Chapter 52. Michael’s Divine Beasts, Runaway Edition
“Pant! Pant!!”
Meanwhile, Samsik raced through the alleys like a child finally released from a strict curfew.
He was as small as an ordinary puppy, allowing him to slip through almost anywhere.
Even now, Samsik squeezed beneath the gap under a stair railing and dangerously jumped down.
“Meow! (Careful!)”
Samsik was not a cat.
Jeomrye nervously worried that he might hurt himself jumping from somewhere too high.
Fortunately, it was not as high as she feared.
Samsik landed safely and continued running.
“Whoa!”
“Hey! What was that?!”
“Who let their dog loose?!”
Samsik reached the street and rushed through the crowd.
He moved wildly between people’s legs.
A tiny puppy suddenly appearing and disappearing at high speed was more than enough to startle people.
Jeomrye became increasingly anxious.
“Meow! Hiss! (Careful over there!)”
In such a dense crowd, someone could accidentally step on Samsik.
He could also be hit by a car while crossing roads.
She needed to keep watching him.
Tap! Run, run!
Jeomrye jumped down from a building sign onto a construction sign.
After seeing Samsik turn left, she jumped onto the pedestrian fence on that side.
It was difficult for her to enter the crowd directly.
Instead, she continuously moved from one elevated object to another so she could keep Samsik in sight.
“Oh my, how cute! Kitty, want some Churu?”
A woman noticed Jeomrye just as she landed on a stone planter.
Her eyes lit up.
Jeomrye needed to keep chasing Samsik.
However, when she heard the word Churu, her body froze.
After Heesong gave her Churu as a snack once, Jeomrye had become its slave.
Rustle, rustle.
Apparently the woman owned a cat herself.
She pulled a tube of Churu from her shoulder bag.
“Meow… meow. (I, it looks delicious.)”
If Jeomrye did not keep moving now, she would lose Samsik.
But the idea of abandoning Churu placed right in front of her was unbearable.
“Why isn’t she eating? Ah! Is it hard to reach? One second.”
Mistaking Jeomrye’s hesitation for difficulty eating, the woman pushed the contents upward.
Squeeeeeze.
A large amount of light-brown Churu with a chicken aroma emerged from the tube.
To Jeomrye, it practically looked like gold.
Drool gathered in her mouth.
Samsik completely disappeared from her mind.
Lick, lick.
“Is it good?”
“Meow! (Delicious!)”
The moment she tasted the Churu, Jeomrye stopped being a Divine Beast.
She became an ordinary cat ruled entirely by instinct.
Meanwhile, Samsik had fully enjoyed his run and finally calmed down after reaching a nearby riverside walking trail.
It had been a long time since he had gone outside.
There was no leash restricting him.
This was true freedom.
Even after running for so long, Samsik still could not forget the excitement.
He spent quite some time racing along the path.
“Pant! Woof! Woof! (Refreshing! This is a real walk!)”
Whenever Michael or Heesong took him outside, they always walked slowly.
It was never enough for Samsik.
After running to his heart’s content, he noticed the stream.
Lap, lap.
Thirsty, Samsik lowered his head beneath a bridge and drank directly from the water.
Gulp, gulp.
Then he noticed a rat beside him doing the same thing.
Samsik stared at the unexpected rat.
“What are you staring at, squeak?”
It was Valefor.
A rat about the size of a person’s palm with a small belly pouch.
Apparently he had been rolling around somewhere.
Dust and dirt covered his tiny body.
“Woof? (A rat can talk?)”
Samsik had seen rats before.
However, they always ran away whenever they saw him or Jeomrye.
This was his first time meeting one as aggressive as Valefor.
“What business is that of yours, squeak?”
Valefor answered.
Samsik’s eyes widened.
“Woof?! (You can understand me?!)”
“Squeak. Isn’t it obvious? I answered because I understood you, squeak! Idiot. Squeak squeak.”
Samsik had only recently been born and was curious about everything.
He started circling Valefor.
“Squeak. Why are you running around me like that? It’s annoying.”
Just as Valefor was about to complain,
“Search over there!”
“Where the hell did that rat go?!”
“That bastard even hid his demonic energy with an artifact. This is getting annoying.”
Rough voices came from far away.
Men in suits stood on top of the bridge, releasing an unpleasant energy.
Because of that, people approaching the bridge frowned or suddenly turned pale and walked away.
“That rat is definitely hiding somewhere nearby. You search everything around here. You, spread the demonic energy farther so people stay away before the rat can hide among them!”
“Yes, sir!”
The man who seemed to be the leader was giving orders.
At a glance, Valefor was clearly being chased by these demonic men.
“Those bastards… squeak! Damn it, if my body was normal, I’d tear them apart!”
In reality, even with his normal body, it would have been difficult.
For some reason, Valefor could no longer return to his demon form.
He clenched his tiny fists and watched the bridge.
Samsik also sensed the demonic energy and lowered his body.
“Grrrrr….”
Valefor panicked at Samsik’s growl and wrapped his entire body around the puppy’s muzzle.
“Shh, squeak! Shh, squeak! Be quiet! If they notice us, we’re in trouble.”
“Mmm? (Why?)”
Valefor hesitated.
Should he explain the situation to an animal?
“…Well, telling an animal should be fine, squeak. I can’t explain the details, but I’m being chased. If they find me, it’ll be a problem, squeak.”
“Woof! (Okay!)”
Samsik responded to the request to stay quiet by barking.
Valefor immediately hugged his muzzle again.
“Shh, squeak! Shh, squeak!”
“Mmf! (Okay!)”
Fortunately, Samsik barked softly enough that the demons above could not hear.
Valefor wiped away cold sweat.
Then he suddenly felt pathetic.
“Haa. How did my life become this, squeak?”
He had fallen so far that he was desperately relying on a lost puppy.
Whatever dignity he once had as a Great Demon was completely gone.
Rustle, rustle!
“Meow… meow! (Finally… found you!)”
At that moment, Jeomrye burst through nearby bushes.
“Meow! Meow!! (How could you just run away like that?!)”
Conveniently leaving out the part where Churu had distracted her, Jeomrye scolded Samsik.
“Whine…. (S, sorry….)”
“Hiss! Meow! (Stay with me next time!)”
“Woof! (Okay!)”
Samsik, unaware of the truth, sincerely reflected on her scolding.
Valefor, who had been lamenting his life, frowned at Jeomrye immediately lecturing Samsik.
“Squeak! And who are you… huh?”
Seeing only Samsik had not been enough.
