"Return before nightfall, everyone..." Professor Rudelle gave us instructions and warnings about alien sightings.
Human territory is now under observation alert. Since the attacks on human towns and cities—and the discovery of holes in the ground connecting to a network of artificial caverns—the Royal Castle has ordered that any sighting of invasive insects must be eliminated, followed by a thorough search to locate their dens and caves.
So Professor Rudelle must return to report the sighting and elimination of a group of alien Dune Runners and Roaches.
After giving one last look—and glancing at Xuexue beneath —Professor Rudelle turned and quickly left, leaving behind a faint residual image.
"Well, now that our supervising professor is gone, let’s go with Xuexue!" I patted Xuexue’s fur gently beneath .
I’m now sitting astride Xuexue. Though every man’s dream is to be a Dragon Knight, riding a big and huge cat isn’t bad at all~.
"Wait, Vremya—is this safe?" Xifia asked, worried.
"Don’t be afraid. Xuexue is a good girl and won’t hurt anyone~"
"RAAW~"
Xuexue responded softly.
"I want to ride Xuexue too! Yoo..." Magen said, her voice tinged with both excitent and disappointnt.
Unlike Magen—who stood close to and Xuexue—and Destan, who seed unafraid, everyone else kept a prudent distance.
Not so close that they couldn’t react if Xuexue attacked, but not so far that they couldn’t protect if sothing happened.
Of course, their worries are unfounded. But since Xuexue is a wild animal, I understand their caution. In my past life, I wouldn’t have approached a tiger or lion—let alone ridden one.
Always rember: wild animals are not pets!!!
"Don’t worry. Xuexue knows these mountains well and can help us find the ancient ruins."
Xuexue walked in a slightly different direction from the cave. Although I thought it was a detour because she was in a mountain with wild paths, I soon understood why she was coming this way.
"Raw, raaw." Xuexue growled and nudged what looked like a deer with her paw.
"It’s contaminated..."
"That’s Xuexue’s dinner?"
"..."
Magen isn’t entirely wrong. It seems Xuexue was ambushed right after a successful hunt.
The antelope’s body had darkened patches—infected by the dark purple alien fungus.
Dianeira examined it, then pulled out another purifying potion and sprinkled it over the deer - antelope or whatever’s corpse.
The contamination from the alien parasite is extrely dangerous for natural ecosystems. It not only makes life impossible, but transforms them into a living death zone.
According to textbooks and school lessons, this fungus, when it contaminates a creature or its corpse, brings it back to life as an undead being. Like in zombie movies.
For so unknown reason, the parasite doesn’t resurrect fallen aliens—but it can reanimate beings from this world: humans, elves, beastn, wild animals, magical creatures, and even flora—from great trees to simple weeds.
I’ve never seen such a zombie myself, and it seems they no longer exist today. But I rembering the bandit group we faced during our first Quest makes think those n found a way to use that infection to their advantage to gain power.
I suppose that in a world of magic and swords for the zombie apocalypse to appear is very difficult.
whatever
"Don’t worry, Xuexue—I brought food..." I took out of my backpack a raw beef leg (an ingredient prepared for camping in the wild when there is no need to hunt) and fed it to Xuexue.
"Raw~" Xuexue rumbled happily, took the leg in her jaws, and resud walking—this ti toward her den.
"Vremya.... You. Ugh." Dianeira and Xifia sighed in unison.
After a few minutes, we reached the side of a mountain wall.
Though it looked dangerous, Xuexue moved nimbly and guided us to her cave entrance.
"mw~"
"ew~"
"ww~"
The mont Xuexue entered the cave, the three little white kittens ca out from the back of the dark cave and showed themselves in the light.
Three small white kittens with black spots appeared in front of us all, and Xuexue happily approached the three kittens, who rubbed against their mother’s paws and owed like little kittens.
Xuexue purred happily and dropped the beef leg. The kittens, slling the at, imdiately pounced on it and began eating, growling and play-fighting over bites.
"Woaaa! There are three little Xuexues! YOO~" Magen exclaid in surprise.
"Three Vorshaan Nivalis Ciira cubs? Impossible!
It’s known that a Vorshaan only bears one cub per pregnancy..." Dianeira covered her mouth but couldn’t hide her shock.
"A single Vorshaan Nivalis Ciira can cost one red crystal coin," Xifia added.
When Xifia said that, Dianeira and I both turned to stare at her.
"They’re not for sale!"
"RAWWR!"
"No! That’s not what I ant.... Vremya... I...." Xifia started shaking her head and waving her hands with her palms outstretched towards .
Of course, I know she’s doesn’t have the intentions of a hunter—but apart, I’m surprised one of these animals is worth a red crystal coin.
Are Vorshaan really that valuable?
I’d already dismounted Xuexue and crouched down.
"They’re so cute~" I said, picking up one kitten.
"MW!!" The kitten squird and gave a soft, adorable growl.
"Okay, okay, sorry. Go ahead and eat, jeje~" I set the kitten down, and it ignored , diving back into the at.
"They eat raw at?" Magen crouched beside .
"Well, they’re wild animals—they’re not going to cook their food, right?" Xifia knelt on my other side, her face still flushed, acting unusually shy.
I find it curious that today Xifia has lost a lot of her calm nature, especially when whenever she fights with Magen she never loses.
Slowly, I took Xifia’s nearby hand and gently squeezed it twice, scratching her palm with my index finger.
Xifia was shocked and her body froze, but then she cald down and relaxed.
I’m not great at cheering people up, but this should be enough... right?
"RAW!" Xuexue growled and lay down on the floor of the cave and narrowed her eyes while still looking at her three little cubs. It seems that Xuexue has also relaxed and trusts us to be inside her cave and close to her little ones.
Although I say small, they are actually the size of a dium dog. Only by picking one up could I feel its weight. If I pick him up and hug him I can estimate that they are easily the size of my torso.
They are close to the size of the tip of my middle finger on my hand to my elbow from the floor to the shoulder and from the nose to the tip of the tail they may asure more than fifty or sixty centiters, double what they are from the floor to the shoulder.
And I could feel that its weight was around 30 kilograms! They are Vorshaan puppies but they are already the size of dium-heavy dogs!!
The three little ones feasted on the beef leg, their big paws with tiny claws trying to tear the at, their milk teeth chewing and cutting small bites.
"They’re so cute~ . . ."
"They seem to be only a month old—they already have milk teeth and are eating at. That’s why the mother Vorshaan went hunting to feed them. A week ago, she wouldn’t have left—they’d still be nursing."
"They’re so small, yet so big...
Mm!~ I’ve decided!"
"Vremya, don’t you dare na them...."
"You’ll be Xueling, you Xueyue, and you Xuebing~"
"...Nas..."
"What were you saying, Dianeira?" I turned to my favorite archer-explorer, who glared at with pouting lips.
"Vremya... you’re not thinking of taking them, are you?"
That’s exactly what I’m thinking! But I can’t say it out loud. Instead, I squeezed Xifia’s hand again—sending her a silent ssage.
"I’m not a hunter—I won’t take them to sell... But it’s dangerous here! Didn’t you see that a group of otherworldly insects ca to capture them? We can’t leave them here..."
"But Vremya, it’s too risky! And I doubt the city will let you enter with four wild Vorshaan. Hunters will try to steal them!"
"Hmph! Who do you think I am? Who in this city would dare stop the son of House Corinth from entering with four harmless little kittens?"
"Harmless?" x5
Five pairs of eyes turned to Xuexue, who rested before us.
*Fwooom ~ Fwooom ~ . . .* Xuexue breathed calmly, her half-closed eyes reflecting blue. Her large, furry white tail swung to the side of her head, tapping softly on the cave floor.
"But it will be very dangerous, the hunters will..."
"HM! Let them dare attack the son of House Corinth!!"
I Spoke with a firm and brave voice, full of power and arrogance! While lifting Xuebing up.
"ew! ew!!" Xuebing protested, annoyed I’d interrupted his al.
"hehehe~"
Dianeira comnted that a Vorshaan only has one cub per litter, although I don’t know if the word litter can be used here. But with three cubs, they are a litter, right?
Maybe, like humans, sotis a mother gives birth to twins, triplets... or even more.
User Comments
0 comments from readers