The Chaos Dog's Bargain
The unexpected true form and sudden appearance of Chaos had thrown the situation into chaos.
Yet more than anything else, the true culprit scrambling my wits was Chaos's behavior itself.
There he was, front paws raised, yanking at my pants and trying to drag them down.
I clutched the waistband and hauled upward with everything I had, holding on for dear life.
"Frach, help me!"
"Hmm...."
"What are you doing? Do something already!"
"That is because no hostility can be sensed from that puppy. It seems there is little need for this body to intervene; you are unlikely to come to any real harm."
"My chastity is in danger! Getting richer is fine, but I have no desire to become a person of interest!"
Chaos's tail swept back and forth like a broom; the sight was undeniably adorable.
Yet no matter how cute he looked, there was absolutely no sexual angle I could entertain.
I knew some people harbored tastes of that sort, but for me it was impossible.
If it had been only certain parts that were non-human, the way Breeze's were, I might have managed—but the pure animal form was simply too much!
"Kiiing...!"
"Oh?"
Whether my silent plea had gotten through or not, Chaos released his grip and took a small step back.
Perhaps he possessed some form of mind-reading ability.
At least I could relax knowing we would not simply start fighting on the spot.
"You understand what I'm saying?"
"Wang!"
Chaos answered with bright energy, tongue lolling out.
Panting and wagging that tail, his exterior was truly cute—so much so that it was hard to believe he was the same sort of creature as the Chaos I had dismantled only moments earlier.
"Then first, if you really are Chaos, one of the Four Evil Beasts created by the First Demon King, turn around right there."
"Wang!"
Chaos gave a short reply and began spinning in frantic circles around me.
One full turn would have been enough, yet the little beast tore around like a mad thing.
"Stop!"
"Kiuung?!"
I shouted for him to quit, certain he would never stop unless told.
Chaos halted on the spot, lost his balance, and toppled forward onto his face.
Fur mussed and dirtied, he still trembled all over, then his eyes sparkled.
The tip of his tongue peeking out was the finishing touch.
I was beginning to seriously doubt whether this puppy could truly be the infamous member of the Four Evil Beasts.
"Good. I've confirmed you understand me. Can you speak human language?"
"Kiuuung......"
Like a rain-soaked dog, Chaos lowered his tail and dipped his head a little.
Apparently speaking the human tongue was too tall an order.
"He says it is difficult now, but later he will be able to."
"What? You could understand him all along?"
"This body can comprehend the speech of every living creature. Never knowing with what manner of being one might form a contract, this body was equipped with such a translation ability as well."
Well, in the original story there had even been a dog that ran around with a sword in its mouth, cutting people down.
Against that backdrop, a magic sword understanding canine speech was hardly strange.
Trusting Frach, I asked her to keep translating Chaos's words for me.
"So what does 'later' mean?"
"Wang-wang! Awoool!"
"He says his power has dropped because his clone died. He asks you to wait until the night of the full moon."
Chaos's words to Frach, Frach's words to me, my words back to Chaos.
Human, magic sword, and puppy.
The bizarre combination drew a snort of laughter from me.
Chaos's outrageous demand only added to the absurdity.
"I know magical beasts grow twice as strong under a full moon. If we wait until then, you might just attack me again—and you want me to wait? Who do you think you're playing with?"
"Kiiing...!"
"He insists that will never happen."
The instant Frach finished speaking, Chaos flopped onto his back.
Belly fully exposed, legs in the air—the classic pose of submission known the world over.
"Kiiing! Kiiing...!"
"Chaos says that from a distance he watched Contractor battle his clone and was utterly moved. The swordsmanship that even sliced through space itself made him tremble with awe, and he now wishes to follow you for life."
"I still can't properly control that power. Without Frach I basically can't even manifest it."
"Wang! Wang!"
"He says that does not matter. There is another reason he has fallen for you so completely, beyond mere strength......"
"What is it?"
"Wang! Hah-hah!"
The Pomeranian bounced in place, laughing with pure delight.
Those spotless, clear eyes fixed on me until the gaze itself grew burdensome.
Frach, for her part, did not translate at once; she stayed silent for a beat before finally relaying Chaos's words.
"Pffft...! H-he says your personality is such an enormous pile of trash that it pleases him greatly... Ahahah!"
"Somehow I figured it would be that......"
Earlier, when Frach had listed the traits of the Four Evil Beasts, one point had made me flinch.
They favor the wicked.
Honestly, I had been unsure whether that applied to me.
I had done plenty of terrible things to others, yet I had also performed a fair share of good deeds to match.
So I had assumed they would neither hate nor love me—yet that prediction had missed the mark completely.
"Do I really look that much like trash?"
"Wang-wang!"
"Why bother asking the obvious? This body has told you before, has it not? There are times you feel more vicious than any demon. What can be stated with certainty is that you have surpassed even the First Demon King in sheer rotten character."
I had just been certified a personality wreck by both a member of the Four Evil Beasts and a magic sword.
Naturally, not a shred of joy came with the honor.
Strange. I was under the impression the world overflowed with far more vicious bastards than me.
Take the Magic Tower Master currently running magical experiments on humans, or the Demon King trying to plunge the world into chaos.
Or at the very least that scheming bitch who turned her childhood friend into a Pong-Pong Guy and later framed him—she was more vicious if anything.
Compared to them, I think I'm on the decent side!
"Hah!! Your conscience is dead, Contractor. That very attitude is where your true nature shows itself most clearly!"
Frach's fierce rebuttal brought the debate over my character to a close.
Right now I needed to settle the matter of the Chaos standing before me.
"So the point is, you're offering to submit to me?"
"Wang!"
"Fine. No need to flip over and show your belly again. Just answer my questions."
Chaos, who had been about to roll over once more, straightened up and gave a tiny, adorable nod.
"First—why did you attack the dwarves' mine?"
"Arrrr...!"
For the first time Chaos's face twisted into a snarl, voice laced with threat.
He clearly harbored deep malice toward the dwarves.
"He says the dwarves struck first and stole his most precious treasure."
"What did they take?"
"Keong! Keong!"
"The Full Moon Stone...... The dwarves truly were in the wrong here."
"Yeah, they were."
Magical beasts grow stronger on nights of the full moon.
And the Full Moon Stone, I knew, constantly amplified a beast's power even without a full moon present.
They had walked off with the single most precious item a magical beast could possess; Chaos's rage was understandable.
In my terms, it would be no different from someone snatching Frach away without permission.
"Grrrr...!"
"While he slept quietly with the Full Moon Stone in his keeping, the dwarves stole the treasure. He could not forgive them. So he intended both to take revenge and to increase his own kind."
"Why increase his own kind?"
"Awooo!"
"The other members of the Four Evil Beasts he had been close to either died or parted ways, leaving him lonely for a long time. He hoped to ease that loneliness by creating more of his kind, but......"
Chaos stared blankly up at me.
He padded closer and tapped my shoe with a front paw.
"Kiiing......"
"He says he was disappointed that you slaughtered every last one of them."
"Wang! Wang!"
"Therefore he hopes you will accept him. He claims he is ready to follow you for the rest of his life."
Judging Chaos as pure evil without learning the full story had been my mistake.
The whole incident had been sparked by the actions of a few senseless dwarves.
As a third party I should never have gotten involved, and I had no right to lecture anyone.
Yet I had stepped in to save the dwarven king.
I bore a certain measure of responsibility, so accepting Chaos might have seemed reasonable......
"No."
"Wang?!"
"The risk of taking you in is far too high."
Chaos had killed innocent dwarves in the name of revenge.
At that point any room for negotiation between us had vanished.
If I went around with him now, friction with the dwarves was inevitable.
And I was already walking around with a magic sword; adding one of the Four Evil Beasts to my side would practically guarantee I ended up on a wanted list.
I laid out every reason I could not accept him in careful detail.
"Kiiing! Kiiing! Kiiing!"
"He is insisting that if he uses his unique ability there will be no problem, and he is complaining quite fiercely."
"Wang!"
Declaring it appeal time, Chaos wagged his tail with furious energy.
He used a nearby boulder as a springboard, leapt high into the air, and dove straight for the ground.
Was he about to crash headfirst?
That was what I thought—yet to my astonishment Chaos slipped cleanly into the shadow-draped earth.
A moment later only his head poked out of the shadow, as if he were swimming underwater.
"Wang-wang!"
"He says he can hide inside shadows just like this, and that he can travel anywhere a shadow exists."
"Come to think of it, the clone also appeared through a shadow, didn't it? Does that mean other people can enter as well?"
"Kiiing...!"
Chaos shook his head vigorously from side to side.
Only he himself could enter the shadows, then.
"What a waste of hope... Wait. You can go anywhere as long as there's a shadow?"
"Wang!"
"Even to a place completely on the opposite side of the world from here?"
"Wang! Wang!"
Chaos answered with a bright, sunny smile.
Even without Frach's translation I could tell it was an affirmative.
"......Then do one errand for me and I'll take you in."
"Hah-hah-hah!"
"He is begging you to give him any order at all; he will do whatever you ask."
"Good."
I drew a necklace from inside my coat.
A peculiar piece: a small bust with two ice spikes driven through it.
An extremely precious artifact obtained from the Prihart Temple.
"Take this necklace together with a note and leave them at the place I designate. Simple enough?"
"Wang! Wang! Wang! Wang!"
Chaos burst out of the shadow, leapt into my arms, and began frantically licking my cheek.
I could take that as acceptance.
Heheheh! Pingchaeng, I'll be your cupid of love!
"Just how, exactly, is that the behavior of a decent person......"