The Refreshing Man

That night, after all the knights and servants who had been guarding Gadilas were reassigned, it was astonishingly peaceful. It turned out that, while he had seemed well-protected, he was actually surrounded by foes. A chilling realization.

With nothing to do before bed, Gadilas attempted to train Kuuga in some tricks.

Of course, since Kuuga understood speech, there was no need for repeated practice—Gadilas knew this as well. The training wasn’t about commands in words, but about recognizing signals.

It seemed that, even in this other world, the interpretation of gestures was much the same: showing a palm for “wait,” pressing a hand down for “sit,” and so forth. These cues were easy enough for Kuuga to understand.

Those “tricks” weren’t for entertainment, but for practical use, such as when accompanying Gadilas in public.

He thought it would be fun to play dead if someone did the “bang” gesture, but then wondered if guns even existed in this world.

“It’s definitely easier to teach when you can be understood.”

‘No doubt.’

After going through everything once and repeating the practice a few times, Gadilas nodded in satisfaction and patted Kuuga’s head.

When Gadilas announced it was time for bed, Kuuga promptly hopped onto the bed and curled up in the spot where the pillow was. Seeing this, Gadilas gave a slight smile, climbed onto the bed, and laid his head on Kuuga’s belly.

It felt as though, little by little, Gadilas was beginning to trust him more than he had yesterday.

If they could keep building their relationship of trust bit by bit, that was enough. Kuuga watched over Gadilas as he fell asleep and, after keeping a wary ear on the hallway for a while, finally closed his eyes as well, seeing that no one was coming that night.

◇　◇　◇　◇

The next day, Edalion arrived at the office right away, bringing one knight with him.

The man was rather slim and lanky for a knight here, with single-lidded eyes giving him a crisp, unadorned look—a “refreshing” impression all around. Even his hair, a pale blue, lent him a cool aura.

“This is the most trustworthy guy among my subordinates. He doesn’t have a ton of achievements to his name, but his sword skills are the real deal.”

“I am Louis Ashidary.”

The way he lowered his head was oddly elegant. Perhaps he was a young lord from a good family.

As Edalion said, he was not the sort to betray others easily… and yet, Kuuga silently added in his mind.

Yet, from Gadilas’s perspective, Louis was not someone to be considered “trustworthy.” He clearly revered Edalion; he would never betray him, not even at the cost of his own life.

Nor did Kuuga think he would ever try to deceive or harm Gadilas—but if it ever came to the crunch, Gadilas would not be his first priority. Was that truly someone suitable for the Royal Guard?

Moreover… Louis most likely didn’t think particularly highly of Gadilas. The way he looked at Gadilas was the same cold, disdainful look that Kuuga had seen many times in the castle directed at Gadilas. He seemed to think he was hiding it well in Gadilas’s presence, but Kuuga was not fooled.

That said, he had no active intention of doing anything against Gadilas, but simply harbored those feelings deep inside.

Gadilas fell silent, lost in thought for a time. Then he glanced briefly at Kuuga, narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Edalion, the Divine Beast is giving your recommendation a most extraordinary look.”

“Huh?”

Edalion, who had been confidently presenting Louis, turned in surprise to look at Kuuga. He saw the Divine Beast, who wagged his tail and greeted Edalion, now glaring at Louis with suspicion. “Why?!” Edalion blurted out, unable to restrain himself.

“D-Divine Beast, Louis is trustworthy, really—there’s no problem!”

‘To you, yes.’

Kuuga nodded at Edalion’s assurance. Watching him nod, Edalion smiled in relief, while Gadilas, on the other hand, furrowed his brow.

“So, I should hire him?”

Gadilas’s eyes seemed to say, “Even after looking at him like that?” In response to his question, Kuuga shook his head.

‘I wouldn’t recommend it.’

“Whaaat? W-what do you mean!?”

To the humans, Kuuga’s responses seemed contradictory, and Edalion cried out in confusion. Kuuga frowned, wondering how to convince them when words would not suffice.

“But you said he’s trustworthy…”

‘To you.’

“Then shouldn’t he be in the Royal Guard…?”

‘That’s no good.’

Their dialogue went in circles: Kuuga nodded or shook his head as Edalion argued, but never in a way that would directly say Louis wasn’t trustworthy, not wanting to crush Edalion’s faith in his friend with a lie.

While Edalion and Kuuga’s staredown continued, Louis, who had been silently watching, sighed and spoke up.

“That’s enough, Vice-Captain.”

“Huh? But—”

“I believe I understand what the Divine Beast wishes to say.”

“What do you mean?”

Gadilas and Uros, who hadn’t grasped what Kuuga was trying to convey, turned to Louis in surprise.

Louis fixed Kuuga with a searching look, then turned his attention to Gadilas.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I serve His Highness Edalion, the Vice-Captain, and I have no intention of serving Your Majesty. Even if I joined the Royal Guard, that would not change.”

“Wh-What are you saying!?”

“I’m prepared to accept any consequences. The situation can’t be resolved without speaking the truth.”

Edalion was flustered, thinking those words were inappropriate before the King, but Gadilas, focusing only on the substance, stroked his chin thoughtfully while looking at Kuuga.

“Divine Beast, is that about right?”

‘…More or less.’

Thinking that Louis had skillfully avoided the subject, but not incorrectly, Kuuga responded with a single nod, which caused Gadilas to frown.

“If he only nods once, it doesn’t mean it’s exactly right.”

Edalion and Louis, who had been told about the nodding rule, looked at Gadilas in surprise, and Louis, apparently considering something, turned his gaze on Kuuga.

“…So, you see through that much?”

“Wait, Louis, you get it? Don’t say anything too weird, okay?”

Edalion’s face had grown pale, fearing he would blurt out something like treason.

“Divine Beast, I would never harm His Majesty.”

‘That much is clear.’

“You mean my personal feelings, is that it?”

‘Yes.’

“Would you say I would ever commit an act of ‘betrayal’?”

‘No, you wouldn’t.’

Kuuga responded to all Louis’s questions with two nods, making it clear that there were no such dangerous concerns, and Edalion relaxed with relief, while Gadilas’s wariness softened a bit—not entirely understanding, but content for now.

Louis apparently had no intention whatsoever of voicing the details of his feelings aloud, though Kuuga noted the care with which he had deflected the topic.

“…So, if both His Majesty and the Vice-Captain were in danger, do you think I would protect His Majesty?”

‘Not at all. You would put Edalion first.’

When Kuuga shook his head twice firmly, Louis looked to Edalion and Gadilas.

“That is what the Divine Beast wished to express, I believe.”

“…I see. …He’s harsher than I am.”

The faint, fleeting smile that crossed Gadilas’s lips shocked everyone present—no one but Kuuga had ever seen him smile.

Ignoring the others’ surprise, Gadilas returned to his usual expression and looked at Kuuga.

“Divine Beast, there’s no need to be so strict. As long as he won’t try to assassinate me, that’s enough.”

‘…That’s a pretty low bar.’

“So, can we count Louis as hired?”

Edalion’s face immediately brightened, his color restored.

But the person who shook his head was none other than Louis himself.

“If possible, would you let me serve as the Divine Beast’s attendant instead?”

“…The Divine Beast’s escort?”

‘…Me?’

All eyes turned to Louis in surprise—no one had considered Kuuga in need of a bodyguard.

“Forgive me, but I had been skeptical of the Divine Beast for not selecting the Vice-Captain. However, now that I’ve interacted with the Divine Beast directly…I realize he possesses something truly unique, something that sets him apart from us humans.”

“That’s true.”

Louis glanced at Kuuga. At first, he had been wary, but now his eyes seemed to reflect a genuine, curious interest.

“The people in the castle don’t truly understand the Divine Beast. …Some even suggest he shouldn’t be allowed to roam freely.”

‘…Roaming freely? As if I’m a pet…’

Kuuga, realizing just how poorly he was understood, drooped in dejection, and Louis gave him a slightly apologetic look.

“I always knew his intelligence was impressive, but…to be honest, I hadn’t realized it went this far.”

“‘This far’ meaning?”

“In the sense of being able to communicate with humans. Judging by the Divine Beast’s responses, it’s clear he doesn’t just vaguely understand but thoroughly comprehends human speech.”

“What, Louis, you didn’t know?! I told you—he’s incredibly smart!”

With Louis’s words, it became clear that even those who claimed to understand had underestimated Kuuga. Edalion, Gadilas, and even Uros stared in shock.

“I wasn’t clear on what you meant by ‘smart’… I’m terribly sorry to the Divine Beast, but, well, we call horses and dogs ‘smart’ if they can be trained…”

“I see. So you took it to mean he was just intelligent for an animal.”

“In the future, there may be times the Divine Beast walks the castle alone. …Then, he might be treated rudely or hindered by castle staff. He needs someone to explain matters for him at such times.”

So, more of a support role than a guard, then.

The other three, understanding Louis’s reasoning, looked impressed—they hadn’t thought things through so far themselves.

“That’s true. He probably does need someone to support him. I can’t always be by his side. …Divine Beast, what do you think?”

‘If that’s the case, I’d be happy to accept.’

Seeing Kuuga nod twice, Gadilas nodded in turn and looked at Louis. Sensing his appointment, Louis straightened and faced Gadilas.

“Then, I appoint you as the Divine Beast’s escort. Help clear up misunderstandings about him.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

“Aw, that could have been me…”

“Quiet, you.”