"It's all right."
Although the young Rat People had snapped at him, Mister Mili remained remarkably magnanimous. He waved a hand casually and said with a smile, "It's just that the gentlemen at headquarters don't believe what you said, so..."
As he spoke, he fished a transparent liquid in a small glass vial from his pocket and set it on the counter before Ding Dang Ear, still smiling amiably.
The young Rat People was still somewhat confused, but Fox Five's expression turned rather ugly.
He easily identified the liquid in the bottle as Truth Serum from the markings on it. It was a method Trident Sword could use only when interrogating criminals. It was not exactly illegal, but using it on ordinary wizards was somewhat excessive.
"Believe?"
A slightly exaggerated voice suddenly rang out, shattering the little shop's silence. The black-robed wizards and clerks all turned toward the source of the sound.
At the entrance to D&K, in a patch of sunlight cast through the window, squatted a fat Yellow Flower Cat. It was holding a small dried yellow fish, gnawing on it with relish while sneering at the black-robed wizards.
"Heh heh, believe?!"
The Yellow Flower Cat stuffed the last bit of dried fish into its mouth, dusted off its paws, and repeated the word as it chewed. "We all believe the rich should pay more taxes, and stars should stay obediently beyond the heavens... But in truth, the rich pay less and less tax, while more and more stars fall to the ground... Which means that belief does not equal fact."
That was sophistry!
Fox Five had to exert considerable effort to restrain the urge to retort.
"Where did this stray cat come from?" A young Trident Sword behind Mister Mili flew into a rage, pulling out his