The party emerged from the Gate.
I-sol was supporting Ha-rin, and Jin-ho was hauling Ha-rin’s axe on his back.
Outside, evening had already fallen.
Se-ha squinted against the dazzling sunset.
How long had they been in there?
He hadn’t noticed inside the Gate, but now that he was out, his whole body felt heavy.
“Haah….”
Jin-ho dropped to the ground with a thud.
“We’re alive. We’re actually alive….”
“Get up.”
Ha-rin nudged Jin-ho’s back with her foot.
“Ow.”
“What are you doing, sitting down out here?”
“Cut me some slack. Your axe is seriously heavy. How do you run around with this thing?”
Just then.
Something stirred on Se-ha’s shoulder.
It was the Behemoth cub.
It had been curled up tight inside the Gate, but the moment they stepped out, it perked its ears and lifted its head.
Its golden eyes went wide.
“Squeak.”
Cautiously.
It began looking around.
It spotted a tree.
“Squeak?”
It looked up at the sky.
“Squeak.”
It spotted a car parked in the distance.
“…Mrow.”
Se-ha let out a small laugh.
“Lots of things you’ve never seen before, huh?”
The cub didn’t seem particularly interested in what he said.
Then a breeze came through.
Its fur rippled.
It flattened its ears and flinched its eyes shut.
Then, a moment later, it raised a tiny paw and tried to catch the wind.
Swipe, swipe.
Nothing to grab.
“…That’s too cute.”
Ha-rin murmured quietly.
“What was that?”
Jin-ho asked.
“I didn’t say anything!”
Seo-yeon headed straight for the Gate management agents the moment she stepped out and began talking with them.
As the conversation went on, the agents’ expressions grew stiff.
An irregular boss alone would have warranted an investigation—and now an S-rank Demi-Lich had appeared on top of that.
It had been a situation that nearly ended in catastrophe.
“We’ll need to close the Gate for the time being.”
“An S-rank appearance… it’ll take time just to assemble an investigation team.”
Meanwhile, Da-hong stood beside Se-ha, watching the Behemoth cub.
The cub had now discovered a blade of grass growing roughly at shoulder height.
It pressed its nose against it.
A sharp, bitter green smell tickled its nostrils.
“Hss.”
Smack.
A tiny paw batted the blade of grass.
It didn’t seem to like the smell.
“That’s grass.”
Se-ha said.
The cub looked at Se-ha.
Then pressed its nose to the grass again.
“Hss.”
“…If you don’t like it, stop sniffing it.”
The cub paid him no mind whatsoever.
*Somehow reminds me of Da-hong.*
The thought came to Se-ha out of nowhere.
Their main colors were polar opposites—white and black.
And yet, somehow, that made them oddly reminiscent of each other.
The red gemstone on its forehead, the little horn-like protrusions—those especially.
…And the way it ignored him, too.
Se-ha glanced over at Da-hong, who was teasing the Behemoth with her fingers.
“What are you looking at?”
“Nothing.”
Just then, I-sol walked over.
“Have you thought of a name?”
“A name?”
“Yeah. For that one. You can’t just call it Behemoth.”
That was true.
If the name Behemoth came up out in the open, it would almost certainly draw attention.
Better to give it a different name, if only to avoid the commotion.
“Hmm… Da-hong?”
“What.”
“Have you thought of a name for this one?”
Da-hong considered it for a moment, then said:
“Blackie?”
“…That’s a bit….”
Se-ha looked uncomfortable.
Blackie because it’s black… that was a little risky.
“That’s… true, but. You’re not called Whitey either.”
“Then you name it. You’re the summoner.”
“Hmm….”
Se-ha fell into thought.
Kami, Dusty, Moss, Stella, Bean….
All sorts of names drifted through his mind.
Just then.
The red gemstone embedded in its forehead caught the light and glimmered.
“…Ruby.”
“Ruby?”
“The gem looks just like a ruby.”
The Behemoth cub—Ruby—looked up at Se-ha.
Its golden eyes sparkled.
I-sol smiled and said:
“Looks like it approves.”
“Ruby.”
Da-hong tried calling the name once.
Ruby turned its head toward Da-hong.
“Not bad.”
“Right?”
Just then, Seo-yeon finished up with the agents and came back over.
Her gaze swept across Group 1.
“Good work, everyone. Head home and rest.”
“What about you, Teacher?”
“I have to go to school for the report.”
“…You work too hard.”
The group started moving.
They were heading to where they’d stored their belongings.
Just as Da-hong was passing by Seo-yeon—
“Yu Se-ha’s summon.”
“Hm?”
Da-hong turned around.
Seo-yeon was looking straight ahead as she spoke, her voice low.
“Let’s talk sometime.”
Quiet enough that no one but Da-hong could hear.
Seo-yeon walked away.
Da-hong watched her retreating figure in silence.
“Da-hong?”
Se-ha called out.
Da-hong looked back.
“We should get going too.”
“Yeah.”
Da-hong slowly turned around.
Ruby’s tail, perched on Se-ha’s shoulder, swayed from side to side.
***
Before heading home, Da-hong and Se-ha stopped by a pet shop near their apartment complex.
Whoosh.
The moment the automatic doors slid open, Ruby flinched.
“Welcome!”
Ruby, nestled in Se-ha’s arms, pricked up its ears and unsheathed its claws.
Probably because it could smell other animals.
“It’s okay.”
Se-ha said, stroking Ruby.
Every time a hand passed over it, Ruby’s whole body swayed—but it never stopped looking around.
The inside of the pet shop was bigger than expected.
One wall was lined with cat towers, and the opposite side was packed with toys.
In the treat section, all kinds of snacks dangled in rows.
Ruby sniffed the air.
“Do you like it?”
Ruby’s pupils dilated wide.
It had clearly caught the scent of the treats.
Just then, a staff member approached.
“Oh, how adorable! Is this a long-haired cat?”
“Ah, hello. Actually, this one isn’t exactly a cat—”
Ruby stared intently at the staff member’s face.
The staff member leaned in for a closer look and noticed the red gemstone set into its forehead.
“Oh my…?”
“It’s actually a summon. We just contracted today. But it’s still so young, so….”
“Oh, I see…!”
The staff member looked at Ruby with fascination.
Aside from the gemstone and the little horn, it really did look just like a cat.
“But I’m not sure what to do—we only carry products for regular cats.”
“For now, I just want to get the essentials. A litter box, food, things like that….”
“Ah, for that kind of thing… would you follow me this way?”
Se-ha followed the staff member.
Meanwhile, Da-hong drifted over to the toy section.
Colorful toys and plushies designed to catch a pet’s interest were lined up in abundance.
Da-hong picked them up one by one and looked them over.
A feather wand.
She gripped the handle and gave it a shake.
The feathers fluttered.
The little bell at the end jingled.
At that instant, Ruby’s ears shot straight up.
“Ruby?”
Ruby planted its paws on Se-ha’s chest and pushed itself upright.
It peered over his shoulder toward where Da-hong was standing.
Da-hong swayed the wand, luring Ruby in.
“Wait—!”
Ruby leapt off his shoulder.
Tap.
The little black ball of fur landed on the tile and scrambled under a display shelf.
“Ruby!”
Se-ha reached out in surprise to catch it, but Ruby was faster.
Se-ha crouched down and looked under the shelf Ruby had crawled beneath.
He could see a tiny rear end wriggling away.
Ruby tunneled through under the shelves and came charging toward Da-hong.
Pitter-patter.
And then—a leap toward the feather.
But Da-hong wasn’t about to let it catch so easily.
Fwip.
The feather sprang up with a bounce.
It grazed past Ruby’s claws by a hair.
Ruby’s pupils blew wide open.
Ruby lunged again.
Fwip.
Missed again.
“Mrow!!”
Da-hong raised the wand high.
Ruby stood on its hind legs and flailed its front paws wildly.
“Da-hong!”
Se-ha came running over.
“You can’t do that without paying for it first!”
“I’m buying it.”
“You don’t even have any money!”
“Buy it for me.”
“Honestly….”
“Ahaha….”
The staff member laughed awkwardly.
Next was the essentials section.
Litter box, litter, food.
The staff member explained each one.
“You mentioned it’s a summon—have you figured out what it eats?”
“Not yet, really….”
“In that case, I’d recommend buying several small-portion varieties. If it doesn’t like the taste, it might refuse to eat entirely. Once you figure out its preferences, you can stock up on that one.”
“Ah, I see.”
While Se-ha listened to the explanation, Da-hong and Ruby had wandered over to the treat section.
Tuna, salmon, chicken breast, duck.
Da-hong picked one up.
Ruby sniffed at it from beside her.
It seemed to catch the faint scent through the packaging.
“This one?”
Da-hong shook the bag.
Ruby’s ears perked up.
“Mrow.”
“Okay.”
Da-hong tucked the bag under her arm.
Then shook another one.
Ruby raised a paw.
“This one too?”
“Mrow.”
“Okay.”
Rustle.
“Da-hong, you can’t start with the treats.”
“It’s fine.”
“We don’t even know if it can eat treats yet.”
“If it can’t, I’ll eat them.”
“…Excuse me?”
Next came the litter box.
The staff member laid out several types and explained them.
“This one has a top-entry opening, and this one has a side entry. For small cats, we usually recommend this one.”
The staff member pointed to a smaller litter box.
But Ruby glanced at each of the litter boxes in turn, then sauntered right past them.
It padded over to the largest litter box sitting in the corner and slipped inside.
“Oh my.”
The staff member stopped mid-sentence.
Ruby turned a circle inside, sniffed around, and then flopped down flat.
“Looks like that one caught its eye.”
Da-hong said.
Se-ha let out a sigh.
He had no idea how fast a Behemoth would grow, but it would eventually get bigger than an ordinary cat—so buying the large one probably made sense.
“…The biggest one, please.”
“Haha….”
After paying—
“Thank you so much!”
Whoosh.
Se-ha and Da-hong stepped outside carrying a mountain of cat supplies.
Da-hong looked thoroughly satisfied.
Cradled in her arms was Ruby, batting at a fluttering receipt.
“I had no idea raising a cat needed this much stuff.”
“Let’s get a cat tower too.”
“…We’ll order that online.”
“Okay.”
The two—no, the three of them—walked down a street that had, without their noticing, fallen into darkness.