Become My Squire (3): The Wolf and the Hidden Piece

"Be my squire."

Seeing the notification window pop up before my eyes, as if to announce that the wolf had become my squire, I suddenly recalled something. I’d just blurted it out on impulse, but... could this thing even stay at the academy? I’d never once thought about how I was supposed to drag a wolf around with me. If she’s a squire, we’re supposed to be together, but how do I manage that? The problem is that her wolf form is way too big; I can’t just let her loose in the garden. And if she stays in human form, that’s a problem too—she isn’t a student. I can’t exactly send her off to the Logres territory, either.

Well, I’ll worry about that later. First, I need to grab the hidden piece and get out of this dungeon as fast as possible. As I watched her eat the apple I’d given her and started to stand up, something crossed my mind like a flash of lightning. What’s her name? I’ve been calling her "Wolf" for convenience, but I can’t keep calling her that in front of other people. I should at least know her name. She said she was a human before she became a wolf, so she must have had a name, right?

"It’s a bit late to ask, but what’s your name?"

"Number 333."

Not that. Anyone could tell that’s just a number they’d slap on some test subject. "Not that."

"I forgot the name I had when I was human a long time ago."

The wolf looked at me with sad eyes. Of course, since she had slit-eyes, I couldn't see them clearly, but the way her eyes drooped made it obvious. She really knows how to leave a guy speechless.

"Just... you can keep calling me Wolf or 333 like you have been..."

"As if I would."

"Then..."

She stared intently at the apple, then looked straight into my eyes. "You give me one."

"Me?"

You want me to name you? Just then—

A status window popped up in front of me. "You said you'd teach me, right?"

The wolf took another bite of the apple and looked at me. Her eyes, which usually looked like they were permanently closed—the classic slit-eye character trope—partially opened, revealing tiny pupils. The blue light in those pupils seemed to be telling me not to run away. ...Uh, well. When I said I’d teach her, I just meant the skill. Hmm. Well, I can’t keep calling her Wolf forever. If she’s asking me to name her, I suppose I have to.

What should I pick? I can’t just go with simple names like "Doggy" or "Wolfie." Even if she’s a wolf now, she was human. I should at least make it look like a human name. Are there any traits of hers I can use? I scanned her over, picking out a few features. Slit-eyes, brown-skinned beastkin. An exhibitionist with a massive wolf-pouch. She can transform into a giant wolf and has shadow-clone abilities. As those useless words drifted through my head, my eyes landed on something.

The apple. The bright red apple she was holding. An apple, huh? Come to think of it, wasn't there something about that? I think there was a novel related to apples. Seeing that apple, a work I’d read in my past life came to mind. The situation seemed similar, so maybe I should borrow from that...

Gregor is a man's name, and naming her Samsa doesn't feel right. That leaves only one option.

"Kafka."

"...?"

"Your name is Kafka."

The author of the novel I read in my past life. It’s a man's name, too, but at least "Kafka" doesn't sound strange if used for a woman. Well, he’s more famous for the giant beetle than the apple, but whatever. From now on, your name is Kafka.

"Kafka..."

The wolf chewed on the name along with the apple. "Not bad." She answered with a faint smile.

I let out a dry laugh at the notification window. She went from an extra to a supporting character just because I gave her a name? Did she really not have one? And "extra," at that. They say Kafka exits the story here in the game, but still. Seeing someone like her makes me curious. In the game, the original owner of this body, Ian—did he show any path? Was he an extra or a supporting character? I would’ve preferred to live as an extra, but between the voyeurs and the girl in front of me, I’m already too tangled up with the protagonists to hope for that.

I shook my head to clear the useless thoughts. I’d named her, so I’d check the rest of the rewards back at the dorm. I was just about to stand up to find the hidden piece and get out of this godforsaken dungeon when—

A sudden feast of notification windows. What is this? I contracted with Kafka? I opened my status window, half-doubting.

A Spirit Power stat had appeared right next to my Aura stat. It really showed up. Why did this happen? If you awaken Aura first, it should be impossible to gain a stat like Spirit Power unless it’s a specialized stat. Is this another perk of being a transmigrator? But did I really need to go as far as a spirit contract? A spirit contract feels like too much. This could actually become a shackle for her. Unless it’s the Spirit World, the power and maintenance of a spirit depend on the contractor's Spirit Power and Spirit Affinity stats.

But, well, Dolnesia is one thing, but if she contracts with me, someone who had zero Spirit Power, she’d inevitably get weaker, right? Feeling uneasy, I activated my Insight Eye.

According to my Insight Eye, Kafka’s level hadn't changed. "Hey, do you feel weaker than usual, or anything like that?"

"No, it feels the same as always."

Why? "That's strange."

"Why?"

"I’m not Dolnesia, and you contracted with me, but I don't have any Spirit Power. Logically, it shouldn't be the same."

"Maybe it's because I was human originally?" Dolnesia, who had been quiet, chimed in.

"Because you were human?" So, does that mean she’s a human mixed with a spirit, allowing her to maintain her level regardless of my Spirit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Power stat? And that’s why there’s no concept of her being reverse-summoned to the Spirit World like other spirits? That’s not bad. Then I don’t need to worry about raising my Spirit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Power stat. Since she’s also classified as a human, she won’t get weaker based on my Spirit Power, and there’s no risk of her being reverse-summoned. Of course, unlike other spirits, if she takes more damage than necessary, she won’t be reverse-summoned—she’ll just die.

And the fact that a Spirit Power stat appeared was a massive gain. Having a Spirit Power stat means I can summon and use spirits. A knight who uses Aura while summoning spirits? That’s a total mess. There’s no bigger "jack-of-all-trades" than that. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if I accidentally awakened Holy Power as a joke.

I forced my screaming body to hold it together and managed to stand up. But—

"Anyway, turn back into a wolf now."

How long are you planning to stay naked? I really had nowhere to look because she was still in that same naked state. When I get back to the dorm, I’ll have to ask Alfred to send over some clothes. Does Dolnesia have any spare clothes... hmm, I doubt there’s a size that fits her.

"Do you dislike this form, Ian?" Kafka, having finished the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠apple, asked while looking at me. Seeing Kafka say that, my gaze involuntarily drifted toward her wolf-pouch. It’s not like I was trying to critique it, but... it really is huge. It was incredibly big. Did it get that big because she transformed into a wolf? Or was it that big when she was human? Iris? Or maybe it’s on par with Isabella. Of course, if we’re talking about preferences, I don’t hate it. My neck felt a bit prickly, but I didn't hate it. However—

Since I’d probably be dead if she hit me right now, "Turn back," I said, holding back tears.

"Let's head back now. We need to get Ian back quickly so he can get treated." Dante, confirming that our conversation was over, dusted off his hands and spoke.

"No, I'm fine now."

Seeing as my stomach felt perfectly fine after eating the apple, I figured I was mostly healed. But Dolnesia didn't seem to see it that way. "Shut up, Ian. The moment we get out, I’m throwing you straight into the infirmary, so just accept it."

No, I’m seriously fine. My whole body was currently forming an orchestra of screams, but I was fine, damn it. And I had to find the hidden piece before we left... Wait. A thought suddenly popped into my head. Wouldn't it look suspicious if I said I knew about the hidden piece in a dungeon I’d never visited before? If I said, "I know about the hidden piece inside this dungeon," I’d probably be suspected as the culprit... There’s no way that wouldn't happen, right? I didn't think of that. Tsk, should I just give up on the hidden piece?

Just as I was thinking that—

'Are you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in a difficult situation?'

Kafka’s voice suddenly flowed into my head. I wanted to be surprised, but I didn't have the energy. 'Is this like telepathy from the spirit contract?'

'It seems so.'

Is it okay to tell her? I don't know. If I tell her and it just leads to a bigger misunderstanding... Even though I can give her up to three forced commands. Still, it’s a shame to leave without the hidden piece.

'Do you have a secret you can't tell?'

Her telepathy sounded like she was urging me on. I fell into a moment of contemplation. Maybe it’s better to tell her. I don't need to tell her about the transmigration. She wouldn't believe me anyway. Then, what should I say? Regression? She wouldn't believe that either. Isn't it more realistic to just say I’m the culprit who unleashed this dungeon?

...I let out a small sigh and conveyed my thoughts to her. 'I know there’s a hidden place in this dungeon..., but it looks too suspicious for me to know about a hidden piece when I’ve never even been to this dungeon before.'

'Is that so?' Kafka answered more calmly than I expected.

'You’re very calm about this.'

'I just thought you would know enough.'

'On what grounds?'

'Well, should I call it a woman’s intuition or an animal’s instinct... And your soul keeps giving off signs that it knows something, so it would be stranger if you didn't.'

Soul? 'What are you talking about, soul?'

'Spirits can see the other party's soul.'

Spirits can see souls? Is that the same concept as the Insight Eye? That’s fascinating. I don't remember that setting in the art book. 'Anyway, you mean I need a way to get to that place naturally?'

'Well, yes.'

'Then tell me. If I do it, there won't be a problem. I was originally here, after all.'

That’s true. After hearing the method I described, Kafka walked over to the dungeon wall and started sniffing around. "What are you doing, Kafka?"

"There’s a hidden room somewhere around here... Ah, found it."

As she pressed something protruding from the wall, a hidden room began to reveal itself.