Back in the Grand Master's Room, Lord Raukaku was about to leave before he turned around abruptly, feeling uneasy about something else entirely.

The little puppy that was sleeping on the floor every day caught his attention—but it wasn't because of its cuteness.

Instead, Lord Raukaku stared at it for a while and approach closer to look closely.

"You useless dog! How did a thief get through!?" he shouted and lifted his leg to kick it down hard.

"That will teach you not to let anyone sneak into the room again!"

The little puppy and at the same time, in the world that Rihan is in, the sound of the little puppy crying out loudly stung Rihan's ears painfully.

The echo reverberated and soon after, multiple other barks rang out simultaneously.

The puppy landed on the same spot again as the chain pulled her. It whimpers heavily from the pain caused by the kick, but she could only quiver slightly instead of standing up with dignity.

She doesn't know why or how her owner suddenly decided to beat her savagely, which made her even more terrified. That fear froze her heart, making it unable to stand upright anymore.

Lord Raukaku didn't even take a single glance at the little puppy before retreating out the Wooden Door and sealing it once again behind him.

Whoever it seemed to have gotten past the guards, the defensive array that was placed, and whatever magic sealed this room off completely.

At that moment, the array beneath the little puppy starts shining brighter again; creating several colourful rings floating in the air above her head like an aura, which slowly faded away bit by bit until disappeared completely.

After some seconds passed, the puppy calmed down and panted lightly.

In front of her, stood Rihan who wore a confused look, "Huh? What's going on here?" He bent forward to pat the little puppy softly.

The puppy sniffled, and wagged its tail excitedly—it was then that the little puppy coughed out a puddle of blood from inside itself.

"Oooh~!" Rihan took out his handkerchief immediately to wipe off all the tiny red spots from around the dog's neck where it was hurt, "Did they hurt you again?"

He picked up the pup carefully with both hands and stroked it gently while comforting it.

The puppy continued whining because of the pain she still suffered. Even if Lord Raukaku left right now, there is no guarantee that someone will come by soon to help her.

So Rihan decided not to leave for now despite how close he was to being captured by Lord Raukaku.

It's still too early, so I can't let them find me yet.

If only it were possible to stay longer. He looks at the whimpering puppy and produced a medicine bottle filled with a healing potion.

"This should heal your wounds a bit." With a flick of his wrist, the liquid inside the bottle turned into a soft white mist which landed directly on the little puppy's head and caused a small puff of smoke to float out of her body as well.

The scent of the burning stench of grass and herbs filled the room momentarily but vanished when the pungent odour disappeared.

In front of him stood an adorable black puppy wearing an expression full of surprise—a happy-looking one, actually.

Then it panted lightly again from the excitement, causing it to look cute beyond words.

Rihan smiled slightly. It seems like his efforts weren't in vain—at least that much, that the little puppy could regain its energy again. He patted its neck softly, "There you go. Just don't move or you might make yourself bleed again,"

Rihan looked out the window for a while and see a group of people leaving in the direction of the Royal Palace. That must be Lord Raukaku's group? Rihan pondered silently.

Suddenly, Lord Raukaku stopped midway to his destination, noticing someone's presence behind him.

He turned quickly in the direction of the Grand Master's Room. His eyes narrowed with displeasure—

"This old man sure has a very keen eye," Rihan muttered under his breath as he hides beneath the window sill.

"Lord, is everything alright?" A guard asked worriedly.

Lord Raukaku did not answer. Instead, a fierce glare was directed toward the direction of the Royal Palace.

After some moments passed, all the guards outside left, and only then did Rihan dare to move out from the shadows and stand up slowly.

The Royal Palace was visible just barely over the top of the buildings surrounding it.

From where Rihan is standing now, it looks so far away; yet, it shouldn't take them too long before they reached there either since they are already making their way towards it at high speed.

"Great, I should get out of here right about—" the little puppy suddenly pounced on his shoulder, "Oh! I'm sorry little pup. I'll bring you along next time!"

After patting its head lightly, Rihan looks around for the hidden passageway leading back into the street below.

He slowly moved beside the window until reaching a point that will allow him to step onto the windowsill—when suddenly—the trapdoor opened when the little puppy barked loudly in surprise.

The wood floor underneath him disappear completely, causing him to fall forward—he flinched and grunted sharply but landed safely on his back instead.

When everything returned to normal again, his gaze shifted immediately to the wide street in front of his face.

Relieved, there's no one strolling down the road beside him. All of the shops have been locked tight from the inside.

There were signs posted everywhere saying 'Closed'.

As long as nobody can see me from above, then it would be safe to move freely through this area once more, he thought to himself.

It must've been pretty late at night already because most people weren't outside anymore.

Only a few groups of youngsters remained standing across the street, whispering amongst themselves.

"That damned puppy," muttered Rihan under his breath as his fingers rubbed against his bruised cheek. "You didn't have to jump all over me like that."

His body feels stiff after falling from so high up; it was probably going to hurt later.