My head throbbed painfully and I felt dizzy.
Furry little creatures instantly surrounded me, showing interest as they tried to crawl up my legs, and it chilled me to the bone, making me scream like a girl.
I hurriedly jumped away and hid behind Tia.
“Muhuhu! They seem to like Mom!”
“What are they?! No, more importantly, are you hurt? Are you okay?”
Those furry things were the least of my worries.
I regained my composure and started to check Tia’s body, feeling all over her, looking for any visible injuries.
There didn’t appear to be any visible wounds.
Still, just to be sure, I kept sitting in front of Tia and asked, spreading my fingers, how many of them could she see.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she had hurt her head.
She was just like her usual self.
“Muu?!”
“It was scary…”
I let out a sigh of relief and hugged Tia tightly.
I was so worried, I nearly cried, but then the furry creatures flocked back to us, licking and stepping on me, making the tears dry up.
“So what are these things, exactly? What happened?”
“Muu, that’s the thing…”
“I’ll explain it.”
“…?”
At that moment, a low voice came from inside the carriage.
The man in a black clerical robe, Alexander, stepped out of the carriage.
“I thought it would be necessary to explain the situation in detail, so I came along… A…chew! Hah… A…chew!”
Sneezing repeatedly while covered in fur.
He must have a dog fur allergy.
But he had been in that cramped carriage with those furry creatures all the way from the school to here…
I hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Alexander.
“Wipe with this, Priest.”
“Thank you. To begin with, regarding that beast, after extensive examination, it was concluded there is no danger, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
“What do you mean? They were originally dangerous animals?”
“Actually, after the escape incident involving magical beasts, many were killed, and these are the last of them… However, they transformed like this after being hit by the antimagic rays released when Lady Tiamat went berserk and removed the magic.”
“What?!”
What does this mean?
Are they saying these were originally magical beasts?
I turned back, looking into their bright, sparkling eyes, and I felt scared again.
Suddenly, I found myself hiding behind Alexander, using him as a shield.
“The school’s magic equipment sustained significant damage, but this was clearly an accident caused by the school’s negligence. While Lady Tiamat’s rampage caused considerable damage to the school, we recognized the merit of hunting several magical beasts and saving students, so we decided not to hold anyone responsible. We’ve cut ties with the cooperating company to prevent such incidents from happening again…”
“What I’m curious about isn’t that! I want to know why they came all the way here!”
“Tia said she’d take them!”
“…”
Tia spoke cheerfully.
I couldn’t get angry anymore; I was too dumbfounded.
I looked at Alexander again with a pleading gaze that demanded an explanation.
“Originally, we planned to exterminate them all. However, because Lady Tiamat claimed ownership over them since she turned them back into ordinary animals, she made it difficult to assert ownership…”
“So you just gave them away?! Just because she threw a tantrum?”
“That’s not the only reason. The original owners of the magical beasts shared some fault in the accident, making it hard to claim ownership, and when Duke Dragania appeared and asserted that these foxes posed no risk of becoming magical beasts again, it lent strength to Lady Tiamat’s claim… and that’s how it turned out.”
“…”
My headache worsened.
What do you mean they helped her instead of stopping her?
Moreover, did that Duke go to the scene while telling me not to come?
I gritted my teeth in anger.
“The Duke said so! It’s safe! So let’s raise them, Mom!”
“Absolutely not.”
“Muuuu…”
“Don’t pretend to cry.”
“…”
Gotcha, you little brat.
You think just crying and acting cute will solve everything?
Not a chance.
I can’t let the villa become a mess, no matter what.
In the end, I’ll be the one feeding them and cleaning up after them.
“Why? Why not? They’re so pretty, kind, and cute! Please let me keep them, Mom!”
“Because it’s not possible. How can you raise wild animals like foxes at home? They’ll just mess around everywhere without training.”
Not just a couple… my goodness. How many are there?
Five of them.
When I regained my senses, I could well imagine one or two knocking over the food bowl while another was pooping in the corner, and the others were scratching at the wallpaper.
It would be one thing if I brought in a well-trained, obedient dog.
But a fox is absolutely out of the question.
“They seem to listen really well!”
“Stop lying.”
“I’m serious! Look! Guys, sit!”
“Kayng!”
“Hek!”
All at once.
As soon as Tia gave the command, the foxes that had been causing a ruckus lined up in front of Tia and plopped down to sit.
I was astonished.
This can’t be happening.
How can a fox obey a person like that?
It must have been a coincidence.
It has to be.
“Jump! Now, do a circle! Clockwise! Which way is clockwise? Muu… I dunno! Then turn this way! Next, lie on your back! Raise your right foot! Raise your left foot! Don’t lower your left foot, lower your right foot! Don’t raise your right foot, lower your left foot!”
“…?!”
I had to question my own eyes.
The foxes moved precisely and quickly without a single mistake, following Tia’s extremely complicated instructions.
They seemed to have quite a bit of intelligence.
After finishing the commands, Tia turned back to look at me, hands on her hips, as if she were proud.
As impressive as that was…
“How about it? They listen really well, right? Doesn’t it sound like it would be okay to keep them? Right?”
“Y-Yeah, but still not allowed!”
“Why?! Tia will teach them! I’ll make sure they know where to go potty and that they follow Mom’s words and not mess things up! That’s good, right? Muu?”
“Ugh…”
Tia unleashed her ultimate weapon.
She held onto the hem of my skirt and looked up at me with her sparkling blue eyes.
The foxes, who had been reading the atmosphere, also hurriedly sat by Tia and started to plead silently, looking up at me.
I was going crazy.
What’s wrong with them?
“If Tia doesn’t take them, they’re going to be killed because they’re magical beasts! Let’s raise them, Mom. They’re clearly good, obedient kids!”
“…”
My resolve softened.
Well, I did say initially that they were uncontrollable, but that had been addressed…
And those little fur balls seemed to want to be with Tia as well…
“But still not allowed.”
“Why not?!”
I decided to be firm.
I might manage a couple, but five of them would absolutely be unmanageable.
Above all, this is not something I can decide alone.
What if someone among the villa staff has a dog fur allergy?
“Muuu! Then I’ll get permission from the Duke!”
“Hey!”
Tia pouted and turned her back to me.
She knew the Duke would probably smile and grant permission.
What a cunning little brat…
It looks like she’s determined to bring those furry beasts into the villa.
“Tiamat! Come here! I need to talk to you!”
“No! I’m not talking to Mom who just keeps saying no!”
“Is this real? You’re not going to stand there?”
“Yawn… What’s all this commotion?”
At that moment, the door creaked open, and Leopard walked out, taking slow steps.
Perfect.
Recently, Tia listens to Leopard even more than she does to me, so if Leopard firmly says no, Tia will give up.
Just as I was about to quietly ask Leopard for help, Leopard suddenly froze as if he had seen a ghost.
Curious as to what was happening, I followed Leopard’s gaze and found Alexander, also frozen with red cheeks.
I turned my head back towards Leopard, scanned his body quickly, and realized why the two were frozen like that.
With hair let loose without tying it and wearing adorable pajamas adorned with frills.
I was used to seeing that, but for Alexander, it must have been shocking and horrifying.
Ah. He’s seen it once before, so maybe it won’t be as bad this time.
“I-I’ll just go inside!”
Thud.
Leopard bolted away before he could even be stopped.
“Ahem. I’ll take my leave as well.”
Alexander also cleared his throat and turned to leave.
The atmosphere had awkwardly shifted.
Then, watching Alexander leave, I suddenly felt annoyed.
I caught up with Alexander and grabbed his wrist to stop him.
“Are you just going to leave like this? Dropping five beast bombs?”
“Beast bombs? I don’t know what that means, but I’m sorry. This is the first time I’ve seen magical beasts transforming into ordinary animals. It’s a significant event that should be presented to academia. Therefore, it’s better that these creatures are in Tia’s ownership rather than falling into the hands of greedy politicians for future magical beast research.”
“Hm…”
Hearing Alexander’s words truly shook my resolve.
So Tia’s power can turn magical beasts back into ordinary animals…
Sneaking a glance at Tia playing with the foxes, my thoughts tangled.
If it weren’t for Tia, those creatures would have lost their minds and continued attacking humans until they were shot.
For them, Tia is indeed their savior.
I felt a bit choked up.
“Alright. I’ll think about it. This doesn’t seem like a decision I need to make right away.”
“Good. Now I’ll take my leave.”
After Alexander left, I pondered while watching Tia and the foxes playing in the vast yard.
Tia had grown a lot.
Physically, she was only a one-year-old, but mentally, she was certainly at the age where she could learn how to take responsibility for a life.
Perhaps my reaction was overly sensitive because I remembered the pain of my dog I raised as a child dying of illness.
If those foxes listen this well, even if there are five of them, maybe it would be okay to allow it.
“Hek!”
“Whaaa-! Aah!”
“Mom?!”
And just like that, the thought vanished in an instant as one of the foxes sneakily entered between my legs and started licking the inside of my thigh.
Ah, I really can’t allow this.
—
“Uncle. Uncle.”
“…”
Late at night.
The Duke returned home after helping to restore the magic equipment at St. Sophia and was bored, staring at a tedious thesis while desperately trying to ignore Tia hanging onto him.
Under usual circumstances, he would have given in to Tia’s cuteness and promptly put the thesis down to play with her.
But today, he had to resist Tia’s charm.
There was a reason he had to.
“Can’t we keep our adorable Hekheki? Please? I can feed them well. Please!”
“Hm. Wouldn’t you need to ask your mother about that?”
“Mom said no! You’re the important one here, so please allow it!”
“Hm. I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”
“A! Why not?!”
Despite Tia’s whiny voice, the Duke didn’t budge at all.
Though the Duke might outrank her in status and rank, in practical terms, it wasn’t true.
As for Julia, she didn’t know it, but she was currently a being far above the Duke.
The Duke couldn’t bring himself to go against Julia’s wishes out of conscience.
“I’ve already named them all!”
“What are their names?”
“All five are named Hekheki! How cute is that?”
“Hmm…”
In the midst of this, doubts about Tia’s sense of responsibility began to arise.
After contemplating for a while, the Duke came to a conclusion.
“Alright. I’ll try to persuade your mother.”
“Muhihi! Duke Uncle is the best!”
“Ha, could you say that one more time?”
“You’re the best, Uncle!”
“Uhehehe…”
Imagining Tia pouting and refusing to talk to the Duke all day made it hard for him to endure.
In the end, as usual, the Duke lost to Tia today once again.
