"Granddaughter?"
Dog Bro, still groggy, took a moment to process the word. Then, in a weak voice, he asked Sunny, "Is Sunny all right?"
At that, Bondi's tense muscles relaxed slightly. The first thing Dog Bro did upon waking was ask about his granddaughter's safety. Whether or not his earlier story was true, there was no doubt that he cared deeply about his granddaughter. With that assurance, things probably wouldn't escalate to the point of crossing swords...
When Sunny heard that Dog Bro's first concern had been her safety, a sweet smile bloomed across her face...
There were more and more people who cared about her. After her mother passed away, only David had cared about her. Then there was Xim, who was willing to pledge his allegiance to her, followed by this orc, and finally a grandfather who had appeared out of nowhere...
It turned out she wasn't really that lonely in this world...
"Thanks to your bravery and fearlessness, my granddaughter is safe and sound. I am once again grateful for your aid!" Bondi said gratefully.
Faced with Bondi's renewed goodwill, Dog Bro calmed down considerably, and his mind began working rapidly.
However, he didn't hesitate for long. After staring blankly for only about two seconds, he said solemnly, "Protecting her is repayment for the great favor owed to her mother. We men of the Fire Clan always repay our debts. So long as I can still stand and wield a weapon, I will never fall before her. This is the basic code of our Fire Clan. You needn't thank me..."
His words were extremely forthright, and his final tone even carried a hint of keeping others at arm's length. He seemed unwilling to have too much to do with the man before him. Yet while maintaining his