[Author’s Note] If you enjoyed reading, please press the recommend button at the top of your mobile screen! With just a 2-second gesture, you can gift a happy day to a writer. @[emailprotected] Chapter 113
38. Magical Beasts and the Black Brotherhood 112 – Magical Beasts and the Brotherhood #1
Batus loaded his goods onto a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses. It seemed he was quite busy moving his hands, determined to set off to the Royal Capital before the afternoon.
Sir Shuleiman, the elderly gentleman with the strange telescope who had first spoken to Batus at the branch, helped him with the preparations and said softly, “I’ve only gathered the fastest horses from the east. Still, it will take about a week to reach the Royal Capital.”
In response to Sir Shuleiman’s words, Batus tightened the load in the carriage with some twine and replied, “That’s longer than I thought.”
“They say the road heading to the central region is under construction due to being washed away by mud. Because we’ll have to take a detour, it might take a bit longer than a week.”
“Washed away by mud…? What happened? Was there a landslide?”
“They’re still figuring out what happened, but they suspect it was the work of the Black Brotherhood. They think of the roads as the devil’s veins, you see.”
“Well, that’s just how barbarians think. Anyway, if the journey takes longer, I’d better take someone who can watch over these creatures. They may growl like beasts, but this one’s a refined lady!”
At the tip of Batus’s thumb was Leaf, sitting in the corner of the carriage and looking curiously out the window.
━ It’s a little house! It even has windows!
Leaf seemed to be thinking that what she was riding in was about as magnificent as a wheel-mounted studio.
Seeing Leaf’s excitement, Sir Shuleiman carefully asked, “Shall I send one of my maids to accompany you?”
“No, I can’t trouble you that much, old man. I think it’s better to take one of the hunters who used to look after this little lady… Ah, Vitali. You said your family is from the Royal Capital, right?”
At being called out by Batus, Vitali flinched slightly.
“Eh? What? What did you say?”
“I asked if your family is from Royal Capital Jerusalem. By the way, is something wrong? Your face is red.”
“Ah, no. I’m fine. But why is my family…?”
“Vitali, I would like you to accompany us to the Royal Capital. It seems like it’ll be a longer trip than expected, and we need a woman to take care of this lady. It would be better if it were someone of the same gender, don’t you think?”
“Ah…”
“Maybe take this opportunity to get some time off and relax at your family’s place in the Royal Capital for a few months. I heard from Nidali that you’ve not been in great shape lately. With everything that’s been happening, you must be busy and exhausted, huh?”
“Ah, yes. It’s not just that… Haha.”
Vitali awkwardly laughed, scratching her head. Her blue eyes swayed left and right to the rhythm of my swishing tail.
When I swung my tail a bit faster, Vitali’s eyes also shook rhythmically faster left and right.
As befits a carriage pulled by two horses, the interior was surprisingly spacious and comfortable.
Aside from Shuleiman seated at the driver’s seat, it was me, Batus, Leaf, and Vitali sitting across from one another.
━ Wow, there’s so much grass! There’s only one big tree…!
Leaf exclaimed brightly while gazing out the window.
For Leaf, who had lived in a jungle-like forest for over a decade, the fields of ripening crops seemed like a wonder.
At first, I was also captivated, staring curiously out of the carriage, but as the unchanging scenery continued, fatigue began to set in. I thought it might be nice to close my eyes and catch up on some sleep.
Just then, someone grabbed hold of my tail and shook it. I peeked out, thinking it might be Leaf wanting to talk again, but it was actually Vitali sitting right in front of me.
Vitali was holding the tip of my tail and petting it, quietly speaking to Batus. “What a well-behaved beast. The puppy I used to keep would make a fuss and wouldn’t sit still in the carriage.”
Vitali’s touch was more than just a pet; it had an oddly intimate feel to it.
Her slender fingers delved into my fur, caressing the sensitive tip of my tail. I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but I clearly sensed some suspicious intent behind it.
So, I quietly pulled my tail out of her grasp and tucked it under my belly.
Batus spoke up towards Vitali. “It seems your puppy had a rough time when you took it to those less than savory places, huh?”
“Yes. There was a time I had to rush it to the vet because of a severe injury from playing around. So it probably thought every time it got on a carriage, it was headed for the vet.”
“Even silent animals have thoughts, after all. Beasts are smarter than humans often realize. Magical beasts from the Ancient Nest have plenty that can pull the wool over human eyes.”
“Speaking of the Ancient Nest… these little ones were brought from there, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. They were a pain to get here.”
“Hmmm, I don’t know about the girl, but are you planning to sell this white-furred alpha to nobles?”
“Sell?”
At Batus’s question, Vitali nodded quietly.
“Yeah, it’s cute and docile enough that it wouldn’t be out of place as a pet. There are plenty of nobles who want to keep magical beasts from the Ancient Nest.”
“Are we talking about your family? I heard your father, Gideon the Baronet, buys and collects beasts from the Western Desert.”
“Yes, he says it’s fun to tame beasts from the Ancient Nest.”
At Vitali’s answer, Batus snorted with amusement. “A noble hobby befitting the high nobility of the Royal Capital.”
“I thought my father was just a weirdo, but seeing this little guy, I think it might be more than that. If he could get something this cute and well-behaved, I’d want to buy it too.”
Vitali came over and stroked my head.
I pretended to be asleep while sneakily burying my face in my tail.
Given what happened last night, Vitali’s attention felt a bit uncomfortable.
Batus chuckled. “You’re saying that because you don’t know how ferocious this one can be. It looks calm, but it’s actually a Gold Grade beast.”
“G-Gold Grade?!”
Vitali turned pale as if she couldn’t believe it. I noticed her blue identification tag swinging around her neck.
‘Now you understand how terrifying a beast I am, don’t you?’
As I filled with confidence, Vitali leaned closer, her head tilting toward me. “You’re Gold Grade? But you’re only about half my size!”
Vitali grabbed my front paw and started shaking it.
I, who had intended to take a nap, finally could not hold back my annoyance at the continuous interruptions and raised my head.
━ Didn’t you just hear? I’m a scary beast. Stop bothering me like that.
Batus, trying to bring the conversation to a close, said calmly, “Just the other day, this one took down a Giant Scorpion all on its own. You get what I mean, right?”
“That solid giant scorpion? No way… You’re not just making that up, are you?”
“You know I never tell a lie. I just spill out unbelievable truths.”
Batus’s answer seemed to shock Vitali even more, her mouth agape in disbelief.
“Uh, wow. Is that so? Then it must be incredibly valuable. I can’t imagine any noble being able to afford it…”
Soon, her face turned red as she cleared her throat awkwardly.
Batus added a striking comment. “And while magical beasts can be bought and sold, they can never be tamed. That’s just how magical beasts from the Ancient Nest, or the ‘Magical Beasts,’ work. They might wag their tails and accept food from you for the moment, but the first chance they get, they’ll chomp down on a human’s weak neck.”
━ No, I’m not that extreme.
Batus did not respond to my retort. It seemed he wanted to keep the narrative of the beasts and humans not understanding each other intact.
Thanks to Batus’s intimidation, Vitali no longer said anything and merely stared at me.
━ Both sides are all golden fields…!
Only Leaf, gazing out the window, sparkled with excitement.
Time passed, and the next one to speak from inside the carriage was none other than Batus.
“Vitali, your father Gideon said he buys and raises magical beasts, right?”
“Yes. About ten of them… There used to be more, but they ended up eating each other in fights, so now there are ten left.”
“I see. Does your father not care much when they fight and eat each other?”
“He does worry about the money, but it’s unavoidable. As the leader says, magical beasts cannot be tamed. He just accepts it. In fact, it seems like he sometimes enjoys watching the beasts fight…”
“Hmmm, is that so?”
Batus had a look like a brilliant idea had struck him, showing his sharp, fearsome fangs that looked far too sharp for a human.
I shivered at the sight. Just then, Batus continued speaking.
“Vitali, you asked me earlier if I would sell you this one. To answer that, of course, I won’t sell this little guy.”
“…A Gold Grade beast is worth whatever price you call it. Even if sold to the Royal Palace, it wouldn’t be strange. The ten beasts at my place are all Silver Grade ones.”
“I won’t sell it, but I can let you keep it for a few days. I’ll let you set it loose in the garden that your father Gideon takes pride in.”
“R-Really?”
Vitali’s excitement was palpable as she almost shouted her question. I realized that not-so-pleasant talks were being exchanged.
‘Are they trying to send me to Vitali’s house?’
I quickly wracked my brain to figure out what Batus was planning.
Letting me loose in the garden apparently meant he wanted me to pick a fight with the ten Silver Grade beasts that some Baronet was raising.
Vitali gulped, her throat moving conspicuously as she asked Batus, “Um, if you let me take care of the alpha, how long exactly is that ‘few days’?”
“Days… as in precise days…”
Batus looked at me and held out ten fingers.
Then he began to bend them one by one. Finally, after all ten fingers were bent, Batus seemed to think for a moment and said succinctly, “Ten days should be enough. I think it’ll take roughly that long for me to sort out my business at the Royal Capital, so during that time, I hope you can watch over him.”
“But what if the alpha gets hurt in our garden?”
“That won’t happen.” In fact, the opposite should be your concern.
The last words were mumbled in such a way that no one else could hear. Vitali, who had been bright-faced, soon wore a troubled expression.
“However, I’m not sure my father will allow it. The garden is maintained very strictly…”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve heard plenty about Lord Gideon. He’ll be very pleased to have a rare beast brought in. He might boast about it to the neighbors. The stronger the magical beast, the stronger the family’s reputation, after all. Even just keeping it for a few days will be more than welcome.”
“Hmmm, that’s true…”
Just then, the speed of the carriage started to slow down.
Eventually, after the carriage stopped, I heard the loud voice of the elderly gentleman, Sir Shuleiman, from the driver’s seat.
“Batus, we’ve hit a bit of a snag. I think you need to come out to take a look…”
Before the stopped carriage was a giant ravine resembling a massive ditch. The once-long brick bridge across it was in shambles.
Batus approached the broken bridge and examined the bricks.
“This was done intentionally. Looks like it was struck several times with something very heavy.”
Beside Batus, Vitali frowned and asked, “Who would do something like this?”
“I don’t know. Old man, if we want to take a different route, where should we go?”
Batus stood up, brushing off his knees.
The elderly gentleman, Sir Shuleiman, who was cleaning his telescope next to him, seemed to be deep in thought, rolling his eyes.
“If I remember correctly, there’s a village nearby. The road going that way would probably be the fastest.”
“Alright, then let’s head that way.”
Batus, Vitali, and I readied ourselves to climb back into the carriage.
Swoosh.
Just then, something whizzed through the air and struck the carriage.
‘What the heck is this?’
I frowned at the wooden pole lodged in front of my head. As I pulled it out, the sharp metal tip glinted ominously.
‘An arrow?!’
“B-Batus! It seems we’re in serious trouble…”
At Sir Shuleiman’s calm words from the driver’s seat, Batus grimaced deeply as he jumped out of the carriage.
“Vitali, stay put in the carriage with the little one. Old man, you too, get inside and hide.”
As the carriage rattled along, figures wearing black clothes and hoods slowly revealed themselves from the thickets beside the road.
