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Chapter 109. A Day in the Life of a Holy Dog

Bright daytime.

I wake up to the sunlight streaming in through the gap in the curtains.

“……Nnwaah…”

On the bed, Liliana wriggles and turns over.

I generally wake up around this time.

Looking next to me, he’s still fast asleep.

“…………”

For a while, Liliana stares at his sleeping face.

(—He looks like he’s in pain again.)

I quietly move closer to not wake him and lick his cheek gently.

Liliana knows that if she licks him, a human will feel better.

“Nnm…”

The young demon boy turns his face away, looking a bit ticklish, and his expression softens slightly.

“Wuff!”

Satisfied, Liliana nods and once again flops down on the bed.

It’s still too early to get up. Just like usual, I’m going to take another nap.

—And then, in the evening.

As he wakes up, Liliana gets up too.

“Good morning, Liliana.”

“Woof!”

Being the first to be petted by him after waking up is a privilege for Liliana.

He smiles, but there’s always a hint of guilt in his aura, and that’s a bit strange for Liliana.

However, she doesn’t worry too much about it. She’s a dog, after all.

He gives her chubby cheeks a good squeeze, thoroughly petting her from the top of her head to the back of her neck, down her back to her waist, and all the way to her belly.

Her tail is supposed to wag happily—if she had one, that is—but in reality, she just wags her back end instead.

“Wuff! Wuff!”

Once the morning cuddles are done, it’s time for breakfast. Since I took a nap, I’m actually quite hungry.

(—Food, food!)

With her short legs, Liliana eats at his feet from her special bowl. She thinks it would be handy to have longer limbs, but there’s a nagging feeling that if she did, something bad would happen.

So, she doesn’t feel too dissatisfied with her current situation.

“Wait.”

“Wuff!”

“……Okay! Good girl.”

The obedient Liliana can indeed wait. No matter how delicious the food looks, she has to hold on until she’s given permission.

Nom nom.

(—Yummy!)

The mix of steamed vegetables she can eat just with her mouth is delightful. She also drinks water from a separate bowl, and sometimes gets soy milk or soup added on different days.

“Heehee…”

“You still look as ridiculous as ever.”

“Oh, you looked over here!”

A whispering voice floats in the air.

(—Pale-skinned people.)

Looking over, Liliana sees people in the corner of the room grinning and sneering. With pale skin, whitish hair, red eyes, and long ears—when their eyes meet hers, they grin widely as if on cue.

They seem to be talking about something while looking at her, but Liliana doesn’t understand. She’s a dog.

(—Those people are scary.)

They have smiles, but they’re not really smiling. Whenever she sees them, Liliana feels her body tense up.

She fears they might do something painful or mean to her—she can’t shake that feeling.

She doesn’t know why.

If she thinks about it, she feels like she might remember something.

(—Well, whatever.)

Liliana doesn’t dwell on it any further. She’s a dog.

Instead, she focuses on the food right in front of her.

(—Yummy! Happy!)

Munching on the nutritious steamed veggies is pure bliss.

And most especially, what she looks forward to is the dessert he hand-feeds her at the end of the meal.

“Here, open wide.”

“Woo, woo!”

Today it’s an apple. He cuts it into bite-sized pieces and carefully brings each one to her mouth. The crunchiness, the sweetness, his gentle gaze, and warm smile.

(—Yummy! So happy, so happy!)

Once she’s finished eating, he wipes her mouth with a napkin while petting her head. Liliana thinks about how blessed she is.

He’s kind, pets her, feeds her, and never does anything unpleasant or painful. She loves him dearly, so Liliana gives him affectionate licks on his face in return.

After eating, they usually enjoy some quiet time.

He sits seriously at the table, either writing or reading, while Liliana sprawls out on the couch watching him.

She really wants to be petted all the time and snuggled up to him constantly.

But she understands that she shouldn’t disturb him now, the wise Liliana knows.

Even if he doesn’t pay attention to her, just having him nearby is enough.

(—Safe, happy.)

A warm feeling washes over her. Just being able to breathe freely like this fills her with happiness. Without fear, she feels secure, and gradually becomes sleepy, beginning to doze off.

“Master, shall I take Liliana to the bath?”

“Oh, please do.”

At the sound of the familiar high-pitched voice, my consciousness snaps back awake.

(—Bath!)

Looking over, a fluffy white person motions for her.

“Liliana, let’s go!”

“Wuff!”

She jumps off the couch, giving him a “I’ll be right back!” look before following the fluffy white person.

(—Garunya, I love you!)

It’s Garunya, someone Liliana really likes. She always seems reliable and very kind, almost like an older sister.

“Oh, you’re dragging your hem, wait a moment.”

Garunya bends down to tie together the clothes Liliana is wearing.

Liliana quietly stands still, waiting patiently. She’s smart like that.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

“Wow!”

Liliana happily follows behind Garunya.

She loves taking baths. It’s warm and cozy and feels good.

However, today they don’t head straight to the large bath like usual but take a slight detour.

“Reila, is it nearly break time?”

“Oh, yeah. Just finished.”

In a slightly cluttered space that’s deeper than where he usually stays, a slender girl in a maid outfit wipes the sweat from her brow after placing an iron aside.

(Reila! I like her.)

She’s someone Liliana likes as well. …Maybe she’s a person? Though she sometimes transforms into an enormous mysterious figure.

Kind and gentle, though a little timid, there’s something about her that makes Liliana feel the urge to protect her, almost like a sister.

“We’re going to wash Liliana. Want to join?”

“Yes! Just wait a moment.”

Carrying a laundry basket, Reila heads deeper into the room before joining them.

They make their way to the large bath—

“Reila, you’re already flying and have improved your reading and writing skills. You’re a fine attendant in training, so you really don’t need to be ironing.”

“Um, well. Since it’s my area of expertise, it feels restless if I’m not doing something while everyone else is.”

“Learn from Liliana. She just eats and sleeps all day.”

“Um, well… Liliana is a bit special…”

While the two chat while undressing in the changing room, Liliana doesn’t understand. She only tilts her head when her name comes up with a “Woof?”

(—Bath! Bath!)

And then, they bathe.

“Liliana, stay still!”

“Woo! Kuhn!”

Liliana loves baths, but she hates shampoo. It stings if it gets in her eyes.

She wishes to soak in the tub as soon as possible, and tries to escape at any opportunity, but Garunya is incredibly strong, and Liliana finds herself completely unable to resist. She always ends up getting washed thoroughly.

However, once she overcomes that, it’s heavenly.

“Wafuu…”

Floating in the warm bath is blissful. It seems that Garunya enjoys floating just like Liliana, while Reila likes to relax at the edge, half submerged.

Once they’re warmed up and finished, Garunya and Reila dry off Liliana’s hair and body.

When they get back to the room, it’s time for a night snack.

She eats until she’s full again, gets fruit fed to her, and then lies on the couch, drowsy—

(—So happy…)

However, after this, there’s a time Liliana dislikes.

“Well then.”

When he straps on his sword with a serious expression, it signals pain.

Each time Liliana sees that face, it makes her sad, like her heart might shatter—

The training ground.

“Okay, give it your all today.”

A beautiful person with horns wears practical clothing and readies a spear.

(—I don’t like that person, scary.)

Though they have the same face, their expression and aura are completely different from his. It’s the person who always inflicts pain on him. The person Liliana fears.

She thinks her name is Platiphia, but Liliana doesn’t remember well. It’s long and not someone she likes.

Once, she barked at her to defend him, but since that one glare made her realize their difference in status, Liliana has always had a strong unease with her.

“Today, I shall bury your mother in the ground.”

“Oh, haven’t you become vocal? I look forward to it.”

With a ferocious grin, she begins to clash weapons with him fiercely.

He keeps getting hurt. Platiphia gets hurt too, but every time he does something, her wounds vanish, and he becomes even more battered.

Liliana can’t understand why, because she’s a dog.

But it’s clear to her, even as a dog, that it’s Platiphia’s fault he’s going through such suffering.

“Ugh…”

Garunya embraces Liliana to keep her from rushing out. Liliana notices that Garunya, watching with gritted teeth, also seems to be in pain.

Reila, standing back to watch, looks troubled too. Even though everyone looks so pained, why doesn’t anyone stop this? That’s the only thought that fills her with unbearable sadness—

“Grr…”

Finally, when he reaches his limit and kneels, Garunya releases Liliana.

“Wuff! Wuff!!”

Liliana rushes towards him as fast as she can.

She tries her hardest to lick his wounds. She knows this will help him feel better.

“Thanks as always, Liliana.”

He says this—and smiles like he usually does.

(—Why can you smile?)

How can he make such a face?

Isn’t it painful? Aren’t you struggling—?

“Kuhn…”

Liliana can only whimper helplessly. She’s a dog.

As this goes on, he gets separated from her again, and once more, he gets torn to shreds.

Though Liliana spends each day happily, she truly dislikes this time.

An eternally long, painful moment finally passes.

They take another quick bath, have a meal, and then relax in the room.

As the sky begins to lighten, it’s time to snuggle into bed and sleep.

“Good night, Master.”

“Ah, good night.”

Garunya, Reila, and the others all exit the room one after another.

Liliana and he are left behind.

“Aah… Phew. I’m exhausted today too.”

With all the tension escaping his shoulders, he cracks his neck and gently cradles Liliana.

“Well then, let’s sleep.”

“Wuff!”

She snuggles tight against him, pressing her cheek against him.

(—So happy.)

At this moment, embraced by him, Liliana is probably the happiest she could ever be.

“Good night, Liliana.”

“Woo.”

He was already dozing off while reading before bed. With his energy fully spent, he quickly falls into a deep slumber while holding her.

“…”

Meanwhile, Liliana, who dozed on the couch earlier and isn’t very sleepy now, gazes at his sleeping face at close range.

“Mmm… Grr…”

But soon, his initially peaceful expression starts to twist into one of distress.

(—He looks like he’s in pain again.)

Liliana licks his cheek.

“Nn… A… Kure… A…”

His arms tighten around her, squeezing painfully.

(—He looks like he’s suffering, don’t cry.)

Liliana’s face also shifts to a sad expression.

Softly—she places her lips against his.

“——”

She shares the warmth she possesses with him.

“…………….Nn…”

His sleeping face returns to being calm.

(—Good, good.)

Relieved, Liliana smiles.

(—I love you, I love you so much.)

She presses her cheek against his.

(—I love you so much, Alek.)

Liliana too, wrapped in warmth, succumbs to a dream world.

In the arms of the person she loves most.

Dreaming of the person she loves.

 

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