High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2334: Chapter 555: Taking Shelter from the Rain

”Do those two Black Wizards have anything to do with the Ravens?” Korma switched arms to support her chin, then extended her other hand, curled her finger, and motioned for the Black Cat to come closer.

The Black Cat pretended not to see, lowered its head to gnaw on a piece of beef on the plate, answering distractedly, ”...No, I mean, there’s no evidence to suggest that...”

Then it felt a tightness at its neck, a lightness under its body, subconsciously curling its limbs and hooking its tail.

Snapping back to reality, it indignantly realized that a certain Big Wizard had sneaked an attack while no one was watching, grabbing the scruff of its neck and bringing it in front of her.

The Black Cat chewed on the tasteless beef morsel in its mouth, swallowed it with effort, and was about to shout angrily, only to suddenly feel a soft finger blocking its mouth.

”In regions with low magic levels, Black Magic tends to be rampant; this is a well-known fact.”

Korma gestured for the Black Cat to be quiet, analyzing seriously — as if the hand clutching the Black Cat wasn’t hers — the Black Cat could only curl its paws, fold its ears, and patiently listen:

”...That’s because there are too many wizards looking to improve their magic levels seeking ’third-party’ assistance, looking for ’shortcuts,’ wanting to achieve greater magic effects with less magic power. This demand is quite reasonable and doesn’t indicate we have anything to do with those Ravens.

The Ravens may have visited the North District or perhaps not, but that’s not the focus of your investigation. What you should be looking for is what the Ravens are trying to do, where they have built their nest... not causing trouble where they forage.”

”I’m not causing you trouble, just digging for information!”

The Black Cat first corrected the Witch’s wording inaccuracies, then realized its current position was somewhat awkward, immediately putting on a stern face and speaking coldly, ”Put me down first!”

This sentence originally carried a commanding tone, should have sounded quite assertive, but paired with a cat curled up in someone else’s hand, the persuasiveness dropped significantly.

The North District Grand-Wizard, who had been leaning on her chin, seemed to suddenly realize she was holding the Black Cat.

”Ah, sorry, sorry!”

She immediately released the skin at the back of the Black Cat’s neck, watching it land stably in front of her, giving its fur a vigorous shake, and then laughingly added, ”Hmm, I just thought talking to you while keeping my head lowered wasn’t good for my neck... so I wanted you to see eye to eye with me... no bad intentions.”

She smiled particularly brightly while saying this.

Making her explanation far less convincing.

Her fingers skimmed subtly over the back of the Black Cat’s ears as she let go, seemingly giving a gentle scratch, leaving the Black Cat unsure, only feeling a tingle from behind its head down to the tip of its tail, making even its paws go numb.

It took a while to shake off this horrible sensation.

Making its tone when asking the subsequent questions increasingly weak.

”Do you really have no dealings with the Ravens? Or, do you know who might be the Ravens?” When asking these two questions, the Black Cat was slightly lacking confidence.

To its surprise, Korma was silent for a long time.

So long that the Black Cat was about to fall asleep when the Witch spoke again, very softly:

”Before last year, the North District was a place where anyone might extract a stranger’s intestines to use as a belt, but now, many people greet each other with ’Good morning’, ’Good noon’, ’Good evening’... Isn’t that such a delightful progress?”

Though there was nothing wrong with her words, they seemed to have little connection with the Black Cat’s question, making it perk up its ears to carefully discern each word’s meaning from the Witch.

Soon, it realized there was no need for this, as the Witch’s subsequent words were still somewhat metaphorical, yet almost blatantly revealed the attitude of the Northern District Wizards:

”...The term magic once ruined this street but also brought hope anew. Only this hope is too faint, like a small flame in a storm, slightly larger drops of rain falling can extinguish it completely... I have no extravagant thoughts, just wanting to avoid this unreasonable storm.”

The Black Cat half-lowered its head, yet its ears were still perked.

Once confirmed that the Witch had no more to add, it lifted its head, very affirmatively retorting, ”If I didn’t misinterpret, you do know a bit about the Ravens... but can’t say, right?”

”No, I don’t know.”

Korma answered very quickly, very resolutely, with very firm eyes.

The Black Cat had to raise its two paws, expressing a hint of helplessness: ”Alright, alright, I get what you mean, you know nothing... principle number one of avoiding trouble, I know nothing.”

”Principle number two, don’t easily trust what women say.” The North District Grand-Wizard playfully winked.

”Thanks, very useful principle.”

The Black Cat muttered, trying hard to steer the conversation’s direction: ”But we really need a bit of support now. So, what should I do to get you to tell me a hint?”

”Kick Su Councilor, marry me, then we raise a little kitten together?” Korma tilted her head, showing a thoughtful look; then she saw the Black Cat’s fur bristle with anger, immediately bursting into laughter: ”Just joking, just joking... I don’t want to be beaten up by a bunch of old foxes... I mean, no matter what you do, I know nothing about any clues regarding Ravens, absolutely nothing!”

Her gaze was extraordinarily sincere.

But the Black Cat didn’t believe a single punctuation mark — after all, it was her who had said not to trust what women say.

”Alright,” it drooped its ears, somewhat dejectedly turning away to leave this crazy character: ”Anyway, thank you for the beef jerky, apple juice, and the robe’s matter...”

”If I were you...”

The voice coming from behind immediately revived the Black Cat’s spirit, turning its head back.

The Witch in the high-backed chair had already started reading a document again, dipping her quill in the ink bottle, then glancing at it: ”I would let the Hunting team continue to follow those Ravens’ ’foraging place’... chase until the end of school starts, when the task is forcibly ended... then apply to the school for a replacement Alliance designated task.”

”I don’t want the first mission to be declared a failure.”

”A forcibly ended mission doesn’t count as failure... better than being used as a pawn by others.” The Witch finally couldn’t resist giving a hint: ”Such tasks involving Black Magic experiments and Black Wizard organizations should not be assigned to a newly established young Hunting team... even though your resume among students is outstanding, it falls short when viewed through the eyes of the Trident Sword and the school’s truly elite Hunting teams. I even wonder if the school’s Assistant Team is qualified enough for this task.”