Being in a world where you know the future means you can always make efficient choices.
At the very least, it means you won’t pick the worst possible option.
So even if I’ve been reincarnated as a cat, there are still plenty of ways to take advantage of this.
For example, I can easily secure a means of transportation to the academy.
There it is.
Jumping across the rooftops, I spotted a luxurious carriage adorned with an orca emblem.
The journey from here to Pelisek Academy takes about a week by carriage.
For a cat like me, walking on all fours would be far too long of a trip.
The chances of reaching the academy in one piece were far lower than the odds of running into a monster and becoming a quick meal.
I had no intention of ending my second life in just three years, so I had already come up with a plan using my knowledge of the original story.
My plan was simple: hitch a ride on the Linnaeus family’s carriage when their heir arrived at the port and make my way to the academy.
This was possible only because this very location was the starting point of Orca’s prologue and tutorial.
I owed my discovery of this fact to Grandpa Wilhelm, who often fed me fish.
He would generously offer me fish and then talk my ear off with endless ramblings.
Stories about the port, tales from the market, all sorts of random TMI…
After hearing it for three years straight, it was impossible not to realize that this was the world of Academy Chronicle.
Not to mention, right before my reincarnation, I had been downloading a new DLC and launching Academy Chronicle.
At this point, it was practically spoon-fed to me.
The problem was that I had reincarnated as a cat.
A slightly unusual-looking one, sure, but as far as I knew, I was a 100% ordinary stray cat.
Not a divine beast’s descendant, not some noble family’s pampered pet—just a street cat born in a back alley.
Granted, I was born with a strikingly beautiful appearance, so much so that I didn’t resemble my parents at all.
But that didn’t exactly give me any advantage when fighting for territory with other stray cats.
Still, who am I?
A former human.
Finding a way to survive among my dying siblings wasn’t all that difficult.
Plenty of people adore kittens, and this was a harbor town.
As soon as I was weaned, I wandered around the docks looking for someone to be my can opener.
And for three years, Wilhelm was the one who took care of my meals.
Well, I probably won’t be seeing him again…
Licking my front paw, I went over my plan once more.
- Sneak onto the carriage roof.
- Stay quiet and ride it all the way to the academy.
It was basically freeloading, but in a world where monsters roamed freely, who would bother being wary of a single cat?
Besides, the people here didn’t seem to have any particular dislike for cats.
So all I had to do was settle down on the roof and take a long nap.
As for food?
I could just beg it off some humans along the way.
Now, before I hop on, let’s take a little look around.
Perched at the edge of an eave, I observed one of Academy Chronicle’s protagonists—a black-haired girl.
A stunning beauty with jet-black hair streaked with white highlights.
Her striking blue eyes scanned the people around her as she issued commands.
“Is everything ready?”
“We need a little more time.”
“Make sure you’re ready as soon as possible.”
Her voice struck like the bitter sea breeze of midwinter, sharp and merciless.
Even from an outsider’s perspective, it was a voice edged with cold steel.
Fierce eyes, fierce aura.
Orca Linnaeus.
As I watched her issue commands in that cutting voice, I leapt onto the carriage roof.
The distance wasn’t too far, and I landed smoothly before curling up into a ball.
If I slept for a bit, the carriage would start moving on its own.
Just as I was getting comfortable, a man’s voice reached my ears.
“Lady Orca, a cat has climbed onto the carriage roof. Should I chase it away?”
“Leave it be.”
“But it could be a witch’s familiar—”
There was still someone who believed in such superstitions.
Was it because sailors were particularly superstitious?
“Since when were witches’ familiars cats?”
Orca snapped at the knight who had misspoken.
“S-Sorry!”
“If you’re my escort knight, instead of worrying about such nonsense, focus more on your surroundings. The real danger isn’t some so-called witch’s familiar, but an arrow that could come flying from anywhere.”
“Y-Yes! Understood!”
Hmm, no difference from the original.
Look at that fierce voice.
It’s so overflowing with harshness that it almost sounds sweet.
That’s the Orca I know.
“Sigh…”
“Why do you go looking for trouble? Just let it go.”
“But if there’s something unusual, it should be reported, shouldn’t it?”
“A cat sitting on the roof of the carriage, what’s so important about that? Sure, it looks a bit unusual for a stray cat… but it’ll disappear on its own eventually. Cats are like that.”
A careless response reached my ears.
It was the reaction I had expected.
If I had been a black-furred cat, it might have been a different story, but there weren’t many people who considered a cat with pure white fur and odd-colored eyes an ill omen.
Unless, of course, they simply disliked cats.
“Sir Gilliam, is everything ready?”
“Almost done.”
“We’ll depart as soon as you’re ready. We have a long way to go.”
“Yes!”
Letting their faint voices drift past one ear, I slowly drifted off to sleep.
It was a bright midday.
………………………
Clatter.
Clatter.
Rising lightly with the movement of the carriage, landing, and repeating for half a day.
By the time the sun was setting and darkness was beginning to fall, I stretched on top of the carriage.
I’m hungry.
I wasn’t sure how long I had slept, but it was about time to find something to eat.
“Meow.”
Letting out a cry to announce my presence, I jumped down from the carriage and glanced around at the people scattered about, eating their meals.
Some paid no attention to my meowing, their heads buried in their plates, while a few others, lured by my call, gestured for me to come over.
Hmm, the ones in fancy clothes are bound to be more generous.
I quickly trotted over to one of them and let out another meow.
“Meow.”
“Hah, look at this one. Quite the noble-looking cat.”
“Captain, I’ve never seen a cat like this before.”
“Not even among the noble families, sir.”
“Hmm, looks hungry. Here, have this.”
Oh, beef jerky.
A bit salty, but better than nothing.
I snatched the piece of jerky the man, called the captain, tossed to me and chewed it thoroughly.
Ugh, salty.
But wasting precious food was out of the question.
Ignoring the sting of salt on my tongue, I forced down the jerky.
“Here, have some more.”
Ah, this bread is so hard that it’s difficult to eat.
I cautiously lowered my nose to the bread that had fallen in front of me and sniffed it.
The rich aroma was on a whole different level from the kind of bread that the workers at the port used to chew with grim expressions.
As expected, the food of the wealthy really is different.
Unlike the cheap, rock-hard bread that needs to be soaked in water before being gnawed on, this one was soft.
Of course, it still couldn’t compare to the bread I had eaten before reincarnating.
After finishing the bread, a small bowl was placed in front of me.
Soup, huh?
These people sure are generous.
Usually, it’s just a piece of bread or a few scraps of meat at best.
Without hesitation, I buried my face into the bowl.
The seasoning was a bit strong for a cat, but it was still more than edible.
“This little guy sure eats well.”
“He’s got the size to match.”
After devouring all the food given to me, I subtly pushed the empty bowl forward with my paw.
Seeing this, the man called “Captain” chuckled in amusement and reached out his hand toward me.
Showing me his palm first—looks like he’s used to handling cats.
“Well, would you look at this guy.”
As his fingers reached under my chin, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his touch.
How much time had passed like that?
Eventually, the man withdrew his hand, stood up, and called out,
“Time to wrap things up and get some rest! If you need to take care of business, do it now. The night watch will be carried out in teams of three, as assigned beforehand!”
“Yes, sir!”
Alright then, time to get to work.
Before entering the main story, earning the protagonist’s favor was the most important step toward a carefree life.
I turned around and headed toward the carriage.
Naturally, my destination was Orca, who had finished her meal and was now preparing to sleep inside the carriage.
Moving at a leisurely pace, I approached her and sat next to the entrance, looking up at her.
Orca, unable to completely ignore my sudden gaze, looked down at me while resting a foot on the step.
A brief silence.
Her eyes shifted from curiosity to intrigue.
She quickly glanced around as if checking her surroundings, then, with hesitant eyes, reached out her hand toward me.