The road leading to the outskirts of Orem Village was quite dark, with streetlights few and far between.
Rina quickened her pace, hugging Pero tightly. Although she was happy about the heavy coin purse, she felt a chill down her spine.
"Pero, it's a bit scary here. Let's hurry home and sleep."
'Yeah, let's hurry. Three rats are trailing us.'
Pero glanced back over Rina's shoulder. They pretended to hide in the darkness, but their heartbeats were vividly captured by Pero's sensory network.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps accelerated. And at the corner of the alley where the path split...
Three shadows popped out, blocking Rina's path.
"Oi, kiddo. The night roads are dangerous, where do you think you're going?"
The leader, Viper, grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. A sharp dagger was held in his hand.
"Hiek?!"
Rina gasped and stepped back. But the other two mercenaries had already blocked her retreat.
"Y-You guys... from the guild earlier..."
"Good memory. That makes things faster. Hand over all the money you earned today. Share some of that 'luck' with us."
Viper spun his dagger as he approached. Rina trembled but tightened her grip on Pero.
"I-I'll give you the money... Take it! Just let us go!"
Rina took out the heavy coin purse from her pocket and threw it on the ground. Cling! The sound of coins echoed through the alley.
But Viper kicked the purse away and snickered.
"The money is a given. You need to hand over one more thing."
His greedy eyes locked onto the white cotton ball in Rina's arms.
"Hand over that mutt. The fur looks high quality; it would make a perfect scarf for me. You have to pay the price for humiliating me earlier, right?"
"NO!!"
Rina screamed and hugged Pero even tighter.
"Take all the money, but absolutely not Pero! Beat me instead!"
Rina was a coward. She was the weakest D-Rank who ran away at the sight of goblins and stuttered her chants in front of slimes.
But right now, she wasn't backing down even in front of a knife-wielding mercenary. All with the single thought of protecting the small life in her arms.
Pero's blue eyes narrowed.
'...You pass.'
That foolishly kind heart, caring for her pet more than her own safety.
That was the reason the Divine Beast Pero chose this 'Pushover Butler'.
'Well then, you have to pay the tuition fee for butler training, right?'
A chilling smile hung on Pero's lips.
"You little bitch!"
Annoyed, Viper reached out to grab Rina's hair.
"Kyaaaah!"
Rina instinctively squeezed her eyes shut and crouched down.
'Now.'
In that fleeting moment, Pero slipped out of Rina's arms without a sound.
[Skill Activation: Dark Assimilation]
[Effect: Merges with darkness to erase presence and visibility.]
Viper's hand grabbed nothing but empty air.
"Huh? What the? Where did the mutt go?"
The moment Viper looked around in confusion.
WHACK!
A dull sound echoed, as if someone had been hit by a steel bat.
"Kuaaak?!"
Viper's shin nearly bent into an 'L' shape. He screamed and rolled on the ground.
"W-Who is it! Boss! What's wrong?!"
The lackeys behind him tried to rush over in panic, but they weren't safe either.
Whoosh—
A white afterimage flashed through the darkness. Small as a cotton ball, but with the destructive power of a cannonball.
[Skill: Kitty Pun... no, Wolf Press]
Pow! Thud!
"Kueeek!"
"My eyes! My eyeeeees!"
Lackey No. 1 was hit in the solar plexus and collapsed, gasping for air. Lackey No. 2 took a direct hit to the eyes, getting a double nosebleed as he was sent flying.
It happened in an instant. In the 3 seconds Rina screamed "Save me!", three perfectly healthy, burly mercenaries were reduced to rags, crawling on the floor.
"T-This... monster..."
Crawling on the ground, Viper stared into the darkness with eyes full of terror.
In the shadows where the streetlight didn't reach.
Two eyes emitting a blue glow were looking down at him.
'A scarf? With my fur?'
Pero's voice echoed directly in his brain.
'If you touch even a single hair on me, I'll skin you alive and use you as a doormat.'
"H-Hiiiek! S-Save me..."
Viper foamed at the mouth and fainted. Extreme fear had paralyzed his brain.
"Sob... Please... take all the money... sob sob..."
Rina was still trembling with her eyes closed. The sudden silence around her was even scarier.
'Are they dead? Am I dead?'
When no blade came flying even after a long wait, Rina cautiously opened one eye.
"...Uh?"
The scene unfolding before her was bizarre.
The three mercenaries who were murderous just moments ago were now piled up neatly in one spot, like firewood stacked by someone.
Viper at the bottom, Lackey No. 1 in the middle, and Lackey No. 2 on top.
A perfect 3-Tier Human Tower.
"What... is this...?"
Rina blankly looked around. There was no one. Only the white puppy wagging its tail at her feet.
"Pero! You're safe!"
Rina hugged Pero tightly. Pero barked "Woof!" with an expression that said, 'I don't know anything.'
"Then... don't tell me... did I do this?"
Rina looked back and forth between her hand and her staff.
"Was I so scared that... I unconsciously used 'Explosion Magic' or something? Is it true that latent potential comes out in a crisis?"
First with the slime, and now this. Enemies collapse only when she faints or closes her eyes.
Her reasonable doubt concluded with 'Latent Mana Rampage'.
"Oh my god... I might actually be a Talent Monster!"
Rina's eyes sparkled again. She looked proudly at the tower of fallen mercenaries.
"Hmph! Bad guys. How does the taste of my unconscious magic feel!"
Rina picked up the coin purse she had dropped. Then, worried the mercenaries might wake up, she picked up Pero and started running frantically.
"Let's go, Pero! We'll report to the guards tomorrow, let's run for now!"
Tip-tap-tip-tap.
Light footsteps left the alley.
In the alley where only the groans of the mercenaries piled like trash remained...
From the shadows, Pero shot one last killing intent at Rina's back.
'Consider yourselves lucky. I let you off easy because my dinner wasn't fully digested yet.'
[System: Quest 'Protect Owner' Complete.]
[Reward: Owner Rina's 'Delusion' Stat increased by +10.]
[Reputation: Rumors of the 'White Reaper' begin to circulate in the back alleys of Orem Village.]
Pero buried his face in Rina's chest.
Today was quite a productive day. Now, time to go home and sleep on a soft cushion.