“So you’re telling me to meet that dog named Collie, woof?”
“Yeah. Dogs can understand each other, can’t they?”
“Dogs? I’ve told you over and over, I’m not a dog, I’m a divine beast, woof!”
“So, you can’t communicate? With dogs?”
“I can, woof.”
“Then that settles it.”
“Grrrr…….”
Lunchtime.
I met Dubu in the grass beside the prayer room of the Great Temple, where Pepper supposedly visited every day.
‘She said Pepper comes to the Great Temple around this time every day.’
I had to be back at the dress shop within an hour, but surely she’d come before then.
“But, Dubu.”
“Mm?”
“Your outfit’s a little flashy today, isn’t it?”
Why are you wearing a hat? I jerked my chin at the yellow fedora on Dubu’s head.
At my question, Dubu lifted his chin.
“I’m the divine beast assisting the Magic Saintess now! I wore it to look dignified, woof!”
You look ridiculous.
“Can’t you take it off?”
“Grrrr….”
“Why are you barking…….”
All I did was tell the truth, and now I had to look at a puppy’s pathetic front teeth.
“No matter how much you bark, it doesn’t change the fact that you look ridiculous right n—”
“Woof!”
“Did you just bite me?!”
And so I spent a good while butting heads with a dog.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Stop it! You’re hurting Collie!”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
“!”
What the hell!
“That’s from the prayer room waiting line, woof!”
I scooped Dubu up, tucked him under my arm, and ran toward the sound.
When I pushed through the landscaped grass, I saw people lined up to enter the prayer room.
Pepper was somewhere in the middle of the line.
But the situation was—
“Woof!”
“I said stop!”
Pepper was teary-eyed, hugging a golden retriever bigger than her own body; the golden retriever—probably Collie—was barking furiously; and someone was firing a toy gun at Collie’s black eyes……
Two boys?!
Are you insane!
“What are you doing!”
I ran over and snatched the gun away.
The boys, who had been giggling and saying, “Idiot, you missed,” looked up in surprise at the adult who had suddenly barged in.
More than ten rubber bullets the size of a pinky nail were scattered on the ground.
These rotten little……
“You clueless little brats, didn’t anyone teach you that if you shoot a dog, you get shot by firing squa—”
“Seraphina!”
Dubu cut in urgently and whispered.
“You have to maintain your dignity as the Magic Saintess!”
A Magic Saintess doesn’t execute people by firing squad, woof!
“Oh, really?!”
How picky!
I forced the corners of my mouth up into a smile and asked,
“Chil. dren. What. is. going. on?”
At that, the boys started squawking that they were the wronged ones.
“She picked a fight first!”
“Yeah! We were just trying to play with the dog, but she glared at us and told us to get lost!”
“How is that playing?! You pulled Collie’s tail and bullied him!”
Pepper shouted back without backing down.
“Collie kept trying to get away, but you chased him and kept kicking him!”
“You crazy little…….”
They even kicked the dog?
“Instead of a firing squad, perhaps flogging—”
“Seraaaaphinaaa!”
“Flogging isn’t allowed either?!”
Just then, a middle-aged man who had just come out of the restroom came rushing over.
“What are you doing to these kids?!”
“Waaah!”
“Dad!”
The intimidated boys immediately ran behind their father and hid as soon as they saw him.
“Sir, are you these children’s parent?”
“So what if I am?”
“Do you happen to see this?”
Your sons were firing a gun at a dog who can’t even speak.
Please take them away and educate them properly at home. I said it while maintaining a saintess’s smile.
“What?”
After hearing the whole story, the man’s eyes widened.
Right? Even you think it’s shocking, sir—
“You’re making this much fuss over one lousy mutt?”
“Ming?”
Did I hear that wrong?
But the man was brazen.
He looked at me once, then at Pepper behind me. After checking the strength of our side, he rolled up his sleeves and raised his voice.
“I mean, my kids are only twelve! They’re at the age where they like playing hunting, so of course they might get excited when they see a dog! You’re yelling at children just because they kicked some mutt? This is exactly the problem with young women these days!”
You think some mutt is your own child or something?
“You’re at the age to be getting married, but you live clutching dogs, so you can’t tell what’s important!”
You did good shooting! Straighten your shoulders!
“A man doesn’t get discouraged over something this trivial!”
The man even went so far as to pat his sons on the shoulders.
“Hah.”
Excuse me, sir! What about me getting discouraged! Is that fine?!
“This is unbelievable…….”
I adjusted Dubu under my arm and let out a hollow laugh.
“What the hell, there’s more than one mutt?”
Only then did the man notice Dubu and point at him. His finger struck the fedora Dubu was wearing, knocking it off and sending it flying.
“Yelp.”
Dubu flinched.
That was where my patience ran out.
‘Fine. Let’s solve this like the Magic Saintess.’
Like the Magic Saintess.
♡☆♧I threw the two toy guns I had been holding to the ground♡☆♧
☆☆I seized the wrist of the man who was still pointing his finger☆☆
♡Ta-da!♡
“Wh… what the hell!”
What do you think?
“Let go of me!”
I won’t.
“Let g—aaaargh!”
Surprised? I’m a little strong.
The power of justice☆
“Aaaargh! Aaaah!”
I yanked down the screaming man’s wrist.
“Sir.”
Urrgh! I whispered to the man as he was dragged down.
Calmly.
Like the Magic Saintess☆
“If a dog can’t be controlled, at least you put it on a leash. Your children can’t be controlled, and they don’t even have leashes…… So what makes them better than dogs?”
If you’re going to raise your kids worse than dogs, keep them on leashes.
“Now, sir, you first.”
I took a cheap ribbon from my pocket and tied it around the man’s neck. The man, with the ribbon wrapped around his thick neck, coughed, choking.
I grabbed the tightly tied ribbon and shook it.
Listen well to the Magic Saintess’s sermon☆
“That’s right, kids can be like that. They’re twelve. But are you twelve too, sir? Why aren’t you apologizing?”
“Ghk, keh….”
“Apologize while I’m still asking nicely. I’m at an age where I quite like playing hunting too, you know?”
It took less than a minute for the man with the ribbon around his neck and the two boys to apologize and get lost.
I spoke to the people around us, who were staring at me.
“That gentleman was very weak.”
Maybe he used up all his energy letting his children play hunting.
“To think he couldn’t even beat a delicate woman like me. The nation’s future is bleak, isn’t it?”
I clicked my tongue as I watched the man’s back while he fled in a panic.
Justice served☆
“Seraaaaphinaaa….”
I looked down at Dubu, who was groaning from under my arm, and shrugged.
“I used words in the end, didn’t I?”
This is what the Magic Saintess of the new era is like, so you should adapt.
If you don’t like it, find someone else☆
“But why have you been sticking stars on the ends of your sentences, woof?”
“To look like the Magic Saintess☆”
“You looked like the Lawless Saintess☆”
“Either way, still a saintess☆”
It’s fine. That man only picked a fight because he knew he could get away with it.
Think about it. If I’d been a big young man, would that man have raised his hand first?
“For example, someone like Arden…….”
“Why me?”
“Eek?”
I looked back.
At some point, Arden, dressed in the Imperial Knights’ formal uniform, had come to stand behind me.
Arden looked back and forth between me and Dubu tucked under my arm, then frowned.
“Were you just talking to a dog?”
“Noooooo?”
“I heard voices.”
“I was just talking to myself.”
I denied it with a ha-ha-ha. Arden, not withdrawing his suspicious gaze, pressed me.
“I heard another person’s voice too.”
“You must have heard wrong.”
There are lots of people here! Ha-ha-ha-ha! I pointed at the people scattered all around.
Beside us, the golden retriever Collie looked at me and Arden, panting happily and wagging his tail.
“A friend, a friend!”
I quickly pointed at Arden.
“Look! He has yellow fur too! Go stick to him!”
“Woof!”
As if he’d been waiting for it, Collie put his front paws on Arden’s legs.
Yellow fur instantly invaded his black trousers.
Arden froze.
He clearly couldn’t stand it because of his mysophobia, but Collie was so excited that he couldn’t push him away……
“Go away…….”
“Woof!”
‘Phew.’
I was letting out a relieved sigh as I watched Arden’s attention get completely diverted elsewhere when someone tugged at my skirt from below.
“Miss.”
“Mm?”
Pepper, her thin hair neatly tied into two pigtails, was looking up at me.
“Miss, miss.”
Pepper asked,
“Could you maybe get rid of our dad too, like you did with that man?”
“Oh.”
Pepper, you shouldn’t say things like that so loudly.
People are staring……?
Magic Saintess Seraphina