Chapter 111
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
It’s me. Me!
“Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!”
Get me out of here, quickly!
“Huff!”
Right now!
I spun around Casian, stood on my hind legs, flopped over, got up again, and made a commotion as a Shih Tzu… that is, me. The two men just silently stared.
“…….”
“…….”
“…The dog likes you, huh.”
“…Yeah. And I’ve never seen this dog before.”
“Huff! Huff!”
No, that’s not it!
I’ve seen him today already!
It may look funny, but I was serious.
If Casian doesn’t take me out right now, I’ll have to stay here.
In the Crown Prince’s office.
As a dog.
And if Arden tries to bathe me personally while I’m all dirty…
That would be the worst dog-like situation…
I’m a Magical Saint—children’s dreams and hopes! Stop this unholy scene…!
“Huff huff huff, yip yip, arf arf…”
Desperate pleading and struggling. Casian, looking down at me clinging to his pant leg, finally turned his head and tried to hold back a laugh.
“I have a rough idea of what’s going on here.”
“Huff huff.”
“Arden, should I take this dog? Because this dog likes me far more than you do.”
“…Why are you laughing like that?”
“No reason. Just excited.”
You like me too, right, pup? Casian asked as he scooped me up.
“Arf…”
I shook my head with a sour look, afraid he’d leave me behind.
“Ask the priests to find you a proper adoption home… hahahaha!”
Casian, fidgeting with my front paws, finally burst out laughing.
Funny, huh!
I hit Casian’s chest with my paw—ouch—and he whimpered dramatically.
“What’s wrong, pup? I’m taking you with me.”
“Arf…”
“Do you want to stay here instead?”
“Huff! Huff!”
“Good, good. You’re a good dog, aren’t you?”
Arden, who had been watching us with a ‘they’re playing well’ expression, spoke up.
“Are we going straight to the Grand Temple now?”
“Of course. After being kidnapped suddenly, there’s a ton of work piled up.”
“Good. Then let’s go right away.”
“No, no!”
Seeing me push him away with my snout, Casian, who had been giggling nonstop, finally snapped back into focus and leapt in place.
“Arden, you’ve got work to do!”
Leap.
“You need to catch the bomb-threat culprit, discipline the city guards, report today’s events to His Majesty… and—yes! The kidnapper!”
Leap, leap.
“You have to catch my kidnapper too!”
You’re a weakling who can’t fight and only knows how to pray!
“You’re strong, so you have to protect me!”
Putting aside such urgent and important matters to go to the Grand Temple!
What kind of nonsense is that!
“You’re not working?!”
Casian shouted furiously. My Shih Tzu ears flopped along with his jumping.
“Yip…”
I felt existential despair.
“The festival starts in just a few hours! First, catch the bomb-threat culprit! You want to go to the Grand Temple? That’s dereliction of duty, dereliction of duty!”
Arden, staring at Casian, whose ears had turned red, slowly nodded.
“Yeah, well, if you insist that much…”
“……”
“It’s not just today, though.”
“……”
I’m scared of Arden…
“So, who kidnapped you? Did you see their face?”
“No. I was working when someone opened the window and came in. I didn’t pay attention, and they hit the back of my head.”
“They opened the window and you didn’t notice?”
Why? Do people often come in that way? Some woman walking on the roof or something?
“Nothing like that… hahaha, I have to go now…”
He’s busy drafting letters of protest to the kingdom and threatening to expel all priests from the kingdom…
Casian, holding me, stepped backward out of the office.
I flapped my ears and looked at Arden.
Arden, calm, composed, and natural, seemed to own the Crown Prince’s dazzling office as if it were his own.
“Yip…”
It made me feel strange.
“Casian!”
As soon as we returned to Casian’s office, Tofu came sliding in, tears in his eyes.
He must have been worried while waiting for us. His normally clean under-eyes were streaked with tears.
“Casian! Are you okay?!”
He was more frantic than me, standing, rolling, and flopping.
Behind him, Casian’s office was still a mess, and Skeeter lay unconscious, tied up.
…It looks like the room got messier than before I left.
“Casian! What did that cat do to you?!”
“I’m fine. No injuries. I’m okay.”
Casian set me down on the floor.
Seeing me still as a Shih Tzu, Tofu’s black, bean-like eyes narrowed sharply.
“Who’s this dog?!”
“It’s me.”
I transformed back into my human form and stood up.
“Seraphina! Why were you in that state?!”
“State? We’re both dogs, so…”
Discriminating based on breed now?
“Skin color, fur color, gender, class… Discrimination based on things you can’t change is the worst, got it, Tofu?”
I scolded him and shook out my tangled hair.
Seeing me fully human again, Tofu opened his mouth.
“Seraphina, magic…!”
“Yes. My skirt got torn.”
I tugged my long black hair over my shoulder and looked at my skirt. It was already ruined, now it looked completely tattered.
‘What do I do?’
The magic that concealed me in my combat outfit was completely broken.
Would fixing the skirt restore it?
“What on earth happened?!”
“Long story.”
I glanced at Skeeter, still not fully conscious.
“This isn’t urgent. For now.”
I looked at Casian.
Meanwhile, Casian placed the black rabbit I had brought on his dedicated yellow cushion and looked at me.
“Take it off.”
Casian responded:
“Mushroom?”
“……”
“Spicy mushroom noodles are delicious.”
“……”
“They serve it at the Grand Temple’s funeral hall. They pile watercress on top.”
“……”
“Mushrooms, watercress… and thinly sliced meat.”
This is real.
“Do you want to take it off correctly, or just quickly?”
I raised my fist.
Casian, with his eyes unfocused, clutched his collar.
“I’ve lived a pure life, let’s not do this…”
“What? You think I’ve lived purely?”
And pure my foot. I saw him giving Elie dating advice last time. I tugged at his clothes, scolding.
“Casian, your side is injured.”
He said it hurt if he moved and rarely went out.
“But you got hit on the back of the head, were kidnapped… and rolled around? Didn’t your wound worsen?”
Worried, I said: hurry up and… no, take it off.
I nudged the overturned sofa and had Casian sit.
“Hurry and take it off. I need to check your side and treat your face too.”
“……”
“Ah, quickly!”
Finally, Casian, stiff until now, took off his shirt.
The clothes creased from rolling around all day slid down, revealing his shoulders, arms, chest, and abs…
…Now, I feel awkward saying this, but…
‘I could have just lifted the edge of the shirt to see the side.’
I didn’t mean completely undress him…
But saying that might make him awkward, so I just stared at his fully exposed upper body.
“…It’s bad.”
He got hurt back at Grandma Gelato’s place, and even though time has passed, it hasn’t fully healed.
It must have bled a lot when it first happened.
“Did you really treat this all by yourself?”
I placed the bandages and ointment Tofu brought on his knee.
Blood was seeping a little from under the bandage, probably reopened from rolling around.
Casian glanced at his painful wound and said:
“If you ask where I got hurt, I have no story.”
“Oh dear…”
Even a High Priest wouldn’t do this.
“But now you can get treated properly. The rumor about being kidnapped by a princess has spread anyway.”
“Embarrassing…”
“Why didn’t you tell me? It must have been hard to apply the ointment alone.”
Tofu’s furry hands couldn’t apply it, so he must have done it all himself.
“I said something.”
I scolded him as I soaked cotton with disinfectant.
He tilted his head and gave a sly smile.
“I didn’t want you to fall for me.”
“Huh…?”
“If you see my naked body and fall for me, things will get complicated.”
“……”
“You’re a Magical Saint, I’m a Priest.”
“I’m losing it.”
Sorry, but you’re not my type.
“Usually, priests can’t show their bare body to other women, right?”
“A priest has to live too. If the doctor is a woman, and I’m injured, should I just die?”
“That’s true.”
“Yes. I’m a High Priest who values life.”
“……”
“……”
“But Casian.”
“Hmm?”
“This angle won’t work.”
Your side is injured, and sitting on the sofa makes it awkward.
I can’t kneel between your legs to apply the ointment.
Sitting side by side and putting my nose to your side is also… weird.
“Lie down there.”
I reached out and pointed somewhere.
