Chapter 166: Ghost Town Part 1

The effect of the [Cat Lord] title was nine lives. Nine lives? Who wouldn't covet such power?

However, there were some rather tricky conditions tied to those nine lives.

First, if one were cursed with "immortality", the nine lives would disappear. Well, it made sense; since "immortality" literally meant not dying, the nine lives would naturally disappear. Usually, obtaining "immortality" required a sacrifice on the scale of an entire city or even a nation's worth of souls, so it wasn't something that concerned me.

Second, the soul had to be "free". If one was bound to something or had a serious contract that involved trading one's soul, the soul would be delivered to the rightful owner at death, which would prevent resurrection. Again, this didn't apply to me.

Third, the resting place of the soul had to be preserved. Simply put, the body had to be in a condition that wasn't too strange to revive. Losing an arm or leg would be fine, but if 80% of the body was destroyed, coming back to life would be difficult. So, even in death, it was important to die "cleanly".

"The last one's the hardest."

Aside from those, there was a passive skill tied to the [Cat Lord] title. It was called [Cat Eyes].

As the name suggested, it was a skill that let one borrow a cat's "eyes". It was slightly different from a familiar skill, in that I didn't control the cat directly but rather borrowed its sight for a short time.

I couldn't send a cat to spy for me personally, but I would be borrowing the vision of a cat already in the area, so the skill still had its limits. Yet, it wasn't a bad ability to have.

After all, cats were everywhere.

"This could be useful too."

I closed the old book and tucked it into my inner pocket, then lightly touched the new cloak draped over my shoulders. The cloak that I had received at the Cat Lord inauguration ceremony had the ability to enhance stealth and speed. It wasn't as impressive as the [Shadow Cloak], but since the [Shadow Cloak] was too powerful to use on a daily basis, this one was perfect for regular wear.

[Theo. Cat. Smell.]

"Really? You don't like it?"

[Theo. Me. Hate it.]

Haha, what can I do? Even if you dislike it, I'm already the Cat Lord. I chuckled and patted Legion on the head.

"Do you want to stick with El for a while?"

[Theo. Me. With Theo. Together.]

"Then you'll have to endure the cat smell."

[Ugh.]

With Legion who grimaced in disgust still perched on my shoulder, I turned to Lloyd who approached near the window.

"Are we still far? El said we should be arriving at the village soon."

"I saw the lights, but for some reason, we don't seem to be getting any closer. It could be a mirage."

"A mirage?"

I leaned out of the window and looked in the direction Lloyd was pointing. Amidst the fading gray horizon in the distance, there was a faint light. Judging by the distance, it would take about thirty minutes to an hour by carriage…

Did we take a wrong turn?

I knocked on the door to stop the carriage, then got out and switched places with El. After that, instead of Lloyd, I had Ayla take the lead and followed her.

…Maybe everyone's just tired.

How much time had passed like that? It was far longer than the thirty minutes or an hour I had estimated…

– Prrrrrrrrrr! Fpprrrrrrrrrr!

– Thump! Thump!

Storm, who had been pulling the carriage smoothly, suddenly stopped and began to stomp at the ground nervously.

"Storm, Storm?"

Just pulling on the reins wasn't enough to calm him, so I got out of the carriage and tried to soothe him. But he wouldn't settle down easily, and soon the entire carriage started to shake.

What's causing this?

Despite their size and appearance, horses were incredibly sensitive creatures. Although Storm was once a wild horse, he had long since been tamed and had traveled with us for quite some time. There was no reason for him to act up now. That left only one likely explanation.

There was "danger" lurking nearby.

Unlike Ayla who was a predator, Storm who was a prey animal could sense this kind of "danger".

"There, there. Calm down."

After calming Storm down, I pulled out an apple and fed it to him before I turned to El and Lloyd.

"We're changing plans. We'll have to rest here for the night."

Lloyd nodded his head, and El jumped off the carriage before she quickly got to work on setting up camp. She searched for a good spot to light a fire and gathered firewood. While the group prepared for camp, I tied the carriage to a tree and secured Storm under a safe one.

Even after devouring the apple, and with me by his side, Storm still seemed uneasy. I gently stroked his neck and mane. He snorted softly and stamped on the ground nervously.

"Why are you so restless, Storm?"

This was the same Storm who had fearlessly faced dangers in forests crawling with cougars and maple bears. He even held his ground against Ayla's intimidating presence. What could possibly be making him act like this?

I looked at the light in the middle of the horizon, which was still not getting closer.

"Is it because of that?"

– Fprrrrrrrr.

"…Ayla, you'll need to stay by Storm's side tonight."

I called Ayla over and had her sit next to Storm, then walked over to the campfire El had lit.

"Why is Storm acting like that?"

"I'm not sure."

If I used the [Beast Song] skill, I could communicate with Storm. But just because I could communicate didn't mean I'd be able to fully understand everything he wanted to say. The gap between Storm's intelligence and perception and mine was just too large. Even with [Beast Song], the most I'd get from Storm was something like "This place feels scary for some reason".

The light that refused to come any closer was suspicious enough, so camping here for the night seemed like the best option.

"We didn't get anything from Dihid, so I guess we'll have to settle for 'anything stew' tonight."

"I love your 'anything stew' Master."

"Haha, I'm glad to hear that."

Lloyd would search the area for some edible meat during his patrol, so I thought I'd gather a few things to add to the stew, maybe even collect some seeds along the way.

"El, you stay here and keep an eye on the fire."

"Yes, Master."

I got up from my spot and pushed my way through the bushes. The forest was thick and overgrown which made it much darker than the area near the campfire; it was to the point where I could hardly see an inch in front of me. But thanks to my [Owl Eyes] skill, I had no trouble walking.

"Oh, wild butternuts in a place like this?"

There was actually quite a lot to gather. The wild butternuts were small but soft and rich in sweetness, hanging in clusters, and there were bushes full of dark red wild berries nearby. I picked a few butternuts and wild berries before tucking them into my pouch.

If we still have plenty of sugar left, I could even make pudding.

We hadn't had the luxury of enjoying dessert in Dihid, and lately, I'd been craving something sweet.

After gathering various wild fruits and herbs, I made my way back to the campsite. Honestly, I wanted to collect more, but unless you were a descendant of the Korean Peninsula who could eat all sorts of plants—even toxic ones—the people of this pseudo-medieval land didn't consume poisonous plants…

Last time, I added bracken to the stew, and El ended up with a stomach ache. I had boiled, dried, and blanched it to remove the toxins, but even then, it didn't work.

Bracken, taro stems, lacquer, angelica tree shoots, wild chwinamul, ginkgo nuts. Most Koreans grew up conquering all sorts of poisonous plants, so it seemed we were immune to nearly everything by now.

Thank you, Grandfather Dangun…

It had been a while since I offered gratitude to my true god(?), not the twelve gods of this medieval world. After a short prayer with my hands clasped, I returned to the campsite.

"Just a few rabbits, that's all."

Lloyd was skinning the rabbits at the campsite. Perfect for an 'anything stew.'

"This will be enough."

I sliced the bright yellow butternut and began frying it in the pot. Soon, a sweet aroma filled the air. A sweet smell somewhere between pumpkin and sweet potato. Once the smell of peanuts started to waft, I knew it was cooked enough. I poured in water, added herbs, and began simmering the mixture.

The butternut itself had such a creamy texture and rich flavor that even without milk or butter, the stew would still have the smooth, deep taste of a cream stew. While the pot simmered, I skewered the rabbit meat and began grilling it over the fire. Once it had absorbed enough of the smoky flavor, I added it to the stew, letting it simmer until the meat became tender.

I left the rabbit legs to cook in a pan with some of the remaining fat. When they browned, I brushed them with honey mixed with finely chopped herbs and wild garlic and let them turn golden and crispy.

– Sizzle…

– Bubble…

Since there was still some time left until the dish was done, I scraped the remaining butternut and boiled it with wild berries and all the remaining sugar before setting it aside to cool. It wasn't exactly pudding, but once chilled, it would be a sweet enough treat to enjoy after the meal.

"Let's eat."

We sat around the campfire and each one started nibbling on a rabbit leg. The roasted legs had a slightly spicy kick from the garlic; this gave them an incredible flavor. I liked it quite a bit, but it seemed a little too spicy for El and Lloyd. Haha, foreigners, am I right?

The stew made with butternut, herbs, and rabbit meat had a rich yet smooth and slightly sweet taste. It was like a mix of pumpkin, sweet potato, and peanuts. It tasted nutty, sweet, and warm, so it went down smoothly. This was the perfect food to fill you up while camping. We each devoured two bowls of the stew.

"Let it cool a bit before you eat, Legion."

[Theo. Me. Wait.]

Legion who was eager to eat the stew licked his lips. I set down the cooled stew in front of it, then stood up to grab the butternut-berry-cold soup I had prepared earlier for dessert.

-Rustle…

"…Huh?"

When I reached the bush where the perfectly sweet butternut-berry-cold soup was waiting, I heard a rustling sound. A wild animal? But Lloyd said there were only a few rabbits around…

I cautiously approached the bush.

-Rustle…

Then it happened.

-Awoooooooo!

Ayla's howl echoed through the night, as if it to tear the sky apart.