Chapter 94: Dragon God, Human Cat, Casual Chat at Mo Mang Palace...

"Dead?"

Can gods cry? Probably not, but watching Villette frown and bend down, examining a lump of cat mud as if kneading it, the silvery-gray fur almost melting between his fingers, Furness couldn't help but sob.

"Stupid cat god..."

I told you to run faster, why are you so disobedient...

No, it's all my fault. I was too weak. The Cat God was killed while protecting me...

She remembered the cat god shielding her, his bowing in apology, and his final, limp fall. A surge of grief and indignation welled up within her. Was this just an ordinary cat that died? No, it was a loyal friend, a shining soul! So, Funina clenched her fists, fighting back tears:

"I've made up my mind. I'm going to give Cat God a grand state funeral."

After examining the evidence, Navelette said, "I object."

"No! You have no idea how great he did tonight!"

Funina dared not reveal the assassination attempt, and the cause of the Cat God's death was destined to remain a secret. Her merit in protecting the god would never be recognized. Thinking of this, Funina's sorrow deepened, and her resolve hardened.

"His tombstone should be adorned with a thousand Cecilia flowers, and his body should be wrapped in pure white robes. His coffin should be carved from fine gold and decorated with jade..."

"I object."

Funina was furious, so angry she was about to cry:

“I’ll pay for it myself! Violet, you have no right to object!”

"..."

The Water Dragon King silently watched the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Funingna".

He knew that it was best not to point out mistakes when others were emotionally agitated, but to politely wait for them to calm down before explaining the facts in a calm manner.

but.

"The Cat God is not dead."

"No need to try to persuade me anymore, my mind is made up... Huh!? What did you say?"

"Cat God is not dead; he has simply fallen into a forced hibernation due to severe physical exhaustion."

Navelette, with an upright expression, handed over the cat, guiding her fingers to its neck to feel the small animal's soft, gentle purring.

"But if you bury him in the ground, he might never wake up again. I suggest you don't do that."

“zz~”

"Furina, your face is suddenly so red, is it because your divine power is disordered?"

"..."

“Furina, would you be willing to tell me what happened? For example, why do you think the Cat God is dead, and what great things the Cat God did?”

"..."

"Frinina, I want to ask..."

"Shut up, Vilette!"

*

The next day, the sun was shining brightly. The cat, who had slept soundly all night, twitched its ears, stretched out its soft paws, and arched its body powerfully.

"Mimi".

It's alive.

[Damn it, I accidentally fell asleep! Little En, isn't it time to sleep...?]

The cat drowsily opened its eyes, only to be caught off guard by three pairs of eyes of different colors and shapes:

"Hiss!"

[Terrifying!]

Good morning, Your Excellency Cat God.

Navelette calmly nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hey, I haven't seen you around Mo Mang Palace these past few days. Where have you been gallivanting off to?"

Leosley's eyes held a deeper meaning.

"Cat God!"

Funina was the most direct; she pounced on the cat, rubbed its face, and poked its eyes with her finger.

"Ah, it seems that the dark curtain that shrouded Fontaine last night was finally lifted by these bright golden eyes... To be able to witness this light again is truly the gentlest mercy of fate."

She was subtly expressing her joy that the cat god was alright.

"?"

It was too elaborate; the cat didn't understand a single word.

Hey! You have no idea how brave I've been for you!

Looking at the cat's bewildered round eyes, Fu Ningna felt a surge of pride, a sense of accomplishment she had never felt before welling up inside her.

"I managed to snatch you back from the clutches of a terrifying monster, from the white-haired scythe of death!"

Like a true god, she bravely protected something with her own hands—something she had never dared to dream of before.

"Meow!?"

The cat stared at her with its tail held high, in disbelief.

His memory stopped at Alegino's incredibly fierce and furious slap.

[Although Peipei knows when to stop, you actually managed to bring me back to Mo Mang Palace from her—that's truly impressive!]

"Really? That's really impressive."

[Brother—it's so nice to see you as soon as I open my eyes!]

Leosley assumed she was reciting lines from a play, since everyone in Fontainebleau knew that the gods loved improvisation, so he clapped along, under the cat's focused gaze.

"Brilliant, brilliant! Such outstanding achievements deserve a grand banquet. Guards, serve the dishes!"

Navelette, who was pouring cat food out, said, "Me? Okay..."

Shuilong had never played any role, and Zunlan's shoes rarely stepped onto the velvet of the stage, but he wanted to continue the gentle and relaxed atmosphere indoors, so he awkwardly bowed and divided the cat food among himself and the cat.

"Please use it."

"Meow!"

Mainkun was already hungry. After nuzzling Navelette to express his gratitude, he immediately buried his head in his food and began chewing furiously.

"Well……"

Funina looked down at the plate containing brown granules and the spoon neatly placed to the side:

"You take jokes this seriously? Well, Violet, you..."

"Hmm? Is there something I did wrong?"

"No! You truly deserve to be my Grand Judge!"

"However, I am indeed quite curious..."

Leosley glanced at the plate in front of him, then at Mainkuen, who was engrossed in showing off his wares:

"Cat food, humans should be able to eat it, right?"

"rest assured."

Navelette also glanced at the cat's head without making a sound:

"I specifically asked the store, and this cat food is also safe for humans to eat."

"Yeah……"

"Wait, why are you asking this?"

Fu Ningna was baffled.

"You don't really want to eat it, do you? Hey, hey, hey!"

The Duke elegantly scooped up a spoonful of cat food, offering only a perfunctory reply:

“Since it’s already been brought here, we can’t waste Mr. Villette’s kindness, oh dear.”

"???"

Under Funina's dumbfounded gaze, he swallowed it.

Leosley tried cat food purely out of curiosity about Maine's daily diet.

But Funina was unaware of the truth.

"How does it taste?"

"Meow??"

"Hmm...not good, fishy."

"no!"

So she listened to the discussion around her with horror.

"Do we have to take jokes so seriously?"

I don't want to eat pet food!

*

Furnessa fled in panic, saving Leosley from having to fight her for the cat.

Navilette, however, had some regrets about her work:

"I'd also like to ask her what she thinks about fetal water."

"Fetal water? Ah, the murder weapon in the serial disappearances of teenage girls."

Leosley remembered this and casually made a few remarks, but his attention was still on the cat:

“It’s really bad luck. It always reminds me of that terrible prophecy… Come here, May, Maine.”

Without him even having to call out, as Leosley began reciting the prophecy, the cat spontaneously jumped onto his lap and patted his hand with its paw pads.

"Mimi".

Don't be afraid, brother, I will protect you.

"Furina is also paying attention to that prophecy."

Shifting her gaze from the cat and the person, Villette narrated quietly and slowly, striving not to disturb this peculiar reunion scene, nor to reveal any flaws:

"Although the God of Justice is not always prudent, his love for his people is beyond question. He will surely prevent the disaster from happening in Fontainebleau, so you need not be afraid of that prophecy."

"oh."

Leosley found it quite novel that his casual remark was taken so seriously, and that he was comforted twice in a short period of time by both the cat and the dragon. He quickly clarified things to these two earnest individuals:

"I'm not that scared, but I feel that if the prophecy is true, I'd better make some preparations, like building a big ship... huh."

As he was talking, he suddenly swayed his leg, picked up the cat from his lap, and examined it closely.

"You've lost two kilograms in just a few days?"

"?"

Maine hung in mid-air, completely bewildered, meeting his brother's stern gaze.

[Huh? What?]

"What happened?"

The cat's weight was already quite low, and two kilograms was a lot. Leosley frowned and turned the cat over and over several times, but found no external injuries.

"It can't be my imagination."

"Please let me take a look."

Navelette put down her pen, politely supported the cat's back, and curled up on her tiptoes.

"I'm sorry, I can't be sure... The judge has been very busy lately, and I haven't paid attention to Cat God's health for a long time."

Leosley knew the reason was more than that.

He knew that ever since he discovered that the cat god was Maine, Navelette had tried to ignore the other's cat appearance, not responding to his rubbing and affection, and no longer hugging him. She stubbornly treated him with the courtesy due to a friend's younger brother, hoping that one day he could return to his human form and make friends with him on an equal and sincere basis.

What a wonderful gentleman.

Leosley sighed and continued, following his words:

"Why are you apologizing? I'm a dutiful judge. I'm just too busy with official duties. It's only because there are too many people in this world with bad intentions who disturb public order and prevent you from getting any rest... Why do you have that expression? Did I say something wrong?"

Navilette hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

"Actually, the security situation in Fontaine is very good recently, and the security team responsible for patrols has even started to consider layoffs."

"?"

Leosley glanced at the thick stack of documents on his desk, disbelieving:

"Then why are you so busy? This stack of things is almost taller than you."

"I am ashamed."

At this point, Villette was even more helpless:

"These are all criminal suspects who surrendered themselves."

"Confess?"

Leosley re-examined the height of the document:

"So many? Lately, the trend in Fontainebleau has shifted from perfume to turning oneself in?"

"Please don't say such terrifying things. My court schedule is already full until next spring."

"Hahaha, think positively. Villette, at least it's a good thing that the prisoner turned himself in. They won't be able to commit any crimes in Mello Petersburg."

Leiosley comforted him, but saw no joy on the dragon's face.

"If they surrendered out of remorse for their crimes, I would certainly be happy, and I'd be willing to work any amount of overtime, but..."

Navilette closed her eyes wearily:

"They came to Mero Petersburg for refuge because they were afraid that they would be killed or maimed by the lynxes because of their past crimes."

"Refuge? Mello Petersburg?"

"!!?" Lynx?

The usually quiet big cat and Leo both looked up in shock.

[Why am I involved here?? Is Vilette working overtime because of me?]

[Wait, if that's the case, I think I understand why the lynx's reputation has been getting better and better... How could this be?! The lynx is hopeless!]

Mainkuhn panicked, but what alarmed him most was the cold indifference in the judge's eyes.

“Law and order are being disregarded by these people.”

Navelette placed her hand on the thick stack of documents, her vertical pupils unusually revealing a faint emotion.

"How annoying."

[...]

Mainkuhn was unsure if he was among 'these people'.

He curled up sadly, covered his face with his paws, and timidly looked at the teacher through his fur.

[sorry……]

“Oh my God, Violet.”

As he grieved, he saw his brother involuntarily gasp and point at the official document, murmuring:

"You mean all these people are guaranteed entry into Mero Petersburg? Not the kind of minor criminals who get a fine and released?"

"Yes, and this is only part of it."

Navette looked somber:

"The dark side of Fontaine is broader than I imagined..."

"My God, so much free labor! I declare that I am the biggest winner, I am about to become the richest man in Fontainebleau."

"?"

"Whether they are wealthy businessmen or powerful figures, I will make them work day and night, making parts, making parts, and making parts again, where the head nurse can't see them."

Leosley, holding the cat in one hand and patting the Dragon King's shoulder exaggeratedly with the other, smiled at his bewildered face:

"Look forward to it, Navelette, next year Melo Petersburg's tax revenue is going to hit a new high!"

"!!"

Who doesn't understand the importance of money? Thank goodness Morax, because Villette is a competent boss. He immediately became fully motivated, got to work, and stopped worrying and feeling lost.

“You’re right, Leosley. For the sake of all the staff’s salaries, bonuses and benefits at Moman Palace, I will send these people to you as soon as possible.”

"???"

The cat looked bewildered. He had only known Mora for a short time and had no idea what they were so excited about.

"Haha, don't worry, Vilette, there is no country in this world that is completely bright."

Leiosli was overjoyed that his performance had fooled the Dragon King, and advised him:

"The foundation of Fontaine is the law, not fear, but fear can make hesitant people realize reality more quickly, and that's not a bad outcome."

"As for that lynx? No matter how efficient it is, it's still vigilante justice. Once he's driven the last bugs into the cage, it'll be his turn to experience the assembly line... Hmm, he's good at beating people, but he's definitely better at screwing in screws, and I'll always be the beneficiary."

"Meow?" The cat in my arms suddenly bristled.

Leosley casually ruffled the cat's head:

"Oh, don't worry, it's not your place to do such rough work as screwing in screws... Come on, let's go see the vet. Sigh, I really hope I didn't make a wrong appointment."