#413 The Strongest Immortal King

“Nyahaha, you got me, meow.”

“She spokeeeeeeeee!!!”

The cat!

The cat spoke!!!

“Calm down, Lord Saint. That is no ordinary cat.”

“Meaning?!”

“He may take the form of a feline, but his astral body is of a different origin. He’s the same as me.”

The same as you, Sensei?!

Which means...

“Professor is a Lifeless King like me, and he’s the oldest among us.”

That’s the cat’s true identity?!

“In comparison, I am young—just a little over a few thousand years old. Despite knowing everything in his life equivalent to eternity, he still seeks knowledge by assuming a cat's body and exploring the world. That’s the way Professor lives his life.”

“Huh?!”

But she’s so cute and lovable! To think beneath all that fluff is an identity similar to Sensei... 

Does that mean he’s an old man inside?!

What a scam.

“It’s not a scam. I’m a cute cat, meow.”

“She spoke again!”

“Cats have all the right to be loved, meow.”

She lies down, tail wagging and thumping the floor.  

That behavior is very much just like a cat!

“But why did a Lifeless King turn into a cat?!”

“He didn’t transform into one. That cat ‘body’ is genuine. It’s just that Professor’s real body is somewhere else,” explains Sensei on his behalf. “His physical body is still stored deep in his dungeon and uses his astral body to possess a cat.”

“A Lifeless King’s body is a hybrid of their physical and astral bodies and doesn’t deteriorate over time, But after 4,000 years, we start feeling old. So, I’ve decided to keep my physical body stationary and borrow a kitty’s body, lest I want myself to rot away with it, meow.”

“But why cats of all creatures, Professor?”

“Because cats are cute, meow.”

“I see that, but still...?!”

Good heavens.

This cat that showed up on our farm was a Lifeless King all along.

I thought it was strange because I know there aren’t cats on this farm.

One of the World’s Greatest Calamities, a Lifeless King!

And the most remarkable of them all!

“Yes, I am one of the Three Wise and One Foolish, the most powerful and oldest of the Lifeless Kings, meow!”

“You’re also the one who came up with that funny name, didn’t you, Professor?”

“You’re part of the Three Wise Kings. Aren’t you happy? I chose them based on who can win in a close match against a Geyser Dragon, meow.”

A Lifeless King this incredible is on our farm?!

“Don’t be scared. This body is really a cat’s, meow.”

Is that the professor speaking through the cat?

“I’m connected to cats worldwide through an astral network I have built through years of magical research. I borrow their bodies where and when I need to be and share my senses with them. Thanks to this, I can observe any event in the world in real-time, meow.”

“But can a cat’s sensory organs perceive that much?”

“Yes. Cats have eyes, ears, noses, and whiskers that are much more sensitive than those of humans, meow.”

The tongue is an exception, though, according to him.

“I’m not overriding the cat’s persona, so this body is still owned by the cat, even now. I won’t do anything that will bother the kitty, meow,” he adds, licking his paw.

It’s true; he is indeed a cat.

He can’t concentrate for more than a second and grooms himself quickly.

But at least we now know what the professor is.

He must be an oddity among the already-transcendent Lifeless Kings.

He leaves his decaying body and uses only his spiritual body to inhabit animals on earth.

From his description, we can infer that he can possess every cat in the world.

If such a thing were true, then there’s absolutely nothing the professor doesn’t know.

Even though his original body is no longer usable, it’s still a wonder that he’d come up with such a crazy idea.

“It’s quite an amazing story in itself that a Lifeless King’s body has lived so long, it has started decaying...” says Platy with a shudder. 

“Oh, come on. As a result, I can now live in a cat’s body, so it’s not as bad as you think. I’ve always wanted to be one, meow.

“Maybe I’ll do the same after 2,000 years,” says Sensei, and the two of them burst into laughter.

A Lifeless King-level joke is too sophisticated for me to understand!

“...So, what brings you here to Lord Saint’s farm, Professor?” asks Sensei. 

“What are you talking about? You introduced me to this place. I’m sure I told you I’d come to visit since your stories intrigued me, meow.”

“Well, I did say that through the mana comms, but that was already two or three years ago. Why now?”

“A year or two is nothing for us Lifeless Kings, meow.”

“Oh, you’re right. It seems I’ve had so many opportunities to mingle with the living lately that I’ve grown to be quite short-tempered.”

“It’s proof that you’re young, meow.”

Yet another transcendental joke!

“S-So, does this mean this mystical cat came here through your introduction, Sensei?” 

“My apologies. But it’s only a matter of time before he finds out about this place, and I thought it’d be better I tell him sooner than not.”

Like a junior behaving around the senior he doesn’t get along with...

“He has a tremendous appetite for gathering knowledge. Even after 4,000 years of living as a Lifeless King, he’s still searching for new knowledge. That is why he possesses cats, which are ubiquitous.”

“For such a purpose, it is important to be close to the living. The most natural way to be close to them is to be a cat or a dog. But cats are the only creatures who can climb on desks and not be get scolded, meow.”

We do, though.

“The world is always overflowing with knowledge. Some arrogant Lifeless Kings feel like they know everything in just a few hundred years, but that’s only because they’ve discovered their own limitations. As long as you keep your mind fresh, the world will always be new to you. That is immortality, meow.”

This cat...

This cat is giving such a profound speech...!

“And this farm is indeed interesting. Even without your introduction, I’d have eventually noticed and visited this place. So, I don’t blame you, Sensei. Besides, you lot have been awfully careless these days in terms of keeping secrets. I know you’ve done some pretty spectacular things in the Demon and Human Kingdoms, meow.”

Is he referring to the expo and Orkubo’s Castle?

Yeah, um... I’m at a loss for words on that...

“Don’t worry. I’m not like those boorish celestial gods. I do not fancy ruining what I find fascinating, meow.”

“You mean you won’t do any severe meddling to our farm, sir?”

“I am an observer. I just watch in silence, meow.”

The Lifeless King stretches his cat body.

He looks like such a gentle creature doing that.

“What, are you going to drive me out, meow?”

“...No, sir. You and Sensei seem to know each other. Please stay as long as you like.”

Besides, cats are cute.

Just being here with us is a good deal.

If such a cat is willing to live here, then all the better. 

We already have Pochi and friends.

Let’s add a cat to our roster of farm animals!

Well, if there is one problem...

“Ahh, it’s a kitty cat!”

“Sooooo, cute, yes!”

The earth spirits saw the cat.

They, too, seemed to adore its appearance and immediately flocked around it.

“It’s so, so cute!”

“Pat, pat!”

“I pat her back! Her head!”

“I scwatch her chin!”

“I wuffle her belly!”

“Gwab her tail!”

“Turn her ears inside out!”

“Boop her!”

“Poke my finger into her mouth when she yawns!”

They’re already doing whatever they want.

What typical childish attitude toward a cat.

“...”

The professor, on the other hand...

“Oh, she ran away!”

“The kitty cat ran away!!!”

“After herrrrrr!!!”

Cats’ natural enemy: kids.

They know not how to hold back, and cats find this annoying.

“Meowwwww! I hate kids! Go awaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!”

Technically, they are spirits, not children.

So, even the strongest Lifeless King has a weakness.

As he is a cat, he is not good with children.

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pronouns are so hard to discern when translating from jp...