episode_0107

[Episode 107] Purpose of Intrusion

This is a piece of cake.

Even though the appearance is cute and fluffy, I am invincible!

Not even a dirt floor, let alone this cloud floor, is nothing in front of my steel front paws!

No, even if it were a dirt floor, with one swipe of my front paw, even the frozen solid ground would shatter like tofu.

With confidence in his frost, he diligently digs tunnels.

Having eaten what his body has consumed so far, can’t he handle this much?

The iron pellets that his owner casually tossed were strange metals with many names, but to the invincible, they were treasures worthy of being called spirits.

Even overcoming his weakness, fire…

His current body, nurtured by those metals, could boast of being the strongest among all the stories he had.

No matter how strong the grindstone is, just knowing of the existence of such metals makes him wondrous.

He simply chewed and swallowed without thinking about it, but he knows.

Perhaps if out of all the irons Sari had eaten, even just one could have been eaten by him in the past, that person could have conquered not only the industrial revolution but also the world.

So this is an opportunity! An opportunity to leave a deep impression on his king!

“If I solve this well, he will surely praise me immensely, right? He will definitely ask for the king’s seed as a reward! To think I can achieve fame by doing such an easy task! Ahh…”

The joy of being desired by someone he admires.

If he didn’t know that, it would be better, but he has already discovered the pinnacle of pleasure.

Abandoning grace, dignity, and pride, he becomes submissive.

Sweet and… thrilling, beyond compare with anything else.

“Chomp!”

Frost digs tunnels diligently, his cute gray eyes wide open with determination.

Thud!

Eventually, the hard floor made of steel under his claws.

“Hmph, your preparations are thorough. It’s a pity. Of all things to intrude upon, it had to be mine.”

Although the heavenly realm was a land made of clouds, they seemed to have prepared by laying thick plates on the floor in anticipation of tunneling, but to him, it’s just a snack.

Whoosh!

Crack..!

Despite the act of chewing iron, the thick steel plate breaks as easily as a toothpick.

With the sound of iron dust falling, Frost pierces through the floor and pops up, revealing a tiny face.

It was slightly dark, but magnificent.

Various precious silver treasures revealed as Frost’s bright eyes illuminated the darkness!

Indeed, this seems to be where the treasure my lover sought is located.

Frost hums a tune happily as he hops around, making excited footsteps while exploring the treasure trove.

Huh?

“(There are really a lot of treasures here? Among these, what could the treasure my king desires be…?)”

The abundance of treasures was also a problem.

Fortunately, it seemed to be organized for inventory purposes, but still, among them, there must be only one item that his master desires…

A sword? A bow? A spear? Although they look splendid and rare, no, they must not be weapons… Then silver treasures? Hmm… those seem too ordinary… Or a painting? Ugh..! What kind of painting is that? Did a cat draw it with its paw?

Scritch-scratch…

Huh…

“(Ah… I really have no idea… All these treasures seem quite ordinary… Is there nothing that looks special…?)”

As he continued to make footsteps, searching through the treasure trove, it happened.

Suddenly, a blue light poured down from above.

Huh?

“(Huh? Could it be…? That’s clearly…)”

It was a dazzling blue bead, so radiant that it overshadowed the surrounding silver treasures.

Shining on its own, the beautiful bead quietly illuminated the dark interior of the treasure trove…

Frost was immediately convinced. That was the most precious item here.

Was it to make it difficult to obtain easily?

The highest bead in my Tanggo was made to be climbed only through a foothold that only cats could use.

“Meow….”

Seri briefly considers the best way to steal that bead.

Hmm… Should I disguise myself as something big? No. Of course, I could easily catch it, but… it’s too big…

No matter how wide my Tanggo is, there are so many treasures inside that if I disguise myself, it would make a loud noise and almost collapse, so disguising myself is not a good choice. Surely, upon hearing the sound coming from inside, the guards will sound the alarm.

“Meow…”

In the end, there’s no choice but to use that foothold to get the bead.

Seri starts climbing up to the high place where the treasure is, using agile movements to step on the foothold.

Hop! Hop!

Despite the wide gaps between the footholds, Seri, more agile and elastic than a cat, leaps across not just one but two or three sections at once, quickly getting closer to the bead…

Meow meow!

“(Haha… Isn’t this too easy? You lazy cats! Thinking only cats can do this kind of foothold jumping…)”

As Seri approaches the bead, mocking the cats and preparing to take it, at that moment!

“Meow meow meow!”

Pffft!

Something huge swiftly approaches, pushing Seri aside who was trying to grab the bead and snatching the treasure with its mouth.

Thud..!

In an instant, Seri crashes from the high place to the ground.

Meow meow!?

“(Who are you…!?)”

Meow meow.. Meow meow..!

“(Oh? You fell from this height without any visible injuries? You have no shame as a thief. How dare you ask for your identity in front of me… Nevertheless, even though I don’t know who you are, you must pay with your life for attempting to steal the country’s treasures.)”

Meoww!

“(You… are the king? Ha! You foolishly waited here for me to steal the treasure? Truly foolish and arrogant… To think that the fate of the nation rests on my shoulders, yet you overestimate my abilities. Moreover, how did you know that my goal was the treasure?)”

With a massive body, fluffy fur, wearing a golden armor and wielding a greatsword.

He is more like a warrior than a king.

Revealed before Seri is the king of the cats.

“(Hmm, they said it was a human who would face trials… ‘My’ goal? You are not someone who lacks loyalty. The princess was right in suspecting that your goal was the bead. You wanted the bead too… Hmm… I almost started a war out of anger… As a father, as a ruler, it’s truly embarrassing…)”

The cat king suddenly recalls the princess’s desperate expression trying to stop the war, lost in thought for a moment.

.

.

.

.

“(Mother! Absolutely, we cannot, we cannot have a war!)”

“(Can’t the princess control herself? How dare a mere princess interfere in state affairs! How can you behave so recklessly in front of your subjects!)”

“(Mother!)”

“(I, I will go all the way…!)”

Amidst the conflict between the cat king and the princess, the cat soldiers gathered in the camp try to mediate, but they are at a loss due to the overwhelming aura of the lady.

“(Your Majesty…! P-please calm down…! If the princess wakes up, she’ll just…!)”

“(What? Even after witnessing this situation, are you still using the word ‘fixation’! If you wanted to fix it, shouldn’t you have come to find the intruders yourselves! How much time has passed and why is there still no news! Have you had any success so far despite claiming to resolve it yourself? No, you haven’t! That’s why I’m not just going to sit back and watch! Whether it’s a rat country or a dog country, isn’t it simple to go in, make them kneel, and immediately confess as ordered!)”

One courtier gathers courage to oppose the cat king’s insistence on continuing the war, leading the princess to erupt in anger and raise her voice loudly to the cat king once again.

“(Oh my goodness! How can you persecute innocent courtiers! And starting a war for reasons that aren’t even certain! Surely diplomatically, our cat kingdom will suffer a great blow…!)”

“(Why is it uncertain! The armory has been breached! And they unleashed that terrible dog attack on the soldiers! And yet this isn’t a clear reason!? This…! I ordered restraint, but you’ve been involved in this matter until the end…! Look here! Immediately take the princess to her room, lock her up, and discipline her!)”

As the conflict escalates, the courtiers cannot hide their perplexed expressions,

On one side, the cat soldiers, with their fur bristling, start dragging the princess as commanded by the king, while on the other side, the princess sends a cold stare indicating that if they dare to grab her arm, they should go ahead,

In the midst of this, unable to catch the cues from both sides, they only tremble without finding a way out.

“(What are you doing?! Don’t take the princess away! Can’t you hear the princess’s orders!)”

Finally, hesitantly, the cat soldiers start dragging the princess’s arm under the stern command of the stubborn cat king.

“(Wait a moment! Oh..! Will these guys not let go of this! Oh my goodness! This cannot be a war! Intruders! The girl will find the intruders! She can find them! I… I saw something outside…!)”

“(What did you say? Wait a moment!)”

The cat king interrupts the soldiers at the princess’s words.

“(What on earth are you talking about! Didn’t I forbid the princess from going outside! How could the princess, who was supposed to stay in the palace, go outside! What were the guards doing! Princess, speak up now!)”

“……”

“(And what exactly did you see that the princess claims to have found intruders that even the elite soldiers of this country couldn’t find?)”

The princess tightly closes her eyes.

Having revealed this fact, she knows she won’t be able to sneak outside again.

However, for the sake of this beloved country, how could she not make such a small sacrifice….

Rather than seeing the people suffer in the flames of war…

“(Actually, a while ago, secretly from His Majesty… I went outside the jurisdiction of the Jade Emperor.)”

“(Ohhh…!)”

Ugh..! This sound is made when His Majesty is feeling uncomfortable..!

The princess flinches slightly. But in order to change the mind of the cat king who insisted on going to war, she quickly adds more words.

“(I saw a human there. Suddenly he tried to grab me, so I ran away in surprise but… out of curiosity, I watched him from afar.. He was undergoing the trials of the Jade Emperor.)”

“(What! Trials of His Majesty?)”

“(Yes. Perhaps it was a trial of hide-and-seek to find the disguised Jade Emperor. So he transformed the feet of the disguised emperor into shining blue with his strange knowledge… Finally, he passed the trial.)”

“(Hmm.. It wasn’t a crime, was it?)”

“(It’s not just that… He… refused to pass through and proposed a reverse hide-and-seek to His Majesty. This time, His Majesty became the fugitive and asked him to find himself)”

“(Oh my…!)”

At the princess’s words, the cats’ eyes widen, and they start to buzz with excitement.

The result of the trial imposed by the gods on human subjects dares to oppose and suggest in reverse! How will they bear the guilt if they fail in this trial…!

“(Could it be? Did he really pass through without the notice of the divine ruler?)”

“(…Yes. He disappeared like a ghost, only to reappear as soon as the test ended.)”

“(Ah! Oh…)”

The cat king who purrs.

And only then could the Cat King understand why his daughter brought up such a story.

“(So, the princess’s words… Is his ability related to this intrusion?)”

“(Yes… Since it was called the first trial, his ordeal probably did not end with just that. Perhaps… if it was a test related to the nation… So, if he hid in the nation with his strange ability…)”

“(Indeed! Even if the soldiers of the nation are elite, how could they possibly find him! Not even the Emperor Oghwang could locate him!)”

“(That is correct.)”

“(In that case, this incident may not necessarily be a provocation from an enemy nation. However, that is an uncertain story. Can the princess be sure that his ordeal is truly related to the Cat Kingdom?)”

Now is the crucial moment.

If she does not convince Avamama now… the people will suffer!

With that in mind, the princess resolved herself.

“(I cannot be certain, but I can make a guess… First, he caused a disturbance in the armory. And… there were no changes in the armory inventory.)”

“(I see… So, the guards and servants must have assumed that intruders fled empty-handed when soldiers arrived.)”

“(However, if we interpret the situation based on the girl’s speculation… he might have caused a commotion thinking the item he sought was there, but left without it, assuming it wasn’t there.)”

“(….)”

“(It is unlikely that the divine ruler’s trial involves taking all the weapons of the Cat Kingdom. Moreover, no matter how elite and swift the nation’s soldiers are, it would take some time for them to mobilize to the armory, so if what he wanted was there, he could have easily taken it…)”

“(….)”

“(Therefore, the girl believes he must be in my chambers by now.)”

“(What? My chambers?)”

“(Yes… The place where he caused the disturbance was the armory. Perhaps he mistakenly thought what he wanted was there, so such an incident occurred. In that case… the only place similar to the armory is… my chambers…. Therefore… the content of his ordeal is…)”

“(The content is…?)”

“(Bring the national treasure of the Cat Kingdom. Could it be this…?)”

Bang!

Suddenly, the Cat King slammed his armrest on the throne and stood up abruptly.

The sight when the vigorous Cat King of the Cat Kingdom becomes furious.

At that sight, the face of the Cat Princess is filled with despair.

Oh… She has failed to persuade Avamama… That’s why he is so angry and has risen so suddenly…

“(Ah, Avamama. I have erred. Please forgive me… But please, let there be no war…!)”

“(Huh? What are you talking about, Princess? You have already persuaded me. If your speculation about war is wrong, we can think about it then. Look! Prepare as quickly and discreetly as possible to send agents into my chambers! I will personally wait for the intruders. Do not cause any disturbances to alert them; surround and support me immediately when I give the signal!)”

!?!?!?

“(Your Majesty! Are you planning to hide yourself while leaving loyal soldiers behind!)”

“Noisy! If we don’t punish the audacious invaders who have invaded the land of pleasure, then who will?”

It’s like one crisis after another.

Even the princess, who had been relieved that the war was over, and the courtiers who seemed to be sighing as the conflict between the king and the princess ended…

Their faces turned pale again at the energetic declaration of the king to personally hide in the inner chamber and confront the invaders.