NOVEL NEXT Chapter 64
Chapter 64 The Magic Monster Ecosystem Research Project
When I returned to the village, Vi-Vi was waiting for me at the entrance.
She had come over here after finishing caring for the cows.
「Where’d you go, Al?」
「Moofy found a goblin.」
I explained what happened, and Vi-Vi looked unhappy.
Femm left me and gathered the wolves wound him.
「Graw!」
「Kween」
「GRrAWWW!」
「Kweeeeen」
Femm was chiding the wolves there.
The other wolves all looked crestfallen.
It must be that Femm wasn’t happy about those goblins getting so close to the village.
Or they were so busy hunting mice and moles that they just didn’t notice.
After a bit, Femm approached me.
『It is my fault. Please don’t get angry at the other wolves.』
「I’m not angry.」
『I told them to strengthen the patrols of our territory.』
「Thanks, that helps.」
I rubbed Femm’s head.
Then I went over and rubbed the other wolves.
「Vi-Vi. I think we should go check around.」
「Good idea. I’ll go out and look too.」
「Thanks.」
After telling the chief, we made our way out quickly.
I rode Femm, while Vi-Vi rode Moofy.
「First we’ll take a look around the wolves’ territory. Especially any holes in the ground or cliffs.」
『Sure.』
There were other holes where goblins were inside.
We dispatched four goblins, and 12 magic mice.
Just as Luka had said, the magic mice that Femm had captured before were of a smaller class.
There were some large ones we found too. Just thinking about a mouse tearing through our field like that was scary.
「There were more than I expected, and bigger.」
『Embarrassing.』
「Don’t worry about it. The reason they’re not closer to the village is thanks to you, Femm.」
As I burned all the goblin bodies, Vi-Vi came closer.
「Hey, Al. Why are you burning up all the goblins’ bodies?」
「Well, they have no treasure, and they taste bad to the wolves, apparently.」
「But that’s not the problem…」
「If I leave them to rot, that causes sickness. There aren’t anyone that would make them undead…they are just weak goblins…」
「That’s NOT THE PROBLEM! You want someone to check them out, right? Like Luka…she can tell you more about them.」
She was right about that.
When I did check them, there was nothing special. Seeing them and how they fought, they were…just goblins.
There was nothing they used or any special attributes that made me feel anything peculiar.
But it was important to make absolutely sure that there was nothing behind their appearance and movement here.
Even though I couldn’t see anything strange didn’t mean that Luka couldn’t find a clue among the bodies.
「You’re absolutely right, Vi-Vi. Let’s take a few that remain back.」
I put some goblin bodies in my magic bag.
I know that it was dirty business, but the magic bag wouldn’t interfere with any clue they might have had on them.
After packing them in, Vi-Vi said.
「Let’s take them to the place that you fought the earth dragon.」
「That place was strange.」
「Yup!」
Femm ran along with me and Moofy had no trouble keeping up.
As we came to the end of the territory, we encountered several other magical creatures.
By the time we reached the limit of the territory, we had killed eight goblins and 16 magic mice.
「There’s quite a few.」
「Kweeen.」
Femm was clearly disheartened.
It wasn’t that Femm had done wrong, but Femm was still responsible for its territory.
As we made our way along, we came to the place we fought the earth dragon.
「Is this it?」
「Yeah, Femm, do you sense anything?」
『I do. There are many magic beasts around.』
But there was no sense of any coming to attack. It was normal for them to be cautious.
「You said that a group came at you when Moofy peed?」
「Yeah, Moofy’s urine has concentrated magic, but other than that, it’s just urine.」
「Hmmm.」
「Moo?」
Vi-Vi looked lost in thought.
Moofy was confused.
「Moofy, can you pee?」
『Pee.』
「Could you, for us?」
『Yes.』
Moofy stood still for a bit. She looked ready to do her business.
「Moofy, you want us to give you some privacy?」
Vi-Vi was about to back off and give Moofy some space, when,
—-PWWWWWIISSSSSHHHHH
Moofy peed.
At the same time, all sound around us silenced. All the bugs and birds’ sounds stopped.
I could feel something coming. Femm was looking around wildly too.
「That was a lot of pee! Good job!」
「Moo!」
Vi-Vi was complimenting Moofy, and Moofy looked happy.
Even thought Vi-Vi and Moofy were relaxed, I could feel hostility growing around us.
There was a huge perception of violence coming at us.
「「「ＧＯＡＡＯＯＯＯＯ！」」」
Some magic beasts were approaching.
Three magic bears. Quite big, but emaciated.
「GRaawWW!」
In an instant, Femm attacked and tore at one’s neck.
Femm didn’t care that I was riding it either. I was almost thrown off.
「Whoaa!」
I grabbed onto Femm’s fur with my left hand and show magic arrows at the other two.
The arrows passed easily through the bears’ heads. Much softer than a dragon’s armor.
Just then, the bear that Femm had wrestled down stopped moving as well.
It was just like a magical wolf leader like Femm to push magical bears this far off its territory.
Even one of them was no opponent for Femm.
I got off of Femm and checked the bear’s bodies.
They were quite thin, but nothing really out of the ordinary.
「I’ll put one of them in my magic bag.」
I placed one of the bears inside my magic bag.
It was the one that was pretty much intact except where Femm had torn its throat out.
The other two had nothing left above the necks. They’re weren’t useful for Luka to check.
As I looked the headless ones over, Vi-Vi said,
「Just bears?」
「I don’t think finding another earth dragon would be usual.」
「You’re right, I guess.」
Then I asked Femm,
「Femm, do you sense anything else around?」
『I do.』
「Hmm.」
It was probably being very cautious, whatever it was.
Here I had killed a earth dragon. It was probably very cautious just for that reason.
「If that’s so, then whatever it is, is quite intelligent.」
「Why do you think so, Al?」
「Well, the only thing that have come into this territory and near the village are magic mice and goblins, right?」
「Yeah.」
「It’s probably because of their low intelligence that they enter the territory.」
「Hm.」
「And beast with high intelligence would stay outside of Femm’s territory after sensing Femm.」
「I think you may be right.」
I patted Femm’s head.
「We might owe a lot to Femm and the other wolves.」
「Ruff?」
「Because of the territory you keep, we only get weak creatures like goblins near the town.」
『That’s just a possibility.』
Femm said, but still wagged its tail happily.
「Well, if whatever it is, is this cautious, it will enter when it feels there is an opening.」
「That’s not good, Al!」
「Right? That’s why we should attack it.」
『Leave that to me!』
「Moo!」
We were about to attack whatever beasts were hanging around and waiting.