Chapter 113: Pet 2
Chapter 113: Pet 2
The door opened, revealing the magic instructor's room.
Wooden furniture and books filled the space, radiating a warmth that mirrored his gentle, caring nature. With a fireplace, the scene might have been lifted from a storybook. I stepped forward.
"Oh, this is...?"
Before I could finish, the Retriever wedged itself between me and Lee Ha-rin and slipped inside first.
Its coat was mostly white, fading to a pale ochre at the very tips. Lee Ha-rin's hand reached out and stroked it without thinking. The animal offered its head in silence, as if sensing who would become its master.
"Ah, I'm afraid I have no treats for a dog... Would unsalted jerky be all right?"
A voice spoke from behind Lee Ha-rin. The instructor emerged, smiling warmly as he carried what looked like animal hide. He seemed entirely unbothered by an unannounced dog—a large one at that—appearing in his room.
"As it happens, I have some unsalted jerky here. I keep it on hand for the ones managing their physiques through exercise..."
Instead of scolding us, he set out coffee on the table and rummaged through a drawer until he produced a stash of well-dried jerky. It was hard to imagine such a kind face ever showing anger.
Still scratching the Retriever's head, Lee Ha-rin realized the instructor was preparing to host us and stepped aside. She made space so the dog could come all the way in.
We settled around the coffee table, the Retriever sprawling on its belly between us. No barking. No clicking of claws. The instructor and Lee Ha-rin couldn't help staring at its calm demeanor.
"So, my Constellation... this one is...?"
Lee Ha-rin asked cautiously. The sight of a Dream Demon suddenly showing up with a dog was clearly baffling her.
"He's here to help you from now on."
I stopped there and took a sip of coffee. I had no idea how to explain the rest. A dog with psychic powers? Would she understand if I called it a familiar?
My mind churned. The magic instructor chuckled.
"Bringing along a creature like this—it seems you've made contact with the Beast Constellations."
"Beast Constellations?"
Beast Constellations. Loyal Fang was a werewolf, so did that count? I half-listened as the instructor explained the concept to Lee Ha-rin. Even the Retriever, chewing on its jerky, seemed to follow the conversation.
"Yes. Constellations are beings from other worlds, here for humanity's sake. That means many Constellations are not human at all."
Two pairs of eyes flicked toward me.
Right. I was a Dream Demon now. I used to be human, but neither of them knew that.
"There is the Elf Constellation, who tends to agriculture and forestry, and the Dwarf Constellation, who oversees heavy industry and steelmaking. Most notably, the various Beastkin Constellations bestow the blessings of beasts. Even the Incarnations handling Academy security these days—"
Beside me, Lee Ha-rin's lips twitched. She was a Constellation otaku. There was no way she didn't already know about Beast Constellations. She was probably just playing along with the mood. Her lips quivered as if she was barely restraining herself from jumping in to finish the explanation for him.
Loyal Fang couldn't find a mate of his own, but it turned out the "Beast Constellation" category was larger than I'd thought. People with animal ears. Two-legged walkers like werewolves. Even animals who spoke human words. Casting a wide net brought in quite a few.
'Wait, "beast"—wasn't that a derogatory term? Or was that "brute"?'
"Beast Constellation" sounded vaguely dismissive, but if they called themselves that, who was I to judge?
According to the instructor, it wasn't just werewolves and catfolk. Some Constellations were fully talking cats, or talking bulls. I'd assumed Loyal Fang was the sole Constellation who used animals instead of humans as Incarnations, but apparently not.
"So, what can he actually do?"
Lee Ha-rin had been dying to ask. The moment the instructor paused to wet his throat with coffee, she shot the question at me.
"This one will fetch things you've forgotten."
all I really knew was what Loyal Fang had told me. Did "fetching forgotten things" mean finding them, or would they just pop into existence like an inventory window? Lee Ha-rin, despite her otaku credentials, didn't seem especially interested in animals. She looked like she wasn't quite following.
Then, from under the table, a sharp woof.
Lee Ha-rin ducked her head beneath the tabletop, her voice rising with confusion.
"Uh—what? Instructor?"
She straightened up, arm raised. In her hand was a yellowish sheet of paper. The edges were frayed and torn, the whole thing filthy, but it was covered in characters I didn't recognize.
"He really did fetch something."
"So he did. I believe this is from that last warehouse cleanup—I'd given up on ever finding it."
They started talking as if the paper held important research material. When it came to magic, I could only watch from the sidelines. I stroked the Retriever as he returned to chewing his jerky and let their discussion wash over me.
"Hm? At this hour...?"
A phone rang, shattering the calm. Lee Ha-rin glanced at her screen. The caller ID read: Kim.
'Kim Ha-eun?'
Lee Ha-rin had no contact with her parents anymore. The only "Kim" I could think of was Kim Ha-eun, her fellow Incarnation.
A familiar voice crackled from the speaker, confirming my guess.
"What's going on at this hour?"
— Hey, I need your help!
They must have grown close while working together. The awkward formal speech they used to use was entirely gone. Kim Ha-eun fired off banmal as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Lee Ha-rin furrowed her brow like the call was a nuisance. They looked genuinely comfortable with each other.
'Wait... what do women call a balls-friend here?'
I was entertaining that slightly indecent thought when the noise on the other end of the call grew chaotic. Something went twang-twang, followed by a shattering crash. It sounded like a full-blown rampage—inside the Academy itself.
I glanced over. The Retriever was already standing by the door, as if to say, Let's go. He'd been chewing jerky under the table moments ago, but he was ready to move.
"Shall we, then?"
The call had ended with a scream—a sharp Gah!—but this was the Academy. Kim Ha-eun was in the middle of overseeing dozens of patients. Counting staff and security, she was surrounded by hundreds of people. How dangerous could it possibly be?
"Yes."
At my words, Lee Ha-rin set down her coffee and stood without hesitation. The instructor's hand-brewed coffee was still steaming, releasing a pleasant aroma, but there was nothing to be done about that. He inclined his head toward us as if he understood completely.
Lee Ha-rin opened the door ahead of me, and once again the Retriever took the lead, his tail swishing gently. He still had a strip of jerky clamped in his mouth. Apparently he'd liked the instructor's offering enough not to chew it—just to carry it. I was curious, but I had no way to hold a conversation with a dog.
We made our way from the research-heavy building I called the Magic Building across campus to the infirmary I used as a treatment center.
An oversized Retriever trotting across the training yard with a mouthful of jerky drew stares, unusual as it was inside the Academy. But the instructors who recognized my face smoothly intercepted the attention.
Between classes, we might have been stopped a few times. Right now, though, it was a teaching period. The cadets, perpetually gasping from their drills, didn't seem to have the energy to lift their heads and gawk. The instructors nodded lightly at me and Lee Ha-rin—they knew our faces—and went back to their duties.
We crossed the yard, stepped inside the building, and were greeted by—
"Ah, um... you've arrived, my Constellation..."
Kim Ha-eun's face, one cheek flushed bright red.
'What the hell?'
She looked like she'd been slapped. The skin that had grown pale—almost bloodless—since she became a Dream Demon's Incarnation was now visibly swollen. The sight sent a brief spark of hot fury through my head, but I smothered it almost at once. I'd been expecting something like this on the way over.
"What happened?"
"Well, umm..."
A vanished black cat. An invisible kitty-punch to the face. A Retriever who'd followed me here with jerky in his jaws. Under the circumstances, it was more plausible to blame the cat than to imagine another Incarnation hauling off and slapping Ha-eun without reason.
"It's, uh, this is going to sound bizarre. But see, the cat kind of..."
"Yeah. The black cat was the culprit."
"The cat did... what. What did you need help with?"
"The cat stole my room..."
"...And your cheek? The cat slapped you? No, wait—stole, so you fought it and lost?"
Lee Ha-rin's voice dripped with disbelief as she pressed the question, but Kim Ha-eun couldn't even manage a reply. She just hung her head. A giant cat was one thing. Losing to it as a full-fledged Incarnation was humiliating. She probably hadn't gone all-out against a cat.
"No, that thing's seriously goddamn strong..."
Wait. Had she been serious?