Chapter 147 – Dog II

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“Time to switch.”
“Ah, that was quick.”

As I was on my watch, Dem came to tell me that it was his turn. Time seemed to pass more quickly when I stared into the flames, deep in thought.

And so I went to my bed next to the carriage. It wasn’t a tent, but a simple cloth hung above me.
I loosened my armor and used my bag as a pillow and tried to get comfortable. Then I wrapped myself up in my cape and drifted off to sleep.

“Wuff-wuff!”

A dog’s bark echoed in the shadows of the night. I opened my eyes and got up. Kitoder and Dem were in a combat stance. Lanterns were raised, and I saw…goblins.

Just in case, I got up to my feet and tightened my armor.

“Light!”

I summoned an extra light to brighten the area. There were two…no, three goblins.

“Ajifu, protect the carriage.”
“Understood.”

Kitoder instructed while looking ahead. Well, they wouldn’t need support.

He was already blocking a swinging club with his sword and kicking the goblin.
Yes, he was fine. And so I held my sword up in front of Zechis and Reren, who had just woken up. From the carriage, Mr. Roroi stuck his head out in alarm. Don’t worry, it will be fine.

But just then, the dog moved around to the side of the goblins. I wondered what it was doing, and then it began to bark loudly towards the forest. There was another goblin? If so…

“Nooo!!”

I shouted, but it did not understand me.

“Kyaaan!”

An arrow shot out from the forest and pierced the dog. It let out a single cry before falling to the ground. An archer! And it hit a bad spot. Through the neck and into the body. But maybe it wasn’t too late.

“Ajifu! Don’t move!”

Zechis shouted as I was about to rush forward. It made sense. If there were archers, I couldn’t leave the others unprotected. But…

Panicked, I looked towards the dog. Its body was barely even twitching now.

“Ret-rint-mei-mu Fireball!”

Kitoder’s fireball shot towards the forest where the arrow had come from. And the firelight illuminated the archer.
While the fireball did not hit it, Zechis now knew the location, and he ran and stabbed the archer in the back, as it tried to run away. And then the rest were finished off by Kitoder.

“Mei-lei…”

I immediately rushed to the dog and tried to heal it, but a hand was placed on my shoulder while I chanted. I turned to see Reren shaking her head.

“It’s too late.”

Yes, it was clearly a lethal wound. Heal would not be enough now. The twitching stopped and the light vanished from its eyes.

I lifted its head and gently closed its eyes.

“Why… When I just…”

I knew, but could not help saying it. I had just saved this dog. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to survive.

“I think it wanted to alert us of the danger, because you helped it.”

I know! Perhaps it was an instinct to be useful towards the whole pack. But…

“It just needed to live, that’s all…”
“Ajifu. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not your fault, Zechis.”

I had been delusional. Just when I was thinking that I had become used to this world. Thinking that I could take a dog with me. No. I didn’t have the resolve yet. Didn’t understand the weight of a life.

“It was still small, but barked bravely. Let us be thankful for that for now.”

Reren said as she gently lifted the dog.

Reren, Dem, Kitoder, Zechis, even the dog. They all knew from a young age, what it meant to live in this world.

But what about me? Healing on a whim? It’s up to you now? Could I have said such a thing again after witnessing what happened?

“Damn it!”

I croaked. And then slammed my fist to the ground.
It wasn’t sadness. Just regret. I wanted to apologize.

“That’s why I told you it was a bad idea. Now, let’s bury it.”
“Aye, sorry. I… Let me do it.”
“Yes… We’ll leave it to you then.”

I pushed my short sword into the ground and dug a hole. And then Reren passed me the small body of the dog. The gray and black coat was patched with mud inside of the hole. And it was not a pretty sight.

“Hey, Zechis.”
“What?”
“If I do see another one like this. I’m going to help it.”

After it was buried, I placed a small marker on top made of a tree branch. And I folded my hands together and prayed.
Zechis looked at me with exasperation, but he wasn’t mocking me.

“I see… Well, do what you will. Though I think it’s foolish.”

Well, maybe he was mocking me.

“This dog didn’t just die. It showed resolve, and the value of living. And I don’t want its death to go to waste.”
“You know the same thing is going to happen again, don’t you?”
“Still, if I can save something that wants to live, it is not meaningless. I think that’s what it taught me.”

I unfolded my hands and stood up. If I avoided helping the next one, just so I didn’t have to feel like this again, then it’s effort would have been for nothing.
Because of this nameless dog, a single priest had become more kind towards dogs. Surely it deserved that much of an achievement at least.

“Well, as long as you know what you are doing.”

Zechis said with a shrug.

What the dog showed was the resolve to live while risking its life. For its friends, it would put itself in danger to bark towards a threat. It wasn’t a matter of it being the right choice or not. It was a matter if I had the same resolve in me to answer it.

I didn’t know. Thinking about it wouldn’t solve anything. Still, I would remember how it had lived.

“Now, we still have an early start tomorrow. You best get some sleep.”
“Aye, I know.”

I couldn’t put the party in danger by not sleeping. Still, when I returned to my spot and closed my eyes, I thought of the little barking dog. Though it was just a short memory, I kept it in my mind, so as not to lose it.

The crackling of the fires sounded nearby. The sounds of trees swaying in the wind. One life was gone, but the world was the same.

But I could change. And it would be proof that it had lived.

The restless night continued. But I was grateful for it now. After all, it felt like the darkness of the night was giving me time to think.

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Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi