Chapter 6

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“…Fugya…suupee…”

When Luria  fell asleep in her mother’s arms, the Spirit King appeared.

“Ah, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed, indeed. She’s sleeping soundly. May she grow up strong and healthy.”

The Spirit King, appearing in the form of a cat, kissed Luria  gently on her forehead.

“Your Majesty, Fenrir has arrived.”
“Ah, I am aware.”
“Now we can rest easy, right?”
“Indeed. Having the powerful Fenrir as a guardian beast is most reassuring.”

Since spirits lack physical bodies, they are generally immune to harm from humans, animals, or monsters.
However, spirits are not invincible. They have a natural enemy: the sorcerers known as jusha.

Though Luria  was unaware, the technology the Church of the One God used to imprison spirits was derived from the sorcery of these jusha.
And the curse that had plagued Luria ‘s mother had also originated from a jusha.

“We spirits cannot directly influence the physical world without a medium…”

This inability to directly defend themselves makes spirits vulnerable to attacks by jusha, despite their immense magical power.
Guardians, such as powerful creatures like Fenrir, exist to protect these vulnerable spirits.

“Guardian beasts are the natural enemies of jusha. With Fenrir around, the jusha won’t dare approach Lady Luria .”
“That’s a relief!”
“Indeed.”

Despite these reassurances, the Spirit King still felt a tinge of unease.
After all, Fenrir was still just a baby.

Even though Fenrir is a creature of unparalleled strength, as a baby, it remains vulnerable. While a jusha might be deterred, other humans or monsters could still pose a threat.

Furthermore, spirits cannot discern human malice until it is acted upon.

This is much like how a person cannot determine if a dog has a biting habit until it bites.
To spirits, malicious humans appear no different from harmless ones.

“O God, please protect Lady Luria .”

At the very least, grant her protection until Fenrir matures.
Against human malice, we are powerless.

With this prayer, the Spirit King beseeched the heavens, despite knowing that God does not intervene in the physical realm.
It was all the Spirit King could do.

As the Spirit King prayed, another spirit tilted its head curiously and asked:
“Why does Your Majesty only appear when Lady Luria  is asleep?”
“Because I draw too much attention.”

The spirits, with their fluffy, dandelion-like appearances, were visible to Luria . However, she considered them non-verbal entities and didn’t pay them much mind.

“But Your Majesty can take on a form like ours, right?”
“I can, but my radiance is overwhelming and draws too much attention.”

The Spirit King briefly transformed into a fluffy form. It was larger and more radiant than the others, exuding an undeniable presence.

“See?”
Returning to its cat form, the Spirit King explained.

“Ah, I see.”

Even if the Spirit King appeared in its fluffy form, Luria  would surely notice and ask, “Da-da-u? (Who are you?)”

“If she sees me, Lady Luria  would undoubtedly try to converse.”
“True, true.”

But communicating with spirits could negatively affect the development of a baby.
Thus, the Spirit King avoided interacting directly with Luria .

“To ignore Lady Luria  when she speaks to me would be heart-wrenching.”
“I get it.”
“Yeah, it’d be tough.”
“It’d hurt.”

The other spirits empathized with the Spirit King’s feelings.

Afterward, the Spirit King moved to the adjoining room to check on Fenrir.

“Kyuun kyuun!”

The puppy was letting out affectionate cries as a maid scrubbed it energetically.
When the Spirit King approached, the puppy wagged its tail enthusiastically.

“Now, stay still!”
“Woof.”
“My goodness, you’re filthy. Look at this dirty water!”
“Kyuun.”

The Spirit King briefly worried that the puppy was being mistreated, but it seemed to be enjoying itself.
The maid, too, handled the puppy with care, skillfully and thoroughly washing it.

Her earlier sternness appeared to be for the sake of discipline. In truth, the maid seemed to like the puppy.

“You’re so dirty, getting close to the young lady like this! Now, close your eyes while I wash your face.”
“Kyuun.”
“Don’t think you can get away with acting all cute! Were you sniffing at the young lady with that dirty face?”
“Woof?”

The puppy was evidently filthy, requiring three changes of bathwater.
Once clean, the maid wrapped it in a towel and held it close.

“The lady of the house said to keep you, but what now? Your toilet and bed need sorting.”
“Pant pant.”

The puppy licked the maid’s face.

“Stop that. Your mistress is the lady of the house, not me.”
“Kyuun.”
“Are you hungry? I wonder… do puppies drink cow’s milk? Wait here.”

The maid left the room to fetch milk and prepare the puppy’s bed and toilet.

Taking her place, the Spirit King approached the puppy.

“Little one, you’re well-loved, aren’t you?”
“Arf?”
“Take good care of Lady Luria .”
“Woof!”

The puppy wagged its tail energetically, as if to say, “Leave it to me!”