Chapter 97: - The Promise, Obstinacy

༺ The Promise, Obstinacy ༻

Perhaps it was only natural that things didn't go well for the undying and officer pair.

After a brief search, they found Azzy dozing somewhere on the prison's 1st floor. It was smooth going until that point. The problem, however, was that all smoothness ceased then.

"Ohh! Miss Dog!"

Azzy's ears perked up and her tail swayed gently. Sensing people, she opened her eyes partially, studying the face of the one who called her—then immediately started growling.

"Grrr."

Her attitude was quite different from usual. It wasn't even a sign of unfamiliarity. Because even when she first met the officer, she was as affectionate as if meeting a long-time friend in comparison. The growling was solely directed at the undying, an expression of wariness born of primal aversion.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, the officer turned to the undying.

"Trainee. It can't be."

"Haha! Come to think of it, it was the same when I first entered this place! It appears the Beast King is not particularly fond of our kind!"

"Grrr."

Eartheners, the immortal race who offered their entire tribe to Mother Earth, thereby attaining bodies that resembled their deity more closely than any other.

True to their name, the flesh and blood of eartheners were like soil and lava. Their skin was tough but stiff, like compacted mud, and though their blood flowed hot, it would harden within their body once cooled; just like Mother Earth who embraced the whole world as her body.

Hence, while they might not be as repelling as the vampires who emanated the stench of blood... Azzy still couldn't feel any closeness toward them.

"But it is all right! When taming a beast for the first time, they always bare their fangs and growl! Do you not agree that surpassing this challenge to achieve communion exemplifies humanity's wisdom in taming beasts?!"

With that confident declaration, the undying strode over to Azzy.

"Miss Dog! Now, let us forge a bond!"

Azzy answered with a bark.

Baam! She irritably struck the undying's right arm, and it twisted at an unnatural angle accompanied by the sound of exploding soil. Instantly transformed into a reverse-jointed man, the undying gazed at his right hand for a moment, then scratched his head with his remaining left as he stepped back. Only then did Azzy cease her growling.

His unfruitful return was welcomed back by the officer's icy glare.

"...Look."

"Hahahaha! The beast this time is extremely difficult! Such a pity, Friend!"

The undying raised his dangling right arm and continued in a shout.

"I do not think I can do this!"

"What are we supposed to do then?!"

The major ended up exploding. She stepped up to the undying, glowering at him. The latter adjusted his misaligned right arm with an awkward smile.

"Haha, I shall entrust this part to the undoubtedly human being that you are, Major! After all, being a dog, Miss Dog will take better to y—Urgh!"

The major kicked his shin with her stiff military boot, and the undying bent over, silenced by the shooting pain.

After reprimanding her incompetent, groaning companion, the major looked away from him.

"Unbelievable. To think I went so far as to use a world tree leaf for this bumbling fool."

"Haha! I have no excuse! But do not worry! At the very least, our tribesmen do not shy away from responsibility!"

"Late as it is, I would rather you get out of my sight now."

Ultimately, the incompetent earthener achieved nothing. The only support this supposed helper gave was noisy chatter by the sideline. As always, the mission's success rested solely on the major's abilities.

She walked past the undying and approached Azzy.

"Move. I'll handle this."

"Please! May you finish what I could not!"

Ignoring his words, unsure if it was encouragement or taunting, the major went up to Azzy. Despite her cold reception to the undying, Azzy seemed happy to see the officer, wagging her tail.

The major began in a loud voice.

"Dog King, Azzy. Get up!"

"Woof!"

Azzy jumped to her feet. Looking at the grinning girl who was slightly shorter than herself, the officer continued in a concise tone.

"Listen well, Dog King. I am an officer of the Military State, Major Callis Kritz, appointed by the State as the chief administrator of Tantalus."

"Woof? Officer? Is it food?"

"...I am Major Callis Kritz."

Only after hearing the simplified version did Azzy realize the officer was introducing herself. She replied cheerfully, tail swishing.

"Woof! Nice to meet you! Azzy, that's me!"

"...Why on earth did they choose such a name for this generation's Dog King? Of all the names to pick."

After a moment of grumbling, the officer poised herself again.

"Azzy."

"Woof! My name! You call me?"

"As a human, I have a demand to make of you."

"Woof..."

Azzy's ears and tail drooped the instant she heard the word "demand".

"Demand, don't like. Bothersome."

"You must listen. I am human, and you are the Dog King. You must obey me."

"Woof..."

Azzy stood defiantly, clearly displaying her annoyance. The major wasn't sure whether to fault her misconduct or be grateful that she was listening regardless. In any case, the officer had a task to fulfill. She cleared her throat and assumed a commanding voice.

"Azzy. As your officer—I mean, I demand of you. When I call you from now on, you must come straight to me."

"Woof. Okay."

Despite receiving a positive response, the officer wasn't satisfied; Azzy's answer came so readily that it felt too casual. So the officer sought further confirmation of her demand.

"...And even if another human calls you, you must ignore them and follow my orders."

"Woof? Can't do that."

The refusal was both swift and decisive.

The officer gritted her teeth. This meant that if the laborer decided to obstruct her... she'd never be able to take the Dog King out of Tantalus. She grew impatient.

"Why is that? You must obey human commands! As such, you must obey my orders! Since I've ordered you not to listen to him, as per the covenant, you have to ignore his words!"

"Wooof..."

"Answer me properly. Keep your promise!"

"The promise, it's not like that..."

"No, you must obey!"

People can often see themselves reflected in the reactions of others.

Azzy stared at the officer as if watching a child throwing a tantrum, and meeting her calm gaze, the major realized she was being unreasonable. At present, the officer had neither power nor justification. All she had was an old promise made between humans and dogs, a promise she didn't even know about. Yet that was what she relied on to stubbornly demand obedience from the Dog King.

The first emotion the major registered was embarrassment. While she had her lips pressed shut, Azzy spoke to the stubborn major in a soothing, perhaps consoling, tone.

"Me, I listen to humans. But it's not obedience. It's trust. Like the promise long ago, it's hope that if I follow humans, if I entrust myself, they'll do the same."

"Exactly! So you should listen to what I—!"

"You're human. But, you're not the only human. Woof."

Azzy plainly conveyed a truth everyone knew but hesitated to acknowledge: You're just one of the countless humans in existence. Then she carefully added something else.

"...And, woof. You're my friend, but me, I'm not yours. Because you... don't like me."

The officer was jolted by shock. Her true feelings were revealed by a mere dog. Moreover, the Dog King even showed consideration after guessing her feelings.

She was defeated, in strength and character alike. And that gnawed away at her pride.

The Human Regime was an organization based on human supremacy. Regarding even beastkin as lesser beings, they harbored an inherent hatred for animals.

In the officer's case, this animosity originated from the misfortune of her early childhood and the cruelty of beasts she encountered back then. As someone who lost her only family, her father, to a beast, such defeat was especially unacceptable.

"Shut up and obey me!"

The captain screamed, losing her head, but Azzy didn't bat an eye. She simply looked back with her big eyes full of concern. But that only drove the officer into a hysterical reaction.

"Don't look at me with those eyes! You're just an animal!"

The officer turned away and scanned the Tantalus prison cell, which still held remnants of prisoner restraints. Her attention fell upon a chain that was broken in the middle. Quickly picking it up, she snapped the chain taut menacingly as she walked over to Azzy.

Sensing her intentions, the undying tried to stop her.

"Uh, Major. Hold on. Is that not a bit too much? Perhaps you should rethink—"

"Zip it, you useless buffoon! If you had done your job properly, I wouldn't be doing this!"

The undying scratched the back of his head, looking troubled. Meanwhile, the officer made a loop with the chain and threw it at Azzy, who stood there unresisting.

Clank. The makeshift leash looped around Azzy's neck. Despite the chain tightening around her, Azzy only frowned and didn't fight back. She simply stared at the officer in silence as the chain wound around her neck twice.

'I don't like it. A mere dog who can't even resist a human, acting like she understands everything...!'

Even after pouring curses and tying a chain around Azzy, the officer's anger didn't abate. She told herself that nothing like this would've happened if Azzy had obeyed from the start. If she had cooperated with the mission, followed orders quietly, and helped achieve success.

The problem, in her eyes, was a mere dog resisting her will.

"Being dragged around by a leash is enough for animals like you! You can call yourselves kings and wear the body of a human, but you're still a beast in the end! It was wrong to try settling it with words. I should've done this from the—!"

But just as she was releasing her festered emotions on the Dog King, something happened.

...Skyblade Art.

The air at the end of the corridor shimmered as wind, something that shouldn't exist in the abyss, began to blow. What followed was an intent to kill, sharp as a blade. In an instant, a cutting torrent of wind surged through the entire expanse of the 1st-floor corridor, rending through everything in its path and homing in on the officer.

More precisely, it was targeting the officer's right hand that held the chain.

By the time she noticed that murderous intent, the Qi blade was already near. She stood blankly, still not fully understanding the situation.

"Major!"

The undying rushed forth to shield her. The blade of wind ravaged him, carving a grievous scar from his right shoulder to his left side. Then, upon losing its initial keen edge, the wind thrashed his body, rampaging like a wild horse with its reins cut loose. The subsequent shockwave shredded his flesh like rags, producing a sound akin to an exploding drum.

In less than a second, the undying ended up looking like he had been slashed all over with small knives.

Even though she knew he was an undying, it wasn't easy to remain calm after witnessing a person being torn apart right before her eyes. The officer called his name despite herself.

"Rasch...!"

However, Rasch the undying, though a bit out of his league here, was still a monster who remained unfazed after losing an arm. The undying was staggered briefly after the impact, but he quickly stamped his right foot, steadying himself with a spirited cry.

"Hup!"

He was still overflowing with vital essence. As the undying gathered strength, his wounds healed instantly. The torn muscles restored themselves, and the shredded skin became smooth again.

Regenerating his body in a single breath, he clenched his fists and addressed the presence approaching from the other side.

"Hey now, is it not a bit harsh to brandish your sword out of nowhere, lad?"

The regressor didn't answer. She didn't even glance at the undying. Her eyes were fixed solely on Azzy and the chain around her neck.

"The chain."

A silken, glacial voice, as if carved from ice, reached them through the wind. It wasn't loud, nor was it coming from close by, yet it sounded as if she were speaking right by their ears.

The regressor finished her words in a tone of suppressed murder.

"Put it down."