The Brave Little Genius
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!!!" I barked, having confirmed the scent of the goblins, and sprinted toward Angela.
"Tommy, did you find them?"
"Woof-woof!"
"You didn't? Then what did you find? Goblins?"
"Woof!"
At my bark, Angela stroked my head. "You’re sure you found something, right? Then please, lead the way."
As soon as she said that, I darted off. *Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff!* I focused on the scent rising from the ground and drifting on the wind, pushing forward. I had to veer far off the trail, hacking through vines and heading deep into the mountains.
"Let's follow him."
"Yes."
"Wait, can we really trust a dog that much?!"
I could hear the party members grumbling as they chased after me. I kept moving forward. The deeper I went, the more I smelled the stench of someone who hadn't bathed in a month, mixed with the sharp, fishy odor of raw meat. How long had it been? I felt like I’d been running for at least five minutes. The stench became so pungent that I instinctively backed away and lifted my head.
Peeking over the thick grass, I looked up. Right in front of me was a green monster, looking like a short, stunted dwarf. It was a goblin. The creature was tapping its mouth while yawning, holding a wooden spear in its hand and wearing rags that looked like scraps of burlap. Behind the goblin was a small gap between the cliffs. Was that their lair?
Should I bark to alert the others? No. If I did, the creature might run away and call for its friends. I quickly ran back toward where Angela was.
"Tommy. Did you find them?"
"...Woof."
But how was I supposed to express this? That we had to go in secretly? I pondered for a moment, then had a great idea.
"Grrrrrrr..."
I bared my fangs, gnashed my teeth, and let drool drip from my mouth. Angela’s eyes widened in shock.
"To... Tommy?"
Angela was deeply flustered by my uncharacteristic, defensive behavior!
"I told you. It’s not a dog, it’s a wolf."
Trisha, who had followed behind, sat down and reached out to touch my head. I didn't want to grant my body to this racist elf. So, I *chomped* down on Trisha's hand. Then, I dragged her backward. Toward where the goblin was.
"Hmph."
Trisha let out a low nasal sound, pulled her hand away, and drew a shortsword from her waist. "You really did find them. I can smell the stench."
At her words, Angela put on her gauntlets, and the soldiers drew their swords. The village youth gripped his club tightly.
"Everyone, be quiet and follow me."
"Yes."
Trisha and I stood side-by-side at the front. Crouching down and checking the goblin standing in front of the cliff from behind a tree, Trisha pulled something from her robes. It was a small throwing knife.
Effect: Pierced the goblin's skull with lethal precision.
-*Whoosh!* -*Thwack!*
Her hand moved like lightning, faster than even my sharp reflexes could track. Something flew through the air, and the knife that had pierced the goblin's head embedded itself into the cliff face.
"Let's go."
At that cruel yet clean display of skill, the people—and one dog—gulped in unison. This elf. She was no amateur. But it didn't fall outside my expectations. This elf, invited to the struggling Baron's house, was basically a forest-born killing machine with a heavy dose of "fucking racist" and psychopathic tendencies, wasn't she? Besides, judging by the performance she just showed, if a hundred goblins swarmed us, she’d probably wipe them all out with a single area-of-effect skill like *Lucky Seven* or *Meso Explosion*.
As we crept toward the cliff, the goblin with a neat red line drilled right through the center of its forehead was still twitching. While Trisha retrieved her knife, the enraged village youth tried to swing his club at the dead goblin, but Squad Leader Gert stopped him.
"Hold it. It'll be troublesome if there's too much blood scent."
"Ugh... these bastards... Lena..."
"It won't be too late to do that after everything is over. Don't ruin the mission."
The gap in the cliff was wide enough for three people to pass through easily. One of the soldiers took out a lantern and lit it. We began to enter the gap in the cliff. However, the structure narrowed the further we went in, and before long, we reached a hole so small that a person could barely crawl through. The hole was deep. After confirming this, Trisha signaled for everyone to come back out.
"This is a problem."
"Why is that?"
"To get in, we'd have to widen the hole. If we do that, the cave might collapse. And we don't know what's waiting inside."
"Then... what do we do?"
Trisha pulled a snack she’d brought from the mansion out of her pocket and chewed on it. The party's eyes focused on her as she wore a thoughtful expression.
"*Munch, munch*... You said you're not hunting goblins, but looking for your own kin, right?"
"That is correct."
Trisha rummaged through her pocket and pulled something out. It was the size of a walnut and looked like a large kidney bean.
"...I happen to have just the thing. Let's leave the rescue to the wolf."
"What?"
As Trisha walked toward me, Angela blocked her path. "What are you doing?"
"What are you talking about right now?"
"Didn't you say you trusted him?"
"In what way..."
Angela shrugged as if it were obvious and pointed at me. "Didn't you brag that this wolf is smart? That he understands human speech?"
"Are you going to send Tommy inside there?"
"You're asking the obvious. Why?"
"It's too dangerous."
Angela refused flatly. She then grabbed my leash and pulled me behind her. At her protective behavior, I gulped. *Holy shit, you want me to go in there? I seriously refuse. Angela-goshujin-sama, please protect me!*
The elf glared at Angela, who was playing the role of my protective "mom." Then, she laughed dismissively and spoke in a mocking tone.
"What's more important? One wolf pup or three of your own kind?"
"Human lives are obviously more important."
"You know that well. Then move."
Angela hesitated at Trisha's cold words. "At least tell me what kind of task you're going to give Tommy."
"It's simple. Wolf child, come here."
Given the atmosphere, there was no way to run, so I lowered my tail and stood in front of Trisha. She held out the seed in her hand and said, "This is the seed of an Ash tree. Hold this in your mouth and go inside. When you find the people, bite the seed and spit it on the ground. You must never swallow it."
"*Whimper...*"
...Honestly, this is total bullshit. Sending a delicate genius dog like me into that dark, gloomy goblin cave. Who knows what might happen inside? I could die at any moment. There's no guarantee I'll succeed. Above all, I don't even know what that seed is supposed to do.
"Look, there's no way a dog would understand that."
Just then, Mr. Gert stepped forward, stating a very obvious common sense. ...That's right? Come to think of it, he's right. Where's the guarantee that I understand human speech 100%? Even if Angela thinks I'm a genius dog and has verified it, she must feel uneasy. After all, I'm just a dog. So, even if I pretend not to understand, it shouldn't be a big problem. It means I don't have to take the risk myself. It means this is entirely my choice.
As I tucked my tail and lowered my head with a dejected expression, Trisha spoke. "As expected. Wolves don't serve their masters. Besides, he doesn't seem as smart as you said. He's even a coward."
".......!"
"It was quite amusing to let you surprise me with the joke that a beast understands speech. Human."
At Trisha's mockery, my blood boiled. Looking up, I saw Angela-goshujin-sama’s cheeks flushed with shame, her lips pressed tightly together. ...My pride is hurt.
"It can't be helped. Let's widen the cave hole and go in. It won't matter if the interior collapses and the humans inside get a little hurt, right? Besides, the goblins will come pouring out."
"What about going in one by one? There's no problem with crawling in, is there?"
At Angela's words, Trisha shook her head. "Goblins are nocturnal, so they have good night vision. If there's one waiting as soon as you enter, you'll be killed instantly, won't you? Is there any human here who wants to go in first and die?"
Everyone fell silent at Trisha's words.
"...I will do it."
....Huh? Did I hear that wrong? What did she just say? Angela glared at Trisha and answered. Is she out of her mind? Goshujin-sama?
"Goblins are nocturnal. They should be sleeping right now."
"It's a gamble."
"It is the fault of our Esper Baron family that villagers have gone missing and a security vacuum has occurred."
-*Click.*
Angela, adjusting her gauntlets, tucked her glasses into her pocket and said, "That fault is something the family's retainers must resolve. Responsibility is the same."
"I don't know if you're foolish, or brave."
Trisha's tone was still full of mockery. *You fucking bitch...* I imagined my master crawling into that cave. Attacked in the head by a waiting goblin the moment she entered, knocked unconscious, dragged away... and then violated until she became a simpleton... My body trembled at the horrific thought. Meanwhile, Trisha's palm was still open, the Ash tree seed resting upon it. Even if it means I die, I can't let my master, Angela, go in there...!!!
-*Woof!*
I snatched the seed in my mouth and sprinted toward the cave.
"Tommy?!"
I heard Angela's startled voice behind me, but I ignored it and ran. Angela adopted me. She gave me the chance to bury my bones in the great Esper Baron family, treated me to delicious milk, let me touch her chest every day, and was, in every way, a tree that gave without limit. She had bestowed grace upon me. It was time to repay Angela.
******
When Tommy entered the cave, Angela was flustered and couldn't sit still. On the other hand, Trisha stared blankly at her empty hand. When she first saw him at the mansion, she thought it was a coincidence. But when he found the goblin's tracks the second time, she thought, *no way*. Finally, seeing him react to the news that his master would go instead, and then run off with the seed in his mouth, she was convinced.
'That wolf...'
There was something about him she didn't understand. But until now, everything had been possible if he were just a trained beast. If he were truly a wolf that understood human speech...
'He might just save the humans.'
Curiosity welled up within her. For someone long-lived and widely traveled, it was rare for her to find something truly interesting. Having removed her mask, she twisted her lips and shot a mocking smirk at Angela, who was glaring at her.
"The wolf is better than the humans."
"He is a dog."
"Think what you want."
"What are you going to do now?"
Trisha felt a tickling sensation in the corner of her heart from an unknown emotion. "Follow me. If the wolf does well, I'll use magic."