Irresistible Reward

On their way down to the dungeon for a test.

Yuria and Michail, who were teamed up in pairs, advanced ahead, illuminating the dark dungeon with magic.

Walls covered in moss and showing traces of battles created an eerie feeling.

Though the professor had mentioned that safety officers were positioned throughout the dungeon, the sheer weight and presence of such a place couldn't be easily shrugged off.

Feeling a chill, Yuria wrapped her arms around herself as she ventured deeper.

This test differed from the usual ones, focusing more on practical skills.

Points were scored by placing monster parts like orc ears into orb-shaped artifacts that had been provided in advance. The more monsters, especially higher-grade ones, that were defeated and collected, the higher the score.

Lower-level monsters like skeletons that anyone could hunt were targeted by many students; however, they were not worth many points. So Michail and I were heading deeper into the dungeon to hunt more challenging monsters.

Yuria showed Michail the artifact in her hand, asking,

"Did you make sure to bring the artifact?"

"Yeah, it's safely tucked in my pocket."

Michail nodded.

The orb-shaped artifact played a significant role.

It was also an emergency communication device to call safety officers, not just for scoring.

It had to be kept safe.

Aiming to be at the top of their year, Michail and Yuria descended deeper into the dungeon.

As they descended the stairs that led further down

Michail quietly spoke up.

"Yuria."

"Hm?"

Michail hesitated for a moment.

Pondering over what to say, Michail seemed troubled before opening his mouth.

He had looked unhappy for the last week. Could it be related to that

Yuria felt slightly worried about what Michail might say.

Making the Light' spell they'd been using to illuminate their path even brighter, Michail spoke.

"Actually, I met Ricardo a week ago."

"Huh?"

Yuria stopped in her tracks.

A familiar name came out of Michail's mouth.

A name he never talked about.

A name that he wouldn't dare mention casually at the Royal Academy was now being spoken by Michail himself.

Yuria looked at Michail surprised, but his expression showed no significant change. As Michail nonchalantly continued to descend, Yuria asked again,

"You met Ricardo?"

Michail nodded.

"Yeah, I bumped into him on a morning walk."

"On a walk?"

"Yeah, he was in an alley, causing trouble for some people who live in the slums."

"Alley?"

At the mention of an alley, Yuria stopped moving.

Drip. A drop of water accumulated from the ceiling fell on her face, but Yuria was too lost in thought to be startled.

He said alley, didn't he?'

The alley

Could he be referring to that place where she had almost been dragged away by a vagrant?

A weird thought crossed her mind.

Could Ricardo have been in that alley because of her? It was a ludicrous thought, but

Yuria could feel her heart racing foolishly.

Why am I feeling like this?'

She clutched her chest where her heart was pounding, a dungeon that was usually cool suddenly felt unbearably warm.

It can't be, right?'

Michail broke Yuria's reverie with a deep sigh.

"He's still the same, that guy."

Michail with his look of disgust.

His dislike for Ricardo was palpable.

"Still as brutal and cruel as a mad dog, like he used to be."

"Is that so?"

Michail's words didn't really register.

Her mind was filled with the illusion of maybe'

Despite her aversion to Ricardo

For some reason, her face would flush when she thought of him.

Though she was sure to get angry and say spiteful things the next time they met. The thoughts of him and what had happened were driving her crazy.

Like when Ricardo rescued her in the woods.

-Close your eyes.

Or the help she received on the streets.

-Don't breathe, the air's polluted.

Those moments kept haunting her mind.

Even though she still hated him.

Without reason, he tormented her.

He was always there whenever trouble arose.

He even locked her in the closet and harassed her. But still, she found herself thinking of him.

Michail glanced at Yuria again and said,

"Yuria, your face is red. Are you ill?"

"Ah No! I'm fine."

Yuria fanned her face, trying to cool off the heat.

I must be going crazy'

A brief silence followed.

The uneasy topic of Ricardo blanketed their conversation, both reacting awkwardly.

Then Michail asked her,

"What do you think about Ricardo?"

It was a weird question coming from Michail.

"Me?"

Startled, she looked at Michail, but his earnest eyes stayed put, waiting for an answer.

Yuria spoke to Michail without hesitation.

Although Yuria felt disgusted, she still disliked Ricardo after all. Despite being grateful to him, the resentment from what had happened at the Royal Academy lingered deep within her.

The feeling of being tormented by someone she trusted was indescribable.

With an awkward smile, she said to Michail,

"I hate him so much. More than anyone in the world."

"That's good to hear."

Michail's tense expression relaxed.

They continued walking towards the depths of the dungeon.

Skeletons and ghouls.

They encountered monsters like the undead but were able to dispose of them easily since the monsters were a favorable match for them.

The artifact that kept score began beeping, indicating their points were rising. they had racked up a high score worthy of the top ranks, but it still wasn't enough.

Given Ruin and the crown prince's team was formidable.

Yuria was burning with competitiveness as the team that got first place had wagered a meal at the Royal Academy.

The deeper they descended into the depths, the heavier the air felt against their skin. It was cold and substantial.

The growling cries of monsters echoed in their ears, and the deeper into the depths they went, the bigger the battle scars on the walls appeared.

Deeply gouged walls.

There were also plenty of brown, hardened bloodstains.

Despite having an artifact responsible for their safety, Yuria wrapped her shoulders, unable to shake off the frightful feeling.

But still, the points were accumulating!

At this rate, we'd be first.

She was confident they could win a scholarship from the Royal Academy.

Just as she began to feel pleased at the prospect of a soon-to-be substantial bank account.

"Please save me!"

A man's voice sounded from a corner of the dungeon.

Yuria and Michail stopped hunting monsters and looked towards the source of the sound.

They were in agreement. Let's go and see.

They didn't hesitate to move forward, but Ricardo's words from before flitted through her mind.

-Don't Stick Your Nose Into Other People's Business.

Yuria shook her head to dispel the intrusive thoughts.

Remembering the words of a man who always lied, knowing that keeping such advice in mind would only lead to getting hurt, yet her feet were still frozen in place.

She was anxious. It felt like something was about to happen.

Warnings from Ricardo usually had something to do with frightening events.

"Let's go."

Michail urged Yuria, seeing her hesitation.

"..."

"Yuria?"

"Ah yes!"

Yuria snapped out of her thoughts and advanced towards the direction of the sound. After passing two alleys by the stairs leading further into deeper depths, a man wearing familiar clothes lay collapsed.

In a long black coat.

A man in a white shirt.

There he was, lying on the ground, bleeding.

The ground was riddled with the evidence of a fierce battle, with large and small wounds, and a palm-sized dagger was embedded in his chest.

"Oh?"

That was a familiar outfit.

The same clothes worn by a man she had seen while working with Ruin during a task in the Hamel mountain range.

It was the vestment of a heretic priest.

Yuria's hands trembled.

Not knowing what to do.

Her heart was telling her to hurry and save him.

But her instincts were rejecting him.

The thought that she should not heal this man made her heart race.

The man lying on the ground was gasping in pain and urged them.

"Please save me I can barely breathe"

With a pained groan, the man clutched the dagger in his chest. With sweat pouring down his face, he struggled, and a variety of emotions crossed Yuria's mind.

The thought that she must save him and the thought that she must not paralyzed her.

As she stood there stupidly deliberating, Michail grabbed my shoulders and shook her.

"Yuria! Snap out of it!"

"Huh? Oh"

"What are you doing! Cast a healing spell, quick!"

-Don't Stick Your Nose Into Other People's Business.

The words from that time persistently haunted her.

Normally, she wouldn't have thought twice about healing, but today, Ricardo's voice seemed to echo vividly in her ears.

Yuria said with a trembling voice.

"But he's a heretic."

Michail replied with urgency.

"Even if he's a heretic, we need to save him!"

Standing motionless, unable to do anything, Michail started to support the man and began to sprinkle a potion over him.

The healing potions given out by the Royal Academy was two per person.

Being expensive, it was a potion with no deficiencies for emergency treatment.

Michail was propping up the man.

It looked like he was giving up on the exam and planning to head upstairs.

As he started to lift the man onto his shoulder

A chilling voice reached Michail's ear.

"That's right. You should save him."

-Thump.

The man pulled out the dagger from his own chest and plunged it into Michail's abdomen. Once. Twice. Three times.

Cough. With that sound, Michail's eyes trembled.

The man snatched the potion from Michail's pocket and sprinkled it on his chest wound.

The wound healed.

The torn flesh was rapidly healing due to the potion.

After exhaling a long breath and straightening up, the man, emitting an eerie smile, spoke to the blood-spitting Michail.

"Phew~ I really thought I was a goner. But look at this surviving! I am sincerely grateful, holy ones!"

Screech. Michail dragged his legs, clutching the dagger embedded in his abdomen, and stumbled backward. Trying to avoid it but failing due to the dagger lodged too deeply, Michail finally knelt.

Yuria ran to the collapsed Michail.

"Michail!!"

Michail spoke to Yuria.

"Run Yuria"

Yuria began pouring healing magic into Michail's abdomen. Bright green light engulfed Michail's body, and he exhaled a stabilized breath.

A sigh of relief escaped her, but

"Healer, huh."

The man who had been standing behind her began to extend his hand.

Blood-soaked hands began to block her sight. The engulfing terror made the man's hands seem as large as a giant's, and the thick blood streamed down onto her face.

"Ahah.!"

Terrified, Yuria was frozen, unable to do anything. She just stood there dumbly until the man seized her.

"Stop it!"

Michail shouted.

Drawing his sword, Michail swung it at the heretic.

He struck gracefully, but a dull thud resonated, and Michail slumped forward, head bowed.

"Perfect timing. I was in need of a healer anyway good thing one showed up."

The man looked at her with a sly smile.

"Please don't say no. I'd hate to have to cut off those pretty fingers of yours."

Spitting out his sinister words, the heretic dragged her deeper into the dungeon.

With shaking hands, Yuria smashed the artifact hidden in her bosom.

The orb meant to call the knights.

But,

"Kyaaak!"

On the stairs leading deeper into the depths, gasping knights lay bleeding and collapsed. Beneath the feet of a knight telling them to run was an escape scroll that had been torn and rendered useless.

Yuria's body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

What to do!

What to do!

What to do!?

She felt at a loss.

For a way to escape.

The thought of possibly facing a terrible fate darkened her vision.

"Let go!!"

Yuria struggled.

"Let me goooo!!"

She tried desperately to escape the man's rough grasp, but he violently lifted his hand, threatening Yuria.

"Won't you shut up?"

Whoosh.

As the man's hand was about to strike down on Yuria

"Hey you hopeless fools."

A familiar voice echoed.

The voice that shouldn't be heard in the depths of the dungeon reverberated as if it had been waiting for the right moment.

"Because of you..."

The man was crying.

Like a child who had failed to achieve his dream, he clenched his fists tightly and spoke to us, hidden in the darkness.

"I couldn't take a bath with the lady"

With a whoosh, a red aura spread, and the man's face began to blur.

A man with red hair.

It was Ricardo.

Ricardo looked at us and said,

"I wouldn't have come if not for the reward damn it"

[Rescue Yuria.

Reward: Resistance to Black Magic Lv. 4, Healing Touch (B)]

It was a quest that couldn't be refused.

People's determinations aren't easily broken.

"Bathing!"

"is a must!"

I tried to ignore the quest window that appeared before my eyes.

It was only a week ago that I determined not to assist Michail with his trials anymore. I wanted him to grow actively, both mentally and physically, to give him room to develop.

With the current Michail, it was hopeless to try and see the end of the novel.

I felt that Michail, who talks about justice every day, would learn moderation after going through this incident.

It definitely wasn't because I wanted to bathe with the lady that I gave up. It was just the color of today's underwear that No, that's not it.

I looked at the young lady with anticipation-filled eyes.

The lady in her bathrobe.

The faint sight of her black undergarments seemed tantalizingly mysterious.

The lady said, stretching,

"Let's go!"

Her bosom gathering ferociously.

I thought it was a good decision to give up on the quest.

I gave her an awkward smile and offered her my back.

"Piggyback, please."

While deliberately ignoring the floating blue window.

[Q. Rescue Yuria.

Yuria is exploring "Hamel's Dungeon" for the Royal Academy's final evaluation.

While taking the test, Yuria discovers a man bleeding in a corner of the dungeon.

A man full of wounds and gasping for breath.

Kind-hearted Yuria, unable to just pass by, decides to treat him, and Michail, who is in the same group, agrees to follow her decision.

Unaware that the man is a remnant of the heretics.

Yuria is in danger.

To the heretics who need a healer, Yuria appeared like a jewel, and the remnants of the heretics ambushed her and began to take her to the depths of the dungeon.

Normally, Michail should have been the one to rescue Yuria, but he seems to be lacking both mentally and physically.

(!) Please rescue the endangered Yuria.

Probability of Michail rescuing her without the user's help (70%)

Reward: Resistance to Black Magic LV. 4

Michail: Beginner Aura (C)

Yuria: Affection +40

Failure: Affection of all Royal Academy students except Hanna Histania: -30, Yuria injured, Michail injured

The quest isn't compulsory.]

These quests appear abruptly and without warning, but there's no obligation to undertake them by necessity.

The novel continues to roll along normally.

It's just that my existence has been added.

An obligation would be the real anomaly.

Sometimes, there were penalties like decreased stats or affection, but they weren't significant enough to alter one's life, so it was alright to ignore them.

The quest depended on my choice.

Like Hanna's quest, it had the free range of options to either save someone's life or conversely, to end it.

That was the case now as well.

Resistance to black magic. It was indeed a fine reward, yet not charming enough to break my resolve to not help Michail.

Had it been an increase in my swordsmanship level or an additional skill as a reward, I might have considered setting aside my determination and given it a try, but not for a bath with the lady No, not for the stress of being involved with Michail.

Resistance to black magic would increase over time, and I wasn't inconvenienced in my daily life anyway.

And the penalty for failure was also minor.

Even if the already low affection were to drop further, there wouldn't be a difference. The worst it would get is just worsening expressions or deteriorating to the point of asking about one's parents' well-being.

I wasn't planning on maintaining a long-term relationship.

Nor did I want to.

And the 70% probability couldn't be ignored either.

I believed Michail was entirely capable, even with his dense nature, because his skills were certain.

I trusted them.

However, when the quest window changed

The hope I held began to solidify into disappointment.

"Ugh This is really shitty."

[Yuria's feelings have changed.]

[Michail's feelings have changed.]

Probability of Michail rescuing her without the user's help (70% > 57%)]

[A new quest reward is added.

-Healing Touch (B): You will be able to weakly treat someone with physical constraints using your health as the medium.]

"Ah?"

I huffed as I watched the lady stealthily slipping off her bathrobe. The lady, intent on showing a healthy philosophy that baths should indeed be taken naked, revealed her black bra.

Her atrocious chest.

"Dammit."

I clenched my fist and spoke to the lady.

"Shall we do it another time?"

The lady cried.

***

"Dammit."

In the dark dungeon.

I saw Yuria, terrified, and Michail, unconscious.

A deep sigh escaped from my inner core.

Since becoming a butler, I'd tried not to use foul language, but at the sight of Michail, falling far short of expectations, the itch began in my mouth.

There was hardly any change in the novel.

Encountered a remnant of the heretics.

Treated the heretic.

Got ambushed.

Michail got overwhelmed.

Besides Michail being unconscious, there was nothing different from the scene in the novel.

But why is this still happening?'

I, holding my sword, glared at Michail with annoyance in my eyes.

Why is the one who should be fighting unconscious?'

The heretic before me didn't possess the strength of figures such as Balak and Pascal. To make a comparison, it was like the blue golems that lived in the jungle in a game I often played in a previous life.

Though it may have been overwhelming for Michail

He was definitely capable of handling it.

If there was no surprise or negligence, it would've been an easy enemy to defeat

Could it be

I skeptically reviewed Michail, the knife-wound on his abdomen faintly visible.

Michail's school uniform was drenched in freshly drawn blood, and the smooth skin peeping through his torn clothes hinted at what had happened.

"Hopeless bastard."

This event was meant to be the episode where Michail first commits a murder.

Michail, who would awaken his aura to protect Yuria being dragged away, now seemed like he wouldn't even make it out alive, much less awakened.

Feeling conflicted, I looked at the heretic holding Yuria by the hair.

[Biggney Lv. 34]

[Profession: Apprentice Priest]

[Favorability: -60]

[Preferred topics of conversation: Twisted justice, faith, murder, women, torture, the future of heresy, blood, screams]

[Unfavorite topics of conversation: The Church of the Goddess, love, charity, patience, children, peace]

The heretic gave me a hard stare.

The appearance of an unexpected outsider seemed to irk him, but he quickly managed a grotesque smile to control his expression.

"Who might you be?"

"Your Dad, I came back with the Milk You failed abortion."

"What?"

I was not in good spirits.

The sight of Michail, splendidly defeated, irritated me profoundly. It was more unpleasant than receiving a text message telling me to come into work on the weekend.

I spoke while looking at the heretic's hand gripping Yuria's hair, the heretic oblivious to the preciousness of hair.

The fool didn't know the horrors of hair loss.

"You'd better let go of that hand right now."

"What did you say?"

The heretic clutched Yuria's hair more forcefully, and her delicate scream echoed.

I swung my sword effortlessly.

With the sound of a swish, the heretic's arm was severed. The heretic's eyes shook wildly, and he instantly showed a bewildered expression as he stared in disbelief at his severed limb.

"Aaaargh!! My arm! My arm!!"

The heretic rolled on the ground, clutching where his arm had been severed, writhing in pain.

"That's why I told you to let go."

My words didn't reach the heretic writhing in pain. It was not a pleasant sight; the bleeding heretic and the shocked expression of Yuria made me feel like the villain.

Whatever happened, I just wanted to go home quickly.

I kicked the fallen heretic's abdomen, sending him rolling into a corner with the sound of a thud.

I moved my hand towards my waist to pull out a dagger, but even that was not permitted by me.

"Who are you!"

"You don't need to know."

I stepped over the remaining arm of the heretic and approached Michail.

Sighing came naturally upon seeing Michail, who was leaning against the wall, catching his breath a man lacking willpower. If it were me, I would have tried everything to wake up by now.

To me, Michail still lying unconscious looked utterly pathetic.

I nudged Michail lightly with the tip of my boot.

"Wake up."

"..."

"Wake up, I said."

I really wished he would get up before I got annoyed

The end of the matter had to be handled by Michail himself. If I finished it alone, it would be an episode where Michail gained nothing. I was trying to wake Michail.

I nudged Michail with irritation in my tone.

"Wake up. Are you just going to lie there while Yuria is being dragged away?"

"..."

"Really."

Thwack.

After kicking Michail forcefully, he let out a pained groan and opened his eyes.

"Yuria!"

As soon as he opened his eyes, Michail looked for Yuria. It was impossible not to applaud the pose of the impressive male protagonist.

Michail's eyes took in what had happened so far.

The heretic writhing on the floor with a severed arm, Yuria struggling to catch her breath, and me, looking down at him with an emotionless face.

Michail's eyes trembled with the shock of the rapid events, but I informed him of what he must do now.

-Clang.

I tossed the sword that had fallen from Michail's hand onto the floor.

Michail's sword, battered and stained with wear.

He looked up at me, unable to comprehend the situation, but I ignored him and slowly walked towards the fallen heretic.

There was a red potion on the ground, fallen from Yuria's pocket.

A top-grade potion supplied by the Royal Family.

Part of me wanted to pocket it slyly, but the situation being what it was, I sighed deeply and opened the potion's cap.

I began to sprinkle it over the heretic's severed hand, lying on the ground.

With the hiss, the heretic's severed arm began to heal.

It was a makeshift measure to make him able to fight.

The heretic glared at me.

Looking at me with an expression that couldn't comprehend the turnaround of events.

The notion that the one who severed his arm was now helping him heal was ridiculous even to me.

I addressed him and Michail.

"From now on, I am not going to do anything. Whether you kill that guy or run away, I won't intervene."

"..."

The heretic stared at me.

"Really?"

He was a quick judge of the situation.

I nodded in response.

"But see that man over there?"

I pointed at Michail.

Michail stood there, numbly holding a sword, seemingly half out of his senses.

"That man, you will fight him."

The heretic glared at me as if telling me to speak sense. Fighting Michail in a one-armed state was impossible, he argued.

I offered the heretic a stinging retort to see the reality.

"Then die."

The heretic took the sword.

And asked me again.

"Really if I fight that guy, will you let me go?"

"Of course."

The heretic struggled to hold the sword.

As tainted magical power began to emanate from his body, I stepped aside and helped the fallen Yuria to her feet.

"Are you alright?"

"Mi-Michail"

"Ah It'll be fine. If things get tough, I'll step in."

I glanced over at Michail.

Michail, with trembling eyes, watched the approaching heretic.

I wondered how far this fool would go.

I didn't even expect him to kill the heretic.

Even if he displayed determination, like inflicting permanent damage or crippling him, I'd consider it progress.

After all, this was the guy who had been dragging the lady he liked by her hair; he wouldn't just stand there.

In the novel, Michail killed that man. To rescue Yuria being dragged away, for the first time, he shed blood and acquired a cold-hearted emotion.

Then there was that scene in the novel, where Michail, trembling uncontrollably, held Yuria tightly, assuring her everything was okay. This time, I was curious to see how it would play out.

As the clash of Michail and the heretic's swords chimed, I prepared to leave work.

*** ***

The battle was over.

Naturally, the one who lay on the floor was the heretic.

The heretic had fought remarkably well for a one-handed fight, but even so, it wasn't enough to face Michail, who had exceptional swordfighting talent.

Michail gasped for breath.

Michail, struggling for breath, held his sword to the throat of the heretic collapsed on the floor.

"Don't move."

It was a fearsome warning from Michail.

Michail's hands trembled.

Because he did not know what to do.

How to deal with the heretic who had killed numerous knights and threatened Yuria, he could not come to a decision.

The heretic, looking up at Michail, spoke with a trembling voice.

"Please spare me"

"...."

"Please I beg you to spare my life I'll live right from now on."

"Really?"

Wow

I clapped inside my mind.

Thinking he would let him go here, of all places.

Even if he did nothing and let him go, I would have taken care of it discreetly, but if Michail truly let him go without doing anything, it would be no less than the second coming of Buddha.

I decided to give Michail a little push.

"Come on"

"You label some as killers, bad guys, and yet you'd just let this one go?"

Michail's shoulders twitched.

"Isn't that right, Miss Yuria?"

"Y-Yes?"

Yuria, taken aback, looked at me.

"It would be too unfair to just send him off after he nearly hurt Miss Yuria."

I alternated between sighing and swearing as if watching a national soccer match, tearing apart Michail's actions.

"Come on now."

Yuria looked at me.

With eyes that could not comprehend.

At the same time, she also looked at Michail.

It was surely the same for her.

To take a life.

Who would like to do such a thing?

I hated it too.

But sometimes, in unavoidable situations, one must make bold decisions. That's why we, as swordsmen, learn to wield our swords.

The choice was Michail's to make.

I said one last thing and then shut my mouth tightly.

"You should only meddle so much."

With those final words, Michail swung his sword.

Everything was over.

Michail threw his sword on the ground, gasping for breath, while the heretic exhaled a sigh of relief, having survived.

"I never thought you would actually spare me."

Michail said with mercy in his voice.

"I'll give you one more chance. Don't do bad things ever again"

That idiot.

Are you fooled again?

The heretic, sobbing, spoke to Michail.

"Thank you! I truly thank you!"

As I saw the heretic's quick hand gesture, trying to insert a dagger into Michail's embrace, I swung my sword once more.

With the clash of metal, the breath of the heretic ceased.

A deep sigh escaped me.

I looked down at Michail, who was staring at the heretic with trembling eyes, and brought my fist down on his face.

-Thwump!

"Ugh Idiot."

[The quest has been completed.]

I never wanted to be involved with that again.

***

On the way back to the mansion.

I exited the dungeon quickly, not wanting to get tangled up in any more troublesome matters.

I looked down at my hand.

My right hand, from which the black scar had disappeared.

I wanted to show it off to the lady.

As I trudged down the mountain, a strange sound caught my ear.

-Creak

"Huh?"

A cute puppy hid in the bushes, whimpering in pain.

The puppy, with black fur and round paws, at the same time had paws as large as those of a beast.

Thinking it was a cute creature Miss Olivia would like, I crouched down and beckoned to the puppy.

"Come here."

The puppy hobbled over and rubbed its head against my legs.

"Should I take you with me?"

I carefully reached out my hand.

At the same time, I used the skill I had just acquired.

[Healing Touch is activated.]

-Drip.

Blood dripped down my nose onto the back of my hand.

*** ***

"Growl!"

-Whiiine

"Growl!! Woof! Woof!"

Today, the young lady's room was peaceful as ever.

The young lady seated on the bed was engaged in a stare-down with the puppy.

Asserting her position in the hierarchy, she was sprawled across the bed in a feline pose, facing off with the puppy.

With sharp eyes, she watched the black puppy that was hiding behind me, whimpering and trembling in fear.

In the young lady's battles of will, there was no mercy.

The reason she could reign as a queen within the manipulative and deceitful social circles was precisely because of her prowess in these early confrontations of will.

The young lady always used to say to me,

"Make sure to leave a strong first impression."

If one is remembered as fluffy and soft like cotton candy, it's better to crush their spirit from the get-go to avoid any lingering resentment, which is just easier. That was the sage advice uttered by the young lady as she plucked a chunk of hair from Olivia's head.

The young lady was demonstrating to the dog just what kind of person she was.

The crazy one of the neighborhood no, the one whose screws had come loose.

"Growl! Woof!"

The young lady, speaking in the language of animals, came off as nothing but adorable.

When she first saw the puppy, she didn't seem to care for it, saying that there's nothing cute about a shedding animal while furtively stealing glances and fiddling with her fingers, but being in her service for 13 years, I could identify her lie instantly.

-Bear!

-It's a puppy.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-Not a bear?

-It has four legs, so probably a puppy, dont you think?

-Is that how it is?

The young lady quickly agreed to the idea of raising it as a cockroach vacuum cleaner.

Because a cockroach vacuum cleaner that outdoes even a robot vacuum was necessary for her.

Before welcoming this new family member, the young lady expressed concern to me.

-But what if it takes my job?

-Your job?

-Yeah. I have one, you know.

It was puzzling for me to hear her talk about a job since I thought she was unemployed, but I nodded in agreement with the lady's objective assessment.

-Protecting the house. That's my job, right?

-You've succeeded then. You're employed.

-Of course. Can't live as an unemployed.

I felt like a wicked employer who forgot to pay wages upon realizing that the young lady, whom I thought to be unemployed, actually had a job.

Anyway, the young lady was becoming familiar with the new family. It may have been the traditional way, but sometimes such means are the best.

Even the President of the Dogs had said so.

-It's extremely important to establish a hierarchy between an owner and their dog. You might get bitten if you seem too lenient.

I prayed that the young lady and the puppy would come to a pleasant agreement.

"Rrrrrr"

The young lady, glaring at the dog with eyes that seemed ready to unleash a nyang' punch, made the puppy whimper and press its stubby tail, shorter than a pinky finger, onto the floor.

The puppy resigned itself to the law of the survival of the fittest, much to the young lady's satisfaction.

The young lady proudly squared her shoulders after winning the lengthy fight.

The young lady, confidently presenting her ample chest, made me feel purified, and I was in good spirits.

"Ricardo. I won."

"Well done."

"It was a tough fight. Felt like I was battling a bear."

"It's a puppy."

"..."

The young lady let out a deep sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Although she had been sulky about not being able to bathe, I could tell that her mood had improved with the refreshing fight after a long time.

It looked like she was going to be sulky all day. Thankfully, I was grateful for the dejected puppy sitting on the floor.

I crouched down and stroked the puppy's head, sneakily tossing it some jerky behind the young lady's back.

My mood lifted seeing the puppy wag its plush behind as it moved toward the jerky.

It ate well.

And it seemed to be healing nicely as well.

Though it limped slightly, it was a significant improvement compared to when it couldn't use its hind legs at all.

It could be the dramatic effect on an animal or perhaps my inability to control my strength well.

One thing was certain: the effect was definitely substantial.

Feeling strangely proud yet also filled with melancholy.

My ability, dubbed the Healing Touch,' wasn't something I could use frequently.

It was only possible to use once a month.

Given the strain it put on my body compared to the benefits it provided, the burden was too great.

Intense dizziness and nosebleeds.

Diminished physical stamina.

And the chilling feeling of deteriorating health to top it off.

Not entirely sure, but it was pretty clear that it was not beneficial for my body.

The question arose whether it was worth using my ability on just a mere puppy, but on the other hand, it was somewhat a relief.

Because I learned about the side effects.

Had I recklessly used it on the young lady, I might have collapsed in front of her.

Knowing my personality, I would have pushed past my limits to dedicate all my efforts to the young lady's rehabilitation.

If I had hemorrhaged in front of the young lady while using the ability, she might never allow me to touch her body again.

So, I resolved to use the ability only in moderation for the young lady's recovery and to seal it away.

I felt impatient, but I had to consider my well-being as well.

After deciding to gradually use and then seal away my ability, I looked on with pride as the puppy joyfully gobbled up the jerky.

A pup abandoned by its mother due to a disability.

Even after waiting an hour in the same spot, not so much as a mouse crossed its path, let alone its mother.

Somehow, both the maid and the pet dog were orphans the sense of kinship tugged at my heartstrings.

The young lady reached out her hand to the jerky-eating, sniffling puppy.

"Give."

At the command from the highest-ranking person in the mansion, I grabbed the puppy's side to check its condition.

I had bathed it once, but I meticulously checked for fleas or ticks and, most importantly, determined its gender.

Even for an animal that couldn't speak, the thought of a male dog with male genitalia snuggled in the young lady's arms panting seemed like it would be tossed into the yard. For the dogs sake, this was an issue that had to be addressed specifically.

Beneath the black fur was a clean belly.

A female.

Approved.'

Now that the worry about having to keep it outside was gone, I handed the puppy over to the young lady's arms.

"Heh."

As the fluffy fur touched her embrace, the young lady smiled with maidenly sweetness.

Seeing her innocent smile after such a long time, I too found myself smiling.

It seemed like I made a good decision to bring it home.

The young lady held the puppy tightly in her arms, her eyes firmly indicating she would never let go. I felt a slight pang of jealousy seeing her look at the puppy with such affection.

I worried that I might be pushed down the priority list.

Because women simply cant resist cute things.

With a bitter feeling, I looked at the young lady,

but she said something completely contrary to what I thought.

"From today, your name is Sagol1."

Did I hear that wrong?

I cleaned my ears and focused on the young lady's words again.

"Come on, try saying it. Sagol."

It didn't seem like I misheard.

Carefully, I asked the young lady the origin of the name, hoping it wasn't for the reason I was thinking.

"Lady?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you name it Sagol? Why not something pretty like Elizabeth I or Flower girl?"

The young lady frowned.

"It's ugly."

It seemed I had no talent for naming. Nevertheless, I asked the young lady once more about the origin of the name.

The name Sagol seemed to foretell this creatures future.

"Sagol is a bit inappropriate, isn't it?"

The young lady nodded as if it were obvious.

"Ricardo, you are ill, so we need to make nourishing soup."

Gulp. The young lady swallowed her saliva.

"Excuse me?"

Only now did I, an inadequate servant, understand the young lady's affectionate gaze.

I wanted to applaud the young lady's intention to raise puppies for nourishment, but unfortunately, this fellow was not meant to be food.

A pet dog is family, not provisions.

I calmly explained to the young lady the purpose of the puppy.

"We are not going to eat it."

"Huh?"

"That, it's meant to be for ornamental purposes."

The young lady's eyes turned cold.

"Not going to eat it?"

"No."

"You're not raising it fat to eat it?"

"This is a puppy."

"It really doesn't seem like a puppy to me."

"It is."

The young lady showed me the puppy's bulky forepaws in an attempt to persuade me.

"Look at this, the paws are huge."

"Perhaps it's a breed that grows big."

"Really?"

The paws were indeed big,

as if it could tear apart a person when it grew up.

The black paws with sharply grown claws were impressive, but could it not also be something a puppy could have?

It was an opinion of someone who, in a previous life, had only ever given canned food to stray cats and was an avid fan of animal YouTube channels.

The young lady was convinced. She never raised an animal herself after all.

Although she seemed convinced, she still eyed the puppy suspiciously and said, "You're not a dog, are you?" Yet the puppy just responded with cute whimpering eyes, making a "whine" sound.

"Ugh."

The young lady, her interest faded, put down the puppy.

Her interest waned when she realized it wasnt emergency rations or food.

Brushing off the fur stuck on herself, the young lady suggested a proper name.

"Then how about Sweet and Sour Beef?"

Like owner, like servant, the young lady had a despairing sense of naming.

We looked at the black puppy squatting in the corner and pondered. We were united in finding a name fitting for the villainess Olivia's status.

We concentrated and concentrated.

"How about Maximus."

"No, that's not good."

"Then, Lambxorghini."

"What's that supposed to be?"

"For later when it starts pulling a sled"

"Vetoed."

We brainstormed for about 10 minutes.

Names like Ho-shik, Flounder, and Halibut, which didn't make any sense, were tossed around, but when the young lady mentioned a decent name, the puppy, hiding in the corner, pricked up its ears and looked at us.

"Gomtang2."

Despite being the most ominous name that had come up, the puppy, with a tail as small as a pinky finger, wagged it as if it liked the name.

The young lady and I smiled at each other.

"That seems good."

"Yeah."

The young lady tapped the bed.

"Sagol, come here."

"It's not Sagol, it's Gomtang."

"..."

Whether it's that or this, it seemed similar,

but Gomtang felt a bit more valiant.

The young lady called the puppy's name again, albeit reluctantly.

"Gomtang, come here."

-Goooong!

With a robust cry, Gomtang nestled into the young lady's arms. It seemed to like its name.

I smiled slightly as I watched Gomtang cuddle in the lady's embrace.

"Oh, it's rustic."

Bringing it home was the right decision.

*** ***

"Hey, you dog! That's mine; your foods on the floor!"

The young lady was playing well with Gomtang.

Gomtang, plotting a rebellion to covet each other's snacks, and the young lady, who was giving up a bloody fight, came up onto the bed to steal her snacks. She fiercely cursed while pushing Gomtang's head away who was struggling to take them.

-Gooong!!

"Eek!! Go away!"

-Gooong!!

"Eek!! I said go away! I'll make you into a soybean paste stew!"

Humiliated by the fierce threat, Gomtang, with its short legs, climbed off the bed and buried its face into the food bowl.

Huff Huff The young lady sighed in relief, having defended her snack, and said with trembling eyes as she looked at Gomtang.

"Ricardo. The more I look at it, that doesn't seem to be a puppy."

"It is definitely a puppy."

"Look at that."

Chomp!

The young lady pointed with her finger at Gomtang, avidly crunching its kibble.

"What kind of puppy eats like that!"

"Maybe it could happen. That's discrimination against puppies."

"Really?"

The young lady acquiesced, nodding her head.

"I will make sure it doesnt climb onto the bed again."

"Please do."

The fact was, the young lady didnt care whether it was a bear or something else. She was only upset that it had stolen her snack.

I organized in my head what I needed to teach Gomtang and fed the lady a piece of steak.

"Mmm delicious."

Slowly, the darkness of night was approaching.

A lot had happened. It was a busy day with the arrival of a new family member.

And.

It was the day when I acquired the most needed ability.

I left Gomtang in an empty room and quietly brought up a subject to the young lady.

"Lady."

"Yes?"

"Ta-da!"

I pulled out a small tube of ointment from my pocket.

A cheap ointment commonly available in the market. It was a means to naturally come into contact with the young lady's leg.

Holding the ointment with an awkward smile, I said,

"I have discovered a panacea"

The young lady firmly responded,

"That's part of a pyramid scheme."

The young lady was savvy about the ways of the world.