Chapter 75

There are many important aspects to consider. The look in the eyes, facial expressions, and movements of the body are all crucial. This is because a fake isn’t just performed with the arms; it involves the whole body. This was the core of what Dan taught me.

The problem is the process of training this core. I can’t train by pickpocketing like Dan did because that’s a crime. And it’s also unreasonable to train directly with Dan as an opponent. It’s like a toddler trying to train with someone who can fly.

But there is a way. A method I know. It’s to train with a dog. Considering a dog’s senses, training with one could be more helpful than training with most humans. Especially if that dog is White. He may look foolish, but he’s a clever dog, especially good at fighting.

Thump.

“Here, eat up. Whether it’s people or dogs, everyone needs to eat well.”

I threw the beef I had prepared.

Crunch, crunch.

White eagerly ate the meat. One of White’s traits is that he readily accepts any food given to him. He makes sure to take care of his needs, which almost smells of capitalism.

“That dog sure looks tough.”

He’s not what you’d call a handsome dog. He looks as tough as his personality. But the more you look at him, the more endearing he becomes.

“What’s with that dog?”

I heard Hiresia’s voice. She had come up without me noticing and was standing next to me.

“Oh, it’s a dog I’ve been raising since yesterday. It’s for training.”

“Training?”

“Yeah, there’s such a thing. It’s a long explanation, so I’ll tell you about it later.”

“Hmm.”

Hiresia crouched down next to me. A bit close. But I’m used to it now, so it doesn’t bother me.

“He looks tough.”

“Seems like everyone has the same opinion.”

I chuckled.

“What’s his name?”

“White.”

“White? Why such a name?”

Well, it’s a perfectly fine name, but no one seems to appreciate it.

“Let’s say that’s the case.”

“But why waste good meat on him?”

Hiresia looked genuinely upset about the meat.

I laughed incredulously.

“What else should I give a dog if not meat?”

“Dogs eat anything, don’t they? Just give them grass or something.”

“Dogs eating grass, really? Dogs need to eat too. They’re our friends, friends.”

“Friends?”

“Of course. They’re so smart and full of emotion.”

“He looks dumb to me.”

At that moment, White, who had been quiet, glared at Hiresia with tough eyes, as if he knew she was talking about him.

See, I told you he’s smart.

“Isn’t it just a coincidence?”

Hiresia reached out her hand, tilting her head.

“Ah, wait…!”

Before I could stop her, it was too late. Snap! White bit her hand as if he had been waiting for it.

“Ouch!”

Hiresia screamed and pulled her hand back. There were clear bite marks on her white hand.

She said angrily,

“Ah, this insolent dog! Let’s eat it right now! I have to eat it!”

Hiresia expressed her anger by threatening to cook the dog. To prevent the world’s first elf from eating dog meat, I desperately intervened.

“Wait, wait! Calm down! This guy may be insolent, but he knows his limits. If he were really a nasty bastard, he would have held on once he bit, but he let go easily, didn’t he?”

It wasn’t a lie. Fighting dogs used for dogfights don’t let go until they tear off flesh, but White, although he bites, lets go of the bitten hand willingly.

“And it’s not like he bit with hostility. You can tell by the bite. So, as a noble high elf, could you please be generous and let it slide?”

Hmm…

Hiresia calmed down a bit after hearing my words. Perhaps she thought it beneath her dignity as a noble high elf to get worked up over a dog.

“Well, I was going to let it slide anyway. It’s not like me to get genuinely upset over a mere dog.”

“Thank you, senior.”

I expressed my gratitude and continued,

“As the dog’s owner, I sincerely apologize. How’s the wound?”

I took Hiresia’s wrist with a concerned expression, intending to check the bite without any ulterior motive. However, that thoughtless action seemed to embarrass her.

“It’s, it’s fine. It’s nothing.”

She spoke embarrassedly but didn’t push my hand away, perhaps worried about seeming too harsh.

Realizing her feelings too late, I couldn’t let go of her hand, as that would have seemed even stranger.

In the end, I awkwardly examined the bite.

“Fortunately, it’s not deep. White didn’t bite hard.”

“Oh… right.”

“Once again, I apologize. I should have warned you earlier.”

“It’s fine.”

Only then did I gently let go of her hand. Hiresia coughed to clear the air.

“Ahem, but if he didn’t bite out of hostility, then why did he bite me? It definitely wasn’t a joke.”

“Oh, that. It’s one of his traits. He expresses his will not to submit to anyone by biting.”

“Huh?”

“He’s a dog with a strong sense of pride. He doesn’t consider anyone who feeds him as his master, but as an equal.”

“Why would you keep such a dog?”

“Like I said, he’s for training. And personally, I don’t mind that kind of personality.”

I said as I put on thick gloves on both hands.

“Since you seem curious, I’ll show you what kind of training it is. First, do this.”

I extended my hand normally. Snap! As expected, White reflexively bit my hand. But because I had put on thick gloves, it didn’t hurt. Of course, if he had bitten with real intent, I wouldn’t have been unharmed, but there was no reason for him to hate me.

“He bit, didn’t he?”

“He bites just anyone, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I pulled my hand back.

“Let’s try moving a bit faster this time.”

Swoosh.

I moved my hand quickly and then tried to retract it. No, I couldn’t retract it. Snap! White bit again.

“He bit again, didn’t he?”

“Ah, look at the reaction speed. Isn’t it incredible?”

“Is it?”

“If you’re not sure, I’ll try even faster.”

I moved my hand even faster. But once again, without fail, White bit it.

“Hmm, the reaction is indeed fast. But what does this have to do with training?”

“Haha, have you heard of illusionary swordsmanship?”

“I know. It’s a sword technique that deceives the opponent with irregular movements.”

Even though she doesn’t use a sword, Hiresia knew that much.

“Yes, that’s right. As you said, it’s a sword technique that only has meaning if it deceives the opponent. So, the deceptive movement is important, right? For example…”

I extended my right hand quickly once again. The same movement for the fourth time. But it was a feint. I suddenly extended my left hand, which I hadn’t used until now, trying to touch White. Any ordinary dog would have been fooled by the first movement. But White was different. He wasn’t an ordinary dog.

Crunch!

Suddenly, White reacted to my left hand and bit it. He bit harder than before, as if he had precisely gauged the movement of my attempt to touch him. It stung a bit.

“Wow, that’s quite a trick, isn’t it?”

As expected of her keen perception, Hiresia let out a small exclamation of admiration, having noticed White’s exceptional responsiveness.

“So I get it now. You’re using the dog to train deceiving human eyes, right? It’s not a bad idea. It would be harder to fool that dog than most people.”

“That’s exactly right.”

I smiled wryly. Ultimately, I would need to be able to deceive Dan’s eyes. But to get there, I first had to reach the level where I could deceive White’s eyes. There are steps to everything; you can’t achieve anything overnight.

“But is it really that difficult?”

Hiresia extended her hand curiously. White, who had just let go of my hand, immediately reacted. But in that instant, her hand twisted sharply.

“Wow.”

That was a flawless feint. It could have been straight out of a textbook. However…

Crunch!

“Ouch!”

Hiresia screamed. She had been bitten. Surprisingly, White had accurately responded to her unconventional movement. It was clear that Dan was more of an expert in deceptive movements than she was.

“Ugh, this is infuriating! To be read by a mere dog!”

Hiresia frowned and flared up again. I tried to calm her down, but this time it wasn’t necessary. She channeled her anger in a different direction.

“Fine, let’s see who wins.”

“What?”

“I can’t just let it end with being outdone by a dog. I’ll do it too.”

I was dumbfounded. Bringing White here seemed to have given her a strange motivation.

[A sudden quest has occurred.]

‘Huh?’

My eyes widened. Another sudden quest had popped up. It seems Hiresia is a being that triggers sudden quests.

[The High Elf’s Competitive Spirit]

– Having been outdone twice by a mere dog, the high elf is burning with a desire to win. Her emotions will only be settled by defeating the dog.

Please, don’t burn with competitive spirit against a dog, high elf. It’s almost tear-jerking.

– Help her defeat the dog. If her mood improves, an unexpected event may occur.

What’s this now?

“Ugh, I can’t stand it! Let’s cook this thing!”

“Now, what kind of inhumane act are you trying to commit against my somewhat precious pet?”

I hurriedly stopped Hiresia from going on a rampage.

Three days had passed since then. Hiresia still hadn’t managed to outdo White. It seemed like the first time I had seen her so flustered by something. Apparently, she had no talent for deceiving dogs. The sight of a high elf being outwitted by a dog was humorously ironic, but I couldn’t just laugh it off. Naturally, I had been failing just as much. Despite all my research and attempts to deceive White, I had failed every time so far. It wasn’t that I hadn’t gained anything; I felt like I was on the verge of grasping something. But I still didn’t know exactly what it was.

“You have to deceive with your eyes and expressions, using your whole body. That’s what seems to be failing.”

I repeated Dan’s advice, confident in the knowledge I had.

“I know that. I’ve been trying to deceive with my whole body since yesterday. But why isn’t it working?”

Hiresia exclaimed, frustrated as if she had eaten dozens of sweet potatoes. Her movements using her whole body seemed fine to me, enough to deceive a human like me. But why wasn’t it working? I wanted to know.

‘How does White read it?’

I pondered while looking at White, who sat with a disgusted face. A fierce dog’s sharp senses? Could that alone be enough to fool both her and me to this extent? There must be something more…

As if reading my thoughts, White’s eyes widened. Yes, that’s it. He’s very smart. A brilliant dog. So he’s not just judging based on deceptive movements; he’s reading beyond that, the thoughts behind the movements. That’s why it’s not working.

‘So, what if…’

A hypothesis popped into my head. How can I prevent my thoughts from being read? What if I deceive myself? Until the very last moment, believe that the feint is the real move. Conversely, believe that the real move is the feint. Reaching a state where feint becomes real, and real becomes feint. It’s something I’ve read about in martial arts novels a few times. I felt confident it would work.

‘Let’s try it.’

I took a deep breath to clear my mind and then looked at White.

“This time, I’ll give it a try.”

“Go ahead.”

Hiresia showed no interest in my expression, having only experienced failure herself. But this time might be different. If my thoughts are correct.

Without needing to move quickly, I extended my right hand at a normal speed. Until now, I had tried hard to make it a perfect feint. But this time…

‘This is a real move.’

Yes, it’s just a real move. There’s no need to force an expression or movement. Just naturally. It’s a real move because it’s just that. And then…

I lightly moved my left hand. Casually and comfortably. Because it’s a feint. It’s better if it’s read. Snap!

My hand was bitten. But it was different from before. The bitten hand was the right one. White misread it because I thought of the feint as a real move. And the movement I thought of as a real move, believing it to be a feint, was…

Thump.

Finally, my hand touched White’s body. It touched the white fur on his back.

“Arf?”

White looked surprised. He couldn’t believe he had allowed his body to be touched.

“Cute guy, I finally caught you.”

I laughed with joy.

“How did you do that?!”

Hiresia looked at me with wide eyes, astonished.