Chapter 16: The Puppy’s Secret Passage

Heinzel, deeply asleep, shuddered as a cold draft seeped in from somewhere, his eyes snapping open reflexively. Goosebumps prickled his arms. The quiet darkness suddenly felt unfamiliar, and he clutched the blanket tightly. Watching as a cold draft seeped in from somewhere, his eyes snapped open reflexively. Goosebumps prickled his arms. The quiet darkness suddenly felt unfamiliar, and he clutched the blanket tightly.

From where could such a draft be coming? If a window were open, moonlight should have streamed in, yet the room remained utterly dark, devoid of even a sliver of light.

A strange tension permeated the air, sending a chill down his spine and causing his palms to grow clammy. He quietly reached out and switched on the lamp, illuminating the area around his bed.

Feeling a slight sense of relief at the sudden light, Heinzel descended from the bed and slipped on his slippers. With the lamp in hand, he surveyed the room. The shadows, huddled in the corners, swayed grotesquely, dancing as if to follow the lamp’s glow.

Gulp. The sound of his own swallow echoed unusually loud in the quiet.

A low whine, a soft whimper.

A faint scratching against the wall and persistent whimpering reached him. Finding the situation strangely familiar, he murmured, “Puppy?” A short bark, as if in answer, echoed back.

“Haa, is this karma?”

Letting out a heavy sigh, he traced the whimpering sound, his gaze sweeping across the wall.

He ruled out the wall with the window, as it faced outside. In films, secret passages often lay near fireplaces, but this room, regulated by magic and magic stones for heating and cooling, had no fireplace. Nor was there any painting large enough for a person to pass through.

Following the whimpering, he stopped before a wall adorned with an antique mural. Its edges, protruding like a frame, were embellished with carvings, while the recessed inner section was covered by the mural itself.

Each time he had seen it, he had considered it an extravagant waste for a mere bedroom. He certainly never imagined such a prominent wall could conceal a secret passage.

As Heinzel pondered, with a serious expression, the psychology of whoever designed such a secret passage, a hurried scratching sound emanated from behind the wall.

“Such a little thing, and so impatient.”

While he wondered how to open the passage, it seemed the puppy on the other side had already triggered something, for a slight gap had appeared. He gently pushed one side of the wall, and it rotated inward, much like a bookshelf in a study.

“Hey, you. What’s with this rude behavior in the middle of the night?”

He had no idea who owned this dog, but he doubted anyone knew it was using the Duke’s secret passage as if it were its own backyard.

Squatting down, Heinzel lifted the puppy, chiding it gently. The dog panted, its bright face showing not a hint of remorse. Its tail, wagging joyfully like a propeller, thumped painfully against Heinzel’s hand.

Woof woof! Grrr, whimper whimper.

The puppy expressed itself actively, as if trying to convey something. However, Heinzel, not having received the special transmigration perk of understanding dog-speak, couldn’t comprehend a word.

“Do you even have an owner? Does your owner know you’re running wild through the Duke’s secret passages like this? I’m seriously starting to worry about your owner’s life, what do you think?”

Grrr, woof, whine, bark!

“Shhh, it’s the middle of the night. You woke me up, but everyone else is still asleep, you know?”

‘For now, let’s sleep together, and tomorrow, we’ll definitely find your owner. What kind of person neglects a puppy so much that it roams everywhere? And this little dog was even bleeding profusely from an injury; what kind of owner…?’

Henzel, muttering to himself, glanced at the puppy’s paw, then blinked in disbelief at the unbelievable sight.

“Huh? It’s already healed?”

The bandage he had applied was gone, discarded somewhere unknown. Only a faint, pale scar remained where the wound had been, completely healed in just a single day.

The puppy surely hadn’t been taken to a temple for healing; if it had, the wound would have vanished without even a scar. So, a temple was out of the question.

Not even Fucidin or Madecassol could achieve such results. What kind of medicine in this era could possibly be so effective?

“Hey, it seems your owner *does* care about you after all?”

He had internally cursed the owner as a terrible person, neglecting the dog to the point of abuse. Now, Heinzel reconsidered, thinking perhaps the owner cared more than he’d assumed. He chastised himself for judging before knowing the full story. It now seemed more likely that, despite its cute appearance, the puppy was a professional escape artist.

“Whether your owner gets a beating from me, or you get a spanking from your owner, we’ll find out tomorrow. For now, let’s sleep. It’s not yet time for your big brother to be up and about—” Heinzel broke off with a chuckle. “Hey, hey!”

As Heinzel promised to take the puppy to bed tonight and find its owner in the morning, the dog began frantically licking his face. Its haphazard licking covered his cheeks, lips, and chin, causing Heinzel to grimace and quickly set the puppy down. He furiously wiped his damp, sticky face with his sleeve.

“Ugh, completely covered in drool. …Hey, where are you going? Come here. Let’s go to sleep with big brother. Good puppies sleep quietly, don’t they? Come here, quick!”

Perhaps sensing it was in trouble from Heinzel’s reaction, the puppy wiggled its backside and scampered backward about a meter. Its tiny paws moved, causing its bottom to sway left and right, a sight so endearing it was almost unbearable. Yet, the darkness of the secret passage, threatening to swallow the dog, was far from cute.

Evading Heinzel’s outstretched hand, the puppy hopped backward again. With no other choice, he picked up the lamp he had set on the floor and advanced, determined to catch the dog.

‘Waking up in the middle of the night to chase after a dog—what am I even doing?’

Treating it as a game, the puppy would remain within reach, only to dart backward the moment Heinzel extended his hand. It would then glance back, wagging its tail as if daring him to catch it, before fleeing further as he approached. Engaging in this involuntary game of tag, Heinzel found himself drawn deep into the secret passage, turning several corners.

“…”

Suddenly, a profound sense of having made a terrible mistake washed over him.

Had he just turned left or right? He couldn’t even recall his last turn, let alone the sequence of directions he’d taken to get here. His sole intention had been to quickly grab the puppy and leave, never imagining he would venture so deep into the passage, thus he hadn’t paid any attention.

” …Puppy. By any chance, do you know the way back to big brother’s room?”

In response to Heinzel’s question, the puppy wagged its tail furiously and trotted forward excitedly. While it was unclear if the dog truly understood human speech, it was certain that the path it was taking did not lead back to Heinzel’s bedroom. The puppy was moving straight ahead, not turning back.

“Puppy, I’m getting the distinct feeling you’re leading big brother astray… Is it just my imagination?”

When reading romance novels, he could never understand why protagonists caused so much trouble and wandered about aimlessly. This was especially true in transmigration or possession stories.

‘Please, if you don’t understand the situation, just stay still. Why do you keep wandering around, causing incidents and accidents? If you can’t handle the consequences, you should just stay put.’

He had protested, unable to comprehend it, claiming they weren’t protagonists but rather “cancer-inducing elements.” That’s when Noona had said:

“If they just stayed in their rooms, would the story continue? For the plot to progress, episodes must constantly arise.”

” …Ah, because of the story.”

At the time, he had nodded, deeming it a wise answer to a foolish question, but now he realized he might have been mistaken. Even if he wished to remain quiet, incidents and accidents sought him out. Perhaps it was simply a destiny bestowed upon transmigrators and possessors.

He grew fearful of what incident might unfold if he blindly followed this cheerful puppy. Would he be able to return to his bedroom before sunrise? He wouldn’t get lost in this secret passage, unable to find an exit, and starve to death, would he? Or perhaps he’d die before dawn, a price for uncovering some immense secret.

Ominous conclusions unfurled in Heinzel’s mind.

As he stood there, dazed and lost in thought, the puppy approached, tugging at the hem of his trousers. Initially, he had assumed it was merely a young, thoughtless creature, cheerfully rummaging through the Duke’s secret passage. However, as he was pulled along, he sensed an undeniable intention to lead him to a specific destination.

“If I really look at you, you’re just a few months old. Hey. Are you a smart dog, or a dog with some kind of secret? Tell me honestly. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Given this was a fantasy world, a dog capable of understanding human speech was entirely plausible. It could even be a person transformed into a dog. Heinzel adopted a bold demeanor, declaring himself willing to accept whatever its true identity might be. The puppy, however, blinked its eyes with an innocent, clueless expression.

“You *do* understand, don’t you? You’re giving me that look, which only makes me more suspicious!”

Following it like this would undoubtedly lead to entanglement in some unpleasant incident. He envisioned a conclusion where he either shed blood or was framed for something.

He wasn’t even the protagonist of a romance novel, so there was no male lead to rescue him. Why would a male lead save him if he wasn’t the female lead? …Or would they? Could they?

With a flicker of faint hope, Heinzel surveyed the dim surroundings and asked in a fragile voice, designed to evoke a protective instinct:

“Duke? …Prince? Archmage? Or perhaps, a passing Dragon?”

An awkward silence consumed the space. Clearly, without being the female lead, there would be no coincidental rescue. Heinzel chastised himself for hoping for too much.

Grrr, grrr-grrr-grrr.

As if his words sounded like mad nonsense, the puppy released his trousers, let out a wary rumble, and took a step back.

“Puppy, what’s wrong? It’s big brother.”

‘Looking at big brother like that, you’ll hurt his feelings, even for a dog. Now, let’s quickly go back to the bedroom.’

After watching his outstretched hand warily for a moment, the puppy approached and licked his fingertips. Heinzel gently stroked its forehead, praising its good behavior, then straightened up. The puppy then playfully nudged his slipper with its tiny front paws before resuming its lead.

Henzel ultimately surrendered to his fate, resigning himself to follow the lone puppy.

“Alright. I’m going, I’m going. Even if I die, I won’t die alone, so at least I won’t be lonely.”

At Heinzel’s muttered words, the puppy, which had been wiggling its bottom as it walked, suddenly froze. It quickly resumed its steps as if nothing had happened, but Heinzel had unmistakably witnessed that fleeting moment.

For some reason, it truly seemed as though the puppy understood human speech.