The Deceitful One



The gathering continued on for a few more minutes as everyone discussed various things with each other. And then, it was finally time for the gathering to conclude. Everyone got up from their seats and bowed toward Lady Fate.

Lady Fate on the other hand turned her head in a certain direction, her gaze crossed the boundaries of her divine kingdom and into the endless void. A moment later, she nodded ever so slightly. Then she cast an amused glance at Bryan. Following that, she waved her hand and instructed everybody, "You may leave."

All the spiritual bodies of the thirteen members present disappeared one by one as they were thrown into a void crack that led to their physical bodies. Bryan was planning to start meditating once he returned. He closed his eyes as he allowed himself to be pulled into the void.

When he opened his eyes, much to his horror, he realized that he wasn't in his mansion but in the endless dark void. His heart began to beat at a fast rate as fear overcame him. He began to wonder if something had gone wrong with the runic formation.

Right when he was panicking and looking around in terror, a deep and booming voice sounded from behind him. "Why do you have her scent on you?"

Bryan turned around in fear and looked in the direction the voice had come from. And then, his eyes widened. There, he saw a humongous tiger floating in the void. Its fur was white as snow and had cyan stripes on its back.

The creature's eyes were dark yellow in color with black vertical slits. Bryan had never seen a creature this big, he felt that this creature was even bigger than the city of Nadir. When he laid eyes on the creature, he knew exactly who it was.

"L-Lord Mathew!" He hurriedly bowed in his direction, afraid to offend this high-string Transcendent who was also the mount of Lady Fate.

Mathew looked at him and asked again. "Little brat, you haven't answered my question. Why do you have her scent on you?"

Bryan didn't dare to look straight at him, he continued to look down at the empty void and replied, "I'm not sure who you're talking about, sir."

"The Cat of Dreams," Mathew spoke with a reminiscent look in his eyes.

"Huh?" Bryan finally looked at the titanic figure in puzzlement. He then hurriedly drew his gaze away. "I-I don't know who that is, sir."

Mathew rolled his eyes in boredom. "You sure are clueless, puny human." He then thought about it for a moment and added. "Alright, it's about time I take a stroll." The next moment, he waved his hand and sent Bryan into a void crack.

...

Bryan opened his eyes and looked around in panic. After finding out that he was indeed in his room, he breathed a sigh of relief. But then, he recalled the last words said by Mathew before he was thrown into the void crack.

He couldn't help but mutter in puzzlement, "Just what did he mean by that…." Right at that moment, a gust of wind blew across his meditation room. The wind was so strong that it almost lifted Bryan from his feet.

The wind receded just as abruptly as it appeared. Bryan's eyebrows furrowed. "What the fuck was—"

Suddenly, he was cut off by a familiar voice, one that he heard only a moment ago. "Little brat, get me something to eat. I haven't had delicacies of the mortal world in a long time."

Bryan shot up to his feet and turned his head in the direction of the voice. There he saw, a small white cat that looked like any regular cat on the street. It had yellow eyes and looked extremely majestic, except for its slightly chubby body.

His eyes widened in disbelief. "L-Lord Mathew!?"

Mathew rolled his eyes yet again. "Learn to control your emotions. You're a damn Rank 2 Transcendent for goddess's sake."

Despite that, Bryan couldn't come out of his state of shock. He just couldn't understand why Mathew would even follow him here. And as if that wasn't enough, he had actually transformed into such a funny creature.

Seeing Bryan stare at his tummy incredulously, Mathew snorted. This caused a small whirlpool to form inside the meditation room that lifted Bryan and slammed him against the ceiling. "Hmph! Just what the hell are you staring at, foolish brat?"

Bryan got up to his feet and hurriedly bowed. "F-Forgive me, Lord Mathew. I just didn't expect you to take this form."

"Oh?" Matthew narrowed his eyes. "Would you rather I appear here in my true form and level this puny kingdom to smithereens?"

"N-No!" Bryan stuttered. "I-I'll ask the chef to prepare something for you to eat." With that, he hurriedly ran out of the room, all the while cursing his misfortune for having a high-string Transcendent reside at his home.

Meanwhile, Mathew looked at Bryan's fleeting back and smirked. He then elegantly strutted out of the room and made his way toward Bryan's bedroom. After he entered the room, his gaze fell on the small bed right beside the big one.

Excited, he walked toward the small bed and then jumped on top of it. Inside, he saw a black cat sleeping peacefully with its stomach facing up. Mathew's eyebrows twitched. "So this is where the scent came from…. But why is this brat sleeping like a damned human?"

He waved his chubby paw and a gust of wind formed out of nowhere that swept Benny off the bed and threw him to the ground.

"Meeoowwww!" Benny landed on his butt as he screamed. Then he looked around in anger until his gaze fell on Mathew who was looking at him with amusement. He was about to attack the chubby cat, but right at that moment, Mathew's voice drifted into his ears. "What is your name, little brat?"

Benny's eyes widened in shock. He mentally transmitted a message, 'You can talk!?'

"Eh?" Matthew looked at him with disappointment. "You still can't alter your vocal cords to speak directly? How pitiful."

Benny asked back, his eyes filled with incredulity. 'W-Who are you?'

"Little brat, answer my questions first. You're so disrespectful to your elders, hmph!" Matthew reprimanded.

Benny was now beginning to feel a hint of dread from Matthew. He instinctively knew that this chubby cat was much, much stronger than him. Therefore, he slowly began to move away from him. 'M-My name is Benjamin Lombardi.'

Matthew rolled his eyes. "That's such a human name…."

'I could say the same for you…' Benny meekly transmitted mentally.

"What did you say, little brat!?" Mathew glared. "Looks like you need some disciplining." The next moment, Mathew waved his paw and lifted Benny in the air. Following that, a hand was formed out of wind elemental particles that constantly began to spank Benny.

"MEEEOOWWW!!!" Benny screamed in pain. He had never been humiliated like this, not even Bryan had punished him like this before. And now, this fat cat appeared out of nowhere and was acting like a grandparent to him.

And worst of all, he couldn't even do anything about it. He was simply too weak to resist. Right at that moment, Bryan entered the bedroom. And when he saw what was happening to Benny, he was greatly taken aback.

"Lord Mathew, please wait!!" He rushed toward Benny and then grabbed him. The wind elemental particles around him slowly dissipated as well. Bryan looked at Mathew and inquired, his eyes displaying a hint of indignation. "What's the meaning of this?"

Matthew saw the look in Bryan's eyes and nodded his head in approval. He then harrumphed, "Hmph, this foolish brat is insolent."

Benny looked at Mathew in resentment and then mentally transmitted a message for all to hear. 'FUCK Y—" However, before he could finish what he was about to say, Bryan hurriedly covered his mouth, "Benny, no!"

He then whispered, "Don't disrespect him, he's a high-string Transcendent."

Benny was shocked, despite that he continued to stare daggers at Mathew. The white chubby cat saw this and couldn't help but chuckle. "At least you have some guts, little brat."

Bryan looked at him and then asked respectfully, "Lord Mathew… may I ask why you've decided to come here?"

"I've come here to take a stroll," Mathew replied as he began to lick his paw. However, Bryan didn't buy it and continued to stare at him, hoping for a reply.

Mathew noticed this and sighed. Seeing that Bryan was a part of the gathering hosted by Lady Fate, he decided to be more easygoing on the puny human. "Rest assured, I bear no ill will toward you or this insolent little brat."

Then he thought of something and added, "And while I'm here I can teach this brat what it truly means to be a feline." His eyebrows then furrowed as he continued. "He sleeps like a damned human. Hmm, I should start with that."

Bryan was taken aback at this sudden proposal. He didn't understand why this powerful being would even offer to train Benny. Suddenly, he recalled what Mathew had asked him in the void.

He couldn't help but wonder, 'The Cat of Dreams… How is it related to Benny?'

The next moment, Mathew jumped down from the bed and walked out of the room. "Alright, it's decided. I will be the little brat's teacher."

He then waved his paw and a gust of wind lifted Benny from Bryan's arms and threw him to the ground again. This time, however, Benny landed on his paws. He looked at Mathew with a suicidal expression. 'But I don't want to be your student.'

Matthew turned to look at him with a bored expression. "You don't have a say in this." He then turned around and walked out. "Now, come and show me around this city."