Somewhere deep in the forest, I felt an ominous presence.
I hid myself in a thick bush that looked like a good spot to stay out of sight.
After holding my breath there for a while…
“Woof…”
A dog’s bark?
Peeking through the gaps in the bushes, I saw them.
“Stupid mutt. You still haven’t found it?”
“We paid 10,000,000G to that merchant. This dog better earn its keep!”
“Now, now, calm down, both of you. Once we find the ‘Graveyard,’ the amount we recover will easily make up for it.”
What the hell is this…?
Men clad in black, Western-style knight armor… and a dog?
They had a large, matcha-colored dog with them.
A Siberian Husky…?
No, maybe a wolf?
Given this is another world… it could very well be a real wolf.
The poor thing was chained with a heavy, oppressive collar, clearly in distress.
To chain up a dog with something so heavy…
Yeah, those guys are definitely bad news.
“…Woof.”
“…!”
Through the bush, I locked eyes with the dog.
Crap, the dog noticed me!
Wait, if they find me hiding here, that’s bad, right?
“…”
But that dog…
What adorable, round little eyes!
Though, there’s something sad about them…
No, focus! If I don’t do something, that dog will stay in the hands of those cruel bastards.
“…”
The dog didn’t move an inch, just kept staring at me.
This dog… it’s—
So smart!!
Wow, you noticed me! Your nose must be amazing!
No, no, this isn’t the time to be impressed by a dog.
Those gaudy skull-emblazoned knights… they give me the creeps.
They look like the delinquent type—somewhere between gangsters and outright criminals.
“…Woof.”
“Huh?”
The big dog turned its head away from me, looking in the opposite direction.
No way… this dog…
It’s protecting me!?
Normally, a stressed-out dog like that would bark at a stranger like me hiding here. But it didn’t make a sound!
Not even a whimper!
What an incredible dog…
Its owner must have trained it well.
Silently, in the bush, I was deeply moved.
“Yelp!!”
“Huh?”
A scream—no, a cry of pain from the dog.
I quickly checked the scene through the gaps in the bushes.
“You worthless mutt! How long are you going to keep wandering around aimlessly?! Get your act together!”
One of the skull knights struck the dog with a stick.
The poor dog curled up on the ground, terrified.
Its ears flattened, tail tucked between its legs.
It was trembling in fear.
“Are you slacking off again? You better shape up, aru!”
Crack!
Another man struck the dog with a whip.
This time, the whip was surrounded by a yellow light—like an electric spark—and lashed across the dog’s back.
“Yelp…”
Though capable of attacking with its sharp fangs, the dog didn’t retaliate.
It simply whimpered softly and lowered its gaze, enduring the abuse in silence.
“…Ah.”
I noticed it. The dog was trembling slightly.
It was genuinely terrified.
Stop it, stop it, stop it.
What the hell are they doing?
This can’t be allowed. I have to stop them.
～～～～
Gaiteki no Satchi (Detecting External Threats) Activated.
Danger, danger, danger. Continuing stealth is recommended.
～～～～
But logic and my skill whispered otherwise.
My body refused to move from the safety of the bush.
This has nothing to do with me. There’s no need to put myself in danger. Ignoring it is the right choice.
And honestly, it made sense.
Even if I jumped out now, what could I possibly do?
Staying hidden and waiting this out quietly was the only sensible option.
I realized I was trembling as well.
Fear.
The intimidation radiating from the armed knights in armor was incomparable to anything I’d encountered in modern life.
Delinquents, semi-gangsters, even yakuza…
Sure, there are outlaws in modern Japan, but these guys… they were beyond anything like that.
“…If this were a novel, the protagonist would…”
But I’m not a protagonist.
I’m just me.
For some reason, a memory from long ago came flooding back.
When I was in elementary school, I found a stray puppy abandoned on the side of the road.
It was trembling in a cardboard box in the pouring rain.
For a moment, I thought about picking it up but stopped myself.
I pretended not to see it.
All I could do was leave my umbrella behind.
I told myself I couldn’t keep it.
My parents wouldn’t allow it anyway. Someone else would rescue it.
I ran away.
Even now, I can’t forget the faint, desperate cries that followed me as I ran.
“Hey! Get up, you worthless mutt!”
“…Yelp.”
～～～～
Gaiteki no Satchi, danger danger danger danger, run run run.
～～～～
What happened to that puppy, I wonder?
I’ll never know. There’s nothing I can do about it now.
But this dog in front of me… what will happen to it?
If I leave, will they just keep hitting it?
Will it stay scared like this forever?
Am I supposed to accept that?
“…That’s not okay.”
If this were a story, the protagonist would—
But I’m not the protagonist.
Still, even if I’m not the protagonist—
～～～～
Taste Preference: Dog Lover Applied.
～～～～
—SAVE THE DOG!!
“There’s no way I can ignore this!”
“Woof…?”
Before I knew it, my body had moved on its own.
The skull knights froze in shock at my sudden appearance.
The dog turned its gaze toward me.
“Y-you! Let the dog go!!”
My voice cracked. God, I was terrified.
I messed up big time!!
“Huh?”
“…Who are you?”
“Oh my, what do we have here?”
The knights stopped their assault on the dog.
The dog was in bad shape… lying on the ground, breathing shallowly, its eyes weakly fixed on me.
“And who might you be?”
“—! I don’t have a name to give to scum who abuse dogs!! Let it go!!”
I activated my Dokushu skill!
I’d never tried it on a human before, but I would use it if push came to shove.
Another world or not, I didn’t care!
I refuse to be the kind of person who looks away anymore.
I have to save this dog, no matter what!!