Chapter 152: The great Salem.

The day-to-day life of an alpha cat as important as himself, the great Salem, was complicated. Everything started at dawn, when the rays of sunlight came in through the window, interrupting his short sleep of barely a few hours. That was the moment he would stretch to release all the tension in his agile, strong, and spectacular body, and then perform a bit of basic personal grooming, licking his powerful paws and cleaning his face. After all, an impressive cat like him could not show himself to the world looking disheveled.

Once he was ready, his next task was very important: meeting with the only one who could stand before him and give orders to a cat as impressive and magnificent as he was—the strongest living being, the supreme and definitive alpha, his one and only, invincible and irreplaceable master—to carry out his daily training and maintain his invincibility.

Upon arriving at the training area, as on every other day, his master was already there, wearing bulky weights around his ankles, wrists, and neck, as well as a black vest that emanated that strange tingling energy. He struck a huge metal cube with his fists and legs at such high speed that it seemed like he had many arms and legs.

In the training area, as usual, two of his master’s females were also present. Although they were annoying and always wanted to pick him up and touch his beautiful fur, since they were his master’s females, he, the great Salem, could only endure it by gritting his teeth. This was to demonstrate his loyalty and dedication to his master.

One of the females, the one with the strange tail on her head, was fighting with the ugly metal “prey” which, besides being annoying because it was very fast and slippery, was also not tasty at all, making it bothersome to face. But since it was an important part of the training to maintain invincibility, it was a necessary step in the daily routine.

Meanwhile, the other female, the one who seemed to enjoy pairing him with that imitation of a female that his master liked to create, was holding a huge metal ball while squatting and standing up again—something his master did from time to time as well, although with bigger and heavier metal balls.

“Late again. Come here.”

Hearing his master’s call, he, as the great follower he was, quickly grew in size—one of his many invincible abilities—and ran toward him. His master promptly picked up a suitable black vest for his formidable feline form and some weights for his paws and neck, put them on him quickly, and then ordered in a calm tone.

“Go run for a while.”

After informing his master that he understood with his powerful roar, the great Salem approached one of the strange running machines. Upon stepping on it, it automatically started moving, forcing him to run with all his might, all while he was attacked by that strange tingling energy that had the mysterious power of making it harder to control his body.

…

After finishing his battle with the metal prey, the great Salem roared triumphantly, making the air vibrate with power, then turned around to look at his master. He found him removing the weights and vest, talking casually with his females, so he immediately ran over so they would remove his own weights.

"Kai... are you sure that poor little Salem doesn't suffer from being electrocuted like you...?"

While they were taking off the weights, the great Salem heard the female with the strange tail on her head speak as she looked at him sadly, earning an annoyed snort from him. After all, how could that female doubt his unrivaled capabilities? As a follower of his master, it was obvious he could do everything his master did. Truly, if she weren’t his master’s female, he would have already bitten her so she would learn to respect him.

“This lazy cat is fine. I check him constantly to make sure he’s all right. And now that his Accomplice developed an imitation of the Lightning Mantle, if he wants to improve, he can only do this training. He has no escape. Also, as you can see, he’s quite brave; he never complains, one of his few virtues.”

Upon hearing his master, the great Salem nodded with satisfaction. Indeed, his master was the one who best understood him, although he still misunderstood him as “lazy”, a terrible misunderstanding born from his constant effort to conserve his energy for when it was needed—like his nocturnal patrols, keeping his territory in order, and other matters. Besides, a powerful cat like him needed at least eight naps a day to maintain his gorgeous fur, something his master still failed to understand—a minor and completely forgivable mistake.

Once the most torturous part of the training was over, the bath. The great Salem took a short nap in his small form inside the automatic dryer while his master showered, only to be awakened by him when he placed him on his shoulder to go eat, one of the best parts of the day.

After finishing his triple portion of meat and kibble, it was time to go to work. As the great follower he was, he stayed perched on his master’s shoulder while they flew using one of his master’s invincible and varied abilities, arriving at the home of his master’s other females. There, after another restorative nap while his master looked over things in his strange glowing box, he was woken again to go on patrol, something he enjoyed since he needed to get to know his new territory.

But what the great Salem did not expect was that, in the middle of the patrol, he would find a charming female cat with a beautiful, abundant white coat and eyes similar to his own. Due to her lack of skill, she had become stuck high up in a tree and couldn’t climb down, so he, without waiting for his master’s order, swiftly scaled the tree with a single leap, reaching the female’s side.

Facing the female, he, as the powerful alpha cat he was, came to an important realization: he was lacking in females. Even his invincible master had a group of proud females around him. How could he, his master’s most faithful follower, not have his own group of females? Besides, he was already an adult cat who needed to start thinking about his offspring.

Quickly, the great Salem came to the conclusion that although the female in front of him was a bit weak and foolish for getting stuck in a tree. Her fur was well-groomed enough, and she seemed to have all the necessary traits to be part of his future 'pride'. Therefore, he immediately roared at her, granting her the enviable opportunity to follow him.

As expected, it only took extending the invitation for the female to surrender to him without hesitation. After all, what female would even think twice about following someone as invincible as he was? It was only natural for such a thing to happen. And having learned from caring for his master’s females, he swiftly grabbed her by the neck and jumped back down to the ground, letting out a powerful, victorious roar.

…

“What is Salem doing with that cat?”

Seeing Salem in his cat form, sitting proudly while holding the cat he had just rescued by the neck like some kind of trophy. Presenting her to Kai on the edge of the road, Shino couldn’t help but ask in confusion as she looked at her beloved. He merely sighed and shook his head before giving an order, half amused and half exasperated.

“Let that cat go, Salem.”

Although the lazy cat did as he was told, he immediately meowed in protest at Kai, who, as though he understood him, replied in an exasperated tone.

“And who the hell told you cats form prides? You’re not a damn lion.”

As though to refute his master’s words, Salem immediately grew until he was about two meters tall, which greatly frightened the passersby. Then he roared, somehow managing to have a proud expression on his feline face, causing Kai to slap his forehead in disbelief and comment.

“Just because you’re bigger than a lion doesn’t make you a damn lion… Seriously, why do I have the dumbest cat of all?”

As if wanting to prove his point, Salem turned and roared at the cat, which had not run away and was still on the ground, staring at the gigantic cat curiously. In response, the female cat quickly ran over to start rubbing against Salem’s huge front paw, prompting a snort of arrogance from the blue-eyed cat directed at his master.

“You do realize that cat already has an owner, right? She even has a collar.”

Kai sighed irritably and pointed at the small shiny collar on the cat’s neck as she rubbed against Salem’s leg. Salem quickly looked down to check, then roared impressively, which further exasperated the blue-eyed young man, who immediately snapped in annoyance.

“You can’t beat up the owner. That’s not how things work.”

While Kai and his cat argued, the Pussycats and the passersby in the residential street of the small town near the mountains—where the agency was located—watched the spectacle with amused smiles, as though it were some kind of impromptu comedy show. The argument ended after a while, when the blue-eyed boy finally spoke in resignation.

“All right, we’ll see if they’re willing to sell her, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Hearing his master’s words, Salem roared happily, then shrank down to the size of his new female, who once again started rubbing against him affectionately. Even though it was a bit annoying for such an imposing and independent cat as him, one thing he had learned from his master was that you had to be good to your females.

“So you lost?”

Seeing Kai shove his hands into the pockets of his workout gear with an annoyed look, Ryuko couldn’t help but ask in a playful tone, causing Kai to roll his eyes. That was when Tomoko asked excitedly.

“Kai! How can you understand Salem? It’s so cool, teach me, teach me!”

“It’s nothing special, it’s just that this cat is so dumb that you can more or less guess what’s going on in his stupid head.”

“Hello, thank you so much for getting Tama back.”

At that moment, a man around thirty years old, who had a simple appearance and was dressed in a sports outfit similar to Kai’s but in blue, approached and expressed his gratitude, bowing politely, prompting Kai to respond in a calm tone.

“It’s nothing, and actually, I wanted to talk to you.” Kai quickly pointed at Salem, who was now sitting next to him in his adult cat form, with the female cat lying at his side, then added casually.

“As you can see, this foolish cat took a liking to your cat, so… would you be willing to make a deal for her?”

“Well, actually, Tama belonged to my grandmother, who passed away last month. Since no one else could take care of her, I was forced to do so because I work from home. But she’s always running away and getting stuck in all sorts of places, which is making me lose a lot of time, and I have a tight deadline coming up.

“If you could adopt her, it would actually be a great help for me. Seeing how you and your ‘cat’ interact, I can tell you’re very good with animals. And besides, in this area, there’s no one more trustworthy than the Pussycats.” The man spoke in a calm tone as he looked at the Pussycats behind Kai, who quickly replied.

“That’s good, then. Does she have a chip…?”

While Kai discussed the details of acquiring the cat with the man, the Pussycats couldn’t help but smile as they watched Salem lie on the ground, somehow sporting a satisfied expression on his feline face, while the female cat licked him gently. Just then, Tomoko noticed a group of three schoolgirls pointing at Kai as they whispered among themselves, visibly excited.

Tomoko discreetly signaled to her companions, who looked at the young girls from a distance in confusion. One of the schoolgirls was then pushed forward by the other two, giggling as they urged her to approach. She did so while holding a phone, her cheeks visibly flushed.

“U-um, Demon King-sama, would it be too much trouble if I asked for a picture?”

Upon reaching Kai, the schoolgirl asked shyly, causing the blue-eyed boy to turn to look at her in mild surprise, then glance at the man in front of him as if silently asking if she was talking to him. The man quickly shook his head, leaving Kai no choice but to ask the schoolgirl.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Y-yes, Demon King-sama.” The schoolgirl, who had soft salmon-colored hair, nodded nervously, which inevitably confused Kai even more. That was when Tomoko approached with a big smile.

“Why do you want a photo with Kai? Is he that famous already?” Tomoko asked with a broad grin on her face, inadvertently startling the young girl a bit. Even so, the student quickly nodded earnestly and answered while operating her phone.

“Y-yes, I’m part of his fan club…”

“Since when do I have a fan club…?” Kai couldn't help but mutter in disbelief, to which the young girl replied with a huge smile.

"Well, even though I call it a fan club, for now, it's unofficial. It was formed right after the first-year sports festival, but due to the huge buzz these past few days over the Hero Killer video and the one titled 'The Birth of the Symbol of Invincibility', it has grown quite a bit. We already have close to fifty thousand followers."

As she explained, the young woman showed her phone to Kai. That allowed him and the Pussycats, who had gathered around, to see a social media account named [The Demon King’s Wives], which was growing in real time before their eyes by several hundred followers at once. Inevitably, Shino asked curiously.

“What video are you talking about?”

“Oh, it’s this one!”

***

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