"So cute..."
Rem's expression remained flat, but the affection in her eyes couldn't be hidden.
She squatted down and tentatively reached out her right hand, resting it on the puppy's small face.
The soft, warm touch was somewhat addictive for Rem, and a faint puppy scent lingered in the air.
Just as Rem's small hand slid toward the puppy's head,
the puppy, which had been feigning sleep, suddenly opened its eyes and bared its teeth, letting out a warning growl.
"Rem, watch out!"
Grin, having been prepared, reached out his right hand and covered Rem's small hand.
At the same time, the puppy in Meli's arms jerked its head and bit down.
Squelch!
The sound of sharp teeth sinking into flesh rang out; the puppy had bitten Grin's palm.
Rem panicked slightly and hurriedly reached out to pry the puppy's mouth open. "Grin, are you okay?"
Grin raised his hand to look; there were four small holes in his palm, though not much blood was flowing out.
"It's fine, Rem. It's just a minor injury."
Meli quickly hugged the puppy tightly and bowed repeatedly to the injured Grin in apology.
"S-sorry, big brother. It didn't mean it."
Petra hurriedly took a clean white handkerchief from her pocket and carefully bandaged Grin's hand.
"Brother Grin, a puppy's teeth are very dirty. You must apply some herbs."
The other children also came over to look at Grin's wound; some offered comfort, while others blamed Meli.
"Big Brother Grin, I used to get bitten by dogs all the time. Just putting some saliva on it will fix it."
"Meli, what's wrong with you? You're basically raising a wolf cub."
"Big Brother Grin, why don't you just neuter it right now!"
Grin waved his hand, silencing the group of children.
Looking at Meli again, she really was quite the actress.
If Grin hadn't known her true identity beforehand, he might have actually been fooled by her.
Grin leaned down and patted Meli's shoulder, feigning comfort.
"Alright, little sister, don't worry too much. A small wound like this will heal in a day or two. It's much easier than having your stomach sliced open."
Meli's expression suddenly froze. After looking up, she quickly adjusted her emotions and said pitifully:
"I'm really sorry, big brother. Meli knows she was wrong. P-please don't say such scary things anymore. Meli is a bit scared..."
As she spoke, the little girl began to sob, looking as if she were about to burst into tears.
Petra quickly ran to Meli's side, hugged her, and turned her head to look at Grin reproachfully.
"Brother Grin is so mean, scaring a child like that... There, there, don't cry, Meli. I've already scolded him..."
Grin shrugged and gave a helpless smile.
Even though Petra herself was just a little tot, she had the air of a little adult.
From time to time, he looked toward the forest outside the fence, where the magic stones maintaining the Barrier were hanging.
Although they were still bright, Grin felt that something had already gone wrong.
Meli wouldn't be squatting here for no reason; breaking the Barrier to release mabeasts was also one of her tasks.
After watching for a while, Grin turned his gaze back to Meli, only to find that she had been secretly observing him as well.
It was a mocking and cold gaze, as if she were looking at a corpse.
The stupid dog in this girl's arms was exceptionally powerful; he and Rem alone wouldn't be able to defeat it.
Grin quietly clenched his right hand; waves of tearing pain radiated from the bite marks.
Next time they met, he had to completely eliminate this hidden threat.
Rem looked at the sun, which was tilting slightly to the west, and came over to urge him:
"Grin, it's getting late. We should return to the Mansion. Your wound needs to be bandaged properly as soon as possible."
"Haha, Rem, just say it if you're worried about me."
Grin gave Rem a reassuring look; this little maid was always so reserved.
But her eyes really couldn't lie, as they kept involuntarily glancing at Grin's injured palm.
The tips of Rem's ears instantly flushed a faint red. Avoiding Grin's burning gaze, she said:
"Rem isn't worried. It's just that if we don't go back soon, Sister will turn into an old woman."
"If even her sister says that, Ram will cry if she hears it."
Grin walked over to Rem and casually took the sack from her hand, slinging it over his shoulder.
As soon as he took it, a sense of heaviness overwhelmed him.
"Holy crap, I wanted to show off a bit, but I didn't expect it to be this heavy!"
Rem replied, "It's just some sweet potatoes. Then, Green-kun will be able to taste Sister's specialty dish."
"Of course, if you find it too heavy, it's best not to push yourself."
Grin bounced the sack a bit, putting on an air of ease.
"It's a piece of cake. Rem, go and bring the dragon carriage over first so I don't have to carry it for as long."
Rem nodded and left for the place where the dragon carriage was parked.
After watching Rem disappear from sight, Grin turned back and said, "Hey, Petra, could you walk me out?"
Petra tilted her head in confusion. "Just me? Everyone can walk you out together."
"Petra is right. Big Brother Grin is too biased."
"Is there something tasty you're only giving to Petra?"
Grin quickly stopped them. "Hey~ no heckling. I have serious business with Petra. If anyone else follows, I'll cancel their tree cake!"
Seeing Grin use tree cake as a threat, the other children had no choice but to stay put.
After walking for a bit and distancing himself from Meli, Grin slowly moved closer to Petra.
"Petra, I have something important to ask of you."
Petra nodded solemnly. "Yes, please tell me, Brother Grin. I don't know if I can do it, but I will certainly try my best."
Then, Grin whispered into Petra's ear, "A wolf has entered the village. I need you to protect the other children."
Petra's small body trembled. She said fearfully, "Really? If there really is a wolf, we should quickly inform the Village Chief Grandma!"
Grin took Petra's small hand, soothing her emotions.
"Listen to me, Petra. You don't need to confront the wolf head-on. You just need to quietly tell all the children except Meli to return home as soon as the sun sets and not to go out under any circumstances."
"W-why exclude Meli?"
"Because she is with the wolf."
Grin's words were like some sort of evil whisper, causing Petra's brain to stall.
The little girl's speech became a bit stuttered.
"How... how can that be? Meli-chan clearly... looks so kind."
Grin gently rubbed Petra's small head. "Be strong, Petra. Be brave like Little Red Riding Hood, okay?"