I’m The Brave Puppy That Will Save The Villainess - Chapter 60
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 60
“I heard you played an active role in bringing a buff-type ability user here, so I came to see you. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“I’m really happy! Caligo must be really happy to see me too.”
“Well, not really that much.”
“That’s not true! The shadows above your head are moving! They’re dancing!”
Above his grumpy face, shadows were excitedly dancing around.
Caligo’s cheeks immediately turned red.
“Caligo is unconsciously excited, so his shadows are moving along with him.”
“…Even though Lord Belief helped me a bit, if I don’t stay conscious, they keep moving on their own… They’re moving. It’s definitely not because I’m happy.”
“Wow… Shadow, you must have studied a lot! The color is much darker than before!”
“…Yeah. But Lord Belief does look a bit tired.”
He probably would be. Even though Belief’s ability is amazing, it must be overwhelming with so many people asking for help everywhere.
“It’s okay! It’ll get better soon!”
Rocky Mine, which is Master’s private property.
That mine was buried with tons of magic stones that could increase abilities by as much as ten times.
It would take some time to excavate the large quantity of magic stones, but if we could just endure a little until then…
‘…Still, I do feel a little sorry for him.’
As I was thinking that, Caligo stared at me intently and said.
“You’re the one who looks really tired.”
“I’m fine though.”
Caligo, who had been staring at me, opened his mouth.
“Since early spring is the social season, I’ll probably stay at the Duke’s Mansion until then and then return to the Northern Region. But I’m absolutely not sad that I can’t stay with you for a long, long time.”
“Strong denial means…”
“Absolutely not.”
I smiled softly while looking at Caligo’s reddened earlobes.
“Yeah, I understand!”
Anyway, so the social season is opening?
It was a Social Circle event that started between late winter and early spring.
But there was one strange thing.
‘In the future that the Dog Star Friends showed me, Sister was directly active during the social season.’
That’s when she encountered the bad people who had tormented her.
‘I was planning to ask to be taken to the social season if Sister was going to be active.’
But Sister was still staying only in the Annex.
She didn’t seem interested in things like the Social Circle at all.
Or maybe…
‘Could it be that I’m missing something?’
* * *
“This is it.”
The needle attached to the tracker moved with a beeping sound, making a loud noise.
‘I’m not sure if it’s a proper magic tool, but it should be around here.’
At this point when Caligo had also recovered his health.
There was only one reason he continued to stay in the Ardos Duchy.
‘This seems to mean this is the crime scene.’
The place he followed the tracker to looked eerie at first glance.
‘It certainly looks like a place where a murder could happen.’
But there was one space where lanterns were densely lit.
Beep, beep-beep. Beep-beep-beep.
The closer he got to the lanterns, the louder the tracker’s noise became.
He stroked his chin while watching the small needle attached to the end of the tracker move.
‘This is strange.’
Of all places, here.
As he looked around, he encountered an attendant who was cleaning the area nearby while holding a lantern.
“Hello.”
“Oh, you startled me… Ah! I greet Grand Duke Rivera. What brings you to Lady Chloe’s annex…?”
He naturally hid the magic tool in his coat and smiled.
“No, I got lost.”
It was obviously a suspicious excuse, but Grand Duke Rivera was Duke Ardos’s ally.
The attendant nodded as if it was nothing serious.
“I see. I hope you return safely to your quarters. Or shall I assign another attendant to guide you?”
“No, that’s fine. But what’s that big thing?”
“Ah, that?”
A considerably grand space that seemed to have been touched by delicate hands.
He pointed at something that looked like a massive stone structure.
The attendant holding the lantern looked at the tip of his finger and asked back.
“Ah, you mean Lady Chloe’s dog’s grave?”
…A dog’s grave?
Chapter 9. Each One’s Resolution
Chloe watched Grand Duke Rivera hovering in front of her with an uncomfortable expression.
‘He’s been appearing too frequently lately.’
She understood that Lucretia couldn’t move easily because Grand Duke Rivera and the Grand Duke’s son were staying at the mansion as distinguished guests.
But still.
Chloe looked at Grand Duke Rivera with an uncomfortable expression.
“I don’t understand why you keep staying around my mansion. Wasn’t your business finished when you looked around earlier?”
This means get lost.
The Grand Duke stared at her intently and said.
“Ah, treating me like a weirdo.”
Chloe was thinking of being a little patient with him.
Since dealing with weird people was somewhat bothersome.
But she couldn’t tolerate him trespassing near Coco’s grave.
‘Besides, that bench is.’
It was the place where Coco had died.
Thinking about that made her blood boil.
She walked closer to the bench where he was standing and lowered her voice.
“You are a weirdo, aren’t you?”
“….”
“So that means please leave.”
But he sat down on the bench and muttered quietly.
“About Coco. Ah, Princess Chloe, the pet dog you raised.”
I thought he would get angry at being ignored.
But what came back was quite an unexpected story.
“…Pet dog?”
Chloe tried to ignore it and move on.
Just then, coincidentally, the strange object he was holding in his hand made beeping noises.
With an attitude as if tracking something, he said carefully.
“By any chance, did it die in this spot?”
“….”
She couldn’t understand why he suddenly brought up the story about Coco.
“Well, I don’t think I have any obligation to tell the Grand Duke about that.”
“You’re putting up quite a wall. Then let me first tell you why I’m investigating around this mansion. I came here to find the last traces of a Spirit Beast Hunter.”
“….”
“But, the murder traces happened to end here?”
Near Coco’s grave.
No, right in front of the bench where Coco had died.
The magic tool that Grand Duke Rivera was holding made beeping sounds and shook violently.
His gaze looked at Chloe with suspicion.
Chloe glared at him with a look of disbelief.
“Are you suspecting me? There’s no reason to be courteous to you.”
“I was curious if you killed that puppy, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“…Shut up.”
With an expression as if those words were rather pleasing, Grand Duke Rivera uttered his next words.
“Or was it murdered, and you didn’t know about it?”
* * *
According to Grand Duke Rivera, all spirit beast hunts leave traces.
Like the mad creation-type mage he was, he pulled out a clock-type magic tool.
“The spirit beast died exactly one year ago at this time, right here. Around three in the afternoon on a day when flowers were blooming.”
Unbelievably, it was pointing to the exact date and time when Coco had died.
“Those bastards are, in short, trash. Not only did they dare set foot in my territory, but they steal abilities from spirit beasts and humans alike and kill them. Now they’ve even expanded their influence to the capital. It’s top secret, though.”
“What’s your reason for telling me something that’s top secret?”
Grand Duke Rivera spoke lightly, but the content contained within his words was anything but light.
“I know Duke Ardos has a detection ability. Chloe Ardos, isn’t it the same for you?”
“…”
“How about joining the spirit beast hunter investigation? Catching those bastards who steal other people’s abilities is quite fun, more than you’d think.”
That was all she had heard him say.
There wasn’t a hint of falsehood in his expression, but…
‘No, no. I can’t completely trust this.’
After Coco died, she had instructed the veterinarian to examine Coco’s body.
But there were no traces whatsoever on Coco’s body indicating he had been murdered.
It was just an ordinary natural death.
‘Yes, that’s how it was. So for now, calm down and…’
Chloe bit her trembling lips.
She tried her best to regain her composure.
Wasn’t it too sudden for stories to pour out about how Coco was actually a spirit beast, and therefore murdered by spirit beast hunters?
But if there was even a single piece of evidence that the Grand Duke’s words were true.
‘If my baby lost his life at someone’s hands…’
Chloe rubbed her face with dry hands and muttered quietly like a sigh.
There was no way Coco could have been murdered.
It must be nonsense.
But there would be a need to verify it.
Because Coco was the only family she truly loved in this world.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————