Chapter 112

Before returning to Hamel.

Young Lady and I had come to a pet hotel on the capital's outskirts to pick up Gomtangi, whom we'd left in their care.

I'd assumed the concept of a pet hotel wouldn't exist in this world, but there were plenty of sharp-eyed merchants in the Empire who'd realized that the trivial hobbies of luxury-loving nobles could be turned into profit. As a result, the capital had far more unusual establishments than I'd expected.

Pet hotels.

Pet training centers and other things that existed as leisure concepts in the modern world were surprisingly common in this one.

I wasn't sure if it was because the world I'd transmigrated into was a romance fantasy, but when it came to dating and travel, things were developed almost as well as in my previous life.

Thanks to that, when we'd decided to travel to the capital, we'd been able to enjoy a comfortable trip without much difficulty.

And so, here we were at the pet hotel.

The daily rate of a hundred gold was somewhat shocking, but the service was substantial enough that I'd gritted my teeth through the painful expense and left Gomtangi in their care.

Having finished paying, I saw Gomtangi wagging her tail in front of me. Perhaps feeling hurt at not seeing her owner for a while, the look in my companion dog's eyes as she made eye contact with me made me feel the expense wasn't a waste.

"Grooowl!"

"Did you have a good time?"

"Grooooowl!"

Gomtangi, whom I was seeing after so long, looked happy. Her fur had been groomed to fluffy perfection, her vicious fangs were cleanly maintained, and even her sharp claws were neatly trimmed-seeing Gomtangi's pampered appearance eased the pain of that bitter expenditure.

Though something did seem different from when I'd last seen her.

Had she gained a little weight?

Gomtangi looked sturdier overall, not just wider. I wondered if she'd met a decent male dog here, but seeing the other boarding dogs lowering their tails and whimpering at the sight of Gomtangi, I dismissed that thought.

"Hey."

Kyle, standing beside me, asked with a serious expression. Having come out on his day off to see us off, Kyle frowned every time he looked at Gomtangi.

I thought maybe it was because she was too cute, but the doubt flowing from him corrected my rose-tinted misconception.

"That's supposed to be a puppy...?"

"Yes."

"In what way is that a puppy?"

Kyle voiced his doubt while watching Gomtangi nibble on the heads of other boarding dogs like candy.

What kind of puppy in the world plays like that, he asked-asking if what my puppy was doing wasn't just coating emergency rations with saliva.

"Grooowl..."

"Whine... whine..."

I shrugged and countered Kyle's question.

"Don't they look like they're getting along?"

"That...?"

"Yes."

Kyle, unable to understand Gomtangi's charm, shook his head.

"I can't believe it."

"Admittedly, our Gomtangi has bigger paws and a bigger face than other puppies, but isn't she cute? Young Lady likes her too."

I looked at Young Lady, who was petting Gomtangi's head beside me.

"Hm?"

Hearing talk about herself, Young Lady tilted her head with a question mark floating above it.

"Gomtangi's cute, right?"

"Mm."

Young Lady nodded, lending weight to my opinion that had lost credibility with her answer.

"She'll probably taste good when she's fully grown."

"...Excuse me?"

"You're not raising her to eat?"

"I told you last time I'm not eating her."

"I thought you were lying."

"I was being sincere."

Having lost interest, Young Lady looked at Gomtangi's plump belly with regretful eyes and pushed her wheelchair wheels to stand beside me.

Kyle let out a sigh.

"I'm worried."

"It's fine."

"I'm less worried about you being fine and more about other people."

"That's fine too. Our Gomtangi doesn't bite people."

Kyle tilted his head and glanced sideways at Young Lady.

"Doesn't seem that way."

Gomtangi was already biting Young Lady's head with an "ahm." Kyle sent me a dubious look while watching the fierce battle between Young Lady and Gomtangi.

"Eeek!!! Let go! I'm not food!"

"Grooowl!!!"

"You're getting spit on me! Ricardo! She's trying to eat me! Coat her in chili sauce!"

I gave Kyle an awkward smile and offered an embarrassing excuse.

"Still, she's a good girl."

"...I'll take your word for it."

We exchanged sheepish smiles and said our goodbyes. With a brief farewell wishing to see each other in good health next time, our life in the capital came to an end.

*

Inside the carriage returning to Hamel.

Young Lady watched Gomtangi's backside as she waddled along with her plump rear bouncing alongside the horse, wearing an expression of wonder as she voiced her admiration.

"Ricardo."

"Yes."

"She looks like a bear."

"...She does, doesn't she."

I'd thought she'd just gotten bigger because I hadn't seen her in a while, but...

My past thought that I'd gradually get used to it as time passed was beginning to lose confidence.

Something...

"Grooowl!"

I was getting the feeling I'd picked up something extremely strange.

Those front paws that looked like they could tear a person apart, even after grooming.

The seasoned way she was licking her chops while watching the horse running ahead.

And what the staff at the pet hotel had said.

"Gomtangi's owner, I'm really sorry to ask, but... what breed is Gomtangi?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because we're never taking this breed again. Gomtangi seems like she should be in the wild, not at a pet hotel."

"Are you telling me to abandon her?"

"No...! That's not what I meant, it's just... she seems like she'd be more suited to the mountains."

At the time, I'd felt a bit offended, but watching that creature run like that, I was starting to understand the exhausted look on the staff member's face. I should've left a tip on my way out. Really.

An indomitable stamina that never tired, even during walks.

Even through my rose-tinted glasses, I belatedly realized that Gomtangi didn't seem like a dog at all. Judging by the growth period she still had ahead of her, she'd probably grow three times bigger than she was now. If she got any larger, I'd have to give up on the idea of raising her indoors, just like the staff member had said.

With a trembling voice, I shyly asked the Young Lady, who was fighting off drowsiness.

"Young Lady. Don't you think Gomtangi... isn't actually a dog? With that luxurious bloodline she inherited..."

The Young Lady wore an expression that said "obviously" and answered with complete certainty.

"She's a bear."

"..."

"I told you I was right."

"...But she's cute, so. Isn't that okay?"

The Young Lady shook her head and answered firmly.

"She looks like a bear."

"But you don't find her cute?"

"Mm. She looks delicious."

Well, that's a relief.

Saying something looks delicious is a kind of compliment, after all. With hopes that she'd live a long and healthy life, I offered Gomtangi some words of blessing.

"Just grow up healthy. I won't let you go hungry, so don't bite people."

Had an hour passed while we talked about Gomtangi?

As the carriage climbed the slope, the Young Lady's head began bouncing around like a rubber ball from the vibrations.

"Hyeek...! Gravity...!"

"Hyeeeek!! It's rejecting me!"

"The world is spinning... hyeek!"

The Young Lady's head, displaying such dazzling movements, was bouncing around brilliantly like a billiard ball on a billiard table. Worried she might get motion sickness, I quietly moved closer and offered her my shoulder.

Resting her head on my shoulder, the Young Lady looked up at me with a satisfied smile.

"Ohh... it's soft."

"It's an expensive shoulder. I hope you'll use it sparingly."

"Mm. It's an expensive shoulder. So only I should use it."

The Young Lady smiled mischievously with a grin.

That kind of smile is cheating.

I held my breath, my face flushing at the faint sound of the Young Lady's breathing against my nape. And my heart seemed to race madly at the glimpse of the Young Lady's abyssal cleavage.

This is why I work as the villainess's butler.

Satisfied with these excellent employee benefits, I smiled happily as we rushed toward Hamel.

As the sun set and darkness fell, the familiar shape of the estate came into view in the distance.

Not the estate that looked like it was haunted by ghosts.

Our estate, newly remodeled.

The Young Lady, who had quietly opened her eyes, looked at the newly decorated estate with wide eyes.

"Wooooh! Ricardo!"

The Young Lady shook off her drowsiness, her eyes sparkling brightly. Pointing at the estate that had turned pink, she snorted with excitement and spoke in an exhilarated voice.

"It looks like beef!"

"What kind of comparison is that?"

"It's a compliment. It's super pretty."

"You think so? I put some effort into it this time, so I'm glad you think it's pretty."

Seeing the satisfied smile on the Young Lady's face as she looked at the estate I'd spent quite a bit of money redecorating, I thought it was fortunate I hadn't just repaired the broken wall.

The hole in the estate wall made by Fer*ri Unit 1 had been decorated with a charming round pattern, and the walls that had been covered in vines were painted pink.

The Young Lady's estate, once called Hamel's eyesore, had been transformed into something new.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah. I love it!"

I'm glad the Young Lady is pleased.

After getting off the carriage with a heart full of anticipation, I stretched and took a deep breath of Hamel's air for the first time in a while.

The savory smell of manure.

The refreshing air of Hamel felt thick and rich.

It was air I could breathe in the capital too, but perhaps because it was the familiar air of home after so long, it felt different.

"Haaaam... thank you for your hard work.... cough... cough"

Ahh... it's cold.

Must be winter.