CH 392

Words : 906 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

I practiced signals with Leo “With such things included, Tilura must train so that there will be no problems when she encounters some orcs. While her skill is improving, actually facing them will be a different matter.” “Indeed. I think that my hands started to shake the first time that I fought against them. It is very different from ordinary training.” Mr. Ekenhart talked as he watched Tilura play with Leo, Sherry, and Liza. I had been quite scared when Range village was attacked by orcs, and I had to steel myself and fight. If I ran away or died, then the villagers would be in danger… I had to think about that as I fought. Had it only been me there, I would have likely just used light magic and run away. And so Mr. Ekenhart wanted to train Tilura so that she wouldn’t be caught up by her nerves. Even if she couldn’t defeat an orc, Leo and the guards would protect her. However, as her father, he wanted to decrease the danger as much as possible. After that, Tilura and Liza helped to wipe Leo’s feet, and then we returned to the mansion. I could see how close the two had become. Tilura seemed to enjoy playing the part of an older sister. “Now, Leo. We will be going to the forest… However, you do understand that things will be different this time? We are going to fight. But you cannot defeat all of the enemies.” “Wuff!” I returned to my room, and then asked Mr. Lyra to bathe Liza. In the meantime, I sat down to talk with Leo. This time, we were going to the forest so Tilura and I could fight some orcs. And so while it was usually a time we relaxed in the room, I faced Leo with a very serious expression. I was facing Leo next to the bed, and Leo was sitting in the middle of the room. Leo then barked reassuringly and nodded. …She said that she understood that she would not be there to fight. “Alright then… Stay!” “Wuff!” Leo lay low on the ground. This would be the signal for her to stay put and not jump out, even though she had discovered a monster. It was a little different from telling to wait with food in front of her. But she could always do this, so it wasn’t really a problem. “Next is… Run!” “Wuff-wuff.” Leo then stood up and turned her back to me. As for these signals, I had already decided on them previously, and taught them to Leo. And by going over them again in the room, I was making sure that she would react properly. They were simple words, so Leo shouldn’t have trouble with them, but I just wanted to practice once. “Alright. Now sit down again and… Go!” “Grau!” Leo turned to me and sat down. Then I gave a different order. This was when she could attack monsters outside of the times Tilura or I was fighting them. Depending on the situation, it might be the one I used the most… After that, I tested several other signals and confirmed that she understood them properly. Giving orders and seeing Leo swiftly react to them made me feel like some veteran dog trainer. Of course, it was mostly that Leo was smart, and had nothing to do with any ability on my part. Yes, it was a wonderful thing that we could understand each other. “Now, lastly… Intimidate!” “Grrrrrrrrrr… Wou-grau!!” “I’m back… Ahhh!!” “Ah, Liza…” “Wuff!?” That was the signal for Leo to growl and bark in order to scare away any monsters or beasts. And so Leo had bared her fangs and barked and growled at me… Even if I knew it was just pretend, it was a little scary. But immediately after, the doors opened and Liza entered. And she seemed to be quite stunned to see Leo barking like this. She let out a short scream, her ears folded, and her tail went between her legs as she began to shiver. After barking, Leo also noticed her and seemed surprised. “I’m s-sorry, Liza. I didn’t mean for you to be frightened…” “Wuff. Wuff-wuff…” “Mama… Is she angry…?” “No, no. She was just practicing for when we go to the forest. That’s how she will scare away any monsters and beasts. It wasn’t because she was mad at you, alright?” “Wuff-wuff.” I approached Liza, who was shaking near the door, and apologized. Leo also pressed her face towards her and barked apologetically. Liza had assumed that Leo was angry at something, and was looking at us for an explanation. I felt bad for scaring her. And so I told her what we were doing, and that Leo was not angry. Leo nodded in agreement. “…Really?” “Of course. Neither Leo or I are angry.” “Wuff.” “That’s good. I thought that papa and mama were fighting…” Liza said with a sigh of relief. So she wasn’t scared that Leo was angry at her. She thought Leo was fighting with me. Because we were her parents? For a child, seeing their parents fight would cause anxiety or fear. I would have to be careful. That being said, Leo and I were just buddies, not an actual couple

CH 392

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