The bed had been completely transformed. Where there had been only weeds and unmaintained bushes there were now budding flowers and luscious plants. A wooden trellis, which had been completely hidden by a mat of dead vines, was now cleared and looked freshly varnished. It sported three Chinese-style hanging paper lanterns that bathed the whole scene in a bright, cosy light.

The Flora Whelp was blowing a green mist onto a withered patch of dead flowers. As soon as its mist-like breath touched the plant, it sprang to life, transforming from a pile of shapeless dead stems to a vibrant, blooming red flowering herb.

Was this the Bloom spell that I’d seen from the Whelp’s stat screen? It certainly looked like the Whelp was casting a spell on the plant.

I walked over to the flowers that had sprouted and took one in my hand. When I focused on it, a readout appeared.

“Neat!” I exclaimed as I looked up at the Whelp. “I didn’t know you could do this! It’s only a low-level plant, but I figure you can only get stronger at creating useful materials.”

The Whelp bounded over to me, and it purred like a big cat as I scratched behind its ears.

“I need to head back to the mansion now,” I said. “But it looks like I’ve found a job for you. I was going to try to get Kyrine to tend to the gardens herself, but it’ll be much easier if I can get you to help out. You stay here and keep working on it.”

The creature smiled up to me, its needle-like teeth on full display. While it had been doing its best impression of celebrity gardener, Paul James, it hadn’t felt threatening in the slightest. This was a creature who could easily tear a man limb from limb. But it would never harm me or anyone I wanted to protect. I smiled as the Whelp turned back to working on the garden.

Honestly, being a Dungeon Keeper was awesome. And if I had to help kill a few criminals, then it was a small price to pay for the best job in the world. Not to mention what I would be doing to help not only my country, but the whole world—and possibly even Eosor, too.

My life as a Dungeon Keeper had only just begun, and I’d had my first hiccup. But that was all it was—a hiccup. Speaking with Phil had helped iron out the last few mental barriers I’d had.

I was ready.

Chapter 23