Chapter 44. Trainer

I brought Sienna, the new trainer, to the inner part of the garden.

Lowell had vanished again, so it seemed like showing Sienna around was my job.

“Oh? There are two doghouses? Do you raise other animals in the mansion?”

“Yes, I raise one more dog.”

“Where is it? Judging by the size of the house, it must be quite a large dog.”

“That’s me.”

“Huh? Uh….”

Sienna, who had been looking around the doghouses for a moment, finally looked at me.

“You’re joking like before, right?”

“No. This really is my house.”

I said, pointing inside the doghouse.

Sure enough, it was filled with things a person would use, rather than a dog.

“Th-then…um. Can I ask why you’re living here?”

“Because I’m a slave.”

“Oh.”

Her eyes widened at the word 'slave'.

Then she examined my attire.

“Um, hmm….”

She seemed confused, taking in the luxurious clothes I had changed into this morning and my hair, which had been styled because the maids had caught me lying down earlier.

“Uh, why…why?”

“My Young Lady is…unique.”

“I see….”

Right, *that’s* the typical reaction.

It was the nobles who had been taking it for granted all along who were strange.

“Anyway, I'll show you Whitey.”

Well, whatever.

Now that the trainer was here, I had to bring out the student.

I entered my doghouse, picked up Whitey, who was sleeping on the cushion, and came out.

“Oh, he was sleeping inside there?”

“He always sleeps there.”

*This* is why I’m running out of space, dammit.

The small rewards I’ve been getting since joining the Investigation Team are making the already cramped space even tighter.

“Hmm, it seems he trusts you a lot….”

“Here, hold him.”

“Okay….”

As expected of a trainer.

Sienna carefully held Whitey and examined him closely.

After observing him for a while….

“Mmm! He's so cute!”

She gave her assessment.

“...And?”

“Yes? Um… He’s in good health? Well taken care of. His fur is glossy, too.”

…Well, the maids take care of him every day.

They’re all so relaxed that they groom him whenever they pass by.

“What kind of training are you planning…?”

“Hmm… Since he's still young, just housebreaking and simple obedience training, but I need to assess his temperament first.”

“Temperament?”

“Yes, even wolves are all different, so I figure out what kind of personality he has and then train him accordingly.”

Oh… Quite systematic.

“Using snacks is effective, but he’s still young so…”

Just like that, I was listening to her explain what kind of training she would do.

“Oh, I think he's waking up?”

Whitey, who had been dozing in Sienna's arms, opened his eyes.

“We must have been too loud.”

*Blink, blink.*

Whitey blinked a few times, as if blinded by the light.

He opened his eyes properly and stared at Sienna.

And then.

*Whine…!*

He wriggled in Sienna’s arms and reached out to me.

“He’s so cute!”

Hmm, it seems he's still shy around strangers.

Sienna handed Whitey over to me as he wriggled, and I took him and placed him on the ground.

“D-do you not usually hold him?”

“Why would I?”

I sleep with him, sure.

But I don't need to carry him around uncomfortably.

*Tug, tug.*

As soon as I put him down, Whitey started biting at my pant leg again.

“That seems like a complaint….”

“He’s teething.”

I understand that his gums are itchy, but he bites everything.

Actually, that's one of the reasons I called Sienna.

“Please train him not to do this.”

“Oh, yes… By the way, what’s your relationship with Whitey? You seem very close.”

Sienna looked back and forth between Whitey and me.

Then she looked back and forth between the two doghouses placed side by side.

“I picked him up.”

“Excuse me? Where?”

“I brought him back from a walk in the Kain Mountains.”

“Ah, a walk in the Kain Mountains…”

Even I didn’t know what I was talking about.

My situation is too complicated to explain easily.

“Ah, yes… It seems like there’s a complicated story behind it….”

Thankfully, Sienna didn’t ask any more questions.

Anyway, after that.

“Come here!”

Sienna, seemingly ready to begin the actual training, started playing with Whitey.

“Do you have any discs?”

“They’re inside.”

“Oh, it looks a little worn? Do you usually play with him using this…?”

“...I used it during my training.”

“Excuse me?”

“Please don’t ask.”

“Oh, yes….”

Well, there were a few awkward situations.

But Sienna, who had been staying in the courtyard all morning observing Whitey, finally…

“Hmm, he’s playful and well-behaved!”

…Seemed to come to a conclusion, dusting off her backside as she got up.

“I think we can try some simple training since it’s the first day.”

“Yes, please.”

It seems like the training is about to begin.

Wait, here?

It seemed like Whitey's doghouse and mine being next to each other meant I was unintentionally going to witness all of his training.

“Oh, right. What does Whitey usually eat?”

“He eats the meat that comes from this mansion.”

Originally, he drank warmed milk.

Now that he has teeth, they started giving him meat.

“Hmm, what kind?”

“See for yourself. It's almost lunchtime.”

Sienna played with Whitey all morning, so it was now lunchtime.

So, it was time to eat….

“Ah, here it comes.”

I saw the maids coming from over there.

“Rain, here's your lunch.”

“Thank you.”

I received a tray with four well-cooked steaks, soup, and bread.

Whitey received a bowl of finely minced raw meat.

And….

“I'll take the Trainer separately.”

Since Sienna was a tutor invited by Lowell, they seemed to have prepared a separate dining area for her, but…

“Wow… Ah, no, I’ll eat here too.”

Sienna, admiring our meal, said so.

“I need to get close to Whitey first. Raising closeness is important with wolves.”

“I see.”

“Yes, but Spiritual Beings are better at recognizing those close to them, so it's easier.”

Saying so, Sienna looked at Whitey, who began to devour the minced meat ravenously.

…Did she know he was a Spiritual Being?

Well, Lowell wouldn’t have just brought her here otherwise.

The fact that the Void Family hired her was proof that she was that skilled and trustworthy.

I wonder what her hometown was like.

At first, I didn't notice because of her flamboyant appearance, but watching her move, I could see traces of training.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, nothing. What weapons do you use?”

Since I happened to meet Sienna's gaze, I asked.

It should be okay to ask about her main weapon, right?

In this world, it's like asking about a hobby or special skill.

“Huh? Uh… I, I use axes.”

“Aha.”

“I use throwing axes that I *whoosh, whoosh* throw and a crossbow.”

Saying so, Sienna swung her arms, mimicking throwing an axe.

“You hunt with those?”

“Yes, yes. In my hometown, we usually have to hunt with wolves.”

Hmm, well.

The North is supposed to be barren land, so their reliance on hunting would be high.

Farming wouldn’t work well there, to begin with.

“What do you usually hunt? Are there a lot of monsters?”

I became a little interested in the North.

Hunting in the forest with wolves.

The picture was better than I expected.

I wonder if there are mercenaries there? I'm curious about what they’re like.

“Well, other things are fine, but there are some trolls.”

“Ah, trolls?”

“Yes, they live in the mountains and often come down to prey on livestock.”

That would be really troublesome.

Trolls are strong monsters that even a decent Aura User would struggle with; it would take a group of Silver Rank mercenaries to deal with them.

“How do you usually hunt them?”

“Hmm, the village elders go, or I take my friends and kill them.”

“…Is that so?”

I subtly glanced at Sienna.

Strong enough to hunt trolls?

Were these friends actual people, or trained animals like wolves that she commanded?

I suddenly became very interested.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that again?”

“Oh, my apologies. Please eat.”

Well, she’s not *my* trainer, she's Whitey’s.

I turned off my interest.

It’s not like I was short of sparring partners these days.

Since I have to go back to the Kain Mountains as soon as my break is over, I just need to focus on resting.

And so.

“Whitey, come here!”

Even after lunch, Sienna continued to play with and lightly train Whitey throughout the afternoon.

I wondered when she was going back, but she was still in the garden with Whitey late into the evening.

“…When are you going home?”

Since Whitey now looked tired, I asked, and Sienna tilted her head.

“Me? I'm not going home?”

“Huh?”

“Room and board are provided!”

Saying so, she pointed at the mansion, meaning she was staying there.

…She’ll be in the garden from morning again tomorrow.

More than that, if she’s staying at the mansion, Lowell is really taking this seriously.

"Well, I'll be going now."

Anyway, Sienna finally left when night fell.

And the next day.

“Good morning!”

As I expected, Sienna came to the garden from early morning.

“Hmm? Whitey’s still sleeping? Does he sleep a lot?”

“Yeah, he sleeps quite a bit.”

“He must be sleepy because he’s still a pup."

Sienna, examining the sleeping Whitey, looked troubled.

“Hmm, I don’t want to wake him.”

Then she turned her gaze to me, lying comfortably next to Whitey.

“I saw you seemed interested yesterday, do you want to train together?”

“What kind of training…?”

“I got permission from Lowell to use the training grounds! I don’t want my skills to get rusty.”

I thought it might be training like Whitey’s, but she meant actual training?

It was a bit of a sudden suggestion, but….

“Sure.”

I wasn’t the type to refuse a sparring offer.

I quickly got up.