It wasn't light, but it wasn't agony either.
Juicy lifted it the way you'd normally pick up luggage. Then she set it back down.
"So it was heavy after all?"
"Um, this weight? It's actually easier to hold with one hand!"
"Huh?"
The rectangular block certainly wasn't that big.
If you could lift it, one hand would do.
But when you considered that weight — and then Juicy just went and lifted it with one hand. Incredible.
"Incredible."
"No, no, you're the incredible one, Wof! You saw me in my Fenrir form and didn't faint — you weren't shaken at all. You really are strong!"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Normally, when people see me in my Fenrir form! They're hit with what's called divine aura — the intimidation, the presence. And then they feel sick, their bodies stop working, and — wham — they pass out!"
"...I... see..."
I was shaken on the inside. This was the first I'd heard of it. Divine aura, huh.
Come to think of it, had the Witch also fainted from Generous's divine aura back then?
Now that I thought about it, the Witch was the first person I'd ever used Generous in front of.
If that was the case... the sacred ground at Edda. The divine aura that the Great Temple's statue had been emanating — that's what it was?
And it has no effect on those who possess a Pseudo-Deification Relic. I see. I see.
"Wafu, Wof. What do we do next?"
"……Right. I thought this was a dead end here."
That's right — I'd thought it ended here. But there was still more ahead.
"Wait a sec." I went ahead a little on my own.
I checked with the Relic, Wheel of Fortune, just in case. No response.
Danger Discernment showed nothing special either. Yeah. Let's head back.
Maybe if I pushed quite a bit further, there might be something.
But for now, this was more than enough of a result. Besides, I was tired. Not just physically — mentally too.
I wanted to go back and rest. I was hungry as well.
Well then, let's head back.
Before that, though — my arm where I'd gotten play-bitten. I really couldn't just leave it like that.
I'm not some pervert who'd go "thank you for the drool, beautiful girl."
So I pulled out a Sacred Egg elixir from the back of my pouch and opened it.
I poured just a little on it. The wound purified instantly. That should do it.
When I came back, Juicy wagged her tail, her face lighting up.
"Woof! Welcome back, Wof! How was it deeper in? Um, was there anything? Was there? Are we going further?"
"No. Juicy, let's head back. It'll take a while, though."
How long had it been since we got here?
I didn't really want to think about it, so I kept quiet. Round-trip would probably eat up the whole day.
Or maybe when we got back it would already be morning… Yeah. I didn't want to think about that.
"Oh, oh, that's okay! Woof — I've got this!"
Miss Juicy set the lump down and took something out of the pink pouch.
It was a stone. It looked familiar.
It was transparent, diamond-shaped, with a rainbow-colored glow at its center. A return stone.
Using it would consume it and teleport you to the first floor of the dungeon. Also known as a forced return stone.
But that was odd. The one I'd seen before had been much more warped.
And there was cloth wrapped around it, but whatever.
"Miss Juicy. Are you sure about this?"
"Um, please use it! I, um, actually also have problems if I get back too late!"
Ah, right. She was a marquess's daughter. That would be bad for her.
Come to think of it, was she even allowed to be wandering around alone? No matter how strong she was, shouldn't she have an escort or something?
While running through all these questions, I took the stone.
She picked the lump back up again. Impressive.
I slammed the return stone against the ground. It cracked, and our figures vanished.
When the light faded, I saw a rock ceiling I vaguely recognized.
I knew this place. The first floor. Fortunately, no one was around.
We stepped outside the dungeon from there.
Good. It didn't seem to be time yet. Wait — I couldn't see Gauro.
When I asked one of the other gatekeepers, he said Gauro was on break. Probably eating. Maybe he'd gone to the Cider Inn too.
Then Miss Juicy, who had been hiding behind me, spoke up.
I'd gotten close to one of the other gatekeepers, and she'd hidden behind me, so it startled me.
Ah, but the dog back at my parents' place was weirdly shy around strangers too.
"Um, um, so, uh, this lump. Master Wof. What do we do?"
"...Right."
I hesitated, but there was only one option.
The witch's house was way too far. That left only my place.
"Sorry. Could you bring it to my house?"
"Woof! Leave it to me! I'll carry it!"
"Sorry. Please."
I couldn't carry it myself, so I had no choice but to ask.
The old me would've felt pathetic and moped about it.
But this weight... I'm pretty sure only a gorilla could handle it.
So there was nothing to be done.
And with that, Miss Juicy and I left the city dungeon behind.
I'd fully expected some Piece or other to be lying in wait, but no one was.
Thank goodness. Dealing with them would've been such a hassle.
So that was the hired squad leader, huh. He put on airs, but he probably had zero real authority.
There's a method where you give someone a hollow title with no actual power and use that to boost their loyalty and sense of contribution.
Of course, the person themselves has no idea it's just a title.
A slave is still just a slave. It was a trick shady companies use.
Piece. Pretty close to a clown. Sigh — I'd already had more than enough clowns.
We take the shortest route to my house, but she still manages to give me a brief sightseeing tour along the way.
A hero statue. A triumphal monument. A fountain plaza. A hero statue. An arch bridge over a small path. A clock tower. A hero statue.
"Come to think of it, you don't have any guards with you, do you?"
I had assumed they'd be waiting at the entrance.
"Um, the thing is... I snuck out. Without telling anyone."
"What..."
"Um, um — I locked the door and climbed out the window, and honestly! I was just planning to slip into the Junkyard and come right back!"
I go pale.
This is not funny. People could honestly mistake this for kidnapping.
Wrongful arrest. Crime of disrespect. Those two phrases flicker through my head.
"W-we need to hurry back. If it comes to it, I'll apologize too!"
"Wh—!? No, no, there's nothing for Wof to apologize for!"
"No, this is very much still in progress..."
On top of the kidnapping suspicion, there's the white-purple rectangular mass.
Just because she says it's too heavy to carry, I'm the one holding it for her.
And on top of that, she's having me deliver it all the way to her house.
It's like I'm ordering around a marquis's daughter.
No matter how I look at it, this is definitely, absolutely game over.
My second life is going to end.
Trembling a little, I somehow manage to make it home without any trouble.
"Um, is this Lord Wof's home? It looks like a warehouse!"
"That's not entirely wrong. Come on in."
I opened the entrance and invited her inside.
"Um, waf. Sorry for the intrusion."
She entered with a somewhat tense air.
She looked around restlessly, eyes darting everywhere. Like a dog entering someone's house for the first time.
"Um um, there's a little tower in the yard!"
"Yeah, the lookout tower... now it's the illegally occupied tower... Anyway. What about that bundle?"
"Waf? Where should I bring it?"
So, where should I put it.
My room was out of the question... the room next door was where I wash up, and so was the basement... That left the room on the right.
"This room over here."
I guided her to the right. There were a bunch of wooden boxes, but it should be around here somewhere... There it is.
With a grunt, I pulled out an old one-legged round table.
It had been here from the start, but since I never had a particular use for it, I'd just left it sitting here all this time.
On top of the table were...
Scrolls.
A few of them were sitting there. What a nuisance.
I moved them all onto this wooden box instead, and set the table free.
"Um, you're putting it on top of this? Is that okay?"
"If it gets crushed, I'll deal with that when the time comes."
Hearing that, I started to get worried.
Juicy carefully set down the white-purple square lump.
There was a creak, but the lump settled safely onto the table. Phew, that was a relief.
"Um, um, it's sitting on there properly. Yip — hooray!"
"Thank you very much."
I bowed my head. Bowed it deep. Filling the gesture with gratitude and apology.
Juicy panicked, spun around in a circle, and spread her hands wide.
"Um, um, yip — Master Wof, please raise your head! It is I who had all the firsts today! My first delving in the Junkyard! It was so, so much fun, and I was so happy, and moreover — you're the first person who was perfectly fine with me becoming a [Fenrir]! My heart hasn't pounded like this in ages! It's all thanks to you, Master Wof! Meeting you on this day — I'm so, so glad I did!"
She gave me a smile like the sun.
Sparkling, shining like stars.
I was overwhelmed and felt myself blushing.
I feel the same way too... I wish I could just say that back, but I'm too embarrassed.
I can't be that straightforward.
But if I don't say something — at least if I don't convey something to her — I want to tell her properly.
"Th-thank y—"
"No way!? Wof is bringing a woman home...!?"
I turned toward the voice. A small face was peeking from behind the door.
A face like a tiny doll — a little girl's face. And she was flying. That's right, it was Mineha.
Why is she peering in like some nosy housekeeper?
No, she's got it all wrong.
"Mi-Mineha!"
"A dog! A fairial! A real one!"
"And in a place this dark, at that... what did you bring it in here for!?"
"Th-that's not it. It's not like that."
"Bark! Bark, bark, bark, bark!!!"
Ah, Juicy was already darting straight over to Mineha.
Crap. Mineha. She was targeted.
"Eek! What is that!?"
"Bark! Bark! Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark!!!"
Mineha was being chased around.
Dogs do have that side to them, don't they?
They really do love chasing cats and birds.
"You! Stop staring and help me! Heeelp— Yaaaah!"
"Bark! Bark! Bark, bark! Bark, bark, bark!!!"
Juicy was no longer speaking in human words. He'd gotten too excited and turned into a proper dog.
I should stop him soon. If he caught Mineha, he'd probably start licking her all over.
"Stop! Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay!!"
Drawing on the memory of stopping the dog at my old house in my past life, I somehow managed to bring Juicy back to his senses.
I'd almost gotten my face licked.
Chapter: After settling down, Mineha got angry. As expected.
"Wh-what is that. This dog-girl."
"Um, um, um, I'm sorry! I'm Juicy-Tassan!"
"Tassan — as in that marquis family!? Is that for real...?"
"That's what you'd think, isn't it? I'm the genuine article."
Unfortunately, she was the genuine article.
Mineha shot me an exasperated glare.
"...Why is a marquis's daughter in a place like this..."
"Um, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for chasing after you like that!"
"You should be. I'm used to the occasional cat or dog chasing me around town, but I never expected to be chased by a human."
So she got chased around sometimes, apparently.
I gave Mineha a condensed version of how I'd met Juicy.
She listened in silence, then sighed.
"You were smack in the middle of the dungeon. And fighting a Prime Body on top of that. Weird place."
"So it is a weird place. It really is a weird place, huh..."
"Well, about that weird thing — if anything comes of it, you can say I was the one who obtained it."
"Oh, thank you. That's a big help."
That was a relief.
Juicy, who had been listening to our exchange, tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Woof — um, um, Lord Wof, what was all that about?"
"In a dungeon, as opposed to the Junkyard, ownership of items obtained inside is generally not recognized for anyone other than a delver. However, since Mineha is a Class III delver, if we say she was the one who obtained it, the ownership would go to Mineha."
"Wait — she's a delver!? And a Class III one at that!?"
"That's right. I'm Mineha. Ten years old. Class III delver."
"The, the one and only — the rumored youngest genius delver!? That's amazing!"
"A genius... well, you're not wrong about that. I like you."
Mineha looked rather pleased with herself.
Hard to believe she was the one frantically chasing us around just a moment ago.
"A-a-a-a, thank you so much!"
She was wagging her tail with a beaming smile. The two of them were going to get along great.
That was all well and good, but it was about time.
"Juicy, shouldn't you be heading back soon? It might be a problem if you're gone too long."
"Huh?"
"Oh — yes. You're right! Let's go back!"
"I'll walk you back."
"M-my lady — I couldn't possibly impose. That's quite all right."
"What's going on? What's this about? Wof, explain."
"It's just that Juicy snuck out without telling anyone, and if she doesn't get back soon, there could be trouble."
"Hmm. If that's the case, I'll take her back."
"R-really? You'd do that?"
"A-a-a-a, I — it's fine. I can go back on my own!"
"This city is pretty easy to get lost in. You wanna be a stray dog?"
"W-wait, that — that's a problem!"
"Besides, a cute girl like me is way better than some guy Wof, right?"
Mineha settled onto Juicy's right shoulder.
She had a point. A girl was better than a guy.
If it were me, I'd probably end up getting thrown in jail.
"Um, Mineha. Th-thank you so much!"
"Alright, let's go. Where to?"
"The noble district in the center of the city!"
"The central noble district, huh. As expected of a marquis's house."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Mineha."
"Something this easy? Piece of cake."
"Lord Wof. Um, thank you so much for everything today!"
"No, thank you. You helped me back then, and you went out of your way to bring her here. I really owe you."
She was a lifesaver — for me and for Knife.
After looking a little bashful, Juicy perked up her big wolf ears and tail.
She stared straight at me with a serious look.
"Um, I have a favor to ask of you, Lord Wof!"
"What is it?"
"Um, um, Lord Wof. I want you to — woof! — become friends with me!!"
"Sure, I'd be happy to. Let's be friends if you're okay with me."
"Woof! Thank you! Um, I'm really happy!"
"Now that we're friends, you can drop the honorific."
Who calls their friend by a title? Nobody, nobody. Now we could finally talk like normal people.
"Woof! Now that we're friends, that's right!"
She finally got it. Jushii was still smiling.
"Well then, Lord Wof! Thank you so much for today! Woof! I want to see you again!"
What did she mean by "well then."
Well, I knew she couldn't help it. So I just smiled.
"Yeah. Let's meet again sometime."
"Woof! Um, um, um, goodbye!"
And so I parted ways with the idol dog marquis's daughter who shone so brightly it was almost blinding.
But she was a marquis's daughter. We probably wouldn't meet again.
I was being really naive to think that.
This was nothing more than the beginning.