Chapter 278

I thought there would be a lot of hurdles in getting Grace’s permission.

As I mentioned before, Grace is a noble, and a duke’s daughter at that. Would a lady like her really raise a raccoon?

It would be far more realistic for Luna’s Pijon-tu. At least a bird has a quaint charm, not a raccoon.

“Okay. Hand.”

“Kyeng.”

“That’s right. Smart one.”

But Grace was nothing like the average noble lady.

She had a way of thinking that felt different—probably because she held a little ‘childlike spirit’ in her heart.

She cast a sharp glance when I brought Neoburi home, but they got close very quickly.

Even now, she’s squatting down, making Neoburi do all sorts of things with a proud smile on her face.

“Grace.”

“Yes?”

“Are you really okay?”

I was the one feeling worried. It seems fine now, but what if they end up disliking each other later?

Neoburi wouldn’t harm anyone, but if it got into trouble, Grace might end up disliking it naturally.

I hoped nothing like that would happen, and just then, Grace replied with a smile.

“It’s fine. Neoburi got its rabies shot, and it doesn’t seem like a harmful creature. Honestly, I’d love to train it well!”

“In what way?”

“Various errands? Or maybe it could help Sivar when he’s eating.”

“Kyeng.”

Did Neoburi actually understand human speech? It nodded its head.

Indeed, since it was a creature brought from the Chaos Forest, its intelligence was likely quite high.

Luna also mentioned that Neoburi had a significant level of intelligence. I noticed its exceptional abilities when it hunted a saber-toothed tiger.

Most ordinary animals would be trembling in fear, but it approached me to get some food.

When I even offered up a heart and liver, it turned its head in rejection. It couldn’t speak, but its actions were quite human-like.

“The only thing I’m really worried about is potty training… How can I teach it to use the bathroom?”

“Maybe just show it?”

“Then Sivar should show it.”

“Um.”

There are surprisingly many tricky parts to this. I brought Neoburi home because it was cute, but it turned out to be more than I’d bargained for.

Still, since its intelligence is high, potty training should be quick. Just as Grace said, showing it should work.

What remains is figuring out how to utilize Neoburi. My reason for bringing it here is to have it help in various ways.

“I wonder if I should give it a try?”

First, I started with basic tasks. Dinner time was approaching.

I had already prepared all the ingredients, so all that was left was to cook. I cradled Neoburi and headed to the kitchen.

“Let’s go, Ratatouille.”

“Kyeng?”

Before I knew it, I had changed Neoburi’s name to Ratatouille, but that’s okay. It’s all just a joke.

Once in the kitchen, I set up various cooking tools and ingredients. Neoburi, nestled in my arms, carefully examined the tools.

“Okay. This is a knife. This is a cutting board. This is a ladle.”

“Kyeng.”

“I need something. Just hand it to me right away, got it?”

Not sure if it understood, but I believe in Neoburi.

“Knife.”

“Keeng.”

When I asked for the knife, it handed it over.

“Bowl.”

“King.”

When I asked for the bowl, it brought that too. What an incredible learning ability.

It’s perfectly suited as an assistant. Though hygiene might be an issue due to its fur, I just need to teach it the basics.

If I train it in various ways, it could be very useful. Especially since Neoburi is small, it can easily navigate tight spaces.

“Neoburi, pass me the pepper over there.”

“Keeng.”

Thinking back, I really made the right choice bringing it along. It waits patiently for my commands.

Grace looked quite amazed at Neoburi’s intelligence, staring at it with a sense of wonder.

She probably thought it was just a smart animal. But Neoburi is something more.

“That squirrel from last time and this raccoon I brought… is everything from the Chaos Forest like this?”

“Pretty much? If they’re dumb, they die.”

“I see. So what does Neoburi eat? Pet food?”

Neoburi’s meals are simple. Just unprepared vegetables or fruits work.

No need to cut them nicely. Being a creature that survived in the Chaos Forest, its teeth are sturdy.

Neoburi seems to prefer vegetables over meat; when I offered it an apple, it was really happy.

And while I was at it, I washed it in water. I believe rinsing food in water is a characteristic of raccoons, not raccoons themselves.

“Well, I just have to think of it as a raccoon.”

Honestly, it looks more like a raccoon than a raccoon. Its habits are the same too.

I just call it Neoburi for convenience’s sake. It seems indifferent to the name anyway.

With dinner complete, I decided to head to the next room to call for Danyerin.

Having meals with Danyerin now feels natural. Grace has also grown accustomed to her being around.

Knock knock—

“Danyerin. Dinner’s ready.”

After knocking, the door opened soon after. Danyerin greeted me with a smile.

As always, she wore an oriental-style nightgown for dinner. The black outfit suited her exceptionally well.

“You’re here! I thought I’d wait forever.”

As she said that, Danyerin naturally took my hand. I glanced to the side, worried about being caught.

[Neoburi, want to try this?]

[Kyeng!]

Luckily, Grace seemed too occupied playing with Neoburi to have noticed.

Since we were next door, my relationship with Danyerin always carried an exciting thrill.

If caught, I’d have no excuse against Grace’s wrath. Danyerin knew that well.

“It’s best to go quickly. What have you prepared today?”

“Just a regular steak.”

“Your steaks are never just regular. I can’t wait to eat.”

Danyerin smiled as she walked, but even in her steps, her mischievousness didn’t cease.

Squeeze—

She slyly pinched my bottom. It used to be just a simple touch, but now, it’s become bold.

It was practically sexual assault, but it was her way of flirting. Didn’t she say she was always ready for this?

Since she could touch her body, she expected to touch mine too. But she’d only do it when no one was around.

That’s Danyerin’s mindset. I had no intention of rejecting it, so I let it be.

“Kyeng!”

“…What now?”

A little later, Danyerin looked at Neoburi with a shocked expression.

Not just Danyerin; Grace had a similar reaction at first. That’s expected.

“He’s from the Chaos Forest. His name is Neoburi. Super smart.”

“…A raccoon?”

“No, Neoburi.”

“Um…”

Danyerin seemed to have a lot to say but couldn’t bring herself to.

Why? Because…

Chop— Chop— Chop—

Incredibly, Neoburi was chopping up fruit with a knife. It could have eaten them raw, but it insisted on using a knife.

I hadn’t taught it that. Apparently, Grace showed it as an example, and it just mimicked that.

Truly astonishing intelligence. I wonder if it’ll learn to speak later.

“Well, for that, I’ll have to pray to the deity…”

I wouldn’t be offering any prayers to Gulrak like Porori. Gaia is definitely out of the question.

At least with Chaos around, who knows if they might grant a blessing.

“He’s too smart to be called an emergency ration. Is he a pet?”

“Yeah. I’ll take good care of him.”

“Really… life is full of extraordinary experiences, all thanks to you.”

Danyerin chuckled softly and whispered to me.

“That’s why it’s more interesting.”

“…”

“Please don’t leave my side from now on. I want to experience this more often.”

Fortunately, Grace was too wrapped up in fussing over Neoburi to hear the whispers.

As time went on, Danyerin seemed to be growing bolder. If this continues, she might just do something outright inappropriate.

“Another good meal today. I feel bad for constantly imposing on you.”

“No, your Highness. You provide the ingredients every time. That’s what matters.”

On the surface, it looked like a warm family meal. Grace sat next to me, while Danyerin was across from us.

But the situation under the table was anything but warm. Danyerin’s foot was resting on my thigh.

While subtly rubbing against me, her movements felt lewd.

When I looked at Danyerin, she just smiled back at me.

‘…I’m at a loss.’

It seems I’ve crossed a line I can’t handle anymore. Right now, I could only hope for the meal to finish peacefully.

Luckily, it seems my desperate wish reached Danyerin, as she didn’t cross the line any further and focused on the meal.

Eventually, once dinner was done and it was time to clean up, something happened.

Swish—

“Hm?”

Suddenly feeling a presence behind me, I turned to see Danyerin standing there with a mischievous smile.

When I tilted my head in confusion, Danyerin stepped closer and hugged me tightly from behind.

The so-called “back hug.” I could feel her signature softness pressing against me from behind.

Danyerin had a curvy body that was anything but typical for someone from the Eastern Empire, and I could clearly feel that curve through this act.

“Grace went to the bathroom. I hope you’re not too worried.”

Startled, I jumped a bit as Danyerin whispered that to me. It was a comforting tone.

Though if it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t dare to do something like this. I was relieved, albeit it was a brief feeling, I still muttered under my breath.

“It’s dangerous.”

“Hmm, that makes it even more thrilling.”

Saying that, Danyerin slowly backed away. But she didn’t forget to touch my backside.

Just then, Grace came out of the bathroom, and after a brief tea time, we separated.

Grace didn’t seem to harbor any suspicion toward Danyerin. That just speaks to how great Danyerin’s acting skills were.

Knock! Knock!

“Hmm?”

Just as Danyerin left and I was about to finish tidying up, I felt something strange on my backside.

Turning around, I found Neoburi clinging to me and touching my bottom. At first, I was bemused by what was happening.

“Neoburi? You can’t do that. You shouldn’t touch people’s bottoms casually.”

“Keeng?”

Just in time, Grace noticed the scene and picked up Neoburi.

Neoburi seemed to enjoy Grace’s soft embrace and settled down quietly.

“Sivar, did you leave something tasty in your back pocket? Why is he touching your behind?”

Grace asked me with a puzzled expression, as if she didn’t quite understand.

I rolled my eyes and rummaged through my back pocket. Nothing was there.

“…No?”

“Really? Then why did he do that? No one must have shown him how.”

“…”

I was starting to feel that this was getting dangerous.

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