Chapter 83: 83
The Marquis’s Dog
“Woooo…ooo…”
It was more of a moan than a bark . I guess it wasn’t a watchdog .
A watchdog would be barking up a storm .
But its moan was very weak and quiet .
I moved slowly as to not frighten the dog . And then observed it .
It a very big dog . About half as tall as me .
Smaller than Grulf, but very big for a dog .
However, it was strangely skinny . I started to feel sorry the more I looked at it .
Just to make sure, I used Magic Search on the dog . There were no traces of magic .
It wasn’t cursed or being controlled .
Of course, if the Sorcerer who did it was more skilled than me, it was possible that I wouldn’t be able to see through it .
But that did not seem very likely .
“Am I just conceited…”
“Wooo…”
I muttered to myself . Then the dog howled suspiciously .
Well, it was almost a groan .
It seemed very scared and weak .
I would not have expected to see such a weakened dog in the garden of a Marquis .
It was very strange .
“…Do you want to eat something?”
I took out a treat from my magic bag and held it in front of the dog .
It was something that I kept as emergency food .
My magic bag was a luxury item . Nothing inside of it affected the other contents .
So I could throw in rat carcasses and food at the same time . It was very convenient .
“Wooo . ”
I placed the food in front of the dog . And then moved away . The dog moaned suspiciously for a while .
But it could not beat the feeling of hunger .
The dog sniffed at it a few times before biting into it .
After that, I put a few more treats on the ground . I even added a bowl of water .
The dog sniffed at them and then drank the water and ate the food .
It must have been very hungry and thirsty .
“Eat as much as you like . I have to go now, but no more barking, okay?”
The dog was silent . But its tail was wagging slowly .
As I searched for the best place to enter the building, the dog started to poke me with its nose .
“What is it?”
I asked quietly . Then the dog silently walked away .
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Then it stopped and looked back at me . It was as if it wanted me to follow .
“…I have no better ideas…okay then…”
I decided to follow the dog .
The dog walked along the side of the building without hesitation .
Then it suddenly stopped, hid in the shadows and looked at me .
I hid in the shadows as well .
Immediately after, a servant passed by .
Apparently, the dog was being careful that we weren’t discovered .
As I followed the dog, we eventually arrived at the back of the house . Here there was a place where the window was broken .
It was the hallway window . In spite of the broken glass, the servant there did not seem to take notice .
He was walking over the broken glass on the ground as if it were nothing .
Even the wind and rain had gotten in . There were twigs and leaves in the hallway .
“The glass has been shattered, but no one cares?”
It was as if that spot alone was from an abandoned house .
The servant passing it just made it even more strange .
The dog jumped in through the broken window .
I followed . The dog kept walking once we were inside .
Perhaps its paws had been cut because there was a little blood dripping .
“Hey, wait . I’ll treat the wounds . ”
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I tried, but the dog kept walking on ahead .
It was as if it were saying that there was no time for that .
“But we’re more likely to get caught with a bloody trail . ”
I said as I forced the dog to stop . Then I applied medicine to the paws and wrapped them in bandages . That stopped the bleeding .
“We don’t have much time, so this will have to do . I will fix you up properly later . ”
The dog remained quiet but raised its front paw .
That was the only way a dog could communicate silently .
I gently held the offered paw, and the dog’s tail wagged .
We continued to walk while avoiding the servants .
It was as if the dog knew exactly when a servant would pass by .
And so we could hide just in time .
After a while, we stopped in front of a certain room .
It was near the center of the building . It appeared to be a semi-basement .
I asked the dog in a quiet voice,
“Is there something in there?”
The dog raised its front paw again . I took it and patted the dog’s head .
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I decided to enter the room .
Even if it was a trap, I would gain some information .
“…Maybe I really am just being arrogant…”
I wondered to myself .
Normally, bursting into a room all alone like this was not a good idea .
Perhaps fighting devils for 10 years all by myself had given me too much confidence .
But if there was an enemy here that was as strong as the horde of devils, then the royal capital would have already turned into their hell .
And so surely, I would be able to deal with this alone .
Maybe that was still a kind of arrogance .
I would have to ponder this very seriously later .
For now, I would enter the room .
I used Magic Search on the door .
There was lock magic . And it was done by a very advanced Sorcerer .
A palace Sorcerer would need an hour to unlock it .
“They must really want to keep me out . ”
Or perhaps they wanted to keep something in .
I used Search to see if there was a trap . And then I listened .
There was no trap . But I did hear something . Something was moving inside .
“…Well, let’s see what it is then . ”
I cast an unlocking spell on the door . There was a click, and the door was unlocked .
And then I slowly opened the door .