Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Within that tense atmosphere, its figure appeared .
[——-Panppyyiiii———]
“Kyurruuuu”, it cried out .
“That thing” that came out of the egg—-
[…………A- A horse?]
It looks like a horse .
Aren’t small horses generally called ponies?
No…
This one is even smaller than the ponies I’ve seen on the internet .
It has a white coat .
Its eyes weren’t golden .
It would be the first thing we need to check and an important factor for us to diminish our vigilance towards it .
Its eyes were dark brown .
Those eyes look like the eyes those mascots have .
Or rather, it kind of looks like the eyes of a stuffed toy…
But except for its eyes, the rest of its body resembles a “horse” .
Even so, I inadvertently placed my hand over my mouth .
Did it really fit inside that egg with the size of its body?
It’s kind of hard to imagine that it was able to fit inside it with its size .
I think that would also be the case even if it were to bend its body .
I mean…
[Eve . ]
[Umu . ]
[I don’t know how to explain this, but I feel like the size of this one looked larger after its egg hatched . ]
[Fumu, so you also thought the same thing huh . Yeah… I also felt like it got a bit larger after it was hatched . ]
Eve also held the same thoughts huh .
If that’s so, I’m not just seeing things .
With its trembling legs, this horse-like “being” started trying to maintain its balance .
After a moment, it looks like its balance is gradually becoming steadier .
[In the first place, horses weren’t creatures that hatches from eggs, right?]
[That’s indeed as far as I know . ]
Eve is in the same opinion as me .
The way the horses were given birth were the same in this world .
However, this foal was born from an egg .
I enquired Seras .
[Does this mean this is some kind of monster?]
[In terms of categorizing it, that should be the case . ]
[Do you have some knowledge about the details of this monster?]
[I indeed know some monsters that were within the lineage of horses but…]
[Based on your reaction, a monster within your knowledge that matches this foal—]
[Yes, it’s not anywhere within my knowledge . No, it’s possible that it may evolve when it grows up into a horse-like monster that I know of but…]
A dark reddish ominous egg .
Based on its color, I can’t imagine anything adorable coming out of it .
How should I say this?
It kind of mismatched with my initial impression of it .
The foal stared at me .
Pure round eyes .
I checked on Pigimaru who is inside my robe .
[Punyuu~]
He doesn’t show any hostility towards it .
It looks like he’s leaving the judgement to me .
Certainly, the foal is not showing any hostility .
Obviously, it also wasn’t emitting any killing intent .
I could say that with certainty .
No, rather than that—
[Panpyyiii? Kyyyuuuunnn…]
The foal stepped towards me .
Looking like it’s trying to convey its intention, Seras raises her guard .
[Touka-dono…]
[It’s alright, this guy isn’t hostile at all… and also, I’d like to observe it a bit more . Only take action when you’re sure that it’s dangerous . ]
After stepping closer towards me, the foal stopped .
Extending out its neck, the foal sniffed at me .
Sniff sniff, sniff
[……………… . . ]
Is it checking my scent?
The foal looked up towards me .
[Pakkyyuuurrruuunnnn~♪]
Its eyes sparkled brightly .
And for some reason, the eyes of Liz who was watching from the side also sparkled .
[Horsey-chan…]
Did she finally understand the feeling of moeness?
After that, the foal got close to my feet .
It then rubbed itself on my leg .
[Kyyuuuiiinnn… Kyuuuuiiii~♪]
Did a horse’s neigh sound like this?
I’m not really familiar with how the neigh of a foal sounds…
Eve began pondering .
[If we had that horse with us along inside the Demon Zone, we may get distracted because it may get agitated from nervousness . Therefore, I would suggest leaving behind the horse but—]
Eve looked at me like she’s waiting for my reply .
[What are we going to do with it, Touka?]
[… . . I’m kind of bothered . ]
[Mhmm? What do you mean?]
[At that time that we discovered the egg, it was completely wrapped by a mysterious cloth . It would be difficult for us to say that egg is ordinary based on the color and hardness of the egg . That also includes the way it was born . ]
There must be something special about it .
It’s not just a horse .
I gently stroked the foal’s cheek .
[Pakkyyyuuu~♪]
Afterward, Eve also extended her hand towards the foal .
[Well then, I will also be examining how it feels—]
[Pakyyuunnn… Brrrrrrr… . ]
The foal pulled away from her .
Its buttocks were raised while its head was lowered to the ground .
It looks like it’s on guard towards Eve .
However, it hasn’t shown any hostility towards her .
If anything, it would be more appropriate to say that it was scared .
Or perhaps, it’s a shy horse .
However, even I haven’t spent a long time with this foal after it was born .
Is it that thing called imprinting?
That stuff where an animal or person recognizes the first one it sees as its parent…
I have only heard that this only occurs with chicks though .
[Mu… . Mhmm? It seems that it’s more alert towards others compared towards you . Did it find my leopard face intimidating?]
[I don’t really know why, however it should be able to get used to it over time . ]
I walk behind the foal .
While still petting the foal, I move my hands to its back and sides .
My hand slides along its coat .
A comfortable feeling filled on the palm of my hand .
It feels fluffy and smooth .
[Hmm?]
There’s something behind the foal’s neck…
It’s a transparent semi-circular orb .
It seems like the other half is buried in its neck .
……………… .
I feel like I have an idea what it really is but…
I should first confirm it with the well-informed elf .
[Seras, do you have some knowledge about this transparent half-orb?]
Seras sneaked closer and looked like she’s trying to probe something .
I suppose she’s trying to make sure that she wouldn’t surprise the foal .
[Pakkyyuuunn?]
Hmm?
It isn’t as cautious towards Seras compared with Eve?
Seras has always been near the egg ever since we’ve discovered it .
Is it related to the length of time that you’re around when it was still in the egg?
[…… . . Excuse me . ]
With her hands behind her waist, Seras tilted her upper body forward .
Looking a bit closer, she began observing the hemisphere .
[This could possibly be an organ that absorbs magic energy…]
[An organ that absorbs magic energy?]
[There were some monsters that had an organ that functions like that . You could often see this feature in magical beasts and familiars but… monsters with these organs could easily take in large amounts of magic energy into their body instantly . ]
So, it’s like a server that won’t crash down even when a large amount of data was sent into it instantly?
[As expected of you . I could really depend on your vast amount of knowledge . ]
Putting her hands over her chest, Seras long eyelashes lowered .
[I’m very honored that you’re counting on me . ]
[I will keep on counting on you . ]
[Yes . ]
Now then… An organ that absorbs magic energy huh .
Immediately after hatching, the size of the foal increased .
Did the foal absorb the magic energy around the area and became bigger?
Before its egg hatched, it was at a size that would fit in that egg .
And after it hatched, it absorbed the surrounding magic energy and grew larger .
[………………]
Based on the above information, there’s one thing I want to try out .
[Aside from Pigimaru, could all of you step away from me and this guy? And Eve, please watch out for the surroundings . ]
Upon hearing my instructions, Eve asked a question .
[What are you going to do, Touka?]
[I’m going to pour magic energy into this guy . ]
Eve looks confused .
[Your magic energy?]
I told them about my hypothesis .
[Fumu… A monster that changed after absorbing magic element huh . Certainly, that could explain why its body suddenly grew right after it was born . ]
I placed my hands on the half-orb .
Turning around, the foal looked up towards me .
[Pakyunn?]
[Do you dislike it?]
[Pakkyyyuuunnn♪]
It doesn’t look like a reaction of denial or hate .
On the contrary, it looks like an affirmation .
I wonder if it’s because I have always liked animals…
Or because of my experience back in the Disposal Ruins…
Perhaps, both of them were the reason…
I feel like I somehow understood the intentions of this monster .
[Status Open . ]
I displayed my remaining MP .
This status display is useful to grasp the amount of MP I’ve injected .
[Now then . ]
Within a certain amount of MP, I wonder what would happen .
Injecting magic energy— start .
The orb began steadily absorbing my magic energy .
The color of the orb then started changing to black .
The gem in my leather bag .
The gem on the door in the Disposal Ruins .
It seems to be almost the same principle as those two .
The color began filling up the orb just like a gauge .
And then, the orb completely turned black .
[Pakkyyyyuuuuuuu!]
Is it better to call it a dark light?
Darkness gushed out and wrapped around the foal .
The silhouette of its body began changing .
I could hear Eve mutter .
[That is—]
[Bururururururu…… . ]
A black horse .
Its appearance had turned into a typical “horse” that I had imagined .
The mascot-like loveliness it had before has diminished .
I think its physique is about the same as the horse we used to arrive in front of the Demon Zone .
For some reason, its neigh sounds imposing .
Well, it still had its cute round eyes though .
[Pinyyuuu~]
Pigimaru looked astonished and interested at the changes of its body .
[Horsey-chan, amazing…]
Liz also had the same reaction .
Seras has her hand on her small chin and is looking at the foal with interest .
[I see, so that’s what it turned to…]
A horse huh…
With the way it looks now, I may be able to leave my luggage to it .
However, as expected, I still had some concerns .
Would it be frightened after we encountered a monster in the Demon Zone?
We need to make this clear first .
I took a glance at my status display .
[It needs 1000 MP to transform huh . ]
I held out my hand towards the cheek of the black horse .
[Pakkyyyuuuu~♪]
The black horse rubbed its cheek on my hand .
Good .
It seems that it still properly recognizes “me” .
It still had its consciousness even when it transformed .
It hasn’t lost its sanity .
It also doesn’t seem to be bewildered with its transformation .
[Bururururururu~]
[Hmm?]
Is it trying to appeal towards me?
…Its back?
Ah— Is it appealing for its orb?
However, it’s already fully dyed black .
[… . Wait . Perhaps, you mean—]
[Paakkyyyuuunnn~]
The black horse pose looks like it’s bending down .
Perhaps, this is—
It lowered its height to make it easier .
[In short—-]
I ask the black horse for confirmation .
[You want me to pour some more magic energy to you?]
[Pakyurrriii . ]
The black horse deeply nodded— or so how it looks to me .
Did it understand my words just now?
[… . Alright . ]
For the time being…
If this guy still has some kind of hidden power, I want to check it while we still could afford to do it .
Depending on the result, the strength of our group may increase .
Well, I can’t disregard the possibility that it just liked the feeling of being injected with magic energy and that’s why it appealed to me…
I placed my hand over the orb again .
[I’m starting . ]
I began injecting my magic energy .
I feel like the color of the orb began changing again .
A faint red spider web began to appear on the surface of the orb .
The pattern of the red light kind of resembles the artery .
[… . It still needs some more huh . ]
I checked my status .
My MP is steadily decreasing .
The MP consumption of the transformation earlier was 1000 .
However, I’ve already poured around 5000 MP this time .
I still haven’t seen any changes on the black horse .
As expected, I would like to avoid the situation where I would need to use half of my MP…
[——————-]
Just when I’ve poured 10000 MP, a change finally appeared .
Just like a deep crimson lightning…
The black horse suddenly raises its body and a red lightning struck and the surroundings burst out .
In the next moment—
The body of the black horse was wrapped around by a red and black light .
The two different colors of lights began converging…
[Barururururururu… . Bururururururururu…]
The light began dispersing and its appearance finally appeared .
Its loveliness has completely disappeared .
A red-eyed black horse with a large body appeared in front of me .
Its body had become larger than its previous size .
It had two demonic horns on its head now that wouldn’t normally exist on a horse .
Its blood vessels were vigorously popping out of its tough body .
I couldn’t see the appearance of a foal that had just been born .
Its jet-black mane swayed with the wind .
The thing that caught my eyes the most is certainly its legs that were treading on the ground .
It has 8 strong legs .
It’s an eight-legged black horse .
The black horse has sharp, piercing eyes .
However, I could certainly see reason within them .
It hasn’t turned mad .
Rather, it could be said that there’s a light dwelling in its eyes as it stared at me as his “lord” .
There was loyalty shrouded on those eyes .
Magical Beast .
A divine majesty .
An ominous majesty .
[Ah, I see . ]
I understood now why I strangely find it quite fitting for us .
Its color kind of resembles a fly .
[So that’s why…]
My mouth—-
[So, this is your true form huh . This guy is—]
—couldn’t help but distort from the joy I’m feeling .
[I never expected that an amusing comrade would join us somewhere I never expected . ]