Woof Woof Story ~I Said I Wanted To Be A Rich Person’s Dog, Not A Fenrir!~ - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Defeated! But they were actually resilient!

TL: kizen
ED: Filip/Gecko

「GrrrrawwooooooooooooooooooooooooooooOoOooooOoooo!!! (Anybody hoooooooooooooooooooooome!?)」

Following Hecate’s instruction, I spat out my vomibeam directly below the center of the field.

The pillar of light pierced the empty field, went through the soil then down to bedrock, and maybe even further.

Oi, is this really going to be alright?
Instead of a hot spring, won’t lava pop out from this hole?

Looking at the surroundings, I noticed that cracks were forming all over the field with light shining through them.
The ground also started to shake. I wonder if it’s really alright for me to keep shooting the beam like this.

I took a glance at Hecate while I was worrying about that when a sound like the shattering of glass resounded and the ground suddenly collapsed.

「W-wafuuuuuuuuuuuu!? (E-ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?)」

The field that we were in before vanished and we were floating in the sky all of a sudden.
We remained suspended in the air together with the purple clouds for a while before we started falling.

「G-gau!? (T-this is……!?)」

「Bahihihihiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin! (H-hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!?)」

「Nyaaaaaaaa!? (I-I’m falliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!?)」

「Chuuuuuuu! (M-my dear! Hurry and do something about thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!)」

「Wafuuuuu! (Shouldn’t it be you who has to do something? You’re a dragon right!? Change back and flyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!)」

Is this what being in a different world is like?
Who would have thought that this would lead to a different space altogether?

We were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do about the situation we were in as we continued to fall headfirst towards the ground.

We’re going to hit the ground very soon.
I could feel the area around my navel tighten. I might also pee myself at any time now.

「Now now, everyone. Just stay calm okay~?」

Hecate, who was also falling, waved her cane while holding her skirt.

「W-wafuー…… (O-ooooh……)」

The speed of our descent was rapidly slowed down. I wonder if this is floating magic?

「Chuー…… (W-we’re saved……)」

「Nya~n (As expected of master desuー)」

「G-grrrr…… (Tch, to be indebted to this witch…… How vexing……!)」

「Bahihiiiin! Bahihihihiiiin! (Falling is scary! Falling is scaryyyyyyyy!)」

Relax. We’re already on the ground you know?
Even though her feet have already touched the ground, Mea is still in a panic.

Still, this sure is a weird place.
There’s fog drifting on the ground and the air feels stagnant.
There were also a lot of unevenly placed tombstones all over the place. Just how many of them are there?

「Wan (Ugh…… This place kinda smells)」

It smells like a ditch.
As a sensitive sheltered pet, I can’t stand that stench.

「This is miasma, isn’t it? An ordinary person’s lungs would rot from breathing this in but it’s not a problem for you lot, is it? There’s a terrible smell of death though so we might not want to stay for too long」

Seriously? Let’s go back then. What do you think Ojou-sama would say if that smell seeps on to me?

「Wafu! (Alright, everyone! Let’s beat them lickety-split and get outta here!)」

「Gau gau gau! (As you will my king!)」

Amid the vast graveyard that spans as far as the eyes can see, my companions gave me a lively reply.

「……chuー (So? Where is the enemy?)」

「……wafu? (……what?)」

Come to think of it, no one’s even here.
What’s up with that?

「Nyaー (There is a hole over there that looks it was made by Routa-sanー)」

There was a large hole in the direction where Nafra pointed her forefoot at.
It might have originally been a small hill but the beam gouged it out and left a huge crater in its wake.

We all went around the hole then took a look inside.

「Perhaps they might have been unlucky and was standing here when this happened」

「Wafu wafu…… (Hahaha, there’s no way……)」

There’s no way something stupid like that would happen, right?
That guy must be really unlucky if that’s the caseー.
……that didn’t happen, did it?

Still, there hasn’t been any sign of enemies around.
For a graveyard, it’s quite peaceful.

「Chu chuー! (Fuwahahahaha! Being able to win without even doing anything, my husband is still the greatest as I expected!)」

「Gau…… (As expected from our king!)」

「Gau gau gau! (Our king is the strongest!)」

「………………」

I hate to rain on your parade while you’re celebrating but I’m not as great as you say I am.
I can feel a trembling presence from deep within the hole after all.

「It might have been too early to celebrate」

「Wafu (Are they here after all?)」

There was a sound of something hard rattling coming from within the hole.
That thing rushed out from the hole and started forming into a single entity.

「F-fufufu…… Now you’ve done it…… Even if it was just for an instant, you were able to completely eliminate me……」

The being that came forth from the hole was a huge skeleton.
It looked like a giant that was stripped of all its flesh and it was so large that its skull was floating in the sky.

「You have done well to break my barrier and reach this graveyard…… However, your successes end here……」

The skeleton was wrapped in a robe and its fingers grasping a khakkhara tightly.

「I am the necromancer, Richie. It is I who leads the army of the undead! I am one of the five Great Demonic Generals of the Demon Lord’s army who were tasked to ensue chaos and violence so don’t think you’ll be able to get awayーーー」

「Garuon!! (Preemptive beam!)」

A pillar of light swallowed Richie whole then he disappeared.

「Wafuu (Alright)」

I did it.

「It’s not “alright”……! Attacking someone who is in the middle of introducing themself……! Do you not have the pride to fight fairly……!?」

Nope.
You can take your fair and square and feed it to the dogs. I am that dog though. Nom nom.

At any rate, that guy’s really tenacious.
He should have been annihilated but Richie immediately regenerated his body just like before.

「A power that can easily penetrate my defenses…… It can’t be…… Ultimate Destruction Magic……!? To be able to use such powerful magic, just who in the world are you……!?」

「Wan! (I’m a pet!)」

I frantically shouted that at him.

「P-pet……? Why is there a pet here……?」

That’s what I want to know.
I just want to live a rich person’s slovenly life back in the mansion so why am I here fighting the Demon Lord’s army?

「Whatever kind of being you may be, this place is my domain! My territory! No matter how many times you attack, it’s impossible to defeat me on these grounds!」

Spreading his arms out and flaunting his immortal body, Richie was feeling triumphant.

「Repent for stepping foot into my graveyard!」

Richie raised his staff which caused several skeleton soldiers to rise from the cemetery grounds.

「Wafuu (Woah. So this is where these guys came from)」

There’s a great number of them.
There might be more here than the ones who attacked the fields earlier.

They don’t die unless their mana source gets cut off right?
But since we are in their home turf, that source is infinite so they continuously come back no matter how many times we defeat them.

……huh. We’re cornered, aren’t we?

「Gau gau! (Do not falter! Get into formation! Protect the king!)」

By Garo command, the demon wolves went into formation. Their wonderful combination attacks made short work of the skeletons but they immediately came back to life.

The agile demon wolves were able to skillfully avoid the skeletons’ counterattack but unlike them, our side was slowly getting worn out.

They’d probably get done in if their movement slows down even a bit.
We’ll be in even more of a disadvantage as time goes on.

「ＧＡＲＯＲＯＲＯＯＯＮ！！(Quit swarming me! It’s irritating!)」

Ren, who turned back into a dragon swung her entire body to crush all of the skeletons at once. Still, the number of skeletons she defeated is insignificant compared to how many they are.

「ＧＡＲＯＯＯＮ！(I’ll just burn you altogether!)」

Her fire breath burned everything to cinders but that still only serves to stall for time.

「Nyaー!? (T-the sparks are flyingー!? Ren-sama, please fight them over thereー!)」

Nafra has no abilities fit for combat but she’s fighting her own battle with the sparks from the flame on my back.
What the heck are you doing over there……

「Hoho, and here I was wondering what would happen when the barrier was broken but you don’t seem to have any connections with the hero, do you……?」

Richie, who I was facing off with, muttered that as if he was relieved.

Why are you talking about the hero at this time?
If it’s a hero we’re talking about, he must be the one that appears in the stories that the Ojou-sama reads.
The one with the same name as me, Routa.

Since this guy is part of the Demon Lord’s staff, that must mean the story was actually real. Does that mean that his colleagues and the Demon Lord are real too?

If that’s the case then this guy must also be afraid of the hero of this generation.

Well then, where in the world is that hero!? There’s an enemy you have to defeat over here you know!? Why is a pet fighting this guy here for you!?

「Without the hero, you are no match for me. After you die, I shall bring you back to life and add you to our ranks!」

No thanks.

While Richie was laughing loudly, I took that chance to slowly run away.

「H-hihin! (P-please wait!)」

The cowardly Mea who was at the back before came forward and stood in front of me.

「Oh, If it isn’t Nightmare. I didn’t recognize you because you looked different. Have you finally decided to come back?」

「Hihin! (Please tell me! Who am I!? Why can’t I remember anything!?)」

Richie fell silent upon hearing Mea’s appeal.
After a while, his skull started rattling.

「Ho ho. Hohohoho. It’s only natural that you can’t remember your past. You’re just a mere soul I made with black magic after all. You are an undead horse that was put together by fusing the ashes of a saint and a two-horned beast. That’s what you are」

「H-hihin (I-I’m nobody……?)」

「Unfortunately, we were sealed by the hero right after you were completed. It isn’t that you don’t remember anything, it’s that you know nothing. Well, I thought you would be able to remember your creator’s face but you somehow managed to forget the only thing you should have known. Good grief, all that effort for nothing……」

「Hihin…… (I…… I am……)」

「I had a hard time because of you but I’m glad that you came back. Since having such a cowardly personality isn’t suitable for the Demon Lord’s horse, I shall clear all of the memories you have until this point and implant you with a wicked and ferocious nature」

「Hihin……! (No…… I don’t want to……! I don’t want to forget everyone……!)」

「Oh, don’t make a fuss. You don’t have to worry if you wish to be with those beings, they’ll be joining my army soon after I deal with them」

He stretched out his large skeleton hands in order to grab Mea.

「Hihin……! I’m……!)」

Just before he was able to do that though, my destruction magic annihilated his hand.

「……are you still unwilling to give up?」

Richie, who instantly regenerated his arm, glared at me with his empty eye socket.

Uh-oh, he angy. Super scary. So scary that I’m about to pee myself.
However, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I don’t say anything here.

「Wafu wafu (Whether we give up or not, this one’s already part of our family. It would be a problem if you take her without permission)」

「Didn’t you hear our conversation just now? That horse was originally from the Demon Lord’s army. It’s also just a lifeless tool that I created. You are a different existence from monsters, correct? Do you consider that a part of your family?」

「Wan (Yep)」

The friends that I have with me are from different races, have different personalities and they even butt heads at times, but even so, we’re still doing pretty well considering that.
Even if Mea’s true identity is the Demon Lord’s horse, so what?

「For what reason do you insist on defending Nightmare? Do you wish to gain a valuable war asset? Or is it because you want to rule this world in the place of the Demon Lord’s place?」

「Wafuu (Haa, how shallow-minded. Did you really think I would be satisfied with such trivial reasons? Alright, listen up. What I want isー)」

I stopped talking, took a deep breath, and then……

「GarurururoooooooooooooOOOoooOOooOOoOoooooooooooooon!! (ーto live a pampered life while being lazy and not having to work a single day so don’t take our household’s precious workhorse because she’s doing the work that otherwise would be given to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!」

Fuu, finally got that out of my system.
A torrent of light swallowed Richie whole, but as expected, he just immediately started regenerating.

「You defy me for such an insignificant wish!? You wish to turn my masterpiece into a workhorse!? Inconceivable! I’ve grown tired of your insolence!!!」

He’s pissed.
It’s the most important wish if you ask me though.

I want to live a wonderful pet life and that wouldn’t work if Mea is taken away.

The old man James, Zenobia-chan, Ojou-sama, the Illusive couple, and even the other people in the mansion would be sad after all.

I can’t have an enjoyable pet life if they’re in that kind of mood.

「Wafu wafu! (And so, Mea! Don’t just give up on your own! We’ll beat these skeletons in a jiffy then we’ll go home! That’s already been decided after all!)」

「H-hihin…… (R-Routa-san……)」

「It’s nice that you’re feeling cheerful but have you forgotten? You can’t beat me with your magic……!」

As Richie was finishing his regenerating, I attacked him again.

「GaruooooOOOoooOOn! GaruooooOoOon! (I’ll just shoot this as many times as necessary! Mouth beam! Mouth beam!)」

「Hohoho, it’s useless. Useless. My mana is infinite in this place. It’s impossible to destroy me even if it’s the ultimate destruction magic!」

Eventually, Richie’s arm managed to get through my beam and grabbed me with his huge arm.

「Wagu…… (*cough* wait, time out……!)」

I didn’t receive any damage but I’ve been captured and can’t move. He’s just bones but he’s pretty strong.

「Routa-kun, are you having trouble perhaps?」

I could hear Hecate asking me that from below.
She’s still taking things slow even in this kind of situation, huh?
On the other hand, I’m panicking over here. I’ve already leaked a little as well.

「Wafu wafuu! (I am! I am! I really really am! I’m in a huge amount of trouble no matter how you look at it!)」

Do you have a good method to get through this? A wonderful strategy to defeat this guy would be nice right about now. Pretty please?

「Let’s see… Then, how about I give you a hint~?」

Hecate raised her index finger as she said that.

「Routa-kun, was the wild boar you ate yesterday delicious?」

「Wafuu? (Haa!?)」

It was. It was raw but it was still really delicious.
What does that have to do with the current situation though?

「Did you eat everything?」

「Wafuu (I did! I did! I ate everything! It was delicious, bone and allー)」

Bone?
That’s it. We ate the bones as well.
And these guys are made out of bones.

The wild boar’s bones sure were delicious.
Since that’s the case, this guy should be delicious as well.

I experienced a complete aha moment when I heard that. There was even a “ting” sound and all of that.

「If it’s the stomach of a Demon Wolf with a powerful physique, it might be able to block off the mana from reaching him. If there’s no mana, he wouldn’t be able to regenerate, am I right~?」

You don’t have to spell it out, Hecate.
I already know what I have to do.

「Just what in the world are you talking about? It doesn’t matter what you’re scheming, it won’t work. Well then, it’s about time I crushー」

Before he was able to finish, I opened my mouth wide and bit into Richie’s finger.

「Guh!」

I don’t know if he felt the pain or if he was able to sense that there was something amiss that was happening to his body but the hand that had captured me let me go.

When I landed on the ground, I began chewing on the part of his hand that I had on my mouth.

「*munch* *munch* *munch* (This chewiness, the oozing savory taste……! This is……! It’s delicious!)」

「Wha!? Y-you ate me……!?」

Richie started backing away in his surprise.
The tip of his finger that I bit off wasn’t regenerating as well.

「Wan wan wan! (Listen everyone! I finally found a way to defeat these guys! It’s simple! Eat them! We do that every day so it should be easy!)」

Everyone had been continuously fighting so they must be hungry by now.
There are no enemies here, only our food.

Hearing what I said caused a glint to appear in the Demon Wolves’ eyes.

「「「*slurp* (Food?)」」」

The emotionless skeletons started rearing back upon seeing the Demon Wolves’ reaction.

That’s right. Look. Don’t we have a massive feast in front of us?

We gradually chased down the skeletons until we were able to surround them.

Then, we opened our mouths widely and said.

「Waooooooon!!! (Thanks for the treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!!!」

「「「Garururururu!!! (Let’s eaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!)」」」

「S-stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop!!!」

Our situations were reversed in an instant.
With me leading the Demon Wolves, we simultaneously leaped towards the skeletons and greedily devoured their bodies.

*crunch* *crunch* *slurp* *slurp* *gulp*

Iyaa, bones filled with mana sure are delicious, aren’t they? I didn’t expect that.
You’ll surely get addicted to it once you get used to the initial musty flavor.

While I was doing a food report, everyone was busy filling their stomachs. Because of that, the skeleton soldiers were annihilated and there was only half a skull left of Richie who was the source of their mana.

「Impossible…… I… I was defeated by such a ludicrous tactic……!」

「Wafuu (You were tasty you know? It was a feast, thanks)」

I thanked Richie while he was exuding anger at his defeat.
He must not be able to gather mana due to it dispersing since even the remaining skull turned into dust.

「Wafu wafu (It might be useless for me to ask this but what exactly are you guys? I thought you were just beings that existed in fairy tales but since you really do exist, does that mean that the Demon King and the others are also real?)」

You can say whatever you want about the hero but I won’t be too thrilled if you guys make a fuss around this area.

If you want to do something like that, at least do it at a place that has got nothing to do with me.

「Ho, ho ho ho. Your purpose for coming here was because of Nightmare, correct? Are you sure you have the time to be asking such things?」

「Wafu? (Haa? What are you talking about? She’s over here. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home properly)」

「Ho ho. Don’t you know that the skeleton soldiers were only able to move due to my magic? Nightmare is also the same…… Once I finally disappear, the same fate also awaits for Nightmare……!」

「Chuー!? (What did you say……!?)」

「Nyaー!? (No way……!)」

We looked back and noticed that Mea’s body was starting to disappear.

「Ho ho ho. I am now satisfied to see that look on your faces……! Well then, I’ll be going on ahead of you, Nightmare……!」

After saying that, the half of a skull that was left of Richie completely turned into dust.
All that was left was a heavy atmosphere and Mea who was about to disappear.

「Hihin…… (I, I’m going to disappear, aren’t I……?)」

She said that in a sad but content voice.

「Hihin…… (Everyone, we’ve only been together for a short time but I am grateful for everything……)」

Mea hung her head down as if she was doing a bow.

「Hihin hihin…… (I was also able to receive affection from the people in the mansion…… I was treated by the Illusive oji-san and oba-san like I was their child…… I might have not had real parents but they made me feel really loved…… I’m sure that’s how a real mother and father would have made me feel…… It’s regrettable but since I cannot meet the two of them anymore, could you tell them that our time together made me really really happy in my place……?)」

Her body was almost entirely transparent at this point.
She was staring at me with such tearful eyes as she waited for my response.

To that wish, Iー

「Wafu (Eh, no way)」

ーgave an immediate reply.

「Bahin!? (E-ehhhhhhー!?)」

「Wafu wafu (Well, don’t just disappear without permission. I told you right? You still have some work to do in the fields)」

「Hihin…… (But, but, I’m about to disappear……)」

That would obviously happen if we just left you alone.
All we have to do is find a different source of mana to maintain her body, right?

「Wafuu (And so, I leave it to you, the great witch Hecate!)」

「Good grief, I knew you would say that」

Hecate let out a troubled sigh but she was able to see what I was planning.

「There should be no problems if we use Routa-kun in the place of the mana source that was cut off, you know~? The total amount of mana Routa-kun has even rivals this graveyard after all」

「Wafuu (As expected! I knew I could count on you, Hecate-sensei!)」

Want me to lick you as thanks?
Even if it’s just your legs, I would gladly lick it you know?
I’ll lick it until it’s soft like jelly.

「Well then, shall we get to it?」

With a swing of Hecate’s staff, the process of Mea disappearing stopped.

「Wafu (It felt like something was sucked out of me, but at the same time, there wasn’t)」

I can’t sense nor understand mana but it seems like it’s being drawn out from me.

Then, as if time was wound back, Mea’s body went back to how it originally was.

「H-hihin (R-Routa-san’s is coming inside me……!)」1

Can you stop looking at me like that?
I wouldn’t be happy at all even if you use a cute loli voice since you have the appearance of a horse.

「Hihiーn! (Thank you very much Routa-san! I won’t have to vanish because of you! Thanks to you, I will also be able to live together with everyone!)」

「Wan (Yeahー, that’s good. Now you can continue working for our family)」

With that done, I can now rest.
We were able to end with a wonderful outcome where no one got hurt.

「Well then, I still have some work to do here so you guys can go on ahead」

After Hecate said that, the ground started to glow white.
It’s the usual space magic.

「Wafu? (Hm? What else needs to be done?)」

「The mana disaster. Have you already forgotten?」

「Wafuー…… (Ahー……)」

That’s right. I used a rapid-fire of my magic so if I remember correctly, a new type of monster gets born when the mana is left alone to accumulate.

It would have been especially bad this time since this place is full of miasma. If we just ignore it, I’m pretty sure that the guild will send another investigation party to bother us again.

I’d like to be spared from such troublesome things if I can help it.
And because of that, it seems like Hecate has to do something about it again.

「Wan wan (Uhm, sorry about that Hecate)」

「It’s fine~. I can just take some of Gandolf’s alcohol as payment after all」2

「W-wafu (O-oh. Take it easy on that okay?))」

Sorry about this, Papa-san. I won’t be able to stop her.
Just give up your treasured high-class liquor for the continuation of my pet life.

After that, the shine from the ground became increasingly brighter and the space that was in between us and Hecate grew even whiter that we could no longer see past it.

「ー……this is the second one. There are four left…… With this, Mary-chan will beー」

At the same time as Hecate raised her staff, she started muttering something then the transfer magic was completed.

This was the real conclusion of the battle. (´・ω・｀) There’s only one more chapter left of the packhorse arc after this.