“I’m thinking we should arrange more guards,” I suggested.
“What, even more?” Reiko asked, dumbfounded. “With my defensive and offensive magic, your explosive and healing potions, Kyoko’s tiny beam weapon that doesn’t look like a weapon, and Falsetto, who can handle ambushes and knock down arrows or throwing-spears with superhuman reflexes without magic enhancements? And if we have time, we’ve got space fighters, shuttles, and the mothership’s main cannon from above...”
Yeah, Reiko had a point. It was overkill. But Falsetto was a close-combat specialist, and relying on her to react instinctively in a fraction of a second to an ambush felt a bit shaky. So...
“It’s not about offensive or defensive power. I want to boost our ability to detect danger and respond quickly to a sudden attack.”
“Oh...” Reiko and Kyoko got it too. “Dogs and birds!” they said at the same time.
Yup. Not Mariel’s subordinates, but ones we could use freely for ourselves. Our very own direct-hire fluffy dogs and birds!
Mariel’s dogs and birds would object fiercely if they found out, so we’d have to keep it a secret from them...though they’d probably find out in no time anyway. It’d be fine as long as they didn’t interfere while we made preparations, though. We couldn’t keep relying on someone else’s forces forever, after all.
“They’ll act freely as usual, but on days when they’re on duty, they’ll watch out for suspicious people from a distance. They can also track targets to find their hideouts or meeting spots. We’ll use that house we rented as our base. It’s on the outskirts of town and has a decently big yard. We won’t have dozens of dogs stationed there like Mariel’s place; instead, we’ll rotate a few through at a time, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
That was the house we’d hurriedly rented for the Kurth Trade Company deal but ended up not using. If Reiko, Falsetto, and I were to live—er, use it, we probably had to move there instead of staying at an inn. Inns weren’t convenient for coming and going at night, and since we’d often be away from the capital, keeping a room booked felt wasteful. Plus, I didn’t want to end up without a place to stay if the inn filled up, and it felt a bit unfair to have me and Reiko sharing a room while Falsetto was alone in another. I insisted on “use” instead of “live” when referring to inn accommodations because our real home was Little Silver, where the kids were, and the capital was just a temporary stop. Our base was with the children, not a place full of scheming and intrigue like the royal capital. If we were to relocate our base, it’d be to some rural area or deserted island, not here...ideally, it’d be somewhere else by the sea.
Other countries were options too, of course. In fact, if we had to sell Little Silver and relocate, it’d probably be because we needed to leave this country anyway. Depending on the situation, we might even end up needing to leave the continent altogether. Kyoko had apparently wandered other continents before joining us on her search for me and Reiko... Grr, Celes didn’t have to drop her off on a whole different continent! That jerk...
“All right, let’s call Kyoko to join us and make it a four-person team! And let’s build a secret underground base at the new place! We can just fill it back up when we move out!” I said.
With the Item Box, I could store the dirt from when I hollowed out the ground and then plop it back in when we left. Easy peasy.
“Hey, I’ve got a favor to ask. Do you have a minute?” I asked.
The stray dog I spoke to looked up, glanced around, then tilted its head in confusion.
“It was me! Me!” I said.
“WAAAH! It talked!” the dog yelped.
I mean, I guess it’d have to be shocking from their perspective.
Anyway, I approached the stray dog by the riverbed...though maybe it was just a free-roaming pet. I was speaking in dog language, obviously.
“I’m a friend of this world’s goddess. Can you connect me with the boss around here?”
“Sure thing, follow me!”
Guess making appointments isn’t a thing for dogs...
“So, what does a human goddess want with us?”
The local dog boss eyed me with suspicion, which was understandable. If a normal-looking monster showed up at a human’s door and claimed to be the god of monsters, they’d assume it was pushing some sort of deal favoring its own kind at the humans’ expense. A dog would expect something positive from a dog god, not a human one.
“No, gods don’t have fixed forms or specific species assigned to them or anything like that. I take a human form when dealing with humans, and a dog form for dogs. I’m just in human form right now because I’ve been operating among humans, and what I have to offer is gonna be good for everyone,” I explained.
“Details!”
The dog that had guided me here was a stray, but the boss was someone’s pet. Not the kind that was chained up all day, but one that was free to roam. In Japan, free-range dogs had been banned by ordinance long before I died, but they were normal here. Of course, if a dog bit someone, the owner got punished, and if the dog got killed in retaliation, they had no right to complain. The reason a pet dog was the local boss was because it was bigger and stronger than the rest, with ample food and training as a guard or hunting dog. Strength was needed to protect its territory and its underlings. Plus, this boss shared its food with orphaned pups and injured or sick dogs. Apparently, it was a dog of real character. Only someone with a surplus could do that. It would be pretty difficult for a skinny stray struggling for food each day to take on the boss role.
Anyway, the boss took care of the dogs in the territory, earning their respect and loyalty. The conditions I offered were something that couldn’t possibly be ignored. It was a no-brainer, really. Ample food for strays, treatment for injuries and illnesses, support for birthing and raising young, shelter for those without a home, and relaying messages to owners if needed. Yup, I’d taken the conditions from Mariel’s recruitment from a long time ago and added some extra perks. As a result...
“We’d love to take the contract!”
Yup, figured as much.
“All right, I’ll need some dogs on rotation; a few for our personal protection, and a few for house security—they’d just be lounging in the yard most of the time. Oh, any dogs with owners should prioritize their owners’ home security, family protection, and other duties. We won’t be in this city forever, and they can’t betray the family they’re indebted to, right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right...”
“Plus, if a lot of owned dogs start disappearing and are seen hanging around our place, that’d be bad. So I’ll need you to keep owned dogs out of the rotation or manage it carefully. Oh, and don’t recruit any troublemakers. There will be two meals a day, morning and evening. Owned dogs should eat at their homes to avoid suspicion, so they can pass any leftovers to the strays. If anyone says they don’t need food because they eat at home, they can give their share to orphaned pups. I’ll count one adult portion for three or four pups, since they eat less. Clean water will be available at all times. For now, send any injured or sick dogs, weak pups, or old dogs to our place. There’s no limit on treatments, so don’t hesitate to ask for help with minor injuries or illnesses. I’ll listen to food preference within reason too. For example, fatty or lean meat, that sort of thing. I won’t tolerate complaints like ‘I hate orc meat! Give me beef!’ though.”
Though, even an aristocrat’s pet probably wouldn’t be that picky.
“Yes, ma’am!”
Good! Got me some reliable guards!
They’d detect approaching threats from afar via scent or sound, had lightning-fast reactions, and wouldn’t make for good hostages because enemies wouldn’t be able to speak dog. A skilled soldier with a sword would be one thing, but some thug with a knife wouldn’t stand a chance against an adult dog intending to do them harm. Not to mention, they were immune to bribes and would never betray us, since I was the only one who could speak their language.
Okay, next!
“Excuse me, bird over there, do you have a minute?”
“A talking human? No way!”
Here we go again...
“Hey, cat over there. I’ve got a pretty sweet deal for you...”
“AAAAAAH! IT TALKED!”