Chapter 365: The First Floor (2)

“Come when I call you. If I ask you to put on a show, do it right in front of me. When I tell you to open a chip bag, obey me. You must always tell the truth and never lie to me. That’s not all. If I tell you to meow, you’ll meow. When the time comes and I get tired of your meowing, I’ll tell you to bark, and you’ll have no choice but to bark.”

***

The Countess looked around. “There are too many ears around us for this talk. Let’s go elsewhere.”

She had a point, so we left the plaza, though the next place we went to was a cafe on the edge of the plaza.

It’s also been a while since I was here.

This cafe was where the Five Guild leaders and I first met and where I became a member of all the Five Guilds, so it was a historic site in a way. However, this place, which used to be dominated by the world’s most famous green-star octopus-armed mermaid queen franchise, was now a cat cafe.

“

Oh

, w-welcome, Master!

Woof!

”

A group of cats that I clearly remembered seeing in the Golden Heaven Realm ran out the door. No matter how I looked at them, they were indeed the Goldcoin-Biting Cat.

“

Woof, woof!

Master, we are so touched by your arrival that we can hardly stand!”

“

Ah

, I’ve already fallen to the ground!”

“We wrote a hymn called the Songs of the Countess Flying to Heaven!”

The cats lined up and lay flat on their bellies. They kept their heads low but stuck their tails up and wagged them hard, barking like dogs because the Countess had ordered them.

“

Hmmm.

” The Countess covered her mouth, revealing her crescent eyes. “Your hospitality service isn’t bad. Well, you’re the God of Trade, so you shouldn’t be bad at such basics. Show us our seats.”

“

Woof

, right away!”

The cats immediately sprang up to their feet and led the way to a table by the window. Sitting there made the price of the coffee seem fair—it was truly the shop’s best spot. It was also warm, too, because a cat was already perched on each chair.

“We were warming the seats in case you arrived, Master!

Woof, woof!

”

“If our butt heat can warm even a bit of our owner’s cold body, it would be a great honor!”

Wooooof!

”

“Sit down, Master. We all wish to serve you!”

“We chased away all the other guests. Don’t worry. We gave each of them ten gold and asked them to leave, so they gladly left.”

“If they knew their useless lives contributed to making Her Excellency the Countess comfortable, they would be thrilled!”

“What the...” I shuddered. “I’ve never seen or heard of such a servile being.”

“I pondered what would be the best punishment for them. Upon some thought, I felt like there is no worse punishment than to be petted forever by the same people they scorn so much, so I bought a cafe,” the Countess explained.

“As far as I know, this is the most expensive estate spot in the Tower...”

“Regarding money, I have more than I can use.”

We sat at the window table. I had said this before, but this cafe was near the plaza. The cats guarded the door, so no one followed us in. However, the passersby could easily see us outside the window. They took photos through the glass, waved at us, and shouted cheers. When I flashed a small smile and waved back, a loud burst of cheers erupted, rattling even the soundproof glass. Scary.

“Wouldn’t it be better to sit somewhere more private?”

“No,” the Black Witch flatly refused. “Do you know how long you’ve been gone? I won’t ask you to spend ninety out of one hundred days in Babylon, but you should stay for at least thirty days. You’re basically a king here. There’s no worse king than the one who leaves his throne empty.”

“Is that why you brought me to a cafe?”

“Yes, people should be able to see you, at least when you’re on the first floor. It’s better than us meeting in a hidden room no one else knows. They feel safe knowing the highest-ranking Hunter is nearby. Don’t you think so?”

I guessed that this was also part of building my image. Unlike my smile, Anastasha’s was flawless as she waved her hand.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

The glass window rattled again. Indeed, the Black Witch never let any chance go to waste.

The Countess got straight to the point. “Now, you might be wondering why I remember what happened on the heaven floor.”

“Yes, I am. Frankly, I don’t really understand.”

“As you know, I brought the Goldcoin-Biting Cat to their knees.”

As a matter of fact, four cats were kneeling in a row beside the chair where the Countess was sitting. I knew the Countess had made her ultimate joke, but I didn’t react.

“

Tsk

, you’re no fun,” the Countess said, fanning herself. “I forced absolute obedience on the God of Trade, but that wasn’t really what I was after. To hide a beast, one must have a place to hide it first, and full obedience was my lush forest.”

“Then what was the beast?”

“The fact that they can’t lie to me.”

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Hearing that, I recalled a certain memory.

“You must always tell the truth and never lie to me.”

The terms of surrender the Countess had presented included that rule. Noticing that I caught on quickly, she gave me a slight nod.

“From the look in your eyes, it seems you’re still sharp. In that case, Gong-Ja, I’ll ask you a question.” The Countess’s fan snapped shut. “Do you think the Goldcoin-Biting Cat lost their memories?”

I blinked. “Pardon?”

“It’s a simple question. The Primordial Staff can distort the memories of Hunters and Constellations. At first, it seemed that the Goldcoin-Biting Cat would also lose their memories about the heaven floor and the Pillars. However, it got me thinking. That can’t be true.”

The Countess tapped the table with the tip of her fan. She didn’t explain why she thought it wasn’t possible. Instead, the cats under the table perked up their ears.

“

Woof!

What Master thought is correct! We work together with the Primordial Staff! When that Pillar sends souls, we accept them. Even if the other Constellations can’t recall the memories involving the Pillars, we should be able to remember them as their helpers!”

“I see.” I felt like I understood what was going on now. “Nisha, you lost your memories, but the God of Trade kept theirs. You then asked the cats what happened and learned the whole story. Since lying is impossible, you learned the whole truth.”

“My god. Even you two are calling each other by your real names...” Anastasha murmured, sounding impressed. Or maybe she was just dumbstruck.

The Countess shrugged, then picked up a calico cat and placed it on her lap. She stroked the head of the cat, who trembled like a mortal touched by a mythical monster.

“

Woo... woof...

”

“

Hmm,

you’re right, but that alone wasn’t enough to convince me. I needed to be sure that the Pillars won’t mess with the God of Trade’s memories no matter what. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in such a position to make such a demand from a Pillar. To them, I’m just a Hunter, so I decided to think outside the box.”

I tilted my head. “Outside the box?”

“The answer was simple. All I had to do was cause an incident where the Pillar can’t meddle with the God of Trade’s memories. Ever.”

The Countess tapped the cat’s head. Shuddering, the cat answered, “

W...wooof...

W-we became Her Excellency the Countess’ slaves under the treaty, and that was the final touch. From that point on, the Primordial Staff could never twist our memories, no matter what.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because it’s an insult to our feline lives.” The cat waved its tail. “If the Pillar erased our memories, we would become the Countess’s slaves without knowing why. That would be unfair. In the blink of an eye, we became the servants of some fl[1]—I mean, the universe’s noblest person!

Woof!

Of course, we would still be grateful and praise our master’s elegance. Still, objectively, it would be irrational violence.”

“That’s how it is.” The Countess grabbed the cat’s ear and rubbed it hard. Startled, the cat chaotically meowed and woofed in protest, but it got them nowhere. “I basically needed a save point with memories that couldn't be rolled back. An absolute anchor that couldn’t be destroyed or distorted. That’s why I let you stir up the Golden Heaven Realm as much as you wanted and actually encouraged you until the God of Trade yielded.”

In short, as soon as the Countess had been summoned to be the examiner and started suspecting that the realm was ruled by the Goldcoin-Biting Cat, she aimed to make the cats surrender.

Upon hearing her intricate plan, I opened and closed my mouth several times before finally saying, “Are you not worried?”

“

Hm?

Worried about what?”

“The Primordial Staff could have been a violent person who tolerated irrational violence. Why did you trust her?”

The Countess’s eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled softly. “

Oh

, that’s what you meant. Gong-Ja, I never trusted the Primordial Staff.”

“

Eh?

But...”

The Countess stared at me. “I trust

you

. You cherish the Tower more than anyone. If the Pillar that ruled such the Tower had been such a tyrant, you would have been the first to step forward and take her down. Am I wrong? Yet, you willingly tolerated her existence, not because you were forced. If you respect someone, they have to be a person worthy of that respect.”

From afar, the cats waddled toward us and gave each of us a cup of coffee.

The Countess held an Americano in one hand and smiled. “Just as you trust my skills, I trust your judgment.”

“... Nisha.”

“You’re our leader, and we’re your comrades. I firmly believe that camaraderie is a bond where we strive to be equals. A world where only you remember what we did, how we cleared the floors, and the talks we shared is a hard no for me.”

The smile the Countess wore as she said this made it clear why Patricia, whose nature was almost the opposite of hers, had fallen for her.

“I lost my memories, but when I opened my eyes, some cats were moving at my feet. I asked what was going on, and the cats showed me a high-definition hologram of what had happened on the heaven floor. I’d like to praise myself for everything going exactly as I planned.”

The cats that brought coffee to the Countess pressed firmly against my leg. Three of them were working together to lift a tray.

“

Woof, woof.

It’s a venti white mocha frappuccino with four shots and java chips. We didn’t forget the half-and-half chocolate drizzle!”

I hadn’t ordered my usual drink, yet the cats brought it to me. With a chuckle, I looked at the master of those cats.

She told me, “It’s a gift.”

I was at a loss for words.

“

Ah

, of course, the real gift is something else. I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Really...”

“Welcome back, Gong-Ja. You’ve worked hard to clear the heaven floors. We’ll always remember the trials you face. There’s only one thing you need to remember. Even if you leave us, we’ll never leave you.”

“Really, my comrades are amazing.”

I was probably making a face that was too embarrassing to show to the passersby outside. To hide it, I lifted my cup and took a sip. Today’s white mocha frappuccino was very sweet.

1. The cat wanted to call the Countess a fly/bug. ☜