"From now on, your name will be Dia," William said as he kissed the golden snake that was coiled around his neck.
"Hisssss."
"I'm glad you liked it."
"Hissss."
"Woof!"
"Ruff!"
The two puppies tried to get William's attention by calling out to him.
Currently, the red-headed boy was lying on the bed, while his three little guardians lay beside him. Dia was still coiled around William's neck, like a second slave collar that wouldn't go away.
Dia just received her name from William and was very happy about it. She nuzzled William's cheeks to show that she really liked the name he gave her.
However, the two puppies didn't want to lose out so they whined, while pressing on William's chest like two spoiled children. They wanted their Master to give them names as well.
William chuckled as he patted the two puppies' heads and coaxed them to be patient.
"Okay, I've decided." William grinned as he tickled the baby Husky's chin. "From now on, your name will be Thor."
"Woof!" Thor barked before he started licking William's cheeks. Its body glowed briefly as the lightning bolt pattern on its fur crackled with electricity.
Seeing that his brother and sister had been given names, the little Terrier whined to catch William's attention.
"Don't worry, I'm also thinking of a good name for you," William coaxed the puppy that was throwing a tantrum.
William looked at the adorable Terrier and a playful smile appeared on his face. "Your name will be Ragnar."
"Ruff!" Ragnar joined Thor in licking William's cheeks which made the shepherd giggle.
'I think I understand what being a parent feels like by looking at these three kids,' William thought.
Although he had raised the goats with love and care, the feeling that the three newly born guardians gave him was different. He could sense a very close connection to them. A connection forged by blood that made him feel like he had indeed become a father of three.
After the three had settled down, William introduced them to his Mama Ella.
"Dia, Thor, Ragnar, this is Ella. She's my Mama so that makes her your Grandma," William said.
"Hissss?"
"Wooof?"
"Ruff?"
The three guardians looked at Ella with innocent gazes. The Angorian goat looked back at them and bleated.
"Meeeeeeeh."
"Hissss!"
"Wooof!
"Ruff!"
Ella walked closer and licked Thor's cheeks. After that she licked Ragnar's cheeks and finally, nuzzled Dia's head.
Dia uncoiled herself from William's neck and transferred herself onto Ella's neck.
"Hissss."
"Meeeeeh."
The new "Grandma and Granddaughter" pair chatted with each other, while the two puppies jumped off the bed and acted like spoiled children who wanted to catch their grandparent's attention.
"Meeeeeh."
"Hisssss!"
"Wooof!"
"Ruff!"
Ella played with the kids for a short while before laying beside William's bed.
Oliver had returned to William's shadow as he observed this family scene with an amused expression.
'I guess I need to find another souvenir for Mistress,' Oliver thought as he looked at the golden snake who seemed to be enjoying her quality time with her new grandmother. Originally, he planned to take Dia back to Celine, but since the little guardian was born from William's blood, he thought that it was inappropriate to separate the two of them.
"Ah. I almost forgot. You'll need to form a contract with Dia and make her your animal companion," Oliver said in a serious tone. "Thor and Ragnar are fine since you have already added them to your herd, but Dia is different. She is a snake and you can't add her to your herd no matter how hard you try."
"Why must I make her my animal companion?" William inquired.
"Why are you wearing that collar on your neck?" Oliver asked back.
It was then that William understood Oliver's meaning. The collar on his neck was protecting him from being targeted by those who were thinking of making him a slave.
Dia was a mythical creature.
Although she was still young, it didn't change the fact that she would grow up to be a Winged Serpent in the future. Slavery was not exclusive to humans and other humanoids. Exotic creatures were also being sold in the Black Market and Dia would certainly be a very nice addition to those who had the hobby of collecting rare and exotic creatures that were hard to find in the continent.
"What kind of contract should I make?" William asked. "I'm not familiar with how contracts are made."
"An equal contract," Oliver replied. "This contract gives both parties equal standing. There is no Master and Servant relationship. This is the ideal choice for you and Dia… unless you are a scum who wants to treat Dia as a slave."
"How could I possibly do that?" William snorted. "Dia, come here for a second."
"Hissss?" Dia stopped playing with her brothers and looked up at William in confusion.
"Come. I need to form a contract with you, so you won't get targeted by bad people."
"Hissss?"
Although she was still confused, Dia slithered and climbed up to William's bed. She then crawled up his body then looped around the shepherd's neck like a good girl.
Since William was devoid of magic power, Oliver was the one that facilitated the equal contract between the red-headed boy and the golden snake. Two blue magic circles the size of a basketball ball hovered between William and Dia.
Afterwards, Oliver pricked their bodies using the shadow dagger he conjured to get a drop of their blood.
As the blood entered the magic circles he created, it changed its color and became golden. The two magic circles merged with each other and shot out two beams of golden light that shot towards William's and Dia's bodies.
When the light receded, Oliver returned to William's shadow and announced that the equal contract had succeeded.
With this, another layer of protection had been given to Dia to prevent her from being enslaved by others. As for Thor and Ragnar? They didn't need it because the moment they became part of William's herd, it was similar to having a binding contract.
When William looked at the two puppies, he was surprised to see that both of them were already asleep. They were lying on Ella's tummy and slept peacefully. William could understand that feeling of comfort because he had done the same thing for almost his entire life.
Seeing that her two brothers were sleeping beside their Grandma, Dia decided to join them. She uncoiled herself from William's neck and slithered towards Ella. The golden snake then coiled herself up like a rattlesnake beside her brothers and slept.
William and Ella exchanged a glance. The young boy smiled, and Ella's expression was gentle. Both of them were reminiscing about the days when William was still a baby.
Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door. William stood up from the bed and personally opened it to see who it was.
"Good morning," Est greeted. "You've recovered sooner than expected."
"Good morning," William returned the greeting as he opened the door wide and stepped aside to let his guests come inside the dormitory room. As always, Est had Ian and Isaac accompanying him. However, this time, it was not only the three of them.
Wendy tagged along and she was carrying a picnic basket in her hand.
"I thought that you still might not have recovered and decided to bring you lunch," Wendy said in embarrassment.
William smiled. "Although I can walk and move my body, that doesn't necessarily mean that I can travel far. It's good that you brought me some lunch. I'm feeling very hungry. Thank you, Wendy."
"You're welcome." Wendy gave William a sweet smile as she entered the room.
It didn't take long for the new arrivals to notice the three new creatures inside William's room.
William introduced them as his Guardian Beasts which made Est, Ian, Isaac, and Wendy look at him in a weird manner.
"It's complicated," William scratched his head. Oliver had warned him that he shouldn't tell anyone where Dia, Thor, and Ragnar came from because it might invite unnecessary trouble.
Seeing the shepherd's troubled face, the guests decided not to make it difficult for him.
Wendy's eyes widened as she looked at the three sleeping babies. All of them looked so cute and adorable that it melted her heart.
However, the one that caught most of her attention was the baby Husky, Thor.
If not for the fact that Thor was sleeping peacefully, she would have begged William to let her hug the puppy. The red-headed boy looked at her infatuated gaze and sighed. It was very easy for him to read Wendy's intentions because she was a very straightforward person.
"You can play with him when he wakes up," William said while scratching his cheek. "He's just a newborn so he might get tired easily."
"I'm okay with that!" Wendy replied hurriedly as if she was afraid that William would take back his word.
After getting William's permission, Wendy happily brought out the food that she had taken from the Magic Division Kitchen.
Oliver, who was observing the guests from inside William's shadow, shook his head helplessly.
'This boy really knows how to attract the bees,' Oliver thought. With just a glance, he could tell that the girl named Wendy had feelings for William. As for Est, and Ian, who was looking at the shepherd in a disgruntled manner, Oliver pretended that he didn't see anything.
The Parrot Monkey was not someone who liked to divulge the secrets of others. He believed that since he had this kind of ability, he should also be more responsible when using it.
'It doesn't matter how many girls fall for your charms,' Oliver mused as he closed his eyes to rest. He had already labeled William as the Prince of Darkness. Since that was the case, he only had to wait for a few more years for the prophecy to be fulfilled.