The regressor is moody. It was a fact I had known for a long time, but never had I felt it as acutely as I did these days.
"Hello? Where are you going today?"
"Need anything? Something you want to eat, perhaps?"
"How about a weapon you usually use? I could at least get you a decent one!"
Because unlike the past when they were always grumpy and prickly, with things going well lately, they were in such a good mood that they kept trying to give me things. Warmth is felt more acutely after experiencing cold. The regressor's goodwill felt truly unfamiliar.
But who am I? I'm a mind reader. I'll gratefully accept goodwill with no strings attached. When else would I receive anything?
I answered confidently to the regressor's question about what they should buy me.
"Please buy me some toys."
"What?"
No, why? You asked if I needed anything. Why are you frowning so fiercely?
I had tracked Orcma while completely revealing my face and tracks. That was a decision made possible because I needed to create terror in a short time, while also making it clear I wouldn't stay long in this city.
But because of that, I was now in a position where I couldn't reveal my face. If Piki were spotted, the mansion would become a target.
So when I explained that since I had to stay alone at the mansion, I needed toys to pass the time, the regressor answered reluctantly.
"You're not making up an excuse to not go outside, are you?"
"What are you talking about? If I wasn't going to go out, I wouldn't have gone out at all. I go out every night and beat up petty criminals, and you still doubt me? I'd be hurt if my true intentions are doubted even after all this."
"Ah, no. I was just asking."
An excuse! I only went out and worked because I didn't want to hear nagging! The best way to avoid nagging is to do what they want!
"So what do you need?"
"Long cloth, rope, discs, and a scratcher."
"A scratcher?"
"It's like cork that beastmen use to sharpen their claws and nails."
"I know what it is. But why?"
I had said lightly that I would fight the Wolf King, and indeed, in that fight, my existence would be lighter than light.
But that didn't mean I could prepare carelessly. My mind reading was for humans only. I couldn't read how the Wolf King would move, or where its fangs would target. A wolf's terror was something even a human king couldn't avoid.
But there was one reason I confidently stepped forward even amidst all that. I raised my hand toward Azi.
"I think it's about time Azi and I started working together in sync."
"Woof!"
Then Azi jumped up and clapped my hand. Without using any strength to avoid hurting me, and without showing his claws. It was the result of his instinct to not hurt humans.
But when fighting a wolf, there would be no such leisure.
"Oh. Finally devising a strategy to fight the Wolf King?"
"It's not even a strategy. In the first place, could I come up with a strategy when Ende and the wolf pack are fighting, and would they follow it? Even if they did, the enemy is a mixed pack of wolves and humans, so there's no way things would go according to plan. I don't waste energy on things that won't work. I focus on more important things."
"What's more important?"
"My survival."
I reached out to Azi again. Azi instinctively reached out and placed his hand on mine. This was the amount of force Azi normally applied to me. In emergencies, it was rougher, but still not enough to hurt me.
But when fighting the Wolf King, he needed to know how to hurt me too. Only then would I not die.
"Hand."
"Woof!"
"Foot."
"Woof!"
When I raised my hand, he jumped and struck it. When I raised my foot, he also raised his foot and placed it against mine. Right now he treated me like a somewhat fragile tool... but Azi needed to learn how strong my body was through strength contests, so I could survive the upcoming fight.
"Aha. I see. Can I watch too?"
"Are you not busy today?"
"Yeah. Supply is done, and there's nothing particular to do until Grol enters Ende. Everything's going smoothly!"
"Hmm. When Shay says things are going smoothly, why do I feel so uneasy?"
"Why? Things going according to plan is normal."
"That also depends on the person."
'What does that mean? Normally, things going according to plan is the standard every time I regress... Is she saying I'm someone things don't go according to plan for? That's because I'm doing things I didn't do in previous iterations. It feels kind of offensive?'
The regressor tried to understand the veiled insult. Just before they felt a vague sense of offense, I interjected.
"Yes. Please watch. Actually, since it came up, why don't you also do Azi handling training, Shay?"
"Azi handling training?"
'Come to think of it, this is the first time I've seen Azi, who came out fine from the Abyss, fight. Until now, Azi would either disappear quietly in the Abyss or be used by the Lord of all creation. It might not be bad to gauge Azi's strength here.'
"Alright."
"Then go out and buy the toys I mentioned."
"Alright."
The regressor readily went outside the mansion to run my errand. Stepping cheerfully out the door, the regressor suddenly looked back at the firmly closed mansion gate and tilted their head.
'Huh? But why am I running an errand? I feel like I've been played.'
People can be a bit gullible sometimes. Just do it for them.
'Well. Hughs worked hard too. I'll just go as if taking a walk. Where do I buy them again? Gold coins should be enough, right?'
A moody person is a moody person. The greatly magnanimous regressor departed cheerfully.
If they decided to overpay today, that would make a year's worth of business. Reading the departing regressor's mind, I offered my congratulations to the Ende merchants.
Now, what shall we do? I was briefly thinking about what would happen next when Azi came up beside me and barked away.
"Woof woof. Woof woof woof."
"If you have something to say, say it in human language. If you don't use words, I can't understand you."
He had even learned to speak human language for me, who couldn't read a dog's mind. Azi showed a bit of worry in his innocent face and said.
"Not sleeping, where go?"
"When? At night?"
"Woof."
"To work."
Usually it's the job of beating violent pig beastmen to death. On top of that, rumors were circulating in Ende about the appearance of the Dog King. Since Azi couldn't attack people anyway, bringing him along wouldn't have been much help.
It would be bothersome and meaningless to explain all that, so I answered vaguely. But Azi guessed roughly and said.
"Fight? With humans?"
People call stupid people beast-like. That's not wrong. Because beasts generally have lower intelligence than humans.
But intelligence itself is a standard set by humans. What if beasts were given human language? What would humans think while conversing with beasts?
For the record, I don't think anything. Because I'm a beast too.
Even seeing Azi who had seen through my words, I spoke without any particular emotion.
"Usually that's the case. If not humans, there's no suitable opponent to fight."
"Woof woof. Wolves!"
"The Wolf King hasn't arrived yet. And they say humans are helping the Wolf King too. It's called a fight between dogs and wolves, but it's essentially a proxy war between two forces."
"Woof..."
Suddenly dejected, Azi drooped his ears and tail and asked.
"Humans, why fight?"
"Such a philosophical question out of nowhere? What's wrong? Beasts fighting each other isn't even work."
"Woof! I, don't fight with humans!"
"You should fight a little. How long are you planning not to fight?"
Among dogs there are dogs that attack humans, and among wolves there are wolves that bring humans into their pack and live amiably. That's probably because dogs and wolves share the same roots.
But Azi doesn't attack humans, and the Wolf King rushes madly whenever it sees a human. Thinking about this, the gap between a beast and a beast king felt strangely profound. Well, a beast king represents the general will of that species, so it's not incomprehensible.
"Won't fight! If I don't fight, I won't fight!"
"Will that really be the case? Beasts forget even what they ate for dinner yesterday. You could forget everything and fight again."
"Still won't fight! Woof! Fighting, forget it!"
Fine. If you say so, then it must be so. Human fights among themselves would still continue, but if you didn't fight even in the midst of that, then at least for Azi, there would be no fights.
"You'll fight the Wolf King, right?"
"Woof! Promise!"
"That's a promise for you, not a promise for me."
"Woof?"
"Why the question mark when it's your own fight? Well, anyway, we have the same enemy. Protect me."
"Woof!"
Didn't seem scared. Then again, I didn't feel particularly scared either. Because it was unavoidable. I had lost all my power and become ordinary, but the 'promise' as a beast king still remained and moved me.
I guess I'm also a beast king. Though I'm not helpful at all.
"Still, it's better to prepare in advance and raise the probability of winning even a little when fighting."
"Woof woof! Good!"
"But I still don't know, Azi. What should we do to raise the probability of winning a bit more?"
"Woof woof. Woof?"
"Right. I don't know either. We're not prophets."
Someone who is a prophet would know. But a prophet can't choose the future on someone's behalf. They only take advantage of the future they've read.
I don't ask them to choose for me either. If they come nearby and let me read their mind, I'd use them, but otherwise, no need.
"In that case, doing our best each time is probably the best, Azi. Understand?"
"...Woof woof. Bad face."
"Me? Where else would you find someone with a face as kind as mine?"
Azi slowly backed away and lay down a little distance away. Seriously, he reads people's emotions better than most humans. Because he's dumb, he doesn't get deceived by words or situations. He just feels it with animal instincts.
But that didn't last long either.
"I bought them!"
As soon as the regressor who had finished the errand brought out the toys, Azi immediately showed interest, wagging his tail. Seeing him like this, he definitely does look foolish.