episode_0109

[Episode 109: Humiliation]

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The dog was carrying a cat on its back and crossing the river.

“Cat! Are you holding onto the bead tightly?”

“….”

The dog was very anxious when the cat didn’t respond.

“Cat! I asked if you’re holding onto the bead well! Why aren’t you answering? Did you drop the bead?”

“….”

What? Did you really drop the bead?

“Cat! Why aren’t you answering!”

“…Hey! I’m holding onto it well, so why do you keep asking!”

Splash!

As the angry cat yelled at the dog, the bead in the cat’s mouth fell into the river.

– The reason for the rift between the dog and the cat. Involving a dog, a cat, and a bead.

****

The cats were momentarily distracted by their cuteness.

Oh, they are so cute, right?

But why are they all looking at me and meowing like that?

Am I being welcomed? But I’m an intruder, right?

“Oh… Maybe they are forgiving me? They are so cute and kind!”

I feel sorry for causing a disturbance, so I should give them lots of treats before leaving.

Meow…

By the way, Main Coon seems to be feeling a bit off. His voice sounds a bit…?

Ah! Main Coon seems to have a unique purring style.

Purr…

At that moment, amidst Main Coon’s purring in my arms, a different, familiar purring of a regular cat that I know resonates.

“Oh! Samseok, do you want to be petted? Haha…”

Samseok keeps rubbing against me in my arms, asking for pets, making it hard to wipe the smile off my face.

I gently stroke Samseok’s soft fur and pat his back lightly.

Samseok seems to enjoy it as he nuzzles into my arm… He is so cute that I really want to take him home and raise him.

“If I get permission, can I take him home? I am confident that I can raise him well… Should I ask after this task is over?”

I never imagined that playing with them briefly would turn them into such lovely creatures… Isn’t this the joy of communicating with animals?

It seems like they were craving human touch.

Originally, I planned to keep them hidden in my arms until the end of the job and then release them after stealing the treasure, but seeing them shivering inside made me too guilty to bear.

In an instant, they were kidnapped and turned transparent. How scared the baby must have been.

So, while Seri stole the treasure, I spent time calming them down. It wasn’t easy, of course.

Trying to calm not only the cat but also myself was chaotic.

Shaaak!

“Yaaah…!”

“Ugh!”

“(Kim Seobang! Are you okay? How dare this brat scratch my husband like this…!)”

Due to a slight scratch from the paw I waved in alarm, Hyangdan was in a frenzy…

I thought maybe the baby was scared, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Hyangdan, I’m fine. Calm down a bit. It’s a bit embarrassing to get mad over a small scratch.”

“(Oh my? Kim Seobang! Are you taking the cat’s side instead of mine? It’s not just because of the cat’s habit! Do you know what this cat is saying to my husband right now?)”

“Uh, uh? Somehow… it feels like my girlfriend is giving me the eye…?”

“(I’m a cat, not your girlfriend, Kim Seobang! Say it right…!)”

“Oh..! Hyangdan, calm down. Why would I take the cat’s side when I just met it? Even if I did, I wouldn’t take your side. And since I can’t understand cat language, it’s okay if I receive some scolding. How scared must it have been?”

“(Still… this cat…!)”

“Well, wait! You don’t have to tell me what was said.”

I was actually a little curious, but I decided not to ask to avoid getting hurt unnecessarily.

I was lucky to have a millstone.

I was able to pick out the churu that cats love like a cheat code.

I thought about giving it to Catnip, but since she’s still small and looks like a kitten, I decided to give her the churu.

Catnip doesn’t really need it for kittens.

Plop!

“Meow! Me.. Meow!?!?”

As I put the churu in the cat’s mouth while it was growling defensively, the cat seemed confused at first, then its eyes widened in surprise…

“Meow meow meow. Nom nom nom..!”

It was so cute how the cat grabbed my hand with its claws still out and eagerly started eating the churu…

After that, things progressed quickly,

After finishing the churu, the cat licked my face affectionately.

Since the cat had let down its guard, I took out a toy with bait attached and we enjoyed playing together… Before I knew it, we had become friendly like this.

“(……)”

“Why, Hyangdan?”

“(Mr. Kim is really something… Wow… He hated Mr. Kim so much, but… This is almost brainwashing… Is it because he’s so scary…? Maybe he thought I was messing with his food… Especially the fact that he has no self-awareness… Could it be that anyone, human or animal, female, can be so captivated…? Hmm…)”

“…Uh, uh-huh?”

“(Well, even goblins are captivated, so what’s the difference if it’s a cat. But I kinda want to learn that captivating skill too…? Haha… I must have done well to marry a goblin?)”

“…What are you talking about, Hyangdan? Oh! By the way, isn’t it still far away? It seems like quite some time has passed..?”

As we were expressing our doubts,

Meowww!

The noisy cat sounds coming from my courtyard made me rush over, fearing that the cats would pounce on Seri any moment.

Thankfully, they stopped when I rushed over and intervened.

Then they started meowing cutely towards me…

All the cats raised their tails vertically and swayed them slowly, and that Maine Coon even sang a little song, making it seem like they were forgiving me, which felt right.

Come to think of it, they’re all looking at our calico?

Perhaps it’s because I’ve become so close with Calico that they’re easily forgiving me like this?

Yes! The world truly understands when you have a kind heart… That saying is true! You guys acknowledge that I played with Calico! Thank you, guys!

Purr purr!

At that moment, Seri began barking towards the Maine Coon in a threatening manner.

I quickly restrained Seri, surprised by her behavior.

“Oh! Seri, those friends want to become friends with us while forgiving us like that, so don’t bark like that!”

Shaaa!

As soon as I finished speaking, all the surrounding gazes turned towards me.

Even Calico, who was enjoying being petted with closed eyes, looked at me in disbelief…

Why… Why? What did I say wrong?

“(Um… Mr. Kim? Sorry for interrupting suddenly, but did they forgive Mr. Kim…?)”

“Huh? No? Oh! You might not know. I know a bit about cats, you see? Do you see how their tails are swaying and they’re meowing gently? That’s a sign that the cats are feeling good. And do you see that big cat on top of the cat tower… I mean, the Maine… no, the big cat is purring? Did you hear that when you were petting Calico? That’s also a sign that the cats are feeling good.”

“(……)”

“They’re probably looking at Calico with such eager eyes because they want to be friends with us through Calico, don’t you think? Haha, it’s cute, isn’t it.”

“(Hmm. Alright, let’s just leave it at that, Mr. Kim. We shouldn’t hurt Mr. Kim’s tender heart. Well, I did say not to tell him earlier…. But still, Mr. Kim? Maybe it’s best to let the elegant dog do as he pleases? If we stay quiet, the dog will probably handle everything.)

“Why? Surely Sori isn’t trying to fight with the cats, right? They shouldn’t get hurt. That would be a test of failure.”

“(Eek! Mr. Kim, if Gaksi just stays still, let him be! Gaksi might not even know the saying that good things come to those who listen?)”

Well.. I’m not completely unaware of Sori or Hyangdan’s trials.

By the way, Hyangdan has been subtly mentioning Gaksi or her husband since earlier.. We’re friends, right? We know each other?

Still, let’s just keep quiet for now as Hyangdan suggests.

It seems like Hyangdan and Sori have some good intentions.

I feel like I might be misunderstanding something by reading between the lines.

Meow! Meow!

Grrrr….

Meow! Meow!

Sori’s conversation with the big cat continued from then on.

As the conversation with Sori dragged on, the confident demeanor of the big cat, which had initially tried to attack Sori, gradually faded away.

Meow….

The surrounding soldier cats also seemed to suddenly catch onto the melancholy. Sounds of sadness began to emerge along with the meows.

Meow! Meow meow!

Grrrr….

Meow….

Thud.. Roll…

When Sari barked at Main Coon and threatened him, Main Coon opened his mouth with a peculiar growling sound and…

Along with the plaintive cat cries, a blue bead fell to the ground with a thud.

Sori quickly ran over, wiped the blue bead with his front paw, picked it up with his mouth, and offered it to me.

“Uh.. Sori? How did this happen?”

I ask Sori with a puzzled expression, holding the blue bead.

Meow!

With an innocent expression like Sari’s and a dignified air unique to Sori, he straightens his chest in front of me as if asking for praise.

While praising Sori’s head, I still couldn’t understand the current situation at all.

If only I could understand what they were saying. It seemed like they were having a serious conversation, but all I saw was cute dogs and cats playing around…

Meow!

“(The elegant dog said he’ll explain later! For now, Mr. Kim has become superior to that big cat, right? Like a king of some country? What’s that about? Anyway! Now that cat is Mr. Kim’s subordinate!)”

“…What? What did you say?”

“(Even if you stare like that, I don’t know, Mr. Kim! The elegant dog said something really difficult in a roundabout way, and the big cat handed over the bead, right? Ah! The dog says the cat in Mr. Kim’s arms should be taken as a hostage!)”

Oh! Can I really take Samseok and raise him?

No, no, that’s not important right now.

Hmm.. Main Coon seems like a king… and since he called me a superior to the country, does that mean Sori has established a vassal relationship with me and the cat nation? But is that possible? I’m neither a king nor do I have a country?

Kwoong!

Startled by a sudden loud noise from the side, I turn to see that Main Coon has descended from the top of the cat tower and is approaching me.

The sound of the fall was quite loud, enough to worry about Main Coon’s knees. Especially since he was wearing armor and carrying a greatsword…

Meow!

‘Huh? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’

I was extremely taken aback.

Main Coon, who had been walking towards me like a person, suddenly kneeled in front of me and raised the greatsword with his front paws as if offering it to me…

Feeling like I should accept the sword, I take it and look at Sori for no reason.

Is this what you meant, Sori?

Looking at him with my eyes, Sori nods with a meow!”

Mainkun, upon receiving the greatsword, looked at my greatsword in my hand and the Samseogi in my arms, as if determined something, closed his eyes tightly and sat in front of me in a bread posture, bowing his head.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Mainkun’s head hit the ground with a loud sound three times with strong force.

“Huh? Hey, hey Goyanga, what’s wrong? Are you okay? Suddenly your head…! Huh? Why are you all again? Why all at once like this..?”

Clang!

Startled, trying to check Mainkun’s condition, but as Mainkun crushed his head on the ground, all the surrounding soldier cats also dropped their weapons, sat in a bread posture like Mainkun, and bowed their heads to the ground….

Seriya, what on earth have you done!

Uh.. M-Master..?

I think I can pass the second trial.. Is it okay to pass it like this?