The Plan Formulates

Completely disregarding Barlock's warnings, the mutt Rack once again sneaked out of the tower. Learning from the failed attempt at the kitchen, this time it didn't go for the hefty roasted pig leg but opted for plump and tender chicken and duck. Hiding directly under the kitchen table, it ate its fill and left behind a mess of bones before waddling back home with a bloated belly.

A hideous mutt strutting around the garden naturally attracted attention, and unfortunately for it, the magic apprentice whose finger it had bitten off last time happened to be passing by with his classmates. He immediately recognized the dog that had left a lasting impression on him!

Once bitten, twice shy, several students dared not underestimate this scruffy mutt. They called over a few magic instructors not far away. Rack, still sneering at the bastards, kept his eyes fixed on their hands, hoping to find another finger with a storage ring.

Unfortunately, storage rings were not common items, and only the apprentice who lost his finger had one due to his wealthy family background and being the sole heir. Not finding anything valuable, Rack felt disappointed and turned to leave, completely ignoring them. But then, it met with misfortune!

As a level six magical beast, Frost Wolf, it was difficult for junior and intermediate mages to pose a threat to Rack. However, the instructors summoned by the students happened to be high-level mages, with one middle-aged man pale-faced, seemingly perpetually devoid of smiles, already on the brink of becoming a grand mage. He casually released an earth-based restraining spell, immediately trapping Rack. Despite struggling, it couldn't break free from the earthy yellow glow of the cage.

The mages approached to observe this strange mutt and quickly noticed something unusual. How could an ordinary mutt carry such a faint magical element? A sense of curiosity arose, and they thought about capturing it for experiments. Poor Rack was truly scared now. Biting its tongue, its gray-brown body suddenly swelled like inflating, transforming into a colossal creature the size of a horse, with snow-white fur. In the stunned silence of everyone, it burst through the earth elemental cage and dashed into the bushes. Then, its enormous form suddenly disappeared, reverting back to the shape of a mutt.

The middle-aged mage reacted quickly, immediately releasing a stone spike spell, piercing Rack's hind leg. With a miserable cry, Rack endured the pain and fled, disappearing in a few ups and downs.

The appearance of the strange mutt in the academy caused a stir among the mages, prompting interested parties to leave the magic tower and search for the mysterious creature. The people Barlock encountered on his return were unable to find any traces, and disappointed, they dispersed.

"You, now things have gone bad. You can't stay in the academy anymore." Barlock pointed at the pitiful Rack and sighed, unable to help but bandage its injured leg. It was fortunate that the little fellow was lucky enough not to release magic after biting its tongue. Under the effect of the secret magic, it quickly resumed its mutt form. Otherwise, once it released magic, it would break the concealment spell of the Hebrewton Wolf, and then the Frost Wolf's huge body would be unable to evade the pursuit of the mages.

Deciding where Rack should go, Barlock came to a decision. Tomorrow, when the palace sent a carriage to pick up the little princess for treatment, he would secretly leave the academy with Rack and send it to the arena to be with its kind!

Since obtaining the crucial map of the underground network, Barlock had outlined a rough plan in his mind. He had never thought of leaving his fate in the hands of others. Humans were plotting against him and his people, treating them as mere playthings for gladiatorial combat, disregarding their lives. Barlock wouldn't sit idly by. Even though it might require some sacrifices, and there was a good chance the plan would fail disastrously, he decided to give it a try. Moreover, if the plan succeeded, not only could he lead his people to escape, but he could also create trouble for the Kingdom of Padia. If he could stir up dissatisfaction from the Aderian Empire towards the Kingdom of Padia, that would be even better... harming others and benefiting himself. Barlock wouldn't gain much from doing so, but he would eagerly pursue anything that caused chaos among humans!

The next month would be crucial, as he had many things to do. He needed to discuss the details of the plan with his people, find the underground sewer passages in the arena, and prepare all the necessary supplies...

Finally, Rack quieted down, feeling scared today. Barlock didn't blame it but instead took out a bunch of delicious treats from the ring to comfort it. The carefree fellow quickly cheered up. The two brothers sat by the fireplace in the living room, eating delicious food and drinking fine wine, while also reading shaman scrolls. Without knowing how much time had passed, the sky had completely darkened when Lady Selene finally returned from the library. The two fellows were actually drunk!

Rack was a wolf and not a creature that drank alcohol. It had only taken a few sips from Barlock, but it lay on the carpet, pretending to be a dead dog and unable to get up. Barlock finally realized his weakness. He hadn't expected that a soul renowned on Earth for its tolerance to alcohol would be intoxicated by a bottle of wine here. When Lady Selene stood in front of him, he clearly saw two figures swaying.

"Lady... Lady Selene, I'm... sorry... I didn't know... this... wine... was so strong...!" Then, he slumped down on the carpet and began to snore!

Lady Selene frowned as she picked up the empty wine bottle, then showed a wry smile! A twenty-year-old vintage wine from the Golden Vineyard had been completely drunk by him... Such wine usually needed to be heavily diluted with ordinary wine before being consumed directly. One bottle of this wine could even intoxicate a land dragon.

Although reluctantly, Lady Selene still had to support him back to his room. This guy was really heavy, and Lady Selene was panting by the time she managed to drag him into the room. The close contact with the opposite sex made her feel uncomfortable all over... Lady Selene had a slight obsession with cleanliness, especially disliking contact with men. This was also part of the reason why she hadn't been with Duke Delta for so many years. If it weren't for the conversation with the king, the self-abandonment, and the intention to sacrifice herself to get close to Duke Delta, she wouldn't have brought Barlock back to the room.

Closing the door for Barlock, Lady Selene immediately returned to her own room's bathroom, stripped off her clothes, and rinsed her delicate body with water, as if trying to wash away the dirt. Running her hands over her soft and charming body, she couldn't help but feel a bit distracted, hesitating whether sacrificing herself to get close to Delta was worth it... Her mind wandered, and she occasionally flashed back to the sturdy figure of the orcish boy downstairs and the frequent mentions of terms like "**" and "male pet" in recent days. Her face involuntarily flushed...!

... Divider Line ...

Barlock swore he would never drink that damned wine again; it was practically lethal. Sitting in the carriage now, his head was still throbbing, and Rack, who had been secretly brought out of the academy by him, also looked listless. The two looked at each other with expressions of pain evident in their eyes. Lady Selene looked at them both with a smile on her face; she had mocked them enough in the morning, so there was no need to say anything more now!

The fact that the king allowed Barlock to ride in the royal carriage and even permitted Lady Selene to accompany him did not surprise Barlock; instead, he anticipated the worst. ... Offering too much kindness for no reason might lead to trouble. If his assumptions were correct, Duke Delta might have already approached King Coreck, and perhaps today the king would make a decision on whether Barlock would participate in the arena. Obviously, the king's answer was clear enough!

Passing by the "Lion and Axe" arena, Barlock took advantage of the coachman's inattention to put down Rack from the carriage and let the mutt sneak into the arena through a corner hole. He would come over from the palace after leaving. An ordinary mutt was inconspicuous, and Rack quickly jumped into the arena from the corner hole!

As the carriage entered the palace, Lady Selene, along with Barlock, went to the room where the little princess lived, just like yesterday. Claire hadn't woken up yet, and both the king and queen were present. King Coreck directly said, "Barlock, treat Claire, but don't let her wake up and see you... she's afraid of orcs!"

Barlock smirked slightly, showing a hint of disdain, but he didn't say anything. He nodded, walked to the bedside, and continued to use shamanic power to repair the defect in Claire's spiritual sea. The king didn't want his daughter to have contact with orcs, fearing that they might become friends. Then, if the orcs died in the arena in a few months, the little princess would surely be heartbroken. Instead of that, it was better not to let them meet from the beginning.

This was a common sentiment for a father, and Barlock didn't blame King Coreck, but it was only for this one thing. From another perspective, Coreck's actions amounted to breaking his promise to Barlock, deepening Barlock's understanding of the inferiority of humans.

Of course, this was all speculation for now; the answer would be known in a while!

The little princess was indeed exceptionally talented. After Barlock cleared the black spots in her spiritual sea and sealed the gap with shamanic power, her spiritual sea began to slowly recover. Just one night had passed, and it was already halfway restored. Even if Barlock didn't need to help anymore, she would fully recover on her own in a few months.

Although he had already begun to scheme against her father, King Coreck, in secret, Barlock wasn't so despicable as to manipulate a little girl. He carefully repaired most of the gap in her spiritual sea, then withdrew his spiritual power, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and stood up pale-faced, saying to the king and queen behind him, "The princess's condition is no longer serious, so there's no need for me to continue treatment. In a month, she will be fully recovered on her own. You can even start teaching her magic now!"

The joy on the faces of the queen and Lady Selene was hard to contain. King Coreck just nodded, saying flatly, "I will reward you for everything you've done for me. Follow me; let's talk about something!" Then, he turned and left the room.

Barlock smiled; what he had been waiting for had finally arrived! He slowly followed the king's steps. Lady Selene watched them leave with a complex expression in her eyes, tinged with a hint of worry! This was noticed by Queen Susan, who grabbed her niece's hand and suddenly asked in a low voice, "Selene, you're not really involved with this orcish boy, are you...?"