“Arwf… (Haaah, I want a collar…)”

A gentle breeze wafts across the mansion’s back garden as I let out a sigh, overcome with ennui.

…I know I just said it, but what does ennui even mean? It’s French, right? I honestly have no idea. I’m just…blah.

I’m nearing the two-month anniversary of the day I was reincarnated into this body.

In the previous world, I was Routa Okami: a corporate slave at a terrible company. Like a tool, I was used until I broke. But thanks to my wonderful new pet life, I couldn’t care less about that dreary past of mine.

I have a kind master who spoils me rotten, and I can eat and sleep as much as I want without anyone getting mad at me.

I spend each day in utter bliss. And yet, there’s something weighing on my mind.

“Arwf… (Haaah, collar…)”

I let out another listless sigh, but it’s swept away on the wind.

This afternoon is warmer than usual, but it feels lovely here in the shade of my favorite tree.

Lady Mary should be done with her lunch soon, and then she’ll come outside. Dozing off in the shade has become a daily routine for me recently.

“Squeak? (Did you say something, beloved?)”

This reply to my muttering comes from a round little mouse on top of my head.

Normally, her blue fur would seem out of place on a mouse, but it’s fine because she’s not really a mouse. She’s a giant blue dragon who’s over one thousand years old.

Her name is Lenowyrm. But that name’s too long and difficult, so I just call her Len.

Our fateful battle occurred while I was hunting for a medicinal herb that would cure a mysterious illness that had befallen Lady Mary.

It was a pretty sad fight, honestly.

She, the spinster, and I, the lick-o-phile, were locked in mortal combat, and at the end of that embarrassing death match, I somehow emerged the victor. She’s been with me ever since, for whatever reason.

In her words, I’m her “prospective husband.”

And to be going after me despite the massive difference in age and species, the thirst of a spinster is something to behold.

Since then, she’s disguised herself as a mouse and lived in my fur. It’s a total invasion of my personal space.

“Woof. (I just said I want a collar.)”

“…Squeak? (…Hmm? What was that? Do mine ears deceive me? You wish for a culling? If I’m not mistaken, isn’t that when one mercilessly thins a population’s numbers?)”

“Woof! Woof! (Well, that’s messed up… But that’s not what I’m talking about! A collar! To wear around my neck! Get it together, granny!)”

“Squeak! (Wh-wh-who are you calling granny?! I’m quite young for a dragon, I’ll have you know! I’m still a young maiden!)”

I guess we’re just gonna pretend she’s not a thousand-year-old spinster.

“Bark, bark. (Okay, fine, you’re a maiden. Whatever. I just want a collar.)”

“……S-squeak. (…It is not ‘whatever.’ Furthermore, I cannot fathom why a proud Fen Wolf would desire proof of submission.)”

“Mrow. (Well, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard Routa saying weird things—erm, also meow. Meow!)”

High above the spot Len and I are taking shade in, a feline voice calls out to us. There, perched on a branch, is a crimson cat with her paws tucked beneath her.

It’s Nahura, who forces a “meow” onto the ends of her sentences to make herself seem more catlike.

She’s actually a homunculus that’s been forced into the body of a cat, but I don’t know the details.

She’s also a bona fide cat burglar who makes frequent trips to the mansion to steal my food right from my bowl. Truly a formidable foe who has heartlessly gobbled up three entire meals of mine without remorse.

“Woof, woof. (There’s nothing weird about it. If there’s a dog, it needs a collar. If there’s a collar, it needs a dog. So what’s wrong with a pet dog wanting one?)”

“Squeak. (But you’re a Fen Wolf, not a dog. And you’re the alpha wolf, the esteemed king of the Fen Wolves, Fenrir.)”

“Woof, woof! (No I’m nooot! I’m a dooog! And even if I was a Fen Wolf, I’m still just an adorable puppy.)”

“Mrow! (Ah-ha-ha! You’re not cute at all!)”

“Woof! (Shut up! It’s not funny!)”

My lady calls me cute all the time! Even if no one else does!

“Squeak? (So? Why do you desire a collar?)”

“Arwf…… (Hmph, just listen to this…or, well, watch this.)”

I move away from the shade of the tree and over to the tiny maid attempting to hang up some wet laundry.

“Hup! Nnf!”

She’s not quite tall enough and has to stand on her tiptoes as she tries to hang sheets over the clothesline. Her black hair is done up in pigtails that bob up and down in her struggle, and it’s actually pretty adorable.

I wonder if she’ll be okay without a stool to stand on. I feel like she’s about to miss and drop everything at any moment.

“Arwf, arwf! (Hey, little maid!)”

I waltz over and nuzzle up to one of her legs.

“Arww, arww? (Working hard, I see. Why don’t you take a break and pet me?)”

If this were Lady Mary, she’d be delighted by what I just did, but this maid…

“E-eeeeeeeeek!”

She practically leaps out of her skin and clings to a freshly washed sheet, which then slowly sinks to the ground. The once-clean white sheet is now covered in grass stains.

“A-arwf. (O-oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d make you jump that much.)”

“D-don’t come any closer…”

She kicks her legs out, giving the impression of running in place as she’s pinned to the ground by fear.

“Arwf. (Hee-hee. Little girls’ crying faces are so cute. I wanna give her a lick.)”

……Wait, let’s forget I said that!

“Bark. (See my point now? This is how people have been reacting to me lately.)”

At first, it was only a few of the maids, like this one, but more and more people have become wary of me as I’ve grown.

Papa Gandolf, the master of the house, and Lady Mary seem fine with it, so no one’s said anything, but I’ve felt more and more passing glances that seem to wonder Is he really a dog?

And I’m not being overly self-conscious about this.

It’s not that every single person here suspects my true identity, but it’s clear the oblivious servants are finally starting to open their eyes.

This is bad. Really, really bad.

Not many people still treat me the same as when I first arrived at the mansion. One standout is the chef, old man James.

He still laughs with a “gya-ha-ha” as he pets my head and feeds me delicious food. He’s the best. The best of the best.

Actually, I can think of one more person who treats me the same as when I first got here, but she’s been trying to eliminate me for as long as I can remember.

“Grrrr……?! (That’s right—the freeloading knight, my rival slacker, Zenobia… Doesn’t she have anything better to do than test her new blades on me…?!)”

“O-oh no……”

The maid is still looking at me like I’m about to eat her.

Urgh, the fear hurts; it really does.

Sure, she acts like this now, but when I was a lot smaller, she would actually hug me during her work. She even used to bury her face into my fluffy chest.

Those precious memories make her fear sting me that much more.

“Bark, bark! (It’s all because of this stupid Fenrir body! Who would want to have such a terrifying form?! I just wanted to be a dog! A pampered pooch! A lazy dog allowed to get fat off eating too much tasty food! This is all that pretty goddess’s fault with her stupid special service…!)”

I glare at the sky, baring my hatred at the useless goddess who reincarnated me.

I can see her now, waving back at me from the blue sky with an ignorant smile.

“Squeak? (Huh? What’s this about a goddess?)”

“Mewl. (He’s spouting nonsense again. We can probably just ignore it.)”

Oh yeah, I haven’t actually mentioned to anyone that I was reincarnated.

It’d be difficult to explain, and if they don’t believe me, they’ll just treat me like I’m an idiot. Probably best to let Nahura think whatever she wants.

“WOOF, WOOF!!! (I may be big and terrifying. It may have been only two months since I was born (LOL). And I might be a dog (temp.). But there exists an item that will take the edge off my frightening look for sure! And that item is a C-O-L-L-A-R!)”

My desire for a collar is so strong that when I yell, I feel like I’m about to fire another beam.

“Eek! N-noooooo!”

“Squeak. (You’re going to scare the poor girl to death if you continue shouting like that, beloved.)”

“Arwf…… (Whoops, sorry about that.)”

I tamp down an overwhelming desire to lick the trembling young maid who’s gripping the sheet.

“Woof, woof. (Anyway, let me spell it out for you. If there’s a dog, it needs a collar. If there’s a collar, it needs a dog. Even if the dog’s big, they look less intimidating when they have a collar on, right?)”

As long as I can get a collar, then the little maid and all the other servants will stop being so afraid of me.

Humans are very susceptible to signals. If I have something that clearly marks me as a pet, then I’m sure they’ll go back to being oblivious and thinking of me as a harmless pup.

“Squeak. (No, I don’t think that’s how it works at all.)”

“Mewl. (I can hardly believe a collar will be enough to solve your problems, Routa.)”

Len looks at me with eyes half-closed and full of doubt. Nahura simply laughs at me.

“WOOF, WOOF! (Fine! Whatever! I was an idiot for telling you two!)”

“Ahhh?! Uwah…pleeease… What is wrong with you?!”

Oh, crap. I barked too loud again.

Now this tiny maid’s gone from teary eyes to outright bawling.

I’m not sure if she managed to shake off the fear, but she snaps back at me a little.

That’s super-cute, too, little maid. I really wanna lick you.

“Squeak… (This is moronic… I shall return to my slumber.)”

“Mewl. (I’m going to find a patch of sun to lie in.)”

Len burrows into my mane, and Nahura leaves to find a sunny spot.

Which leaves me alone with the sniffling maid.

How am I supposed to comfort her? I’m pretty sure she’ll just cry more if I lick her. Maybe I’d be better off not doing anything at all…

But just as I think that, a petite silhouette approaches through the curtains of sheets.

“Roouutaa! Where are you?”

Wha—?! Is that Lady Mary?!

The next day, the airship descends onto the ocean next to the Royal Capital. We slowly approach the glistening water reflecting the sun’s light.

The landing is so gentle, I barely feel it, but the airship is still so huge it creates a splash as waves ripple along the water’s surface.

“Achoo! (Uwah! The spray! It went right up my nose! My eyes sting!)”

The sea assaults my face.

Trying to catch the moment we touched down on the water was a bad idea.

“Oh, honestly, Routa.”

Lady Mary chuckles at me while I try to wipe my face.

Hee-hee-hee. Her smiling face is always adorable. I want to nuzzle my face against hers.

“Mewl! (Oh, Routa, you’re so bad at cleaning your face!)”

Nahura expertly licks her paw and cleans her own fur.

“Arwf. (Well, I can’t move like a cat.)”

We’re fundamentally different in every way.

I shake the water out of my fur, put my forepaws up on the railing, and gaze at the view in front of me.

“Arwooo!! (Amaaaazing!!)”

The white walls of the Royal Capital expand as far as the eye can see. The castle walls between the blue sky and the ocean shine so white that they’re blinding. The walls encircle an immense piece of land, apparently designed to fend off invaders even if they aren’t approaching from the water.

I wonder if they were built like this due to the threat of monsters in this world.

There’s a giant building right in the middle. I’m guessing that’s the king’s castle.

Having the castle in the center of a town protected by a majestic wall is totally what I’d expect from a place called the Royal Capital.

“Arwf. (That really is incredible. I’m glad I came.)”

Our airborne journey comes to an end, and the airship has officially made port in the Royal Capital.

It was almost an entire day from the mansion, but it was so calming, I wish we could have ridden on the ship longer.

I’m looking forward to you taking us home, Jeremiah.

“Bark, bark! (But now it’s time for sightseeing in the Royal Capital!)”

Once the ship arrives in the port, we disembark and get into carriages that will take us to the inn.

“Arwg… (Urgh, it’s cramped in here…)”

The carriages prepared for us are completely different from the mansion’s; they’re much smaller. They’re supposed to be for four people, but it’s not even big enough for me to turn around in. My muzzle and glorious tail stick out the windows.

I lock eyes with the top hat–wearing driver. He forces a smile and then tries to hide his face as much as possible. That’s not very nice.

“Well, it shouldn’t take too long to reach the inn. Please be patient.”

Papa, who’s sitting across from me, strokes my head.

It’s me, him, and my lady riding together in this carriage. The other two carriages have Hecate, Zenobia, and the maids. The three carriages line up before they start moving, the horses’ hooves clopping against the stone road.

“Arwf… (Wow, this city is the spitting image of Western Europe.)”

There are people everywhere, and each shop looks prosperous. There are so many people, but the streets aren’t dirty at all. That’s the center of the kingdom for you. They definitely pay attention to the infrastructure here.

“This area is close to the uptown district where the nobles and aristocrats live. The neighborhoods around the wall are completely different. There are unsavory areas, too. I trust you understand this already, but you shouldn’t wander off aimlessly. If you must venture into the city, be sure to have Miranda or Zenobia accompany you.”

“Yes, Father.”

My lady agrees to Papa’s conditions, and he nods with a grunt before the carriage groans to a halt.

It stops in front of the massive gate of a stone building. This must be where Papa is meeting his business associate.

“Well, it’s off to work I go. I don’t think I’ll have any free time until my business has concluded, but I’m hoping everything won’t take longer than one day. Then we can spend the remainder of our trip together, just the two of us.”

“But, Father, Routa’s family, too.”

“Ah yes, of course. Just the three of us, then.”

“And Zenobia and Miranda. They’re important family members, too.”

“Ha-ha-ha, so it will be the same as always, then.”

“What’s wrong with that? I like it when we’re all together.”

Lady Mary squeezes my neck as she lectures Papa. His eyes crinkle as he pats my head and hers as well.

A pet like me is thrilled to be included. I nuzzle Lady Mary’s face in appreciation.

Papa gets out of the carriage, attended by two maids who silently stand behind him.

With that, some men come flying from the gate, flustered.

“Welcome, welcome! Thank you for coming all this way, Lord Gandolf Von Faulks! We’re terribly sorry for being so late to meet you! I am Henry Morgan, representative of the Morgan Company!”

“Hmm, it is nothing to concern yourself with. It was my fault for being early. I look forward to working with you today.”

So this chubby guy is the person Papa came to see? He’s an older gentleman with a pair of eye-catching curly sideburns. His enthusiasm and the way he’s rubbing his hands together seem to mark him as a minor player.

“Thank you for your consideration. I hope we will have fruitful negotiations.”

“Yes, indeed! You are ever a man of integrity, Lord Von Faulks! I have great admiration for you as a fellow merchant! I never thought I would be in business with the great Faulks Co.; it truly is a dream come true, indeed!”

I don’t know if Papa’s words are getting through to him, but this Morgan fellow keeps showering him with praise.

Just look at the speed of that hand-wringing! He’s going to start a fire if he keeps rubbing them together like that!

From this one conversation, it’s pretty easy to see who holds all the cards in this negotiation.

“Woof, woof! (Good luck, Papa!)”

The sight of Papa’s back as he goes off to work is magnificent! Work hard to fund my livelihood, okay?

“L-Lord Gandolf?! What is that creature?!”

The curly-sideburns man is taken aback by my head sticking out of the carriage window.

“Hmm? Oh, that’s my family’s dog. He’s cute, is he not?”

“D-dog?! That’s a dog?!”

“……Yes? Is something the matter?”

“N-no! No, no, no?! Don’t be absurd! I merely meant o-of course the wonderful Lord Faulks would have such a spectacular dog! To tell you the truth, my daughter is also—”

He may be surprised by the extent of Papa’s obliviousness, but the speed at which he switches from surprise to flattery is impressive. When it comes to doing business with a big fish like Papa, you have to start currying favor from the first meeting all the way until the end.

Overlooking that would be shooting yourself in the foot. I can empathize as a former corporate slave. This curly-sideburns man might be surprisingly skilled.

“Farewell, Father. I look forward to when we’re able to play together.”

My lady calls to Papa as the carriage moves off.

“Master, just leave the young lady to me!”

“Remember, Gandolf, I don’t care if you’re being entertained. No drinking.”

All the ladies call out to Papa from their carriages in turn as he walks away.

The image of Papa nodding gets smaller and smaller until I can no longer see him.

Lady Mary is smiling, but she still looks a little lonely.

I make sure to nuzzle her face lots and lots.

We arrive at an inn, and Lady Mary and the others leave their belongings with the front desk. After a quick break in our rooms, we decide to head out and explore the city.

I’m going, too, of course.

I’m happy to laze around a fancy hotel, but I can do that at the mansion anytime.

“Please wait just a moment while I call the driver, my lady.”

“Wait, Miranda.”

Lady Mary calls out to Miranda before she can summon the carriage.

“It’s not often we’re in the Royal Capital. I was hoping we could explore on foot.”

“But…”

Miranda looks over to Hecate. She’s probably worried about Lady Mary’s health.

I don’t think they need to be so overly protective of her. My lady and I normally go for walks around the mansion, and her illness seems cured, thanks to the medicine Hecate made from the wyrmnil.

“Let’s see.”

The witch, sprawled out on the luxurious lobby sofa, audaciously recrosses her legs.

Tch, I didn’t even manage to catch a glimpse.

“As your physician, I see no reason to limit yourself.”

She flashes me a look.

“You will have your bodyguard with you. I don’t think there should be any problem with going downtown.”

Yeah, but please don’t expect me to fight or anything. Remember, I’m just a good-for-nothing pup.

“Yes! Please leave it to me! I, Zenobia, shall protect everyone here should the need arise!”

She stands at attention with her fist against her left chest in salute.

Wow, she actually looks like a knight we can depend on. It’s a shame no one knows how useless she really is.

The real problem is that when Hecate said “bodyguard,” she wasn’t talking about Zenobia!

“Yippee! Then let’s go! Come on, Doctor, time to get up!”

Oomph. My lady huffs through her nose as she pulls on Hecate’s hand.

“Yes, yes. Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”

“Not at all. I just want to walk around with everyone.”

“Arwf, arwf! (I know! I know! We should walk around and try different foods! Let’s get something from a food stall that’s deep-fried and bad for your body!)”

“Mewl. (Oooh, that sounds good.)”

“I could do with an ice-cold beer.”

Slobber. Witch, cat, and dog all stand there drooling. Len is sleeping peacefully, as always. If she was hungry, she’d be awake, too.

“Let’s go, everyone!”

And so, we head out.

My lady leads the way as we walk through the Royal Capital.

The Royal Capital has four layers of walls, with different residential districts between each one and the castle in the center. This arrangement is probably another monster deterrent.

The royal family lives in the castle. Just outside the walls surrounding the castle is uptown, where the nobles and aristocrats live. Then there’s midtown and downtown, with walls between them. It seems the residential areas are separated by wealth and class.

Of course, the uptown area we’re exploring is the safest, and it has fancy buildings lining the streets.

So many of the pedestrians are wearing expensive-looking clothes. With guards patrolling the streets and maintaining public order, everything seems calm and safe.

Zenobia’s on edge, looking around like a hawk, but there isn’t a hint of danger.

If anything, everyone’s giving us suspicious looks.

“Arww. (Sorry, I lied.)”

They’re giving me suspicious looks. I can hear the murmurs of gossip.

My wolf ears are sharp. My lady and the others can’t seem to hear them, but their voices reach me loud and clear.

“What is that giant creature…?!”

“A wolf…?! No, it’s much bigger than a wolf…!”

“Just look at its massive fangs and scary eyes. What a strange pattern on its body. It’s not a monster, is it…?”

“Why aren’t the imperial guards saying anything? It doesn’t have anything to do with Morgan’s daughter, does it? We should steer clear of it if that’s the case…”

They’re murmuring. They’re murmuring a lot.

Ugh, I hate that I can hear them whispering about me. This sucks.

The only way to heal this broken heart is to eat street food till I drop.

“Woof, woof! (Let’s buy all the food! All of it! It’s all Papa’s money anyway!)”

“Wow, this looks so good!”

I don’t even have to say anything before my lady rushes over to a food stand and orders something. I blink in surprise.

We drink a cold, finely blended drink made from crushed whole strawberries. The sweet and tart fruity flavor is amazing.

“Arwf? (This is just a smoothie, isn’t it?)”

The young man working the stand is crushing the berries so small that when the drink is finally served, it’s unmistakably a smoothie.

“Even the food stands in the bazaar of uptown are incredibly high quality. The ingredients are so fresh. They’ve got price tags to match, though…”

“We cannot have you consuming strange foods, my lady. This level of quality is the lowest I will allow.”

Maid Miranda’s standards are pretty high. Anything that doesn’t have a license from the guild is vetoed. She also goes through tasting everything for poison herself before finally giving it to Lady Mary.

Even now, she’s testing the food stand’s offerings, taking a slurp from the thick straw.

…Miranda, you’re not just using the “checking for poison” thing as an excuse to pig out, are you?

“What, do you want some, too? …I’m not really a fan of sweet things. You can have the rest of mine.”

Zenobia mistakes me staring up at Miranda for jealousy and offers me her cup.

“Arwf? (Huh? Really?)”

What’s this? Is Zenobia showing her cute side? Is it really okay for me to have this?

“D-don’t misunderstand. Scraps are good enough for the likes of you.”

Ahhh, that’s more like it. Gotta have the tsun with the dere, after all.

“Arwf! (Whoa, this is so good! Is this yogurt mixed with apples?)”

The honey dribbled on top adds a lot of sweetness, but the tartness of yogurt cuts through, making it very palatable.

“Mew! Mew! (Mistress! I want some, too! Let me try some!)”

Nahura, riding on Hecate’s shoulder, begs by swatting at her with a paw.

“Oh, you want some?”

“Mew! (Yes please!)”

“Reeeally?”

Pretending to play dumb, Hecate holds out the cup so it’s just out of reach of Nahura’s tongue.

“M-mrow! (M-Mistress! You’re so meeeeaaaan!)”

Those two are always doing stuff like this.

Once she’s teased her enough, Hecate lets Nahura have the rest.

The streets of the Royal Capital are lively, but everything is so orderly that there isn’t a single piece of trash anywhere.

Once we finish our drinks, someone whom I assume is a cleaner comes over and takes our cups like it’s no big deal. If someone collects the trash before you can throw it away yourself, then of course there won’t be any litter on the ground. Having a job for even the smallest things is wonderful.

The cleaner quickly runs away the moment they spot me, though. I’m hurt.

You don’t need to be so afraid of me. I may be a little big for my age, but I’m still just a two-month-old puppy!

“Oh! Look at this place, Routa!”

Lady Mary points at a store.

“Arwf? (Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen this place before. Or maybe not?)”

There’s a banner with a paw print painted on it outside the shop. I can see people on the street looking in and fussing over the kittens and puppies in the front window.

“Arwf! (Oh, I know!)”

This is the pet shop I was reborn in!

Ah, the nostalgic place of my birth, though I don’t really feel nostalgic for it. My very first memory in this world is of my lady picking me up, after all.

“We met for the very first time here. It wasn’t that long ago, but it still feels a little nostalgic, right, Routa?”

“Woof. (Yeah. I’m really glad you were the one that bought me, Lady Mary.)”

I’ve had a few issues here and there, but I have no complaints about my day-to-day life. I am over the moon with the pet life I’ve always dreamed of.

“Arwf! (Wait, I just remembered!)”

The collar! A collar! This is a pet shop, right? Then it should have collars!

“Arwf! Arwf! (My lady! Let’s go in! Let’s go in!)”

I run over to the shop and bat at the door with my forepaw.

“What’s wrong, Routa? Do you want to go in?”

She tilts her head as she opens the door.

“Awrooo! (Excuse me! I’d like a collar, please!)”

“Yes, welcome! What kind of pet are you loo…king…for…?”

My eyes meet the shop assistant’s as he comes to greet his latest customers.

Oh, wait, I recognize those round glasses. I’m sure this is the same person who sold me to Papa Gandolf.

“Woof! Woof! (Shopkeep! I would like your finest collar!)”

Who cares how much it costs? Papa’s loaded!

“E-eeeeeeeek! A-a monster?!”

“Woof! Woof! (Oh no, not you, too! I’m not a monster! I’m barking, aren’t I? I’m clearly a dog!)”

“Woof! Woof!” (See?) “Woof! Woof! Woof!”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! S-someone save meeeeeee!”

“We can’t get in if you’re standing there, Routa.”

While I’m at a loss for what to do with the shopkeeper, who’s collapsed while trying to run away, my lady shoves at my butt from behind.

Oh, excuse me.

She’s powerless to move my rear, which won’t budge even slightly, so I move it out of her way.

“Hello, mister.”

“Uhhh…huh? O-oh, you’re……”

The frantic shopkeeper finally calms down when he sees my lady.

Her smile has the power to make anyone feel calm.

“You’re that customer who bought the puppy that wasn’t on my list! Which means this giant white creature is…?!”

“Yes. He’s that puppy. He’s all grown up.”

The shopkeeper stares at my lady after she innocently replies, and a crack appears in his glasses.

“Wh-wh-what have I done…?! I am so sor—”

Uh-oh. The manager’s gonna blow my cover.

Hold it right there, mister. I can’t have that. Not at all!

“Arwf! Arwf! (Hey, shopkeep! Over here! Look over here!)”

I desperately try to catch his attention, cutting off his apology midsentence, his mouth hanging open.

“Arwf, arwf! (Listen. You’re about to tell her what I really am. If you tell her I’m a monster, then you’re going to be in trouble, too, for selling me, right?)”

“Mmmm…!”

I fix him with a death glare and try my best to convey the meaning behind it.

“Arwf, arwf! (A pet shop that sells monsters will definitely go bankrupt! At the very least, your sales will plummet! There isn’t an adult alive who wouldn’t pretend they didn’t see anything!)”

“Mmmm……!”

“Woof! Woof! (Use your common sense! A businessman must think of his profits! Where’s your commercial spirit?!)”

I’m being really hard on him, but I also can’t have him spilling the beans.

If anyone else finds out what I really am, I’ll be in big trouble, and so will you. There’s really only one solution.

“Woof! (Protect the shop! Which means protecting me!)”

Come on! Understand what I’m saying!

“Mmmmmm……!”

His face wrinkles up, and his head droops in thought. Then he finally looks up again.

“Wh-wh-wha—?”

“Wha…?”

Lady Mary tilts her head in confusion as the manager puts on his best salesman smile.

“Wh-what a cute dog he’s grown into. I can tell you’re taking good care of him! It’s fantastic!”

Nice one, manager. To survive in these difficult times, it’s necessary to play the long game. That’s why you should do your best to have my back. Make sure no more information slips, okay?

“Thank you very much. Isn’t that great, Routa? He called you cute.”

“Arwf, arwf. (Aw, you’re making me blush. Shall I wink? I think I’ll wink. Wink~ Wink~)”

“Urgh…”

Hey.

“So anyway, how can I help you today?”

His will is stronger now that he’s mentally prepared himself. He’s done a complete reboot, and now he’s back in shopkeeper mode.

“Oh, was there something you wanted, Routa?”

My lady looks at me, and I remember why I wanted to come here in the first place.

That’s right, my true goal. I came in here to get a collar.

“Arwf? (Where are they?)”

I scan the store.

Sure, I could talk to the puppies and kittens in their cages, but I don’t have any reason to. The only one my lady should fuss over is me.

“Woof! (There!)”

I spot them on a wall covered in pet equipment like cat toys and pet bowls.

“Arww, arww! (My lady! This! Buy this!)”

I carry over an extremely glossy enameled red-leather collar in my mouth.

When you think of a white dog, you think red collar. It’s a given.

“You want a collar? Won’t it be hard to breathe?”

“Arwf! (Not at all—it’ll be fine. If anything, I want to be bound to you.)”

It’ll just make me more dependent, right? Bring it on, my lady.

“Very well, then. Miranda?”

“Yes, miss.”

Miranda, who was waiting patiently behind us, suddenly appears, handing money over to the manager.

“Bark! Bark! (Hurry up! Hurry up! Put it on! Put it on!)”

“Whoa, calm down, Routa.”

I leap up and down on my front paws, causing the shop to shake. Whoops, I should hold back.

“Stay still, okay?”

Yes! The day I get irrefutable proof that I’m the pet of my beloved master has arrived at last…! With this, no one can ever call me Fenrir again…!

“Um, Routa…”

“Arwf? (Huh? What’s wrong?)”

“The collar won’t go on…”

“Arwf…! (N-no way! I’m sure I picked up the largest one…!)”

“Gngh!”

Lady Mary tries as hard as she can to latch the collar, but my neck’s so thick that it won’t even reach halfway.

Damn. Why does my massive body have to get in the way at a time like this?!

“Sir, might you have a slightly larger size?”

Miranda does the smart thing and asks the shopkeeper.

“E-er, I do have something, but…”

“Woof! Woof! (Huh? You do?! You should have it out if you do! Gimme! Gimme! Give it here!)”

“Money is no object. We’ll take it.”

Miranda bows politely.

“Well, it is taking up some room in the storage…”

With that, the shopkeeper brings out a collar from the back of the store that looks like it definitely won’t be too small.

It’s a perfect fit, but—

“—Thank you for your patronage! Please come again!”

He has a huge grin on his face from selling an item that was just gathering dust in storage. He bows deeply as we leave the store.

“Arwf… (Sigh… Hey, what are you up to, Zenobia?)”

“S-soooo cuuuute… Huh?!”

The moment I think about how Zenobia has been missing this whole time, I see her squatting down by the back of the glass case fawning over the puppies.

“A-ahem.”

The moment she spots me, she clears her throat and collects herself.

“You better not have caused any problems for the young lady. What did you even get—?”

She points at my neck.

“…What is that?”

“…Arwf. (…It’s a collar.)”

But it’s a cow collar!

Clang-a-lang.

A pastoral bell chime matches my steps.

“Arwww… (It’s somewhat different from what I had hoped for…)”

With this, I feel less like a pet and more like cattle.

I wanted to become a pampered pooch, not livestock.

I’m rather frustrated by the great quality of this collar. The leather is well tanned and fits nicely. It’s actually really comfortable, damn it.

“Arwf… (Well, the sound of this stupid bell might help trick people. I guess I’ll use it…)”

“Pfft. So all you wanted was a collar.”

“Arwf! (What’s wrong with that? There’s nothing wrong with a domesticated pup wanting a collar!)”

“Yeeees. But that’s a cow collar.”

“Arwf. (Sniff. I just wanted a regular collar.)”

“You really are strange, Routa… Hmm, what shall we do?”

Hecate notices my depression and places her fingertip on her lip, in thought.

“Routa! That shop has a fantastic smell!”

I immediately forget everything at the sound of my lady’s voice.

“Bark! Bark! (Oh, you’re right! I’ll go anywhere you lead, my lady!)”

Lady Mary is my number one priority. I find the spot she’s slipped away to, and we descend upon a new food stand.

“Haruff, haruff! (These hash browns are so good! I looove fried food like that. The high-class food of the mansion can’t be beat, but sometimes I’ve just gotta have junk food like this.)”

It might be because of the thick layer of flour, but the outside of the hash browns is nice and crunchy while the inside is soft, similar to deep-fried bread. It’s delicious.

I devour the golden-brown hash browns one after the other, sparing no concern for the uncivilized noises coming from my mouth.

“Mewl! (Ah, ish hot! Sho hot!)”

“You have such a sensitive tongue, Nahura.”

“Mew, mewl! (Please, Mistress, don’t say that as you shove more of those hot things into my mouth!)”

Hmm, business as usual.

“Mmm, mmm… These are—”

“—delicious, yes, but I’m worried that all this fried food will make me fat…”

Zenobia is happily munching away on a hash brown while Miranda worries about her calorie intake.

Both of them are in amazing shape, so I don’t think they have anything to worry about. Then again, I’m not exactly an expert on the complexities of women. I just leave them to it.

“I’m so glad we decided to walk around all these food stands, Routa.”

“Woof! Woof! (It’s the best! What’s next on the menu? I smell something good over there!)”

I wag my tail in response to my smiling lady.

Then we wander around town, shopping and buying even more food.

Just as we’re getting quite stuffed, and the conversation shifts to where we should go next, Hecate stops right in front of a building.

“There’s something I need to do. Can you please wait here for a bit?”

“Yes, of course.”

It’s quite a spectacular building, built in a way that makes the appearance a lot more menacing than the shops.

The sign up on the building has been engraved with the image of a sword wreathed in flames.

The structure is concealed by sturdy walls and fences that you wouldn’t be able to break through easily, with two guards standing outside the double iron doors.

“Wait, this is…”

Do you know this place, Zenobia?! ……Zenobia? Hello? Why are you hiding behind me?

Zenobia crouching down behind me, trying to look as small as possible, is pretty cute, but what in the world is this store?

“Halt.”

“This is the headquarters of the Adventurers Guild. What business do you have here? If you are an adventurer, please present your adventurer’s license.”

The guards ask politely because this is the uptown district, after all, but their demeanor is still quite intimidating.

Hecate doesn’t shy away from them and instead beams a charming smile.

“Is the guild leader in? I would like a word with her.”

“Do you have an appointment? If not, you will need a letter of recommendation from another branch.”

“Really? I don’t have anything like that… Could I ask for a teeny- tiny favor? Just tell her the witch of Feltbelk Forest is here to see her.”

The guards look at each other, then tell her to wait a moment while one goes inside.

I had imagined the Adventurers Guild to be a rough place, but it seems to be a surprisingly upscale establishment where they’ll happily refuse you at the door.

Oh yeah, Zenobia’s an ex-adventurer. I wonder if she’s hiding behind me because she doesn’t want to meet any old acquaintances of hers.

Her situation can’t be like James’s where she made some kind of grave mistake, could it…?

…Yeah, it’s definitely something like that. My gut tells me so. I mean, it’s Zenobia.

Less than a minute after the guard disappears inside, we hear frantic footsteps.

Wham. The door flies open.

“Hecate! You! Pick now of all times to brazenly wander back…!”

A mature office-lady-looking woman with a blouse and pencil skirt comes flying out of the building with fire in her eyes. She’s pretty sexy, honestly. Her glasses have a thin chain on them, and there’s a mole under one of her eyes. A real beauty.

“Do you have any idea how crazy things have been since you vanished?! It’s been a hundred years since I’ve heard from you! What have you been doing?!

A hundred years? That’s an insanely long time.

Now that I look a little closer, this woman has long ears and silver hair just like Hecate.

I guess, like Hecate, she doesn’t look her age, but maybe it’s because they’re members of the same race?

“I see you haven’t changed, Emerada. Still as angry as ever. Have you gained even more wrinkles?”

“Y-you…! How do you still look so young when you’re so much older than me…?!”

“Because I’m a witch?”

“Some witch you are! Honestly… So? Why in the world are you here? I’m busy trying to deal with some kind of powerful magical disaster that happened in the northeast.”

She puts her hand on her hip and sighs. Yep, still sexy.

I wouldn’t mind getting told off by a boss like her. I wanna be abused by section chief Emerada’s heels.

Just kidding. I’ve had enough of corporate life.

“Do you know about it? We detected abnormal levels of magical energy near the sacred mountain just north of the border of the Faulks estate. It was so strong that we were able to observe it from here.”

Huh? Did she just say “Faulks”? Does that have something to do with us?

“I haven’t seen powerful magic like that since the Great Demon Lord War one thousand years ago. The royal palace is making a big fuss, saying it’s an omen of the Demon Lord’s revival. They demanded the guild conduct an immediate investigation.

“Yes, about that. Would you mind calling off the investigation?”

“Wh-what?! Why…? Wait. Did you have something to do with that?!”

“How rude. It wasn’t me at all.”

Huh? Why did she just look at me? Hecate, please.

“It wasn’t? This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve been reckless.”

I suppose it’s because they’re old acquaintances that section chief Emerada’s tone is getting more and more frank.

“That’s why I’m wondering if you could hold off the investigation. Or perhaps just postpone it for a little bit?”

“Hmph, you’re too late! I sent out able-bodied adventurers to the area a while ago!”

Section chief Emerada puffs out her chest with pride, causing her assets above to jiggle. Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Keep it up, section chief Emerada!

No, wait, she’s not a section chief; she’s the guild leader. But for some reason, she emits this aura that makes me want to call her Chief. Maybe it’s her tired face and head-to-toe pessimism.

“I made a specialist team of A-Rank scouts. It was a pressing matter, so they left right away. They should arrive in less than two weeks.”

“Oh my, really? That’s a little sooner than I had planned.”

“‘Planned’? What are you talking about?”

“Oh, just talking to myself.”

“…So you do know something?”

“Tee-hee, I wonder.”

The chief raises her eyebrows suspiciously, and Hecate smiles at her.

“Ugh, honestly! It’s been forever, but you still get on my nerves! Come here! I’m taking the rest of the day off! You’re telling me everything over a drink!”

“So forward!”

Hecate is dragged by the arm toward the door.

“My apologies, everyone, but it looks like this is where we part ways.”

“Mrow. (Then I, too, shall partake in the merriment. Hee-hee-hee. Alcohol—)”

“Arwf! (Huh? No fair!)”

I wanna drink, too. Damn that Nahura. I’m going to bat her around like a toy when she gets back.

“See you tomorrow.”

Hecate waves back to us by the gate before heading inside with the chief.

“That’s a shame, but having friends is important.”

My lady looks a little sad.

“Woof! Woof! (Lady Mary! Cheer up! You’ve still got me!)”

“Ha-ha, what’s wrong, Routa?”

She ruffles my head.

Tch. I wanted to cheer you up, but now you’re comforting me. It’s hard not to feel frustrated.

“The sun’s starting to set. Why don’t we head back to the inn for today?”

“Arwf! (Yeah! Let’s leave the terrible day-drinking adults behind and laze around the fancy hotel.)”

Speaking of the hotel, I’m really looking forward to dinner tonight.

I wonder what’s on the menu, heh-heh-heh.

“Oh, Routa, look over there. Over by that church wall.”

We’re walking back when my lady suddenly stops and points toward a church.

“Arwf? (Hmm? There’s something over there.)”

It’s a stone statue of a young man holding a sword aloft.

I don’t know if the credit lies with the craftsman’s impressive skills, but even though the statue’s made of stone, it looks like his cloak is actually waving in the wind.

The impressive pose he strikes with his sword held high practically screams “hero.”

“He’s the reason I named you Routa.”

“Arwf. (Oh. Well, my name was actually Routa to begin with.)”

“He’s the hero Routa who defeated the evil Demon Lord and brought peace to the world one thousand years ago!”

“Arw. (Hmm, well, we might both be named Routa, but I guess the similarities end there.)”

It’s a little annoying how handsome that statue is. Maybe I should pee on it.

Just as I get jealous of the stone statue my lady admires so much, I hear a crowd of voices from the other direction.

“Run for it, everyone! The monster girl is coming!”

“Hurry, or you’ll be dead meat!”

“People with strange pets should hide! Or they’ll be taken away!”

A mixture of people, men and women, old and young, come running toward us in a huge group.

“Arwf? (What’s going on?)”

It looks like they’re running from something.

Wait. Hold it, hold it. Won’t it be dangerous if they keep running this way? They’re on a collision course with us!

This really is dangerous! Not good! They’re going to crash into us! Right into us!

“Arwf! (Whoa, whoa, whoa! Excuse me, my lady!)”

“H-huh? Routa?”

Just before we’re about to be swallowed by the throng of people, I scoop my lady up from below. Her light body rests on my back, and I jump high into the air.

I leap over the wave of people and land on the edge of the road with Lady Mary safely on my back.

“Huh? What?”

My lady looks around puzzled, not knowing what just happened.

I should have acted like a normal pet, but with such a narrow road, there wasn’t anywhere else to go. I had no choice.

“Woof, woof! (Zenobia! Miranda! Are you all right?)”

I’m pretty sure Zenobia should have been able to react, but I can’t see them anywhere.

“My lady! Are you all right?!”

Zenobia calls over from the other side of the wave of people. Looks like they were able to get out on that side.

“I’m fine! Routa saved me! You’re not hurt at all, are you?”

“N-no, Ms. Zenobia was able to protect me!”

Nice one, Zenobia. Looks like she was able to save Miranda, too.

But there’s no end to this crowd. It’s so packed in front of us that I can’t take a single step into the flow of people.

“…Hey, you guys are in the way! Move!”

“Ms. Zenobia, please refrain from anything that will make you stand out or appear to be of a higher station than them… We’re in the uptown district, so there’s a chance there is a noble among them. If you do anything to cause issues for the family, then…”

“Grr, but at this rate, we won’t be able to regroup with the young lady…!”

I can hear Miranda pacifying Zenobia, who’s unable to clear the wall of people.

Hmm, I wonder if I should jump over there with Lady Mary on my back.

“We’ll be fine. Routa’s with me, so let’s split up and meet back at the inn!”

Well, leave it to Lady Mary to be the one worrying about them.

“Tch, but… No, this isn’t a safe place to stop, either… Very well. We’ll head over there right away!”

“We’ll be fine; don’t worry about us!”

“Routa! You better protect her!”

“Woof! (You got it!)”

You shouldn’t expect so much from a pet, but I can at least help my lady run away.

We split up from Zenobia and Miranda and head in a different direction.

Slipping down a narrow road to get away from the crowd of people, we eventually come out on a nearby street.

“Phew. That was a surprise. I wonder what that was all about.”

“Arwf. (No idea. I feel like someone said something about a monster?)”

A monster isn’t going to jump out at us, is it?

The royal guards need to get their act together. It’s their job to protect the people of the city.

Oh wait, I suppose I’m a potential target for elimination. Never mind! Please keep working in moderation.

“It’s so quiet.”

“Arwf, arwf. (Yeah.)”

It might be because it’s late afternoon, or because of all the noise just now, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone populating the dimly lit streets.

I’m at least grateful the whispering of the townsfolk has stopped.

“Woof, woof. (Oh, Lady Mary. Not that way, I’m pretty sure this is the right street.)”

I’m not Zenobia, so I actually have a good sense of direction.

“This way? Oh, Routa, you’re so smart.”

“Arwf. (Heh-heh-heh, Zenobia’s not like me, though, not at all.)”

Miranda’s probably being dragged all over the place by Zenobia right now.

She has no sense of direction, but she’s so sure of herself that she just marches on ahead.

“Hee-hee, the two of us haven’t been on a walk alone together since that time.”

“Arwf? (Which time?)”

Oh, I know. The time we snuck out of the mansion and went to play by the lake.

We walked along the road we always take in the carriage, but Lady Mary ended up getting tired and falling asleep.

That was the time I found out I was less of a wolf and more of a monster. I noticed goblins deep in the forest, so I went to go scare them, but for some reason, I shot a beam from my mouth…

It wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like it’s been ages since that happened.

“Hey, Routa, back then, what really—?”

She stops.

“Arwf? (What’s wrong, my lady? Do you need another nap?)”

“………No, it’s nothing. Let’s be together forever.”

With that, she wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes me tight.

“Woof! Woof! (Of course! I swear that I’ll be yours for the rest of my life!)”

I can feel her gentle warmth through my fur, when suddenly, there’s a shadow.

“……Arwf? (…Hmm? What the—?)”

I look up to see—

“Ohhh-ho-ho-ho! What a peculiar dog you have there, commoner!”

—a stereotypical snobby young lady with a cliché high-pitched laugh.

“Arwf…? (Wait, ‘ohhh-ho-ho-ho’?…Seriously?)”

I didn’t think people who laughed like that actually existed. She even puts the back of her hand up to her mouth perfectly.

She has bright-red gloves and a bright-red dress. Her eyes scream “Jackpot!” and she smiles like she’s plotting something.

And then there’s the thing that ties it all together: her magnificent curls. They’re a deep golden color, like a lion’s mane. They’re done up in the legendary “twin drills” hairstyle and look like they could dig straight into the ground.

“Woof, woof. (Hey, we can see your panties. You all right with that, Drills?)”

She’s wearing a beautiful dress, but standing so high above us means that when the wind blows, we can see everything.

“Arwf, arwf. (Oh man, it’s worse when I can’t actually let her know. So rough on me. So she’s wearing black ones, huh? I mean, this is just the worst.)”

Lady Mary still has no idea what’s going on as she stares at the unexpected intruder.

I don’t know if Drills notices my lady’s confusion, but she makes a decisive pose.

“I am Elizabeth! Elizabeth Morgan!”

Hearing her introduction, Lady Mary snaps out of it and replies.

It’s been three days since we got back.

My lady’s excitement hasn’t waned in the slightest, and she talks about Drillizabeth all the time. Even in bed! She’s already started writing her letters.

As her pet, it makes me feel a little lonely, but seeing her beaming face makes it all worth it.

And it’s not like Lady Mary has stopped loving me. She still pets me and spoils me every day.

“Arwf. (And when night comes, and my lady is asleep, I can have my own fun like this.)”

Heh-heh-heh. There’s nothing better than sneaking a midnight snack.

In the dead of night when everyone in the mansion is sleeping, I tiptoe into the kitchen.

“Arwf! (Ooh, I found you, my beautiful leg of ham. I’m sure you’ll be delicious thinly sliced, but I can’t wait to sink my teeth into you right this second!)”

My razor-sharp teeth can easily slice through the evenly smoked ham. I actually love the feeling of chewing meat.

Hidden deep within the larder that chef James is in charge of, I locate my prize and secure it with my mouth.

The entire pig leg was smoked into ham, making it look like a club. It takes almost a whole year for the ham to cure, which is why this isn’t a piece James made. I know this because I eat every single piece of meat that comes into the mansion.

Hee-hee-hee. The old man got furious at me once, and I went through quite the ordeal. That giant boar was terrifying.

That’s why I’m pretty sure this ham is an ingredient that’s brought to the mansion periodically.

The old man didn’t have a hand in making it, but it’s still delicious.

Of course, his selection of ingredients is top-notch, too.

“Woof, woof. (Hee-hee-hee, the feast will be complete once she sneaks some booze from Papa’s wine cellar.)”

Tonight, I dine on ham and wine.

“Squeak… (Oh, my darling, you’re always doing this…)”

The mouse sitting atop my head sighs in exasperation.

“Arwf? (What? You got something to say?)”

Len’s always sleeping, but for once, she’s awake tonight.

“Squee. (I have much to say. I am simply too appalled for words. To think my husband would sneak around in the dead of night to steal food.)”

Who are you calling your husband?

“Bark. (You won’t get any if you keep complaining like that.)”

“Squeak! (I care not for stolen goods! If you were a brave hero, you would rightfully take what is yours instead of resorting to petty thievery.)”

Thievery seems like a harsh way to put it.

I think we’re experiencing a bit of a cultural disconnect.

“Woof! Woof! (Hey, idiot! If I did that, I’d be chased out of the mansion! And do you think I’d have a chance against old man James?! He’d fillet me like a fish in no time!)”

I vividly remember the old man carving up the giant boar. The way he skillfully handled the knife, peeling off the armor-like fur and slicing up the meat expertly, was so…

…terrifying. I’m way more frightened of the old man than I am of Zenobia.

Which is why I sneak around.

“Squeak? (How pathetic… And you call yourself a proud Fen Wolf?)”

“Woof. (I sure don’t. I’m a dog.)”

I am a natural-born pet, gifted with extreme laziness.

“Mrow. (You’re late, Routa. I’ve already completed my mission.)”

I look in the direction of the voice and see a cat perched on the kitchen’s windowsill, the moon in full view behind her.

A wine bottle and some glasses are orbiting her.

“Arwf! (Oh! Nice one, Nahura!)”

You’re way more useful than the squeaky freeloader.

The fact that Nahura already has the booze means I was right to enlist her aid.

“Squeak! (You’re at fault, too, you bad cat! Don’t you dare seduce my husband!)”

“M-mrow! (I-it’s not what it looks like, Lady Len! Routa was the one who said we should have a party!)”

Nahura’s a cat, but she hates mice. Just one squeak from Len, and she jumps out of the window in fear.

“Squeak! (Hold it! You need to be punished!)”

“Meeeew! (Nooo! Don’t bite my eaaaars!!)”

The two of them run around and around the tree in the middle of the garden.

“Woof, woof… (Hey! I’m going to eat all the ham without yoooouuuu…!)”

I watch the mouse chase the cat in the moonlit garden as I sink my teeth into the fatty ham.

Nom, nom.

Mm, it’s hard and bitter.

I’m not sure if it’s the curing process or what, but this ham is surprisingly tough.

Even if I bite through the skin, there’s a thick layer of fat waiting for me.

“Mrow. (Routa, biting into it like that is so uncivilized…meow.)”

Why does she keep correcting herself like that? She was talking normally before.

She’s meowing normally, so saying “meow” at the end of the sentence doesn’t mean anything.

“Mewl. (Ham should be eaten in thin slices that have been shaved off. If you want to eat something delicious, you need to know the best way to eat it.)”

She kind of sounds like a gourmet.

“Mew. (Just leave it to me.)”

She holds up her front paw and waves it. A knife in the kitchen flies over and slices through the ham as though it’s paper.

“Arwf! (Wow! Incredible! That’s amazing!)”

“Meow. (Hee-hee-hee. Levitating items is my specialty.)”

She looks embarrassed as she cleans the back of her ears while the knife glides effortlessly. It slices through the skin, covered in a layer of yellow crust, proof that the ham was cured, and exposes the white layer of fat. The fat is really good, but it’s finally time for the part we’ve been waiting for: the red meat.

Nahura painstakingly does it again, slicing the fat incredibly thinly. The red meat is slowly revealed.

“Mewl. (The outside is smoked and cured, so it’s fairly dry.)”

“Woof, woof? (You know your stuff. You’ve only just started coming to the mansion. How do you know so much?)”

“Mrow, mew. (I’ve been here plenty of times before you started living here. Mistress is Lady Mary’s physician, so we’ve been here lots of times. I’ve seen Mistress and the members of this house eat this often. Hee-hee-hee. This is actually the first time I’ll have this. I’m looking forward to it.)”

As she keeps slicing through the ham, the meat slowly turns pink, revealing the moist part of the ham.

“Mewl. (We’ll eat that a little later. For now, let’s enjoy the cured part of the ham.)”

“Arwf! (Sweet! I’m digging in!)”

“Mew! (No! Bad Routa!)”

“Arww? (Awww. I can’t eat it yet?)”

“Meow. (Wait just a minute.)”

I frown and try to seem dejected with my nonexistent eyebrows.

“Mewl. (We’re going to use these on the dry ham.)”

She waves her paw again, and two bottles from the kitchen fly over. Like a couple doing the waltz, the two bottles danced around each other as their caps came off.

Clear yellow liquids dribble out.

“Arwf? (Honey? And that’s olive oil?)”

“Mewl… (Brilliant deduction, my dear Routa. And finally…)”

This time, a hole opens above Nahura’s head.

I recognize that ability. It’s space magic.

Right as I think that, a fat jar falls out of the hole.

“Mewl. (These are raspberries that were handpicked just this morning. They’re immature, which means they’ll be very sour.)”

Sour!

She puts the bright-red raspberries on top of the ham as if she were decorating a cake.

“Mewl! (There you go! It should be good! I think! Maybe!)”

Oh yeah, you haven’t had this before, either.

And then she casually has me taste it first to see if it’s good. Very sneaky.

“Woof, woof! (Whatever. I don’t care what it’ll taste like—I just want to eat it. Which I’m going to do right now!)”

I take a number of thinly sliced pieces into my mouth and throw them in the air. Then I catch them with my mouth again and chew.

“Arwf! (Sweet! Sour! Salty! Soooooooo gooooooood!!)”

The dried ham has a strong saltiness, but the olive oil evens it out, giving it a very smooth taste. At the same time, the thick honey brings a very rich sweetness, but when combined with the sourness of the raspberries, the palate is blessed by a very mellow fruit flavor.

The popping sensation from the raspberries further adds to the eating experience. I’m looking forward to trying them with the drink.

The flavor is easily ten times richer and more intricate than prosciutto e melone from my old world.

“Arwf, arwf! (It’s insanely good! Nahura! This is seriously amazing!)”

“Meow. (Oh good, then I’ll have some, too. Oh, drink some of this.)”

The cork pops out of the bottle, and the wine is poured into cocktail glasses that will be easy for us to drink from.

The froth on the carbonated wine is refreshing on the tongue and exhilarating as it travels down the throat.

“Woof, woof. (Oh, nice selection. You’ve got good taste. Unlike a certain freeloader.)”

“…Squeak? (Excuse me, did you just call me a tasteless freeloader?)”

Len, not long for the waking world, grumbles from the top of my head.

“Woof! (Huh? What’s that? I can’t hear you! It’s too delicious! This ham is too good!)”

“Meow, mrow. (Most delicious! I can’t believe Mistress would hog something so delicious. I’ll never forgive her. How dare she.)”

Nahura seethes with rage even as her mouth is full of raspberry ham.

“Woof, woof. (Come on now, come on now. There’s plenty of ham left!)”

“Squee… (Hmmmm…)”

Len side-eyes the jovial Nahura and me. It doesn’t look like she’s going to be honest with herself, though. She’s clearly interested. Okay, then. Let’s nudge her a little.

“Woof, woof. (Oh, little Len, it’s such a shame you can’t eat this delicious ham. Your pride won’t let you forgive anyone who eats stolen food, right?)”

“Squeak! (E-exactly! The strong and the proud should not have to steal the things they desire! Wh-which is why…I—I don’t want any! None at all!)”

“Woof, woof! (Oh? Really? You don’t want any? Then I guess we’ll just have to gobble it all up. Nahura!)”

“Meow! (Okaaaay!)”

We leave Len alone and devour the raspberry ham without her.

“Arwf! (It’s so good! Delicious!)”

“Mew! (Mmm, truly exquisite!)”

The cured ham disappears slice after slice.

Len simply watches us in frustration.

“S-squee… (…Damn it. I—I don’t need any of it…)”

She begins to cry.

This thousand-year-old spinster who always acts so high-and-mighty is actually a kid deep down.

Back when I first snuck into her nest for the wyrmnil, and she tried to act so welcoming, she was probably just masking her loneliness.

Oh geez, we should probably stop bullying her.

“Woof, woof. (Okay, I’m sorry. We’ll stop teasing you. Please stop crying, Len.)”

“Squeak! (I-I-I’m not crying!)”

Len snaps back even as a raspberry wrapped in a piece of ham is offered to her.

“Mew. (Here you go, Len.)”

This piece of meat has been cut to look like a flower.

Nahura must have used her magic to make it.

“Mrow. (Sorry for being so mean, Lady Len. We went too far.)”

“Squeak! (H-hmph! It’s not like I was crying or anything! I’m not even angry! Nor can it be said that I desire to have a piece, either!)”

From the top of my head, Len makes a show of turning her head the other way, but she keeps glancing back to the ham.

She’s being way too obvious.

“Mewl? (You don’t need to tell us that. But I would like you to try some. Will you humor this humble cat’s request?)”

She raises both paws in a praying motion.

Wow, she really knows how to work the cute angle.

Maybe I should start calling her Master and study under her tutelage.

“Squee? (Hmm? R-really? I suppose I’ll have to try some if you ask me like that. I’m willing to give it a taste, so hand it over already!)”

“Mewl. (Of course, here you go.)”

The raspberry ham flower floats over to Len.

If I turn my head and snatch it right now, she’ll probably never stop crying. It’s pretty easy to imagine, but then I start feeling bad for her, so I drop the idea.

“Squee! (Th-this really is delicious! No, it is beyond delicious! Your skills know no equal, Nahura!)”

Len takes bite after bite of ham in between her blubbering.

Nahura watches her with prideful affection…

…from a good distance away.

“Woof? (I guess you’re still scared of mice, huh?)”

Having made up, the three of us enjoy the feast together until right before dawn.

“Mew! Mew! (Routa! Wake up! Please wake up!)”

Someone’s biting my tummy.

Mmm, too sleepy. Five more minutes.

“Squeak, squeak… (What a disgraceful way to sleep. Showing his belly, completely defenseless, snoring loudly… I don’t know if it’s a show of confidence, or if I should lament that there is nary a drop of wild beast in him anywhere…)”

“Mew! (Routa. It’s morning. The cook’s going to wake up and be here any minute!)”

“Squee. (Just leave him be. It’s his fault for not waking up sooner. I’m going back to sleep. Please roll over, beloved.)”

Mmm, huh? I just need to roll over? Okaaaay.

I roll over in my sleep and feel something squirm into my mane.

“Squee. (Don’t say we didn’t try to wake you.)”

“Mrow! (Well, I’m not staying around to get told off!)”

Told off? Why?

I sense Nahura moving away, and I can feel Len’s sleeping breath on my back.

It’s all pretty odd, so I try to open my eyes. But it’s no good. The morning light is simply too bright.

I’m pretty sure we were drinking together all night last night…but my memory’s still pretty fuzzy.

Oh, right. We talked about how we needed to tidy up, or we’d get in trouble. And then…

“Arwf! (That’s right! We need to destroy the evidence!)”

I suddenly snap awake to see—

“Hello, Routa. It sure looks like you had fun last night.”

—the old man standing before me, his burly arms crossed.

“A-arwf… (U-uh-oh…)”

With the morning sun behind him, the old man’s face is shrouded in shadow. The sight of it fills me with dread.

“You really are incorrigible. Every single day, you sneak in here to steal food, and this time wasn’t like the others…”

E-eek! H-he’s going to kill me.

Will this be my final day?

“I should be mad at you, but…”

He unfolds his arms and ruffles my head.

“I heard you did a great deed in the Royal Capital. You helped the young lady when she got lost, and it was thanks to you she made a friend, right?”

Huh? He’s not mad at me?

In fact, he seems to be overjoyed.

“I was really worried about her because she didn’t have any friends her age. You’re a good boy, Routa. Well done.”

Heh-heh-heh. It was nothing!

“I’m buying more ingredients than ever before. That means your habit of eating everything in sight shouldn’t be an issue anymore. But please stop sneaking in here in the middle of the night.”

“Woof! Woof! (O-old man! How merciful you are! Truly a man among men! Pet me, pet me!)”

I burrow my muzzle into his clothes, and he chuckles, scratching me with both hands.

“…Besides, that ham you stole was a little past its time, so I wasn’t planning on serving it to the master. I think I might’ve found a great way to dispose of stuff like that.”

Hmm? What was that?

“Come on, now. You’d best pull yourself together and go see the young lady. She’ll be sad if she wakes up and you’re not there.”

Oh, right!

Being there when my lady wakes up is one of my small pleasures in life. I’ll never let anyone take that away from me.

Today, as any other, I want to admire her adorable sleeping face.

“Woof, woof! (I’m coming, my lady!)”

Lady Mary’s sleeping face buried in the bed is still lovely.

Her hair flows across the pillow like golden dust as she sleeps as still as a painting.

I want to crawl under the duvet and sleep with her, but it won’t be long before the maid arrives with the morning tea.

“Arwf! (My lady! It’s morning!)”

I poke her velvet skin with my nose, and she frowns before opening her eyes.

“Mmnya… Good morning, Routa…”

Now awake, Lady Mary rubs her eyes and lets out a little yawn.

“Woof! (Good morning, my lady!)”

“Gnh…”

I give her an energetic reply, and she hugs me tight around the neck.

“Arwf… (Ahhh, pure bliss…)”

Lady Mary smells amazing today, too. I want to rub my face in her hair and revel in her scent.

Actually, I’ll do just that.

Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff.

“Hmm? Hey, Routa, you smell like alcohol…”

“Arwf?! (Haff. Did I drink too much last night?!)”

Lady Mary moves away.

Aw, I was sniffing that!

“Let’s go to the lake this afternoon. I’m sure the smell will go away with a good swim.”

“Woof, woof! (Good idea!)”

It’s been forever since I’ve had the old man’s sandwiches! Herb-encrusted chicken or smoked salmon between slices of colorful vegetable bread. Both options sound fantastic.

“Let’s invite Dr. Hecate. Tee-hee, I’m looking forward to this afternoon now. I need to work hard and finish my studies early. Be a good boy and wait for me, okay?”

She’s such a good girl.

“Arwf! (I’ll make sure I rest lots and lots to make up for how hard you’re working! Just leave it to me!)”

A carriage drawn by two horses nimbly makes its way down the forest road.

It should be hotter now that it’s midday, but the carriage’s interior is surprisingly pleasant and cool. The strong summer sun is blocked by the tops of the trees covering the road. The air, thick with oxygen, carries the strong smell of the foliage.

“Excuse me, my lady. But don’t you think Routa has gotten larger?”

Miranda, sitting opposite Lady Mary, voices her suspicion while looking right at me.

“Arwf! (H-ha-ha-ha! Oh, you! It’s just your imagination.)”

I look off in a random direction and try to make myself small.

Crap, even Miranda’s catching on.

“Really? Well, he is a growing boy!”

Lady Mary hugs me tight.

Oh, my lady. Her pure heart allows her to see the best in anyone.

I hope she always stays this way.

She squeezes herself next to me, completely infatuated with my fluffy fur.

This carriage is huge, but it’s quite cramped for me. Even now, my lady doesn’t seem to mind the tight squeeze and would rather stay close to me.

“You really love Routa, don’t you, Mary? I’m so jealous.”

Hecate, sitting opposite me, tickles my nose with her fingers.

Stop. I’m going to sneeze.

Uh-oh, here it comes.

“GAFUU!!”

I shove my head out of the window and sneeze loudly.

Ew, snot.

“Honestly, what are you doing?”

I look over in the direction of the voice to see Zenobia driving the carriage.

She’s leaning forward with a fed-up expression, holding out a handkerchief to me.

“Here, don’t move. I’ll wipe it off.”

Having the snot wiped away makes me feel much better.

“Woof. (Thanks, Zenobia.)”

“D-don’t get the wrong idea. I can’t have you besmirching the Faulks family name with such a crude display.”

Zenobia looks away and goes back to driving the carriage.

Ah, what a perfect tsundere.

Don’t worry—I know how you really feel. I see you getting jealous whenever my lady pets me.

Come on, Zenobia. Ditch the sword and come get some cuddles.

“Arwf. (Mmm, the air feels so good. Looks like we’re going to have good weather today.)”

I can’t smell any monsters in the forest, either.

Looks like the monsters Nahura teleported here are keeping their promise. And Garo and the other wolves are doing their jobs, too.

I wonder if they’re off hunting bad monsters again today.

I haven’t seen them in a while. Maybe I’ll bring them a gift tonight.

The carriage stops under a large tree, and I sit and wait like a good boy.

“A swimsuit?”

I can hear Miranda on the other side of the carriage.

Hecate had summoned all the ladies as soon as we arrived at the lake.

“That’s right. It’s something you wear when you go swimming. I just happened to find these in the Royal Capital and ended up buying them.”

“E-even so, isn’t this practically underwear…?!”

I can tell Zenobia’s lost for words.

What kind of swimsuits did she give them? My imagination is going crazy.

“But you’re naked in the bath.”

“Yes, but this is outdoors…”

“We’re the only ones here. There’s nothing to worry about.”

She’s really pushing this.

“Mrow. (Mistress is lying about accidentally finding them. She went out with the express purpose of purchasing swimsuits for today. She even went to a designer store and picked those out at a crazy-ridiculous price.)”

I look up to see a crimson cat lying on a branch above me.

“Arwf. (Oh, hey, Nahura.)”

I didn’t think she was in the carriage. When did she get here?

“Mew. (I can appear anywhere you are, Routa.)”

Levitation and teleportation. Man, Nahura’s magic really is useful.

“Mew, mrow. (I wouldn’t say Mistress is vain, just that she isn’t honest with herself. She’s lived so long, I don’t think she really knows how to connect with people anymore. Like when a grandma wants to play with her grandchildren, but she can’t seem to make it work. She doesn’t have anything to talk to them about, so she bribes them instead.)”

“Woof… (You know, if you say stuff like that…)”

“Urk! (…Arwl?! N-no, Mistress! It just slipped out…! Oh no! Please no! Don’t put tentacles in my tummy…!)”

I’m assuming Hecate’s talking to her telepathically just as Nahura faints in the tree above.

Wait, did she say “tentacles”? Nahura’s body sure is terrifying. She looks like a cat, but she’s actually a homunculus. I wonder what kind of magic was used to make her.

Would something jump out if someone cut her belly open? I can’t imagine anything but horrors.

“I’m ready!”

I hear my lady’s musical voice in the middle of Hecate and Zenobia’s discussion.

She leaps out from the shadow of the carriage.

“What do you think, Routa? Does it suit me?”

She spins around, showing off her aqua bikini, then leans over. She tucks her long, flowing blond hair behind her ears and smiles a little in embarrassment—it’s wonderful.

“Woof! Woof! (It really, really suits you! You’re so cute!)”

If I wasn’t a dog, I’d get down on one knee and propose to her here and now.

My lady is so cute. She’s the cutest in the whole wide world.

“Squeak?! (D-does my darling…?! No, they’re different species. He would never…)”

I’m guessing Len’s finally woken up, since I can hear her complaining on my back.

I’ll just ignore her. I want to savor this sight even for just a moment longer.

“There’s no way to fasten it, Ms. Miranda. I can’t believe we let the young lady wear something like this…”

“Y-you’re right. We must steel ourselves.”

I hear the rustling of fabric for a few minutes before the other two ladies step out from behind the carriage.

Miranda looks embarrassed as she holds her arms beneath her chest, and Zenobia stands menacingly.

They’re both wearing bikinis as revealing as Lady Mary’s.

Miranda’s white swimsuit is a band around the chest, almost resembling a pareo’s fabric. The bottom part is a sarong with large colorful flowers painted across it. It really serves to show off the beauty of the flower normally hidden away by propriety.

Zenobia’s swimsuit is an even brighter red than her golden-copper hair. There’s a frilly decoration on the chest that seems to have offset her aggressive personality, causing her to show a more girlie side than usual.

What a sight for sore eyes. They’re both so gorgeous. What is this, paradise?

Hecate, how could you let me see such beauties?

“O-oh my. What’s wrong, Routa? You’re staring.”

“D-don’t stare… Dummy.”

Their embarrassed faces are to die for.

Even if my tongue lolls out, I’m just a dog! There’s nothing suspicious about that!

“It takes a surprisingly long time to put these on, doesn’t it?”

Hecate, the star of the show, appears at last.

Her long silver hair flows behind her as she struts over. It isn’t long before I become fixated on one generous detail.

Her cups runneth over.

One more time for emphasis.

Her cups runneth over!

I thought about this when we were in the bath, but Hecate has a really impressive body. Her small frame and pale skin look incredibly soft. Her black string bikini presses into her supple flesh in all sorts of wonderful ways, creating a sensational atmosphere.

We leave the mansion in the dead of night and head deep into the forest.

“Squeak. (What are they after? They probably wish to investigate the remains of our battle.)”

The blue mouse Len rides atop my head, casually answering my question.

“Woof? (The remains of our fight? You mean your nest behind that huge waterfall?)”

“Squea. (That’s right. It’s because of the high level of magic used when you and I clashed. It’s caused the magic concentration in the area to rise.)”

Hmm? Hecate and Chief Emerada mentioned something like that in the Royal Capital. I don’t really remember it, though.

“Bark? (What happens when the concentration of magic increases?)”

“Squea. (Nothing good if you leave it alone. The surrounding ecosystem goes crazy, and labyrinths may appear. If the magic doesn’t disperse, then it could coalesce and create a powerful monster.)”

“Bark. (What? That sounds like a problem.)”

“Squee. (That’s probably what those humans are here to investigate. We did emit a lot of magic. As long as they travel with a mage, they’ll be able to observe from a distance.)”

Oh, I see—they talked about that, too.

So those adventurers they mentioned being on a special investigation…would be these guys.

It’s been less than two weeks since my fight with Len in the cave.

From the time they first detected the phenomenon to identifying the point of origin, getting the best adventurers for the job, and dispatching them all the way out here. All of that must have taken about ten days.

That’s a speedy reaction. This world’s reaction time is impressive.

“Squeak? (Hmm, but our magic combining and creating a monster… Would it be going too far to think of it as our child?)”

Yes.

That would be going much too far.

Wouldn’t that be on the same level as immaculate conception? Just ignore it, Routa.

“Arwf? (Could any of those terrible things have happened already?)”

“Squea. (No, not yet. Just because the magic concentration is high doesn’t mean anything would have happened this soon. If the magic disperses, then it would take even longer for a monster to appear.)”

“Woof. (All right, then we’ll go disperse it. ASAP.)”

“Squeak! (What?! You want to murder our child before it’s even born?! No! I want to keep it!)”

“Woof! (Whoa! This conversation just went from zero to one hundred in no time at all! All I’m saying is that we need to take care of the potential threat before it becomes a problem!)”

And please don’t call it “our child”!

I haven’t even done anything yet, but I’m already feeling really conflicted!

“Awoooooo! (Come on out, you guys!)”

I summon the Fen Wolves from my usual cliff. As usual, they show up immediately.

I look at the pack orderly lined up under the giant crescent moon.

It’s a spectacular sight.

It doesn’t look like everyone is here, but seeing a few hundred Fen Wolves lined up like trained soldiers makes me think they’ll be a force to be reckoned with.

“Grwl! (Attention! The king is to appoint us with a mission! Be grateful for the opportunity to serve!)”

The wolves all stand at attention at Garo’s order, and their eyes focus on me.

“Squeak. (Mwa-ha-ha, this is more like it. It feels pretty good to stand next to my darling, who has so many retainers serving him.)”

“Next to”? You’re sitting on my head.

“Bark. (Hey, thanks for coming, everyone. I have some introductions to make before we get started.)”

The Fen Wolves hang on my every word.

“Squeak. (Hmph, an introduction? Then it is important that they see me as I truly am. Very well. I grant them the privilege of laying eyes upon my resplendent visage.)”

Len leaps high off the top of my head and transforms.

The tiny mouse spins around a few times midair and, a moment later, has turned into a giant blue dragon. Her massive wings flap once, and she lands behind me.

The Fen Wolves stir at the sight of the giant that suddenly appears before them.

“Grwl…?! (A d-dragon…?! The king has subdued a dragon and made it serve him…?!)”

Garo’s astonishment is matched by a number of the wolves crying “Long live the king!” but I’ll ignore it for now.

“Woof. (Nahura, are you there? You should come out, too.)”

“Mrow! (Okaaaay, here I come!)”

When I call her, a hole appears in the air, and out pops a crimson cat.

She gently lands on the ground next to me as if she weighs nothing at all.

“Grwl. (Tch, it’s you, Nahura.)”

“Mew! (Oh, Garo. Long time no see!)”

Seems like Garo and Nahura know each other. Maybe it’s from their mutual interactions with Hecate?

“Woof. (Looks like you already know at least one of them, but let me introduce them to you anyway. The big one behind me is Lenowyrm. The cat next to me is Nahura.)”

Len poses arrogantly, and Nahura snuggles up to me.

“GROOAR. (I’m his wife.)”

“Meow. (And I’m his lover. )”

A stir runs through the crowd of Fen Wolves at this misunderstanding.

“G-grwl?! (You have a queen and a mistress of different speciiiiieeeees?!)”

A brown-furred wolf leaps forward.

It’s Garo’s aide, Bal.

We met during the incident with the boar.

“Grwl! Grwl! (Your Majesty! What is the meaning of this?! Your betrothed should clearly be Lady Garo! How can you be dissatisfied with the strong and beautiful princess?!)”

That’s because I’m really not a furry.

Not that they’ll understand what I’m talking about, so I don’t say anything.

Garo’s spirit has already left her body from shock. I’d feel bad if I did any more damage.

“Woof, woof. (Wait, Bal. These two are just joking. Don’t take them seriously.)”

“GROOAR. (It is no jest. I am truly serious.)”

“Mew. (I can tell it’s what Routa truly wants.)”

It’s really not what I want; please shut up.

Please don’t make them regret following me.

“Woof. (That is absolutely not it. These two are my friends. I don’t want any fighting. Any talks of wives or anything is ridiculous. Ignore them.)”

“……Grwl. (…Understood. I believe you, Your Highness…)”

Bal doesn’t seem convinced, but he accepts my explanation anyway and returns to the line.

“Woof. (Well, now that that’s settled, Garo, let’s have a chat.)”

Garo returns to her senses when I call out to her.

“Grwl! (Huh?! Attention! The king is to appoint us with a mission! Be grateful for the opportunity to serve!)”

She barks the exact same command as before.

Apparently, Garo intentionally forgot everything that just happened. I think she wiped the last few minutes from her memory.

“Woof. (The truth is, humans will soon enter the forest. Four of them.)”

“Grwl! (And you want us to kill them all! Of course, my king! Leave it to us! We Fen Wolves pride ourselves on devouring our prey until not even the bones remain!)”

“Woof! Woof! (No! No! No! No! I’m telling you not to lay a paw on them!)”

Seriously, their extreme bloodlust is going to cause problems one day.

Their “Kill all humans!” mentality is terrifying.

I’m going to have to feed them the old man’s food again and remind them of how wonderful humans are.

Old man James’s cooking is the foundation for peace.

“Woof, woof. (They just need to make sure there’s nothing weird going on in the forest, and then they’ll leave.)”

If they do identify an issue within the forest, then I’m sure more adventurers will come. And that’ll be the end of my peaceful pet life.

I’ll be stripped of my pet status and downgraded to monster. I can’t let that happen, no matter what.

“Woof, woof! (Your mission is to escort them. Give them full protection without them noticing.)”

“Grwl… (Yes, if my king commands…)”

The general mood seems to be “It’s unpleasant to have humans doing as they please in our territory,” but they’ll simply have to put up with it.

It’s all for the greater good of the forest.

Everyone has to pool their strengths and work together!

“GRAR… (This is clearly for your own selfish reasons.)”

“Mrow. (You really are a simple creature, Routa.)”

Shut up.

I’ll just ignore those two smart-asses.

Woof. (All right then, now for the plan name.)”

I pause for effect and raise my commanding voice.

“Woof! (Commence Operation “They Thought It Was Going to Be a Lengthy Investigation, but It Turned Out to Be a Super-Easy Bath Trip. Drip, Drop”!!)”

Dawn hasn’t even broken yet when the party of A-Rank adventurers packs away their camp and sets off on their forest investigation.

In the early summer, the trees are thick with leaves, so the moonlight doesn’t reach the forest floor.

Their way is lit only by the lanterns on their hips.

“Captain, we seem to be on the right path. The large amount of magical damage that the Institute of Magical Research detected is still strong. The Magic Dowsing Stone is pointing straight north.”

The way is led by a man holding the small device that points them in the right direction. He has both a short and long dagger on the back of his waist and a soft leather hood over his head. The entire party is equipped with mostly lightweight armor for long-distance travel, but his clothes are especially light.

He has likely reduced his weight as much as possible so he can do his job as a ranger.

“This forest has been unexplored for a thousand years. I’ve heard that no monsters appear because of the sacred lake, but be on your guard anyway. There must be a powerful monster residing here for that much magical damage to occur.”

The captain with a claymore on his back follows shortly behind.

He’s a beefy guy standing at an impressive height. He’s probably a swordsman.

The man behind the captain nods in response to his warning.

“Good point. We’re a well-balanced party for clearing labyrinths and exploring new regions, but we’re all A-Rank adventurers. I think they expected us to have a few encounters when they sent us here.”

This man, wearing a priestlike robe and cape, checks the spiked club he’s holding. His skinny frame makes him look more like a librarian than an adventurer.

“Well, a monster that spawns from a labyrinth’s magic is one thing, but one that appears aboveground shouldn’t be difficult.”

The man with a short pike pipes up from the back of the group.

“You should stay on guard anyway. You can’t rely on talent alone.”

The deep-voiced lancer suddenly scrunches up his face.

“Captain, we’ve got company. Five hundred paces that way, but it’s heading this way.”

“You’ve got good ears, but we’re not changing course. The objective point is our priority. We’ll head in a straight line and eliminate anything we come across.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

They ready their weapons, and the captain nods at his stalwart companions.

The adventurers continue cautiously but without letting their speed waver.

Only a few dozen steps from the enemy.

Now that they’re closer, they can sense it’s a vicious creature.

“We might have some trouble with this one…”

Just as the ranger leading the way groans—the forest trembles.

In the blink of an eye, they sense a strong murderous intent, and then their adversary’s aura vanishes.

“Wha—?!”

What just happened?

Right as they were about to come into contact with the source, it simply vanished.

Maybe it cloaked its presence?

No, were that the case, it would have done so earlier. It’s impossible for a creature to hide its aura this close up unless it’s a creature of incredible power.

And what was that aura of murderous intent that seemed to make the entire forest tremble…?

“What just happened?!”

“I don’t know. Let’s press on!”

The adventurers pick up the pace and head to the location where the enemy should be.

They flatten grass, squeeze past trees, and trample roots, but when they finally arrive, there’s nothing there. Not even a trace of the enemy that should have been there. An ominous breeze blows through the forest.

“C-Captain…”

“Don’t panic. There really is something in this forest… Stay on your guard, everyone.”

The adventurers all gulp as they start to have second thoughts about this investigation.

“Arwf. (Good, good. Everything is proceeding according to plan. Excellent, excellent.)”

I nod at how well things are going as I watch the adventurers advancing with their weapons drawn.

The Fen Wolves have currently surrounded the adventurers, acting as their secret bodyguards. The rigorous guard of a few hundred wolves is so great that not a single monster can get in.

Even the monster that appeared before was swiftly taken care of by Garo’s unit.

It was devoured in seconds.

Not a single cry was heard, nor was there any leftover gore to examine.

Impressive as always. The adventurers should be able to continue their investigation in total safety.

I also asked Garo about the monsters we released from Drills’s place, and if she accidentally hunted them, but it seems they successfully relayed my message to her and are now living peacefully elsewhere in the forest.

It appears they’ve taken a liking to a forest rich with magic and lacking in enemies, and they won’t be coming this way at all.

“Squeak. (I see. I understand your plan now, my darling. You want a land where these humans do not come in contact with even a single monster.)”

“Woof. (Exactly. If we can keep them from running into any monsters, then those guys should go home quickly, right?)”

“Mrow. (And while that happens, our secret plan is to go on ahead to the waterfall and disperse the magic.)”

Exactly. For once, we’re all on the same page.

Now the adventurers can enjoy a safe journey.

I’ll need to prepare a wonderful surprise along the way.

At their current pace, we’re sure to arrive at the waterfall way before them, but I might have to set some extra time aside just in case.

“Woof! (All right then, we’re going on ahead. I’m leaving the adventurers’ well-being in your paws, everyone!)”

“““Grwl! (Just leave it to us, O king!)”””

I call to the Fen Wolves behind me and then head off to execute the next phase of the plan.

Shadows. All they see are shadows.

The moment they get close to sensing a monster, merciless shadows fly by.

When they finally get to the spot where the monster is supposed to be, they find nothing.

An ominous feeling washes over them, and they’re stricken with fear.

“Wh-what in the world is going on…?!”

“C-Captain. Shouldn’t we withdraw for now…?!”

The ranger and priest cry out in bewilderment.

“This really is strange, Captain… I feel like something’s been watching us this entire time. But I can’t put my finger on it. I’ve never felt anything like this before…”

The lancer, with the skill to sense magic over a wide area, can’t even sense their opponent.

No one’s been injured, but it’s reason enough to withdraw.

If this were an ordinary quest, even the captain would consider retreating. But this investigation was a request from the guild.

They can’t go back without gathering some information, at the very least. If they leave now, they won’t have learned anything.

“…We press on. Lady Emerada said this situation had the potential to evolve into a national disaster. This investigation must be seen through, even if we have to give our lives for it.”

“…Huh. So we might die.”

“What are you saying? You were prepared for this the moment you signed up as an adventurer.”

“I’d hoped to at least make captain one day.”

The adventurers nod at one another, preparing themselves for a heroic end, then press on.

With newfound resolve burned into their souls, they begin their do-or-die adventure.

“Woof. (You know, I bet those guys are starting to feel pretty bummed over how easy this job is.)”

“Squeak. (Probably. Investigating a forest without monsters is just too easy.)”

“Meow. (What fortunate adventurers. They’ll be able to complete their mission simply by walking.)”

With the adventurers being protected by Garo and the others, I sprint north with Len on my head and Nahura on my back.

“Arwf… (Oh, it looks like dawn’s almost here…)”

The sky peeking through the treetops is starting to transition from a dark ultramarine to the light crimson of dawn.

I need to get back to bed before Lady Mary wakes up.

“Woof? (Let’s head back for today. Nahura, if you please?)”

“Mew! (Got it. All right then, let’s take the anchor off Routa for now and set it to this location. That way, we’ll be able to teleport here next time!)”

Nahura’s abilities are so useful.

It’s like she has a magical door that can take her anywhere she wants to go.

Nahura meows once, and white space spreads out around us. In the next moment, we’re in the mansion’s garden.

“Arwf. (All right, see you later. We’ll meet up again tonight.)”

“Mrow? (That’s fine by me. However, you do know we see each other every mealtime, right?)”

“Woof! Woof! (I keep telling you those are my meals! Stop eating them like you’re entitled to all my food!)”

Nahura heads for Hecate’s workshop, her tail bobbing from side to side.

Damn it. She’s definitely going to be picking from my plate all day.

I sigh and head back to my lady’s room.

I sneak through the kitchen from the back door, then head down the corridor and up the stairs to the second floor from the main entryway. Finally, I tiptoe to her room in the west wing, using my forepaw to pull down the doorknob and enter as quietly as I can.

My lady is sleeping soundly as always.

“Arwf… (I’m home…)”

I wriggle under the duvet.

One problem with this giant canopy bed is that my legs stick out on one end when I lie down. And it’s started to creak whenever I climb in.

I need to do something about that, but first, sleep. I’ll think about it later.

I continue up through the covers, and my head pops out next to my lady’s.

“Hmm… Routa…”

She reaches out subconsciously and hugs me.

“Arww. (Here I am, my lady.)”

She hugs me tight, and I’m filled with the joy of being home.

I’ll do anything to protect this life. I’ll even get those adventurers there and back again safely.

All right then, time to sleep until morning.

I feel a little anxious about the creaking of the bed, but I’m asleep before I know it.

“Huff…huff… No more…”

The ranger at the head of the party finally falls to his knees.

“Captain… I can’t take it anymore… I can’t go on…”

It’s not just him. The whole party is exhausted.

They’re being watched by numerous eyes. But they can’t tell where they are. Their observers don’t seem to be enemies, but they’re certainly not friendly, either. The endless gazes continue chipping away at their sanity.

A whole day has passed since they set foot in the forest, but they haven’t had a single battle. There should be monsters here, though. The adventurers can sense them. But the moment they get close, the presence of monsters simply vanishes. It always begins when they’re struck with the sense that something is about to attack them, but when they reach the place where the monster should be, they find nothing.

That means there’s something even more terrifying out there.

Something that even experienced A-Rank adventurers like them can’t detect.

It would be less mentally taxing if whatever is out there would just attack them already.

They’re all tightly wound, and the tension is wearing away at their nerves.

The eerie gazes are so terrifying that they can’t rest comfortably and have no choice but to keep walking.

They’ve never been on such an arduous journey before.

No matter how they search their memories, none of them can recall ever having a quest as difficult as this one.

“I’m sorry; I just can’t…”

The ranger’s companions soon join him on the ground one after the other.

They’ve reached their limit.

“All right, then. We’ll set up camp here for the day. Let’s take a long break. I’ll take first watch. We’ll switch in two hours. Sleep as soon as you’ve finished your meals.”

No one says a word about retreating.

The lives of many depend on this mission. A major magical disaster would be catastrophic.

They’ve resigned themselves to being unable to return without determining the cause. Fleeing isn’t an option when they know the severity of the impending disaster will depend on the results of their investigation.

“Ugh, I would kill for some of that meat the dog was eating… It was such a large cut, but it looked so soft…”

“Don’t say that… You’re going to make us even more miserable… Just pretend this lump of clay is meat…”

“I don’t think that’s possible……”

Haah, everyone sighs deeply.

“Did the people who made this stuff even try it themselves…?”

“I dunno. I was told they bought it in bulk from the Morgan Trading Co.…”

“It’s nutritious; I’ll give it that. But everything else is…urgh…”

After washing down their nutritional yet nasty provisions with lukewarm water, the men sleep like logs.

“Arwf. (All right, let’s head back out now that our bellies are full.)”

“Squea. (It has been one full day. They’ve probably traveled quite a distance already.)”

“Mrow. (Their mission will be complete soon enough, and then they can go home.)”

We meet in the garden again in the dead of night.

We polish off the light midnight snack that I brought, and Nahura teleports us with her magic.

My field of vision is filled with white light, and not even a second later, the scenery changes to the nighttime forest.

Yellow eyes are waiting for us.

“Grwl. (My king. I am glad to see you have returned safely.)”

It’s the pitch-black Fen Wolf, Garo.

Her fur’s so black, I can barely make her out in the dark forest.

For a moment, I think she’s a ghost, and I almost scream, but that’ll be our little secret.

“W-woof. (W-well, if it isn’t Garo. I’m surprised you knew where we’d be.)”

“Grwl. (I followed your scent until it vanished here, so I knew we would meet again if I waited.)”

Of course. What amazing tracking skills wolves have.

But it’s also stalker-ish and a little scary.

“Woof? (Where are the adventurers now? They must have traveled quite a ways without getting into any fights.)”

I immediately ask Garo for an update.

But her reply is less than ideal.

“Arwf?! (What?! No way, they’ve barely progressed at all?!)”

“Grwl. (Yes. I don’t know why, but they were incredibly exhausted. They have set up camp much farther to the south from here. At this rate, it will be some time before they reach the waterfall.)”

So they haven’t even passed this point yet.

“Woof. (Hmm, the forest is a cruel mistress. I honestly thought they’d breeze through it, since they’re adventurers and all.)”

Could it be they’re low-ranking adventurers?

We’ll have to protect them even more now.

“Woof. (Well, I guess it works out better if they’re slow. It’ll take a while to get things ready. We three will continue to the waterfall. Garo, you and the others continue to guard them. And double your efforts.)”

“Grwl! (As you command, my king! Just leave it to us!)”

I watch Garo bolt upright when suddenly, something bugs me.

“Woof? (Hey, Garo? Have you gotten smaller?)”

I was sure Garo was larger than me.

But now she’s not.

“Grwl. (With all due respect, my king. I have not gotten smaller. It is you who has grown.)”

I understand what she’s saying.

“Woof. (Oh, right. It’s still only been two months since I was born. Of course I’d still be growing.)”

When I think about it, I do now have to squeeze my body through the back door, and the bed keeps creaking whenever I’m in it.

Looks like I’ve grown even bigger without realizing it.

Wait a minute. That’s a huge problem…

“G-grwl… (U-um, you’re not just bigger, but stronger, too! Much more magnificent…)”

Ugh, please don’t look all bashful while saying things like that.

It doesn’t make my heart flutter or anything. I’m not a furry.

“Captain…! The gazes have become more intense than yesterday…!”

“I—I think their numbers have also increased…!”

“F-foul beasts! Where are you?! Show yourself! Come out right now…!”

“What is this forest?!?!”

The more-intense gazes leave the adventurers in shock.

They begin to doubt they’ll reach their destination safely.

Fear and anxiety weigh down on them as the heroic A-Rank adventurers take another step deep into the forest.

“Snork…pheew…snork…pheew…”

The next morning, I’m asleep at the bottom of the stairs in the entranceway, my legs acting as a pillow, crossed under my head.

The cold marble floor feels fantastic on hot days.

When I sleep here, anyone who passes by gives me attention, so it’s a pretty good spot.

Lying here and dozing off all day is another one of my pleasures.

“…You asleep?”

Is that timid voice Zenobia’s?

I sneak a peek and see Zenobia looking left and right, making sure no one’s around.

“…………”

Slowly, she reaches a hand out and touches my head.

I don’t sense any desire to kill, but there is a tiny bit of fear as her hand starts to gently caress my fur.

“Tch…this is…really…”

Looks like Zenobia’s become a slave to the fluff.

Her hand moves from my head down to my flank, innocently petting my soft fur.

Oh, Zenobia, you’re really not honest with yourself. You can pet me anytime.

“Heh-heh-heh…”

Her face scrunches up as she breaks out into a smile.

Dishonest Zenobia is so cute. I really wanna lick her.

If I wake up now, I bet she’ll make a great face, but I’m scared she’ll get mad instead.

I’ll continue pretending to sleep.

Actually, I really am sleepy. I could fall asleep just like this.

I get sleepy when people pet me. It’s just another thing I’ve learned about myself since becoming a dog.

Then I hear footsteps coming from the second floor. Those light footsteps belong to Lady Mary.

“Urk…!”

Zenobia’s shoulders freeze in surprise, and she quickly stands up and leaves.

Boy oh boy, she really needs to be more honest with herself.

Well, she’d never willingly show anyone that side of her anyway. But something tells me I’ll get to see it again.

Hee-hee-hee. She’s slowly becoming more affectionate toward me. She’s stopped trying to kill me, too.

“Routa, Routa, what are you doing? Are you tired? Should we cancel our lunch playtime?”

“Arww. (Oh, sorry. I was off in the clouds.)”

My lady’s sweet voice calls me back from dreamland.

I look up to see her lovely blue eyes. She’s beautiful today as well.

If Lady Mary is here, then that means she’s all done with her morning studies.

Mmm, I don’t feel like I’ve slept at all. Every evening, I’ve been so focused on helping the adventurers that I haven’t really gotten a chance to rest.

“Yaaaaaaaawn……”

I let out a big yawn.

“Hee-hee, oh, Routa.”

Lady Mary giggles.

She’s so cute. What an angel.

“Arwf. (Just give me a minute.)”

“Woof! (All right! We’re here!)”

We break out of the thicket, and the moonlight shines down on us.

We’ve finally arrived at our destination. We are able to exit the forest ahead of the adventurers.

Below us is a stream flowing through a wide riverbed.

It’ll probably take the adventurers another two to three days to get here.

Plenty of time to prepare.

“Squee? (Darling, what in the world do you plan to do here? The remains of our battle are off in that direction.)”

Exactly as she says, the cave we fought in is a little farther north from here.

However, that’s not where I want to execute my plan.

“Mewl. (Hmm. You mentioned you wanted to give the adventurers a treat, but you haven’t yet told us what that treat is.)”

“Woof. (I’m going to prepare it right now. You’re going to help, too.)”

I survey the area for a suitable location.

Somewhere close to the river but not too close. About twenty meters away should do. This place with a bunch of round stones polished by the river should be perfect.

“Woof… (Well, it’s been a while, but…)”

I open my mouth a little and howl.

Magic coalesces in my mouth, and a narrow beam fires. I aim just in front of my feet, firing the beam of light straight down, piercing right through stone, dirt, and bedrock.

“Squee? (…What are you doing, my darling?)”

“Mewl? (Are you looking for earthworms to eat? They’re not very tasty, you know.)”

That’s not it.

I’m not going to eat anything.

Wait, Nahura’s tried earthworms?

“Woof? (All right, you see the mountains near here?)”

We look up over the waterfall and toward what people called the sacred mountains.

“Woof. (If you dig deep enough in an area like this, a hot spring will pop up… Maybe.)”

And with that, I point my snout down in the same place and blast my vomit beam.

I try howling for longer so it will reach deeper.

The beam continues on for as long as I continue to howl. I’m able to dig really deep down.

Apparently, the intensity of my howl does change the beam’s power, and the length of time I howl for changes the range.

I’m really getting the hang of how to use this beam. The key is to feel like you’re vomiting when you fire it. I have to be careful; if I’m not careful, then I actually will throw up.

“Squeak. (The more I watch you, the more I am convinced that’s a messy way to control that power. Then again, it is extremely powerful destructive magic you’re firing.)”

“Woof? (What? So you can’t do this?)”

“Squeak! (D-don’t be ridiculous! I am a dragon. There is magic in this world that I can and cannot control. Extremely destructive magic is easy. But I am not proficient in regulation. It’s strange that you can fire it like that.)”

“Woof. (Oh, I get it. You’re a sore loser.)”

“Squeak! (I am not!)”

Just then, I hear a bubbling coming from the hole I just dug.

“Woof! (Oh, it’s here!)”

“Squea? (What’s here?)”

“Mewl? (That thing you called a hot spring?)”

Len and Nahura peek into the hole.

“Woof! (Ah, don’t, you idiots—!)”

The bubbling sound turns into a low rumble, and a second later, water bursts out of the hole.

“Squeeeeeeee?! (Wh-whaaaaaaaaat?!)”

“Meeeooowww?! (E-eeeeeeeeek?!)”

Len and Nahura are thrown into the air by the waterspout.

They’re not ordinary animals, so I’m not too worried about them, but I run over to the direction they’re thrown in, catching Len in my mouth and Nahura on my back.

“Mew… (Ahh…)”

“Squee… (I’m dizzy…)”

A moment later, spring water falls on us like rain.

“Woof! (That’s hot! —Or not…)”

It’s the perfect tepid temperature.

Just because it’s spring water doesn’t mean it’s going to be boiling hot.

This is great. I had anticipated the hot-spring water mixing with the river water to cool down, so this works out perfectly.

“Woof? (Nahura! Can you cover the hole with a large boulder for me?)”

“M-mewl. (S-sure. Just leave it to me.)”

I look around to see that Nahura has gotten up and buried herself beneath my belly.

She pops her face out from between my legs and floats a boulder buried in the river with her magic.

“Woof? (…Why are you between my legs?)”

“Mewl. (You’re a good rain shield. I absolutely hate getting wet.)”

Oh yeah, she hates baths, too.

I’ll have to force her into the hot spring when it’s done.

She’s starting to smell. Like a damp cloth.

“Mewl? (How’s that?)”

She rests the boulder on top of the hole, and the rush of warm water stops.

“Woof. (It’s great.)”

I use my large beam to open two holes on either side of the boulder. The beam doesn’t crack the stone at all and instead creates two tunnels.

I then jump on top of the boulder and fire a narrower beam than the one before straight down through it.

This hole overlaps perfectly with the hot-spring hole I opened before.

Of course, this means the warm water comes pouring out in three directions.

The left and right holes are bigger, so the water doesn’t shoot out, but the one in the center sprays up into the air with the same energy as before.

“Woof? (Hey, Nahura, can you cover this hole up now? The one in the middle.)”

“Mewl. (Sure, sure. I guess Hecate isn’t the only one who likes to push around cat familiars.)”

Nahura remains under me as she stuffs in a rock that’s roughly the size of the hole with her magic.

This causes the water that was welling out of the top to split left and right.

The water flow isn’t too strong and flows in an arc onto the ground.

“Bark. (All right, now can you cover the left and right holes.)”

Nahura covers the holes with rocks just as before.

“Squee. (Hmm. I have no idea what you’re trying to do, darling.)”

“Bark. (You’ll see.)”

I begin to fiercely dig around the boulder.

“Woof. (There. That’ll do.)”

I’ve dug a donut ring into the riverbed around the boulder.

It’s only about fifty centimeters deep but is quite wide, giving me a lot of space.

“Bark. (Right, then. Please open the left and right holes.)”

“Mewl. (Okaaaay.)”

The stones plop out, and the water flows freely again. It slowly fills up the donut-shaped hole I dug.

There’s still soil left in the hole, which quickly turns the water brown, but that’s fine for now.

“Bark. (That should be full enough. Please plug them again.)”

The water stops, leaving us with a spring that’s an ordinary brown color.

“Woof. (We’ll leave it for today and come back tomorrow when the soil’s settled.)”

“Mrow! (Okay, I’ll set the anchor here, and we can head back!)”

“Squee. (I still have no idea what you’re trying to do, beloved.)”

Len tilts her head, and we teleport back to the mansion with Nahura, who has no idea what the future holds for her.

I wash the mud off my body in the garden’s fountain and shake the water off with all my might.

Then I slip back into bed with Lady Mary, looking completely innocent.

“Hmm……Routa……?”

“Arww. (Yes, I’m here.)”

Phew, that was a close one. But today was another successful “mission complete.”

My lady subconsciously hugs me, and I’m reminded of her softness as I soon fall asleep.

“Mmm, you’re so warm, Routa.”

She wraps her arms around my body, enjoying my coat.

“Arwf! (Oh, Lady Mary! You’re so bold.)”

“Mmm, so fluffy.”

Hee-hee, the fur around my cheek is particularly soft, right? You can pet me more if you’d like.

She buries her face into my white fur and breathes deep, drowning me in affection.

I would not lay a paw on such a beauty. But it doesn’t count if she’s the one who touches me.

As she lies on my belly and rocks her body back and forth, I spot a maid in traditional attire.

It’s Miranda. She’s as neat, tidy, and cute as always.

“It’s time to get up, miss.”

She has approached silently and now calls out to Lady Mary.

“…Aw, time flies when you’re having fun.”

She rubs her face into my chest in protest.

“Very well, my lady. I shall return a little later.”

“But then you’ll be scolded, Miranda. Sorry for being so selfish. I’ll get up.”

Lady Mary is such a good girl. She always puts others before herself.

This no-good mutt sometimes worries that she doesn’t take care of herself because of it.

I’m sure that when we ran away to the lake a while ago, it was because of all the stress that had built up. I need to offer her my glossy, fluffy body for further therapy. As her beloved pet, I want to help my lady de-stress. I’ll never surrender this sovereign duty to Nahura or Len.

Jealousy burns in me for all the small creatures that have stolen my lady’s heart from me.

“Routa, we’ll play again later.”

She seems reluctant to leave as she gets up.

“Woof, woof! (Let me know if you ever you want to skip your studies! You can hop on my back, and we’ll run away!)”

Although, I’ll come back as soon as I’m hungry. Then we can get scolded together.

I can be brave for my lady even if we get scolded! I don’t care if she develops a tiny delinquent streak!

“Squeak… (I know you just want to play, but you always get so bashful around that girl……)”

Ever since Len experienced the petting prowess of Lady Mary, she’s hidden herself deep in my fur and doesn’t come out whenever my lady is around.

She said something about not wanting anyone to touch her except for her husband, even if it’s another female.

“Woof? (What’s thiiiis? Len, are you jealous?)”

“Squeak! (Yes, I am! So pay attention! Pay attention to me more!)”

“Woof! (Wow! So honest! And ouch! That hurts!)”

Stop biting me whenever you can’t think of a comeback.

I guess I am the one who destroyed her last home, but now that she’s taken up residence in my fur, she steals my food and bites me when she gets irrationally jealous. I’m at my wit’s end.

I see Miranda leave the mansion with the shift change, and Toa starts to work.

She’s working hard again today.

She’s carrying the heavy laundry basket as usual. I can see it piled up with white sheets.

She finally gets to the long clothesline and tries as hard as always to stand on her tiptoes and hang up the sheets.

But it doesn’t look like it’s going well. It would help if she had a footstool or something.

“Arwf. (Oh, right, I just remembered.)”

I run over to Toa.

“Woof! Woof! (Toa! Toa!)”

“Eek!”

Oh, whoops. I forgot that barking like that scares the crap out of her.

I thought we had gotten closer since the incident the other day, but it looks like I made her cry again.

“…………”

Toa, whose shoulders are frozen in surprise, turns around.

“…What is it, Routa?”

Oh, she’s not scared?

No, now that I take a closer look, I can see she’s trembling, but she hasn’t gone into a panic like before. She’s being careful not to hurt my feelings.

G-great. So let’s take advantage of this newfound bravery by letting me help you.

I go right up to her and lie on my belly.

“Huh? Routa?”

She tilts her head in confusion, not understanding what I’m trying to suggest.

She stares right at me lying prone.

I don’t know if it’s the way her maid clothes move at this angle, or if her skirt is just short, but when I tilt my head at just the right angle, I can see right up— No, that’s bad!

Shut up, brain!

“Arww. (Come on, Toa. Climb up.)”

If you don’t have a footstool, then you can use me instead!

“…Do you want me to get on?”

“Woof! (Yes! By Jove, I think she’s got it!)”

“You want to help me? But…”

Nooo, no buts.

I paw at her.

“Fine… Thank you.”

She giggles and takes off her shoes.

“Is that okay? I’m not too heavy, am I?”

“Arwf… (Oh-ho, this is quite…)”

The feeling of her soft stockings and light body seems to have awoken a new pleasure in me.

I feel like I’m starting to understand how Christina feels.

“Squee? (What an unsightly expression… Isn’t this one even more of a child than the last female…?)”

That’s not it. Don’t say something so rude about Toa.

It’s fine! I’m not doing anything wrong! Different worlds have different rules!

With me as her footstool, Toa gets the laundry on the line in no time.

“Thanks, Routa.”

“Arwf. (No problem at all. Thank you.)”

I don’t know if I should say you’re welcome or thank you.

“I’m sorry for getting scared that time. You haven’t changed at all from when you were a pup.”

No, I’m sorry I scared you.

Now that I think about it, I do look scary. But I believe that if I can help out like this, then Toa’ll think I’m cute like she used to.

She gives me a little wave, picks up the empty laundry basket, and heads back to the mansion.

“Yaaaaaaaawn… (One job, and I’m already exhausted…)”

Sooo sleepy. I should take a nap so I’m not tired tonight.

Tonight’s the night we finish it!

“Woof, woof. (That’s it, you need to lay the entire thing with stones. Slowly now. If you rush it, you’ll kick up the settled dirt.)”

“Meow. (Okay, leave it to me.)”

Bathed in moonlight, Nahura gets to work with her levitation powers.

With a flick of her paw, stones from the river float up and one by one sink to the bottom of the spring.

The stones have been smoothed round by the river, making them a great floor to sit on when laid out correctly.

The once-warm water in the donut-shaped hole is now freezing, but it’s also beautifully clear after being left alone for a day.

The stones cover the dirt carefully so as not to move the water too much.

Nahura’s magic really is useful. We can do this without much labor or any heavy machinery.

“Mrow? (How does that look?)”

Stones of various sizes lie on one another so there are no gaps. The dirt shouldn’t get kicked up into the water now.

“Bark, bark! (Great! Next is the waterway.)”

I leap over the spring onto the riverside.

I stick the tip of my nose under the water at an angle so there’ll be a slight slope.

“Blurbl! (Little beam!)”

A hole opens from the spring to the river in a flash, causing the water on the edge to cascade out into the river.

A perfect free-flowing hot spring.

The ever-circulating spring will help maintain the temperature, and the overflowing water will be fed back into the river.

“Woof! (Open the gate! Opeeeen!)”

“Mewl. (All right, all right.)”

With a pop, pop, Nahura removes the plugs from the boulder in the middle of the spring, and hot water flows out of the left and right sides.

The arcs of spring water are quite impressive, and now the colder water will soon warm up.

“Awoooo! (All right, then! It’s done!)”

“Mewl! (Congratulations!)”

Nahura gives me soundless applause as I howl with joy.

“Squeak? (So? What is it?)”

Len questions me, stomping on my head.

She’s acting pretty haughty, but she never lifted a paw to help.

“Squea? (It resembles the water fountain back at the mansion… What’s the point of it?)”

“Arwf?! (Huh?! You still don’t know?!)”

You’ve gotta be kidding me.

“Mewl. (I don’t know, either.)”

Yeah, I guess it’s fine if you don’t understand. It would honestly make things harder if you did.

It’s best that you don’t know until you try it yourself.

“Grwl! (My king! I have a report!)”

Garo and a few other Fen Wolves come up to me just as we complete the hot spring.

“Grwl. (The adventurers will be here soon.)”

“Woof? (Ah, they finally made it?)”

“Grwl. (Not a single one of them has been harmed. We eliminated all monsters on the way.)”

“Woof. (Oh, nice work.)”

“Grwl! (I-it is an honor to be praised by you!)”

Garo and the other wolves are so moved they lie on their bellies and tremble.

They’re always so weird about proving their loyalty.

But since Garo and the other wolves don’t want to be equals, I’ll have to reward them for their efforts.

A job well done should be rewarded, after all.

I am just barely able to see my plan through to the end before the adventurers get here.

Thanks to the Fen Wolves’ thorough escort duties, the adventurers are able to have a relaxing trip.

But despite the lack of danger and injuries, walking all the time must still be tiring.

There’s where the hot spring comes in.

There’s nothing better than soaking your tired body in warm water, and eating delicious food should energize their bodies a hundred times over. Their long journey is over, and they can go home feeling refreshed and accomplished.

That’s why I made this plan, “Hot-Spring Vacation! Drip, Drop!”

Huh? What’s going drip, drop, you ask?

Well, that would be the adventurer’s— You know what? Never mind.

“Woof! (Nahura! Bring out the food we collected.)”

“Mewl! (Okay!)”

She activates her teleportation magic.

The basket with little bits of bread, ham, and cheese that I had snuck out of the kitchen at night falls out of her magic circle.

The poor adventurers, who have been eating nothing but those disgusting-looking rations, should have a feast with this.

They’re preserved foods, but old man James made them. Which means they’ll taste heavenly.

I’m sure they’ll be satisfied.

I place the basket next to the hot spring, and now everything is ready.

Now all that’s missing are the guests of honor.

“Woof! (Okay, everyone, hide in the shadows and watch over them!)”

The Fen Wolves disperse, hiding themselves in the shadow of a boulder or the long grass.

“Arwf, arwf? (Are they here yet? Are they here yet?)”

“Nom, nom. (They won’t arrive immediately. Have some patience.)”

“Nibble, nibble, nibble. (Yes, that’s right. Haste makes waste, you know.)”

“Woof! Woof?! (Hey, what are you two eating?!)”

They’re both holding food from the basket.

“Mrow. (It’s just a taste. Just a taste.)”

“Squee. (That’s right. I need to check for poison. You should thank me.)”

“Bark, bark! (No fair! Let me have some!)”

“Grwl… (M-my king. Please be silent…)”

I hear human footsteps coming from the forest as we argue like always.

“Woof! (They’re here! Silence everyone. Munch, munch.)”

“Squeak… (You’re the loudest one here, darling. And I won’t forgive you for stealing my cheese…)”

“Meow… (He took my sausage, too……)”

I only took a little!

Don’t act like I took everything!

I can slowly see the outline of humans coming from deep in the forest.

“Uwah…”

“Urgh…”

The four adventurers emerge from the forest looking absolutely ghastly.

They haven’t been fighting, so their equipment isn’t torn. Only their boots are covered in mud. But they still look like death.

Even zombies have healthier-looking faces than these guys.

I’m not entirely sure if they’re conscious. They look worse than I did when I died of overwork with a zillion bags under my eyes.

“Squee? (Hey, why do they look so tired? All they did was walk, right?)”

“Mewl. (Yeah, maybe it’s because they’re such low-ranking adventurers.)”

“Squee. (Honestly, humans are so weak.)”

“Woof. (Oh well. It’ll all be worth it once they start relaxing.)”

They should have learned along the way that the forest is completely safe.

Now they just have to relax in the hot spring and stuff themselves.

I hold my breath, waiting for the adventurers to see the treat before them.

“Uwah…”

“Urgh…”

The death march comes to an end as the adventurers break free of the deep forest. Before them lies the dried riverbed, bathed in moonlight.

Even though the moon is half-hidden by clouds, the pale light is almost blinding to their eyes, which have become used to the darkness.

Having been through the wringer, the weathered adventurers finally feel their sanity returning.

“…Where is the destination point…?” the captain with the claymore asks the ranger.

“…Just a little farther. We should reach it by sunrise at this rate…,” spits the ranger, exhausted and with drool hanging from his mouth.

The instrument the guild loaned him is reacting very strongly. Their destination must be incredibly close.

The captain glances behind them.

The fatigued priest and steely lancer at the rear have become little more than groaning mannequins.

Their exhaustion is incredibly bad. They don’t know what’s going to happen at the investigation point, either.

It’s too dangerous to go on like this.

“…We should rest here while we can. We’re in no shape to conduct the investigation…”

The mysterious eyes that were following them until this point have gone away.

They should be able to rest for a little while now.

They have no idea what the creatures wanted with them. Maybe they were simply hoping to torment them? They never did get to see what the creatures looked like in the end.

“We don’t need a lookout… There’s no point… Just rest for as long as you like…”

If the creatures were going to kill them, they would have attacked them ages ago. And even if they were attacked, the group no longer has the stamina to fight back.

Recovering strength and energy is their top priority. Even if only a little, they need to be as refreshed as possible before moving on to conduct their investigation.

The whole party collapses by the riverbank. They throw down their things, sit on the ground, and let out sighs of exhaustion.

It’s incredibly improper behavior for A-Rank adventurers, but there’s no one around to point that out.

“Captain… What do you suppose that is…?”

The first one to notice the anomaly is the ranger.

Steam can be seen rising just a short distance from them.

“What is that…?”

It’s hard to get back up again after they just caught a break, but they have to check it out.

The captain heads over to the steam with the rest of the party following behind.

“What in the world…?”

It’s a circular stream. It looks man-made. There’s no way something like this occurred naturally.

The ranger takes off his glove and dips his hand into the water.

“It’s warm. There’s also a faint smell of sulfur. It’s a hot spring.”

“Out here?”

In the middle of the hot spring is a giant boulder, with plenty of warm water flowing out of the central hole.

He’s seen a lot of naturally forming hot springs before. But someone clearly made this one.

“Do you think anyone lives near here?”

“Impossible. I heard this forest is unexplored. The reason we’re even here is because no one lives near where that magical disaster occurred.”

“Then what is this?”

“If you think about it, maybe the things that were watching us this whole time made it?”

“Then our situation really is hopeless…”

This completely changes what they thought about their stalkers simply being strong monsters.

The carefully placed stones. The boulder carved to provide hot water. Now that they look closer, there’s even a waterway dug out to the river to let out cooled water.

This means there are creatures intelligent enough to make something like this deep in the forest.

It wouldn’t just be hopeless, but the worst of the worst situations imaginable.

“C-Captain. Do you see that…?”

The lancer is pointing at a willow basket. It’s full of bread and cheese and other food.

“““Gulp…”””

All of them gulp.

For the past few days, they’ve had nothing to eat but claylike provisions, making this simple basket look like a banquet.

“I’m not hallucinating, right…?”

“Ha-ha-ha-ha… A hot spring and banquet in middle of the forest? What kind of sick joke is this?”

The ranger grasps his cheeks and lets out a dry laugh.

Even if it’s an illusion, they’ve stopped caring. They’re past understanding at this point.

The ranger’s laugh, which is closer to a sob by now, echoes into the forest.

He suddenly stops.

“…Nobody. Move,” he warns.

The others look over to where the ranger is staring.

It’s the unchanging forest thicket.

What could have gotten the ranger so worked up?

Just then, the clouds that were covering the moon shift.

There, reflected in the moonlight, are countless eyes.

“EEK…!”

How long have they been hiding there?!

Sure, they’re tired, but even from this distance, they didn’t sense anything.

Now they understand the strength of the creatures hidden in the woods.

They suddenly have the ominous feeling that a dragon, or some other legendary beast, is staring at them.

Ordinary adventurers wouldn’t have noticed them.

But the guild’s best high-class adventurers can tell the difference in their power.

They cannot win against whatever’s in the brush.

The countless eyes hold no malice. But they are unsettling enough.

“…What is going on…?”

The captain has to swallow his fear to think.

Let’s review the details.

Eyes watching them from the forest and the occasional flash of murderous intent. A hot-spring bath for cleaning the body. And a basket full of food.

What is the meaning behind all this?

“…Oh. I see now…”

The captain comes to a single conclusion.

“I get it. I have it now, you shapeless monsters. I know what you’re after now.”

He glares at the forest as he grits his teeth.

“We’re your meal.”

They prepare their meals by observing their prey, driving them to the edges of fear and exhaustion.

He’s heard of vampires, intelligent monsters that improve the taste of their victim’s blood by instilling them with fear.

The endless observation and hostile aura are all for the purpose of leading them here to be feasted upon.

And the final phase of the plan is to have the adventurers clean themselves in the hot spring and fatten themselves up with the food.

In response to the captain’s conclusion, countless eyes seem to blaze in the darkness.

“Their meal…? Did you say we’re their meal…?”

“Damn it all… We were playing right into their hands the whole time…”

Their bodies are frozen with fear.

Even if they head back now, it’s too late. There’s no way they would be able to return alive now that they know the truth.

The eyes in the thicket are just waiting for them to be done.

To go on is death. To turn back is death. The adventurers shout.

“Who… Who would happily go along with your plan?!”

“Do you think we’re going to just let you eat us…?!”

“We’re proud adventurers, the Swords of Dawn! Not some pigs to be eaten!”

“Let’s go, men! We must complete this investigation no matter what. We’ll go to the magic disaster point and report our findings to the guild! Even if only one of us survives, we shall emerge victorious!”

“““Yeah!”””

The adventurers, now fueled by rage, ignore the hot spring and food and run north for the waterfall.

“““…………”””

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

The adventurers suddenly become enraged and run off.

“Arwf?! (The hot spring! The feast! Aren’t you going in?! Aren’t you going to eat something?!)”

I don’t get it! What was wrong with the gift I put all my effort into?!

If it were me, I’d be over the moon to get in a bath and eat some good food. But it doesn’t seem to appeal to the adventurers at all.

“Squee? (More importantly, beloved, they’re heading straight for the waterfall. Should we just leave them to it?)”

“Arwf? (Huh? The waterfall…? What about it…?)”

I’m so shocked at my gift being ignored that I can’t think about anything else.

What’s wrong with them going there?

“Mrow. (You know. The plan was to show them that there are no dangers in the forest while also slowing them down so that we could disperse the magic around the waterfall. Remember?)”

“……Arwf. (……Ah.)”

“Squeak? (……Don’t tell me you forgot. What did you think we were going to do after this?)”

“A-arwf. (H-ha-ha-ha, whoops… Yeah, I completely forgot.)”

“Mew… (Routa…)”

“Woof! (S-stop it! Don’t look at me like that!)”

I look away from Nahura’s judgmental stare.

“Squeak. (Oh dear. So you’re the type who turns the means into the goal and forgets about the future.)”

Grrr. You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?

But I have no comeback. Our main objective completely left my mind halfway through making the hot spring.

“Bark! (N-no, we still have time!)”

The treat failed, but we can still recover from this.

We just have to get to the waterfall before them and disperse the magic.

“Woof! (Let’s go! We’re going to get there before the adventurers!)”

“Grwl! (Yes, sir! Leave the escort to us! You head there right away, my king!)”

With a low growl, the Fen Wolves disperse.

Nahura and Len get on my back, and I run as fast as I can.

“Squee? (By the way, darling, how do you plan on dispersing the magic?)”

Len’s question forces us to realize one crucial detail.

“Woof? (Huh? Don’t you two know?)”

“Mew. (I don’t.)”

“Squeak. (Neither do I. I know how to use the magic within myself, but I have no idea how to disperse magic I’ve already released.)”

What?!

Shouldn’t that be your field of expertise as fantasy creatures?!

Just do some kind of pow, pow, poof, and it’s gone, right?!

“Squeak. (Weak humans have probably thought about how to use magic in the atmosphere. But dragons with an abundance of magic have no need for such things. We don’t learn what we don’t need to learn. That’s just common sense, isn’t it?)”

“Woof! Woof! (Don’t act so high and mighty! What good is a thousand-year-old spinster?! A dragon who knows nothing is useless!)”

“Squeak! (Wh-what did you say?!)”

“Woof! Woof! (Which reminds me! You were completely useless this time, too! All you did was act arrogant and hang out on my head!)”

“Meow! (Oh, I helped out!)”

“Woof! (Yes you did! You’re a good girl! Garo and others are good wolves! But, Len, you’re a bad girl!)”

A very bad girl! I won’t forgive anyone who’s an even bigger freeloader than I am!

“S-squeak! (Wh-what?! If you’re going to go that far, then just you wait! I’m going to show you how useful I can be!!)”

And with that, Len flies into the air.

With a flash of light, a giant blue dragon appears.

“GROOOOOAR!! (I just need to get there faster than them, right? When I put my mind to it, I can fly faster than the speed of sound!)”

She grabs Nahura and me in her thick front claws.

“Bark! (Hey! Wait! What if the adventurers see you?!)”

Making them believe no monsters live here is a key part of the plan!

“GROOOOAR! (It’s fine! You males shouldn’t split hairs! I just have to fly fast enough that they don’t see me! Let us be off!!)”

“Arwf! (It’s not fine! This isn’t good at all! If you fly faster than the speed of sound, then you’ll have to break the sound barri—)”

We’re suddenly struck with incredible speeds before I can finish.

Or so I think, but it doesn’t happen.

I look down to the dark forest to see it whizzing past, but I don’t feel the wind at all.

“GRRRAR! (Who do you think I am?! I put up a shield before breakfast! At this speed, the darkness will also keep us hidden from the adventurers.)”

“Mew…? (Um, about the adventurers…you know when we just flew up into the air…?)”

I look down to see that the adventurers, smaller than grains of rice, have fallen over on the riverbank.

They remind me of people I’ve seen get knocked over by typhoon winds.

Ohhh, they’re gonna be all beat up… Yikes…

“……GROOOOAR! (……Perfect! That will buy us some more time!)”

“Woof… (This is terrible. They’re definitely going to think there’s something wrong with this forest…)”

Even if we get ahead of them, we have no way to disperse the magic. There’s no way to fix this.

Checkmate. Total checkmate.

The adventurers are going to report everything to the guild. Then the real investigation will begin.

If loads of adventurers come, they’ll find Garo and the other Fen Wolves and spread the word that this forest isn’t safe.

And if loads of adventurers show up, at least one of them is bound to uncover my true identity.

Even the clueless people at the mansion will be swayed if a crowd of people explain it to them.

It’s over! My pet life is over!

I hang limp in Len’s claws as I lose all hope and the energy drains from my body.

Flying at that speed, it’s barely a moment before Len arrives at the waterfall.

She beats her wings a few times to slow down, and we have a smooth landing.

“GRAR? (Darling, we’re here… Hey, what’s the matter, darling?)”

“Arww… (Oh, you know. Just the realization that pet life as I know it is over, and there’s no point in trying anymore…)”

“GROOOAR? (Hmph. What if we explain everything to them? I don’t know much about these humans, but maybe they’ll understand if you talk to them. Or shall I have a word with them?)”

“Bark… (Don’t you remember what happened with Zenobia…? She attacked you before trying to talk to you…)”

I lie down, drained of energy.

“GRRAR? (Would you prefer we simply wait for something to be born of all the magic gathered here? A monster born of our magic would be a very powerful child. Then we can live a long life together as a family… Oh, that actually sounds like a great plan!)”

“Woof! Woof! (No it does not! How is it a solution to give the guild more monsters to hunt down?! Actually, can you please stop trying to force a kid on me?!)”

What kind of messed up life plan ends with my being stuck with the responsibility of fatherhood as a two-month-old puppy?

“Arwf… (Haah, it’s no use…)”

I won’t be able to live at the mansion anymore once the cat’s out of the bag.

Even if my lady and the others try to protect me, the guild will probably send adventurers to kill me.

Not low-level adventurers like this time, or hack adventurers like Zenobia, but a lot of really strong ones.

I’ll have to leave the mansion before it becomes a battleground.

But then where will I go? A weak, city-spoiled child like me can’t survive in the wilderness.

I’m scared of hunting, and I don’t want to eat raw meat. Especially now that I’ve tasted old man James’s cooking. Nothing else can even be considered food!

My life, my perfect doggy life, is over… All that awaits me is death by starvation…

Lady Mary, it looks like this is the end for your Routa.

Please be well…

“Mrow? (Routa? Routa?)”

Nahura pokes my nose with her long tail.

“…Woof. (…What? I’m about to read my last will and testament. Don’t get in the way.)”

“Mewl! (It looks like everything is okay now!)”

“Arwf? (Huh?)”

I get up and look over to where Nahura is pointing.

“Oh my, you guys sure are late.”

Over by the half-destroyed pool near the waterfall stands a witch with a silver staff.

She has silver hair, a wide-brimmed tricornered hat, long ears, and a voluptuous body.

She’s a witch I know very well.

“Woof?! (H-Hecate?! What are you doing here…?!)”

I don’t know if she’s using her levitation magic or something, but she’s standing on top of the water.

“Let’s talk later. I’ve just finished the spell.”

What spell?

As soon as she says that, she stabs her staff into the water. A giant, glowing magic circle causes the water to rise up with the staff in the center. It changes itself into complicated shapes as it expands all the way out to us.

“GRRAAR…?! (Wh-what is this magic circle…?! I’ve never seen such a complicated spell before! I cannot decipher its purpose at all…!)”

Looks like this magic confuses Len, even though she’s lived for so long.

The giant magical circle becomes three-dimensional, and the light gets more intense.

“Woof?! (Is it okay for us to be here?! Isn’t this bad?!)”

“Mew. (Well, Mistress didn’t say anything, so I suppose it’s okay. She probably would have sent us off somewhere if we were in the way.)”

Nahura, who knows Hecate the best, lazily plops down.

Hecate lets go of the staff stuck in the water and begins to chant in a way that sounds like she’s singing.

As if in response to her chant, the shining magic circle covers the whole pool, and its pattern gets even more complicated.

“…Hmm, it might not be quite enough. Routa, over here, please.”

“W-woof! (Whoa, hey! What are you doing?!)”

“Arwwww… (Aaaaahhhh…)”

Whoa. I really sound like an old man.

“Arwf… (But I can’t help it; this is the beeeest…)”

As I sink my humongous body into the hot water, it rises up and spills over the rocky edge.

My fluffy fur spreads out, and the feeling of the hot-spring water seeping into it feels incredibly good.

I look up at the half-moon shaped like a fluffy omelet. The white steam drifts upward, and the water’s surface glistens in the moonlight.

Well, I have to say bathing in a hot spring on a moonlit night sure is fancy.

When I bathe with Lady Mary, she always jumps on me, and I swim around like a steamboat, but tonight is a special treat just for adults.

I can just relax and enjoy the hot spring.

It’s a shame the adventurers went back without trying it. Their loss.

I asked Garo and some of the others if they wanted to join, but she said no and that she was worried about neglecting the protection of the forest for so long because they were escorting the adventurers.

They must have been exhausted, but they ran off gallantly into the forest so quickly that I couldn’t tell.

Hmm, Fen Wolves sure are workaholics. I really am a disgrace to Fen Wolf–kind!

But I don’t care! I’m the king! Who’s gonna say anything?

It’s too bad Garo and the others didn’t want to join, but it’s not like this hot spring is going anywhere. I can just invite them later.

Heh-heh-heh, no one can resist once they find out how good this feels. They won’t get away next time.

“This really is an exquisite bath…”

The person who teleported the adventurers (who were originally supposed to be in the spring right now) to town lets out a big sigh.

Hecate soaks in the waters next to me.

She stretches her arms and back to alleviate stiffness.

Her stark-naked body is a sight to behold. And once again, her cups runneth over. I can’t stress this enough. She truly is blessed.

“Mreooow… (I don’t want any more baaaaaaaaths…),” says Nahura, who has been forced into the bath and now lies exhausted on Hecate’s chest.

Nahura hates baths, so she can’t appreciate how truly wonderful this hot spring is. It’s just so sad.

But that makes me realize something amazing.

“Woof……! (Oh…… They’re floating. Look at them float……!)”

Nahura’s weight causes Hecate’s large breasts to bob up and down.

They’re so big, she could probably balance anything on them.

“Woof… (I could really go for a beer right now…)”

Drinking alcohol after a bath is the best, but drinking while in a piping-hot hot spring is also pretty good.

In the winter, you drink sake, but for summer, you’ve gotta have beer.

“Oh my. I might just have some, actually.”

“Woof?! (Huh? Really?!)”

Hecate waves her index finger around in a circle.

A hole in the air opens up, and a ceramic bottle and a cup fall out.

“This is ale. It’s different from lager because it doesn’t have any hops in it.”

She pours an amber liquid into the cup as she talks.

A nice thin layer of foam rises to the top, and droplets of condensation begin to drip down the side of the cup.

“Arwf…arwf…! (Ohhhh, it’s ice-cold…!)”

“Tee-hee.”

Hecate giggles as I reel in my drool, and she places the almost-overflowing cup against her lips.

“Glug, glug.”

Her slender throat moves seductively as she downs the whole thing, sounding very satisfied as she does.

“Phew… Delicious…”

She licks the foam off her lips and sighs.

That alluring figure—I can’t take it anymore!

“Woof! Woof! (I want some! Gimme! Gimme!)”

I’m a sucker for beer commercials. My current view is so much better than a commercial that my desire to purchase a drink is overwhelming. If this aired on TV, I’d immediately buy an entire crate.

Which reminds me, she probably swiped this beer from the mansion! As a member of the Faulks family, I have a right to drink it!

Gimme! Gimme some beer!

“Hee-hee-hee, do you want to do that again?”

She takes her hand out of the water and is about to pour the drink down her fingertips.

“Woof! Woof! (You’ll get the water dirty if you do that here! And you’re not supposed to get the towel in the water! Hmph!)”

As someone who’s whole body looks like a towel, what am I saying…? This isn’t the time for that sort of critique.

“Arwf? (Huh? That reminds me, where did Len run off to?)”

She normally makes some kind of snide remark from the top of my head right about now. But she doesn’t seem to be there, nor anywhere in my mane.

She’s on my back 24-7, so it’s strange that she’s not there for once.

“Woof! (Hmm, oh well. More importantly, beer! Please give me the glorious beer!)”

I stick my face into the freshly poured cup and gulp the ale down.

“Arwf…! (Oh, oh yeeeesssss…!)”

There’s barely any bitterness, and a carbonated sweet fruitiness runs down my throat.

The flavor is completely different from beer in the other world.

The fizziness isn’t strong, but it has the full-bodied fragrance of squeezed fruit. The aftertaste is like freshly baked bread. Its richness fills my empty belly.

This isn’t a drink you gulp down, but one where you savor the taste on your tongue.

“Woof, woof! (Hmm, not like that’s going to stop me, though!)”

Let’s gulp this down! Everyone has their own way of drinking!

“Oh my, you drink well. How about some snacks?”

“Garwf, garwf. (Oh, so good—ham on bread would go great with this!)”

That sounds so good. So delicious.

With the snacks and ale Hecate is providing, the hot spring is made perfect.

The beer is delicious. The hot spring feels amazing……

Right! This is the paradise we created…!

“Mwa-ha-ha! Oh, darling. If you require someone to pour drinks for you, then just ask me.”

Oh, looks like Len’s finally arrived.

“Woof…? (How do you expect to pour anything with a body like yours…?)”

It’s an impossible task for a dragon or a mouse.

It’ll either be too heavy and she’ll drop it, or she’ll put too much strength into it and break it. Either way, I can only imagine the bottle shattering.

Wait a second… Did she just speak normally…?

I think this over as I turn around and see a completely naked young lady.

“Arwf…? (It can’t be… Is that you, Len?)”

“Indeed.”

She nods. She’s not embarrassed by her naked body at all and is, in fact, standing proud as she pops into the hot spring and snuggles up next to me.

“I realized something. If you are excited by young human women, then I must assume the form of a human.”

Well, Len nodding in her new form sure is something.

Her shoulder-length hair is a luscious black. Her sharp eyes are red like fire. And her skin is as white as snow.

Now that I take a closer look, she has what appear to be horns sticking out from either side of her head. Her nails look sharp, and she has a short, scaly tail coming out from the bottom of her spine.

The finer details are a little strange here and there, but she has transformed herself into a very cute girl.

“This took a lot of work. I really can’t tell the difference between humans. It took a long time to practice getting this body just right.”

Len keeps shooting me seductive glances as she stokes my chin with her slender fingers.

“What do you think? Does it make you want to mate with me right now? Does it make you desire lots of descendants?”

“Arwf. (Nope, not at all.)”

“What?!”

Her eyes widen at my immediate response.

“Wh-why not…?! This is the kind of female you lust after, you pervert! How are you not excited by this form?!”

“Woof! Woof! (Who are you calling a pervert?! Rude! Besides, you look way too young! I’m not a pedophile!)”

Len does look cute, but she also looks like she’s five or six years old.

Plus, she’s completely flat.

More like an infant than a child. I want to dress her up in a smock.

“Wh-what?! But are you not always fawning over the young females in the mansion? The younger the better, right?!”

Afterword

Hello, good evening, and good night. This is Inumajin.

I’m thrilled I get to see you again with the second volume.

Fantastic! The second volume is out! It’s really thanks to everyone who purchased the first book! Thank you so much!! I’m working hard to continue writing the series at this rate, so I hope you’ll enjoy what comes next!

By the way, I’m writing this afterword in January, so it’s freezing cold in Kansai. I’m shivering every single day. It’s too cold to go outside. I’m worried the drains have all frozen. I hope it’s a lot warmer when you buy this book.

Take care not to catch a cold! Not like me! Cough!

And now I have some important news!

The Woof Woof Story manga has just begun!

The Japanese online manga website ComicWalker is releasing a chapter every month online for free, so I hope you’ll check it out.

The artist Koikura kiki is able to show a different fun side to Routa and Lady Mary.

Be prepared for even more food porn than the novel. I drooled so much when I was reading the manga.

Sautéed veal… Trout poêlé… The wild boar covered in a thick layer of cheese… Drool…

I don’t have much space left, so I’ll end with my thanks.

To Kochimo, who has illustrated such beautiful and cute images for the novel. My editor, K, who continues to work with me even now. Koikura kiki, who’s making such a fantastic manga. My senior and rival, Juichi Yasui. All the editors and my designer, proofreader, marketer, all the booksellers. Aaaand YOU!

I owe you all so much! I hope to see you all for the next volume! Later, then!

2018.1 Inumajin