The Silent Pact of a Wolf Babysitter
Chapter 72: We’re a Strange Bunch, Aren’t We?

Chapter 72: We’re a Strange Bunch, Aren’t We?

One thing had been nagging at me.

"Chiyama," I called to her. "Why do you call him ’Pops’?"

She blinked, then glanced at Fangstrong before returning her eyes to me.

"Who knows?" she shrugged. "It just... felt right. Do you mind, Pops?"

Fangstrong shrugged. "I don’t. Honestly, I feel more connected to you than any of the others. Perhaps... in our past lives, we were family."

"Ehhhh?" Chiyama grinned wide, wrapping her arms around his thick neck. "Then let’s keep getting along—just like the Supreme Lord said!"

Then she turned to me, mischief dancing in her gaze.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Heh. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why do you call Bladir ’brother’?"

Ah. I’d almost forgotten.

Before I ever asked them, I hadn’t even fully figured out my own circumstances.

I turned to glance at Bladir, who was watching the battle with a kind of pure, undivided attention.

"Well..." I said slowly, "I believe we were siblings before."

"Eh? You can remember your past?" Chiyama perked up, eyes wide.

"No. I just feel like it. Right, Bladir?"

Bladir turned his gaze to us, then quickly returned it to battle.

"Ah. Yes," he murmured. "The Supreme Lord is as amazing and glorious as always. But he’s also kind... gentle... and cute."

"Uhh... I agree?" Chiyama replied with a wry smile. "But we were talking about you and your sister."

"..."

He refused to elaborate since the topic did not include our Lord.

Typical.

But a great surge of cursed energy stole our attention away.

The spider had become feral with rage. Angered by our Lord’s act of swallowing the amulet it had once hoarded in that pitiful little silk sack.

Then—his voice rang out clearly:

"Come and get it."

A dazzling grin on his face. A grin truly fit for a king.

How foolish of the spider.

Lord Ruben was ready to spare its life.

That’s the kind of Supreme Lord he is. So full of grace, so abundant with mercy.

He even pitied that worthless devil whose existence held no more value than dirt beneath a wolf’s claw.

However, its impudence... knew no bounds.

Even after our Lord returned its silk sack, a gesture of immeasurable benevolence, the creature still dared to demand the amulet.

Tch.

I understand now.

The amulet must be divine in nature.

Lord Ruben must’ve realized this and, in his noteworthy unease, took it upon himself to keep it safe.

To ensure it wouldn’t remain in the hands of a devil.

To take such responsibility on a whim—this is what makes him our Supreme Lord.

But... even the deepest well of kindness will run dry if one keeps fouling the water.

And now?

Our Lord has decided.

The spider will be eradicated.

It charged at our Master with ridiculous speed, a blur of purple shadow and flailing silk—then plunged its scythe-like leg straight into his torso.

Sigh...

I know our Lord is nigh-immortal... but watching him take those devastating strikes still unsettles my heart.

"Hahhh, I’d really prefer if Lord Ruben stopped letting himself get hurt," Chiyama muttered casually.

Ah, so she gets it too.

I was just about to agree before—

"What?!" Bladir flared, snapping his neck toward Chiyama like a triggered crossbow. "Are you suggesting there is a flaw in our Lord’s judgment?!"

"N-No! I was just—" Chiyama stammered, caught off guard.

"No excuses!!" he bellowed. "Everything the Supreme Lord does bears meaning—deeper than our pitiful existence can comprehend! His receiving damage could very well be damage dealt! Or perhaps he’s gathering crucial data from the spider!"

Chiyama lowered her head, looking genuinely remorseful.

"I’m sorry," she said softly. "I didn’t mean anything disrespectful. I just feel sad seeing his Lordship’s body being harmed. It hurts me to watch..."

Bladir stared at her in silence for a moment—

"Ah... actually, me too," he muttered, turning his eyes back to the battlefield. "With every thrust of those damnable legs, it’s like my own body is taking the blow. Sorry I yelled."

Sigh.

We’re a strange bunch, aren’t we?

I just hope we aren’t burdening our Lord too much.

He must have countless divine duties to attend to. A man of unfathomable determination and wisdom like him shouldn’t be troubled by the likes of us.

Though, the spider wasn’t letting up.

It began viciously tearing into our Lord’s abdomen, blood spurting in thin red arcs as his body quaked beneath the blows.

It was nerve-wracking. Maddening. But then—

"Oh my!" Lord Ruben quipped, seemingly surprised by the edge impaling his gut. "Are you perhaps looking for the amulet in there?"

He smiled.

Not a teasing smile. Not a smug one either.

A genuine smile.

That’s what annoyed me the most—That a mere low-ranked devil was receiving such a precious, sincere smile from our Lord.

"That’s been locked away in the Shadow Realm."

The Shadow Realm!

That’s where we go whenever he dismisses our summons. It’s like an afterlife... and yet an entirely different world.

Quiet. Endless. Heavy with magic.

"But it seems I can’t enjoy its enchantments from that plane. How sad. But hey, we could now both fight it out without any enchantment then. Teehee!"

I didn’t think the spider devil was capable of understanding speech—or any structured thought for that matter—but Lord Ruben’s words made it snap.

It raised its scythe-like leg again, fury pulsing through its limbs.

Lord Ruben, with all the effort of flicking a stray hair, lazily swung his arm up—

BAM!!

The sound cracked through the air like a thunderclap.

The spider devil was launched into the sky, grey blood trailing from its mouth and nose.

The blow had shattered all eight of its legs.

It hit the ground hard—but began regenerating almost instantly, its cries now laced with shimmering silver.

"Gi... Give it... Give... it back!!"

How pitiful.

It has no idea that our Supreme Lord doesn’t even want to hurt it.

He just wants peace. A quiet life, free from the chaos—

(Author’s note: Even though he’s been the centerpiece of every catastrophe.)

Of course, if it were any of us being begged like that—especially Shizuka-sama, the elite Jōnin—"give it back" would mean definitely not giving it back.

It would make us want to enjoy hurting it more.

The spider stormed again, faster, its rage propelling it through pain.

But Lord Ruben wasn’t on the defensive anymore.

He leapt—kneeing the spider devil straight in the jaw, twisting mid-air with mystical grace, and slammed his foot into its spider body like a falling boulder.

It flew leftward and drove into the ground with a deep, shattering thud.

And still—it got up.

"Such resilience..." Fangstrong murmured, arms crossed, eyes narrowed in grim admiration.

Despite the overwhelming difference in power, it kept coming. Kept resisting.

And our Lord—he received all that hatred, all that desperation—with open arms.

If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had compassion for her.

(Note: Lord Ruben was absolutely enjoying himself, bullying a girl weaker than him. Total scum.)

Then... it changed.

His expression hardened. His eyes gleamed.

He’d made up his mind.

Lord Ruben shot into the air like a released arrow, descending with terrifying force onto the spider devil’s back—

SCRRRRRRRUNCH!!

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