Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 70: Going out of town

"Wow, you already memorized most of them?" Eris exclaims, visibly impressed that I managed to recite almost all ten of the dungeon safety rules.

"Hehe," I reply, scratching my nose. Both my ears and my tail perk up with pride. Of course, Eris had to give me a few hints, but I've pretty much got them down now.

"Anyways, have you ever broken any of those rules?" I ask, curious.

"Hmm…" Eris tilts her head thoughtfully. "Well, sometimes."

"Like when?"

She shrugs. "For example, I'll occasionally go into a dungeon alone."

"HEY!!" I frown. "That's literally the most important rule!"

"I know," she says with a small smile. "But sometimes there are exceptions. It really depends on the situation."

I narrow my eyes. "What sort of situation?"

"Well, I'm an A-rank adventurer," she explains casually, "so there's no real reason to bring anyone along to a D-rank dungeon, right?"

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"Oh, that makes sense," I concede. In that case, it's almost impossible for someone as strong as Eris to be endangered by a D-rank dungeon.

"Yeah, and besides," she continues, "these rules are guidelines, not absolute laws. That doesn't mean you can just ignore them, though! If you're inexperienced and below C-rank, you'd better stick to every single one. I've seen far too many deaths that could've been avoided if people had just followed the basics."

"Nn!" I nod. "I will follow"

"Also," Eris suddenly halts and spins to face me, planting her hands on her hips. "For you, I'm adding a new rule—Rule Eleven!"

"Ehhh? Eleven?" I blink.

"Yeah!, rule Eleven — Eris rule! Never go into the dungeon without Eris!"

That makes me chuckle.

"Alright!"

"Promise?" Eris raises her pinky finger, looking at me expectantly.

"Ooh!" I beam.

A pinky promise!

Just like how I showed her two days ago!

"Hehe, YES!" I say and hook my pinky around hers

And with that, our promise is sealed.

After that, we happily continue on our way.

But before leaving town, we still have to pass through the main gate.

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A moment later.

"Halt!"

A town guard steps forward, raising his armored hand to block our path. He's a Bear Furren—towering, broad-shouldered, radiating an aura that makes even the cobblestones seem to shrink. His gleaming full-plate armor, etched with faint runes, looks impossibly heavy, yet he wears it as effortlessly as a second skin. A massive broadsword hangs across his back, its hilt worn from use, while tufts of coarse fur bristle from the gaps in his steel-clad joints.

I stare up at him.

What's it like inside that armor? I wonder.

The midday sun glares off the metal, and I wince in sympathy. The heat inside that shell must be unbearable!

Nearby, another Bear Furren, nearly identical to the first, is stopping another group of travelers.

They must be twins.

Interesting!

"Good afternoon, ladies," the Bear Furren greets us.

"Hi," Eris greets him back.

I also bow slightly.

"You two are heading out of town? Please show me your ID," the guard asks.

Eris reacts without hesitation. She pulls out her ID from a small pouch at her hip, holding it up for him to see.

Meanwhile, I scramble to produce a piece of official-looking parchment, my temporary Guild pass, explaining that my ID is still being processed.

As the Bear Furren guard looks at it, I can feel my heart pounding a little harder than usual.

Because, of course, same as Eris' ID, every single piece of information on my paper is also fake.

—————————-

Name: Felicia Flufftail

Date of Birth: August 13, 1305

Race: Cat Furren

Hometown: Sablethorn - Zehrak Desert

Adventurer Rank: E

Criminal Record: None

——————————

"Flufftail, huh?" the guard murmurs, glancing from my paperwork to my tail.

"Hey!" I protest, crossing my arms self-consciously.

The towering Bear Furren guard quickly bows, lowering his bulky shoulders in an attempt at an apology. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

"I-it's okay!" I say hastily. "M-my father has a fluffy tail, but my mom doesn't!"

"Ohh! I see!" The guard responds with an understanding nod.

Yeah… Flufftail.

It's definitely on the odd side for a family name, but in the Zehrak Desert region, weird surnames are apparently pretty common. Originally, I picked it because it sounded cute out of all the options that the Guildmaster presented to me, but now that I think about it… my tail isn't even that fluffy!

Well, too late to change now!

Still, it beats something like Felicia Longwhiskers or Felicia Softpawpaws!

"Alright, Ms. Wildfang,"—he hands Eris's ID back—"and Ms. Flufftail,"—he returns mine—"if you don't mind me asking, are you two heading to the dungeons today?"

"Yes, we are," Eris replies. "Is there a problem?"

"Ah, not at all," the Bear Furren guard says. "It's just that there have been some criminal activities lately, so please be extra careful in the dungeons."

"Criminals? Is it the Crimson Order?" Eris asks, her eyes narrowing slightly.

The guard's expression shifts, and he nods gravely. "Ah, so you've heard the rumors too."

"Only bits and pieces," Eris admits. "Would you mind filling me in? I'm not completely sure what's happening."

"Well," the Bear Furren guard begins, his tone more subdued now, "some wanted members of the Crimson Order were found dead recently."

"What? Someone killed them?" Eris says, feigning surprise. "Do we have any idea who did it?"

He shakes his head. "The Knights and the Guilds are investigating, but there's no information yet—no idea who's responsible or what really happened. Either way, stay vigilant out there."

"Understood," Eris says, giving him a courteous bow. I follow suit, bowing politely.

It seems Guildmaster Karlogen's efforts to cover for us worked—nobody suspects Eris as the one who took out those Crimson Order thugs.

Phew!

With that, we're finally allowed to exit the town, strolling through the gates without any trouble.

"See?" Eris grins as soon as we're clear. "Told you there was nothing to worry about." She winks mischievously.

"Nn!" I nod in agreement, feeling a wave of relief.

We set off heading west.

According to Eris, the entrance to the Lake Vanessa dungeon is somewhere inside the forest just beyond Mistvale's western edge. It shouldn't take more than a few hours to reach, so with a little luck, we'll arrive well before sundown.