saw him last night.”

“Really? How was he?”

“He’s healthy. You probably won’t see him for a while, but there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Knowing you, you won’t tell me more even if I ask, huh? I’ll trust you, Aiden.”

Aiden nodded silently in response.

They resumed walking. As usual, passersby couldn’t help but stare at Aiden, but he paid them no mind.

‘I’m not an assassin. I’m retired now. I’m just a strikingly handsome ordinary man.’

He repeated the self-affirmation firmly in his mind, a strategy to brush off the attention.

After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at the administrative office.

Once again, Aiden was mistaken for a noble and had to clarify that he was a commoner. Only then did the staff relax.

After explaining his purpose, the staff member outlined the rights and responsibilities of a town resident. They carved his name roughly onto a palm-sized wooden plaque, adding the lord’s seal at the bottom.

“Welcome to Centum, Aiden,” the staff member said warmly.

“Welcome, Aiden,” Lucy added, smiling.

Aiden stared at the wooden plaque in his hand.

The retired assassin had officially become a resident of Centum.
 

To be continued

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J