JSOML 09

Chapter 09

Five dreamlike days had passed since then.

Unlike the breathless, repetitive routine of before, peaceful days continued.

A life of eating well, living well, and occasionally acting cute.

Lerry was truly enjoying his freedom.

Of course, a price came with it. He had to cater to the despicable Crown Prince’s whims every night.

Just last night, the Crown Prince had grabbed Lerry’s leg, pondered for a moment, and then said,

*’Luke, bring me cat shoes that are agile, sturdy, and very powerful…’*

— issuing such an absurd order. Even when poor Luke sobbed, asking where on earth such a thing existed, the Crown Prince’s stubbornness wouldn’t bend.

In an instant, Lerry had only gained useless acting skills. Jumping around the bedroom was basic, and he even had to show off his jumping prowess.

Only after confirming that Lerry was perfectly fine did the Crown Prince’s overprotectiveness stop.

Or so he thought.

*’Should I… make Lerry armor? No, it might be too heavy.’*

— until such nonsensical talk started.

In the end, Lerry resolved not to have anything more to do with him. But if he refused even a little,

**[SYSTEM: Theodorus’s (Crown Prince) disappointment has increased.]**

The system window tormented Lerry.

That wasn’t all. The world was full of foods that cats couldn’t eat.

The chocolate tart that Sonia and her bodyguard Jack were eating was one of them.

“Meooow… (I want to eat that too…)” Lerry sent them a sparkling gaze.

Sonia had said it was a homemade snack.

The perfectly browned tart shell and the generously topped ganache looked incredibly appetizing.

“Oh my, why is Lerry-nim doing that again?”

Sonia tilted her head, wiping the crumbs from her mouth.

Jack swallowed the last piece and said, “It seems he wants one too.”

“Myaang. (How annoying.)”

How could he eat so deliciously when he knew?

Lerry glared at Jack disapprovingly. Then, as if expressing his dissatisfaction, he swept the floor with his tail.

Jack was the knight assigned to guard Lerry after the incident at the temple. With a kind face and a thick belly, he reminded Lerry of a big teddy bear.

When Lerry first saw him, he was suspicious in many ways.

*’That aside, this is a real sweetheart of a post.’*

Lerry had even secretly given him a nickname: ‘Jack and the Honey Tree.’

Jack’s job was indeed very simple: ‘Protect the cat from all the world’s dangers!’

But most of it was spent in Theodorus’s bedroom, and there was no way a cat who only went for walks could be in any danger.

Thus, Jack was well on his way to collecting a salary while slacking off.

“Chocolate is a no-go, so how about some kibble?”

Sonia petted the pouting Lerry and poured him a generous amount of kibble.

*’Right, chocolate is bad for cats.’*

Lerry, who belatedly realized the reality, trotted after her.

But since his soul was used to stashing and eating chocolate in drawers, these moments were particularly hard for him.

*’I really need to become human again.’*

No, even healing gets boring if it goes on too long.

It was absolutely *not* because he couldn’t eat chocolate!

Lerry steeled his resolve and stuck his nose into his bowl.

Crunch, crunch.

The soothing ASMR of kibble filled the air. It was such an enjoyable meal that the lunch he’d had earlier didn’t even cross his mind.

At that moment, a cheerful trumpet sound pierced his ears sharply.

― BBAAM-PPARA BBAM-BBAM!

**[SYSTEM: Congratulations! You have evolved from ‘Cat-Newbie’ to ‘Cat-Elementary’!]**

Taken aback, Lerry just rolled his eyes. Another message appeared right after.

**[SYSTEM: From now on, you can acquire ‘Skills’ upon achieving certain conditions.]**

First, they said he reclassed to a cat.

Evolution? Skills?

Irritation surged at the unexpected phrases.

He wasn’t a character in a game. And why on earth would a ‘cat’—not a mage, warrior, or archer—need skills?

Lerry swung his soft paws at the detestable system window.

The messages continued, as if mocking him.

**[SYSTEM: You have acquired the skill ‘Deadly Nyah-Punch’!]**

**[When using the skill, the opponent may receive a critical hit in more ways than one.]**

*’What do you mean, “more ways than one”!’*

Watching Lerry bustle about and jump around, Sonia looked confused, unable to understand.

“…I’m sure he ate his fill. Why is Lerry-nim so angry?”

Jack stroked his bushy beard.

“It’s just… I think cats are hard to understand animals.”

In the afternoon, Sonia gathered the paper and bag Theodorus had written for her.

“Well then, Jack, please take good care of Lerry-nim.”

Sonia had to step out for a moment on an errand to buy Lerry’s toys.

*’Take me along.’*

Lerry smacked his lips in regret.

It was a golden opportunity to leave the Imperial Palace for the first time in his life.

He tried hard to express his desire to go too—with sparkling eyes and cute little paw gestures—but Theodorus wouldn’t easily allow it, saying it was still too much for him.

“Don’t worry…”

“Myaa… (Have a safe trip…)”

Jack and Lerry waved weakly.

*Click.*

As soon as the door closed, Jack naturally sat down on the chair Sonia had been using. He immediately entered sleep mode.

*’Classic slacker.’*

The expression ‘falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow’ definitely applied to him. He was already snoring.

Lerry poked his belly, which puffed up like dough.

Was he dreaming of eating? Jack was even smacking his lips in his sleep.

*’Alright, let’s execute the plan.’*

Having waited for this moment, Lerry crept towards the window.

**[SYSTEM: It seems you are about to understand the skill ‘Cat Burglar’.]**

A somewhat baffling message blocked his view, but he ignored it cleanly.

Lerry grunted and squeezed through the slightly open gap.

The unnecessarily ornate window didn’t open easily.

*Thump!*

But with a firm push from his behind, a draft came in with a dull sound.

*’Was that too loud?’*

Startled, Lerry turned around to check on Jack. Fortunately, Jack was still traveling through dreamland.

Success!

Lerry let out an internal cheer and slipped his body through the opening. Looking down below, he saw a dizzying and vast landscape.

*’At this height, even a cat can jump.’*

*Hop.* Lerry mustered his courage and leaped. As expected, he was able to land stably.

**[SYSTEM: You have acquired the skill ‘Up, Up, and Away Cat’!]**

**[Landing impact is reduced.]**

As his pink paw pads touched the ground, the fully softened spring light shone through his fluffy fur tips.

*’Just a little look around, just a little.’*

Until Sonia gets back.

Lerry roamed the Imperial Palace with light steps. He even hid in the bushes at the sight of a shadow, acting out a spy movie in case he got caught, but…

“Oh my, that cat is…”

“You know, the Crown Prince’s Highness’s…”

Rather, people who spotted Lerry often whispered among themselves. Being recognized from afar proved he was a celebrity.

Passing by a large tree, Lerry arrived at another palace.

*’Wow… This place is even shinier!’*

He’d thought the Crown Prince’s palace was quite ornate, but this place was even more dazzling.

Porcelain, statues, and artworks made of pure gold and jewels were placed strategically, almost blindingly so.

Even though the guards were heavily stationed, Lerry could pass through easily. No one dared to stop the Crown Prince’s cat.

*’Just how amazing of a cat am I?’*

There’s nowhere I can’t go.

Lerry was just raising his pink nose and endlessly striding down the vast corridor when suddenly, a harsh noise came from nearby.

*’Yikes!’*

Lerry hurriedly hid himself around a corner. He saw someone stomping along, chewing on their anger.

“A useless fool!”

It was a middle-aged man with blonde hair very similar to Theodorus’s. Judging by his noble bearing, he was undoubtedly the Emperor of the Empire.

After expressing his fury, he vanished abruptly with his retainers.

*’So that’s the Emperor? But what was that all about?’*

Lerry’s curiosity was piqued. He moved to the place where the Emperor had slammed the door and saw a conference room.

Peeking through the crack of the open door, he saw Theodorus, Luke, and a nobleman with deep wrinkles on his forehead sitting side by side.

Even at a glance, they seemed to be discussing something serious.

Among them, Luke and the nobleman looked the most grim.

The first to break the silence and speak was the elderly nobleman.

“It’s because you keep throwing out jokes like that, Your Highness, that His Majesty got so angry.”

The nobleman said, staring blankly into space.

That was understandable—the scene of the overturned conference room was bleak.

Whenever Theodorus’s marriage issue came up, it was always a battlefield, but today it was particularly fierce.

Unable to stand it anymore, the Emperor had threatened Theodorus to marry soon, and the factions pushing their opinions also fell silent at the Emperor’s firmness.

However, Theodorus had just smiled wryly and dropped another bombshell.

“Is there any other way?”

Theodorus gave a bitter smile. It had merely been a method he chose to stop the Emperor.

As the nobleman sighed, Luke also chimed in, seemingly disheartened.

“Still, that was too much, Your Highness!”

“What did I do?”

“How could you possibly mention a cat as the Crown Princess!”

“No, I said a woman who looks exactly like Lerry.”

“For goodness’ sake, Your Highness…”

In the end, Luke’s plea turned into a sob.

Where in the empire could there possibly be a woman resembling ‘Lerry the cat’?

Luke took out a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it firmly against his sweaty forehead.

Lerry understood the situation by now.

*’That master of mine caused another mess.’*

“Why are you so fixated on that cat?”

Theodorus smiled, showing his dimples.

“As you well know.”

What? Now I’m curious.

Just as the story was about to get interesting. Lerry, wanting to hear more, stuck his head further into the door crack.

But then, his body floated up into the air.

“You’re wandering around where you shouldn’t be.”

Ian’s voice came from somewhere. Where had he appeared from?

With his limbs caught by Ian, Lerry flailed helplessly in the air.

*’Right when it was getting good! How can you cut it off like this!’*

Ian securely trapped Lerry in his arms.

“Ha. If you disappeared again, a lot of people would be crying.”

His sigh brushed against Lerry’s small head.

It was obvious without even seeing it—Theodorus, who would search every corner of the palace with knights for a single missing cat.

Lerry, caught before satisfying his curiosity, had eyes that drooped like wilted spinach.

*’Am I really going back like this?’*

*After I managed to get out…*