“Heh, you’re late.”
“Ah… We’re very sorry about that.”
Luke opens the window, and two turbaned figures enter the room. They immediately remove their turbans and outer garments, kneeling on one knee and bowing their heads.
“Let me greet you again, Lord Luke. But before that, over there is—”
“Why is there a beast-person here?”
Alice’s eyes fill with contempt. The mere fact that they are [beast-people] is reason enough for disdain. This is the normal value system ingrained in the Kingdom of Mirestia.
“Ignore them. This is—”
“I’m Luke’s wife.”
“…”
For a moment, Luke hesitates. The fact isn’t entirely wrong, and explaining would be troublesome. Therefore—
“Well, that’s fine.”
“—!”
“Ugh… It hurts…”
Due to Luke’s statement, Alice blushed more intensely than she ever had in her life.
She unconsciously tightened her grip, causing Dia, whom she was holding, to groan. Perhaps fortunately, Luke didn’t turn around.
“So, who are you two?”
Without paying any attention to such matters, Luke inquires very concisely. Who are they?
(The skills I saw back then were truly impressive. Not the movements of adventurers or knights. If so—)
“Um, yes… We are—members of the Beast Kingdom’s covert operations.”
“Yes.”
“…Heh.”
Luke smiled slightly at the answer, which was mostly as he had expected. However, something still bothered him.
(Regalio Beast Kingdom… I don’t know why such a country suddenly comes into play, but I didn’t expect them to be this incompetent. What’s the point of a beast-people country sending beast-person assassins? Didn’t they consider the possibility of failure?)
“My real name is Dogguru.”
“I’m Nekoma.”
“As you can see, we’re not blood-related. But well, we’re like siblings.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for your time today.”
“Thank you very much.”
Dogguru and Nekoma, formerly known as Canis and Felis, bowed their heads once more.
Alice simply listened quietly to the conversation. When Dia tried to interject, she gently admonished, “Don’t interrupt.”
“I see. So it was you who attacked Aslan?”
“No, that’s not correct. It was likely the work of the Holy Kingdom.”
“…The Holy Kingdom, you say?”
“Yes. For the past few years, the Holy Kingdom seems to be plotting something. They even sought an alliance with the Beast Kingdom.”
The term “Holy Kingdom” should have been unfamiliar, yet Luke felt a strong sense of recognition. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, but something felt off.
This meant—
“—It’s deeply connected to the original story…”
“Hm? Did you say something?”
“Never mind. So, why are you two talking so freely? From what I hear, you seem to be… enemies?”
“—No, no! We have no intention of being hostile at all!”
“None. We’re scared. We might cry.”
Dark magic emanated from Luke, causing Dogguru and Nekoma’s fur to stand on end.
“We don’t have the slightest intention of being hostile. We came today to convey that… yes.”
“None at all. Not even a bit.”
“—Hmm.”
Luke pondered while looking at the two before him again.
(These guys also feel slightly familiar. I’m not interested in how they were supposed to be involved originally. But I can tell that this current situation isn’t according to the original story. …I sense trouble brewing. Tch, if only Zack were here—)
“If you’d like, we could become Lord Luke’s allies—”
“Not interested.”
“What? But…”
“Sadness.”
“………..”
Dogguru visibly deflated. Nekoma claimed to be sad but remained expressionless.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
However, Luke’s decision remained unchanged. He had no need for those who would switch sides so easily.
He could use contract magic to prevent betrayal, but the disadvantages far outweighed the benefits. Gaining just two pawns would increase his enemies and complications exponentially. Their skill in completely erasing their presence and their agility were impressive when he saw them earlier. But for Luke, it was something he could replicate after seeing it just once.
“…We’ve done extensive research. This country relies heavily on magic, and most people don’t even know about the existence of ‘Skills’. If I may be blunt, Mirestia is lagging behind the times.”
“What are you getting at…?”
“The clear establishment of Skills only happened a few decades ago. While relatively recent in history, Skills are already recognized in most countries, and it’s common for warriors to acquire them.”
Indeed, Luke realized he had never heard the term “Skill” from others in his daily life. Perhaps this country was more behind than he had imagined, just as the beastmen before him suggested.
“—It’s not hard to imagine that it took numerous masters countless years to finally establish these special abilities called Skills.”
Dogguru raised his head and looked straight at Luke.
“And yet, Lord Luke… you mastered them all by yourself. Even though you shouldn’t have known anything about Skills… I trust my instincts. Making an enemy of Lord Luke would be even more foolish than making an enemy of the Beast Kingdom. —So please! Please allow us to serve you, Lord Luke! I beg you!”
“Please. We beg you.”
Luke watched as the two bowed their heads again. And he thought:
(… I don’t need them.)
Once again, Luke’s decision remained unchanged. For now, he had no need for a secret organization, nor did he foresee needing one. Above all, he only sensed trouble if he accepted them.
Therefore, he considered how to refuse them. It would be easy to send them away. But these two seemed unusually passionate, so there was a possibility they would persistently follow him in the future.
A brief silence enveloped the scene.
“Heh… alright.”
And then, Luke spoke. —Very rash words.
“I don’t see the need for just you two. —Bring me the entire secret organization of the Beast Kingdom. If you can make them all defect, I’ll accept you as my pawns.”
“—!”
These words weren’t the result of deep thought or scheming. It was merely a spur-of-the-moment idea to get rid of these two beastmen who seemed likely to cause nothing but trouble if he got involved with them.
“…Will you at least promise us a semblance of a human life?”
After a while, they quietly asked Luke.
“Ah, of course. I have no hobby of discarding my pawns. I’d even be willing to form a contract. But for you two, that’s impossible—”
“We understand.”
“…Huh?”
He thought they would give up and leave. He was aware that he had imposed an impossible task.
But looking at Dogguru, his eyes were filled with determination and resolve.
“We will definitely bring all our comrades. —Then, we’ll take our leave.”
“No, wait. You—”
Dogguru and Nekoma’s figures vanished.
“………..”
Surrounded by emptiness, Luke wondered. Why does it always turn out like this?
Why do things never go exactly as he plans, even if just a little? But even with Luke’s terrifyingly brilliant mind, he couldn’t find the answer.
“As expected of you, Luke. You’ve gained more pawns again.”
“As expected of Lord Luke!”
“………..”
It’s foolish to dwell on things that can’t be helped.
“…I’m going to sleep.”
Let his future self deal with the troublesome events that are likely to occur. Luke went to sleep, turning his back on everything. Thinking about tomorrow’s party as he drifted off.
§
“Hah… hah… Think, think. What would Luke do at a time like this—”
In the dead of night, when even the plants sleep, Abel secretly grips his sword.
To protect what’s precious—.
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