The Marquis’s Dog
“Woooo…ooo…”
It was more of a moan than a bark. I guess it wasn’t a watchdog.
A watchdog would be barking up a storm.
But its moan was very weak and quiet.
I moved slowly as to not frighten the dog. And then observed it.
It a very big dog. About half as tall as me.
Smaller than Grulf, but very big for a dog.
However, it was strangely skinny. I started to feel sorry the more I looked at it.
Just to make sure, I used Magic Search on the dog. There were no traces of magic.
It wasn’t cursed or being controlled.
Of course, if the Sorcerer who did it was more skilled than me, it was possible that I wouldn’t be able to see through it.
But that did not seem very likely.
“Am I just conceited…”
“Wooo…”
I muttered to myself. Then the dog howled suspiciously.
Well, it was almost a groan.
It seemed very scared and weak.
I would not have expected to see such a weakened dog in the garden of a Marquis.
It was very strange.
“…Do you want to eat something?”
I took out a treat from my magic bag and held it in front of the dog.
It was something that I kept as emergency food.
My magic bag was a luxury item. Nothing inside of it affected the other contents.
So I could throw in rat carcasses and food at the same time. It was very convenient.
“Wooo.”
I placed the food in front of the dog. And then moved away. The dog moaned suspiciously for a while.
But it could not beat the feeling of hunger.
The dog sniffed at it a few times before biting into it.
After that, I put a few more treats on the ground. I even added a bowl of water.
The dog sniffed at them and then drank the water and ate the food.
It must have been very hungry and thirsty.
“Eat as much as you like. I have to go now, but no more barking, okay?”
“…”
The dog was silent. But its tail was wagging slowly.
As I searched for the best place to enter the building, the dog started to poke me with its nose.
“What is it?”
“…”
I asked quietly. Then the dog silently walked away.
Then it stopped and looked back at me. It was as if it wanted me to follow.
“…I have no better ideas…okay then…”
I decided to follow the dog.
The dog walked along the side of the building without hesitation.
Then it suddenly stopped, hid in the shadows and looked at me.
I hid in the shadows as well.
Immediately after, a servant passed by.
Apparently, the dog was being careful that we weren’t discovered.
As I followed the dog, we eventually arrived at the back of the house. Here there was a place where the window was broken.
It was the hallway window. In spite of the broken glass, the servant there did not seem to take notice.
He was walking over the broken glass on the ground as if it were nothing.
Even the wind and rain had gotten in. There were twigs and leaves in the hallway.
“The glass has been shattered, but no one cares?”
It was as if that spot alone was from an abandoned house.
The servant passing it just made it even more strange.
The dog jumped in through the broken window.
I followed. The dog kept walking once we were inside.
Perhaps its paws had been cut because there was a little blood dripping.
“Hey, wait. I’ll treat the wounds.”
“…”
I tried, but the dog kept walking on ahead.
It was as if it were saying that there was no time for that.
“But we’re more likely to get caught with a bloody trail.”
I said as I forced the dog to stop. Then I applied medicine to the paws and wrapped them in bandages. That stopped the bleeding.
“We don’t have much time, so this will have to do. I will fix you up properly later.”
“…”
The dog remained quiet but raised its front paw.
That was the only way a dog could communicate silently.
I gently held the offered paw, and the dog’s tail wagged.
We continued to walk while avoiding the servants.
It was as if the dog knew exactly when a servant would pass by.
And so we could hide just in time.
After a while, we stopped in front of a certain room.
It was near the center of the building. It appeared to be a semi-basement.
I asked the dog in a quiet voice,
“Is there something in there?”
“…”
The dog raised its front paw again. I took it and patted the dog’s head.
I decided to enter the room.
Even if it was a trap, I would gain some information.
“…Maybe I really am just being arrogant…”
I wondered to myself.
Normally, bursting into a room all alone like this was not a good idea.
Perhaps fighting devils for 10 years all by myself had given me too much confidence.
But if there was an enemy here that was as strong as the horde of devils, then the royal capital would have already turned into their hell.
And so surely, I would be able to deal with this alone.
Maybe that was still a kind of arrogance.
I would have to ponder this very seriously later.
For now, I would enter the room.
I used Magic Search on the door.
There was lock magic. And it was done by a very advanced Sorcerer.
A palace Sorcerer would need an hour to unlock it.
“They must really want to keep me out.”
Or perhaps they wanted to keep something in.
I used Search to see if there was a trap. And then I listened.
There was no trap. But I did hear something. Something was moving inside.
“…Well, let’s see what it is then.”
I cast an unlocking spell on the door. There was a click, and the door was unlocked.
And then I slowly opened the door.