Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Cat Lord (1)
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-Meow.
A sound that felt both familiar and unfamiliar stirred me awake. Something fluffy, plump, and swaying came into my blurry vision. Without thinking, I grabbed it.
-Meeeow!
Almost instantly, a sharp pain stabbed my face. I jolted upright, clutching my stinging cheek and scanning my surroundings. There sat a plump tabby cat with its tail straight up, glaring at me.
"A... a cat..."
I mumbled in a daze. The tabby had a single dot under its nose, like it had gotten into some jjajang sauce. It looked at me pitifully, then shook its head. Wait, that face looked familiar. I racked my brain.
"...You wouldn't be Spotty, would you?"
Spotty.
The name my family had given to a scruffy stray cat that wandered around our neighborhood when I was in elementary school. It had been skin and bones, fist-sized and pitiful, so we'd rinse out tuna cans for it. On days we made samgyetang, we'd share some chicken. Before long, it had put on weight and even become the boss of the neighborhood cats. We'd named it Spotty, only to later discover it was a tomcat. That had been a shock.
But Spotty vanished around the time I graduated middle school. It was winter, and it started looking frail, so I'd been planning to take it to the vet when it disappeared.
Unlike humans, animals know how to hide their pain. Injuries or illnesses become instant weaknesses tied to survival. They conceal most suffering to stay alive, then slip away to some hidden spot to meet their end quietly when death nears.
Spotty must have been the same. Back then, I'd felt hurt and resentful that it left without a goodbye. But looking back now...
Spotty just hadn't wanted to show weakness.
-Meeeooow.
"It's you, Spotty."
-Myaaaoooo.
"Wow, you haven't lost a single ounce."
-Nyap!
Ow ow ow. I pulled back my hand scratched by sharp claws, then cautiously moved it to pet Spotty's head again. Just like long ago, I stroked it gently.
"If I'd known I'd see you, I'd have brought some churu... Oh, you wouldn't know what churu is, right? It's this super hot item that drives cats crazy these days..."
-Spotty. Is that human for sure?
A strange voice interrupted. I stopped petting Spotty and turned toward it.
There stood a cat with glossy golden fur, shining like it was oiled with sesame oil. Yes, it was standing—upright on two legs! Even in this fantasy-tinged pseudo-medieval world, I'd never seen a bipedal cat...
"Huh?"
That's right.
I wasn't on Earth, in Asia, or Korea. I was in some nameless planet's pseudo-medieval land.
So how was Spotty, from the same Earth, Asia, and Korea as me, here?
I stared at Spotty in confusion. Naturally, it ignored me like any cat would.
-You seem shocked.
"Uh, uh huh...?"
-Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kali, chair of the Cat Council.
Cat Council?
A phrase from an old book flashed in my mind. [The Cat Council will invite you.] Yeah, that was it. It said "soon," but I didn't expect "soon" to mean this soon. I hadn't even had time to look into what the Cat Council was!
'So, this guy's the one who gave me the [Cat Lord] title...?'
Whether I was confused or not, Kali, chair of the Cat Council, resumed talking with Spotty.
-Hmm, I see. So when you met, he was a 'little human.' He was 'in the middle of growing,' right?
-Nyaang.
-Yes, humans are inferior beings, so they grow much slower than us. It's no wonder you didn't recognize him right away. But as you say, he has the 'same scent,' so this 'big human' must be the 'little human' you knew.
-Nyaak.
-He gave you 'canned* tuna'? Alright, let me ask him again if he has it.
"Eh...?"
-Hey, do you have this 'canned* tuna'?
"Uh, no...?"
-That's a shame, Spotty. Looks like he doesn't have any 'canned* tuna.'
What the hell were these cats talking about?
'Am I hallucinating or something?!"
No, that couldn't be. The item I'd just gotten was Starfish Leather Gloves, which had a 'hallucination immunity' effect. So this was definitely real.
Then...
"...This is actually happening?"
I muttered without thinking, and both Kali and Spotty turned to me. Spotty twitched its whiskers like it was mocking me, while Kali gave me a look of utter disappointment.
-You don't grasp the situation.
"...Yes. Embarrassing, but true."
Put yourself in my shoes. Would you? Reuniting with a cat buddy I'd completely forgotten (though I was grateful for that), and seeing a talking bipedal cat?
-Do you know you are the new [Cat Lord]?
"...Yes."
-Good, you know that much.
"..."
-You brought supreme joy to the kittens, who are the light and hope of all worlds.
Was this about the yarn ball?
-And in this era filled with darkness and evil, you showed that our kind remains strong.
This must be about the mouse hunt.
Kali gazed at me sternly, then unrolled a scroll from its back. The long scroll, reaching to its paws, had [Cat Lord Appointment] scrawled crookedly in the same script as the old book. Below it, nine paw prints of various cats.
-Thus, we, the great Cat Council of the nine worlds, have decided to appoint you as [Cat Lord].
"..."
I listened quietly as Kali spoke.
[Cat Lord] or [Dog Lord], whatever—it didn't matter. What counted was the title's 'effect.' But [Cat Lord] had no 'effect' yet.
As if reading my mind, Kali clapped its soft jelly-like paw pads twice, then rolled up the scroll and slung it back over its shoulder.
-To those qualified as [Cat Lord], we grant the blessing unique to cats: 'nine lives.'
Nine lives!
'The cats here really have nine lives.'
There was a fun saying in this pseudo-medieval world: 'Cats and hydras have nine lives. So do not provoke hydras or cats.'
Strictly speaking, hydras had nine heads, not lives. That was a completely different ability from dying and reviving.
A title effect of 'nine lives'? Thank you very much!
-Are you prepared to receive that great blessing given only to cats who live nine lives across nine worlds? [Cat Lord].
"Of course."
I nodded solemnly, dead serious. How many near-deaths had I had in this world already? Nine lives couldn't be better. Ah, living righteously brings such luck...
-But.
It cut off there. At 'but,' I narrowed my eyes at Kali. It met my gaze with a stern expression.
-The problem is your unclear identity.
"...My identity?"
-Yes. No cat in this world knows you. Not a single one.
Of course not. I'm from Earth, Asia, Korea.
-So we asked cats from other worlds, and here... 'Spotty' vouched for your identity.
Thanks, Spotty. I gave a thumbs-up to Spotty, who was licking its paws in a trance.
-But a fundamental issue remains.
"What is it?"
-Why is a soul from another world wandering this one?
"Uh, that's..."
-If you should be one who brings 'chaos'...
"Chaos? Me?"
-We cannot place you on the [Cat Lord] throne just like that.
Give and take away? Embarrassing to say it myself, but I'm more the world-saving type. I opened my mouth to explain—
-Krurrrrumble...
A ominous rumble echoed from afar, like the sky collapsing. Kali bristled and stared toward it. Far beyond the Milky Way-like vista, a massive thunderbolt cracked the heavens amid deafening booms.
-...It's already reached here.
Spotty also looked grave, tail straight up as it peered beyond the galaxy. What? What now? What the hell was happening, you cat bastards?!
-For now, let's take cover.
-Nyap.
"...Me too?"
-Or do you want to be lightning fodder right here?
"Of course not."
Before I finished, Kali and Spotty bolted the other way at incredible speed. I glanced at the approaching lightning, then scrambled after them. Earth-shaking booms chased us like a hammer to the back of my head.
-Hurry, run faster!
-Nya aaaang!
Kali and Spotty urgently called me from before a portal glowing like a giant cat's eye, bright yellow. Damn, four legs beat two for running. Feeling my breath at my throat, I dove into the rippling portal. Kali and Spotty followed, and it snapped shut with a sharp crack just in time.
"Hah, huff..."
-Nyap.
Spotty patted my heaving shoulder.
What the hell was this?!