PSW Chapter 25: Mutual Favor
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Was it really such a big deal for the Cat God to not wear earrings and a nose ring?
Did the Cat God represent the Moon Goddess so much that if the Cat God wasn't properly adorned, it was equivalent to the Moon Goddess herself being improperly dressed???
Bastet felt a little scared. It really didn’t want to have huge holes pierced into its ears or a third breathing hole in its nose. But if this would result in Nephthys being punished, then it would rather take the pain.
Pain was pain, and weird was weird—as long as it didn’t drag someone else down!
The wrinkled, bald-headed high priest radiated anger, clearly unwilling to let this slide. Bastet anxiously looked at Nephthys, then at the old priest, just as it was about to take responsibility for the mistake.
Yofar spoke.
“It is not just the Cat God,” he said, his gem-like, sharp, ice-cold eyes locking onto the high priest. “It is also my pet.”
The high priest’s brows furrowed deeply. “Your Majesty, you cannot…” do such a thing.
Before he could finish, Yofar interrupted him.
“I am the ruler of Egypt.”
The Pharaoh, clad in golden armor, showed no sign of anger on his face, yet within his icy blue eyes, a ghostly light flickered. Beneath that beautiful exterior, it was as if a ferocious beast lurked, ready to tear through his skin and break free at any moment!
“So,” he declared, “if I do not permit it, then not even the gods can change it.”
Much less you, a mere servant of the gods.
Then he added, “Since I took the throne, those who have defied me have only ever met one fate.”
As for what that fate was, everyone could already tell from the way his hand slowly tightened around his sword.
“……”
The entire hall fell into silence.
When Yofar finished speaking, the air froze. Even the priestesses playing instruments fumbled a note.
Bastet swallowed hard. …Killing intent. Holy crap, there's killing intent! My fur is standing on end!
The high priest, under Yofar’s piercing gaze, trembled all over. His expression of resentment and dissatisfaction was swiftly replaced by sheer terror. His eyes were locked onto Yofar, pupils shrinking as if he had seen something truly horrifying.
His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he averted his gaze, gripped his staff tightly, and stepped aside.
Yofar withdrew his gaze as well, and with that, the terrifying pressure of a lurking beast dissipated.
The air and the previously broken melody returned.
Everyone who had just taken a stroll near the gates of hell kept their mouths shut, pretending to be nothing more than wooden statues.
Bastet turned away and furiously licked its bristling fur.
The little black furball: I don’t even know why I’m licking—I'm just nervous!
The ceremony continued as usual.
However, this time, the high priest didn’t utter another unnecessary word. Aside from the required lines, everyone else had practically turned mute.
The ever-smiling Nephthys, meanwhile, sent someone to summon the two princesses while sweeping his gaze over the high priest, sneering internally.
Bastet, being a modern-day cat, didn’t understand and assumed the commotion was all because of it. But Nephthys and the others knew better.
The requirement for the Cat God to wear accessories was never a strict rule—it was merely an excuse the high priest had used to stir up trouble.
Over the years since Yofar’s ascension, it had become well known that the priests felt slighted—just like the old ministers, they looked down on the new king.
And this old man before them was particularly notorious for his petty nature. Previously, Yofar had refused to let him hold the Cat God, which he had surely taken as a personal humiliation.
Well, now he got what was coming to him…
Nephthys withdrew his gaze indifferently. Hah, serves him right.
—
The complicated ceremony finally concluded.
The little black furball crouched on a cushion, not quite daring to meet Yofar’s gaze. As handsome as the Poop Servant was, his display of killing intent had been absolutely terrifying!
As the high priest recited his guttural blessings, the two princesses—who had been caught sneaking out—walked toward Bastet side by side.
Only then did Bastet dare to lift its head. One look, and it was immediately stunned.
The two princesses: Nefertari and Batrana.
Bastet had never seen the first one before, but it was at least familiar with Batrana. Though Batrana had wronged its Poop Servant, she had been a stunning beauty—voluptuous, curvaceous, and undeniably seductive.
But now…
Bastet stared, dumbfounded, as the two figures approached, completely wrapped in thick white veils.
"Meow…"
What the—
Who were these two mummy-lookalikes, shambling forward like they had just clawed their way out of a sarcophagus?!
Where were their faces?!
Their heads were wrapped in layer upon layer of fabric—how were they not suffocating???
And those legs—how were they even managing to walk in that?! Bastet had to give them credit for sheer determination.
Internally, the little black cat was perplexed. Just how badly do these two not want to marry Yofar to go this far?
The others in the hall were equally dumbfounded, their expressions twisting in shock. Clearly, no one had expected the princesses to show up cosplaying as mummies. Soon, everyone’s gazes drifted toward Yofar, who remained standing coldly in place.
The ministers: Waiting for the king to explode.
The high priest: Hahaha, divine intervention!
Nephthys: These two idiots…
Everyone expected Pharaoh to lash out, but Yofar did not. In fact, aside from his earlier interaction with Bastet and that chillingly murderous statement, he hadn’t even lifted an eyelid.
He simply watched the spectacle unfold as if he were an amused bystander, letting the two princesses reach Bastet.
The selection process for the queen was far simpler than the ceremony.
The two princesses simultaneously extended their only unwrapped left hands toward Bastet. If the Cat God voluntarily placed its paw in one of their hands, that person would be chosen.
It sounded arbitrary, but after discovering that the Cat God actually possessed mystical powers, Bastet no longer found it so ridiculous.
It glanced at its Poop Servant, who was watching the scene like a detached audience member, then lowered its head to look at the two outstretched hands before it.
Nephthys had told it beforehand that it had to choose someone—who didn’t matter. But still, Bastet felt uneasy.
Neither of these women were good choices!
They had both cheated on its Poop Servant!
The little black feline was disgruntled. Still, it lowered its head and sniffed their hands.
And in that instant—
A sharp, nauseating scent blasted through its senses, as if it had just eaten an entire ton of raw wasabi.
Bastet’s head immediately snapped back.
Its eyes widened, its neck retracted, and its ears flattened, its entire body instinctively making the exact expression of a child whose mother had tied their ponytail way too tight.
"Achoo! Awooo-choo—!"
Bastet recoiled, sneezing uncontrollably, baring its fangs in pure disgust.
What the hell—how long had it been since these two last washed their hands?!
The stench was overpowering!
As it tilted its head back, it caught a glimpse of Batrana and Nefertari’s eyes—the only part of them visible through their wrappings. Upon seeing Bastet’s reaction, their eyes glimmered with delight.
Bastet froze.
A memory suddenly surfaced—Batrana and Saya’s conversation:
"There’s a special spice that cats absolutely despise… If you use it, the Cat God won’t choose you."
So they had both applied it.
All because they didn’t want to marry Yofar. That was why they deliberately dressed so bizarrely and smeared themselves with a scent that cats despised.
—
Bastet: “……”
It silently stared at the soft, outstretched hands of the two women.
Why?
Why do people like you get to look down on Yofar first?
It thought of the things Batrana had said. Of the king on his throne, isolated by his ministers.
It remembered how, after it had first arrived in this world, Yofar had dressed like an Arabian woman every day just to feed it dried fish, enduring his allergies, smiling at it gently, kissing its little nose…
He was so good.
Yet behind his back, these women had betrayed him, putting a green hat on him. And now, in front of everyone, they pulled a stunt like this—deliberately making themselves ugly just to avoid marrying him, making a mockery of their king, humiliating him!
Damn it…
Keys cost three coins for one, five for two—you think you’re even worth a damn?!
Rage surged through Bastet, and its emerald-green eyes gleamed dangerously sharp.
Grinding its tiny teeth, the black cat unsheathed its hooked claws and zeroed in on the woman whose eyes held the most amusement.
Its lips curled into a cold smile—then it slashed down hard!
"Myaaaooo—!"
Hah! That’ll wipe that smirk off your face!
Yeah, I’m talking about YOU!
—
[Author’s Note – Small Theater]
Both spoke at the same time:
Bastet: expressionless
Yofar: radiating killing intent
"He is my master."
"It is my pet."
Therefore—
"I won’t let anyone bully him (it)!"
T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you🍊🍊🍊
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