– Into the Manuscript (4) –

Kleio ran away from the cat, finding refuge in his bedroom.

‘I would like to change clothes, but what is this?’

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

Bam– Bam–

Meoow– Food!– Meoooow–

The cat was slamming onto the bedroom door, finally pushing it open before he could button his shirt up.

“Hah, this meal attendant dares to resist?”

Kleio’s light body tumbled to the ground as the giant cat leaped upon him.

“…You speak well.”

“Meeoooooow!”

The giant cat began thrashing wildly above him, and as he defended himself helplessly on the ground, Kleio decided to give up.

‘People here can use sword auras and magic, so a cat could probably talk.’

The cat was warm and soft but also crazy. Pushing the cat off his chest, Kleio spoke up.

“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 and unfairly accepted student. Just hand over the food like you used to.”

The cat, quick despite its giant body, broke free from Kleio’s arms before growling. It was considerably obsessed with food, it seemed.

“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 to shove you in here.”

‘Ohh. It looks like his father had a lot of money, but this guy’s head was no good.’

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

He tried a different approach.

“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 need to starve me like this? Meow.”

“Did I take care of your food every day?”

The cat glared at Kleio, who was still lying on the floor. His eyes became thin as his whiskers quivered. His black eyes seemed to shine gold; then, suddenly, the cat stood up on its back legs.

“You… You’re not Kleio Asel, huh!”

‘This cat is perceptive.’

Kleio hesitantly raised himself up into a sitting position.

“Who are you?”

“The person who will give you food.”

“Of course, you’ll give me food!”

“That’s right; I will. But why would you say that I’m not me? Can other people or cats discern that difference?”

A cat was nothing to worry about, but if a person realized that the one inside Kleio’s body wasn’t ‘Kleio,’ it would spell trouble. When he accepted that he was on a stranger’s body, all he wanted was to play around and live comfortably with his super-rich father’s money. He refused to get involved in any commotion.

“The Eye of Truth that perceives an existence’s essence is an ancient power, something from before the world was divided into nine. Who would dare copy this cat?”

Kleio gave insincere compliments to the conceited cat.

“Marvelous, impressive, amazing. Then, only you can see these things?”

“Exactly.”

‘That’s a relief.’

Or no, was it actually sad that only a cat could notice Kleio’s change? He fell into the river, but even after half a day, no friends had dropped by.

“Anyways, food! Meooow!”

“You’re cuter when you’re not talking like a person.”

Another gust of kitty punches flew into Kleio.

“Filthy thing!”

Kleio, who had avoided the cat’s front paws, decided to push on.

“Cat, what’s your name?”

“Do you think I would tell you?”

“So you don’t have one.”

“It is merely because no one has dared to attach a name to this cat.”

“So, doesn’t that mean you don’t have one?”

“How could something like a human give a name to a noble mystical cat like me?”

The cat was standing on its two back paws with its body straight up like a human while shaking its paw at him.

‘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?!”

“Oh, amazing master Moth, it seems like you like the name.”

“Who does?!”

“Moth.”

“Meoooow…”

“Moth.”

Behemoth, who was standing on four feet again, actually seemed to like the name that Kleio gave to it, as he pretended to have no choice but to accept it.

“Hmph, I’ll accept it since you’re pleading. Call me the noble master Moth, dim-witted human.”

“Alright, let me ask a couple of 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 am Kleio Asel.”

The cat snorted at him.

“So I need to learn a little about myself. I’d like for the great master Moth to guide the inadequate me. Hm?”

After carefully wheedling and flattering it, the cat, whose nose had gone up proudly into the air, started to answer. Soon, Behemoth revealed himself to be a very appropriate individual to talk to. The cat had apparently lived a long time at the school and knew everything that was happening within. It had incredible observation skills from years of experience… from looking over the newly admitted students each year and picking the easiest looking ones to make into his 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 as 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 opinions.”

“Ahem… Open your ears, and listen well. Not only were you inadequate when it came to ether sensitivity, but you were also inadequate when it came to resourcefulness. You stayed shut up in your room crying every day, so you had no friends who would take your side. You didn’t even use the money you have. Your father’s the country’s richest man, tsk tsk.”

It seemed like Kleio had been a mismatched school where only students who were ambitious or outstanding gathered.

“I also watched during the entrance exam. Your ether sensitivity was so low that you couldn’t even make light properly. You’re in the last place among all the newly admitted students.”

“Ether, you say…”

Kleio ruminated over the contents of the manuscript he had reread using the 「Memory」ability before. This world has an inherent power called ether, which only people with ether sensitivity could use. Swordsmen and mages could learn to store ether in their bodies through training. Swordsmen covered their bodies and swords with the ether they gathered, and mages ejected the ether they gathered into a field outside of their bodies to be used in magic formulas. The place that raised the most outstanding swordsmen and mages in the Dernier continent was the place he was now, Albion’s Royal Capital Defense Corps School.

‘Prince Arthur could wrap ether around his sword before even entering this school, but he hid his power and entered in the last place amongst all students.’

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

“Well, I have money. So what if my abilities fall short a bit? I’ll continue to live as a last-place loner.”

Even if people ostracized him, it didn’t seem like there were gangs that beat him up to steal his money. It would be enough if he ignored the people who ignored him.

‘I’m thirty-two years old, so if some teenagers acted superior, would it matter?’

“Hmm. But your ether sensitivity rose an incredible amount in just a day.”

“Huh?”

“Now, you probably won’t go to sleep weeping that you can’t follow along with your classes.”

“Huh?”

The cat patted Kleio’s hand with his front paw.

“I feel an incredible ether sensitivity in this hand. Your ether level has also gone up to two. Did you pick something up and eat it while you were at the bottom of the river yesterday?”

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

Promise!

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

There was something he thought of.

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

He wondered if this wasn’t inside of a manuscript but inside his own delusions. To think that he would have the right circumstances of being the son of a super-rich household and have something that would give him talent with no 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.”

“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 instinctively.

“Ha! This is also dumbfounding. You’ve gotten an Inherent Skill! Did a goddess help you?!”

“Inherent Skill?!”

“The feeling is weak, so I didn’t notice it before, but the thing on your hand is a Stigma.”

‘A Stigma…’

Of course, the previous version of the manuscript also contained Inherent Skill and Stigma in its plot.

‘Wasn’t an Inherent Skill an ability that was described really amazingly? One that made subspaces or fired out long-range techniques? What skill could I use from an imprint that looks like something stamped on a piece of furniture?’

Kleio examined the back of his right hand closely again. He could see faint lines that formed a rectangle about 2.5cm in width and 3cm in length. He couldn’t tell what it meant at all.

“I don’t know. Can you tell me what this is, 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 the very least. It is called the Editor’s Authority. This is the first skill I’ve seen 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 everything? It is invoked just by thinking about it meooow! I’m finished with answering, so now hand over the food!”

The cat, losing his patience, started to jump around. There wasn’t a need to call someone over, as the cat meowed so energetically that the attendant heard the commotion and came over. The cat finally received what it wanted. It excitedly sunk its face down a bowl of boiled chicken. The sight of the cat with his nose in his plate with his ears twitching was rather cute. Looking down at the cat, Kleio lost himself 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 Stigma. It was as it had been written by that author. If he looked back on it, the author’s email said [I will provide compensation for participating in the revision of the manuscript from now on as well] seemed to have meant exactly this situation.

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

He felt a heavy sense of foreboding.