At Silaim’s call, everyone saw several small black dots in the distance suddenly stop and then race toward the pavilion.

In just a few seconds, a beautiful Liuli Flame Hound with a big bushy tail leaped straight into Silaim's arms.

“Watch out!” Green, among the stunned knights, was the first to react. He rushed forward to pull Silaim away.

However, Green was only a level-one knight and completely unprepared. It was impossible for him to stop a Liuli Flame Hound with the strength of at least a third-level exotic beast.

So, Little Eight ended up pouncing squarely into Silaim’s arms, nearly knocking him over.

Of all twelve Liuli Flame Hounds, Little Eight was the most affectionate, the most adept at charming people, and the most beautiful. Naturally, this made him the favorite of both brothers.

A crying child gets more candy, and a beautiful child has fewer troubles—these sayings are far from empty words.

"Whoa there, Little Eight, no licking!" Silaim struggled to hold onto the ever-growing pup.

Little Eight was now almost a meter tall, and just standing beside someone, it exerted quite an imposing presence.

“Don’t worry, Green. It’s fine. This is what I was talking about—the pet beast,” Silaim said, taking a seat on the ground and wrapping his arms around the wriggling, tail-wagging Little Eight, scratching its belly.

As the Liuli Flame Hounds grew, their increasing enthusiasm was becoming hard for Silaim to handle.

And this was considering that Silaim, as an apprentice knight, was physically more capable than the average person.

The Liuli Flame Hounds had already learned not to jump on Laurent and Ruth since those two fragile humans couldn't handle their exuberance.

While it looked like an utterly harmless and heartwarming scene, everyone else was left staring, wide-eyed in shock.

That was an exotic beast! No matter how you looked at it, it was an exotic beast, right?

Even though they had never seen this particular kind of exotic beast before, it was clearly not an orc, elf, or goblin!

But how could there be such a friendly exotic beast?

Just from the way it had sprinted over, one could tell that it wasn't an ordinary exotic beast.

How could such a beast be so affectionate?

“Si... Silaim, is this really the pet beast you were talking about?” Green's voice trembled as he spoke. Having faced Little Eight head-on, he felt an intimidation that none of the others did.

It was a pressure he had never experienced, even when confronting a third-level exotic beast.

If this beast wanted to, it could rip out his throat in an instant.

“Yeah, this is the Liuli Flame Hound I mentioned. Its name is Little Eight. Isn’t he adorable?” Silaim smiled at Green as he playfully scratched Little Eight’s belly, making its tongue loll out.

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After a moment of silence, the pavilion erupted with chatter.

Of the five female knights present, regardless of their usual demeanor—whether lively or aloof—they couldn't resist approaching Silaim, eyes fixed eagerly on the Liuli Flame Hound.

“Silaim, are you sure it won’t hurt anyone?”

“Yeah, really! Without its master’s command or a perceived threat, the Liuli Flame Hound won’t attack anyone,” Silaim explained.

“Silaim, its tail is so beautiful and fluffy. Will those flames burn if I touch them?”

“Nope, the flames on the tail are ice flames. As long as they’re not in attack mode, they don’t burn. Instead, they feel cool to the touch,” Silaim said as he played with the flames on Little Eight’s tail.

“Silaim, can I touch it? Just a little?” Elizabeth, normally a proud young lady due to her noble background, softened her voice and asked Silaim, with just a hint of pleading.

But Silaim, ever the oblivious straight shooter, didn’t notice the change in the girl's demeanor and remained completely composed. “Sure, but you have to do it in front of Little Eight. If it can’t see your actions, it’ll be uncomfortable.”

“Okay!”

Elizabeth extended her hand excitedly and, under Little Eight’s watchful gaze, carefully touched its head.

The hound didn’t mind being petted and, in fact, was intrigued by the pretty young lady. It leaned in to nuzzle her hand.

"Oh!" Elizabeth gasped softly, joy lighting up her face as she covered her mouth, her eyes overflowing with adoration for Little Eight.

“Silaim, can I pet it too?” Elizabeth's friend, Haley, was beside herself with excitement and quickly asked.

“Sure! Just be careful not to tug its fur, and stick to scratching its neck and back—Little Eight loves that,” Silaim said cheerfully, stepping aside to let the excited girls take turns scratching the hound.

“Silaim, since your brother opened a pet store, does that mean he’s planning to sell these pet beasts?” Green asked, feeling a little embarrassed to compete with the girls for the “right to pet” Little Eight. But a thought occurred to him, and he couldn’t resist asking.

“Oh right, Silaim, can I buy one too?”

“Me too! I want one!” several others chimed in.

Silaim paused, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. “Um, I don’t really know what my brother’s plans are right now. Even Senior Lancelot wanted to take one, but it’s still being raised here.”

“Huh, did Senior want to buy one too?”

“Well, they’re just too cute, right?”

Silaim shook his head earnestly. “No, it’s not that. Little Eight and the others are combat-type pet beasts. My brother said that when they grow up, they’ll have the strength of at least a seventh-level exotic beast. That’s probably why Senior wants one!”

“A seventh-level exotic beast?!”

“Are you serious? Let me see!”

“Hey, don’t push! Who was that?”

The onlookers, who had been too shy to crowd forward, couldn’t hold back any longer and started surging closer.

Silaim was so startled that he quickly got up and waved his hands. “Don’t push, don’t push! Everybody, calm down!”

“What’s going on?” Laurent, carrying a tray of tea, approached to see all the knights crammed together in a flurry of excitement.

“Nothing, brother, it’s just that everyone is really interested in the pet beasts,” Silaim said, winking at Laurent, looking very pleased with himself. Clearly, the cunning little guy had been showing off the pet beasts to stir up his classmates’ interest.

“Yeah, Laurent! Everyone loves the Liuli Flame Hounds! They all want to buy one,” Simon chimed in.

“I see,” Laurent said with a gentle smile, setting the teapot on the stone table in the pavilion. “Of course, you're all welcome. This is a pet store, after all, so the pet beasts are for sale.”

“If anyone’s interested, you can go inside and look around. There’s more information about the Liuli Flame Hounds in there.”

After Laurent spoke, Green mentally repeated to himself several times to be polite and not rush off while the host was serving tea. He forced himself to remain seated.

But he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, desperate to run into the store and read all the information on the spot.

Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one feeling that way.

“Good day, Mr. Laurent. I’m Elizabeth. I’m curious—what’s the price range for a Liuli Flame Hound?” Elizabeth asked, accepting a cup of tea with perfect etiquette, though her urgency was apparent in her tone.

“Well, that information is available in the store, too. But the Liuli Flame Hounds are categorized as B-level pet beasts. Given their considerable combat abilities, they naturally aren’t cheap,” Laurent said, not disclosing the price outright. It was always better to let the customer find out for themselves, avoiding lengthy haggling.

“Laurent... Mr. Laurent, do they really grow to have the strength of a seventh-level exotic beast?” Green asked, struggling over the formality.

“You can just call me Store Manager,” Laurent said graciously. “And yes, they’ll have at least the power of a seventh-level exotic beast. First off, Liuli Flame Hounds are born with five innate skills. That means even without any training, they have access to five different abilities.”

“That alone puts them on par with fifth- to seventh-level exotic beasts.”

“Moreover, they possess a significant learning ability and intelligence. Unlike other exotic beasts, which lack wisdom, a Liuli Flame Hound can use the same abilities far more effectively.”

“And their learning ability means you can train them, and it’s even possible for them to develop new skills.”

“A B-level pet beast that’s empathetic and in tune with you could provide considerable assistance even if you one day reach the seventh or even ninth level.”

Laurent didn’t go out of his way to oversell the pet beasts; he didn't embellish anything, only described the actual traits of the Liuli Flame Hounds.

Even so, it was enticing enough. Nearly every knight present was gazing at Little Eight, lying in Silaim’s arms, with eyes shining brightly.

“If you're interested, you can head into the store now and take a look...” Laurent’s words were cut short as the group leaped to their feet and scrambled toward the shop.

Laurent couldn’t help but chuckle at their eager retreat, nudging Silaim to go follow and keep an eye on them.

As for himself, he poured the tea he had just brought over into the stream beside him and collected the empty cups.

Ah, kids these days—always rushing around without knowing how to enjoy a leisurely moment.

Laurent shook his head with an exaggerated sigh, pretending to be a wise old man.

An expression of smug satisfaction played across his face, one that almost begged to be punched.