Chapter 10. Reward

My eyes opened.

A white ceiling was all I saw.

Then, I felt a stifling pressure on my body. Looking down, I found myself wrapped in bandages.

An infirmary?

More importantly, I’m alive.

I briefly recalled the last moments.

The mansion under attack.

The fight against the Aura User leading the masked people.

“...It seems you’ve awakened.”

“...Already…?”

And the brawl in the burning mansion.

Right after, I saw the Young Lady and her Bodyguard Knight, and then collapsed.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Eek!”

As I answered and sat up, the woman in a white coat flinched.

“You can’t get up! Absolute rest!”

“I’m pretty tough, I’ll be fine.”

This isn’t something that requires a long rest.

I stretched a bit and looked around.

A pretty nice infirmary.

The presence of what seems to be a Healer in front of me is proof enough.

Next to her…

“Lowell.”

“You’re awake.”

Lowell, his arm bandaged, was there.

“Ah, so it’s over?”

“Yes, thanks to you, we repelled them magnificently.”

He repelled them, as expected.

They seemed to have prepared well, but I really messed things up for them.

Those remnants or whatever the hell they are must be grinding their teeth.

“Where are we?”

“The Void Family’s mansion.”

“...It didn’t burn down?”

“It’s another one of the Head of the Family’s villas.”

“Ah, I see.”

Two mansions besides the Main Estate?

Well, nothing surprises me anymore.

“That on your arm, is it an injury?”

“Yes, it happened while I was moving quickly.”

“Huh.”

That monster actually got injured.

I don’t know, but I'd kind of like to see the opponent's face.

“So, what happened? I think I should know at this point.”

I didn’t ask before, pretending not to care.

But this time, I have to ask.

I don’t care who the thieves are.

But I should be curious about the identities of the robbers who pinpoint locations and launch terrorist attacks, right?

“Just a moment.”

“Oh, yes…!”

Lowell, intending to answer, sent the Healer away.

“Hmm. First of all, they were remnants of the Lugard Kingdom, that much is correct.”

“They’re really remnants? There were a lot of them.”

That whole crowd was remnants?

No way.

How did they even get into the Capital, and where were they living?

With that many people, just providing food, clothing, and shelter would be a huge undertaking.

“...Most of the masked people weren’t remnants, but another organization in a cooperative relationship.”

“A cooperative relationship?”

“Yes, suspected Devil Worshippers.”

“Uh…”

Devil Worshippers?

“...What are they?”

What the hell is that?

Some kind of cult?

“...You don’t know about Devil Worshippers?”

“No.”

“You know devils exist, right?”

“...Those exist? How scary.”

Devils actually exist?

Well… this is a world with magic and Aura, so it seems plausible.

“Where do I even begin explaining this.”

Realizing I knew nothing, Lowell closed his eyes for a moment.

He seemed to be choosing his words.

“You can give me a detailed explanation later, just tell me roughly what kind of bastards they are and why they cooperated.”

“Well, the Devil Worshippers likely reached out first.”

“Why would they reach out to anyone?”

“They want to connect Hell and Earth to summon devils.”

“Uh…”

Aren't they crazy?

Why would they open a Hell Portal to Earth where people are living peacefully?

“Can they even do that?”

“We don’t know, but they’ve been around since ancient times.”

“Damn.”

I’m seeing all sorts of strange people.

“So, where the hell did those guys come from?”

More importantly, how did they get into the mansion in the Capital?

Did they build an apartment complex or something in the Capital?

They couldn't have suddenly descended from the sky or sprung up from the ground.

“They likely dug their way up from underground.”

“...They really sprouted from the ground?”

“Devil Worshippers usually dig Underground Tunnels and live there.”

“In the Kingdom’s Metropolitan Area?”

“Yes.”

“...Can’t you detect them with magic?”

Why even learn magic?

Can’t track, can’t detect.

All it seems to do is continuously shoot fireballs that set mansions ablaze in an instant… well, that’s worth learning.

“They live so deep that ordinary magic can't detect them.”

“Huh? How deep?”

“They live at depths that are difficult to estimate.”

“No… how?”

Even in my past life, digging tunnels and creating underground spaces like that wasn't easy.

How the hell do they manage it?

“They must have had the help of devils.”

“Devils are good at digging?”

“They’ve been trying to connect Hell and Earth since ancient times. No one can match them in that regard.”

“What does Hell have to do with tunnels?”

Does a gate open easily if it's underground?

Seeing my bewildered expression, Lowell added, as if realizing something.

“Well, of course, it's because Hell is deep underground, isn’t it?”

“Huh?”

Wait, wait.

Hell is deep underground?

That's a bit scary.

“I read fairy tales as a child… never mind.”

“Yeah, well, if I grew up in a house where they read fairy tales, I wouldn’t be a Slave Gladiator.”

My parents didn’t even give me basic education.

I’m really lacking in common sense.

“Anyway, that's why Devil Worshippers dig deep tunnels and live there.”

“And this time, they surfaced in the Capital to attack?”

“That’s right.”

Wait….

“Then, were the masked people from before also…?”

“Yes, Devil Worshippers.”

“...Can I ask why they’re coming?”

Why are Devil Worshippers targeting the Void Family?

No, thinking about it, they aren't targeting the family.

To be precise….

“They’re targeting the Young Lady.”

Right, they’re targeting the Young Lady.

“Ah. I understand.”

Just hearing that, I understand the reason, so I didn’t bother asking further.

The Young Lady’s red eyes, occasionally glowing strangely.

Don't Devil Worshippers go crazy over something like that and want to get their hands on it?

So, they would target her.

Well, anyway.

I understand the situation roughly.

The remnants of the fallen Lugard Kingdom wanted to terrorize the Void Family, and the Devil Worshippers wanted to kidnap the Young Lady, so they joined forces, right?

But they ultimately failed miserably.

This is…

“More importantly. You’ve earned merit, so we’ll now give you your reward.”

In the end, it’s a situation where only I, who earned the merit, profit.

“Can you teach me the Secret Technique?”

The reward I want is obviously this.

I was obsessed with merit to learn this.

“Of course. I’ve already received confirmation from the Head of the Family.”

“Already?”

“Given the situation, we’ve already been in contact.”

Right.

His daughter’s mansion was attacked and burned to the ground.

I would have contacted him immediately too.

“Then, shall we go learn it right away?”

Anyway, it's good that I can learn the technique.

Just as I was about to get up…

“…Shouldn’t you rest first?”

“I’m fine.”

“I still need to do some more cleanup, so I need some time.”

“Hmm, alright.”

Can’t do anything about it if that's the case.

I sat back down obediently on the medical bed.

“Oh, and also.”

“Yes?”

“Should I talk to the Young Lady and see if we can improve your treatment? You can’t be a dog forever, can you?”

“Is that possible?”

I feel like the Young Lady will just lie flat on the floor and refuse.

“I’ll try my best to persuade her.”

“If it improves, what do I become?”

“Since you’re an Aura User and you’re learning the Family’s Secret Technique, you’ll naturally become a Knight of the Void Family.”

“Oh…”

I definitely did achieve something incredible.

From a watchdog to a full-fledged Knight of the Void Family.

"Then...."

It’s a chance for a rise in status, so of course I should ask him to do that…

“Um, uhm…”

…I was going to…

But I remember the Young Lady’s red eyes when she was about to leave me as a dog.

Those were the eyes coveted by the damn Devil Worshippers.

There must be a reason for them.

And honestly, if I can learn the technique anyway, is there a reason to be a Knight?

Even now, I eat delicious food and do all the training I need.

No obligations, no responsibilities.

Just lying around in the Courtyard, photosynthesizing, and occasionally sparring with the Young Lady and training.

…Thinking about my Gladiator days, honestly, even this is pretty good.

And since I'm getting the Family’s Esoteric Technique, I don't think I'll be ignored.

I’ve already seen the favorable looks from the Security after fighting the Masked Person.

In that case…

“No, that's alright.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ll just be the dog.”

Might as well be the Young Lady’s dog a bit longer.

“What the…”

“It’s just my feeling.”

“Huh, well, alright.”

Besides, this didn't feel like the last chance.

There will be plenty of other opportunities to Escape my dog status later.

"Take care of yourself."

"Yeah, good luck with the cleanup."

Anyway, after that, I received more treatment.

“Absolutely do not move!”

“Ah, yes. Aura training is okay, right?”

“No!!”

The overzealous Healer was a bit tiring.

But still, my body got better and better each day.

“This is the first time I’ve handled such precious herbs…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes…”

It was thanks to the good medicine from the Void Family.

I heard they were ridiculously expensive, they could have just given me the money instead.

“Uh… the wound is already…”

“My recovery is just a bit fast.”

Anyway.

Thanks to the meticulous treatment, it synergized with my already good recovery ability, and my wounds started healing quickly.

The flesh where I was cut closed up, and the holes from the stab wounds were filled.

As time passed…

By the time the wounds turned into scars and the Healer’s fussing subsided…

“It’s finished! You’re all healed!”

“Phew, finally?”

Finally, I received the declaration of full recovery.

…By my standards, I was healed more than three days ago.

They really do fuss too much.

Anyway.

After finally getting confirmation that I could resume my normal life, I was able to leave the dreaded medical room.

“Doggy!!”

The first one to find me after I left the medical room was the Young Lady.

She was smiling brightly, as if something was very pleasing.

“Long time no see!”

“Yes, long time no see, Young Lady.”

I heard that after the incident…

She didn’t come straight to this Mansion, but stayed at the royal palace for a while.

It's definitely safer there than here.

After staying there as a guest, she returned to the Mansion as soon as Lowell’s arm injury healed.

“House! I made a new House!”

“Oh, a House?”

“Yes! Since you did well, it’s a good one!”

A good one, you say?

I hadn’t heard any hints beforehand, so I was very excited.

Where will I be staying now?

Since she’s still calling me 'doggy' and taking me outside, the new House must be in the Courtyard.

Did she build a cabin or something?

Considering the size of the Mansion, it's entirely possible, I thought as we arrived at the Garden.

“...Is this my House?”

“Yes!”

Looking at the bigger and wider Doghouse, I let out a hollow laugh.

Well, I guess the treatment did improve?

"I will enjoy my stay."

"Yes! I put a fluffy Cushion inside! And Snacks too!"

"Oh, what an honor."

Well, I did reject Lowell’s offer.

I should humbly accept this.

Anyway.

Since I got a new House, I looked around for a bit.

First, I pressed the fluffy Cushion with satisfaction.

I ate one of the cookies left as a Snack and looked around inside.

The ceiling is higher now.

I can even stand up inside.

There were also items that looked like dog toys.

And also…

"Hmm."

The dog Leash I lost when the Mansion was attacked was placed neatly on one side, looking brand new.

Do I really have to wear this? At my age?

I sighed for a moment and tried it on.

But…

“Huh?”

There’s no difference in Aura manipulation.

Ah, so it's not a Collar, it's a real Leash?

…Should I be relieved?

Or should I lament the fact that I'm wearing a Leash inside a Doghouse of my own volition?

"...What are you doing there?”

“Ah.”

As I was spacing out inside, lost in thought, I felt a presence behind me.

“Lowell?”

“I put in a new one in case the Young Lady felt bad… but it seems it suits your taste.”

“No, you know that’s not it.”

“Enough, let’s start right away today.”

“What… Oh.”

Right, I forgot.

The most important thing, too.

“Is the Young Lady’s Lesson time the same as before?”

“Yes, there's enough time for Training before she returns.”

“Good.”

The Young Lady told me to stay put…

But even a dog has its own life, doesn’t it?

“Let’s go right now.”

The moment I've been waiting for.

Time to receive my real reward.