The Tyrant’s Guardian is an Evil Witch
Chapter 5

“If I were to add something, Your Highness…”

“What is it?”

“Master Tita seems rather lonely.”

As it was something minor, I relaxed a bit. Since it was only Edmund and me in the castle, it made sense that he was lonely. Especially since young children usually like to play in groups.

“I think he would like it if you visited him more often, Your Highness. It seems like he’s rather attached to you.”

“Why would I do such a bothersome thing?”

Ever since Tita had thanked me, I was reluctant to see him. For a person who could end up killing me, he was far too delicate and pitiful, and it was getting on my nerves. All I wanted to do was make sure he grew up without much difficulty. None of my plans included showing him genuine affection.

“If you’re finished with your report, then leave.”

Edmund seemed displeased with something, and I could feel his disapproving gaze, but I pretended not to notice.

Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like you know the future, you foolish old man. Would you be able to dote on him if you were in my position?

Edmund’s words were at least worth considering. After all, friends were necessary in order to gain social skills and emotional stability. However, there was little chance of there being a child of similar age in Belos.

What should I do?

After considering it for a few days, I brought a small puppy to the castle. While it looked like a normal puppy at first glance, it was actually a hybrid born of a wolf and a canis monster. I had secured the puppy with some difficulty, requesting it from the chief of the Laikan Tribe. The puppy would be small, a little bigger than a hand, but fully grown it would be bigger than a lion.

The people of the tribe, who were half wolf themselves, often raised hybrid canis monsters as hunting dogs, as they were loyal and easy to train, despite their monster ancestry. If raised from a young age, this species was famous for their loyalty, following their masters for their entire lives. The animal was nimble despite its large build, making it suitable for hunting herbivores and small monsters.

As such, the animal was difficult to procure, but there was nothing in the world I couldn’t get my hands on. It would be hard to find a child of Tita’s age in Belos, and the offspring of a normal animal would have difficulty surviving. I had decided a monster would be the best bet. Now the problem was what to say when I gave it to him…

You don’t have anything like this, do you? I found it on the way. It’s not like a gift or anything…?

Everything I came up with sounded terrible, but it seemed pathetic to ask Edmund.

I guess it’ll be fine if I just put it in his arms.

To begin with, I cast spells on the young canis that would help with the cold and strengthen its immune system. I had already cast similar spells on Tita.

“Your master is a loner like you. Spend your days depending on each other.”

I lifted the canis to look into its eyes. It whined, struggling in my hands. Smelling a scent that was particular to young animals, I carefully petted the canis’ head and back. Late that night, I paced in front of Tita’s room.

Is he asleep?

Even though I was doing nothing wrong, I felt rather embarrassed. After a moment of consideration, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

The door opened with the sound of a faint voice, and I quickly hid myself with magic. While I wasn’t sure why, I felt like I had to. Tita looked around in confusion and discovered the whimpering canis at his feet. Startled by the appearance of someone new, the canis went stiff and bared its teeth. As if to placate the creature, Tita took a step back and crouched, making himself smaller.

“It’s okay. Come here.”

The young canis did not easily let its guard down, but Tita waited patiently. He didn’t move a muscle, even though staying like that for so long must have been uncomfortable. Eventually, after being on guard for a while, the puppy approached Tita and licked his palm. Tita touched the puppy’s head very carefully. When the young creature didn’t move, he lifted it into his arms with care.

“Where did you come from? Are you on your own like me? Are you here in case I got lonely?”

Both young and without anyone to depend on, the two rubbed their faces together, sharing warmth as if to acknowledge their similar circumstances. Although he hadn’t expressed it, the way Tita welcomed the baby canis seemed to indicate that the boy had, in fact, been rather lonely.

“You’ll need a name. What kind of name would you like? Let’s think of one together.”

The puppy purred as if it understood the question. Tita spent quite some time talking to the puppy before taking it into his room. I had to admit that it felt rather nice to see how happy he was. While I didn’t know why he was so happy, I could hear the clear sound of laughter from the other side of the door.

Children.

About to click my tongue, I realized the corners of my mouth were raised.

Wait, what am I doing?

The moment I was aware of the action, I immediately forced my expression to stiffen. It would be difficult if I started acting foolish just because some dopey child was put in my care. Feeling like the stupidity would pass on to me if I stayed any longer, I quickly left.

***

For the first time in a while, the snow stopped and the sun was shining, albeit rather weakly. The weather was clear, which didn’t happen often in Belos. Since it had been a while, Edmund and I went out for a walk.

“The weather is pretty nice.”

“I agree. The population of Belos would multiply by a hundred if the weather was even half this good a little more often.”

“Survival of the fittest is the way of nature. I do not need wimps who cannot survive the cold.”

“Then who is the lord that takes pity on such weaklings and distributes handmade potions?”

“You’re talking too much. How is it that you speak more and more nonsense each year? When you were younger, your pretty face and obedient manners were cute.”

“Your Highness, there’s no need to bring up something from so long ago.”

I studied Edmund with new eyes. It seemed like only yesterday we had first met. When did he get so old? His hair, which had been dark brown, was now completely white.

“Oh, come to think of it, Master Tita said something strange.”

“What?”

“He said that one day a puppy suddenly came to him.”

Edmund looked at me with a wide grin. I didn’t like the knowing look in his eyes.

“Is that so? I guess he picked it up somewhere. It has nothing to do with me.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I was just letting you know. While I haven’t seen the puppy, apparently it’s smart and beautiful. I suppose, from the way it appeared out of the blue, it must have dropped out of the sky.”

When is that mouth going to act its age?

“It seems like Master Tita is walking the puppy as we speak.”

Speak of the devil. From afar, I could see a figure with short arms and legs waddling our way. At his side, a white puppy trailed alongside him. Funnily enough, the puppy was wearing a knitted sweater and even had a bell around its neck. I could tell by the sweater’s messy state that Tita had made it himself.

“Huh? Your Highness! Sir Edmund!”

Tita saw us and bowed his head. While he had been skinny and frail when he first arrived at the castle, the boy had since filled out and become rather cheerful. I was reminded anew that Tita looked quite lovely. The only good thing the Emperor had passed on to his son was his appearance, with features that were striking despite his young age.

“Are you on a walk as well?”

Tita came our way, bringing the canis along. Raising his hackles, the pup growled at us. Coming from a baby that still had its milk teeth, it wasn’t that threatening.

“Stop it, Snow,” Tita quickly warned.

Edmund laughed heartily.

“I suppose that’s your new friend. His name is Snow?”

“That’s right. I gave him that name because he’s as white as snow.”

“What a wonderful name. A perfect fit for a puppy raised in the Castle of Ice… Huh? Wait a second.”

After gazing at Snow for a while, Edmund turned to me with a shocked expression. It seemed he had recognized with his sharp eyes that Snow was a monster hybrid. I feigned indifference, pretending like I didn’t know anything. Unaware of the situation, Tita just grinned, apparently liking Edmund’s compliment.

“Don’t you think so? When I first saw him, he was so small and white, he looked like a snowball!”

“I can imagine… In any case, I guess you aren’t as lonely since you got a friend, Master Tita,” Edmund replied hesitantly.

“That’s right! Nowadays, I play with Snow every day. Ah! Snow, stop that!”

Tita was taken aback as the pup kept growling. Although Tita did his best to calm him down, Snow kept barking and snarling. Even a gentle monster was still a monster, and after some growth, they were aggressive to everyone except the master they had chosen.

“He’s usually so mild. I don’t know why he’s like this today…”

Still, it was nothing more than a mere monster.

And I’m your master’s guardian.

With one magic-laden glare, Snow faltered. However, like the loyal monster he was, he stayed by Tita’s side. The puppy began to shield the boy with its small body. It seemed the Laikan chief had sent over a useful little thing.

“It’s okay, Snow. You can relax.”

Snow retreated after Tita patted him, and rubbed his head against the boy’s leg. However, it looked like he was prepared to attack the moment it was needed. I snorted.

“What an impudent mongrel. You’re probably the only beast to survive snarling at me.”

“He’s usually gentle… I think he was surprised to suddenly see so many people.”

“That’s because he isn’t trained yet. We’ll just have to train him slowly from now on.”

At Edmund’s smooth words, Tita nodded.

“I’ve never trained an animal before.”

“In the library, you’ll be able to find books on training animals. You can read well now, can’t you?”

“Yes!”

“Bring the puppy along when it’s time for class. I will help you with his training, Master Tita.”

It seemed like Edmund and the boy had become rather close. While Tita had called him “Mr. Butler” in the beginning, now he was calling Edmund by his name.

Why does he dote on Edmund so much when he hasn’t even done anything?

After all, it was I who accepted him and brought him the puppy in the first place. Honestly, Edmund hadn’t done much. All he did was speak well. It seemed Tita was too young to understand that he had to pick the right side, considering I was the one providing him with actual help. Unaware of my displeasure, the two continued to chat.