29 A Well Deserved Rest

Public Release: March 14th, 2019 - 3:30 am EST

I dragged the shitty prince's body to the middle of the room and left it there for a moment. Even if he woke up I'd be able to catch him before he could escape.

RED, how many of the prince's men are left in the castle?

[Solution: There are 46 men belonging to the prince's faction remaining.]

Can you guide me to them?

[Solution: Yes.]

I turned to the Omega Hound and met its eyes. The big old fluff ball started bashing its tail on the floor, cracking and breaking the tile beneath.

"You, stay. I'll be right back," I commanded. I don't know how, but I could tell that the dog understood.

Under RED's guidance, I quickly flicked and piled up the bodies of 46 men in the throne room. I didn't know these men's crimes individually, and my mood was much improved from earlier so they kept their lives. I even hummed the chorus to an old song I remembered from my last life as I worked.

When I finally finished, I dusted off my palms. There was a literal mountain of unconscious bodies piled in the throne room.

I turned to the patient pup.

"You're going to need a name now, I guess," I said as I walked up to it. The hound, seeing me approach, started wagging its tail again and rolled over on its back asking for belly rubs. It was convenient, since I needed to know its gender before giving it an appropriate name.

"You're a lady, huh. Your fur is such a nice dirty gold, let's call you Sandy. Huh, you like that!~"

I started talking to the dog in a 'baby voice' while rubbing her belly. She seemed extremely happy. I might have gotten a bit carried away, though.

"Holy shit!" Cried James and Lily's voice in unison.

I didn't notice them come in. I did get too carried away. I felt a my cheeks heat up a little. It was a tad bit embarrassing.

"Is… Is that an Omega Hound?" Asked Lily in a shaking voice as James carried her over to me. "No, I refuse to be surprised anymore. My heart won't be able to handle it if I keep getting surprised by the things you do, Calliope."

"I didn't know you were a tamer," said James as he dragged a stool over for Lily to sit down on. As the two sat down, a platoon of men entered the room.

"Start binding and dragging the conspirators to the dungeon," commanded Lily.

"Yes, Princess!"

The men just started going about their work. Sandy rolled back over and laid on the floor normally. I used her as a body pillow. Her fur was so soft. It was dirty, but so was I.

I wonder if there are any groomers in the Gransus Capital.

[Solution: There are three groomers operating in the Capital, but it is uncertain if they'd be willing to care for a rank 4 magical beast.]

I'll have to ask Lily if she can pull some weight to help me out with that later. For now I suppose I could wash Sandy in a nearby river or lake.

"So, what happens next?" I asked.

"Next, we fish out any co-conspirators and send a letter to my first and second brother at Fort Clyfton. One of them needs to come back to take charge as the new king," replied Lily.

It had slipped my mind, but Lily's father had just died. Once more I was astounded at her strength. She had surely seen his corpse when James brought her in. This girl was far stronger than I could ever be.

"Until one of them makes it back, either Emerlia or I will have to take over as Regent. I already know, though, that Emerlia wants nothing to do with it. She's always been like that. She'll put her nose in problems but never offer to help fix them."

I could hear the exhaustion in Lily's voice. My own eyes felt like they're ready to drop shut. My body was screaming with aches and pains. James was covered in cuts and bruises, as well. All three of us could use a good bath and a long rest.

"Was Endyrion okay?" I asked.

"That old man? I don't think even you could kill him, Calliope. That bastard's survived through everything life's thrown at him and I imagine he'll continue to do so," said Lily in a bitter tone. I was happy to hear some gumption in her voice.

"How long will it be until your brothers arrive?" I asked.

"The letter itself will take at least 8 days to reach them. Fort Clyfton is a long ways South. Then I'm certain they'll fight with each other over who gets to stay. Neither one of them likes politics all that much. They'd much rather be training and fighting battles than making decrees. That'll take anywhere from a day to two weeks. Then it'll be another 8 days for the trip back here. I'll probably have to 'hold the fort' for a month or two."

"After I rest up tonight, I could deliver that letter for you in a day," I said. "It took me about seven minutes to get from the Calico Dungeon to the Capital at top speed. A little trip would be good for me and I could take Sandy here," I motioned to the dog, "and train her a bit."

For some reason Lily started laughing.

"Seven minutes? You've got to be kidding me…" Said James.

"Oh, that's right, James. We've never told you what Calliope's real level is," said Lily as she tried to wipe away her laughter.

"I already know she's high leveled, but even if she's over level 100 to make that kind of trip in seven minutes…"

"942." I interrupted.

"I thought it was 941…" Interjected Lily.

"I leveled up again tonight."

"You did go through quite an ordeal. Come now, James, pick your jaw up off the floor and help me to my room. I'll have my attendants take over if you help me get that far. Goodnight, Calliope," said Lily with a smile, "And take a bath. You look like a rotten beet with all that blood and grime on you."

"Goodnight, both of you," I replied as I stood up.

I fiddled with the skill for a bit, but I finally figured out how to store Sandy in my Item Pack. Even after RED told me it could be done, it was still surprising to see a four ton dog vanish in front of my eyes.

I fast-walked out of the castle. The fires in the city were almost entirely gone. A few districts were still burning, but I could see men and women working together to stop them. I stumbled over my own feet for a moment. I was very tired.

It took me about a minute to reach my dorm. Thankfully it was untouched from the events of the night. The Heaven's Demon Garb was already transforming itself into a towel as I reached the bath. I used a small bit of mana to heat the water using -Fire Blade-.

The bath felt sublime, but I had to change the water three times to get clean. It's hard living in a world devoid of mirrors. I had RED help by pointing out any spots I missed. Near the end I started dozing off a bit in the tub. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I couldn't manage it.

[Solution: Initiating Manual Override.]

My body felt light. For a moment, I thought it felt like someone was carrying me. It wasn't a bad feeling.

[Solution: Deactivating Manual Override... Goodnight, Calliope.]

For the first time since coming to this world, I had peaceful dreams.