Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)

"And… there's a looot more rules stacked on top of that. But if I tell you all of them, we'll probably still be standing here when the moon's out!"

"Ughhh… so the gold mine's off the table, huh?" I groan dramatically, slumping forward.

"Yup." Eris giggles and gives me a playful poke on the forehead. "Gold mines, crystal mines, things like that can't be claimed as private property. Think about it. You can't exactly live inside a gold mine, right? Those kinds of resource-rich places are considered royal land—immediately falling under the Kingdom's control."

"Wait, what? So if I find a gold mine, I get nothing?!" I huff, cheeks puffing out. "That's so unfair!"

"Not nothing," Eris giggles. "If you report it, you're still entitled to a fixed finder's reward. I think… maybe 10% of whatever's harvested?"

"Whaaaat? Only 10%?!" I cry, tail bristling. "Still super unfair! I did all the work!"

"Yeah, that's why a lot of people don't report their discoveries right away." Eris shrugs, grinning. "They try to secretly mine it themselves before the authorities find out."

"Ohhh… sneaky sneaky!" I grin back.

"But…" Eris leans in close, her smirk turning sly. "If you don't report it… and someone else does first… guess what? You'll get punished, and they'll get your share instead."

"WHAAAAAT?!" I yelp, ears shooting straight up.

"Heehee~ What?" Eris teases, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Don't tell me… you didn't accidentally stumble onto a gold mine somewhere, did you?"

"E-ehhh?! Of course not!" I flail, cheeks burning red. "I-it was just a hypothetical! Totally hypothetical!"

"Silly Felicia…"

Eris chuckles softly, ruffling my hair again.

I close my eyes for a moment… leaning into her hand, letting the warmth of her touch chase away the chill of the autumn wind.

Her fingers are gentle. Comforting. Like a little anchor in my stormy head.

But then… I grow quiet.

Because… a different thought slips into my heart.

A heavier one.

"…Well… I… I was actually thinking," I murmur, lowering my voice as the words stumble out, softer now. "If we could somehow… claim that S-rank dungeon as our territory… we could make it off-limits, right? Then no one could go there. No one would bother Morvena…"

Eris falls silent too, her expression softening.

"…That would be nice," she says quietly. "But… it's probably impossible. There are just… way too many monsters down there, remember? It'd never meet the safety requirements. Not in a hundred years."

"…Yeah…"

I sigh, shoulders slumping as the little hope inside me crumbles.

I know she's right. But… still. I wish it weren't like that.

But Eris squeezes my hand, and the warmth returns.

"Anyway!" she chirps, swinging my hand softly as we walk, as if brushing away the heavy mood. The leaves crunch beneath our boots again, filling the quiet with a cozy rustling sound.

"There's also something called the Right of First Land Reclamation!"

"Huh? What's that?" I blink, tail swaying lazily behind me.

"It's kinda similar to the Right of First Discovery," she explains, kicking a stubborn leaf off the path. "But instead of just finding the land… you actively reclaim it from monsters. You clear out all the monsters, improve the soil, keep it clean, make it habitable, and then… after a few years of strict inspections and evaluations, the land becomes yours!"

"Oooh! That's actually really cool!" I exclaim, tail flicking excitedly.

"Yup! And it's a big business, too," Eris adds with a little laugh. "But since it takes tons of manpower and resources, only the biggest guilds or really rich factions can pull it off. Once the land is safe and stable, they can either sell it to the Hearthcarvers Guild, or straight to buyers who wanna live there."

"I see… I see…" I nod eagerly, soaking up all this new knowledge like a sponge.

Wow… this world may be just a medieval fantasy, but it's full of interesting laws and little tricks, huh?

And just like that…

We spend the next stretch of the walk chatting and giggling, lost in our own little world of dungeon houses, weird laws, and silly daydreams.

I keep pestering Eris with all kinds of ridiculous questions, and she—being Eris—answers them all patiently, her voice filled with that soft, knowing amusement.

Like she's indulging a child. Or… maybe like she just enjoys seeing me so curious.

The streets wind on, and before I even notice how far we've gone, we finally come to a stop.

I blink.

And tilt my head back.

Waaah… this place is… huge!!!

Standing before us is a building like nothing I've ever seen before.

It towers above the other guild halls, easily twice the size of the Adventurer's Guild.

Tall, proud, and elegant, its facade gleams under the afternoon sun, all polished stone and shining steel. On top of that, there are massive white marble pillars that rise toward the sky, carved with delicate reliefs of vines and flowers, wrapping up and around like they're alive.

And the entrance gate… it's not just a gate.

It's a masterpiece!

Silvery-white steel, engraved with swirling patterns of mythical beasts, dragons, and birds, the kind of craftsmanship that makes you feel like you're standing at the foot of some royal palace, not a guild!

"Felicia," Eris says softly, placing her hands on her hips and smiling like she owns the place. "Welcome to the Hearthcarvers Guild!"

"Woooow…"

I gasp, tail fluffing up from the sheer grandness of it all.

And just as I'm staring, mouth open, the grand gate creaks open. It moves with a smooth, almost whispering hum of magic, as if the steel itself is alive.

From within steps a woman with long, curly white hair in a perfectly pressed, deep black uniform trimmed with silver. She moves gracefully, her posture elegant, like someone from a noble house. And yet… there's a warmth in her eyes as she lowers her head politely to us.

"Welcome, honored guests," she greets us with a soft smile. "How may the Hearthcarvers assist you today?"