The Silent Pact of a Wolf Babysitter

"Speak, mighty Fenrir!" Pluto commanded.

M-Mighty Fenrir? Me?

Aww, shucks… I-I'm not that mighty… Or maybe I a—

"Speak, before I execute you."

…Eh?

"L… L-Lord Pluto, we don't need to go that far! We're only at Chapter 3—isn't spilling blood a little…?"

Oh, no.

Pluto's serious.

That giant scythe of his—the size of a small mountain—could split my head in one swing!

What do I bribe—I mean, satiate him with?!

Ah! Bond's daughter!

I can't kill her myself, but if I claimed Pluto stole her from me...

Ugh, no.

I could, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night…

I glanced at the girl, still sleeping peacefully on my back.

She's so young—maybe 15.

HAAAHHHH!!

I guess I'll just have to protect her… until she's old enough to defy me and run back to her father anyway.

…Perhaps, if I treat her right, she'll beg for my freedom on my behalf!

I'm by no means, concerned about the consequences of failing my Master's order!!

Absolutely not.

"Lord Pluto… No, Pluto." I spoke sternly.

"The effrontery," he muttered.

"I have a duty to protect this girl on my back, and I have no intention of failing. I'm a man of my word."

"You're a wolf."

"I'm a wolf of my word." I corrected.

Pluto rose from the enormous dark throne he had been lounging on.

"So… what are you bringing to the table?" he asked, lowering his massive scythe.

Oh, thank the heavens—

Behind Pluto was a dark mist covering everything in sight, like a wall of dark fog.

And he dropped the scythe on the fog, assuming it was a wall.

Then, with the same casual air, he picked up a red-and-gold greatsword, just as massive as the scythe.

What exactly does he plan to do with that sharp object? I wonder.

"L-Lord Pluto…?" I stammered, stumbling back.

"No, I believe you called me Pluto a moment ago."

Tsk. He has a good memory.

"I'm asking what you wish to trade in exchange for passage to the other world."

His glowing white eyes flickered to the human girl on my back.

Now, I've heard stories.

That Pluto hoards human souls like they're some kind of currency. He has a whole collection, even.

So, obviously, she'd make for a good trade.

But…

Why am I hesitating?

Logically, I could even go a step further—ask Pluto to break the Pact for me.

Okay, that one's impossible, but still…

Bond wouldn't even know what happened to his daughter.

And I'd be living it up in Pison—hot ladies (or wolves, I'm not picky), wealth, absolute freedom…

Tsk. Sorry, human girl.

No, Alicia was her name.

This world is eat or be eaten. A true wolf-eat-wolf world.

I'm sorry, but this babysitting gig ends now.

I took a breath.

"Do you want the soul of this girl?" I asked.

Pluto's lips curled into a crescent-shaped grin.

"If that's the trade you wish to present… I'll gladly accept—"

"LIKE I'D EVER DO SUCH A THING!!" I roared, cutting him off.

Pluto froze mid-sentence.

His grin twitched.

A sharp gust of power radiated from him, making my fur bristle.

Oh.

He's annoyed.

"To think you'd cut me off before I finished speaking…" Pluto murmured, his voice dangerously smooth.

"Not to mention, refuse me my birthright…'

What birthright?!

I literally just proposed the idea minutes ago!

Pluto raised the golden-crimson greatsword high into the air.

"Fine. I'll make a deal with you," he declared.

A… deal?!

He continued, "If you can withstand the slash of this sword I love and respect so much, I'll forget about all your deviance today and even grant you free passage to Pison."

"…Are you serious?"

"You have my word."

He said that, but the white crescent-shaped grin on his face only deepened.

Oh, he definitely has faith in that sword.

But I also have faith in—

Platform!

{You called, Master?}

Hehehe… Pluto, you just made a bad gamble!

I knew exactly what was happening here.

He just wanted to test his shiny new blade on my neck—like those Eastern warriors do when they get a fresh katana, or whatever they call it.

But joke's on him.

I had a trick up my sleeve.

" Boundless Jaw!"

One of my best abilities—no, my main ability. I was born with it.

It had three factors: Seal, Separate, and Absorb.

Or, technically, Absorb, Separate, and Seal… but then it would spell A.S.S., and, well… I'd rather not brag about having an ability that comprised of... you know.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand—

Absorb could consume almost anything: energy, magic, spells, even animate objects and, on rare occasions, concepts like emotions.

And today?

I was going to absorb the impact of that sword, nullify its damage, and walk away scot-free!

Hehe, hehehe, hahahahaha!!!

"Bring it, god of death!!" I provoked.

Pluto obliged.

The colossal sword came down.

Fast.

Despite its overwhelming size, it moved faster than sound, slicing through the air with a terrifying intensity.

NOW! PLATFORM!

{Oh, sorry, Master. That's a "Divine Blade of Nihilistic Severance." Even if you absorbed the impact, the sheer data overload would be too much for me to process. You're going to perish. Happens to the best of us.}

...Eh?

*

Using Platform's ability to the max, time slowed as I activated Platform's maximum processing speed, stretching each moment into eternity.

I wanted to lament before I died.

The blade was already inches from splitting my big skull.

Sigh…!

Where do I even start?

With the misfortune that kept me in captivity for thirty years?

The scam that tricked me into a lifetime Pact?

Or maybe the fact that I have the most reliable ability in existence—one that tells me everything I need to know…

Except when the danger is already staring me in the face.

I… I have so many regrets.

I wanted to live a life of dominance and violence, ruling my subjects with an iron fist.

…Or paw.

But this world is too full of strong beings for that to happen. I got tired of all that struggle.

Captivity taught me to appreciate silence.

Solitude.

If I hadn't learned that, I would've lost my mind in that dungeon.

Ever since, my goal was simple:

To live a peaceful, easygoing life.

No headaches. No crisis. Just freedom.

I guess that kind of life wasn't meant for me.

I've bitten a lot of heads off in my time, so maybe this is karma.

But this girl…

Alicia.

I really wish… I could've done more for her.

With that thought, I attempted to quickly put Alicia under me—

Maybe it's futile, but I needed to deceive myself that she'd… Be… O…Kay…

Wait…

She's… not on my back…?

Where is—

{Oops! Time up. Releasing the thought flow back to normal!}

PLATFORM, WHEN DID I EVER DO YOU WRONG?!!!!!!!

Before I could process my impending doom—

The sword came down.

No reaction time. No defense. Nothing.

Then impact.

SHRRKKK!

…Huh?

I'm still… in one piece?

Wait.

Ah, the blade broke?! Into a thousand tiny pieces?!

"Pa… Pa…"

Huh?

Is that— Alicia?!

She was standing before Pluto, barely five feet away, radiating a flood of magical energy so thick it made my fur stand on end.

What is this?!

Where the hell was she hiding all this power in that tiny body?!

Meanwhile, Pluto was frozen in place, trembling as he held the shattered remains of his sword. "My... My divine blade I got from eBay with all my life savings?!"

"Pa… Pa…"

Alicia was… still half-asleep?

"Uh… Papa? I'm not your pap—"

"PAPA!!!!!!"

A monstrous scream erupted from her lungs—

BOOOOOM!

A flood of green-black magical energy—one I've never seen in my 300 years of living—surged outward, piercing the sky and shaking the very air itself.

Pluto took a panicked step back.

"Uh… Hey, W-Wolfie?" His moon-shaped eyes were wide with fear. "She's your girl, right? Can you please put her under control— AAAAAAND YOUR LEGS ARE ALSO TREMBLING!!"

OF COURSE THEY WERE TREMBLING!!

I had been carrying a time bomb on my back this entire time.

Fighting to protect the very thing that could eliminate me at any moment.

"Uh, okay, okay! Let's make another deal!" Pluto stammered, his hands raised in surrender. "I know I tried to trick you earlier, but this crazy girl is gonna kill us both if you don't comply, okay?!"

T-Tsk. He's not wrong.

Alicia could make any move now, and it would be both our heads.

"Alright… I agree…" I muttered.

Pluto let out a breath of relief. "It seems the sleeping spell cast on her has worn off… So you'll cast another one for me, okay?"

"…What if I refuse? And just let her murder both of us?"

Pluto stiffened. "Pl… please don't make such jokes, Sir Wolfie."

Pfft… At least I'd die laughing at a dumb god who bit off more than he could chew—

"And let's not forget…" Pluto suddenly added, way too calm. "If I'm killed here, I'll revive at some point in the future. But… you won't. I just don't want to feel pain, that's all.

Damn… He was right.

I was kidding myself.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Tell me what to do?"

Pluto kept his voice low. "I fear if I start an incantation, this monster will react. I mean, I'm literally in front of her. So I'll send the spell into your mind now. Cast it immediately; both our lives depend on this!"

Ah, so that's why he's whispering—

{Strange mental attack! Blocked!}

Hey! Stop that, Platform!

"C'mon broooooooo!" Pluto whined under his breath.

"Sorry! It was a mental defense!"

Platform! Let the mental attack through!

{Are you sure, Master? Your safety comes first—}

Shut it! Like you ever cared for my safety!

{…Alright.}

€π÷§}{=°^¥¥¢££

Haha… Oh boy?!

I stared blankly at Pluto.

"Uh… Pluto, I can't read this. It's in ancient language."

"You fool! You can deflect the mental strike of a god, but you can't decipher one small spell?!"

His voice cracked—he was basically crying.

Right! Platform, can you do it?

{Easy as pie.}

...And why didn't you say anything?!

{My! But Master, you told me to 'shut it.'}

Alright, forgive me. Open it. Now. I beg you.

With that, the spell finally unlocked in my mind, and I chanted with immediate alacrity.

…It took me five whole minutes to finish.

Five agonizing, sweat-dripping minutes.

Pluto held his breath the entire time—every time Alicia so much as flinched, he covered his mouth and trembled like his entire afterlife depended on it.

And then…

The spell completed.

As I chanted the incantation, really quietly, a soft white mist enveloped Alicia. And since she was already sort of sleepy, she gave in.

I and Pluto gave ourselves one brief glance before dropping to the ground, relief flowing through us.

We were saved.

Pluto's red tears flowed freely down his white eyes, as he tremblingly raised the shattered remains of his sword.

Slowly, painfully, he adjusted his grip—

And struck a pose.

"D-Do I still look cool… with a broken blade?" He whispered.

His glossy moon eyes glimmered in desperation.

"You know, that thing where the hero still fights even with a broken sword?"

I hesitated.

"Uh... I don't... It's like..." I lowered my head. "No... You look like a defeated villain right now."

Silence.

Pluto froze.

"I see..." Then, quietly, he bowed his head, pulling his hood over his face to hide the flowing crimson tears.

It was a long battle.

…Actually, just a few minutes—but it felt like hours—and through cooperation and teamwork, we emerged victori—

"HEY!!"

Ah.

Right.

I completely forgot Pluto was trying to kill me five minutes ago.