30. The Heart of a Puppy
“Whew, Whew!”
Even though Diarin sorted out the situation, the two of them were not able to sort things out.
The force with which he exhaled heavily through his mouth was tremendous.
“Calm down, calm down.”
Diarin approached Halt, whose condition was worse, and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.
She was cautious about touching him because she wasn't as close to him as she was to Ceres.
As Diarin poured divine power into him and watched his every move, Halt showed no signs of calming down.
The whites of both eyes burst into a bloodshot red.
There was a vein on his forehead, too.
He was extremely excited.
“Shhh... Hold on tight.”
Diarin did her best to calm him down.
Halt did not settle down easily.
Diarin, who was feeling anxious, thought of all kinds of ways to calm people down.
"There's no assassin. They're all down. Look, no one's attacking, right?"
“Whew, Whew...!”
Fortunately, it seemed like he was starting to hear Diarin's words little by little.
Halt raised his head at Diarin's words, panting.
The eyes that were wandering around gradually came back into focus.
'...Uh.'
Diarin, who was watching Halt, at some point, read the emotions mixed in his eyes.
Fear.
It was fear.
Halt wasn't just reacting to hostility and going wild.
It was a crazy, crazy thing to do because it was driven by fear.
When you're scared, you can't even see things that you normally would.
The rampage was a reflexive defense to protect oneself.
Diarin took a small breath.
'Was this it?'
She grabbed something and found that it was a secret key.
Diarin hugged Halt tightly with both arms as if protecting him.
The body, which was shaking violently, trembled intermittently.
It was such a subtle tremor that she couldn't tell unless she hugged him tightly.
But clearly, Halt was afraid.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
“...Whew...”
“No one is attacking you. You don’t have to fight.”
"Huh..."
Little by little, Halt's panting subsided.
Surprisingly, comfort was more effective than divine power.
“Look, you did it.”
“Halt...what?”
For the first time, human speech returned from Halt's mouth.
His eyes were still crazy, but he was able to speak.
'Yes.'
The fact that he was speaking meant that his senses were returning.
Diarin explained the situation in a gentle voice, as if explaining it to a child.
“Yeah, look at that guy lying there. His eyes are all burned out, right?”
"Ah..."
"Even if he wakes up, he can never harm Mr. Halt. How could he attack without eyes? Right?"
“Don’t hurt me...”
"Yes, it's okay now. You're safe."
"Safe..."
Halt, who had been blankly staring at the fallen assassin, slowly turned his head towards Diarin.
It was so scary that she flinched when she looked straight into his eyes that were completely red and burst out.
Still, Diarin did her best to smile, remembering the hazard pay.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay now that it's safe. Our Mr. Halt was scared."
Diarin treated him like her mad dog, Ceres, and comforted him.
She thought that even this crazy dog would feel better.
Halt's eyes, which had been looking at Diarin with a blank expression, flinched and closed.
And a groan escaped through his tightly clenched teeth.
“Ugh...”
It was a crying sound.
...What? Crying?
“Huh?”
Diarin doubted her ears.
Unpredictable behavior is more frightening than predictable madness.
“Huh, Mr. Halt?”
“Yes...”
The tearful voice sounded like the whining of a child.
This was scarier than a rabid dog.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Oh my! I’m so scared!”
“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that was scary.”
Diarin, without realizing it, hugged Halt tightly and patted his back.
She had done a lot for Ceres, but this was the first time she had hugged Halt.
This works for Halt, too.
Did all the 8th unit members get better if they hugged each other like this?
Just as Halt was about to open his mouth to say something, sobbing,
Boom!
The body was thrown out.
"Uh?"
Diarin lost sight of Halt's body without even knowing what or how it happened.
It happened so quickly that even Halt stopped sobbing.
Halt and Diarin, who had fallen apart in an instant, looked at each other without knowing what was going on.
What the heck? What happened?
At that moment, a low growl rose from within Diarin's arms.
“I don’t like it.”
“Mom!”
Diarin was startled to find Ceres in her arms instead of Halt.
When on earth did that happen, and why?
Ceres hugged Diarin's body, which was fluttering in surprise, tightly with both arms.
“Ugh! Hold on, hold your breath...! Calm down...!”
This time, this kid went wild.
It wasn't that noisy, was it? You usually tolerate this much?
“I don’t like it.”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll die!”
“...I don’t like it.”
Although his strength slightly diminished, his arms did not give out.
With her breathing finally clear, Diarin relaxed.
Then, Ceres dug into Diarin's arms more persistently, as if he was going to penetrate her body.
Even though she knows the mind of a dog, she still doesn't know...
Was it that shocking to hold Halt in her arms?
Ceres has been obsessed ever since the assassin incident.
It's basic to stick right next to someone during mealtimes.
Even when she goes to the bathroom, he follows her all the way to the door and waits.
If she doesn't stop it, it looks like he's going to follow her.
“Get away from me. I’m sweating.”
“No.”
“I feel like I’m going to fly.”
If you push it away, it will fall.
Even if a puppy the size of your palm sticks to you, you'll get tired of doing this all day.
Moreover, the dog, which had the appearance of a human and was covered in muscles, was so heavy that it sucked out all her physical and mental strength.
“Ugh...”
It is perfectly possible to become obsessed with someone kind and affectionate to you.
People who show an obsession with their parents often appear to be parents to their children.
Even if you just give simple treatment or just pray for blessings, it will be like that.
In Ceres' case, it was natural for him to become obsessed with her since they lived under the same roof, ate the same food, and spent all their time together.
'Should I just leave it alone for now?'
If you only see humans, it is progress rather than trying to kill them.
Obsession can be resolved later, little by little, when you have more mental space.
But Ceres's obsession didn't end with him clinging to Diarin.
“Hey, Lady Priest. Will the groceries arrive tomorrow?”
“Huh? Yeah. Why?”
“This time, ask for some snake meat. I haven’t had it in a while.”
“...Go to the garden and catch and eat it.”
“This place is so cleanly maintained that I can’t see any snakes.”
“...No, I have to go to work to get it... Ceres?”
“Whew, Whew!”
Even though Diarin sorted out the situation, the two of them were not able to sort things out.
The force with which he exhaled heavily through his mouth was tremendous.
“Calm down, calm down.”
Diarin approached Halt, whose condition was worse, and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.
She was cautious about touching him because she wasn't as close to him as she was to Ceres.
As Diarin poured divine power into him and watched his every move, Halt showed no signs of calming down.
The whites of both eyes burst into a bloodshot red.
There was a vein on his forehead, too.
He was extremely excited.
“Shhh... Hold on tight.”
Diarin did her best to calm him down.
Halt did not settle down easily.
Diarin, who was feeling anxious, thought of all kinds of ways to calm people down.
"There's no assassin. They're all down. Look, no one's attacking, right?"
“Whew, Whew...!”
Fortunately, it seemed like he was starting to hear Diarin's words little by little.
Halt raised his head at Diarin's words, panting.
The eyes that were wandering around gradually came back into focus.
'...Uh.'
Diarin, who was watching Halt, at some point, read the emotions mixed in his eyes.
Fear.
It was fear.
Halt wasn't just reacting to hostility and going wild.
It was a crazy, crazy thing to do because it was driven by fear.
When you're scared, you can't even see things that you normally would.
The rampage was a reflexive defense to protect oneself.
Diarin took a small breath.
'Was this it?'
She grabbed something and found that it was a secret key.
Diarin hugged Halt tightly with both arms as if protecting him.
The body, which was shaking violently, trembled intermittently.
It was such a subtle tremor that she couldn't tell unless she hugged him tightly.
But clearly, Halt was afraid.
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
“...Whew...”
“No one is attacking you. You don’t have to fight.”
"Huh..."
Little by little, Halt's panting subsided.
Surprisingly, comfort was more effective than divine power.
“Look, you did it.”
“Halt...what?”
For the first time, human speech returned from Halt's mouth.
His eyes were still crazy, but he was able to speak.
'Yes.'
The fact that he was speaking meant that his senses were returning.
Diarin explained the situation in a gentle voice, as if explaining it to a child.
“Yeah, look at that guy lying there. His eyes are all burned out, right?”
"Ah..."
"Even if he wakes up, he can never harm Mr. Halt. How could he attack without eyes? Right?"
“Don’t hurt me...”
"Yes, it's okay now. You're safe."
"Safe..."
Halt, who had been blankly staring at the fallen assassin, slowly turned his head towards Diarin.
It was so scary that she flinched when she looked straight into his eyes that were completely red and burst out.
Still, Diarin did her best to smile, remembering the hazard pay.
"Yeah, yeah, it's okay now that it's safe. Our Mr. Halt was scared."
Diarin treated him like her mad dog, Ceres, and comforted him.
She thought that even this crazy dog would feel better.
Halt's eyes, which had been looking at Diarin with a blank expression, flinched and closed.
And a groan escaped through his tightly clenched teeth.
“Ugh...”
It was a crying sound.
...What? Crying?
“Huh?”
Diarin doubted her ears.
Unpredictable behavior is more frightening than predictable madness.
“Huh, Mr. Halt?”
“Yes...”
The tearful voice sounded like the whining of a child.
This was scarier than a rabid dog.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Oh my! I’m so scared!”
“Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, that was scary.”
Diarin, without realizing it, hugged Halt tightly and patted his back.
She had done a lot for Ceres, but this was the first time she had hugged Halt.
This works for Halt, too.
Did all the 8th unit members get better if they hugged each other like this?
Just as Halt was about to open his mouth to say something, sobbing,
Boom!
The body was thrown out.
"Uh?"
Diarin lost sight of Halt's body without even knowing what or how it happened.
It happened so quickly that even Halt stopped sobbing.
Halt and Diarin, who had fallen apart in an instant, looked at each other without knowing what was going on.
What the heck? What happened?
At that moment, a low growl rose from within Diarin's arms.
“I don’t like it.”
“Mom!”
Diarin was startled to find Ceres in her arms instead of Halt.
When on earth did that happen, and why?
Ceres hugged Diarin's body, which was fluttering in surprise, tightly with both arms.
“Ugh! Hold on, hold your breath...! Calm down...!”
This time, this kid went wild.
It wasn't that noisy, was it? You usually tolerate this much?
“Hey, let go of my arm, let's talk!”
“If you don’t like it, I’ll die!”
“...I don’t like it.”
Although his strength slightly diminished, his arms did not give out.
With her breathing finally clear, Diarin relaxed.
Then, Ceres dug into Diarin's arms more persistently, as if he was going to penetrate her body.
Even though she knows the mind of a dog, she still doesn't know...
***
Was it that shocking to hold Halt in her arms?
Ceres has been obsessed ever since the assassin incident.
It's basic to stick right next to someone during mealtimes.
Even when she goes to the bathroom, he follows her all the way to the door and waits.
If she doesn't stop it, it looks like he's going to follow her.
“Get away from me. I’m sweating.”
“No.”
“I feel like I’m going to fly.”
If you push it away, it will fall.
Even if a puppy the size of your palm sticks to you, you'll get tired of doing this all day.
Moreover, the dog, which had the appearance of a human and was covered in muscles, was so heavy that it sucked out all her physical and mental strength.
“Ugh...”
It is perfectly possible to become obsessed with someone kind and affectionate to you.
People who show an obsession with their parents often appear to be parents to their children.
Even if you just give simple treatment or just pray for blessings, it will be like that.
In Ceres' case, it was natural for him to become obsessed with her since they lived under the same roof, ate the same food, and spent all their time together.
'Should I just leave it alone for now?'
If you only see humans, it is progress rather than trying to kill them.
Obsession can be resolved later, little by little, when you have more mental space.
But Ceres's obsession didn't end with him clinging to Diarin.
“Hey, Lady Priest. Will the groceries arrive tomorrow?”
“Huh? Yeah. Why?”
“This time, ask for some snake meat. I haven’t had it in a while.”
“...Go to the garden and catch and eat it.”
“This place is so cleanly maintained that I can’t see any snakes.”
“...No, I have to go to work to get it... Ceres?”
It was really a trivial conversation.
But Ceres couldn't even tolerate that conversation.
He ran straight over and hugged Diarin.
“Wait, wait.”
This muscle mass is so dense that it takes her breath away.
As Diarin peeked her face out from under his arm, she saw Halt's face scrunched up.
A nervous Diarin looked at Halt.
"No."
“Hmph, don't take it away, you little brat.”
It wasn't just Ceres that changed.
Halt has also changed considerably.
It was definitely different from before, when he would run wild, thinking that even grass and rocks were a problem.
Ceres's hostility was truly hostile.
A real, bared-toothed hostility, fearing that Halt might try to steal Diarin away.
“Oh, I really don’t like that kid’s eyes.”
However, although he spoke harshly, Halt did not drive wildly.
The venom has definitely disappeared.
Even though he said the same thing before, it was closer to the feeling of 'I want to gouge out my eyes right now, but I'll hold back just this once.'
Now it was just 'I don't like the way you look at me'.
That tremendous difference began after the day Diarin burned the assassin's eyes.
"Are you okay?"
They say that when a person does something they have never done before, it is time for them to die.
Half curious and half worried, Diarin kept checking.
“Are you okay?”
“It looks okay.”
“It’s not okay... Oh, my.”
Halt scratched the back of his head and stopped talking.
“?”
Are you saying that you're going to end up losing your temper and talking like that?
You act like you're going to bite me right away, and then you hold back?
Diarin's mind was filled with questions at the unbelievable situation she was witnessing.
“Why are you putting up with it?”
"Yes?"
“I didn’t mean to be wild. I just realized I was going wild.”
It's not that he doesn't tolerate it. It's that he can't tolerate it.
But now he can bear it.
Halt also thought about what Diarin had pointed out.
“...I don’t know.”
It wasn't something he realized by thinking about it.
But he also became aware of his own differences.
In the past, even the slightest stimulation would cause his vision to go blank, and he would lose his reason, but now he can maintain a clear head for a long time.
He was able to endure it because he thought, ‘I have to endure it.’
But as always, the reason was unknown.
Diarin stared at Halt, who was bewildered.
If her thoughts were correct, it was after that time that she had killed the assassin instead.
Hostility and a sense of protection. Fear and security.
Two conflicting words were woven together in Diarin's head.
Perhaps.
Although it is still a hypothesis, the superhuman abilities of the 8th Unit members may have originated from fear.
Since each person feels fear in different areas, the sensitive areas of Halt and Ceres are different.
If Halt had been sensitive to 'hostility' due to 'fear of what might happen', it may have been released by the sense of security that he was 'protected' thanks to her status as a priest.
'Then...?'
Ceres was a sound.
What was that sound?
The sound that scared him to death.
But as always, the reason was unknown.
Diarin stared at Halt, who was bewildered.
If her thoughts were correct, it was after that time that she had killed the assassin instead.
Hostility and a sense of protection. Fear and security.
Two conflicting words were woven together in Diarin's head.
Perhaps.
Although it is still a hypothesis, the superhuman abilities of the 8th Unit members may have originated from fear.
Since each person feels fear in different areas, the sensitive areas of Halt and Ceres are different.
If Halt had been sensitive to 'hostility' due to 'fear of what might happen', it may have been released by the sense of security that he was 'protected' thanks to her status as a priest.
'Then...?'
Ceres was a sound.
What was that sound?
The sound that scared him to death.
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