A few minutes later, the King sat leisurely on the Wandering Mage's shoulder, licking his paws. Meanwhile, the Young Swordsman, village girl priest, and mysterious silent-step man (the rogue) from the adventurer party had formed a circle nearby. They shouted things like "For everyone in the village!" "Don't underestimate our bonds!" and "This is the power of our mutual trust!"—nonsensical phrases to anyone listening—while pounding the cat with a clanging racket.
Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the three of them were attacking the Demon King's castle.
"Cats are like this. The 'entities' are no exception." The King lazily glanced up at Zheng Zhi, who was hesitating beside him. "You save one, and it hisses at you. You're polite to it, and it still hisses at you. Ignore it, and it might hiss at you anyway. So sometimes, it's better to give it a beating—but that only works while you're beating it. The next time you meet, it'll still hiss at you..."
Zheng Zhi held it in for a long while before finally blurting out, "But you're a cat too."
"I'm a cat, and I say the same thing—because the differences between cats can sometimes be greater than the differences between you and me." As the King spoke, he stretched himself out and yawned mightily, then lightly leaped down from the Wandering Mage and walked ahead with elegant steps. "All right, all right, you can stop now. This should be enough for it to communicate honestly."
The village girl priest, who was enthusiastically swinging her short staff, was the first to stop. She then hurriedly tugged on the Young Swordsman and rogue. The three respectfully turned and bowed to the King before quickly stepping aside.
The black cat, which had just been hissing at everyone in its thorn-backed