06: Real Serious Business! …Or So I Thought, but That Would Never Happen!

“Arwf? (Okay, what game should we play tonight?) ”

Even slipping out of the young lady’s bed and going out to play has become part of my daily routine. It does mean I’ve been sleeping until after the sun comes up, but staying out late is too much fun for me to care.

Why not go hang out at the elves’ village? I promised I’d visit them once I lost weight. It’s just that if I went to them, they’d spoil me to no end. I already live at the peak of laziness, and they’d try to entice me to fall even further. And that’s scary, because I probably would never be able to turn back. The next thing I know, I’d probably find myself worshipped as the guardian deity of their village.

I don’t want my life to be chained down to anything, so I’ll pass on accumulating faith like that or reigning as a king, thank you. Being kept as a pet is perfect for me, as expected.

“Squeak? (Why not go and visit Shiro and Kuro?) ”

“Mew! (They were both so cute!) ”

Len’s and Nahura’s cheeks redden when they recall the little cries the baby wolves were making.

They’re right. Maybe it would be nice to go for a visit. I’d hesitate to get in the way of Garo raising them, but a little bit of looking at them shouldn’t be a big deal.

“Arwf, arwf. (Actually, I don’t know where Garo and the others live.) ”

They always show up right away when I call for them, so I’ve never gone to see them myself. My arrival at the Fen Wolves’ training ground was a coincidence, so maybe they have dens nearby?

“Squeak. (The night is young. Why not take a walk in the meantime while we search?) ”

“Arwf. (Sure, that works.) ”

We walk randomly through the woods, searching for Garo. Well, I’m the only one walking and searching, anyway. Len and Nahura are just riding on my back, relaxing.

“Arwf, arwf? (Gah. I keep saying this, but why don’t you two walk by yourselves?) ”

“Squeak? (I keep saying this, but why are you dissatisfied with two beautiful women riding on you?) ”

“Mew. (Exactly. If this form isn’t to your liking, I can change into a human if you want.) ”

“Arwf. (Please, no. I’ll pass out.) ”

No matter how cute the end product is, I don’t want to see the horror show that is her transformation. Also, if she changed into a person, she’d be that much heavier. At least stay that small size.

From time to time I stop and sniff around, searching for Garo’s scent. I thought I’d find her easily using my sense of smell, but it’s not going so well. How come? I can find the young lady’s floral scent immediately.

“Squeak. (Hmm. It appears my nose is having trouble as well. It was never as good as yours, but it feels as though a strange haze is covering everything.) ”

Len seems to be experiencing the same thing. Although I don’t get what she means about the haze and stuff.

Well, it’s probably just that I can’t tell Garo’s scent apart from all the other scents in the forest. I might be picking up on it but lack the talent to discern it.

It’s great that my Fenrir body is so awesome, but it’s still only me on the inside, so I’m clearly not able to master those skills. Garo and the other Fen Wolves have much better noses and ears, too. Woe is me—does the title of King of the Fen Wolves mean nothing?

Hey, that’s good. Real good. Accept that it means nothing. Let’s just abandon the rulership of the Fen Wolves. I’d like to be friends with Garo and the others, but I don’t want to be their king. Why won’t anyone understand my delicate dog’s heart?

“Squeak. (Beloved, your mane seems to be somewhat agitated. Is something the matter?) ”

“Arwf? (My mane?) ”

I only notice it after Len says something. My neck feels weirdly itchy for some reason, and then I realize the hairs in my mane are standing on end.

“Arwf? (What’s up with that? I’m feeling it from the direction of the mansion.) ”

I turn back the way we came, and the nervous itch intensifies.

“Arwf. (Well, we can’t find Garo, so let’s go home for today.) ”

This itchiness is giving me a bad feeling. Is this what they call a premonition?

“Squeak. (If you say so, I wouldn’t mind.) ”

“Mew. (It’s too bad, but we can see them anytime we want.) ”

I turn on my heel and return the way I came.

And then a figure falls over, as if to block my passage.

“Arwf?! (Whoa?! That scared me!) ”

She came wobbling out of the brush—it’s Ururu, her hair loose.

“Arwf, arwf?! (H-hey, what’s wrong?! Are you all right?!) ”

She must have tripped and fallen several times, because her elbows and knees are scraped and she’s covered in dirt. We have to get her in the bath and heal her.

“Arwf. (Which way was the village again? Or would the mansion be closer to here? Anyway, get on my back. We’ll patch you up at the mansion.) ”

Oh, and once we get to the mansion, please don’t call me King or anything.

“K-King…”

Yes, that . Don’t do that.

“Save us, King Routa…!” shouts Ururu in tears, grabbing a clump of my fur with a trembling hand. “My sisters… Eruru… Oruru… Everyone…! Please, King Routa! Please save them! If there’s something I can do… I’ll do anything!”

Now’s clearly not the time to say, “Hmm, did you say ‘anything’?”

Judging from Ururu’s wounds, she must have run here in considerable haste. I don’t know what happened, but we should probably go save them now. Garo and the other Fen Wolves are in the forest, too. By the time we get there, the others should already have arrived.

“Arwf. (All right. Should we go to the village then?) ”

Shaking, Ururu nods and climbs on me. I listen to her directions and run toward the elves’ village.

“Woof, woof. (Anyway, Ururu, what happened?) ”

“I don’t know… Eruru disappeared, and then when we found her, she bit my sisters… And then my sisters started acting weird…”

They got bitten and started acting weird? Kind of sounds like that general of the Demon Lord the young lady taught me about from the book.

“Arwf, arwf. (What was her name? Panna Cotta?) ”

“Squeak. (Carmilla—it was Carmilla. Where did you even get that name? It doesn’t even sound like it,) ” offers Len, exasperated. “Squeak. (But as you say, infecting others with one’s own blood to increase one’s followers is a trait of immortal monsters such as vampires and corpse-eaters.) ”

“Arwf, arwf. (Mm-hmm.) ”

“Squeak, squeak. (But if this one is able to turn a race with very high magic resistance like elves, they must be a very powerful vampire. The kind spoken of in legends. Your prediction may turn out to be correct.) ”

It was less a prediction and more you literally just explaining everything, but whatever.

As I continue to run, I eventually see smoke rising in front of us. However, it’s not the kind of thin billowing that comes from cooking—it’s black smoke, from things being on fire.

“Woof, woof! (Is everyone safe?!) ”

I run to the village, and there I find a hellscape of pandemonium.

Elves, running around with bright-red bloodshot eyes, pouncing on fleeing elves, digging their fangs into their necks. And then those bitten elves attacking other elves in an endless chain.

The elves’ village didn’t have that many people to begin with, so it probably won’t take much time for everyone here to become a vampire.

“Woof, woof! (How do we fix it?! Isn’t there any way to turn them back to normal?!) ”

“Squeak! (There is!) ”

There is?! That’s way too convenient. I’m going to start calling you Blue-emon.

“Squeak, squee-squeak. (It would appear as though they’ve only lost their reason and are raging about. They’ve only recently been infected. If we destroy the vampire at its source, the spell embedded in their blood will dissolve and they’ll eventually return to normal.) ”

Then you mean they’ll be like this until we do that? If the elves turn and go for the mansion where the young lady and the others live, things will get bad.

“Squeak! (Oh, it’s a simple matter to prevent the infection from spreading!) ”

“Arwf? (How do we do that?) ”

“Squeak! (We knock them all unconscious!) ”

Len climbs off me and cancels her tail’s mouse-ification.

Her dragon’s tail undulates, hard as steel, and with a crack it slams into the elves nearby.

Wow. I never knew elves could fly.

The knocked-away elves drop to the ground, eyes rolled back in their heads.

“A-arwf… (Wh-whoa…) ”

No mercy at all.

“Squeak! (Mm. Excellence from me yet again! I held back the perfect amount.) ”

This is what you call holding back?

Actually, if Len seriously swung her tail, she could probably smash the entire village to smithereens. In that sense, I guess she certainly did hold back.

I’d never want to be on the receiving end of that, though.

“……!”

And look. Ururu is so shaken she can’t even react. She looks like she’s dazed. Is she really all right?

“Squeak. (Good. Let’s keep this going!) ”

Len’s tail snaps and cracks as it whips about, slithering through the village like a serpent, gently slamming into the necks of the elves and knocking them out. Gently, I say—but gently by Len’s standards, it must not be forgotten.

Boy, they’re all going to have some crazy whiplash after we take out the root cause and get them back to normal. Forgive us—it’s an emergency. A thousand pardons.

Still, Len is being very skillful in moving her tail around this cramped village. It’s almost like it has a mind of its own as it neck chops the elves.

“Mew. (Lady Len, you don’t look it, but you have a lot of subtlety.) ”

“Squeak? (What do you mean, I don’t look it? I’ve always been subtle. Wait, have I not?) ”

“Arwf. (No, you definitely look the part. I mean, you’re knocking everyone out, including the elves who haven’t turned into vampires yet.) ”

“Mew. (Ahh, yes, it turns out Lady Len is as unsubtle as she looks.) ”

“Squeak! (Why do you keep bringing up my looks?!) ”

Her accuracy in knocking out the elves is perfect, unparalleled. You could certainly call that subtle. At the same time, though, her mind and body aren’t subtle at all, taking everyone down like this. And that’s what your looks indicate.

“Mew, ew. (Oh! I’ll go put out the fires. When I was brought to the snowy mountains recently, I left an anchor there. If I connect this place with that one using spatial magic, I should be able to use cold snow for it.) ”

“Arwf. (You can? Sure, go for it.) ”

“Squee-squeak! (Neither of you have answered me!) ”

Though angered, Len continues disabling the elves one after another while Nahura puts out the fires with snow summoned by spatial magic. Eventually the village falls quiet.

“Arwf. (Phew. That should do it for now.) ”

Well, I didn’t do anything. I was just watching idly, alongside Ururu, as the village grew quieter and quieter.

“Squeak. (Still, beloved, I believe it somewhat optimistic to assume this elven village is the only one under attack, given we are up against a general of the Demon Lord.) ”

The thought had crossed my mind, too. Despite all the craziness happening, there’s no sign of Garo and the others showing up.

I have a bad feeling about this.

“Arwf. (Ururu, sorry, but I have to go back to the mansion for now. Will you wait here?) ”

“……No, King Routa, I’ll go with you. I can’t ignore the one who made my sisters into this!”

I didn’t expect that response. I’ve only known her for a short time, but I don’t remember Ururu being one who wanted to fell enemies instead of care for her sisters.

To be frank, she probably won’t be any help if she comes along, but if she wants to stay together, dissuading her now would be a waste of time. And if we left her here, if the elves-turned-vampires woke up and started moving, Ururu would be in danger.

In which case she’d be better off coming with us. My mind made up, I lower myself in front of Ururu.

“Arwf! (Grab on tight then! I’ll be going fast!) ”

“Okay! Thanks, Lord Routa!”

After confirming everyone’s on my back, I set off at a sprint straight toward the mansion.

A short while before Routa arrived home…

The mansion lingered in silence, disconnected from the chaos in the forest. Late at night, even the patrolling maids took to their beds, and nobody would wake up until morning arrived.

And now a white mist crawled through that mansion. It entered through the little gaps in doorways, ever advancing toward its destination.

The mist’s goal was the room of a beautiful young girl sleeping in a canopied bed. She was slumbering quietly, but occasionally, as though she was just remembering something, her hands would move, searching for something that should be next to her.

The mist traveled to the bed, and, with a chill clinging to it, stroked Mary’s skin.

Rapidly the mist regained human form. It was Carmilla, who had returned to the mansion once again.

“Ahh, such a sweet smell…”

Carmilla, leaning over Mary, brought her face closer to her neck.

“As always, the smell of young maidens is the greatest. I’m sick of the blood of those beasts. In fact, I’d very much like to cleanse my palate with this child’s blood.”

Carmilla moved her lips toward Mary’s soft neck.

The whole business gave off an air of lewdness, but what waited a moment later would be a brutal death by bloodsucking. Carmilla wasn’t even half-full yet—and so it took willpower to hold herself back from this meal.

“I’d like to drink you dry right now, but unfortunately, I can’t. You need to be our bait to lure out the King of the Fen Wolves.”

But, deciding to at least get her fill of the aroma, she brought her face close to Mary’s neck once more. And then she made a dubious expression.

“…This scent… I’ve smelled it before…”

Carmilla drew away from Mary and searched her memories.

Considering she’d been sealed away for a millennium, there couldn’t have been that many scents she knew. If there were any that she remembered in this way, it would have been before that.

Unraveling her memories, she eventually arrived at the answer.

“I remember now. It’s the same as the Hero’s scent. Could this girl be of the Hero’s bloodline? If she is, then a pillar of the Demon Lord’s sealing—”

“Stop right there, villain!”

A sword flashed as the voice sounded.

Carmilla turned around, a little irritated that her thoughts had been interrupted.

“You sensed my presence, even when I was turned to mist? And got behind me without allowing me to sense your presence? You are quite skilled, for a human. A thousand years ago, they would have lauded you as a brave hero.”

The one who had slashed at Carmilla from behind was Zenobia. Her death blow, however, had been blocked by Carmilla’s nails.

“Bastard—you’re no human…! What business do you have at this mansion?!”

Zenobia pushed her sword, along with the nails, toward Carmilla. The added weight caused her heels to send cracks through the floor.

“What incredible might you have, to push a vampire like me back with arm strength alone. Are you truly a human? Are you sure you’re not some greater variety of ogre?”

“Silence…! Get away from the young lady…!”

Her sword creaked against the nails. Their power was evenly matched, and the sword wasn’t able to withstand it.

Zenobia’s expression was bloodcurdling; Carmilla wore a thin smile.

But their contest of strength ended before the sword even broke.

“…?! Guh…!”

Zenobia groaned in pain, backing off. When she looked into Carmilla’s eyes, they were giving off an eerie glow. She fell to one knee, as though weighed down by something invisible, and eventually her sword fell from her hand.

“You… What did you…do to me…?!”

“Your strength may be your pride, but it looks like your resistance toward magic is average. Don’t worry—it’s only a little sleeping spell. If I allow any of you to be wounded now, she will no longer have value as a hostage. Sleep, then, as you curse your own powerlessness. Of course, you probably won’t remember anything by the time you wake up.”

Scornfully laughing at Zenobia, who was trembling as she desperately tried to stand, Carmilla picked Mary up in her arms.

“I’ll be quite careful with your ‘young lady.’ If she does turn out to be a pillar of the sealing, she could be quite crucial for us.”

“Wait…! Let go…of her…!”

Zenobia’s outstretched hand grasped only air as Carmilla flew out the mansion window.

I’m almost there.

As fast as I can without letting Ururu fall, I run back to the mansion.

“Arwf? (Is someone at the gate?) ”

Someone is crouching at the front gate we use to enter the mansion.

When we get closer, we see that it’s Zenobia, who has been trying to walk by using her sword as a crutch.

“Arwf, arwf! (What—Zenobia?! What happened?! I thought you were a morning trainer! What are you doing out here?!) ”

“Is that…you, Routa…? Where have you been…? No, that’s not important right now… The young lady, she…”

Zenobia reaches out and grabs my chest with a shaking hand.

“The young lady…has been kidnapped…”

“Arwf?! (Huh?!) ”

“I’m pathetic… I wasn’t able to do anything… No, that’s not what I need to be telling you…”

Her mind must be hazy, because her eyes aren’t focused. She continues to speak as though in delirium.

“The enemy looked like a human, but she was clearly a monster… She fled in that direction…”

Her trembling fingertip points into the forest. Toward where the lake is—the one we all just vacationed at.

“…I wish I could be the one to save her, but I don’t think…my consciousness will last… I hate myself for only relying on you…when it’s convenient for me… But you’re the only one…who can do anything right now…! P-please… Save her…!”

Finally Zenobia runs out of strength. She falls against me and loses consciousness.

“Woof… (Zenobia…) ”

“Squeak. (It’s nothing to worry about. She’s only sleeping. Likely magic interfering with her mind. I can also sense a spell that will take her memories to keep her quiet. She must have tried to tell you before that happened. She shouldn’t have been able to pull through with willpower, but it is quite like this stubborn boar of a woman.) ”

Seems like Zenobia hasn’t been injured. That’s a relief.

She’s leaning against me, so I lay her to rest on her back at the gate.

“……”

So the young lady has been kidnapped, has she?

“…Squeak? (What’s wrong? Why are you silent, my love?) ”

“…Arwf. (Heh. Heh-heh… I haven’t been this pissed off in a long time…) ”

Time to go up to the roof…

…is how I have to joke to even keep my cool, I’m so mad.

They have some nerve, stealing the young lady from me. I’ll show you just how loyal this dog really is.

“Woof! (Great. Let’s get moving, you jerks! I don’t give a rat’s ass about what the Demon Lord’s army is after! We’re saving Lady Mary and getting back to our old lives!) ”

“Mew. (I think the way you don’t get shaken is wonderful!) ”

“Lord Routa…!”

I don’t have a happy pet life without the young lady. I swear I’ll save her.

I mean, we’ve got Len, a muscle-head dragon who uses sheer firepower for everything, and Nahura, who has a whole assortment of convenient spells. If it comes down to it, they’ll take her down for me.

I’m relying on all of you.

I’ve never forgotten my virtue of relying on others. I’m so cool.

“Squeak. (Just when I’ve thought you’d regained your wild spirit through training with the Fen Wolf princess, it’s as though you haven’t changed at all.) ”

“Mew. (Well, that’s another one of Routa’s good qualities.) ”

And with that, they both jump onto my back.

“Arwf, arwf. (What about you, Ururu? It looks like the enemy boss is waiting for us up ahead. It might be safer for you to stay here. After all, it doesn’t seem like she’s harmed anyone in the mansion.) ”

“No, I’ll go with you!”

I see. Then I’ve nothing more to say.

There’s only one thing to do: destroy anyone who would get in the way of my life as a pet.

“Awooooo!! (We ride!!) ”

With everyone on board, I start running in the direction Zenobia pointed.

“Squeak. (In any event, what could they be after?) ”

On top of my head, Len, drawn up to her full height and with her front legs folded, is lost in thought.

“Squeak, squeak. (We defeated the necromancer Lich once. He opposed us, seeking Mare, who he claimed was created specifically for the Demon Lord. We fought him then, because we had just cause in protecting Mare…) ”

If all that stuff with Mare hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have had a reason to fight him. I’m just a pet, after all.

But if we’d let him be, we wouldn’t have even known Lich’s graveyard was in the forest at all. He might have accumulated power and advanced on the human world before long. Maybe it was a good thing we prevented that in advance. Even though I feel like that’s the sort of job the strong adventurers from the Guild should be taking on.

“Squeak. (Hmm. I know what it is. Now that we’ve defeated one of their generals, the Demon Lord’s army sees us as enemies.) ”

“A-arwf?! (Wait, what?! I don’t feel the same about them, not one bit!) ”

“Squeak, squeak-squeak-squeak! (Even the Demon Lord’s army, said to have once plunged the world into fear, is avoiding fighting milord face-to-face… Plotting to take hostages is proof enough of that. Heh. Heh-heh. They rate you extremely highly, as I would hope when it comes to you! And as your wife, I am proud as well!) ”

Quit celebrating! Nothing about this should delight you!

If you want to fight over the fate of the world, do it somewhere else. Why does everything keep happening in this forest?

And besides, what happened to the Hero?! Hey, Hero! The Demon Lord’s army is out and about, so you should be, too! Where are you, Hero?!

Be quick about it! Don’t blame me if you’re too late!

“Squeak, squeak. (I doubt it’s a coincidence they chose that girl as their hostage. They know full well her relationship with you. Not harming anyone else from the mansion must be a show of intent—they want to appear as though they are open to negotiation. Likely either they want you to trade your life for hers, or they want to recruit you into the Demon Lord’s army.) ”

Ugh. So they’re the type to do things in a roundabout way.

Maybe that gaze I constantly felt, and the fact that I can’t smell, are because of this Carmilla person’s magic.

“Squeak. (This is, however, an excellent opportunity, beloved. That boar girl has thrown her plans into disarray. She must think we do not know where her main base is. I’m sure she’s lounging there now, considering the conditions for her negotiation. If we act quickly, we should be able to take her by surprise and go on the offensive.) ”

“How naive. I knew exactly what you’d be planning to do.”

I hear the voice denying Len’s idea coming from right next to us.

At the same time, a black figure leaps at us.

“Arwf?! (What?!) ”

Hastily I jump back, then look to see who the figure is.

“Arwf?! (What—it’s you all…?!) ”

It’s an entire group of Fen Wolves.

Also, for some reason the bear we fought during boot camp is here, too. Redarmor, was it?

“This is somewhat earlier than I’d planned, but I’ve been prepared for this from the beginning. You may come by anytime.”

Floating above the Fen Wolves, in the air, is a beautiful girl in a black dress. Her brow is furrowed as she laughs and bites her finger provocatively.

“That is, only if you can get this far. I’ve made all your kin my own. A reward for their harming my skin. I will keep them as servants, as pets, until their lives run out.”

Sanity is gone from the Fen Wolves’ bloodshot eyes. Their fangs seem to have grown even sharper and longer. It’s clear Carmilla is manipulating them.

“If you want, I’ll keep you as a pet, too. I’ll use you as my chair. It’s a very important job. My. Little. Puppy. Dog! ♪”

“Arwf?! (What?!) ”

“Hee-hee. I’m sorry, did I make you mad?”

“Arwf! (Thank you, so much, for that attractive proposition!) ”

Being a beautiful girl’s chair? What the hell? That’s a reward!

“Arwf, arwf! (But my heart is set on the young lady, so I refuse! Also, thank you for calling me a dog!) ”

I knew it! I really am a dog! That whole thing about being the Fen Wolf King, Fenrir, was a lie! Sweet!

“That’s… Ugh, you’re throwing me off my game. As I thought, the way you think is far different from us monsters. It’s so incredibly odd, I can’t even have a conversation with you.”

“Mrow. (Yeah, I think Routa’s weird no matter who looks at him.) ”

Stop it, Nahura. Quit making me out to be a lunatic.

Monsters, with their minds always set on fighting, are the strange ones. I am a lover of peace—that’s way saner, no matter how you slice it.

“Well, of course monsters are keen to fight.” Carmilla sniffs as if to scorn me. She spreads her hands, and the corners of her lips turn up, revealing a row of sharp teeth. “Monsters are that which disgraces man, tramples him underfoot, and abuses him. That is their nature. The very reason for their existence. I’m sure your companions understand this quite well. Why not abandon that strange King of the Fen Wolves—a monster by name, if not by choice—and join the Demon Lord’s army? If you do so now, we will treat you very well.”

“Squeak. (Actually, I am not a monster, but rather a dragon.) ”

“Mew. (And this humble cat is a homunculus.) ”

And I’m not Fenrir. I’m a dog.

“I… I see. You’re all throwing me off.”

In the first place, these two are practically domesticated now, with how much they’ve eaten the old man’s food. They’d never attack people at this point. If human civilization disappeared, they’d never be able to eat his delicious food again.

“I understand now that we will never see eye to eye. If you insist on saving humans despite being a monster, then come to me—over the corpses of your own comrades.”

At Carmilla’s signal, the Fen Wolves’ circle begins to slowly edge inward.

The main bad guy is right there, so if we can take her down here, will everyone go back to normal?

“Squeak. (Beloved, that is an illusion. There would be no point fighting it.) ”

“Arwf. (Oh, like I thought, then? I figured as much. That’s the kind of thing they do in these situations.) ”

“Mew. (Quite frankly, I think your lack of tension is amazing.) ”

Carmilla’s illusion vanishes into the dark, and the manipulated Fen Wolves—and the bear—attack me.

“Grwl…! (My king… I’m terribly sorry…!) ”

“Grrrr…! (Please, kill us before we can turn our fangs upon you…!) ”

“Grwl, grwl…! (If it is you who judges us, my king, we will be satisfied…!) ”

The Fen Wolves painfully plead with me, as though their minds still remain.

Damn it. I could never harm a friend! If I had to, I’d rather choose to let them bite me without resisting!

“Gohh, gohh! (I don’t get it, but I feel intense power swelling within me! Gu-ha-ha-ha! Has the time come to overthrow those above me?! Hey, you, King! Die! I’ll show you a technique I learned in hell: my Rotating Batto— brghbhr?!) ”

This violent dragon, on the other hand…

Her undulating tail strikes down Redarmor first, then the other Fen Wolves. I think he was just about to use his ultimate attack, too. How cruel.

“Squeak! (Run through them, beloved! I shall sweep the small fry away!) ”

Len slams her dragon-ized tail about.

Sorry to bother you while you’re so enthusiastic, but make sure to go easy on them, okay?

“G-gohh… (I… I thought I was the strongest… Every last one of you is too insanely strong…) ”

Redarmor hangs his head, having lost his energy.

Don’t worry, Redarmor. For someone just recently born a monster, I think you’re plenty strong. Not that I’d know.

“Grwl… (Urgh…) ”

“Grwl… (Your Majesty…) ”

“Grwl, grwl… (I thought I would finally be able to feel the sweet sting of His Majesty striking me…) ”

Hey…one of you just said something weird.

But if she can joke like that, they should be fine. I’ll come back to save you later, so please forgive me.

“Arrrrrwf! (Out of the way, out of the way! Stand too close and you’ll be knocked away! By Len!) ”

I focus on running, and as the pursuers come one after another, Len strikes them away with her tail.

It’s not only Fen Wolves, either. All kinds of other monsters from the forest are mixed in, too.

She gained this much power in just a few days? If we leave this Carmilla person to her own devices, things could get real bad. Talk about a double-or-nothing game.

I couldn’t care less about the fate of the world or whatever, but the punishment for manipulating my forest friends and the young lady will be grave, Carmilla.

I’ll beat you down, soak that impertinent face of yours in your tears, and lick them all up as hard as I possibly can!

I howl loudly toward the full moon as I blast toward the lake where Carmilla waits.

Carmilla’s plan was progressing smoothly. The schedule had been changed, what with that swordswoman giving the King of the Fen Wolves information, but if he was heading this way, the plan had essentially succeeded.

“Hee-hee. Yes, do fight your own kin as much as you need, eroding both your body and heart before coming here,” she said with a smile, showing a row of teeth as she listened to the cries of monsters reaching her from far off in the forest.

This crystal palace in which she sat was a prison she had made into an impenetrable fortress—a prison that let nobody caught in it escape. It rebuffed external attacks, and she would suck the blood and mana from any who entered.

Carmilla’s crystal palace was different from the graveyard that Lich, another one of the generals, possessed. Geared for invasions, the graveyard allowed him to speed up production of undead soldiers to dispatch. This, however, was a domain ill suited for striking the first blow.

“But with this girl here, the Fen Wolf King will have no choice but to jump into my trap on purpose.”

She checked on the girl, who was sunk in the shadow of her mantle. She seemed to be sleeping deeply, oblivious to what was happening.

“You’re quite the carefree one. Even though your pet dog is risking his life to come save you.”

If this girl was of the Hero’s bloodline, it was possible she was linked to the Demon Lord’s seal. Should Carmilla kill her without thinking, it might not undo the seal—in fact, it might make it even stronger.

Once she put down the Fen Wolf King, she would have to investigate what had happened in the last millennium. After all, the Demon Lord’s wish to destroy the world and turn it into a crucible of chaos had not yet been fulfilled.

“Miss Carmilla, please focus on the enemy in front of you first. You must not—”

“—falter, right. I get it. You’re such a worrywart, Uncle,” said Carmilla, cutting off Lich’s scolding—he was hung up now, like a decoration—with an index finger. “This roundabout plan was for your sake, you know. If I suck out all the Fen Wolf King’s mana using this palace and give it to you, you’ll get your former strength back immediately, won’t you?”

“Yes, and I am grateful for this. I will be greatly indebted to you.”

“Well, as long as you understand.” Carmilla opened the big door connecting the throne room to the balcony. “Come to me, King of the Fen Wolves. I’ll drain you dry until you’re nothing but a withered husk.”

What we see upon arriving at the lake is a giant, crystalline castle.

The thing is so big it takes up the entire surface of the lake. All that’s left of it is a moat. A drawbridge leads to the front gate, so we decide to head into the castle from there.

As we approach along the shoreline, the castle’s form steadily grows clearer. A fortress of glittering crystal, bathed in moonlight. It’s beautiful, while at the same time giving off an ominous air.

“Arwf? (Hm? The shape of the top—I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…) ”

As I narrow my eyes and stare hard at it, I remember where I saw it.

“Arwf?! (Isn’t that the crystal that was at the bottom of the lake?!) ”

That shape is the very same as that of the crystal I saw when we caught that huge fish. The crystal must have been a part of this castle. Would that mean it rose up from the lake bed?

How dare she build something like that in a place made for rest and relaxation? Now we can’t even have fun swimming.

“Oh? You’re finally here.”

Carmilla, standing on a castle balcony, notices us.

“How does it feel to make it here after trampling over the corpses of your friends? I’m sure you’re quite wounded now, having tried to go easy on them.”

Nope, not at all. After all, Len took them all down at once. All I did was run here. I don’t feel any particular guilt over defeating them, either.

“Woof, woof! (Len did everything! I’ve been a good puppy!) ”

“S-squeak. (N-now, don’t put it like that. You make it sound like it was my fault…) ”

Len’s so shy for a meathead—and now , after all the butt she’s kicked, she starts to get flustered.

“Squeak. (But as his wife, I do not find it appalling to sully myself for my husband’s sake. Because I’m his wife. Because I’m his wife!) ”

It’s not that big a deal. No need to say it twice.

The mouse calling herself my wife squirms around in embarrassment, which I ignore.

“Arwf. (Anyway, that castle is freaking huge.) ”

Actually, no matter how you look at it, this castle is something Carmilla summoned, right? She’s right there living in it.

Then what was that story passed down about this lake all about, with the crystal that kept monsters away with its holy powers?

It’s not a holy crystal at all—it’s literally a base for monsters. That’s an extreme case of telephone through the ages. Maybe it’s not strange for that to happen over the span of a thousand years, but this means even the legend of the Hero is suspect.

But right now, those questions aren’t as important as rescuing Lady Mary.

“Woof, woof! (Carmilla! I came, like you asked! Where’s the young lady?!) ”

“Hee-hee. She’s right here.”

The young lady, unconscious, appears from within the mantle Carmilla wears. She’s still in her sleepwear, her eyes are closed, and she’s breathing softly in slumber.

“Woof! (Hey, what did you do to her?! She’s unconscious!) ”

“Actually, I haven’t done anything yet… She’s been sleeping ever since before I made off with her… Despite all the noise, she just doesn’t want to wake up… Soundest sleeper I’ve ever seen…”

As expected of the young lady. Once she falls asleep, it’s very hard to wake her up. I’m glad she can sleep through something like this.

After all, if anyone found out I was fighting the Demon Lord’s army, wouldn’t that be the end of my life as a pet? My gut tells me the young lady would be able to accept that, but I must cut off any anxieties regarding my future. I’m just an adorable white puppy dog who happens to be a little bit big.

“Squeak. (How long do you intend on making such untenable claims?) ”

Until I die. Duh. Don’t think some superficial resolve will ever break my faith that I live as a pet dog.

“Mew. (The more you try to make it sound amazing, the more uncool it gets.) ”

Oh, zip it.

But our current situation is an actual crisis. Carmilla may be acting easygoing, but that doesn’t mean she won’t harm the young lady.

“Woof, woof. (Anyway, what do I have to do to get you to return her? If you want me to crawl on my belly and lick your shoes, I would gladly do that.) ”

Also, you can throw in the extra condition of using me as your chair.

“…No thank you.”

Her face looks really peeved now. Her disparaging glare is pretty good, actually. It gets a gold star from me.

“…Well. It certainly seems too dangerous to allow anomalous monsters like you into the Demon Lord’s army. It would be simple to tell you to kill yourselves, but where’s the fun in that?”

Carmilla rests her elbows on the balcony railing, and the crystalline castle opens its gates.

“If you can make it all the way to my room, you can have her back.”

She then leaves the balcony, bringing the young lady inside the castle. As she shuts the windows, she beckons.

“Arwf. (Okay. You promised.) ”

I cross the bridge made of crystal and head through the gate.

From the outside, looking in from the gate, the clear crystal castle is filled with muddled black shadows.

“Squeak. (Beloved, I know I don’t need to tell you this, but you’re walking into a trap.) ”

“Mew. (Ururu is here, too. Maybe we should withdraw.) ”

“Squeak, squeak. (I don’t know the details of the magic cast on this castle, but it probably springs from her vampiric characteristics. It will be a dangerous labyrinth, where your entrance will trigger the draining of your magic or blood, and you’ll likely be toyed with and killed. If you go inside, it’s over. You will not leave until you are a withered husk.) ”

“Lord Routa…”

They all look at me uneasily.

“Arwf? (Huh? Who said we’re going inside?) ” I respond blankly.

Carmilla told us to get all the way to her room. She didn’t say to go through the inside.

I look up at the castle and gauge the position. About there? Maybe a little over?

“Hee-hee-hee. Are you trying to scale the walls? What a foolish idea.”

From past the front gate, we hear Carmilla’s voice, which sounds as though she’s seen through my plan.

“It won’t work. Not in a thousand years. Do you think you’re the first one to have that idea? I’ve spent many long years pouring blood and mana into this palace—this magical base built up from a single crystal. You could even call it a different world of sorts. One where physical laws don’t necessarily apply.”

Carmilla proudly introduces us to her castle. She must be really confident in its defenses.

She cackles, scorning my idea. “Any attacks from the outside would be pointless—this castle is famously the strongest, most impenetrable fortress in the Demon Lord’s army. Whether a thousand thunderbolts strike it or it’s rained upon by countless asteroids, nothing will ever damage it. So abandon hope and enter the normal way. Oh, and of course, it’s just as the dragon says. Inside the palace is an execution ground that will bleed you dry. I’ll melt you all slowly, tantalizing you. But do you think you should be taking up so much time over there? If you make me wait too long, I will grow thirsty, and I might drink every last drop of this girl’s—”

“Grrrowwwwwwl!! (This is taking too long!!) ”

As if to devour Carmilla’s words, I fire a beam.

The flash of light paints the night white. The white pillar of light extends diagonally upward, strikes the crystal castle directly, and bores a hole right through the wall without any resistance whatsoever.

The glowing line shoots through the castle and puts a hole in the mountain far behind it, too.

“Wh… Whaaaaaaaat?! ”

We hear Carmilla’s astonished voice from beyond the hole.

“Arwf? (What was that about being the toughest in the Demon Lord’s army?) ”

Hey, how does it feel? Punching a hole in your vaunted castle was really easy. How does it feel?

How does it feel, how does it feel?!

I stamp my hind legs to provoke her.

“That’s… This isn’t…! My greatest magic… In just one attack…?!”

The spell must have dissipated after the wall broke; the shadows filling the castle’s interior begin to weaken.

“Could that have been ultimate destruction magic…? Not only completely draining one’s mana, but taking a long time to activate, that utterly impractical, ineffective, useless spell… And you used it with that much speed and precision…? And you’re telling me you can do all this by refining so much mana in an instant?! How do you explain that?! What are you?!”

Beyond the gaping hole, I can see Carmilla, stomping her foot in frustration. The wall right next to her has been neatly removed, and the full moon is visible behind it.

“Arwf! (Great! There you are! Here I come!) ”

I jump up to the hole I made and run into Carmilla’s room, all in one burst.

“Woof, woof! (See, look at that! I kept my promise! Now you’re gonna return the young lady to me!) ”

“What… What a reckless plan of attack…! The crystallization of mana I’ve spent so many long years building…lost to a spell cast on the spot… That’s insane! Impossible!”

I mean, it seems possible to me. Why fight it at this point?

“Woof, woof! (You promised you’d give her back if I got all the way to your room! What, can you great generals not even keep a single promise?) ”

Yikes. The only ones allowed to break promises are the grunt bad guys.

“Be quiet! This isn’t over! My thralls, the time is now! Do it!”

Her thralls? Where are they? The only one near Carmilla is the young lady. I don’t see any of her thralls anywhere—

“Squeak! (Beloved!) ”

The moment I hear Len’s warning…sharp fangs thrust into my neck.

“Mew?! (Ururu?!) ” Nahura cries out.

Ururu? Yes, it’s her. She’s biting me so hard I can hear her jaw creaking.

The scarlet light in her eyes… She’s clearly gone mad. Just like the Fen Wolves who were bitten and made into Carmilla’s kin.

Wait, then when was Ururu bitten? We’ve been together ever since meeting in the forest. There shouldn’t have been time for that.

“She was obviously like that from the start! I was aiming for the moment you let your guard down when I sent you that girl. That was how I stopped you from going back to the mansion and made you go to the elves’ village instead. It was to buy time to steal your master! Didn’t you think it was strange how I knew your every move?”

Certain of her victory, Carmilla gives a piercing laugh.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You might be strong, but a beast is still a beast! And now you’ll be my kin! I’ll make good use out of you as a laborer! Forever!”

“Arwf? (Huh? Hard labor? I don’t want to work. I’ll have to refuse.) ”

“Yes, I know, it’s an offer you can’t refu—Wait, what? You refuse?”

“Arwf. (Yep, I refuse.) ”

I wouldn’t mind her using me as a chair or getting to lick her, but my rule is to always refuse to do any work.

My oath never to work is the one thing nobody can ever break.

“Wh… What is the meaning of this?! Once you’re my thrall, you should be under my direct command, even if your mind remains!”

“Arwf, arwf. (Well, that’s because I’m not your thrall.) ”

I give her the obvious answer.

You make people your thralls by biting them and sucking their blood. But none of my blood has been sucked. So, obviously, I wouldn’t turn.

“Uuurrr…?!”

Ururu is doing her best to bite into me, but my fur is blocking it; she hasn’t even pierced me by a single millimeter. It actually feels good, like she’s giving me little love bites.

“Squeak. (How foolish. His fur boasts such high defense that even a dragon such as I could bite into his fur with the might to shatter his bones and only make him feel a pinch.) ”

Wait, you’ve been biting me with your full strength this whole time?! That’s terrifying. Your jealousy is going to be the death of me!

“Squeak, squeak. (Naturally, an elf’s meager jaws would never pierce him, regardless of how much control you have over her body.) ”

Len gives Ururu a smack in the neck.

“As for you. Do not press your lips to my beloved’s neck so. That is the sole right of his wife.”

She immediately changes into a human and catches Ururu as she slides off me. Of course, with the difference in body sizes, she looks like she’s hefting a big object rather than carrying someone.

“No… Not yet…!”

It seems Carmilla still hasn’t given up. She calls the young lady out from the shadow of her mantle, then puts her nails up against her neck.

“Did you forget the hostage is still in my hands? If this is jogging your memory, would you mind getting out of my palace?”

First she wants me to come in, and now she wants me to get out. I wish she’d make up her mind.

However, probably because of the holes I created, cracks are rapidly spreading through the palace walls. Crystal fragments start falling like raindrops, too. It doesn’t take a genius to realize I should probably get the heck out of here.

“Miss Carmilla, what do you intend on doing?!”

“Regrouping. As long as we have the girl, he can’t try anything.”

Ngh. She’s right. That is a problem.

More importantly, this blondie vampire is talking to a skull. It always struck me as a decoration in poor taste. Is he one of Carmilla’s?

Actually, that skull…isn’t that Lich? He’s so tiny now, but there’s no denying the voice.

He should be safely stored in our stomachs right now, but he must have survived.

Wait, does this mean we get a free replay?

As I slurp my drool back up, the skull yelps a little and starts to shiver.

Carmilla puts Lich in her pocket and glares at us.

“Squeak? (What will we do, beloved? Risk it all and everyone jump her at once?) ”

“Arwf. (No. If we had the element of surprise, maybe, but we can’t go right at her like this. Oh, Nahura, what about your teleportation? Hecate did that before, right? When she took back that elf the slaver captured.) ”

“Mrow. (With my humble control over magic, I don’t think I can transport myself between two people so close together. And I can’t activate it instantly like my mistress can.) ”

Hmm. So, it’s not that Nahura is bad, but that Hecate is too good. It would have been a big help if she were here, but there’s no use crying for the moon.

“Arwf… (What shall we do? Ah, wait…) ”

I notice something behind Carmilla. It’s the big hole in the wall. And visible through it, black ears poking out.

This might be our chance.

“What is your choice? If you dally, I’ll kill her.”

“W-woof, woof! (A-all right, all right! We’ll leave. Just don’t do anything to her!) ”

Still facing Carmilla, we back off, little by little.

“Get out of here already!”

“Arwf! (We are! Don’t rush us!) ”

Once we’ve backed off to the hole behind us, I select a few words that will draw Carmilla’s attention.

“Arwf, arwf. (By the way, Miss Carmilla, we’re both out of options here, so why not just put everything back to normal and call it even? We’ll stay out of poking our noses in places we don’t have any business being.) ”

“What?! You must be joking! Look how badly you’ve destroyed my crystal palace! You aren’t getting off for free! I will have my revenge!!”

Ohh, scary. Now the Demon Lord’s army definitely sees me as an enemy.

“Arwf. (Actually, it seems like you’ll be the one receiving vengeance first.) ”

“…?!”

Carmilla finally senses the danger. She automatically turns her attention to the direction my nose is pointed—at the nearest hole in the wall. That, however, is the exact opposite direction she should be concerned about, and Garo, who has crept up behind her like a black bolt of lightning, latches her teeth onto Carmilla’s arm—the one holding onto the young lady—and rips it off.

“Grwl. (Don’t make me say it again. The Fen Wolves will devour you even after death.) ”

Carmilla and Garo’s clash lasts an instant. Garo decides not to deliver a follow-up attack on the now-one-armed vampire, instead jumping over to us, with Lady Mary’s pajama-clad body held in her mouth.

“Woof! (Nice one, Garo!) ”

“Grwl, grwl… (My king, it is well that you are safe…! I am terribly sorry for my late entrance…) ”

“Arwf, arwf. (Don’t be. It’s because of you that the young lady is okay. Thank you. Wait, look at you! Why are you all beat up?!) ”

I couldn’t tell before from her black fur, but Garo’s legs are dripping with blood.

“Grwl… (No particular reason…) ”

Uhh, actually, there must be a very particular reason.

“Mew. (I’ll just use some healing magic on it.) ”

“Grwl… (Nahura? I’m sorry. Thank you…) ”

After jumping onto Garo’s back, Nahura covers Garo’s body with a soft light.

“You’re that Fen Wolf…! I mopped the floor with you, and you’re telling me you’re still alive…?”

“Grwl, grwl. (Your mistake was hating me, dirt-covered as I was, so much that you didn’t turn me. And now I’ve repaid the favor.) ”

We’ve rescued Lady Mary. Carmilla is gravely injured, having lost her left arm. The skull I think is Lich probably can’t even fight.

The tables have turned.

“Arwf. (If you want to surrender, I’m still willing to listen.) ”

“Ho, ho-ho-ho…”

Carmilla, head still hung, begins to laugh.

“Ho-ho-ho-hope you didn’t actually expect me to surrender. Did you?!”

She stands up, and a torrent of mana erupts around her, and we have to brace ourselves against the gust of wind.

“Fine… I don’t need any hostages. Sorry, Uncle. I’m killing all of them right now .”

Carmilla’s severed arm regenerates instantly. After clenching a fist to test it, she glares at us.

Oh, shit. She’s going berserk. The killing intent in her eyes almost makes me pee myself.

Her golden hair stands on end as her eyes flare up like red flames and her nails extend into the shape of sickles.

“This is my final plan. It wasn’t a coincidence that I chose this particular night to challenge you.”

Carmilla’s mantle flutters, and she puts strength into it as though she were going to grab hold of the moon floating in the night sky and take it.

“Tonight is the full moon! The night of the full moon grants vampires the most additional strength! As I am now, I would rival even the Demon Lord! Don’t you dare think I’m weak just because I’m a schemer!”

Blood-scarlet mana swirled, erupting from Carmilla’s shadow.

“Mgh!! This is bad! That amount of mana… It’s even more than I have!”

What? Wait, she’s so strong even you’re scared, Len? Well, damn. Didn’t expect that.

“I’ll take care of you small fry afterward! You, however, King of the Fen Wolves—you I vow to kill!”

Wait, what?! She’s singling me out?! I’m the biggest pacifist here!

Why do you want to attack an innocent white puppy? That’s animal abuse!

Without thinking, I jump back as before my eyes, Carmilla swiftly takes flight.

“Now I know for sure that ridiculous attitude of yours was all just an act to deceive me! I will not underestimate you any further!”

“A-arwf… (Um, no, this isn’t an act. It’s how I always am…) ”

“You won’t lull me into a false sense of security this time! I’ll use everything I have to kill you!!”

The ten nails sprouting from Carmilla’s hands sweep vertically, horizontally, in every direction, to slash me apart.

“Haaahhhh!!”

And then she kicks, planting her heel right in my stomach.

I crash through the crystal palace, blasted away from the lake entirely.

“Forbidden Magic: Blackblood Funeral Armaments!!”

Jumping out of the palace to follow me, Carmilla deploys a magic circle in midair.

From several layers of complex circle patterns, giant blades come forth. Distorted spears, made from something that looks like black blood. Several of them appear at the same time, firing toward me as I continue to hurtle through the air.

All of them stab into me, shoving me along the ground like a meteorite crashing down.

“I’m not finished yet!!”

Even more weapons are summoned from the deployed magic circle. Buried in the ground now, I’m helplessly exposed to the rain of attacks.

A horrifying number of giant weapons made of black blood pierce me, sticking out of me like I’m a pincushion.

“And this is the end!! Maximum Forbidden Magic: Darkness Heavycrash Prisonhammer!!”

A huge black sphere appears above Carmilla’s raised hands. Every last drop of her mana seems to be packed in that massive black lump of bloody mana as Carmilla bends over backward, turning.

“Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!!”

The humongous black sphere moves slowly, but I’m pinned in place and unable to move; it presses down on me, crushing me, trying to swallow me whole. The immense mass of black blood flattens, creating enough destructive potential to change the lake’s very landscape.

“Haah… Haah…! …How was that? That was everything I had. On moonlit nights, I am the strongest of all in the Demon Lord’s army. Not even a hair is left of you now. You’ll have plenty of time to regret opposing me in hell.”

Carmilla, breathing raggedly, is confident of her victory.

Hmm. What should I do? I’d feel bad being the wet blanket with her so happy about this.

I really am worried as I look out of the crater and up to Carmilla, laughing at me from on high.

Uncaring of my hesitation, though, winds blow around the lake, and the dusty smoke covering our surroundings clears.

“Wha… I…?! How…?!”

Carmilla is so shocked it’s like her jaw is going to pop off and hit the ground.

“Arwf? (Umm, I’m, well, I’m sorry?) ”

I’m utterly unharmed. I took the brunt of some insane attacks there, but none of them even hurt. In fact, Len biting me would hurt more than that.

I shake myself off, getting rid of the dirt clinging to me.

“Grwl, grwl. (Heh. Carmilla forgot one very important thing. The same thing that allowed me to survive…) ”

Wow! A convenient explanation, delivered at a convenient time.

“What… What do you say I’ve forgotten…?!” Carmilla comes back sharply.

“Grwl, grwl. (You still don’t understand? The Fen Wolves are progeny of the moon. We receive even more of its protection than you vampires do. And for the one who stands higher than us all, our king, Routa, his powers are amplified dozens of times! You never stood a chance from the beginning!) ”

“Wh… What?!”

“A-arwf?! (Wait, what?!) ”

“Why are you surprised, beloved? This concerns your own body.”

Well, I was just thinking I felt in top physical shape today. My fur is all glowy now, too.

“That… That can’t be… That was everything I had, and it was ineffective…?!”

So she knew she’d gotten twice as strong as normal, but then her enemy ends up ten times stronger than that? That’s incredibly unfair. Even though she’s an enemy, I feel bad for her.

“Arwf. (Well, you were the one who said she wanted to go all out. Seems like you’re out of tricks now, so it’s our turn this time.) ”

Carmilla starts to panic upon sensing my heightened mana. “W-wait, just a moment! If…if you lay a hand on me, I will order all the elves in that village to commit suicide!”

“Oh, but I’ve already knocked all those elves unconscious.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Mew. (Not only the elves, too. Lady Len beat up everyone you turned. I can’t believe her total lack of subtlety would come in handy at a time like this. I guess you never know!) ”

“A… A plan, I need a plan—”

“The crafty schemer drowns in her own scheme, as they say.”

Actually, if you ask me, I’d say it was just bad luck. All we did was physically destroy her plans through brute force.

“I refuse to believe that I, the vampire princess Carmilla, would ever lose to these lowly beasts…! It’s not right…!”

Carmilla pulls at her hair, then charges in one last-ditch effort.

“Arwf. (Well, I told you to surrender a bunch of times already. Any more than this and you wouldn’t be able to plead extenuating circumstances, so—) ”

I take a deep breath, then eject all my pent-up frustration at once.

“Garrrrrwwwwllll!! (I don’t care how many of you there are! I will not forgive anyone stealing a master from her pet!!) ”

“N-nooooooooooooooooooo!!”

My full-strength barf beam envelops the charging Carmilla and wipes her, and the entire crystal palace behind her, off the face of the lake.