The Greatest Magicmaster's Retirement Plan: Volume 11 E-Book

Izushiro

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Greatest Magicmaster's Retirement Plan
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 300

Beschreibung

Alus’s secret past is finally revealed! And...turmoil at the Institute?

On their way home from Vanalis, Alus finally tells Loki about his hidden past. She is shocked as she listens to his story about his time in the Special Fiend Attack Unit and the unit’s sudden end...

Meanwhile, at the Second Magical Institute, Tesfia and Lilisha clash and duel each other with their honor as nobility on the line. In the midst of it, a strange boy appears before Alus...?! The unsettling shadow of the three major noble families descends upon Alus and the others, causing a huge disruption in their fates.

Leseprobe

Sixtieth Chapter

Remembering the White Wolf

Vanalis had been conquered. And Alus was making his way home carrying Loki on his back.

The snow from before was completely gone. Looking up, he could see rays of light streaming down through the gaps in the leaves on the giant trees around him.

The good weather lightened his steps. On the way, Loki had asked a question, whispering into his ear. She’d wondered why he turned down Lettie’s offer. It was something that had happened a few hours ago.

Lettie had reached out her hand and asked him to walk together with her. She revealed everything she’d been holding back when she tried to recruit him. To travel to the Outer World with allies he could trust instead of being alone... She was offering Alus a helping hand, so to speak.

He’d even felt relief when she’d done so, like he’d met someone aside from Loki and the others who would affirm his existence. That was why he’d seriously considered taking her hand. But in the end, he chose not to.

Loki suspected it had to do with his past, and indirectly asked about it. And so Alus bitterly put his hand on the door to his memories.

It was long ago and his memories of it had grown vague... These days, spending his time at the Institute and being sent out on missions, his recall of that time had faded and become uncertain. But there were still some memories he would never forget. Touching on those memories brought bitterness. And pain.

It was more of a scar than a memory. So when he tried to talk about it, his lips felt heavy as if they were sealed shut. Normally, a person wouldn’t want to reopen such scars. But right now, when the sky was so clear and the air so fresh, Alus felt that a boring story or two could be forgiven.

Really, it was just a trivial story...but it wasn’t like he was telling it for Loki to hear. He felt instead that it might be a good idea to reopen it so he could punish himself and chain his heart down again.

Even so, it would just be this one time. It was a scar that should never be either healed or forgotten.

Sensing his hesitation, Loki quietly waited until he was prepared to talk about it. If she were fast asleep, his lips would’ve loosened easier. But that thought was just another attempt to escape.

Alus closed his eyes, as if blinded by how bright the Outer World was. By telling someone, it was possible that he could realize something he hadn’t been able to on his own. It was a slim possibility, but he was attending the Institute now and had a partner. The circumstances were different now.

He thought back on the past, opening up his scar and touching it. Even now, he hesitated. And so he would need a little more time to resolve himself.

***

It was too short a tale to require telling at length, and too few people knew all the details to be able to talk about it more extensively. It was a story from the past of a unique unit in Alpha.

The Special Fiend Attack Unit, also known as the Special Unit, was a newly established squad. There were other units with this name, but that was the only unit that was officially recognized as going by that name.

Only Magicmasters acknowledged as worthy leaders and high-ranking officials were permitted to establish squads as individuals. Rank wasn’t the only requisite either; achievements and years in service were also taken into account.

Leading a squad as an individual was the exception. Most squads were formed by the top brass. They would issue a notice of the establishment of a new unit and list its commander and members. Of course, the appointments would be compulsory and not voluntary. The squads formed in this manner would include troops for the frontlines, defense, support, investigation, and more.

In addition, all squads required the approval of a general or above with no exceptions. Because of this, squads that actively went on the offensive were rarely established. The reason was that bringing the fight to the Fiends was not very popular back then. The military tended to choose a strategy that focused on defense, first and foremost. And the majority of the top brass was of the opinion that safety of the citizens came first.

However, the circumstances were somewhat different for the Special Fiend Attack Unit. The squad was formed by an individual for the purpose of eliminating Fiends, a rarity at the time. The man making the request was Vizaist Socalent, and backing him up was none other than Berwick.

As Berwick’s old friend, Vizaist was made the commander, but the existence of a young boy named Alus was the most important factor. After all, he’d finished the special training program that normally took several years to complete in just six months. And so Berwick wanted to show the abilities and future prospects of Alus to the top brass by piling up his achievements.

Moreover, haste was necessary. The special training program targeted orphan children and was thus criticized by many. And further, Alus’s uncertain origins and young age also played a big part. Putting him into actual combat wouldn’t just be a violation of military discipline; it would also invite criticism from the international community. So it was only natural that the military was expected to fight it. There would be strong opposition, but Berwick determined that Alus was worth the trouble.

Berwick himself was skeptical of the Magicmaster training program that had been started by his predecessor. Even so, he thought there was enough potential to push back on the criticism and turn a blind eye to the ethical issues.

Indeed, sometimes it was worth braving the risks. The battle against the Fiends went on, but their very existence posed a threat, and there was also the possibility of unexpected evolution. He believed that if they focused on nothing but defense that the future of the human race would be closed off.

That was all the more reason he couldn’t allow such an outstanding talent to get crushed. Alus’s powers far exceeded the norm, so as a temporary measure he formed the Special Unit. Also, he’d only just become the Governor-General and had a lot of political enemies, which put his position in danger. Therefore, he’d had Vizaist put his name down as the applicant making the request.

Berwick also expected that the competent Vizaist, as the captain of the squad, would be able to skillfully control Alus. He also hoped to eventually bring Vizaist into the military’s top brass.

He had few allies he could trust, which made his position unstable. Because of his goals, the Special Unit included many people from Berwick’s faction, and he’d also chosen to gather oddballs so that this wouldn’t stand out.

However, it backfired on him. The formation of an eccentric unit immediately attracted the military’s attention.

The newly established unit went about their duties in earnest in order to gather achievements. Since the squad was formed at an individual’s request, there was a chance they’d be disbanded if they didn’t produce results.

Despite the circumstances, this unit that included Alus was off to a good start, a spectacular one even. It boasted an unusually high mission completion rate for a new unit and quickly became the target of rumors in the military.

After months of completing missions in the Outer World, on a certain day in the hectic and busy life of the unit...

“It’s no good... My back hurts too much.” A man stumbled into the squad’s waiting room and lay down on a row of four chairs. He was only in his twenties but seemed to be suffering quite a bit. He made sure to carefully bend his knees so as not to further hurt his back. But it was clear that he wasn’t as worn out as he said.

The man, Lindelph Maeger, tilted his head to the side and wound up peeking under the table. As soon as he did, his eyes that had been slowly closing suddenly opened wide. “Unfortunately, I prefer white over black, but your commitment to supporting the troops is admirable, Elina!”

The woman sitting across from him closed her legs at his words. Her face turned red. Of course the squad had gathered seasoned warriors, so it wasn’t from embarrassment but from anger. The sudden movement made her tied-back golden hair bounce.

The woman called Elina had long bangs, with one side covering an eye and the other side tucked behind her ear. Lindelph was twenty-six and she was twenty-two. Also, he had a higher military rank than her, but when it came to ranking as a Magicmaster, she was far above him.

Elina quickly held down her skirt. “Lindelph, that’s the fifth time this week. I hope you’re ready to die,” she said with a chilling smile, as she threw the documents she’d been reading onto the chair next to hers.

The next moment, the table bent upwards as it was split in two. She’d kicked up from below.

“—! Hang on, I’m weak... Whoa!” Elina had kicked her leg up high...and Lindelph’s eyes were drawn to the obvious place. He welcomed the sight of the black piece of cloth covering the forbidden garden even under these circumstances. “Black’s pretty good too!”

“A-And again!” She skillfully changed her posture and concealed the garden. Embarrassment turned her cheeks red. However, her raised leg didn’t look to be returning to its original position anytime soon, as she put more power into it. “Don’t worry. After I split your skull open, you will be treated as having died honorably in battle and buried with dignity.”

“H-Hold on! S-Seriously!” Shrinking back, Lindelph stared up at Elina with a look of horror on his face. But even then, strangely, he acted in a theatrical manner, perhaps because of his personality. Or he may have been a pathetic man who could only be optimistic even in the face of death.

Elina showed no signs of caring and brought her leg down in a beautiful semi-circle, grazing his nose.

“—! Ack!” He had been in a position that would’ve made it impossible to dodge, but for some reason he just barely escaped the attack. Lindelph’s body floated in the air for a moment, then fell to the ground with a thud, and he hit the side of his head.

Elina snorted, leaving the pitiful Lindelph alone as she glanced to the side. “Alus, there’s no reason to go out of your way to save that man.”

“Not at all, Ms. Elina. We can’t cover up a man dying here. So if you’re going to do it, do it in the Outer World,” Alus answered her with a surly face. Just before Elina’s leg landed, he’d kicked away the chair Lindelph was on. Having his support pulled out from under him, he’d fallen, and the kick only grazed him instead of hitting him full on. But knowing her, it was likely she’d attacked expecting Alus to intervene.

Had anything gone differently it could have been a disaster, but this kind of thing had been a daily occurrence since the unit’s establishment. It was a cliché, in fact. If something like this wasn’t happening, there must be an emergency going on.

It was unfortunate that Alus was getting caught up in this slapstick routine. “And if you don’t cut it out soon, I won’t save you anymore, Mr. Lindelph.”

“Don’t be like that, Alus. It’s the unavoidable fate of being born a man. You’ll understand in a few years. That uncontrollable impulse is something all men get.”

“Don’t feed Alus your nonsense! Lin—delph!!”

“Agh!” Lindelph exclaimed, still lying on the floor. His face suddenly contorted.

Elina looked down at him like he was trash and stomped on him.

“I don’t think showing him this is very good for his education either... Argh!”

“Shut up, you piece of trash.” Elina put more weight into her heel, then looked up with her expression completely changed. She gave Alus a soft and pure smile. If one only saw her upper body, it would be impossible to guess what her lower half was doing. “Alus, don’t listen to anything he says, okay? There are more respectable adults in this unit...” Elina paused to think for a moment. “In the military,” she amended, changing her mind with a smile.

“Does that include me, Second Lieutenant Elina?” a deep voice suddenly resounded.

“—! Captain Vizaist... W-Well...of course. As long as we don’t mention that grin whenever you brag about your daughter.”

“Uh, er... A-As a father, that can’t be helped...”

“By the way, Elina, do you think you could move your foot...? Even the captain agrees that it’s in a man’s nature to grin over women. You need to be a more generous woman.”

At Lindelph’s words, Vizaist gazed down at him on the floor with a cold stare. “Don’t compare me to you. You just have a lecherous heart.”

“Come on! Captain...”

“More importantly, get up and clean this room, Lindelph.”

Lindelph’s head drooped, and he answered with a weak “Yes.”

The next moment, the squad members started gathering in the room. They’d only just returned from a mission. Of course, so had Lindelph and Alus. They’d been in the Outer World for the past few days without rest, so they were rather exhausted.

When the others saw the room in a mess, they sighed as if they’d seen this countless times before. In fact it was part of their daily life, so the sight made them feel a little refreshed and even relieved.

The Special Unit consisted of fifteen members. On rare occasions the entire unit was mobilized, but for most Outer World missions they usually went in groups of six or seven.

Vizaist was the commanding officer and Lindelph was second in command. Incidentally, Lindelph was an excellent officer, but because of his personality he tended to be looked down on. So, normally someone of his caliber would have been assigned to another position.

At any rate, the other squad members thought that Berwick must have gathered them here to re-educate the problem children.

Alus, of course, was in the same category. Again, the unit was made up of members with unique personalities. And all of them treated Alus as a fellow Magicmaster rather than as a child. They acknowledged his abilities.

His nature also played a big role in that. He showed no expressions or emotions, and spoke flatly like a robot. In other words, he didn’t act like a child in the slightest. Even when the unit was first established, people doubted his age. He looked like a worn-out soldier wearing the skin of a child.

That’s why they typically didn’t hold back around him. Even if he was better than anyone else in the unit in terms of ability, that didn’t mean much to this group that knew nothing about being reserved.

“Alus, try to look at the bigger picture. If we don’t understand everyone’s roles there wouldn’t be any point in teaming up,” one of the members said, reviewing their previous mission.

“Yeah, taking out the high-classed Fiend wasn’t a bad choice, but it could have been depending on the situation,” another member said with his arms crossed, as he leaned against the wall. “That’s what happened this time. Because of your actions, our movements became more restricted. It’s not like you trust us, but...”

“Yes, I’ll be more careful next time,” Alus said bluntly, without so much as turning to look at the man, like he had no interest in working with him.

Even so, he didn’t mean anything bad by it. Despite his attitude, after these kinds of exchanges his behavior would always change. Besides, everyone knew that being able to see the big picture took experience.

Alus’s growth was astounding, even considering this. It wasn’t something he’d learned anywhere; it was simply raw talent. That was why the members didn’t mind his attitude, as they gave him advice mixed with stern words.

“Oh dear, people are so warped. Alus is still just a child.” ...With one exception. Elina spoke in a joking tone, as she put her hand on Alus’s head.

The unit understood that her warm demeanor was a sign of her high hopes for Alus’s future. The only reason Alus didn’t realize it was because he was still a child.

Lindelph, who was cleaning up the chair damaged beyond repair and the table that had been split in two, glanced over and said, “But he’s stronger than anyone here.”

“...” Everyone already understood that. They just didn’t say it out loud.

Lindelph never said anything about how Alus handled himself in the Outer World. That was because he was conflicted over it. He wasn’t sure if someone as exceptional as Alus should be tied down by the usual methods of warfare such as coordinating with others. It was the most important thing in a unit, but to Alus it might just be a restraint.

No... Normally the establishment of coordination and teamwork was essential for victory, so maybe the problem really was that he was a child.

There was a tacit understanding that Alus was a second generation product of the rumored Magicmaster training program. No one talked about it because the first generation was quickly wiped out in the Outer World. Even among the second generation, Alus was pretty much the only one still serving.

Vizaist surveyed his unit and let out a tired sigh. “Coordination is the lifeline of a unit, and while it’s not really my place to say this, it would be too late by the time you learned that lesson the hard way. But in the end, it’s your call, Alus. Your talent is in a league of its own. Sooner or later you’ll go beyond what a normal person can do. But that’s why you can’t rely on just your sense. Start by learning theory and thinking with your head,” Vizaist said, rolling up some papers and tapping Alus on the head with them.

“Understood.”

His usual monotone made Vizaist wonder if he really understood, and he sighed again.

“Or so the commander says, but he constantly disobeys orders, so he’s learned his lessons the hard way himself,” Elina pointed out.

“Elina, aren’t you being too lenient with Alus?” But Vizaist’s honest opinion lacked vigor. It seemed clear that he’d been driven away as a nuisance. That was just what Berwick had planned.

“This is just the right balance. There’s only a bunch of strict adults around here. Besides, don’t you have a very high opinion of Alus yourself, Captain? You seem convinced he’ll be a first-rate Magicmaster in the future.” Elina poked at his real feelings with an implicating smile. But it was she who held the highest opinion of Alus.

Vizaist turned to the door as if to escape, but then suddenly turned to address the unit. “I’m sorry for bringing this up when you’re tired, but there’s something I need to show you.” It was a forced change in topic, but he said it with a bitter look as if to say trouble was brewing. That was normal, but his showing something to them rarely happened.

For better or worse, their unit attracted a lot of attention in the military. They completed hard mission after hard mission. Their achievements had piled up, and they steadily earned renown. That meant, of course, that there was no end to the orders and requests they received. It was difficult even picking out which mission to take on next.

But lately there’d been some that had been pushed on them in hopes of staining their record, out of jealousy. The relationship Vizaist had with the new Governor-General, Berwick, was well-known in the military. That’s why some nobles and officers who didn’t like the way the new regime was doing things tried to force reckless missions on the unit. In short, it was politically motivated. That Alpha’s top brass and military were not a monolith was a major source of concern for Berwick.

Vizaist led the Special Unit members to a certain research area in the military headquarters. This area focused on the development of new spells, the creation of AWRs, and other items for use in the Outer World, even military clothing.

They were underground in a place used as a storage facility for supplies. Arriving at a small room, Vizaist held his license up against the panel next to the door. The door slid open and the light in the ceiling turned on. It was completely empty aside from one thing.

“Captain...what is this?” Lindelph asked with his mouth open.

The other squad members had the same reaction, or furrowed their brows with unease.

In the center of the room was a big cage. The bars were as thick as a man’s arm, and not only were they sturdily welded but they stretched vertically and horizontally to form a crisscross pattern. And inside of it was...

“A-A Fiend?!” someone muttered out loud.

From behind the grid, an eerie low roar bellowed out. The creature in the cage moved slightly. At the same time the shadows shifted, allowing the creature to be seen more clearly.

At a closer look, it was by no means a Fiend. It lacked the distorted shape typical for a Fiend and the ominous body color. If anything, it had a more heroic appearance. It looked like a creature thought to be extinct... A wolf. To those who didn’t know what wolves were, it was like a big dog.

It was covered in silver-white fur and had a long, whip-like tail. Fierce eyes glared as if staring at prey, its sharp fangs bared to intimidate. The blade-like claws were bent in a crescent shape, and each time they scratched the floor it made a clattering sound.

Even if it looked like a wolf or dog, its size was clearly abnormal. At first glance it appeared to be more than three meters long. The size and ferocious growl were more than enough to mistake it for a Fiend.

“This thing was created through an experiment,” Vizaist said. “Supposedly it’s a Fiendog capable of detecting Fiends.”

“And you call this a dog?” Lindelph asked, after a pause.

“Well, they said it was a result of tweaking some genes. It’s capable of generating and using mana as well as detecting Fiends. As you know, spotters are a precious resource, so this was created as a potential replacement. It was a desperate measure of sorts.” Vizaist flipped through some documents as he continued his explanation to the dumbfounded and wary unit. “So by creating a bunch of these, there’ll be fewer ambushes in the Outer World. Moving on to the main topic, I want you to take this with you to the Outer World for a while and gather data.”

“T-Take this thing, Captain? It looks like it wants to tear us apart.” Lindelph had a good point. The creature’s growling was nonstop, and no one wanted to be side-by-side with a beast that had hate in its eyes and kept baring its fangs.

“That’s true. It doesn’t look very cooperative...” Elina noted with a furrowed brow.

Vizaist smiled wryly. “Well, it wouldn’t be. As a result of its mana-generating organs and aggressive genetic modifications, it seems to have developed a rather difficult personality. That’s why I had you come take a look at it first. By the way, there are some special circumstances behind this request, so don’t expect to be able to refuse it so easily.”

“So it’s not a request made by the research team? It’s from higher up, then... More of the usual harassment? But isn’t this a little too much...?” As Vizaist’s adjutant, Elina did some clerical work such as checking orders and preparing documents, so she was well aware of the Special Unit’s position in the military. It couldn’t be helped, then, that she sounded somewhat disgusted.

“Hang on a second, Captain.” That’s when a rugged skinhead squad member interrupted the two. “Just touching it might work. It’s only an animal and it’s probably scared from being locked up here all alone.” With that, he fearlessly walked over to the cage.

The others watched in silence.

“I don’t know anything about genetic modifications or whatever, but it should warm up to me if I just rub its chin...like this.” He put his hand through the bars.

And in the next moment the Fiendog leaped at the man’s arm with enough force to shake the cage.

“Aaahhh!!!” The squad member pulled his hand back in the nick of time, and the sharp fangs bit through air. He almost fell over but managed to regain his posture, then turned around as if nothing had happened. “Well, it is just an animal. Guess it’ll be difficult to communicate with it.”

The squad looked at him with exasperation, while Elina called him an idiot under her breath.

“You sure gave up fast considering how confident you were,” Vizaist observed.

“It’s just that our usual common sense doesn’t apply. The research team sure made something crazy.” The man exhaled in relief, then shrugged.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure it’s cats that like having their chin rubbed. If that looks like a cat to you, I suggest you get your eyes checked out,” Elina said with a cold stare.

That’s when Alus pointed at the cage. “Look at it drooling. It’s like a predator that just missed its prey.”

“And you were calling it just an animal. It only saw you as prey,” Elina said, looking at the skinhead squad member.

Lindelph, in the meantime, wisely kept his mouth shut, trying his best not to stand out.

Vizaist considered what Alus said. “Then why don’t you give it a try, Alus? If it’s a matter of ability, you just have to keep it from thinking of you as prey, right?”

“—! What are you talking about? What are you going to do if something happens to Alus?!” Elina was the only one who was overprotective of Alus, and she immediately stepped in. Maybe it was her motherly instincts at work.

“Now that’s a needless worry. In essence, it just needs to acknowledge someone as its owner. I can’t think of anyone more suited than Alus,” Vizaist replied.

“That’s true, but...”

“I don’t mind.” Without waiting for them to finish their conversation, Alus walked over to the cage with light steps. Once he was close enough for the animal to reach him if it stuck its claws through the bars, it started to growl again. But since Alus was so much smaller than it was, it wasn’t so much out of hostility as simple intimidation.

“That’s enough, Alus! It’s too dangerous to get any closer!”

Alus ignored Elina’s warning and took another step forward. Or rather, he was so focused on what was in front of him that her words never reached his ears.

He got a strange feeling, and it wasn’t just because he was concentrating. Animals existed in the Outer World too, but he’d never seen such a magnificent creature before. It was even more astounding up close. A lonely looking beast, created to be powerful, ferocious and gallant and yet somehow fragile. It reminded Alus of himself in a way.

That was when the creature began to panic in an instinctive sense, because Alus, unlike those who came before him, showed no signs of fear. It felt that its territory was about to be invaded. It howled, its sharp claws scratching the bars, not ripping them up but leaving scratch marks, amid the deafening metallic sounds.

The sounds triggered an unconscious reaction in Alus. His body responded as if he’d been attacked, and his survival instincts—trained in the Outer World—immediately reacted. Mana overflowed from him as he readied himself for battle.

Even the other unit members, who were used to it, didn’t expect this to happen in the Inner World. They took a step back, bathed in the aftermath of the vast amounts of mana that had been released.

“Whoa?! T-Talk about a cruel thing to do!” Lindelph exclaimed.

“Sudden or not, I wish you could at least keep it under control,” Vizaist said with a sigh.

“Y-Yeah. Y-You still have a long ways to go.”

“That’s not very convincing coming from you when your legs are shaking, Lindelph,” Elina noted. “Still, how fearsome.”

Various squad members then spoke up.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine. But that dog’s in trouble.”

“What are you more worried about, its being useless with its current attitude or that Alus might finish it off?”

“...Both. Well, I can only feel sorry for it.”

The squad members whispered to one another while staying alert to the situation.

“Should children really be like that? Speaking of which, isn’t your kid...”

“Yeah, they’re the same age. Although I wonder if we can even call him a child.”

“He’s a reliable ally, but far from a child...”

“It’s kind of pitiful really,” someone muttered.

This caused Elina to glare at the imprudent member, who quickly said, “Ah! S-Sorry. That’s not what I meant.”

“S-Sorry,” said the member he’d been talking with. They must have noticed how inappropriate their conversation was and apologized for it.

Elina was one thing, but Alus himself showed no sign of caring. In fact, it was questionable whether he’d even heard them.

Elina gave Alus a caring look and tried to call out to him as softly as possible. “Alus, that’s enough. I’d feel bad for that dog if you pushed it any further too.” Her voice didn’t seem to reach him as he took another step towards the cage.

Intimidated by Alus’s pressure, the Fiendog tensed. It was something everyone in the room could feel.

Suddenly, there was a loud sound that filled the room. Alus snapped back to reality and turned to see Vizaist’s thick hands pressed together, having just clapped loudly. He’d probably also used wind magic to amplify the sound. “All right, that’s enough, Alus.”

Alus looked back at the cage.

“—!!” The unit members reacted as something shocking happened. The Fiendog had slowly retreated and whimpered as it sat down, bringing its head low. Its nose and tail lay flat on the ground, the ferocity it had exuded before nowhere to be seen. The way it expressed its submission with its entire body was even a little endearing. Instead of returning Alus’s stare, it simply gazed down at the floor. It was a pose of yielding to the other party, something that could mean death in the natural world of the strong and the weak.

With a broad smile, Vizaist said in a booming voice, “Then it’s decided. We’ll keep the Fiendog in our unit for a while. Moreover, Alus, you will take care of it and work together with it in the Outer World. Do you understand?” Despite his authoritative tone, he wore a gentle expression. Well, it might not be a normal animal...but something might change if he takes care of a pet.

Vizaist was relieved that they wouldn’t have to turn down the request, but he would’ve come up with a good excuse if necessary. So in the end, he unintentionally showed something akin to a parental sentiment, like a father hoping his troublesome son would undergo an emotional change.

Three days later, the Fiendog officially arrived at the Special Unit’s standby room. Apparently it took a lot of work to get it out of the cage and bring it all this way. They’d hurriedly ordered a special-made collar and leash, but it took time to make something that couldn’t be easily chewed through.

Attached to the large collar was a leash made of thick chain that was made with the assumption that several adults would be pulling on it. Even with that, it seemed like they would be powerless if it decided to run wild. Not to mention that it would be Alus, a literal child, who would be holding the leash. Naturally, the squad members were uneasy.

The Fiendog’s size and presence made the already small room feel even more cramped, but at the moment it was quietly lying down with its eyes closed. It folded its paws and rested its head on them. It also appeared to be pretty intelligent, capable of understanding most things through gestures.

The members seemed unconvinced, but according to the researchers it should eventually be able to understand simple words too. Of course, for the time being it would only follow Alus’s orders.

Since the leash was too large to wrap around his wrist, Alus wrapped it around his arm instead. However, it didn’t appear that he had to use any real force to get the Fiendog to move.

The current policy was to get the creature as used to the unit as possible and improve their communication. Trial or not, since its primary use was detection, it needed to be able to work alongside the unit. In addition, it was decided that the laboratory’s warehouse would be used for its room outside of non-training hours and for sleeping.

Vizaist watched the Fiendog as it was led around by Alus, as the unit also looked on from a distance. “We’ll be going on missions together from now on, so it’d be a little tasteless for this thing to not have a name. So I want you all to think of one,” he declared, as if welcoming a newcomer to the unit. But since that newcomer looked a little too aggressive, everyone first turned to look at Alus.

Elina began the conversation. She turned to Alus, who was less than half the size of the dog, and gently asked, “Alus, do you have any suggestions?”

“White,” Alus said after a pause.

Hearing this, most of the unit slapped their foreheads or just shook their heads. They all seemed to be saying that name would be out of the question.

“Isn’t that a little too on the nose? Besides, its fur is more silver than white,” Vizaist said, adding in his complaint. He felt it was too mundane for someone joining the military, even if it was just a dog.

The Fiendog kept its eyes closed, as if in agreement, although that might have been because it really was sleeping.

“Then, how about you, Captain? Any suggestions?” Elina asked in Alus’s stead, as he was too busy frowning.

“Well... Hm, I do have a name I thought up in case my wife had a boy. How about Golmance?”

The room froze over. For some moments silence hung over them, until Elina timidly asked, “By the way, what was your daughter called again?”

“It’s Felinella. My wife rejected the name I thought up.”

“A-And just to confirm, what was it?”

“Golnea!”

The entire unit, apart from Alus, looked at Vizaist with their mouths wide open. Elina ran her fingers through her hair, then put it behind her ear before shaking her head. She spoke as the group’s representative. “How atrocious...”

“—! Y-Yes, my wife may have turned it down, but I spent three days and nights thinking of that name. I only want my daughter to grow up strong, though, and with a desire to improve herself.”

“Sure, I understand how you feel, Captain, but that name brings up an image of bulging muscles and broad shoulders. You owe your wife big time.”

“True, Felinella is a fine name, but the name I thought up is...”

“That’s enough, Captain,” Elina said. “Any more will affect unit morale.”

Vizaist’s head and shoulders drooped and he moved away from the circle.

“All right, anyone else? Please. Anything.” Elina had wound up taking charge of the conversation. It was a shame for the captain, but it was unavoidable.

“We should determine if it’s a boy or a girl first,” someone suggested.

“Hm, good point.” Elina nodded and turned to Alus. “Which is it?” She couldn’t check herself because it was only answering to Alus. More specifically, it had acknowledged Alus as its master. But from the unit’s point of view, it appeared that the animal was also starting to get attached to him.

“It’s a boy,” Alus immediately replied, as if he’d checked before.

“There you have it, so think up a good name.”

“H-Hold on, if it’s a boy, that’s all the more reason to call it Golmance...”

“Just shut up please, Captain! Let’s bring up names and watch the dog’s reaction to decide it. He should react when he hears something that he likes,” Elina said.

“Agh...” Having had the knife twisted in him, Vizaist’s shoulders dropped even further. He sat down while holding his knees.