The Dead Jungle, a place considered one of the most dangerous areas on the Begaritt Continent. Because the entire continent is nothing but desert, the greenest place is the location where mana converges in a terribly dense manner. To the point that this place is seen as a labyrinth on the surface due to its abnormality lying outside conventional standards. Instead of giant desert lizards or sand beetles commonly found in the vast desert, this jungle houses completely different species. Such as Malas Pythons, Invisible Mosquitoes, Immortal Leeches, Three-Eyed Frogs, Black Poison Geckos, 9-Tusks Elephant... All are extremely terrifying monsters, and even the smallest insects can be things that take the lives of the most hardened adventurers.
However, the most terrible and fearsome thing in the jungle goes by the name Night Panther.
They are the apex predators in the food chain of the deadliest jungle, the Dead Jungle. This type of Magical Beast possesses extremely high intelligence, even able to learn and change fighting styles based on the opponent. They can see in the night, are extremely agile, and have claws with the special ability to slice through the toughest layers of Battle Aura. They can even use Wind magic to enhance their speed and long-range attack capabilities. If there is anything lucky about them, it is the solitary nature of this species, because if they operated in packs, it would truly be a disaster.
"And ruling over the Dead Jungle as a Magical Beast guarding the jungle is the strongest Night Panther. And that individual is considered the king of kings of that jungle." Isolde held a book titled 'Death in the Dead Jungle', lying casually on her bed, reading while stroking the chin of a black cat lying on her stomach. "Luckily you only summoned a cub, but it is quite dangerous."
"Then why on earth does Larry agree to lie on your stomach, but when I get close, he scratches and bites me like I killed his parents or something!?"
And here I am, as soon as I got close to the bed, the pet I summoned immediately bristled its fur, getting into a combat stance. What a traitorous pet!
"Ah." Isolde glanced at me as she turned to the next page. "It says here that Night Panthers are natural enemies of water dragons. They use wind magic to knock down flying dragons and eat them. Maybe that's why he thinks you are his food?"
"But I'm not a dragon." I rubbed my forehead with a sigh. "You know perfectly well my parents are humans. How could they give birth to a Dragon Tribe? It's like two chickens birthing a duck!"
"Actually, I'm gradually starting to think you really are of the Dragon Tribe." Isolde tilted her head slightly while looking at the cat on her stomach; watching her stroke and smile at that cat really pissed me off. "Is it possible your mother's side is a Dragon Tribe? Maybe your gramma or grandpa?"
"I heard my mother had blonde hair and blue eyes like a normal Asuran woman. And her parents are just normal humans."
Maybe I will try to find them to confirm? But I'm not sure where they are right now.
"Hmm... Then is it possible it's like that friend in Buena Village you told me about?" Isolde scratched Larry's chin. "Her name is Sylphiette if I remember correctly. Her hair is green right?"
"Those are two completely different cases."
"Hmm... or is it because your last name is Greyrat? You know, cats hunt rats."
Isolde's hair swayed slightly as Larry nuzzled his face into her hair. Urg... I want to do that too. Ah no, I mean I want a cat to nuzzle my hair.
"Ha ha ha… What a stupid joke." I just laughed sarcastically at Isolde when I got scratched on the face by Larry. "Ouch!"
While Isolde giggled and stroked the traitorous cat. "Good boy. Keep doing that, Larry."
Watching this scene is truly an eyesore.
But as everyone can see and know, I am the one who summoned that 'Night Panther cat', but for some reason, he hates my guts. To the point that if I get close, he will prepare to fight immediately. And he isn't like that with anyone else. Maybe because I set a condition in the summoning magic circle that the summoned animal cannot harm others without the master's permission. But seeing him being friendly with Isolde like this makes me feel sad, sigh...
Or is it because he's a male? I did say that every male in the would find Isolde attractive right? Maybe even a cat thinks so too.
Hmm… a fuck it. For whatever the reason, I am determined to let that damn cat know who his master is!
And so, from that day on, I started my plan to establish my dominance over Larry.
Subject: How to Tame a Pet 101.
Instructor: Arcantos of The Fire.
Target to tame: Larry The Black Cat.
First lesson: Food.
"All species must eat!" Arcantos said so as he slammed his fist onto the table. "If you can master what the opponent wants to eat daily, you will become the master."
Honestly, this sentence makes me think of courting women too. I did use this method to court Eris and Ghislaine. It's quite effective if you ask me.
So maybe Arcantos is right; what I need to do is cook something delicious, and that is exactly what I am extremely good at. Alright, time to hit the kitchen!
First dish: prepared from the internal organs of the most fearsome creature in this land and soaked in alcohol to remove the smell; when combined with fragrant vegetables like chives for marinating, this is exactly a delicacy of the human world! When grilled over charcoal, the aroma of spices immediately spread everywhere, making me drool myself.
The perfect combination of Japanese culinary culture and this other world!
"Behold! Black Dragon Horumonyaki!" I declared eloquently as I offered a portion of grilled offal to Larry.
Larry walked over, sniffed, and then turned his back. But instead of walking away, he used his hind legs to scratch the floor in a posture of burying waste.
"Meow." Then he wagged his tail and left.
This damn cat!
And I don't know if it was lucky for Larry or not, but everyone in this fortress criticized the Black Dragon Horumonyaki dish. Except for Isolde. The reason? Not to their taste, they said. I seasoned it according to Asura standards, so the people who worship spiciness in this Demon Continent criticizing it is understandable.
But having one person praise it is enough to make me happy. Thank you, Isolde; you are truly the warmest ice goddess in my heart!
"But this piece is chewy yet quite crispy, isn't it?" Isolde marveled while chewing the meat. "Which part of the dragon is this?"
"Ah, it's Teppo, which can also be understood as the rectum." I smiled in response.
Actually, Teppo means long gun, or understood as arquebus before the Sengoku period (probably, I'm not good at history). And because the rectum, when cut open, looks like a gun, people call it teppo. We Japanese are very humorous when naming things, I know.
Meanwhile, Isolde, upon hearing my answer, continued to ask.
"What is the rectum?"
She looked curious as she put another piece of Teppo into her mouth. Seeing her smile brightly while eating good food like this made me happy too. So I thought there was no reason not to explain clearly.
"It is the intestine part connecting to the assh-"
Clatter*
Isolde immediately dropped her plate of food. Her face went stiff, her mouth still holding a tasteless smile. Just a few seconds later, I saw a stream of tears flow out. She cried and questioned her life before quietly standing up, leaving for her room, and isolating herself for a whole day.
It took a week for Isolde to talk to me again. And from then on, she was extremely cautious about putting anything I cooked into her mouth. That would cause many quite interesting situations, but that's for later.
As for now, back to the immediate problem of cooking for Larry. I then tried many other things. From raw food, grilled food, fried food, blah blah... in the end, nothing was satisfactory. Rather, that damn cat still ate, but nothing made him show an attitude of enjoyment.
I wish I knew the recipe for cat treats on Earth.
So in summary, the plan using food failed; I then had to find another approach.
Subject: How to Tame a Pet 101.
Instructor: Arcantos of The Fire.
Target to tame: Larry The Black Cat.
First lesson: Strength.
"The nature of all species is to worship strength. As long as Sir Hero can prove your strength, that magical beast will surely submit. He he he he."
So I listened and tried to demonstrate my strength to Larry by letting him witness me fighting a black dragon.
The result? That damn cat walked away in the middle of the fight.
So it had to be the third way.
Subject: How to Tame a Pet 101.
Instructor: Arcantos of The Fire.
Target to tame: Larry The Black Cat.
First lesson: Suppression.
"To show that you are stronger in the most effective way, Sir Hero should fight the magical beast yourself."
According to the knowledge Arcantos imparted, intelligent animals will show respect to those stronger than them. That is why I decided to fight a battle with my pet.
However, that also failed miserably.
That's right, I fought a cat.
And lost.
Wait, let me explain. I didn't just accept defeat against a cat for no reason, okay?
Isolde mentioned that Larry could use magic, right?
And because he is a magical beast summoned by me, his mana uses mine, so he just stayed far away throwing magic at his master. When I was completely drained of strength to do anything, he just calmly walked away.
In other words, my opponent was too smart and completely knew how to make me surrender without breaking a sweat.
For the next month, I constantly used all kinds of ways to tame him, but Larry was completely indifferent. He even seemed more dissatisfied and used up my mana whenever he could. So I was constantly in a state of being half-dead, unable to do anything but lie in one place.
So Arcantos, the master who instructed me on how to conquer Larry, was the one who came to find me—the guy lying floored by a cat.
"Honestly, this is the first time I've met such a stubborn Magical Beast." Arcantos admitted. He seemed too tired of playing the cat-and-mouse game with me and Larry.
"I think you should break the link, Sir Hero. Then try again with another beast."
To put it more simply, destroy the contract created by my summoning magic circle. That way, I can live comfortably as normal.
Honestly, I can understand why Arcantos suggested that. Being tortured by that Night Panther for the past month was enough to make me like raising cats less. Ah no, I still like cats, but I have switched from the 'want to raise' team to the 'want to touch cats raised by others' team. Because truly, my purpose in summoning a pet was for it to be cute with me, not to beat me up all the time. After that, it drains my mana like a rebellious child who only knows how to destroy and abuse his father.
In general, the best way is as Arcantos just said, break up early to reduce heartbreak. After all, Larry himself is just a monster; there is no reason for me to regret him. If needed, I can totally summon another magical beast that is more obedient.
However...
"No." I sighed and tried to sit up to continue the training session even though my body was extremely tired. "If I do that, it's no different from sentencing him to death."
Because my pet not causing harm is part of the summoning conditions. So if I break the link, Larry might become a dangerous monster again, and Atofe's guards would be forced to put him down. Just like they did with the Fenris Wolf whose skull is hanging right above where I am sitting.
I don't want that to happen.
Not because I love Larry or anything. On the contrary, as I just said, I think I hate him now. However, I still can't let him fall into a situation of losing his life.
The reason is quite simple; it is tied to a man I respect very much: Lord Sauros.
Since I was betrothed to Eris, the lord of Fittoa took me with him whenever he had a business trip. And during those trips, Lord Sauros showed me all kinds of people, told all kinds of stories. One day, he asked me a question while riding a horse to a village.
"Listen to me, Atur. In life, there are many types of people. Rich people, poor people, strong people, weak people, smart people, stupid people. But do you know what kind of man is worthy of respect?"
I didn't take a second to shake my head. Lord Sauros looked at me with a bit of disappointment and didn't bother to give an answer. Honestly, at that time, I didn't think too much about what happened. Because back then, my head only knew how to think about Eris and daydream about the day I would walk her down the aisle like a fool.
But now it's different. Maybe because I'm a bit older. Or maybe because lately I've started thinking about what I had when I was in Roa, so Lord Sauros's question occasionally pops up in my head.
What makes a person worthy of respect?
When talking about the adjective 'worthy of respect' for a man, I think of a few names like Henry, Lord Sauros, Philip, Lord Lan Xin, Nelu, and especially Master Ken. For each person, they have their own personalities and reasons for me to respect them. They are all people with good virtues and, of course, things that make them imperfect too.
But after thinking for a long time, I suddenly realized that among the names I thought of, they have one thing in common.
And that is the reason why I stood up straight, absolutely not accepting Arcantos's proposal.
"I summoned Larry here, so as his master, I must take responsibility."
"Responsibility?" Arcantos asked with wide eyes. "Why must you take responsibility for an animal that doesn't even consider you its master?"
"What he thinks doesn't matter. What matters is what I think." I replied. "To me, if the mana link is still there, that damn cat is still a magical beast that I have the responsibility to protect and accompany. Why? Because I summoned him, therefore I'm his master."
Arcantos seemed not to expect that to be something a 13-year-old kid would say. But instead of publicly questioning it, he decided to stay silent and ponder something. I can understand that even though I am respected for defeating Atofe, my character can still be judged for having a wife yet still staring at the breasts and butts of other girls.
But that is the truth; for me, to create a person worthy of respect, they must know how to take responsibility. From their own life to even the stupid things they have done. I am not sure if it is the answer Lord Sauros was looking for; perhaps I will ask him again when I meet him. But for myself, it is the answer.
In my previous life, I understood how the consequences of living irresponsibly would affect others. Although I partly understood and forgave the circumstances of the person I had to call mother, the fact remains that the woman abandoning me made me live a life lacking affection. Due to my irresponsibility, I also made a lot of people's lives become harder without even an apology.
And even in this life, although I do not agree with Paul having an affair, his readiness to stand up and take responsibility for his mistake is still something admirable. Because I have seen many men ready to wash their hands of it and trivialize the consequences they caused.
I hate those irresponsible people. I used to hate my past self too.
So no matter what, I cannot just say 'alright, kill that monster'. I didn't get a second life to become a hypocrite. I have to live so that when looking back, I will say 'I have no regrets'.
I am certain, if I decide to kill Larry, I will regret it. I will regret it because I didn't even try my best. And I will regret it because I didn't even try to take responsibility like a man.
But what to do now?
Whether I am responsible or not is mainly on my side. Larry still sees me as a thorn in his eye. So the only thing I can do is provide mana for my pet; I'm out of ideas otherwise.
Maybe I should go ask Lord Lan Xin? Ah no, he has gone somewhere for the past few months. And I bet if I asked, he would tell me to do what countless others suggested.
Whatever, I should go back to practicing swordsmanship.
After all, if Larry doesn't like me, maybe I shouldn't try to bother him. Instead, maybe I should do something more slowly. After all, 'meditate for three years, even a cold stone warms up', right? No reason to force it. What I need is patience and persistence.
"I'm going out."
Besides, even if I run out of mana, I still have an overpowered 'cheat' called the sun.
I just need to go out to the empty yard, stand and bask in the sun for a bit to regain mana immediately. Although it's 'a bit' hot, I need this to not become lazy.
And that is exactly what I did, going out to sunbathe to let myself burn and absorb mana from the fire. About an hour later, I felt fine and returned to the training hall.
However, just as I reached the door, a crowd of people ran around in panic. They said something about being attacked by a monster, so I curiously ran after them.
And when I arrived, I saw 'it'.
"Where did this monster come from!?" Someone cried out.
In the middle of a group of surrounding guards was a giant black shadow, about nearly three meters tall, longer than ten meters. Saying it was black is an understatement; it was pitch black, so dark it looked like a non-existent space.
That creature constantly swung its body, knocking away anyone who dared to rush in. The long black tail spread out like a hand fan, knocking away every magic attack thrown at it with extremely overwhelming power!
Suddenly, that creature turned its head towards where I was standing. Although I couldn't see its eyes, or rather, I wasn't sure if it had eyes. But I still knew that thing had realized my existence.
AND IT IS RUSHING STRAIGHT HERE.
"ROAR!!!"
With terrifying speed, so fast my eyes couldn't keep up, 'it' was right in front of me. The giant creature's front paws swung down. With the terrible power it just displayed, if I took the hit, even as a Blood Tribe, I could lose my life.
"CAREFUL SIR HERO!"
Yet strangely, I didn't dodge. My legs stood still like a tree planted there without moving away. More accurately, I didn't feel any danger. Instead, it seemed to be something else.
Thump!*
And then, I was pinned down by that creature. Being pressed face-to-face this close, I finally saw those cold black eyes staring at me. The wet nose also moved to my neck and sniffed greedily.
Then, that creature did something I didn't expect it to do.
It lay on my stomach, curled up into a cat loaf, closed its eyes to sleep, and emitted a happy purring sound.
"What the hell is happening?" I asked.
No one knew the answer. No one knew what just happened.
Until about two minutes later, that creature gradually shrank back to the size of a cub. And when that creature jumped onto my head and scratched, everyone started to understand.
...
That night, when everything was resolved satisfactorily, no one was injured or much property damage caused, I also understood everything.
First of all, it seems that my application of limiting rules and optimizing mana when summoning caused Larry to shrink compared to his real size. Like that Famous Detective named after a certain famous mystery writer. And that made Larry angry and always looking for ways to vent his anger on my head.
So when I went sunbathing and increased my mana a bit, Larry immediately regained his true size. Because of that, he was very happy and proud to have me as a master for exactly... two minutes. Now Larry has shrunk again and hates my guts just like before.
But sigh... finally I found the reason for the problem, but it is a problem I cannot solve. This is tough.
I also tried asking Arcantos if he had any ideas, but he was clueless too. Moore, as usual, told me to just kill it. The other Ultimate Four members... their brain cells aren't enough to solve this either. Now I have only one person left to trust.
"Why don't you try talking to Larry?" Isolde suggested.
"Talk?" I frowned looking back at the girl combing her own hair while sitting at the mirror. "With... a cat?"
"It's a Night Panther." Isolde repeated. "And Larry seems to understand what we say."
"How do you know?"
"I'm better at 'reading' than you."
Ah right, Isolde is better at that aspect than me. She can even read my thoughts through expressions and gestures. But to understand even a magical beast? This is getting a bit scary.
"Actually, it's not to that extent." Before I could ask, Isolde explained. "I can feel that Larry likes to be praised and respected. Lately, he even goes to crowded places to observe and listen. It seems your pet is also trying to learn the language."
"Sounds scary, doesn't it?" I grimaced again.
"I find it quite adorable." Isolde grinned.
"That's because you don't get your face scratched by him every day. I think he would bad mouth all day if he can talk."
Isolde looked at me, winking playfully. "That's because I didn't suddenly summon Larry as a pet and cause his body to shrink."
Damn it, she speaks so correctly and cutely, how can I refute that?
But Isolde is right; maybe I should go talk. Even if it sounds ridiculous, it might be a way for both of us to find common ground.
Frankly speaking, I'm afraid that showing my face now will only get me scratched by Larry…
"Alright, I will give it a shot."
So after a sigh, I decided to climb out the window, clinging to the protruding roof to climb up. Although my body returned to sluggish and tired mode due to mana depletion, thanks to the time stuck in the labyrinth, I am used to functioning even in an exhausted state. So even though it was a struggle, I still climbed up to where I needed to be.
As always every night, Larry sat on top of the highest tower (my and Isolde's room). The wind up here is very strong, to the point my hair was blown upright. Luckily my hair has grown back now, otherwise, I would have lost a wig.
Yet meanwhile, Larry seemed as calm as a cucumber, in the posture of a cat loaf. He turned his arrogant face to the wind, his black whiskers swaying in the night in an incredibly rhythmic manner. The silver crescent moon on his forehead emitted a soft light; it was like a star in the sky but brighter, more brilliant.
I don't know how, but the rebellious cat that always attacks me now looks extremely majestic. It's as if he is a pack leader standing at the peak enjoying his status.
"..."
Suddenly, Larry moved slightly. Although I couldn't see his pupils in the dark, I was sure I was being stared at. Why? Because of the growling sound and the killing intent radiating from over there.
Well, let's try to get this over with.
"Sigh..."
After a sigh, I took another step; Larry stood up straight, puffing up his fur as if ready to fight immediately.
"Calm down, I've come to bargain." I raised both hands. "If you hit me and slip and fall to your death, you will lose the link and might lose the person protecting you from those people."
"Grrr..."
Although I didn't understand anything, just like Isolde said, if I pay attention, it seems Larry is trying to show he isn't afraid.
"I know you aren't afraid of those guys in black armor." I took another step closer. "But then what if you escape alive? This is not the Dead Jungle and Gaslow is not Begaritt. This place is arid and has nothing for you to eat. Even the black dragons spit acid instead of water."
"ROAR! Grr..."
"I know, that is my fault. And I apologize for that."
I bowed my head before the thing I summoned. Arcantos himself said that a true master must know how to show his authority. And to show authority, one must not admit fault, not bow down. Just like how a boss should behave.
But I didn't intend to summon any animal to be my slave. So what is the point of saving face?
"..."
On the opposite side, for some reason, Larry was also silent. He seemed surprised too. Then an uncomfortable feeling suddenly radiated. Although I wasn't sure what it was, surely he was suspecting I had some scheme. It's understandable; a species as smart as or even smarter than humans must have critical thinking or something, right?
So I think I should speak directly.
"Since summoning you here was my mistake, I will take responsibility." I said. "So I will take you back to your home and then break the contract."
This is probably the only and best way. Because anyway Larry doesn't want to go with me, and I want to change to another pet. So ending it is the most logical. But I can't just cut the contract right now and release him here. So I will definitely take him home.
So I took another step.
"And now from here until then, can you cooperate with me? I promise to provide enough mana so you can live comfortably. I will cook whatever you want to eat, if you want to sleep on my bed, fine, take it." I reached out my right hand. "Let us have peace, what do you think?"
"Roar."
Contrary to expectations, Larry raised his claws and scratched my hand once.
"What the..."
Before I could curse, that damn cat pounced again. But instead of aiming for the face as usual, he jumped onto my shoulder and curled around my neck. Suddenly, I'm now wearing a very warm and luxurious scarf.
"Purr purr..."
"Heh. I guess this means yes."
So I have one more thing to do on the list: take Larry back to the Dead Jungle in Begaritt. In return, I have a temporary ally on the condition that every day I have to go sunbathing for an hour at noon.
Well, this is fine too, right?