Chapter 90

A hungry child stealing meat was a crime. But no one would execute a child for it.

Because that would be too cruel.

But Bibi is being treated this way for no reason other than being a monster....

Before he knew it, Guide’s eyes blurred with tears as he hugged the transport cage tightly.

The butcher tried to drive Bibi away the moment he saw it. Then of course L-Lady Aisha must want to....

It was only natural.

Humans belonged in the ducal territory, one of the comparatively warmer regions of the north. Monsters belonged beyond the ice barrier, at the cold and treacherous end of the world.

But—

“...We’re very close.”

Even so, he could not abandon the little friend who had eyes only for him.

“B-Bibi and I are very close....”

“How close? If you tell Bibi to sit still, can Bibi sit?”

“If B-Bibi isn’t hungry, has already peed, is digesting properly, and there isn’t any danger....”

Guide squeezed his eyes shut.

Bibi, let’s go to the end of the world together!

With that grim resolution in his heart, he declared—

“Th-then Bibi can sit!”

But in the end, fear and misery overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears.

Now that he had admitted how close they were, she would surely banish him beyond the ice barrier along with Bibi.

How terrifying would a place filled with monsters be...?

“Then will you open the cage?”

“...What?”

His expression crumpled further as dreadful images filled his mind.

Then he heard a question so warm it seemed to heat his heart, and Guide opened his tightly closed eyes.

Beyond his blurred vision, he saw a pair of vivid red eyes meeting his gaze.

“I want to see your friend too.”

...Friend?

She had called the monster his friend.

Hearing someone else use the secret term of affection that only he had ever insisted upon left Guide dazed for a moment.

Then, shortly afterward—

“Ah, yes. Yes!”

He bravely wiped the moisture from his eyes and nodded.

***

There was a reason I had told Guide to open the cage.

It was not because I trusted the bond between Guide and the monster, nor because I had determined that the monster was harmless.

I was simply placing absolute faith in the information from the original novel.

“Th-then I’ll open the door.”

Guide had apparently never expected my suggestion. He held out the cage with his mouth hanging open in a daze.

He began fumbling with the door, but—

“Lady Aisha. It’s dangerous.”

The knight, who had approached us before I noticed, hurriedly stopped his hand.

“The fact that it didn’t attack earlier may have been nothing more than coincidence. Feris are dangerous creatures that leap at people’s faces the moment they see them. In all my years of monster subjugation, I have never encountered a docile Feri.”

I stared at the knight for a moment before asking—

“You attacked the Feris too, didn’t you?”

“What? O-of course we did. Would you expect us to stand still while monsters lunged at us?”

“So they fought back. If you tried to shake someone’s hand because you were happy to see them and they shoved a sword in your face, you wouldn’t be stupid enough to simply let them stab you either.”

“...That may be true, but....”

He fell silent as he considered my words. He had clearly remembered what Guide had told us earlier.

A Feri leaping onto someone’s face was not an attack. It was an attempt to say hello.

Hmm. Looks like I’ll have to take charge.

I marched over and shoved the back of the blankly blinking knight with all my strength.

“All right—if we’re confused, we can find out for ourselves! Our knight can go stand over there for now!”

My strength was not even enough to qualify as a jab, but the knight, unsure how to respond to my order, obediently backed away with a bewildered noise.

“And Guide can continue what he was doing!”

After driving the knight away, I firmly gripped Guide by both shoulders.

“Okaaay....”

His eyes were sparkling brightly now as he nodded and opened the cage.

“B-but I think the Feri’s body is feeling a little stiff right now. Bibi might leap out....”

He began anxiously rambling through an explanation, but I stopped him at once.

“Ah. That’s fine.”

I had a solution for everything.

“You can receive the Feri’s greeting.”

With that, I hid myself completely behind Guide, who was crouching in front of the cage door.

“Gah!”

The instant the door opened, the excited Feri sprang out and landed on Guide’s face.

“Kyu!”

After expressing its delight, the Feri climbed onto the top of Guide’s head and began dancing wildly, swaying its long body.

“Kyu, kyu!”

I rubbed the tip of my nose as I watched the dancing fluffball.

...Hmm. It really is adorable.

“B-Bibi, this isn’t the time for that. There’s something you need to show Lady Aisha....”

After the Feri had danced excitedly for quite some time, Guide caught it in his hands and lowered it to the ground.

He knelt in front of it, pointed to the ground, and said—

“Bibi, sit.”

“Kuut?”

The Feri tilted its head at his command, then promptly planted its bottom on the ground.

“?”

The knight and Mai, who had been watching, both let their mouths fall open.

I also observed the scene with interest.

Then—

“Bibi, jump.”

Guide clenched his fist and raised it into the air as he gave the command.

Boing!

The Feri compressed its springlike body and launched itself upward.

“L-Lady Aisha. W-why does that monster understand human speech? Has some kind of magic been cast on it?”

“No. It isn’t magic.”

I shook my head vigorously as I answered.

“It doesn’t seem like the Feri understands human language. Guide appears to be communicating in the Feri’s language.”

That was right.

In the original novel, Guide was a monster trainer—in simpler terms, this world’s Dog Whisperer.

He was the first person in this world to devise the concept of “training monsters,” and later became a formidable enemy of the male lead, who had begun exterminating them.

As expected, major characters in novels are different from the moment they sprout. He looks like nothing more than a runny-nosed crybaby, so I assumed he was the type who would gradually grow into his abilities. But he was already talented as a child.

“Bibi. Paw.”

This time, Guide held out his tiny palm toward the Feri.

I was watching his now-relaxed expression with satisfaction when—

“Chomp!”

“Aaaaaagh!”

The suddenly irritated Feri bit Guide’s hand.

“Gasp! A-are you all right?!”

“Look at that! It really is a dangerous monster...!”

Startled, I scampered over to Guide, while the knight drew his sword.

“I-I forgot. B-Bibi gets sulky if I give more than three commands without offering a treat.”

“...I-I see.”

Treats are mandatory during training. Noted.

The embarrassed knight sheathed his sword again.

In any case, Guide seemed to have properly demonstrated that he could train monsters.

His abilities were still undeveloped, but showing this much potential was more than enough.

My eyes gleamed as I made him an offer.

“Guide. Would you like to work at our castle? We’ll guarantee you three meals a day and a place to stay.”

This was why I had brought him to the castle.

If I’m powerless because I can’t use a power, then I’ll use my knowledge of the original novel to hire talented people who can help me!

Guide was destined to become an exceptional monster trainer. He would be a tremendous asset.

“Wh-what?”

Guide’s eyes rounded as though my words had knocked him senseless.

Meanwhile, the Feri finally escaped his grasp and approached me with its tail swaying.

I was admiring its adorable, shining black-bean eyes when the boy, who had remained frozen like a statue for some time, finally spoke.

“I-I would certainly be grateful, but... wh-what could someone like me possibly do...?”

“You just need to train the Feris in different ways, like you did now. Sit. Stand. Jump. Later, you can teach them things like Bite! Don’t bite!”

“Lady Aisha, what are you saying...?!”

“That’s obviously impossible. Training monsters?!”

Mai and the knight both gaped at my repeated suggestion.

Their expressions suggested they would have asked whether I {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} had lost my mind if I had not been the young lady.

But—

“...I-I think I could manage th-that much.”

Guide answered first.

As expected of this world’s Dog Whisperer, he nodded readily, looking almost surprised that the request was so simple.

“B-by the way, I-I don’t know whether someone like me may dare ask you this, Lady Aisha, but....”

Oh. The little crybaby is becoming more assertive by the minute.

Unreasonably pleased, I nodded my head vigorously.

“It’s fine. Just say it!”

“I-if it isn’t too rude of me to ask, how much would I be paid...?”

Ah.

I forgot. He cries easily and frightens easily, but he always makes sure to say what needs to be said.