woof!

  “Why did a puppy show up instead?” I asked flatly, staring at the small bundle of white fur in front of me.

  [According to data analysis, all procedures were executed correctly. Considering your near-death level of remaining cosmic energy after summoning me, you only had enough power for one additional call. And this is the result, isn’t it?]

  The voice came from a spherical object hovering beside me. With a blinking red lens and tiny spider-like mechanical legs, it was the The Null-Born entity I had summoned earlier. Its name was Apolo.

  “I was planning to summon Chorma—the Geode Behemoth that devours everything. So why did a cute-looking thing that resembles monster bait appear instead?”

  [Is that not Chorma? Observe the mark on its front right paw.]

  I sighed and lifted the puppy’s tiny leg. There it was—an engraved hexagon with an eight-pointed star in the center. The hexagon symbolized its species, and the star indicated its sequence number. In short, it really was the ninth one. The real Chorma.

  “A creature that should be as tall as a three-story building and possess three terrifying heads… reduced to a fluffy puppy not even thirty centimeters tall.”

  I dropped onto the snow, feeling betrayed by fate. Seeing my frustration, Chorma trotted closer and began licking my arm enthusiastically. Well, at least he was still the Chorma I knew. “Come to think of it, he looks like a miniature Siberian Husky.”

  [There are two possibilities,] Apolo replied as its lens conducted a rapid scan. [First, your cosmic energy is too trivial to summon its full form. Second, since you have passed through the cycle of death, all life contracts bound to your soul have reset to their initial state.]

  Apolo’s explanation was logical, even if irritating. Well, at least Chorma wasn’t a picky eater. His growth rate was extraordinary as long as he had sufficient nutrients—or in this world’s case, perhaps mana.

  The sun was beginning to set. I had already explained the absurd otome-world situation to Apolo. As a superintelligence, it processed the information faster than I could complain about it.

  [Highly illogical,] Apolo murmured while turning toward the western horizon. [The mysteries of the universe are difficult to comprehend—especially the fact that you have reincarnated as social refuse. However, there are aspects of this place worthy of appreciation.]

  “Yeah, you’re right,” I replied softly.

  The snow-covered trees, once pure white, now burned crimson under the reflection of the setting sun. Beautiful. A luxury that had never existed in my old world. Today ended with a small success. Tomorrow, the real plan would begin.

  Night had fallen by the time I reached the mansion gates. The head butler stood there, looking as though he had aged ten years from worry.

  “Young Master! Where have you been? You disappeared all day without a trace!” he exclaimed, relief and irritation mixing in his voice.

  “Well, I went on an adventure for fresh air and accidentally found this…” I handed the white furball in my arms to him.

  He froze, staring at Chorma as if I had just handed him a live bomb.

  “Clean him. And have the maids prepare warm water for me.”

  “Y-Yes, Young Master,” he replied, bowing, though his eyes were still wide with disbelief.

  Perhaps this was the greatest plot twist of his life: Rey Lucien the notorious bastard returning home with a puppy instead of trouble. Fortunately, Chorma was calm and obedient—so long as no one triggered his predator instincts. Meanwhile, Apolo had activated camouflage mode, hovering invisibly beside me.

  After I finished bathing, the head butler returned. Chorma was perched atop a silk pillow, now wearing a small red collar engraved with a wolf—the Lucien family crest.

  “Ahem, Young Master… I have cleaned him. I also took the liberty of fitting this collar. It suits him perfectly,” the butler said, unable to hide the pride in his tone. It seemed the old man had fallen for Chorma’s deceptive charm.

  Who could resist this fluffy white bundle? They didn’t know that earlier today, during our little experiment on the hill, this “puppy” had shattered a boulder the size of an elephant and spewed corrosive chemicals capable of melting steel.

  woof!

  Now clean and fragrant, Chorma wagged his tail left and right as if he were nothing more than an ordinary house pet.

  After dinner, I decided to take him around the estate. Consider it an orientation session. I needed Chorma to memorize the mansion residents’ faces so he wouldn’t casually rip off the arm of anyone who tried to pet him.

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  Whispers echoed along the corridor.

  “Look! Isn’t that the Young Master? He’s really been different lately.”

  “True. He’s been quiet all week. And look… is that a puppy?”

  “So cute! I want to pet it…”

  Hearing the murmurs, I snorted inwardly. It seemed the “mascot” strategy was effective. From infamous perverted bastard to lonely animal lover.

  [Analysis: Your social acceptance rate has increased by 15% due to the furry subject,] Apolo’s voice echoed in my mind. [It is ironic how easily humans are deceived by weak outward appearances.]

  “Quiet, Apolo. At least they’re not looking at me like I’m garbage anymore,” I replied inwardly, continuing forward with four tiny paws trotting behind me.

  My steps halted when I felt a pair of eyes watching from afar. Behind one of the grand mansion’s pillars, I spotted a small figure peeking out hesitantly.

  It was Alyra Lucien, my half-sister. Her long maroon hair flowed to her waist, contrasting with the noble silk dress she wore. Her matching eyes trembled as she looked at me. It seemed rumors of my changed behavior had reached her ears, giving her the courage to appear.

  I exhaled softly and approached her slowly. The seven-year-old girl looked tense, her small hands clutching the hem of her dress. Not surprising—Rey Lucien had always treated her like an unwanted nuisance.

  “Alyra… why aren’t you asleep yet?” I asked gently.

  “U-um, not yet…” she whispered.

  “Listen,” I crouched to meet her gaze, “I’m sorry for how I treated you before. I don’t intend to repeat that in the future.”

  She blinked, utterly bewildered. For her, hearing the word sorry from my mouth must have sounded more impossible than seeing a dragon fly over the mansion.

  “Well, since we’re siblings, I’ll try to be a more… civilized older brother. Do you believe me?”

  “U-uh… y-yes,” she nodded timidly, lowering her head to hide the faint blush on her cheeks.

  “Good. Since you trust me, I’ll give you a small gift.”

  I lifted Chorma and presented him to her.

  The fear in Alyra’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by pure wonder. Slowly, she reached out and touched the top of Chorma’s head.

  “Wow… his fur is so soft,” she murmured, a genuine smile blooming on her face.

  I let Chorma down to play with her. I wasn’t worried. Chorma was highly intelligent. He could distinguish threats from allies. Seeing me treat Alyra gently, his instincts would automatically categorize her as “to be protected.”

  —*

  Fire Amidst the Snow

  That night, snow fell quietly, blanketing the world in frozen silence. Bluish moonlight reflected off the snowfields, creating a cold and unfamiliar scene. While most people curled up near warm fireplaces, in a quiet corner of the mansion courtyard, one young man remained awake.

  Accompanied by the crackling of torchfire and the sound of his own breath, he continued swinging a wooden sword. His fiery red hair stood out against the overwhelming white of winter, like a flame refusing to be extinguished by an icy storm.

  He was Alex Lucien.

  To many in the empire, he was merely the son of a concubine of non-noble origin. Yet Alex never allowed bloodlines to shackle him. Though he had a notoriously harsh and sharp-tongued half-brother, Alex harbored no resentment.

  To him, hatred would only slow his blade.

  Alex had one goal in life: to become a recognized knight.

  Whenever his muscles burned with exhaustion, he remembered his mother’s final whisper before she passed away.

  “Be a good child, Alex. Become a strong protector, just like your father.”

  Those simple words had become both his moral compass and the fuel that burned within him.

  He wanted to be as strong as Lord Lucien—the man who stood firmly as a shield on the border, blocking the savage monsters of the Untouched Forest from reaching his people. That forest was forbidden territory, untouched by human civilization, where darkness and death lurked.

  For Alex, the sword was the only way to prove he was worthy of the Lucien name—even as a concubine’s son.

  Whoosh!

  Just as Alex prepared his next swing, calm footsteps broke the silence. Under the dim torchlight emerged a figure with wine-red eyes and shimmering silver-white hair illuminated by the moon.

  Rey Lucien approached leisurely.

  “Well, well… look at this hard worker. Still swinging that sword while the snow tries to freeze your brain,” Rey remarked mockingly.

  “Rey?” Alex lowered his sword, surprised.

  “You know, training alone is boring. It’s like talking to a wall.” Rey grabbed a wooden sword from the rack and weighed it casually. “Prepare yourself, Alex. I don’t plan to hold back just because you’re my brother.”

  Swish!

  Without warning, Rey lunged. His movements were efficient—no wasted motion. A swift vertical slash cut through the air. Startled by the sudden acceleration, Alex barely raised his blade in time to block.

  Clack!

  “You’ve improved significantly,” Alex muttered between exchanges. “Did you train secretly during your suspension?”

  “Oh? Not really,” Rey replied with a faint grin. “When I jumped down the stairs and my face kissed the floor the other day, I received sudden enlightenment from our family’s ancestor.”

  “That makes no sense,” Alex scoffed, pushing back.

  “Well, believe it or not… see for yourself.”

  Rey stepped back, exhaling. A white-reddish aura began enveloping his wooden blade. The air around them seemed to hiss.

  “Look… you know what this is, don’t you?”

  Alex’s eyes widened. “That’s… Aura Coating? Impossible! At the academy, you couldn’t even detect mana properly!”

  Alex vividly remembered Rey’s humiliating duel with Elvan. Forget aura—Rey couldn’t even fight like a normal person. The result? He had been beaten like a stray dog.

  “I told you, when I was in a coma, I met the founder over there. He taught me all the secret techniques—even the ones considered lost,” Rey lied shamelessly.

  The fight resumed, and this time Alex ignited his own aura.

  Rey attacked again. Gripping the sword with both hands, he delivered a heavy vertical strike. Alex focused all his strength to withstand it, but the impact was far more destructive than he expected. One of his knees buckled under the immense pressure.

  Rey gave no opening, pressing forward with relentless attacks. His movements were precise, sharp, lethal—a technique forged from thousands of battlefields in his previous life. Alex began to falter, forced into a purely defensive stance, unable to find a gap.

  Then, after several suffocating minutes, Rey suddenly halted.

  “Tch, this trash body…” Rey hissed, tossing his wooden sword into the snow. His breathing was ragged, his handsome face flushed from exhaustion. “Alright, Alex, I surrender. This body’s physical capacity has reached its limit.”

  Without another word, Rey turned and walked away casually, waving without looking back.

  “Huh?”

  Alex, drenched in sweat and ready to unleash his strongest counterattack, could only stand frozen. Alone in the silent courtyard, he stared at his brother’s retreating back—his mind filled with countless unanswered questions.