Chapter 12
“……”
While I kept checking on the man’s condition from time to time, thankfully, it seemed the potion had worked — his rough breathing gradually returned to normal.
“Phew, thank goodness. I was worried my efforts would go to waste.”
I let out a small sigh of relief as I looked at his now-peaceful face.
Then suddenly, an uneasy feeling hit me — like I’d forgotten something important.
“Oh right! Ruby! And the luggage!”
Only then did I remember leaving both Ruby and my belongings outside. I dashed out in a panic.
“Ruby? Ruby?”
When I reached the spot, the basket where Ruby should’ve been sleeping soundly was empty.
She was nowhere to be seen. I looked around anxiously.
“Ruby! Oh no, not here either… What if some dangerous monster took her?”
Every terrible possibility flashed through my mind, and I gripped my head in regret.
How could I have forgotten Ruby just because I was distracted by that damn Duke of the North…
“Zoe—!”
Just then, a boyish voice called out from behind me.
“Wh-who’s there?!” I spun around at the sound.
“Heehee, Zoe! It’s me, Ruby—”
“R-Ruby?! Wh-what happened to you?!”
When I turned, I almost fell over in shock.
Ruby — who was supposed to be a tiny, adorable puppy — had somehow turned into a massive dog.
And on top of that…
“Ruby, how are you talking…?”
[<System> Congratulations! The beast you’ve tamed, Ruby, has evolved into a higher species.]
Species: Inferno Puppy → Hellhound
“E-evolved?!”
“Yup! I evolved! Zoe, aren’t I awesome?!”
Ruby lifted her chin proudly toward the sky, wagging her tail furiously.
“……”
“Zoe—? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
When I didn’t reply, Ruby trotted closer, tilting her head.
“Whine… Zoe, am I not cool?”
Her once-energetic tail drooped sadly.
“……”
I spread my arms wide and pulled Ruby into a tight hug — really tight.
Her large, warm body filled my arms completely.
“Kyuuung?! Zoe?!”
“You’re so cool, Ruby. My brave, majestic puppy!”
She used to be so tiny that I could hold her with room to spare — but now she was almost too big to lift.
Bigger means cuter, right? Twice as much, even!
I buried my hands in her soft fur, stroking her again and again.
“Pant, pant! This feels great, Zoe!”
Well… it did kind of feel like one of those internet stories — ‘I thought I adopted a small dog, but it turned out to be a giant breed!’
Still, if my baby’s bigger, that’s just more to love!
“But Ruby, why did you suddenly evolve?”
“Um… I ate a looooot of those apple pies you made, and then I got super sleepy! When I woke up, ta-da! Look, Zoe! I can even make fire now!”
As Ruby finished her sentence, flames burst to life all over her body.
“Ruby… you’re way too hot right now.”
“Hehe, isn’t it cool?”
Apparently, my cooking skill–infused apple pie had somehow triggered Ruby’s growth.
Wait… if she keeps eating those, will she just keep growing bigger?
‘Zoe—! I broke the house! Isn’t that awesome?!’
I shook my head violently at the image of Ruby cheerfully destroying our home.
“R-Ruby… from now on, let’s eat in moderation.”
“Kyuu~?”
And so, Ruby and I gathered up the luggage scattered on the ground and returned home.
After organizing everything — with the help of the golems carrying most of it — it was nearly midnight.
Thud—
“Ugh… where… am I…?”
Just then, a faint voice came from the room where the man lay.
Had he finally woken up?
I ran upstairs as fast as I could.
When I burst open the door, the man — his eyes still unfocused — met my gaze.
“W-where… is this place… urgh…”
“Whoa, don’t try to sit up!”
As he tried to rise, he clutched his temples in pain, staggering from the headache.
Oh boy, if he keeps this up, he’s going to pass out again.
I hurried to his side and gently pushed him back onto the bed.
“This is my house, and you were literally dying just a while ago. If you don’t want to die again, stay put.”
“Who… are you? And why am I here?”
His voice was rough and low, like it had been dragged across gravel.
“That’s what I want to ask. You collapsed right in front of my house, covered in wounds.”
“I… collapsed?”
The man frowned slightly, lost in thought, as if trying to piece together what had happened to him.
I studied his face quietly.
‘His eyes… they’re purple.’
He had beautiful violet eyes, though they were still unfocused — and his brows furrowed as if his memories were fragmented.
Hmph. When you’re like that, it’s better to stop thinking and rest.
Watching him struggle to recall his memories reminded me of something from long ago.
When I was a child, I lost my entire family in an accident during a family trip.
Becoming an orphan in an instant, I suffered memory loss from the trauma — and truthfully, even now, I still haven’t recovered all of it.
The reason I became a zookeeper was because, back then, animals had comforted me when I had nothing left.
I’m sure… before the accident, I… ugh. Still can’t remember.
Even trying to recall it made my head ache again.
I didn’t know what this man had gone through before arriving here, but somehow, I saw my younger self reflected in him.
With a sympathetic look, I spoke softly.
“Um, I’m Zoe Blanche — daughter of Baron Blanche.”
“Blanche… Baron family?”
He looked confused by the sudden introduction.
Ah… right. He must not know — our noble family had fallen a long time ago. Awkward.
“Ahem, yes. This is one of my family’s villas. Anyway, it’s safe here. You should rest for tonight — it’s already quite late.”
I tried to sound like a proper noble lady, but gave up halfway and changed the topic.
“Late, you say… what time is it now?”
“Right now? Hmm… almost midnight. Why—”
“Damn it!”
The man’s face hardened suddenly as he sprang upright.
But his body, still weak, swayed dangerously.
“Where do you think you’re going? You need to rest!”
I grabbed him firmly to stop him from falling.
“Let go of me. There’s no time!”
He shook off my hand and rushed toward the door as if something was chasing him.
He clearly had some pressing reason, but I couldn’t just let an injured man wander off into the night.
“Hey! I said no! Lie down, now!”
I shoved him back onto the bed again, maybe a bit too forcefully.
Startled, he looked up at me with wide eyes.
Oops… I might’ve forgotten he was the patient.
“Wh— how strong… Lady, please, step aside.”
Despite my attempts to hold him down, he got up again like a stubborn toy that wouldn’t stay down.
“No! I’m not moving!”
“Lady, please, I beg you— move!”
I stepped in front of him, ready to restrain him again.
“Ugh, seriously, just stay still for once—!”
Frustrated, I yanked at his sleeve as he tried to brush past me.
And then—
Riiip—
His already tattered shirt tore completely apart.
“W-what the—!”
In an instant, his upper body was completely bare. His face flushed bright red as he tried desperately to cover himself with the few scraps of fabric that remained.
‘Wow… nice body.’
For someone with such a boyish face, his physique was surprisingly well-toned.
Maybe he sensed my less-than-innocent gaze, because he shot me a mortified glare.
I-I didn’t mean to look! It just… happened to be in front of me!
I hastily covered my eyes with both hands and shouted,
“I—I didn’t see anything!”
