I Reincarnated As A Villainess, But Why Did I Become A Cat Butler Instead? - Chapter 135

Chapter 68.1

I asked, trying to stay calm.

“I heard that a cat shapeshifter has nine lives. Does that mean giving one of them to the devil when you die or something like that?”

So when the eight lives ran out, the last one would disappear along with the eighth. If that was the case, it wasn’t bad. After all, other creatures started with one life, and eight was still a lot compared to one.

However, to my naive question, Dimitri replied with a look of disbelief.

“Demons can’t be so kind. They’re demons, aren’t they? Hedonistic, selfish, manipulative, cruel and vicious.”

‘…Didn’t he kindly sign a contract in exchange for his life and for them to obey his orders?’

Realizing that I might set off Dimitri’s tantrum if I said this, I decided to keep my mouth shut instead. But at the moment when I kept my mouth shut, Dimitri seemed to have roughly read my naive thoughts.

He asked, narrowing his eyes.

“You probably don’t think that saying that we have nine lives means that we get a new body every time we die and be fully resurrected.”

If not that, then what could it be?

As I blinked my eyes quietly, Dimitri let out a blank laugh as if he was in disbelief.

“I’ve always wondered why you were so worried about their health when they have a healing ability, but now I’m really curious. If you thought we were such immortals, why did you try so hard to keep Sasha alive yesterday?”

“You never know what’s going to happen in life. Whether it’s one life or nine lives, each one is precious. You can’t waste a single one.”

“Should I say that you’re frugal…”

What I knew from reading the original story came from the perspective of the heroine of this world.

Since the original male lead, Cadis, was a dog shapeshifter, the female lead was more familiar with dogs than cats. In other words, I wasn’t well-versed in information about cat shapeshifters, so the things I heard directly from Dimitri about them felt quite unfamiliar.

“When they say a cat has nine lives, they’re referring to a cat’s tenacity in surviving crises.”

“You don’t actually have nine lives?”

Since this world had a fantasy setting, I had assumed they would be magically resurrected nine times. It was a bit disappointing—it felt like the strong insurance I had imagined for the children had vanished in an instant.

“Moreover, cats and shapeshifters have a higher chance of surviving contracts with demons than other races because we can see the true nature of demons and easily detect their weaknesses.”

“Does that mean you have to fight the demon and win to make a contract?”

“The fight isn’t just hand-to-hand combat. Depending on the nature of the summoned demon, you may have to guess a riddle or win a bet. They are pretty belligerent, so there are many cases where it often gets into fights.”

Risking one’s life must have meant that one had to win a life-and-death fight. Meanwhile, Coco, who had been listening quietly until then, interrupted.

“All we have to do is win the fight with the demon and we’ll get the contract, brother?”

“Most of the time, yes. If your heart can handle it.”

“Ah…”

Neither Dimitri nor Sasha seemed to notice, but I saw Coco’s eyes glaze over at that moment.

‘Why is he like that…?’

Soon enough, Coco showed a resolute attitude as if nothing had happened, so I pretended not to know and probed for more details instead of questioning Coco.

“What do you mean, if your heart holds out?”

“When you sign a contract with the demon, you imprison it in your heart. The heart acts as a shackle.”

“I see…”

“Even after signing a contract, the demons always try to escape. If the heart is weak, it’ll gnaw at it and run away. Only those with healthy bodies can control demons without being consumed by them.”

Since making a contract with the devil was really not an ordinary thing, perhaps that was why they said that only ‘strong cats’ could make contracts with the demons.

Dimitri, who went through all of this, looked amazing.

“Dimitri did that hard thing. You’re really amazing.”

“It’s basic.”

As he shrugged with a smug look on his face at my words, I gave him a round of applause and smiled.

“But… are you going to make Coco and Sasha do that difficult thing, too?”

“They will be able to save their own lives.”

I clenched my fists.

This wasn’t a laughing matter—!

“Your belly button is bigger than your stomach!*”
[ T/N: It’s an idiom which means, ‘For something secondary to take more money or effort than something primary.’ ]

How many times would they risk their lives to make a contract with the devil to protect their life from external threats day and night?

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