*Patch Notes: The Vulture is now an owl. Its name has also been changed to Irops. Accordingly, the previous installment will be revised as well.
The content remains largely unchanged, so those who have already read it need not revisit it.
“Hey, wake up.”
“Meow?!”
The brown fur, having been smacked in the face by my paw, shot up like a rocket toward the night sky.
I sighed as I watched the startled brown fur look around frantically, then tapped the ground with my paw.
“Calm down and sit for a moment.”
“Okay…”
“Do you remember what just happened?”
“Uh, me…?!”
“Are you a frog? Stop jumping around and stay quiet.”
“You do realize you almost got eaten, right?”
“R-really?”
Selene might have said it like it was a joke, but she was a capricious being who could easily decide to devour us at any moment.
So, until now, we had been neck-deep in hell.
If I hadn’t been a reincarnator, my short-lived life as a tiger would have ended in a five-second credits roll that day.
“N-Nine, do we really have to live here? Can’t we just go somewhere else with Blackie?”
The brown fur, clearly terrified, whined as its tail drooped.
Ugh, this kid has no guts.
“Considering the monsters that live here, there’s no better place than this.”
There’s no paradise to run away to.
Especially not for creatures like us, barely lifting our heads from the bottom of the food chain.
So, I’ll never leave this place.
After all, the dangers the brown fur is worried about depend entirely on how we handle ourselves.
If we go around causing chaos, we’ll quickly become what used to be cats. But if we live quietly, even the academy’s elders will look at us fondly.
Compared to those beasts, the brown fur and I probably look like newborns.
“We’ve rested enough. Get up. We still have two more places to visit.”
We need to head to the Theology and Academic Departments soon.
I don’t know about the Academic Department, but the one living in the Theology Department has probably already noticed our presence.
If we don’t go, we’ll be in trouble.
Especially since that one dislikes Selene.
“N-Nine… I’ll just head to the garden first—”
“Shut up and follow me. Unless you want your stomach filled with acorns.”
Do you think I’m doing this for fun?
I’m looking out for you because you’re part of my family now.
“Ugh, okay.”
I dragged the hesitant brown fur along as we headed toward our next destination: the Theology Department.
The Knight Department has a monstrous owl, and the Magic Department has a thousand-year-old snake.
So, what lives in the Theology Department?
“N-Nine, look at that! It’s huge!”
“Yeah, it’s big.”
I thought it was unnecessarily grand in the game, but seeing it in person, it reminded me of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.
“N-Nine… look at that human. It’s so big…”
The brown fur, clearly scared, kept its distance as it commented on the Theology Department’s mascot.
“That’s not a human.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s like a toy made by humans.”
Explaining the concept of a “statue” to this kid would be too much of a hassle, so I gave a simple explanation to satisfy its curiosity.
“Do humans sharpen their claws on that thing?”
“If they did, they’d be tied up and roasted alive.”
“I’m not tasty…”
I sighed at the whimpering brown fur and sat down in a suitable spot, waiting for our host to arrive.
I didn’t need to go looking for them—no matter where they were in the Theology Department, they would find us.
And as if to prove my point, I sensed movement approaching.
“You’re the new kids everyone’s talking about, right? Right?”
“N-Nine, it’s a mouse! A mouse!”
Yeah, it’s a mouse.
A squirrel is a type of mouse, after all.
Wait, is it?
Never mind, it’s not important.
What’s important now is building rapport with the creature in front of us.
This is what’s called a “favorability mission.”
“You’re Ratatosk, right?”
“Ratatosk? Oh, humans call me that! My close friends call me ‘Trickster,’ though!”
An endlessly cheerful voice filled one corner of the Theology Department.
It was so lively that it could lift anyone’s spirits.
But I couldn’t let my guard down.
A squirrel that boldly stands up to its natural predators, cats, must either have no fear of them or not care about being eaten.
Of course, as long as it wasn’t lying, it seemed harmless enough.
“We came to greet our new neighbors as newcomers.”
I stated our purpose plainly.
There was nothing to hide.
“Oh, greetings are good! You’re a friendly one! I like friendly folks!”
“Glad you think so.”
“So, where are you from, friend?”
Already calling me a friend, huh?
Not a bad title.
At least it means they’re not hostile.
“We came from a faraway port city called Port Lac. It’s known for its delicious fish.”
“Ah, fish! You mean those creatures that live in the water! I’ve met them before!
Their teeth are as sharp as saws!
They’re so fierce that one of my friends got a nosebleed and got chased all over!”
“That’s not a fish, that’s a shark, right?”
“Are those two different things?”
“It’s like how dogs and wolves look similar, but they’re not the same animal.”
“I see! You’re really smart!”
“I’m not that smart.”
“N-Nine is smart! You know so much!”
“You’ve got a good friend there, Nine!”
Ugh, this is exhausting.
At least I don’t feel threatened, but every word is so energetic that it feels like my nerves are being frayed.
“Honestly, I’m not sure yet. Friendship is something you only truly understand after waiting for sour grapes to turn sweet, right? I’ve only known this kid for about two days.”
“Short or long, it’s still a bond! Cherish it!”
“Got it. Well, we need to head to the Academic Department soon, so we’ll be going.”
“That one will probably like you! They’re fond of smart folks!”
“That’s a relief…”
“Alright, take care, friend!”
I led the brown fur, who was still dazed by Ratatosk’s overwhelming energy, out of the Theology Department.
We had to hurry to the Academic Department and then back to the garden before time ran out.
For the sake of our precious can opener, we needed to be lying on the garden bench by morning.
“N-Nine, Ratatootie seems like a really good friend!”
Why are you bringing that up now?
“It’s not Ratatootie, it’s Ratatosk.”
“Ratatost!”
Is it because this kid has a 30-gram brain that it can’t remember long names?
Well, it’s not my problem.
It’s not like anyone’s going to get mad over a slightly mispronounced name.
“…Whatever.”
It’s not like we’ll be seeing them much anyway.
Unless they come looking for us.
“N-Nine, I’m hungry…”
“Just hang on a bit longer. We’re almost there.”
But you said the same thing when we were going to meet Ratatosk.
Fortunately, the Academic Department wasn’t far from the Theology Department.
The two departments interacted frequently.
This wasn’t a world where science and religion were at odds; they helped each other out, believing that what’s good for one is good for the other.
Since the Academic Department also handled administrative education, it was inevitable.
In any organization, those who can handle administrative tasks are precious.
And the one we were about to meet was the cruel creature who brought tears to the eyes of those talented administrators.
The Academic Department, located in the east of Pelisek Academy, was responsible for teaching a wide range of subjects.
Administration, mathematics, history, literature, philosophy…
Unlike the more practical departments, it was the only one focused solely on learning and research.
It also had the highest number of commoners.
The tuition was the cheapest, and the admission requirements were relatively lenient.
The Knight Department required early training, making it difficult to even attempt entry.
The Magic Department required innate talent, which was rare.
The Theology Department required memorizing entire encyclopedias of scriptures just to prepare for the entrance exam.
So, compared to those, the Academic Department’s exams were relatively manageable.
“N-Nine, there’s a weird smell here.”
“It’s not a weird smell, it’s the smell of ink.”
“A weird ink smell?”
“Just go with it.”
The scent of ink was strong, emanating from piles of paperwork.
And from somewhere, I could hear the strange sound of paper being chewed and swallowed.
In a small clearing in the corner of the Academic Department, I looked up at the goat chewing on paper and spoke.
“GOAT…”
“Greetings, young beast. As you have called, I am Goat.”
The Academic Department’s top dog—or rather, top goat—and devourer of theses.
Goat gave me a sinister smile.