༺ The Dog Waiting For The Promise ༻
Cutting through the harsh wind, a round and wide disc glided through the sky. Due to the strong wind blowing from behind, it shot far back even when it was merely let go of. Its speed was only a bit slower than that of the Meta Conveyor Belt.
“Woof woof woof woof!”
Azzy chased after it. Thump, thud, screech. She ran on the loud Meta Conveyor Belt, then jumped off it and rolled uncontrollably before running like the wind again. Eventually, Azzy caught the disc that had disappeared far away.
After catching the disc in an ever so picturesque manner, Azzy looked at the Meta Conveyor Belt, now far away, with gleaming eyes. The distance becoming furthered while chasing the disc was just another game for Azzy. After flipping in the air to heavily stomp on the ground, she leaped again before the dust could even settle.
Footprints remained like the traces of shells. Leaving behind crushed ground and flying dust, Azzy fiercely chased after the Meta Conveyor Belt. After jumping onto the land that flowed like a river, Azzy quickly dashed towards me, reaching right before my eyes in an instant.
She seemed to have enjoyed the exercise after being without it for a while, seeing as how her eyes sparkled. Her brown tail wagged briskly in satisfaction, as if to express her emotions; in fact, it was swinging enough to create its own wind, clearly displaying her joy.
“Woof woof woof!”
Azzy handed me the disc she was holding in her mouth. Was it perhaps because it faced the chilly wind so much? The tip of my fingers felt cold upon contact. Actually, strike that. I wasn’t sure if the disc was the one that was cold or my hands.
Wow, Disc Catching, Self-Imposed Hard Mode. I guess this level is only possible since she is the King of Dogs, huh.
“Azzy, you’re amazing!”
Azzy responded with her chest puffed out.
“Woof! I’m, amazing!”
“A king among dogs, indeed! Now then, you’ve worked hard, so you should get a reward, right? Here, meat!”
“Woof! That’s okay! You eat!”
When I offered a piece of meat, Azzy did not even hesitate for a second before offering it to me.
Wait, let me get this straight. After Azzy worked hard to catch the disc, she saw the nice, sizzling, grilled meat and she said…for me to eat it? Is that right?
This was no trivial or ordinary event. It was definitely a serious matter beyond imagination. Wiping the smile off my face, I asked more seriously than ever before.
“Azzy, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Woof? No?”
“Or are you in the middle of cleaning up something nearby?”
“Cleaning up? I, don’t clean!”
“I know you’re a dog, but I still wish you would clean up a bit.”
Then what could it be?
It wasn’t even canned meat. It was meat from the Regressor’s pocket, quickly grilled over high heat to preserve the juices.
Even human beings would not be able to suppress their appetite, drooling at the corner of their mouths for such a dish. But she’s yielding something like that? Moreover, to me?
After contemplating deeply, I asked to confirm the last remaining possibility.
“Could it be, you’re already preparing for a battle with the King of Wolves?”
Because she ran at full speed, her hair was completely frizzed. Nevertheless, she messed it up more by shaking her head vigorously in denial, almost as if to shake off water.
“Not yet! I, haven’t made promise with Human King! Military State, broke promise!”
“The Military State broke the promise? Those sick bastards, I knew they would do that one day. They’re such bad guys.”
“Woof! Right, bad! I, need to find kind king!”
Unbecoming of her usual unconditional friendliness to humans, Azzy complained in a sullen tone.
After enthusiastically participating in shittalking the State, I suddenly changed my attitude and muttered.
“But honestly, it was foreseeable”
From ancient times, the King of Dogs had been fighting against the King of Wolves by forming alliances with humans.
It was like a regular event, continuing every few decades. In those legendary wars, sometimes the King of Dogs won, and other times, the King of Wolves won.
The victory of one side meant the death of the other. Before the next king was born and finished growing up, the victorious king would howl at the round moon.
The War of Dogs and Wolves…
This long-standing battle was too famous to even be kept a secret and was known to everyone; paradoxically, its fame also hindered the fight between dogs and wolves.
“The Military State wouldn’t have wanted to engage in a battle with the King of the Wolves in the first palace. Do you know how much money it even takes to wage a war?”
“Woof? Then I, was deceived?”
“I mean, what’s new? It’s common in fairy tales for strong animals to be fooled by lies.”
This mythic, as well as legendary war’s outcome depended on how strong the human forces siding with the dogs were. In wars where the Empire sided with dogs, it was said that their victory was decided in just half a day.
But who would want to deploy national power in a fight between beasts? Nations gradually turned their backs on the King of Dogs and from a certain point onwards, dogs only faced repeated defeats.
A grand brawl that took place once every few decades. Even if they win, all they would get was a tiny bit of honor. Moreover, regardless of whether they lost or won, they would pay a great sacrifice. Humans living in this ever-flowing history did not wish for this historic war to happen in their generation, on their territory.
Why should they alone bear the brunt?
While humans avoided battle and neglected, abandoned, and discarded dogs…
“In the meantime, the pack of wolves has become stronger. Strong enough to stand against any considerable nation.”
“Woof. Right. I, can’t win alone. That’s why I, need Human King.”
Azzy, having cooly admitted this, gestured as if to tell me to just eat my meal.
“So, eat well! You, be king!”
“How ridiculous. Seriously. Do you think it’s up to you for me to become a king? If you just tell me so, am I a king from that day forward?”
“No, woof! Many humans! Representative! King! KingBarkKingBark1the word for “Bark” and the word for “King” is the same in korean!”
“I can’t tell if you’re barking or not, so explain a bit more.”
If it was anyone else, I would have already read their thoughts and made a judgment, but even my Mind Reading couldn’t decipher the mind of a dog. Without Azzy explaining it logically, there was no way I could know what she meant.
“Do your best! King! You can do it! Eat a lot! Go for walks too! Get sturdy!”
“So now you’re planning to just raise a king yourself?”
“Awoooooooooo! Right! So, do your best!”
“Sorry, but we don’t call any well-fed and sturdy human a king.”
When I rebuked her, Azzy clamped her mouth shut before speaking again.
“Idiot! I know too! But, healthy, is best! You, be healthy!”
“What in the world is happening.”
Being called an idiot by a dog was as bad as it could possibly get. In fact, nothing could be worse. I’m sure of it because I just heard it with my very own ears.
“You claimed to be the herald representing all dogs, didn’t you? A so-called spokesperson, right? But how can anyone understand if you speak like that? Speak normally, please.”
How desperate and suffocating must I have felt to expect a proper answer from a dog? But this damn dog kept speaking in her own way without giving me the coherent answer that I wanted. Right as I was about to press her in frustration…
It was then. The back of the container we were using as lodgings clanked open. A huge door fell with a thud and from inside came the languid cry of a cat.
“Myaaaa. Dumb doggie is looking for the King of Humans, meow?”
The Meta Conveyor Belt was a torrent of land that ran at an incredible speed. Above where it was void of shade or windbreak, it was directly exposed to sunlight and wind.
Tyrkanzyaka disliked sunlight and Nabi shunned strong winds. Unlike the former, who was directly harmed by such a phenomenon, Nabi disliked strong winds simply because the dry wind made her fur frizzy. But when it came to beasts, there was nothing as important as their mood.
Was that perhaps why? Whether it was day or night, whether it rained or bullets fell, Nabi had always stayed quietly inside the container. However, that very same Nabi crawled out after hearing our conversation. She stretched lazily and answered.
“Doggie is the King of Dogs, meow. As the King of Dogs, she must form an alliance with the King of Humans, meow. But there is no king like meow~ among humans. So, she looks for those who fit the role of a king, meow.”
“Oooh, did meow appear? The herald of the herald of dogs.”
“Meow is not Doggie’s herald, meow. Doggie is dumb, so meow explains for her, meow.”
I held myself back from asking how that was any different from being a herald. After all, there was no need to persuade a cat.
Nabi, who had come out for the first time in a while, licked her front paws in discomfort before speaking.
“Just like meows, she looks for those who have the power to rule and command humans, meow. General, Chieftain, Lord, Prince… Kings who keep changing their name as they like. Doggie hopes for the fulfillment of the promise from a partial king, in place of the vanished Human King.”
Mmm, I understand roughly.
The King of Dogs always sought out a country that could fight alongside them. They weren’t looking for humans per se, but rather for those with at least the semblance of an army. Even if someone was the strongest in the world, if the person in question was just an individual, they did not seek their help.
Almost as if they valued the number of humans or representativeness over the strength of an individual.
While nodding, I suddenly found something curious and asked.
“But why me? I have nothing.”
“Myaa. Right, meow. You are worthless, meow.”
“Look at mere beasts yapping away just because they can talk a bit.”
“However, very narrowly… in terms of influence, you might be quite close to a king, meow. How fascinating, meow. Are you a high-ranking person, meow?”
“High-ranking my foot. The most people I’ve ever commanded is a mere 160. And even they have now disappeared beneath Hamelin River.”
A petty criminal of the back alleys being a king? That would make even a passing dog laugh.
“Azzy, laugh.”
“Woof! Okay!”
With a Hehe, Azzy laughed cheerfully. Having fulfilled the proverb about dogs, I spoke in a dismissive manner.
“Forget it. Not only am I a runaway, but I’m also depending on the worst felon of history to keep me alive. To also become a dog owner on top of that? That’s way too irresponsible. I’ll be content with just playing with you. Ah, Nabi, do you want to play too?”
“Mya. No, meow. The smell of the wind is unfamiliar, meow. My fur feels prickly…. Itchy, myaaaaa.”
Nabi, seemingly annoyed, fiddled with her frizzy hair. After trying all she could to lick down her puffed-up fur, Nabi soon grimaced and headed back inside the container.
“Don’t call for meow. Meow will be sleeping inside, myaaa.”
“You have it tough too. Just living cooped up in one place must not be enough for you, huh.”
“Myaaa. Leave me alone if you know, meow.”
Nabi staggered and then disappeared into an especially cramped box inside. Around the box were scattered postal parcels that she had clearly pushed aside to claim the box; they encircled her gloomily, almost as if they were displaced refugees.
After slipping into the box, a fluttering tail grabbed the lid of the box and closed it. With that, Nabi once again enjoyed the coziness inside the postal box.
Anyway, having heard Nabi’s explanation, I somewhat understood. Basically, Azzy was holding onto a sliver of a hope, having been rejected everywhere else.
“Sigh, you’re really pitiful too. Why have such expectations for me? I’m really nothing much.”
However, I could not even gain the qualifications in the first place. What kind of king could someone like me even be? A mere fugitive, all too busy running away?
When I touched Azzy’s head, static electricity sparked from the fur that had been tormented by the strong wind. After sighing, I disentangled her fur with a makeshift comb and spoke.
“Is that so, Azzy?”
“Woof! Roughly, right!”
“What in the world do you mean by roughly right…. Do you also want to start from elementary school, hand-in-hand with Mr. Shei? Looks like you need to learn how to speak before anything.”
“What did you just say?”
Such impeccable timing, huh. The face of the Regressor, who had just arrived, crumpled into a scowl.
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