EP.5 There Are No Bad Dogs in the World
The Great Prison Tantalus is a place that confines and isolates either the most heinous criminals who cannot even be mentioned, or powerful beings that ordinary facilities could never hold. It is a place considered practically a grave, rumored to have people constantly entering but no one ever coming out.
With no one ever coming out alive, rumors about Tantalus spread from mouth to mouth, snowballing out of control.
Rumors that the military nation was conducting human experiments on prisoners to create an ultimate weapon.
That monsters from mythology were prowling the underground.
That it was called a correctional facility in name only, but was really just a place where people were thrown to die.
Today, walking alone through Tantalus, I was able to confirm the truth of these rumors. This place, Tantalus, was indeed an extraordinary place that lived up to its rumors.
The Bottomless Pit. A bottomless hole cursed by the Earth Mother Goddess. Built beneath it, it is an abyss impossible to escape from by one's own power.
Within it reside mythical, historical, and transcendent beings such as the King of Dogs, the Progenitor of Vampires, and the Regressor.
According to the Golem, a breakout incident had occurred, but that too was doubtful. What method could possibly allow someone to escape from this abyss of contradictions?
Still, the word of a riot seemed to be true, as most of the prison facilities were horrifically ruined. The iron bars were bent like taffy, and the stone partitions were shattered here and there, hideously exposing the building's steel framework. The traces of a massive violent incident were vivid.
However, not a single drop of blood remained, and the reason for that could easily be imagined.
The Progenitor of Vampires, Tirkanjaka.
The oldest vampire slumbering beneath Tantalus possessed dominion over blood. Even if a bloodbath occurred, all the blood spilled must have been reclaimed by her. Even without conscious intent, the blood would have naturally flowed toward her. As naturally as an apple drawn by gravity.
With the blood gone, only the aftermath remained in the prison.
Thinking up to that point, I murmured blankly.
"...Maybe the ones left behind here are even more terrifying?"
It was a slightly terrifying thought. If this were a normal prison, I would have scoffed at those losers who lacked even the courage to escape... But the ones remaining here were monsters of a different caliber.
The Progenitor Tirkanjaka was a historical monster who had even fought against the mighty Holy See, and the King of Dogs was a being that contended for the top position among the Beast Kings.
It was a relief that both of them harbored no hostility toward humans; otherwise, I would have been killed the moment I set foot here.
Honestly, I wasn't sure how long even that would last in this situation, but...
"Anyway, there's only one thing I need to do."
Because they harbored no hostility toward humans, they neither escaped nor killed me.
If so, there is only one thing I must do.
I must earn their favor.
So that if something unpleasant happens in the future, or if I find myself in danger... they would take my side.
Having made up my mind, I began to move in a certain direction.
The three prisoners remaining in Tantalus.
The King of Dogs, Puppy.
The Progenitor of Vampires, Tirkanjaka.
The Regressor, Shea.
Among these three, who is the safest and easiest to gain favor with?
Needless to say. Naturally, it's the King of Dogs, Azhi.
From the very beginning, a time before history itself. Since that era, dogs and humans have been companions.
Dogs are innately loyal to humans. Azhi, the representative of that species, is loyal to all living humans. It must be thanks to this that a mere military nation could confine the King of Beasts, who should be free, in Tantalus. If a human commands it, Azhi is the type to quietly hold his breath and wait even inside a cage.
If it were another King of Beasts... like the King of Wolves or the King of Lions, the cage would have been torn to shreds. Not because they are stronger than Azhi. It's because, unlike Azhi, they possess wild nature and cannot accept such confinement.
Unless I read the minds of the military nation's leadership, I wouldn't know why they imprisoned Azhi. But I can roughly guess.
The King of Dogs is loyal to all humans.
Not only to the military nation's side, but also to its enemies.
The military nation has many enemies. They must have figured it would be troublesome if he fell into the hands of internal enemies like the Resistance or the neighboring Federation. So they locked him away in Tantalus, where they could take him out and use him at any time.
"Heh. Fools."
I couldn't help but sigh in pity. To think they'd shove him deep into a warehouse and leave him to rot out of fear of the enemy using him.
Let me teach you.
A weapon that anyone can use is not something to be hidden away tightly.
Holding a lantern, I kicked open the warehouse doors. Thick dust scattered like snow, and a stale, musty smell wafted out from within. I cleared away the few remaining white bones as best I could, and brought out a few long poles, an iron net, and a pile of firewood.
Coming out, I saw that the iron wires of the net's frame were snapped strand by strand, as if it had failed to catch some giant beast. On the back, sharply polished hook-like things were attached, with bits of flesh and fur viscously stuck to them. How it got broken while being used... um, let's just say I don't know.
The wooden poles were special products with sharp hooks dangling from their ends. What on earth did they do here to have such vicious weapons lying around as if it were natural?
Anyway, I roughly gathered the equipment and came out to the yard. I wiped off the flesh and fur with an oil-soaked rag, skillfully balanced it with the hooks, and set it over the firewood pile like a grill. After finishing the preparations, I leaned the lantern diagonally against the firewood pile, pointed at the wick, and snapped my fingers.
"Bolt."
The military nation's standard magic, crafted solely for practicality, ignited the flames. A spark jumped from my finger, and the lantern, drinking deeply of mana, began to burn fiercely.
Watching the sparks catch onto the firewood pile, I opened a can. When I popped the lid, I saw a solid, pitch-black lump. When I took it out and dipped it in water, moisture seeped between the lumps, and it soon transformed into a huge mass of meat about ten times its original volume. Even cotton absorbing water wouldn't be this dramatic.
One of the military nation's Seven Great Inventions, the military compressed ration. A cutting-edge compressed food that completely removes moisture, supposedly increasing food storage capacity by more than 20 times. Processed with preservation magic, just by pouring water, it returns to its original volume in an instant, and the taste and aroma are exactly as they were! Or so they claim.
Of course, as with all exaggerated advertising, the texture and aroma fall short of real raw meat, but it's more than enough for dog food. I placed the restored mass of meat on the grill.
Meat this thick would take quite a while to cook, but since I wasn't the one eating it, I didn't care. And probably, the one who would eat it wouldn't care much either. What was important was the smell it gave off while grilling.
Leaving the meat on the grill, I took out the bell I brought and shook it.
Jingle jingle.
After ringing the bell vigorously once, I put it away and fanned the fire to grill the meat. The red meat began to cook dully, as if having its color stolen by the fiercely burning red flames. The meat juice that oozed out dripped onto the firewood, turning into smoke and soot and flying upward. Like that, the smell of grilling meat spread in all directions.
It was about time. I picked up the bell and shook it again. Immediately after, a voice was heard from afar.
"Delicious smell! Food! Food!"
Even though the words were clearly continuous, the location from which each syllable could be heard was different. The speed at which it was running was comparable to the speed of sound. I calculated the time it would take for Azhi to arrive, tensed my arms, roughly read its thoughts, and pulled the net at the right timing.
Right after, the firewood pile exploded. Amidst the ash, smoke, and unburnt wood fragments snapping and scattering, the still-fervent heat inhaled the air to its fullest and ignited all at once. The flames spread, swallowing the debris. Azhi, who had leapt onto the firewood pile aiming for the meat, floundered in the sparks.
"Woof! Hot! It's hot!"
Wordlessly, I grabbed my cloak and struck Azhi. After knocking all the sparks away, Azhi, with singed fur and eyes brimming with tears, stood up. But the pain was momentary; soon, seeing the mass of meat in my hand, his eyes gleamed.
Not a chance. I held out my palm and shouted.
"Wait!"
Flinch.
Azhi looked at my palm and lowered his body. His tail moved urgently, and his pupils constantly darted around even while his body was frozen. He twitched as if wanting to rush at the meat immediately, but just as Azhi was about to exert force, I extended my palm with perfect timing. Having his rhythm read, Azhi couldn't rashly lunge forward and just whined while staring at my palm.
"Wait? For how long?"
Without answering, I took out the bell and moved it slowly left and right without making a sound. As the strange-looking object moved, Azhi completely forgot about the meat for a moment and fixated on my hand. Slowly, I swayed it left and right until just before Azhi lost interest, and the moment his attention returned to the meat, I rang the bell.
Jingle jingle.
The moment Azhi perfectly recognized the sound of the bell, I seized the opportunity, roughly sliced the undercooked meat, and tossed it. Even while startled, Azhi snatched the flying meat out of the air with his mouth. Even as he chewed the meat in his mouth, Azhi's gaze never left my bell.
Through stimulus control, Azhi firmly imprinted the existence of the bell. Now all I had to do was give a reward.
"Good! You waited so well! Good boy! As expected!"
At the sudden praise, Azhi's eyes widened in bewilderment. Whatever. I began to praise Azhi with an excited voice.
"You are such an amazing puppy! You can even distinguish the sound of the bell! You listened when I told you to wait! You are truly amazing!"
"Huh? I did good?"
"Yeah! You are truly the best puppy! So good! So lovable!"
I kept praising him with pure emotion and zero substance. If it were a normal person, they would have been wary first, but Azhi, whose emotional threshold was infinitely low, grew more and more excited every time I praised him. At some point, Azhi swallowed the meat in one gulp and ran around, shaking his head this way and that.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Alright, Azhi! Shall we play ball?"
"Awooooo!"
Right now, at this very moment, the King of Dogs looked happier than any other dog in the world.
Inside, I let out a despicable laugh, while enthusiastically clapping for Azhi.
Behold, military nation.
A tool that anyone can use is not something you hide away tightly.
You just need to use it a little 'better' than others.
I put the bell in my pocket. It's not enough yet. A single attempt today with the canned meat will never be enough.
But after a day passes, a week passes, and a month passes.
If I calmly make him listen to the sound of the bell during that time, and associate good sensations with the sound of the bell.
This bell will become a controller that can dominate the King of Dogs.
Hehe. Just wait. You locked me up, but at the same time, you've given me time.
Time to train the King of Dogs, namely!
"Kuhahaha!"
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Oblivious to the ominousness hidden in my laughter, Azhi just joyfully ran around me and barked fiercely. He seemed restless, eagerly anticipating the ball game that was about to happen.
Alright. I'll play ball with you. Putting my shoulder into it and increasing my intimacy with the King of Dogs will be a great help in the long run!
Just as I was about to move to a slightly wider clearing with the King of Dogs.
'I wondered what he was doing from the first day, and he was with Azhi? I really can't figure out this man's intentions.'
Gasp.
A thought suddenly echoed in my mind, and the Regressor was following closely behind me. Just as I was about to turn my head to greet her.
'This works out well. I'll hide myself with stealth arts, secretly tail him, and observe. If he's trying to corrupt Azhi, I can strike him down at any moment.'
When I turned my head, no one was there. There wasn't even a hint of anyone's presence.
But the thoughts alone came through clearly. The thoughts of a woman dressed as a man, about 3 meters behind my right, arms folded, cautiously following me.
Pretending not to notice, I scanned the empty air, then slowly turned my head back to look forward.
Uh, so.
You're using stealth arts, I see.
I guess I should pretend I didn't see you...