Chapter 23: A Peculiar Proposition and an Unfathomable Power

“Interested? In me?”

Bai Zhi’s brows furrowed deeply as she extended a slender hand to point at herself, her gaze sweeping over the black cat with a hint of suspicion.

“…Right, anyone would naturally be perplexed by such a sudden declaration. Yet, there’s a profoundly deep reason for this, you see!”

Bastet, the black cat, had clearly anticipated the black-haired girl’s reaction.

Maintaining her smile, she continued, “Though this marks our very first encounter, I’ve long been aware of the ‘Guardian’ – your extraordinary deeds…”

Bastet’s words were cut short mid-sentence as Bai Zhi clapped her hands together, a look of sudden realization illuminating her features.

“Ah, I understand now! You—you wish to become my pet, don’t you!”

A moment of stunned silence fell between them.

Bastet: …

Bai Zhi: …?

Both found themselves momentarily lost for words.

Bastet blinked, her eyes a perplexing blend of surprise and confusion. Even for one as exceptionally skilled and audacious as herself, Bai Zhi’s deduction had proven utterly unforeseen.

Bai Zhi, for her part, scratched her head with a sheepish grin, an embarrassed flush creeping across her cheeks.

“Oh, dear~ While I adore cats, I genuinely lack any experience in raising them and am quite clueless about the whole affair. However, if you wouldn’t mind fending for yourself, I suppose I could still take you in…”

“Hold on a moment, ‘Guardian’.”

Bastet sighed, her tail firmly nudging away Bai Zhi’s outstretched hand, a look of utter helplessness settling upon her features.

“Firstly! If I were to fend for myself, wouldn’t that be precisely akin to living in the wilderness? How could such an arrangement ever be deemed a ‘pet’?!”

Bai Zhi, still wearing an embarrassed expression, exclaimed, “Ah, so that truly won’t do?! In that case, I suppose I’ll have to trouble Rena, though I’m entirely unsure if she even knows how to care for a cat…”

“As for Rena… I shall inquire about her later. In any case, if you harbor thoughts of adopting a pet, you must at least be prepared to personally undertake its care. And secondly…”

Bastet tapped her right paw lightly on the ground twice, her voice laced with a distinct tone of reprimand.

“From where, exactly, did you draw the astonishing conclusion that I desire to be your pet?! Despite my current appearance, I am fundamentally still a person, understand?! Or perhaps, how should I put it? Do you possess a peculiar inclination for keeping people as pets!?”

“When a cat suddenly declares its ‘interest’ in me, the only conceivable interpretation that comes to mind is ‘it wishes to be adopted,’ or something along those lines, wouldn’t you agree?”

Bai Zhi listened intently to Bastet’s reproof, then feigned deep contemplation for a moment.

“…Considering it from the standpoint of common sense.”

“If we’re truly to consider common sense, there wouldn’t even be a cat capable of speaking to you in the first place!”

Bastet’s long, furry tail swished back and forth in obvious annoyance behind her. Before continuing, she extended a paw to her face, as if adjusting a pair of invisible glasses.

“Honestly! My meticulously cultivated image has been utterly shattered. It’s a blessing the Headmaster isn’t nearby to witness this mortifying spectacle, or I can only imagine the relentless mockery I’d endure…”

She muttered under her breath, her gaze, tinged with a hint of resentment, falling upon Bai Zhi.

“Fine, kid. While your recent remarks were undeniably peculiar, I shall refrain from dwelling on them. Yet, you did stumble upon one truth: I genuinely intend to remain by your side, observing you at close quarters.”

At this juncture, her tone suddenly grew considerably more emphatic, as if she were deliberately underscoring her point.

“Naturally! Not in the capacity of a ‘pet,’ as you so casually suggested, but as a ‘scholar’! Do you comprehend?”

Bai Zhi leaned in closer, her dark eyes sparkling with keen observation. “My, my… your demeanor has abruptly turned quite impolite. Is this, then, the famed ‘fickle nature’ of cats…?”

“That’s predominantly because you yourself just uttered something quite disrespectful!”

Bastet shot Bai Zhi a slightly annoyed glare.

“Still… observe me? Is there truly anything about me that warrants such close observation?” Bai Zhi queried, her perplexity evident.

Bastet thoroughly scrutinized the black-haired girl in the sailor uniform before her, her gaze sweeping from head to toe.

“Well now~ purely judging by appearances, you certainly present as an ordinary individual. To be frank… even I failed to discern anything remarkable when I first laid eyes on you. However…”

Mid-sentence, she abruptly shifted her tone, her voice now imbued with an almost feverish intensity.

“While you yourself may not yet have perceived it, that utterly preposterous power of yours, once witnessed, becomes an undeniable force! Especially for a ‘scholar’!”

Bai Zhi was visibly swept up by her fervent declaration.

“Eh, eh, is that so?…”

“That is an absolutely colossal power, one that no mere individual should ever be capable of commanding! Its attributes, its very form of existence, and its origin remain entirely unknown!

Frankly, the simple fact that you can stand here perfectly intact is astounding enough on its own.”

Bastet fixed Bai Zhi with a gaze of unabashed greed, much like a ravenous fiend who had just sighted a captivating beauty squarely within their strike zone—though, it must be admitted, Bai Zhi was indeed a beauty.

“What profound secrets does that body of yours truly harbor?! Oh, how I long to meticulously study every inch of it, from the very surface to its deepest core!”

“Er… in that scenario, I must respectfully decline!”

A distinct shiver of revulsion involuntarily traced Bai Zhi’s spine.

“Ah! Please, rest assured, that is merely a personal, cherished aspiration of mine.”

Upon hearing Bai Zhi’s unequivocal refusal, Bastet swiftly reverted to her previous composed and dignified demeanor.

“I would never inflict such a thing upon you—unless, of course, you were to willingly consent, especially since I am entirely incapable of overpowering you!”

“It’s reassuring to know you bear that in mind.”

Only then did Bai Zhi finally relax, a curious expression blossoming across her face.

“However… is it truly as peculiar as you claim? I merely consider myself a touch stronger than the average individual, nothing more, right?”

“A mere ‘touch stronger’? Are you absolutely certain?”

Bastet’s expression tightened with displeasure; her ingrained habits prevented her from tolerating anyone so blithely underestimating their own capabilities.

“That impudent youth, self-proclaimed ‘Kuka,’ whom you effortlessly dispatched back to Granzenias moments ago—do you possess any inkling of the formidable challenge he and his kin present?!”

Bai Zhi’s face remained guileless as she recalled the scene from mere minutes before. “Oh, was he truly so difficult to handle?!”

“‘Blaze Demon’! A rare, formidable race whose current numbers barely register in the single digits!

In ancient times, their very bloodline was assimilated by elemental spirits, bestowing upon them not only superhuman regenerative capabilities but also the terrifying power to grow continuously stronger with each successive attack they endure.”

“Though they might not appear particularly formidable at first glance, one can very easily find themselves ensnared in a protracted battle against them, and the longer such a conflict endures, the more potent they become.

Indeed, they stand as one of the foremost races on Granzenias’s esteemed list of ‘Most Undefeatable Foes’!”

Bastet’s tail lightly tapped the air behind her, much like a diligent teacher underscoring crucial points on an invisible blackboard.

“Yet, such an exceptionally formidable adversary, incapable of mounting even a semblance of a proper resistance, was casually and effortlessly subdued by your hand.

And your self-assessment, after such a feat, is truly nothing more than being ‘a little stronger’ than the average person!?”

“Er… to be honest, I don’t quite grasp the distinctions in strength among those who cross over from your world.”

Bai Zhi responded, her face a canvas of embarrassment and shame.

“After all, to me, practically all transmigrators appear rather similar; perhaps the most significant difference lies solely in the varying ‘feel’ when I strike them…”

“…Only you, I suppose, could articulate such an utterly preposterous statement.”

Bastet offered Bai Zhi a resigned smile, then, following the girl’s unintended cue, continued her explanation.

“However, if your abilities merely amounted to that degree, it certainly wouldn’t compel such intense curiosity from me.”

Bai Zhi’s curiosity was thoroughly piqued by her enigmatic pronouncements.

“Is… that truly the case?”

“Indeed.”

Bastet nodded emphatically.

“While individuals possessing such overwhelmingly formidable strength as yours are undeniably rare, ‘strength’ alone offers no inherent research value. Your most truly peculiar aspect, you see, lies not in that at all!”

As she spoke, she once again fixed Bai Zhi with a gaze that held a distinct, fervent intensity.

“Do you recall my earlier assertion? ‘The simple fact that you can stand here, perfectly intact, is astonishing enough on its own.’ Those words, I assure you, were not spoken idly!”

Her round eyes narrowed to slits, and Bastet’s neck subtly inclined forward.

“For, under normal circumstances, regardless of the methods one might employ, after accumulating such an immense reservoir of magic power within your body, you would, in all likelihood, be assimilated and utterly disintegrated by that very magic on the spot.

You certainly wouldn’t be standing before me now, perfectly unharmed, engaging in normal conversation.”

“Disintegrated… is it truly so extreme?”

Bai Zhi’s imagination conjured a horrifying scene of her own body ‘disintegrating’ into fragmented pieces, and an immediate chill of dread permeated her being.

“After all, I once heard Rena explain—oh, she’s another individual hailing from your world, Granzenias, and a dear friend of mine.

While mages primarily harness the various elements freely circulating in the atmosphere to weave their spells, they do, nonetheless, store a certain capacity of magic power within their bodies; it simply wouldn’t be anywhere near the colossal amount I possess.”

“‘Not as much as you’—that, my dear, is precisely where the crucial distinction lies.”

Bastet launched into an eloquent exposition of her knowledge, her words flowing forth without interruption.

“It is indeed true that ordinary mages harbor magic power within their bodies, yet its quantity is exceedingly minimal, serving merely as a catalyst to guide elemental forces when constructing and unleashing spells.

The true measure of a mage’s talent is never gauged by the amount of magic power they internally store, but rather by the profoundness of their affinity for various elements.”

She turned sideways, casting a fleeting glance at the empty air behind her, before her tail began to tap rhythmically against an imaginary blackboard, as if outlining a complex lesson.

“The underlying reason is this: despite originating within living organisms, magic power is, in essence, an incredibly volatile energy.

Should its accumulated quantity within the body ever exceed a specific, predefined threshold, it will invariably inflict irreversible damage upon the physical form.”

“In milder cases, this might merely manifest as some insidious ailment, lying dormant for years before finally erupting. More severe instances can lead to immediate, grievous bodily harm, even endangering one’s life.

The most tragic outcome, as I previously described, is complete assimilation and disintegration by one’s own magic power, leaving not even a speck of dust behind.”

The black cat raised her right paw, comically holding a small twig she had picked up from the ground.

“There exists an exceedingly rare congenital condition where an individual is born with several times the normal amount of magic power stored within their body.

Sufferers of this affliction must devise methods to channel their excess magic power out of their bodies to survive, but alas, the success rate of such procedures is tragically low.”

“Even if they miraculously survive, patients rarely live to adulthood, for the very process of channeling magic power from within to without inflicts immense and irreparable damage upon the body. It is, in essence, a terminal illness that, once contracted, offers absolutely no hope of recovery.”

Bastet’s words tumbled out with remarkable speed, her eyes gleaming with a sharp, analytical light.

“Now, do you comprehend just how utterly unique you are, meow! To possess such an abnormally vast storage of magic power, not only remaining unharmed but also capable of utilizing this very force for combat, is nothing short of miraculous!”

“The only plausible explanations are two-fold: either your bodily structure is exceptionally anomalous, rendering you entirely immune to the corrosive effects of magic power; or your body is connected to some other dimension, a vast reservoir of magic power from which you only draw when necessary.”

“Regardless of which hypothesis holds true, either one would propel current magical theory forward by a monumental leap!”

Facing Bastet’s gleaming, cat-like eyes, the black-haired girl offered a wry smile. “Er… I think I understand your meaning, but my situation is rather peculiar, and I’m afraid I might not be able to help you…”

“You are indeed very peculiar! And it’s entirely possible that my solo research, even after a tremendous expenditure of effort, might ultimately yield no discoveries at all.”

Bastet regained her composure, though her eyes now held a resolute glint.

“However! To witness something unknown and choose to ignore it—even if I am merely an ordinary magic tutor at the academy—is something I absolutely cannot do.”

Here, Bastet paused, her tail, previously busy pointing at the invisible blackboard behind her, now rested idly.

“Moreover, I have other matters I wish to meticulously investigate, such as…”

Bastet tilted her head slightly.

“Such as why I inexplicably appeared in this world.”

“To be honest, I haven’t the faintest clue.”