The Shadow of Prosperity (1)
"Fnyaaaa!"
I soared through the air, leaping from the balcony. Just as I passed over the castle wall, the skateboard vanished into the sky. Farewell, nameless skateboard. I’ll never make you again—wait, I’m falling!
"Nya, nyaaa (Flight) … Fnyaaaaa!"
I tried to use Flight, but the magic wouldn’t activate. The ground rushed toward me, and panic set in. But as a cat, instinct kicked in. I adjusted my fall by kicking off a tree, slowing my descent. However, the last branch snapped, and I landed flat on my back.
A cat that lands on its back is a failure… Ouch, my back hurts.
"Nyaa (At least I’m unharmed… What a miracle)."
Ah, the wonders of a cat’s body. I’m much lighter and more resilient than usual. Quickly recovering, I sprinted toward the castle gate. I needed to seal it before the pursuit could catch up.
At the nearest gate, two knights stood guard. Fortunately, they didn’t see me as a threat. I was just a cat, after all.
"Oh, a kitten."
"How peaceful."
Curling up near the gate, the knights soon turned their attention elsewhere. Unnoticed, I climbed a wooden box left beside the gate’s control panel. Using my claws, I stretched and reached the panel. It was time to act.
Tap, tap, tap.
The emergency closure code was 46 digits long. Normally, the gate couldn’t be locked from outside, but the emergency protocol was an exception. They’d been lazy and hadn’t updated the default trial code. Lucky me.
"Hey, the castle gate is closing!"
"That’s impossible; it’s not time yet. What’s going on?!"
Apparently, someone had tried to open the gate just as I activated the lock. The gates began to shut immediately.
"Who’s the fool who locked the gate? Open it now! The princess has escaped!"
"We didn’t do anything… A black cat is operating the panel!"
"That cat is the princess! Stop her immediately!"
Bye-bye! Using my cat agility, I evaded their grasp and dashed toward the capital.
"Princess, you can’t just leave on your own!"
Freedom! I ran until figures clad in black suddenly appeared, leaping silently from the castle wall. They must be my personal guards. The black-clad ones were likely the royal shadow operatives.
"Hisss (No one can stop me)!"
"Can anyone understand her?"
"Sorry, I’m a beastman, but I can’t talk to animals. Though, she doesn’t look cooperative."
Like I’d ever go back! I’m acting based on my own judgment. I’m safe as long as I remain a black cat. I’m not a princess right now, so there’s no need to worry.
The pursuers closed in, pulling out nets and magic restraints. They didn’t seem to be holding back. If caught, this would get troublesome.
"Nyaaago!"
"Unyaa!"
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, cats rained down from above. Gigantic cats and stretchy ones like rubber ambushed my pursuers. One giant cat pinned a knight to the ground, licking his face relentlessly.
"Naaago (Master’s orders. Please proceed while we handle this)."
As a kitten, I could understand their voices. Surprisingly, their tone was gruff.
"Nya (Thanks. Make sure not to hurt anyone)."
"Naa (Understood)."
I bolted at full speed. While the shadow operatives specialized in stealth and assassination, they weren’t as skilled in direct combat as knights. Against my pets, they stood no chance. Even an average knight would struggle against my pets’ weakest members.
After 30 minutes of evading pursuit, I reached the capital’s commercial district. The smell of food from early-morning stalls filled the air. Perfect timing—my stomach was growling. I could withdraw some coins from my treasury. Alright.
"Nyaa (One skewer, please)!"
Clutching a copper coin in my mouth, I leapt onto a stall counter. The vendor, an older man, looked surprised.
"Well, this is a first. A cat customer! Here you go."
I handed over the coin and received a skewer in exchange. The treasury’s drawback was its inability to produce anything large immediately. Still, small items like coins were easy to pull out.
The skewer’s taste? Decent. It had that junk-food charm. A guilty pleasure I might indulge in again. Holding the skewer delicately between my paws, I ate it in about five minutes. Then I cleaned my greasy paws, licking them like a proper cat.
The bustling streets grew noisier, and I noticed the stall vendor glancing around curiously.
"What’s going on so early in the morning?"
It wasn’t a fight, though. Looking around, I spotted suspicious individuals dressed like devil worshippers. Cloaked entirely in black, their faces were hidden by pointed hoods. Definitely shady.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Oh, it's you, old man. It's serious! The princess has escaped. Apparently, she's taken an interest in the slums. All members of the society are being called in."
"That's not good. I'll go too."
What is this society? When I looked at the stall owner, he was dressed like a devil worshipper. Is it contagious? ...That’s absurd!
"Sorry, but the stall will be temporarily closed... Huh?"
The stall owner seemed to notice something and looked at me.
"Ah? We are in a hurry here."
"Wait a minute... now that I think about it, why does a cat have money? And those eyes..."
Oh no, I've been found out. Eating a meal like nothing's wrong while I'm on the run—how stupid can I be?
I dashed off at full speed.
"There she is! Stop her immediately!"
""""What?!""""
Too many of them! This is no different from being in the castle. Anyway, I have to escape.
I turned corners, slipped through gaps between houses, and hid behind objects. Sometimes they'd get ahead of me, so I'd change my route. I spent about an hour running away like this.
"Damn, we lost her. I thought we'd catch the princess right away."
"This is bad. We're close to the slums. If we don't stop her soon, it will be irreversible."
"Even we can't go in there. It's too dangerous."
These people don’t look like ordinary citizens. Even these devil-worshipper-looking types think the slums are dangerous. And it seems we’re quite close to the area.
I have no idea why they're looking for me. They seemed to know who I was, and I recognized some familiar voices among them, so I could narrow down the suspects to a few people. I’ll ask Alicetia about it later.
For now, I need to get out of here. Since this is where they lost sight of me, people kept gathering. Do they have nothing better to do... or maybe it's just early morning, and they haven't gone to work yet?
I moved through gaps between crates and along the tops of walls, heading toward the slums.
"Meow (By the way, where are the slums)?"
I’ve never been to the slums. The map of the capital is a military secret, and I’ve only seen the areas I’m allowed to move around in. Plus, my perspective is different from usual, so I don’t even know where I am now. Where am I?!
Oh right, I can talk to cats, can't I? Let’s give it a try.
"Meow (Where are the slums)?"
"Meow (Heh, heh, what a fine lady. How about grabbing a bite with me)?"
Ugh, no good. Cats are surprisingly sleazy. Just as I thought I was being hit on, one circled around to my rear. Startled, I ran away. Cats are scary.
Every cat I spoke to just tried to flirt with me, and some even tried to pin me down. I’ve realized that morals do not exist in feline society.
The cats of the capital are useless. I couldn’t understand what stray dogs were saying either, and the same went for other animals. For now, I decided to just keep walking.
I walked for another hour or so. I ended up back in the same spot or, for some reason, in front of the castle, where I nearly got caught... This capital is strange. I pride myself on having a good sense of direction. Getting lost shouldn’t even be possible.
"Meow (An illusion? I don’t sense any presence of magic, and I should be able to see through any illusions of a certain level automatically. So, the problem must be with the capital itself.)"
I had never noticed before because Alicetia always guided me, but now everything was becoming more suspicious. What’s going on here? And where exactly am I now?
My objective had shifted from observing the slums to simply finding them.
And finally, I arrived.
The air was filled with a foul stench. The streets were littered with garbage, and disheveled residents wandered aimlessly. Some sat with bowls in front of them, begging.
This place was beyond anything I had imagined.
What do you think about this chapter?
