Chapter 113: A Midnight Escapade

Under the banyan tree behind the villa… Was this the spot?

The next day, deep into the night. The deep blue sky was adorned with countless stars, their brilliant light illuminating the flat road until it shimmered.

As agreed, Yalin arrived at the location specified on the note.

‘Hmph, always ordering people around…’

He grumbled under his breath, leaning his back against the thick tree trunk. Luluti had told him she had an important task for him, instructing him to wait here. Yet, beyond that, no further hints had been provided.

‘So, what exactly am I supposed to be doing? I just hope it’s nothing too troublesome…’

This spot lay behind the villa, separated from the rear garden by a wall, technically falling within the Astria family’s jurisdiction. Though it was ostensibly accessible, years of neglect meant the short path was overgrown with weeds, and hardly a soul ever passed through.

Yalin idly gazed up at the starry sky until, suddenly, a dark silhouette on a distant wall caught his peripheral vision. The shadow was small, yet its movements were remarkably agile. It scaled the wall with both hands and feet, swiftly clambering over.

‘A thief, perhaps? To be so audacious as to trespass into the Astria estate? Wait a moment… why does that person seem familiar?’

A sudden, ominous premonition struck Yalin.

And his premonition was swiftly confirmed.

In a few deft motions, the dark figure vaulted over the wall, leaped down from mid-air, landing steadily on the ground, then hurried towards Yalin. She then pulled down her hood, a wide grin spreading across her face to reveal a small, sharp canine tooth.

“Hehe, not bad. You’re quite punctual.”

“M-Milady?”

Yalin’s eyes widened, momentarily at a loss for words.

‘He never would have imagined Luluti would actually dare to sneak out alone.’

“Keep your voice down! Why are you making such a fuss?”

Luluti made a ‘shh’ gesture, shaking her small head and tossing back her golden locks.

“Time is short, we need to leave quickly!”

‘Leave? To where?’

“Idiot, to the commercial district, of course! It’s the academy’s inspection period recently, so there are bound to be plenty of people out even at this hour.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Yalin rubbed his temples. “Milady, you snuck out, didn’t you?”

“Of course! Hehehe, this time it’s different from last. The plan is perfect; those old fogeys haven’t noticed a thing. They’d never imagine I’d sneak out through the backyard wall!”

‘No, I wouldn’t have imagined it either…’

Yalin felt a bead of sweat trickle down his brow.

Considering the wall was at least five or six meters high and relatively smooth, even with tools, it would be incredibly difficult to scale without magic.

‘Who would have thought Luluti could climb it so easily, barehanded?’

“Well? Aren’t I amazing? I’m not like you clumsy humans; scaling a wall like that is simply effortless for me!”

Luluti declared triumphantly, her small tail wagging incessantly beneath her cloak.

‘It seems the demi-human’s racial talent is truly remarkable. But I heard the maids regularly check the rooms. If that’s the case, won’t your absence be discovered very quickly, Milady?’

“No need to worry, I’ve already thought of that. As a substitute, I had Nomnom stay in my room in my place.”

‘Nomnom… the large thunder cat-girl maid? I don’t think you two have anything in common. In fact, you’re not even in the same weight class, are you? Miss Nomnom will likely be found out very soon, won’t she?’

“Not at all. I told the maids beforehand that I wasn’t feeling well today, so all she has to do is lie obediently in bed. Even if she’s clumsy, she can’t mess up something that simple, can she?”

Luluti nodded involuntarily, seemingly brimming with self-confidence. She seemed quite pleased with her ingenuity, but then something else occurred to her, and she shot Yalin an annoyed glare.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re just worried about getting implicated if this gets out, and then having your wages docked, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes. “You tactless oaf! Let me tell you, and remember it: my name is Luluti Astria Luti! I am the true mistress of this place! If I say it’s fine, it’s fine! Understand?”

‘Even so, Milady still snuck out by climbing over the back wall…’

Yalin’s words were unassailable, and Luluti’s face flushed crimson at being exposed. “I don’t care! I’m out now, and don’t even think about running off! We’re in this together. If we succeed, there’ll be a hefty reward. If we fail, well, you’ll see what happens!”

Having said that, she dashed off, sticking out her tongue at Yalin as she ran. “Hurry up! If you don’t want to take responsibility, then do your job as a bodyguard and keep up with me!”

‘She’s truly reckless…’

Yalin sighed helplessly. There was nothing for it but to quickly follow her.

The two traversed the quiet residential area and reached the main road, where a carriage was already waiting.

“Yep, this is the one! Hurry and get in!”

Luluti turned her head to call out, only to find Yalin leaning against a wall, panting heavily with his head bowed.

“Hey, what are you doing over there?”

“J-just a moment… let me catch my breath…”

Yalin gasped out, struggling for air.

“Huh? You’re already struggling after such a short run? How weak are you, really? Ah!”

Luluti rolled her eyes at Yalin in exasperation.

“No, it’s just that you run too fast…”

Yalin was at a loss for words to express his grievance, feeling truly wronged. Despite Luluti’s small stature and her habit of staying indoors, she ran with astonishing speed. Yalin, struggling behind her, couldn’t even hope to touch her heels, despite putting in his utmost effort.

The disparity between their races was already immense, and to expect Yalin, a research dog who spent his days confined to a laboratory, to keep pace with Luluti was simply asking too much.

“You’re utterly useless!”

Luluti grabbed Yalin’s arm, pulling him into the carriage with considerable effort.

The coachman, seated upfront, cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly set into motion, heading towards the commercial district.

“Huff, puff…”

After a short rest, Yalin finally composed himself, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Are you alright? Want some water?”

Luluti unfastened a waterskin from her waist and offered it to Yalin. Yalin waved her off, so she took a swig herself before reattaching it.

Her practiced movements bore no resemblance to those of a noble lady; she looked no different from a street-side adventurer.

‘Albeit a miniature version.’

“By the way, how did you manage to find a carriage so quickly?”

“Not exactly. I had Nomnom help me find this carriage. I was a bit worried something might go wrong at first, but it’s great that it arrived to pick us up smoothly. It seems even that oaf has her uses.”

Luluti giggled, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“The commercial district… I can’t wait!”