“Meow!!!”
In a small town in the southern part of the Tim Akrexi Continent, a stern-looking tiger-faced cat was desperately fleeing from a pack of brats chasing after it.
“Meow, meow!!!”
(Damn it! If I hadn’t been reincarnated as a cat, I’d have knocked you little brats dead with my cane!)
The tiger-faced cat gave the brats behind it a disdainful look. They were charging after it, swinging sticks and throwing stones. With a quick leap, it sprang onto the roof. Then, looking down at the kids, it swished its tail elegantly and strolled away.
“Aww, it got away!”
The brats stared at the high roof in disappointment. There was almost nothing around that they could use to climb up, but a nimble cat could leap onto it with ease.
But it was clear that a few of the kids weren’t ready to give up.
“I know where the back door to this house is. Come on, I’ll take you there.”
As if they’d found someone to lead them, the group crowded around that kid and went to lie in wait by the door on the other side.
Once the brats’ noisy voices had gradually faded into the distance, a small “tiger head” peeked over the edge of the roof, cautiously checking its surroundings.
(Looks like they’ve all gone.)
“Meow~”
Quite pleased with itself, it stretched out on the roof.
(Hmph. A bunch of little brats. Experience wins. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. Now get lost.)
After checking several times to make sure there was no danger below, it quietly jumped off the roof, then swished its tail as it headed for the town gate.
At the town gate, two guards on duty stood by the road. Every so often, they checked the carts entering town for any dangerous goods, and collected taxes while they were at it.
Beside the road stood a building like a guard booth. It housed the permanent office of the guard captain. If dangerous individuals showed up—wanted criminals, for example—or a vehicle carried a large quantity of weapons, or a superior came to inspect the town, the guards at the gate had to report it to the captain. Most of the time, though, he just sat inside, drinking tea and reading the paper. But ever since a little cat he’d rescued by chance during a night patrol last year had grown attached to him, life in the dull guard booth had occasionally become a little more fun.
The captain sat at his desk, a cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He glanced up at the light outside the window, figuring the little fellow should be arriving soon.
“Meow.”
Sure enough, the door to the guard booth had been left slightly ajar. A cat expertly squeezed through the gap and gave him a soft meow.
“Hahaha, right on time again? If you spent every day charming some young lady, you’d probably be eating better than I do by now.”
The captain grinned, but the cat rolled its eyes at him.
For a moment, the captain felt that this cat was almost too clever. He took the leftover scraps from a cupboard, put them on a little dish, and set it down in front of the cat. Then he reached out to stroke its tiger-like head and asked, as if chatting with an old friend,
“You’re such a clever little thing. Can you actually understand what I’m saying?”
But the cat ignored him and buried its head in the food, its tail sweeping lightly over the floor.
“……”
The captain suddenly felt like an idiot. No matter how clever a cat was, it was still just a cat. There was no way it could understand him.
Good thing no one heard that. (Scratches his head.)
Watching the cat wolf down its food, the captain sighed at how much he’d been letting his imagination run away with him lately, then returned to his desk.
Info Card One
The Tim Akrexi Continent
A world framework personally created by the Supreme God. In time, life and the environments needed to sustain it came into being within this world, nurtured by the Supreme God.
Humans are among the species most like the gods, and possess great power from birth.
Some are born able to summon wind or water, or to control other forces in this world.
But everyone’s abilities vary in strength. Talent determines the upper limit of a person’s power, while hard work determines its lower limit.
Though the forces people can control differ, after centuries of study, humanity finally worked out roughly how many stages those powers could be divided into.
The most basic stage is Snowflake. It’s seen as the starting point of life: babies who can’t control any power are as pure as snowflakes.
Earth Level: One has gained the first stirrings of power, like the earth that gives rise to all things. Of course, many people never advance beyond this stage.
Forest Level: One now possesses power beyond that of ordinary people, like a thriving forest growing from the earth.
Sky Level: One has broken free of ordinary limitations and risen far above the ground.
Flame Level: It represents the power of destruction. Its blazing fire can set the entire sky alight.
Night Level: Like the night, it cannot be fathomed. Even the fiercest flames will eventually go out, swallowed by darkness.
Besides these innate powers, some humans have also mastered something even more wondrous. They call it magic, and regard it as a symbol of the power of human wisdom.
