The Identity of Lini

“That’s what happened!”

Liyana stood before Xia Lun with an ingratiating smile, rubbing her hands together in front of her like a fly.

A golden-furred dog sat quietly at her feet, its fluffy tail lightly sweeping across the wooden floor. Its gentle brown eyes rested on Xia Lun, its pink tongue peeking out slightly with each breath. It looked utterly adorable.

Xia Lun had roughly grasped the situation, and he now studied the large golden retriever before him with curiosity.

“Good day, Mr. Xia Lun... I heard that your wife is a highly knowledgeable mage, so I was hoping she might be able to help identify my true identity,” Lini said with impeccable manners, like a refined gentleman.

“It really can talk...” Xia Lun stared at Lini in surprise.

He had examined the dog carefully as well. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be an utterly ordinary golden retriever, aside from the faint trace of magical power within its body.

“All right. I’ll go get her.”

Xia Lun cleared his throat and headed upstairs alone.

They had already gotten up and dressed, but Aina had suddenly started teasing him again, and things had naturally turned into the sort of morning workout everyone was happy to hear about... Aina was still resting in the bedroom now, her whole body sore and weak.

A short while later, Xia Lun slowly helped Aina down the stairs. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and her steps were unsteady. She took each stair with great care, as though the wooden steps beneath her were fragile glass.

The large golden retriever tilted its head, watching the scene in puzzlement. Mages really did have poor physical constitutions, but this lady before it seemed to be in especially bad shape.

“Just put me on the sofa, Xia Lun.”

Aina clung shakily to Xia Lun’s shoulder and sat down on the sofa. A pained expression appeared on her small face, making her look like an elderly woman with aching joints, hobbling about with difficulty.

“Sorry to trouble you, Ms. Aina.” Miss Ailan, seated on the sofa opposite them, watched the scene with some curiosity. Lini slowly padded over to her feet.

“Hello, Ms. Aina.” Lini sounded both reserved and hopeful as he asked, “Can you tell anything about me?”

Mo Lini brought over a cup of black tea, its fragrance spreading through the air. Aina raised it to her lips and took a sip. Then she casually glanced at Lini, her gaze seeming capable of piercing through appearances to see the truth beneath. Yet she quickly looked away, apparently losing interest in the remarkable dog.

Aina then looked at Ailan.

Ailan swallowed nervously. Aina’s presence was quite intimidating.

Aina suddenly asked, “Miss Ailan... have you ever encountered anyone unpleasant in your daily life? For example, some rude, uncouth person, or... a persistent, overly clingy suitor?”

Ailan tilted her head and thought about it carefully. Then she answered somewhat uncertainly, “I don’t think so? Ms. Aina, why do you ask?”

“It was nothing, just a casual question. Don’t worry about it.” Aina shook her head and turned her gaze back to Lini.

Then, pointing at Lini, Aina calmly announced:

“This is a dog.”

“Uh... we already know Lini is a dog, Aina,” Liyana could not help saying. “Could you explain that a little more clearly?”

Setting down her teacup, Aina folded her hands in her lap and began to explain slowly. “An ordinary golden retriever. Perhaps through contact with—or accidental ingestion of—some source of magical power, such as the core of a magical beast, he underwent a mutation by chance and acquired exceptionally high intelligence and magical talent.” She paused, then added, “He’s just a dog. Nothing special.”

“So that’s how it is?” Ailan looked delighted. “That’s wonderful, Lini! We finally know what you are!”

“Oh... oh!” Lini snapped back to his senses as well. His tail wagged furiously as he excitedly circled around Ailan, occasionally rubbing himself against her legs. “So I’m a dog! That’s fantastic!”

Mo Lini blinked. She did not think this was anything worth celebrating.

Aina added, “Once you return, you should still take care to conceal your identity. If other mages find out, they may capture you for research. In the worst-case scenario, they might even dissect you...”

“Okay, I understand.” Lini shrank back slightly, his ears drooping as the possibility clearly frightened him.

“Thank you, Ms. Aina.” Ailan stood and bowed to Aina, her face radiant with a smile.

“You’re welcome.” Aina’s expression remained as calm as ever, as though she had merely answered an utterly ordinary question.

Having learned of Lini’s origins, Ailan did not linger. She eagerly took Lini and headed home, while Liyana even went to see her off.

“So... what exactly is that golden retriever’s background?”

After they had left, Xia Lun came up behind Aina and gently began massaging her shoulders.

He could sense that his wife had concealed something.

“What else could it be? What dog can talk?” Aina raised her head and met Xia Lun’s eyes. “Lini is obviously human.”

“Oh?”

Xia Lun raised an eyebrow, not especially surprised by the answer.

“At first, I thought he might be some perverted admirer... but that doesn’t seem to be the case.” Aina shook her head. “And Lini has completely abandoned all memories of his past. If he were merely some pervert who wanted to become a dog, he probably couldn’t have gone that far...”

“Then what happened to Lini?” Xia Lun pressed, his hands never stopping. A satisfied expression gradually appeared on Aina’s face.

“He was probably some mage who had grown disappointed with reality and voluntarily turned himself into this.” Aina shrugged. “Perhaps he was also a dog lover... In any case, if I had told him the truth, his magic might have failed later on. But now that I’ve reinforced his perception of himself, he basically has no chance of turning back into a human. He will live out the rest of his life as a golden retriever.”

“Is this really all right?” Xia Lun could not help but ask. Turning someone completely into a dog... he did not know whether what Aina had done was right or wrong.

“It was his own wish... Xia Lun, you should not interfere with his decision.” Aina saw the matter clearly. “This is what he himself wanted. He has a good master now and is content with his current life. You have no right to make that choice for him.”

Xia Lun froze for a moment.

He had no right to make choices for others. Everyone should be allowed to decide their own fate—whether it was Lini or the Goddess herself.

A faint smile appeared on Xia Lun’s face. “You’re right.”