He’d made Dragon Steak, corn soup, salad, and soft bread. The vegetables were all ones he’d bought at the local market. He’d used his Prepare Meal skill to cook the steak, while the rest was pre-packaged food he’d ordered with his Interdimensional Shopping skill. He was confident in the flavor.
“I smell dragon!” Luke yipped. The aroma had reached his nose instantly. He scurried over to Taichi before Nina and Grise even had a chance to take their seats. Naturally, Taichi had made a plate for him too. The moment he placed it down, Luke began ravenously tearing away at it. Nothing enticed Luke quite like dragon meat. “Mm, delicious!” His tail wagged, cheeks swelling as he chewed. It looked so cute it was hard to believe he was normally so cold and aloof. “You did a good job today!” He finished his meal quickly and retreated to his beanbag chair.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen Luke eat,” Grise said as he eyed the Dragon Steak. “This looks amazing! Are you sure about serving us something so luxurious for free?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” Taichi encouraged.
Nina and Arle took their seats and were surprised at how thick the steak was. They quickly inquired what kind of meat he’d used, but he smiled at them and refused to disclose his secret. He worried they might faint if they realized they were eating dragon.
They each communicated their thanks in their own way before digging in.
Nina was the first to take a bite of the steak. “Wow this is yummy! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a steak like this before!”
“Yeah,” agreed Grise. “It’s delicious!”
“It looks so thick you’d think it’d be tough, but it’s incredibly tender,” said Arle appraisingly. “It has a complex flavor profile. This bread you brought us is also very airy. I like it.”
They each shared their impressions in turn.
“I’m glad,” said Taichi.
He hadn’t shared such a lively meal with someone in a long time. He’d been too busy since coming to this world, and he didn’t really have any friends—except maybe Hymeria— who he could eat with, anyway. I’m glad I made them dinner. They had an enjoyable mealtime, and once it was over, Grise declared he was ready to go home and sleep an entire day.
“Did those humans go home?” Luke inquired once Taichi reentered the café after seeing everyone off. He was just lifting himself from his beanbag chair.
“Yeah, they’re gone,” Taichi answered. He dropped down to wrap his arms around Luke’s neck, giving him a firm hug, thinking Luke had felt left out.
Instead, Luke barked at him, “Good! Time for a run!”
“What, now?!” Taichi agreed it was best to do these runs at night when Luke was less likely to catch attention. “But you heard them. There’s a Cerberus at the nearby ruins. Isn’t it too dangerous to go out?”
“Are you making light of me?! I would never lose to something as weak as a Cerberus!”
Taichi stared at Luke, gobsmacked. “What? But they said a Cerberus is a walking disaster.”
“Oh? Then let me prove it to you!”
Thanks to Taichi’s big mouth, they ended up going out to search for the Cerberus.
Luke insisted that a proud Fenrir such as himself would never succumb in battle to a mere Cerberus, which was why he was carrying Taichi out into the middle of the forest at night.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?!” Taichi shouted from Luke’s back. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt!”
“A proud warrior such as myself would never get injured by a Cerberus! As I have already told you, they are a simple opponent!” Luke let out a hearty laugh, assuring Taichi that victory was already his. He was in high spirits since Taichi had agreed to their walk—or run, as it were.
At Luke’s impressive speed, they quickly arrived at the ruins where the Cerberus was located. It was eerily dark, sending a chill down Taichi’s spine. If he hadn’t known anything at all, perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed so foreboding.
Luke’s nose twitched as he sniffed the air. “Over there,” he said, jerking his snout in the direction of the Cerberus’s scent.
“You can tell where it is?” asked Taichi.
“A Cerberus has a strong, distinct aura. You cannot miss it! I imagine it senses me as well.”
Taichi sucked in a breath. “Wait, isn’t that risky, then?” His stomach roiled with worry. What if the Cerberus noticed their approach and got the jump on them?
Luke didn’t seem the least bit concerned about this possibility as he headed deeper into the forest.
Come to think of it...
“Grise and Nina mentioned there are adventurers keeping an eye on the Cerberus.”
“Hm? Oh, those people?” Luke stared ahead. Taichi could just barely make out the faint outline of the ruins in the darkness. In front of them, hidden in the shade of the trees, was a group of adventurers.
That’s gotta be them.
Taichi lowered his voice, not wanting to expose himself, and said, “Won’t we get in trouble if they see us?”
Such concerns were irrelevant to Luke. “Keep your eyes glued to me. I want you to see how capable I truly am!”
“Huh? Why are you—”
Smug and triumphant, Luke gently deposited his master onto an upper tree branch to keep him safe during the battle. Taichi panicked, shooting a hand out toward Luke to try and stop him, but it was too late. Luke let out an earsplitting howl and dashed away.
Hold your hooorses!
Having sensed something amiss, the Cerberus that had been hiding in the ruins stepped forth. Tension filled the atmosphere.
There was a small barren area amidst the forest whereupon a crumbling building sat, ivy crawling up its face. Roots grew up, creating gaps in the stone flooring, all connected to a mature tree so large it pierced through the roof. The stone walls, carefully built once upon a time, were crumbling. It was debatable whether this structure could even be called a building at all anymore. Regardless, it was from these ruins that an enormous black monster appeared.
The Cerberus, with its fur as black as night, dwarfed Luke. It was about ten feet tall, though its more notable characteristic was the three heads it possessed. This exact sort of beast was often found in manga or video games. And here it was in the flesh, right before him.
Oh no... Fear gripped Taichi; could Luke really handle himself against such a fearsome foe? This was far more terrifying than the couple of times he had taken on dragons.
A shrill cry distracted Taichi.
“Eep!”
“Crap, what’s going on?!”
“We need to notify the guild immediately!”
Oh, right. The adventurers who are keeping tabs on the Cerberus. He couldn’t blame them for being surprised, considering they described Cerberus as a walking disaster. And thanks to Luke, it was up and, more importantly, walking. Meanwhile, Luke had already engaged it in battle.
Of the three adventurers, one broke off, scrambling back toward the town to contact the guild. The other two...had passed out on the spot.
“What?” Taichi had only looked away from them for a brief moment. What could have possibly caused them to faint?
Fortunately, he didn’t have to wonder for long. The shockwave created by the battle between Luke and Cerberus had sent rubble and tree splinters cascading through the air. The two adventurers must have been struck by the debris.
I should have expected this. We are dealing with a “walking disaster,” as they called it. Of course it would send out a shockwave this powerful. Taichi was so preoccupied with what was happening around him that he’d stopped paying attention to the fight itself, but when he returned his gaze to the two monsters, he found himself captivated by just how fantastical it was. Luke howled as the Cerberus braced itself and fought back with its own dark magic. Its three heads were all moving separately. Whenever the Cerberus leaped at Luke, the heads would change position, and the one closest would snap, trying to catch Luke in its jaw. Despite all his bravado, even Luke seemed to be having a tough time evading the Cerberus’s attacks.
“Grrr!” snarled the Cerberus.
“You lowly whelp! Don’t you dare act as if you can match me! I’ll put you in your place by slicing and dicing you with my Moonlight Claw!” Luke smirked, assured of his victory as he unleashed a devastating claw attack, which sent the Cerberus slamming into the stone wall of the ruins.
“Grrr...”
“Woof!”
“Arf...”
However, the Cerberus refused to go down. The three heads snapping at Luke again, their sharp fangs gleaming.
“Luke!” Taichi cried as the fear welled up in his chest. “This Cerberus sure seems a lot stronger than those dragons.” Luke had thought it would be an easy victory, but he was actually struggling far more than he’d anticipated. Taichi couldn’t help but feel nervous.
What will even happen if he wins? Would Luke consume his prize as he had with the dragon? Can he really do that, when this monster is a canine like him? Maybe this was just how it was in the jungle—or the forest, rather. Taichi couldn’t argue against Mother Nature. But still...
“Now that I’m looking at it, isn’t that Cerberus...pretty fluffy?” Yes, in fact, it appeared to have a particularly soft coat. Luke, a fellow canine, did, so surely the Cerberus was no exception. Unable to restrain his curiosity, Taichi mumbled, “Tame.”
The moment he used his skill, a crackling light enveloped the Cerberus, the same effect Taichi had observed before with the bunnies. Does that mean I succeeded?
Luke was giving him a dirty look, teeth clenched in fury. Taichi wasn’t sure if the frustration was a result of him interrupting their fight, or if Luke was against him taming the Cerberus.
Taichi let out a nervous chuckle as he climbed down from the tree and made his way closer. “Sorry, it just came out,” he said.
“I can’t believe you!” Luke huffed back at him.
“Woof!” came a booming cry that captured Taichi’s attention. Both he and Luke turned to locate the source of the sound. The Cerberus was charging toward him.
“What?!” Taichi cried in shock, his voice overlapping with Luke’s.
I thought I tamed it. It shouldn’t be attacking me, right?! He braced himself, knowing full well he couldn’t protect himself against something so enormous. Luke, stunned, hadn’t anticipated this, either. I’m gonna be crushed like an ant!
The Cerberus abruptly began to shrink. It leaped through the air, transforming from a ten-foot-tall monstrosity to a one-foot-tall pup.
“Whoa!”
“Wheee!”
“Catch us!”
“Master!”
The three heads spoke all at once, each saying something different. Wait, I can communicate with them! That must mean I tamed them successfully!