Into the Manuscript (4)

< Into the Manuscript (4) >

Kleio avoided the cat, and ran away to the bedroom.

'I should change clothes first, what mess is this?'

There were two of the same clothes hanging in the closet. It seemed like the school uniform. It was a set of a white shirt with stiff collars, gray vest, and a black jacket with long coattails.

Bam–Bam–Meoow– Food! –Meoooow–

Before he could entirely button the shirt, the bedroom door that the cat was slamming on from outside opened.

"Hah, this meal attendant that finally became able to listen and understand things dares to resist?"

Caught up in the jump of the cat suddenly rushing in, Kleio's light body tumbled to the ground.

"…You speak well."

"Meeoooooow!"

The giant cat ran wild, and lying on the ground tangled up in that, Kleio just gave up on judgement.

'People here can use sword auras and it's a world that can use magic, so a cat could probably talk.'

The cat was warm, and soft, and a crazy guy. Pushed by the cat that was shoving his chest, Kleio spoke.

"Urgh, ugh. I'll give you food. In return, answer a few of my questions."

"Trying to use your head, in your position as a stupid unfairly accepted student. Just hand over food like you used to."

The cat that was quick unlike its giant body broke free from Kleio's arms, before standing up and growling. It was considerably obsessed with food.

"I'm an unfairly accepted student?"

"Why are you playing innocent? Even a cat like me knows that your father poured an enormous amount of money and shoved you here."

'Ohh. It looks like the father had a lot of money, but this guy's head was bad.'

If it was a background like this, then he was completely grateful.

"Our master cat is smart and wise. So let this dim-witted person ask a few things."

"It is true that I am wise. What questions do you intend to ask that you're starving me like this. Meow."

"Did I take care of your food everyday?"

The cat glared at Kleio, who was still lying diagonally on the floor. The eyes became thin and its whiskers quivered.

The black eyes seemed to shine gold, when the cat suddenly stood up on its back legs.

"You, you're not Kleio Asel, huh!"

'The cat is perceptive.'

Kleio hesitantly raised himself up and sat.

"Who are you?"

"The person who'll give you food."

"Of course you'll give me food!"

"That's right, I will. But how are you saying that I'm not me? Can other people or cats discern that difference?"

This time, it was a cat, but if a bit more important person realized that the one inside Kleio's body wasn't 'Kleio', it would be troublesome.

Having come into this body, it was his intention to play around and live comfortably with his super rich father's money. He refused to get involved in commotions.

"The Eye of Truth that perceives an existence's essence is a power from before the world was divided into nine… Who would dare to copy this cat?"

Kleio encouraged the cat without smiling big, and with a soulless expression.

"Marvelous, impressive, amazing. Then, only you can see things like that?"

"It is exactly that."

'That's a relief.'

Or no, would it be closer to sad that only a cat could notice Kleio's strangeness? He fell into water but even after half a day, there weren't any friends dropping by.

"Anyways, food! Meooow!"

"You're cuter not saying people words."

Another gust of kitty punches flew into Kleio.

"Filthy thing!"

Kleio, who had finally avoided the cat's front paws, asked.

"Cat, what's your name?"

"Do you think I would tell you?"

"So you don't have one."

"It is merely that no one dared to attach a name to this cat."

"So doesn't that mean you don't have one?"

"How could something like a human, to a noble mystical cat like this cat–."

The cat that was standing on its two back paws with its body standing straight up like a bipedal lifeform while shaking its paw at a person, was really really big and pitch black.

'Then, there's a name that comes to mind.'

"Cat, let's call you Behemoth from now on. Behemoth is good right? It's cool."

"You dare to give a profane name to this body!"

"Our amazing Master[1] Moth[2], it seems like you like the name."

"Who does!"

"Moth."

"Meoooow…"

"Our Moth."

Behemoth, who was standing on four feet again, possibly actually liked the name that Kleio gave to it, because it accepted like it couldn't win against him.

"Hmph, I'll accept it since you're pleading. Call me Noble Master Moth, dim-witted human."

"Alright, let me ask a couple things, Noble Master Moth. I lost my memories after falling into the river yesterday."

"You didn't lose your memories. You are Kleio, but you are not Kleio."

"But either way, right now, I'm Kleio Asel."

The cat snorted.

"So I need to know a little about myself. I'd like for the great Master Moth to guide this inadequate me. Hm?"

When he carefully wheedled and flattered it, the cat whose nose had gone up proudly into the air started to answer.

Soon, Behemoth was revealed to be a very appropriate individual to talk to. It was because the cat, who had apparently lived a long time at the school, knew everything within the school.

It was the cat-like observation prowess from years of experience… from looking over the newly admitted students each year and picking the easiest looking one to make into a food delivery servant.

"So Moth, to your eyes, I seemed like the wimpiest and easiest guy among this year's admitted students."

"It's a relief you know your place, but the real Kleio didn't act carelessly towards me like you do, you know?!"

"Alright, alright. I won't disturb you anymore, so continue. I would like to hear more of the great Moth's excellent opinion."

"Ahem, open your ears and listen well. Not only were you inadequate in ether sensitivity, but you were also inadequate in resourcefulness. You stayed shut up in your room crying every day, so there wasn't anything like a friend who would take your side. Not evening using the money you should have if your father's the country's richest man, tsk tsk."

It seemed like Kleio had been a mismatched existence in various ways, in a school where only students who were ambitious and outstanding gathered.

"I also watched during the entrance exam. Your ether sensitivity was so low that you couldn't even make light properly and panted. This last-place newly admitted student."

"Ether, you say…"

Kleio ruminated over the contents of the manuscript he had reread using the 「Memory」 of 'Promise' around dawn.

This world has an inherent power called 'ether'. Only people with 'ether sensitivity' could use this energy.

Swordsmen and mages could store ether in their body's potential[3] through training.

Swordsmen covered their bodies or swords with the ether they gathered, and mages ejected the ether they gathered into a field outside of their bodies and then used it on magic formulas.

The place that raised the most outstanding swordsmen and mages in the Dernier continent was exactly Albion's Royal Capital Defense Corps School.

'Prince Arthur could definitely wrap ether around his sword before entering the school, but he hid his power and entered in last place.'

But in this version of the manuscript, it seemed like he himself, Kleio Asel, had placed below him.

"Well, I have money, so what if my abilities fall short a bit? I'll just continue to live as a last place loner."

Even if people ostracized him, it didn't seem like there were gangs that would call him over and beat him up to steal his money. It was just that, if he ignored back the people who ignored him.

'I'm thirty two years old, so if some teenagers acted superior, would it itch or hurt?'

"Hmm. But your ether sensitivity rose an incredibly amount in a day."

"Huh?"

"Now, you probably won't go to sleep weeping that you can't follow your classes."

"Huhhh?"

The cat patted Kleio's left hand with its front paw.

"I feel an incredible ether sensitivity in this hand that doesn't have anything. Your ether level has also gone up to 2. Did you pick something up and eat it in the bottom of the river yesterday?"

It seemed like even this cat with sharp eyes couldn't see the ring on his left hand. The white gold ring that was still clear to Kleio.

'Promise!'

"Originally, this thing called ether comes from outside of this world… If you're talking about just ether sensitivity, then the current you are an existence that would hardly be born once a century. Alright, I get it, so that's why you became able to understand this cat's noble words."

There was something he could think of.

'Did that [–Limitless ether sensitivity is granted to the user.] mean this? If ether is a power from outside of the world, would 'Promise' be something like a cheat item?'

Coming this far, he considered if this wasn't inside of a manuscript, but inside of his own delusions. To think that he would have the good circumstances of a super rich household's son, and set foot on a route that would make him a talent without any effort.

"Well, regardless of whether you're overfilling with ether sensitivity, if you don't widen your potential, there's no use. And it's not like someone weak like you can become a swordsman either."

"That's probably true. Hm, right, it's like that."

"But!"

"There's something else?!"

"Right hand, hold out your right hand!"

The cat's order was so firm that he held out his hand without thinking.

"Ha! This is also dumbfounding. Haven't you gotten an 'Inherent Skill'! Isn't it the help of the goddess!"

"Inherent Skill?!"

"The feeling is weak, so I didn't notice at once, but the thing on your hand is a 'Stigma'. What's the type?"

'A Stigma…'

Of course, the previous version of the manuscript also contained 'Inherent Skills' and 'Stigmata' in the setting. The proof of an 'Inherent Skill' that you could only get with a special chance encounter with the disappeared goddess, was exactly the 'Stigma'.

'Wasn't an 'Inherent Skill' an ability that was described really amazingly, that made subspaces, and sprayed out long range techniques? What skill could I use from a imprint that looks like I was stamped by a corner of furniture?

Kleio examined the back of his right hand closely again.

Faint lines that drew a rectangle that was about 2.5cm in width, 3cm lengthwise.

He couldn't tell at all what it meant.

"I don't know, can't you tell, Moth?"

"If you don't know, then how would others be able to tell! This cat is mighty, and so can see the name at least. It is called 'Editor's Authority'. This is the first skill with a name this peculiar. If you're curious, then try invoking it!"

"…How do you invoke it?"

The cat glared at Kleio like he was pathetic.

"Must I spoon feed you how to do something that is invoked just by thinking about it meooow! I finished answering. Now hand over food!"

The cat that lost its patience started to jump around.

There wasn't a need to call someone over. The cat meowed so energetically that the attendant heard the commotion and came over.

The cat that had finally gotten boiled chicken, excitedly chewed and started to dine. The cat that had its nose shoved into the ceramic plate with its ears twitching was, well, indeed cute.

Looking down at the cat, Kleio was lost in thought.

'Am I unexpectedly someone with a lot of imagination? Or was living so hard that I escaped all the way to here…'

No. No matter how much he thought about it, he didn't have the ability to imagine things like magic or stigmata. Everything was the arrangement of the author.

If he looked back on it, the author's email that said [I will definitely provide compensation for participating in the revision of the manuscript from now on as well.] seemed to have meant exactly this situation.

'Let's put it that I was pulled into the manuscript. Why would they give a skill to a passing supporting character like this suddenly? And what's this 'Editor's Authority'…'

Somehow he had an foreboding feeling.

[1] This is actually lit. 'teacher' but it sounded weird to use 'teacher' in eng. So I meant this as 'master and disciple' master, not 'master and servant' master

[2] In Korean, ppl tend to make nicknames out of the last syllable(s) of a name, instead of the first like in English, so this isn't referring to the insect moth, but the last syllable of 'behemoth', the name given to the cat.

[3] Not exactly 'potential', it's lit. 'plate' and it refers to one's ability to do something