"Yow!" Along with the sharp sound of teeth clamping together, a slender arm was thrust into Little Eight’s mouth. Ice-blue flames instantly spread from the bite, crawling along the arm in all directions.

  “A feisty little one, even though its baby teeth haven’t fully grown,” a clear, amused female voice rang out. Panicked, Laurent finally noticed that the one effortlessly restraining Little Eight with a single arm was a petite woman.

  “Let go of him, you old fool!” The woman, still with Little Eight hanging off her arm, strode forward and pulled away the “light ball.”

  “I just wanted to ask a few questions, I wasn’t going to do anything,” the man in the yellow robe mumbled defensively. But when the petite woman glared at him, he immediately released his grip with a pout. "Fine, fine, I’m letting go!"

  The moment Laurent was freed, he quickly took a few steps back, stepping into the range of the teleportation array. This array required a teleportation stone to activate, and Laurent always kept his on him. If these two showed any further signs of hostility, he was prepared to teleport to the safety of the castle and call for reinforcements.

  “Relax, little guy. I’m Lancelot’s mentor, and also the deputy commander of the Thorn Knights,” the woman said softly as she adjusted Little Eight, who was still hanging from her arm, and cradled it in her arms, showing no concern about the small creature biting down on her.

  “Lancelot’s mentor?” Laurent looked at the two of them suspiciously. The yellow-robed man nodded.

  Although the pet store was registered under Laurent’s name as a "magical equipment shop," Lancelot had been heavily involved in its operations. It wasn’t far-fetched for someone to assume he was connected to the place. However, Laurent wasn’t about to trust them just because they said so.

  “Yes, this is my husband, William. I’m Gianna.” As she spoke, Gianna reached into the “light ball” beside her, pulling out a stone engraved with intricate patterns. It was a teleportation stone identical to the one Laurent used to teleport to Lancelot’s castle.

  Seeing this, Laurent finally hesitated and stopped retreating, though still wary.

  "So, what do you want?" Laurent’s tone was stiff, still shaken by William’s earlier scare.

  "Oh! I came to check out these little ones," William said casually, his eyes fixed on Little Eight like a rare treasure. "That kid said he’d let me study this one, but the next day he disappeared! I couldn’t wait, so I came straight to you."

  Laurent frowned slightly. "I have no knowledge of any ‘studies.’ It’s best to wait for Lancelot to return and discuss it with him." Laurent had no idea what Lancelot had promised, and he wasn’t eager to get involved. The mere mention of "studies" conjured up unsettling images in his mind. If the situation weren’t so tense, he would have already thrown William out of the shop.

  Gianna, who seemed more attuned to Laurent’s growing discomfort, stepped in to smooth things over. “William, don’t be so hasty. Sorry about that, Laurent, right? I believe that’s what Lancelot called you.”

  “Yes, Gianna, you can just call me Laurent.” Laurent’s tone softened, having noticed the knight’s badge pinned to her collar. It wouldn’t be wise to offend someone of her likely high rank in Moplan, which was controlled by the Knights.

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  "Don’t mind William. The poor old man has been locked up in his wizard tower for too long, he’s harmless. He means no harm, either to you or to the little one," Gianna said, flashing a friendly smile as she reached out and handed Little Eight, now looking rather dazed, back to Laurent.

  Laurent hurriedly took Little Eight and held him tightly. The little dog seemed completely confused, snuggling motionless in his arms.

  “We’re just curious about this little creature,” Gianna continued with a smile. “If possible, we’d like to learn more about its kind.”

  Laurent pressed his lips together. Since they were speaking so calmly, it was clear they had no ill intent at the moment. Otherwise, given how easily Gianna had subdued Little Eight, it wouldn’t take her more than a single move to subdue him as well.

  “If it’s information about the Glazed Icefire Dog that you’re after, you can take a look at this bestiary I’ve compiled,” Laurent said, pointing to a bestiary on the counter. “It contains detailed information.”

  “If you’re looking to purchase one, I’m afraid they’re currently sold out,” he added regretfully.

  William, now engrossed in the bestiary, seemed not to care about Laurent’s attitude. Gianna, however, smiled and continued, “Could we perhaps place an order for one?”

  “I’m sure that’s possible, right? The whole academy was buzzing about it yesterday. If today wasn’t exam day, I bet the students would have rushed over here by now.”

  Laurent averted his gaze, inwardly hesitant about accepting pre-orders. He didn’t particularly want to sell a Glazed Icefire Dog to someone who might dissect it out of curiosity. But since they had come prepared...

  Reluctantly, Laurent replied, “Ah, yes, it is possible to place an order. However, there will be quite a long wait.”

  “That’s no problem at all.”

  Gianna agreed so quickly that Laurent had no choice but to reluctantly retrieve the order book from the counter.

  “A deposit of ten thousand gold, and delivery will be made once the pups are available. However…” Laurent once again reiterated the terms of pre-ordering, which he had already explained the day before.

  William, while still reading the bestiary, immediately protested, “Nine months is too long!”

  Laurent perked up, closing the order book with a snap and replying regretfully, “That’s a shame, then. If you can’t accept the wait, there’s no other solution.”

  By now, Laurent had realized that even if these two weren’t really Lancelot’s mentors, they weren’t planning to forcefully take anything by using their strength. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have spent so much time talking.

  The woman named Gianna hadn’t even flinched after being bitten by Little Eight’s [Flame Bite], as if it hadn’t left so much as a scratch on her arm. Laurent couldn’t even begin to guess her level of strength. After all, just a week ago, the Glazed Icefire Dog had been able to break a Level 3 shield, but now it couldn’t even break her skin. This left Laurent feeling thoroughly defeated.

  But since their attitude was respectful and they clearly intended to conduct business properly, Laurent found himself emboldened.

  Gianna rolled her eyes dramatically at William. “Shut up, William! This is my purchase, what does it have to do with you?”

  “But…”

  “Laurent, don’t mind him. I’d like to pre-order one for my niece’s birthday in nine months. It will be the perfect gift,” Gianna said with a smile, making sure to mention her reason for ordering to put Laurent’s mind at ease.

  “As for William, how about this?” Gianna proposed, her tone light. "Since all the current Glazed Icefire Dogs are still in your care, why not let William study them here? Don’t worry, he’s a recipient of the Merlin First-Class Badge. If nothing else, a deeper understanding of the Glazed Icefire Dog could benefit you as well, right?"

  “If William were to publish a few papers on the Glazed Icefire Dog, it could help promote them, don’t you think?”

  Laurent started to protest, “That… well, I’m afraid…”

  But before he could finish, Gianna cut him off, “Don’t be so quick to refuse, little Laurent.”

  “Even if you turn him down now, Lancelot will eventually take the Glazed Icefire Dog and hand it over to William for research. Aren’t you worried about what kind of experiments he might conduct then?” Gianna’s voice was persuasive, almost as if she could see into Laurent’s heart. “But if the research is conducted right under your nose, wouldn’t you be able to oversee it yourself?”

  Laurent let out a bitter laugh. “Gianna, you must be joking. Even if I wanted to oversee the research, it’s not like I could stop someone like William—let alone a novice magician.”

  He knew that, in this dangerous world, someone like him had no real power to "stop" anyone. The right to decide was always in the hands of those stronger than him.

  But Gianna seemed to have him completely figured out. Smiling knowingly, she asked, “So, what do you say, little one? Do you accept my proposal or not?”

  After struggling internally for a moment, Laurent finally gritted his teeth and nodded. “As long as it’s during my shop’s operating hours, William is welcome to conduct non-harmful research in the backyard.”

  In truth, from the moment Gianna mentioned the pre-order, Laurent had realized that William’s research on the Glazed Icefire Dog was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.

  He decided to follow Gianna’s suggestion. At least if the research took place in his presence, he might be able to offer some advice and prevent his beloved pups from being sold off for dissection.

  “Since we’ve agreed on that, why not hear out my next proposal?” Gianna clapped her hands, looking pleased with the arrangement.