Chapter 157: No Such Thing as a Bad Bitch (1)
After I brought the canid beastfolk from the beastfolk village, a new military unit called the War Dog Corps was established. Over the course of a year, their usefulness was proven, and now, aside from the first generation of War Dog soldiers I had brought in, the second generation was holding their induction ceremony.
While they officially trained and lived as part of the Mage Knights, their main duties were maintaining public safety around the capital, catching thieves, and tracking scents in the forest alongside rangers. Because of this, they didn't often have direct involvement with us.
Among the 18 first-generation War Dog soldiers, 14 were reassigned to other posts, leading to tearful goodbyes. However, these weren't sad partings—they were being sent to places where they could better utilize their talents. The farewell event became more of a celebration.
Of the remaining four, three secured permanent positions within the Mage Knights. But the last one—a white-furred War Dog—became the center of an issue.
"They're looking for me?"
"Yeah. Things are an absolute mess right now."
"The War Dog barracks are always a mess, aren't they?"
Gerald, who was in charge of managing the War Dog Corps at the 16th barracks, glared at me like he wanted to punch me after hearing my joke.
"When we first recruited them into the military, I led them for a bit. But after that, they stopped being 'my' dogs, right?"
"Exactly. That's how it's supposed to be. War Dogs aren't meant to bond with a single partner—they're trained to work with units. They shouldn't have trouble switching handlers."
"Okay, so what's the issue?"
"One of them doesn't fit the mold."
Now that he mentioned it, I'd heard rumors.
A War Dog with pure white fur—what was their name again?
"Silvia?"
"Yeah. Silvia."
Unlike what her name might suggest, Silvia didn't have silvery, metallic fur. Instead, her fur was pure white, like cotton.
She was a strange case. Despite being labeled a War Dog, she hadn't undergone proper training. She simply occupied a spot in the barracks, eating the meals provided by her peers and sitting idle in a perpetual state of alert.
"Then why didn't you just retire her?"
"She refuses to leave. And she does at least stand guard duty around the unit every day, so we've just let her be. But now, with the second generation of War Dogs arriving, her behavior has become a problem."
Of the original 18 first-generation War Dogs—excluding Silvia—the remaining 17 weren't an issue. However, with 20 second-generation War Dogs joining, there were concerns that Silvia's attitude might negatively influence the newcomers.
"Okay, but what does this have to do with me?"
"Well, she behaved herself when she first followed you. But after that, she stopped listening to anyone else and just lingered in the unit. I thought it might be worth having you check on her and figure out what's going on."
So, she's been uncooperative ever since joining the Mage Knights with me?
"Alright, fine."
It wasn't like I had anything better to do. Mollang was sprawled out on my bed, fast asleep after dressing herself up, and Shuru was off somewhere, likely picking fights with the neighborhood cats. With no one else to keep me entertained, I decided to follow Gerald to the War Dog barracks, which used to be an old supply depot.
"Wow... this really is a dog house."
The place was covered in fur.
Tufts of hair from long-haired War Dogs were scattered everywhere, forming little tumbleweeds. Some of the dogs, curious about my scent, wagged their tails while sticking to the walls of their quarters. Honestly, I couldn't understand how dogs so friendly toward humans were supposed to act as soldiers.
"So, Gerald, where's Silvia?"
"She's over here. Since she doesn't participate in training, we couldn't justify giving her a prime spot. She chose this corner herself, and considering she growls at her peers, we had to isolate her."
"If she's causing that much trouble, shouldn't she just be discharged?"
"We'll be stricter with the second generation, but the first generation was experimental, so we tolerated individual differences. Still, it's a problem."
If she was such a disruptive presence, it might be better to send her back to her beastfolk village or to the northern regions, where they have better resources for beastfolk welfare.
"Alright, so where is she?"
"This building, this section. But it's strange—she usually growls in warning, but it's quiet now."
Pant, pant, pant...
When we entered the building, a white-furred War Dog was waiting for us at the fence, tongue out and panting as though she was excited to see me.
"...She seems really friendly."
I reached out my hand cautiously, and she immediately placed her paw—or rather, her hand—on mine, far better behaved than the average War Dog.
Her short, white hair was neatly groomed, and her uniform, unlike the others who wore their clothes haphazardly, was immaculately clean. At a glance, she seemed like the model War Dog.
"I shouldn't be fooled by appearances… but why is she acting so affectionate?"
Whack!
Just as Gerald extended his hand toward her, Silvia swatted it away in an instant.
"Ow! See what I mean?"
"Huh?"
When I moved my hand to scratch the back of her head gently, Silvia stuck out her tongue slightly, enjoying the touch. She even leaned her head out over the fence, rubbing her face against me. While it wasn't unusual for War Dogs to like people, this level of affection was rare, and it struck me as unusual.
"Hey, Gerald, you didn't hit or mistreat the War Dogs, did you? No matter how dog-like they act, beastfolk are more human than animal. Legally, that would be assault."
"Of course not. But this confirms it."
Gerald rubbed the back of his hand where Silvia had smacked him earlier and said:
"She's chosen you as her master."
"...Huh? Oh, yeah, when I first brought them in, all 18 of them called me 'master.' But that's not the case anymore."
"Exactly. The others moved on, adapted to new handlers, but Silvia has been waiting for you all this time."
"No way... Right, Silvia?"
"Yes, Master."
"Look, I was just your temporary master. You should find a new one. You guys like people and get along well with them, and everyone here has experience raising dogs..."
"There is only one Master."
Silvia's firm rejection made me realize something was off.
"I'm not your master anymore."
"Yes, Master."
"If you think of me as your master, then replace me or remove me as your master."
"Yes, Master."
I was having a conversation with Silvia, but it was clear she had no intention of listening to anything I said.
"Her loyalty is way too strong. Once she decides on a master, she doesn't change."
"Why is that a problem? Isn't loyalty a good thing?"
As I blocked Silvia's attempts to lick my hand with her tongue, I asked Gerald. He shook his head in disagreement.
"No, it's not. War Dogs need to adapt to different missions and partners. If their handler dies or retires, we can't retire the War Dog with them, can we?"
He had a point.
"Loyalty is good, but excessive loyalty causes issues when transferring handlers or deploying them. Just look at Silvia—she's showing exactly why this is a problem."
Indeed, Silvia wagged her tail and acted so affectionately toward me that it seemed impossible for her to perform as a War Dog while near me. Furthermore, she didn't listen to anyone else, making external deployments unfeasible.
"That's why my partner, Parker, is the ideal War Dog. He's loyal to his handler but also serves the Mage Knights as a whole."
"Still, I don't like males."
"Are you seriously judging War Dogs based on that?!"
Honestly, I knew a few guys in charge of the War Dogs who had crossed some lines, but bringing that up would lead to a fight with Gerald, so I kept it to myself.
"So what happens to Silvia now?"
"She's been deemed unfit as a War Dog, so she'll have to retire."
"…Then will she be sent back to her village?"
"In principle, yes, but…"
Gerald glanced at Silvia, who was clinging to me, and spoke cautiously.
"She doesn't seem to want to return to her village at all."
"What?"
"You brought her here, so shouldn't you take responsibility for her?"
As Gerald gave me a sly grin, I realized too late that he had dragged me here with the intention of dumping Silvia on me from the start.
"Gerald, you bastard! You tricked me!"
"Muahaha! She only listens to you, so I can't send her away or keep her here! She's all yours now!"
I swear, there's no one trustworthy in this Mage Knight corps.
Every day, Jake's underwear gets stolen, and mine gets looted by Levin in this den of chaos. I should've known better than to trust my peers and should've been more defensive, but I let my guard down.
Spending so much time outside the base lately, I'd gotten careless around these guys, and now I regretted it deeply. Left with no other choice, I took hold of Silvia's leash.
"Let's go."
"Yes, Master."
At least the silver lining was that Silvia wasn't the type to say things like, "I don't obey humans." As long as it was my order, she'd listen. I figured I could set her up in a nearby room and find her a suitable job, even if she wasn't fit to be a War Dog. With that thought, I returned to my quarters.
'Even if she's unsuitable as a War Dog, she shouldn't have trouble living here.'
When I entered the quarters, the others were nowhere to be seen. On my bed, Shuru was loafing like a cat, her tail swishing. The sound of the door opening made her perk up and turn toward me.
"Meow!"
She moved to greet me enthusiastically but stopped when she saw Silvia, leashed at my side. Silvia settled down on the floor next to my bed, and Shuru curiously sniffed at her, tail flicking.
Tap, tap.
"Hey, don't do that, Shuru."
Curious about Silvia, Shuru started tapping her on the head with her tiny paw. Silvia, however, didn't react and ignored her completely.
"Meow!"
Losing interest in the unresponsive Silvia, Shuru leapt toward me, her usual playful antics in full swing. I prepared to catch her with a protective layer of mana so her claws wouldn't scratch me.
Thwack!
"Meow!"
Suddenly, Silvia intercepted Shuru mid-air with her hand, swatting her away.
"How dare you!"
Fortunately, Shuru's natural feline balance prevented her from crashing, and she landed on her feet. But Silvia grabbed her hind leg and bit down.
"Meooowwww!!"
It wasn't a playful nip—it was a real bite, fangs bared.
"Stop it! Let her go right now!"