Chapter 779: December 14th: The Kingdom of Cats

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In a single phrase, a Cait Sith is a bipedal talking cat. Puss in Boots might be a good example that even a kindergartener could understand.

At the very least, the Cait Sith I encountered possessed intelligence virtually indistinguishable from a human NPC and seemed to fully grasp concepts like royal authority and knightly pride.

That being said, a cat is a cat, and it's easy to forget but......... the reason I don't really want to go into populated settlements isn't because I'm shy or socially awkward.

"Well, it's hard to imagine these ordinary civilian-looking guys are over Level 100......"

To put it simply, the effect of Lycaon's Scars was causing a minor panic.

"Hey hey, give me a break here, Sunraku. After I went out of my way to put on cat ears to show...... camaraderie, too."

One bromide photo.

"Hey, hey, hey! Aren't you all acting way too terrified!? That's just plain rude, you know!! Ain't that right, my best buddy!!"

"Right you are, best buddycash cow."

I think you can guarantee credit with money, but you sure can't buy trust.

Putting that aside...... According to what Vash said, some kind of meeting? A summit? Something like that was going to be held, but...... I see.

"That one hiding over there has a dog's head, doesn't it."

"A goblin...... though I wonder if it counts as an NPC?"

Catzeria, the Kingdom of Cats. Now that we had arrived, it was clear that there were many races here other than the Cait Siths...... even races that seemed to belong more to monster categories than the demi-humans of the New Continent.

Well, every single one of them is on maximum alert against me, who suddenly showed up radiating an aura of Danger: Wolf. I suppose monsters generally attack humans on sight anyway, so I probably would have been treated with caution even without the Scars, but for now, everything is Lycaon's fault. Damn you, Lycaon. If I don't regularly cultivate this hatred, I won't be able to generate high-quality tension when we finally have our rematch...... Hatred is important.

"Hey hey."

"If there's a Vorpal Bunny around, things will go much faster."

"The townscape is more human-scaled than I thought. I fully expected it to be lined with bipedal cat-sized buildings."

"We can explore the whole place in one night, no need to pull an all-nighter."

"Heeey, Sunraku-kuuuun."

.............

"What."

"Let's face reality."

"Hearing a sound argument from you pisses me off to an agonizing degree."

"If you're willing to pull off that classic domestic violence move of clinging to me after beating me up, I wouldn't mind playing the role of the abused wife!!"

"Cigarette burn."

"Aaahn!!"

But I see, the fact that I'm pissed off proves that Deep Slaughter's words are a sound argument. Well, yeah...... I had already noticed it a little bit before we got here, but there was an atmosphere where acknowledging it felt like losing, so...... Ugh, fine, guess I'll face reality. Even though it's just a game.

"It's a goat."

"Definitely a goat."

"No, that's a deer."

"Deer antlers don't curl like that, do they?"

───Mooooooooooooooooh.........

""""It's a cow!!""""

Take the Trainol Centipede, for example. Or the Fortress Gargantula. According to their material flavor text, there was a completely absurd line stating that even they were species that had fled from the harsh environment of the New Continent...... I see, so flavor text might obscure the explanation, but it never lies.

Taller than a Fortress's height, and longer than a Trainol's total length. A ridiculously massive, hairy cow let out a roar matching its massive frame......

───......... Buuurp.

"Are you kidding me, that was just a burp?"

The buildings shook a little just now, but if a burp operates on this scale, wouldn't a serious roar blow this entire area away?

This place, Catzeria, is apparently a country of cats situated at the bottom of a canyon formed by a mountain physically splitting perfectly in two...... If that super-super-super massive cow so much as twitched, it looks like the split mountains on either side would collapse. Actually, why the hell is this cow resting with its head completely wedged into the canyon?

"This is supposed to be a gathering of small animals, right? Not a summer resort for super-massive predator species capable of domesticating a cow like that."

"That should be the case......"

"Indeed! When I heard reports of a horrifying monster with a blazing face, I was worried it might truly be some kind of vile apparition, but it was just you after all!!"

Suddenly, a voice called out to us while we were distracted by the super-massive cow. I turned around, but there was nothing...... No, wait, down at my feet.

"Oh, Aramis."

"It hasn't exactly been a long time, but you've become even more...... Yes! Peculiar, my friend!"

Well yeah, my face is literally on fire.

Standing before us was a group of furballs that could best be described as an order of cat knights, led by Aramis, who had apparently come running after being alerted by the other cats. Saves me the trouble of searching for him. Even Pencilgon said the trick to triggering important events was to suck up to those in power.

"To put it simply, Vash-aniki told me to come here."

"I have already been informed. Allow me to guide you and your companions!"

I appreciate how fast this is moving.

"Hey hey, Sunraku-kun."

"What? If you pull out a katana and make some stupid pun like 'Neko and Tachi!', I'm gonna deck you." [*1]

"We've practically achieved telepathy, Sunraku-kuuuun!! Ahiiiin, you're gonna leave a mark on my neck!!"

The cigarette burns are starting to lose their effectiveness...... I need a new method. Poison, maybe? No, if her HP gets chipped away and she actually dies, that'll cause problems for me...... specifically regarding PK penalties.

"Hey, Sunraku. What exactly are we supposed to be doing here?"

"Good question, Survival. Truth is...... I have absolutely no idea either."

"Oi."

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Translator's Notes

• [1] Neko and Tachi: Japanese slang (specifically within Yaoi and Yuri cultures), Tachi refers to the "top" and Neko refers to the "bottom"