"Fire Doggies?"

Sylvie looked dumbfounded when she saw the pups. I also found myself questioning what I was looking at.

"These creatures… what are they?"

My question was left hanging in the air because neither Cerberus nor I could answer it. The shadow hounds in front of me were vastly different from the others. For one, they looked more like wolves than hounds, and secondly, and definitely their most striking feature was the fact that they were on fire. Flames danced against their furs.

But these flames varied from pup to pup. Some had orange-colored flames while some possessed blue flames. I even spotted a few with flames the color of grass. There was a tapestry of different colors as the young pups danced around and played with each other.

"Pretty puppies~"

Sylvie's eyes sparkled as she stared at them.

All 68 pups who were playing suddenly stopped and turned their attention to us. Their eyes glowed the distinctive color of the flame that was on them. They bared their fangs and let out cute little barks.

"They seemed aggressive. More so than the shadow hounds. I like that."

There was one particularly feisty pup, with red flames around its body and red glowing eyes. Its bark was the loudest, and I could tell at a glance that it was stronger than the rest. The shadow hounds around me also bared their fangs at the pup.

They must've seen it as if the little one was disrespecting their leader. But even in the face of the shadow hounds that were at least 10 times its size, the little monster didn't back down. Instead, it looked ready to go one-on-one with the adult hounds baring their fangs at him.

I smiled at the little one's bravado, then reached out and grabbed the little guy by the back of the neck. The little monster thrashed and clawed at my face while growling wildly. The red flames covering its body singed my hand.

I was impressed that at such a young age it could create flames strong enough to burn me. These hounds will be formidable when they grow up. They are already ferocious as is. I stared at the little monster holding it close to my face. Even under overwhelming power, it wouldn't back down.

My eyes glowed orange as I released a bit of my bloodlust. This was the way with wolves and hounds. If I wanted to claim them, then I needed to make them submit to my power. My bloodlust washed over the entire room like a plague.

Immediately, all the shadow hounds in the room bowed before me. The fires covering the baby pups dispersed at once, and all of them went quiet.

"Aw ~Aw~ Aw~"

This pup I was holding in my hand was the leader. Once he backed down, all the others followed. The pup whimpered in my hand in fear.

[Congratulations! Garmr has been added to your phantom pack.

Garmr hounds: These hounds possess the spirit of Garmr. Garmr is a monstrous hound bound at the gates of Hel. He is known as the sentinel of Hel.]

Garmr!!

Wait, this can't be real!

Garmr is the hound from Norse mythology. The one that is said to signal Ragnarok.

The god killer!

Could such a monster truly exist? And these pups, my pups were granted a sliver of his power. It is said that Garmr's howls echoed through worlds, and this is the hound that killed the God of war Týr. I found it all fascinating.

There are a lot of powerful wolf-like beasts throughout mythology. I wonder how many of them truly exist and if I could get them to somehow join my pack.

It was unlikely; some of these beings were said to be able to slay gods, like the great Fenrir. How could I claim them? If other worlds exist, then they must be out there somewhere.

This pup I was holding in my hand will be the leader of the Garmr. I guess it's suitable that I give him a name to differentiate him from the rest.

"How about Sköll?"

Sköll is the name of the wolf from Norse mythology that chases the sun for eternity, and when he finally catches up, he devours it, plunging the world into darkness. This seemed fitting for this little monster.

The pup didn't react to its new name, only continued to whimper in my hand like a scared kitten.

"Bad Lee~"

Sylvie suddenly grabbed the pup from my hand and began comforting it. The pup finally began to calm down when Sylvie began stroking its head while whispering soft words. She was surprisingly good with kids. It was the same with Lily. I think she would make a great mother one day.

With Sylvie comforting Sköll, I turned my attention back to the other Garmr. They all seemed terrified of me, except for one. A ditzy little thing staring at me with round pink-colored eyes. The little pup wagged its tail happily while pink flames danced across its body.

I reached out and picked up the cute pup.

"Gru~"

The hound made a cute noise, and strangely, it looked as if it was smiling. It was a cute thing, cute enough to tug on my heartstrings. It reminded me of someone.

The flames on its body spread over my hand, but strangely, it wasn't burning my hand or my clothes. Instead, it felt warm and comforting as if it was healing me or multiplying my strength.

"I think I'll make this one a present for Lily," I said, staring at the little pup as its tiny tongue licked my face. "Take care of her for me. That will be your job from now on."

"Gru~"

That sounded like a yes to me.

I handed the baby pup to one of the shadow hounds standing at my side. The beast held the pup by its nape and dashed off after I told it to give the pup to Lily, who was back home in Ryomen.

The pack seemed more lax now that I had accepted the pups. Cerberus in particular looked especially happy. He looked like a proud father. He went over and began licking the pups to get them playing again.

"Lee, can we keep him?" Sylvie asked as she bonded with Sköll, who she was cradling in her arms like a baby. The little pup occasionally shot me glances before turning away its face.

"No, you can't. Sköll will be leading the Garmrs. If he's gone, someone else will take his place as leader."

Plus, I was afraid she would baby him to the point where he would be useless in battle.

Sylvie pouted, but she didn't push the matter further. Instead, she seemed to have questions of her own.

"Lee, when will we have babies?"

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