Chapter 52

“Ugh, my back hurts, and so do my legs… My whole body feels like it’s been smashed to pieces….”

“heh…”

“…Kana, what was that laugh just now? You weren’t mocking me, were you? No way! Our sweet Kana would never do that.”

“I was mocking you.”

“Isn’t that a little too blunt?!”

Why shouldn’t I be blunt?

They say a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years, but I’m not a gentleman. My revenge came much faster.

Of course, this much wasn’t enough to completely satisfy me, but seeing Joanie’s miserable face did lift my spirits a bit.

When we first set out, Joanie’s expression wasn’t like that at all.

It had been cloudy for days, but on the day we departed, the weather suddenly cleared up as if by magic. Her face had been just as bright.

But as time went on, clouds gathered, and in the end, she ended up like this.

“I didn’t know riding a horse would be this hard…”

Joanie grumbled as she dismounted with as much struggle as when she first got on.

“If I become as strong as you, Kana, will I be able to ride effortlessly too?”

If mastering horseback riding required reaching the pinnacle of martial arts, then you’d probably have to be a dragon or unicorn transformed into a horse.

Even kids much younger than her ride just fine, so I don’t think it’s a matter of skill.

“Like me, huh?”

“…Never mind.”

Moreover, the apostles possess abnormally good physical abilities compared to their level.

Even if they took a few hits from an orc’s club, they’d probably be fine. No way a little horseback riding would wear them out.

Conclusion: Joanie’s suffering because she’s weak.

Clap, clap, clap.

“…Isn’t your conclusion a bit off?”

“Weak is weak.”

“Kana, you’re starting to sound like a brat…”

Ignoring Joanie’s mumbling in Arkish, I continued.

“Of course it hurts when you’re that tense while riding.”

Being tense means your body’s holding on to a lot of unnecessary energy.

Spending several hours with your muscles strained like that? No wonder her body’s screaming in pain.

While tension can act as a lubricant that helps you respond quickly in certain situations, too much of it means nothing will go well.

“…If you knew that, you could’ve told me sooner.”

“Joanie.”

“Yeah?”

“Some lessons are best learned through experience.”

It’s more effective to experience it firsthand rather than listening to advice a hundred times over.

I’ve turned countless recruits into functional people, so trust me on this.

And whenever I say something like this—

“…I would’ve listened if you just told me!”

“Yeah, I don’t believe that.”

—that’s usually the response I get.

I’ve heard it so many times that it doesn’t even surprise me anymore.

At first, I took it seriously and tried to explain things, but all it did was confirm that I wasn’t wrong.

“Tension, huh? …Ow, ow! Let’s rest a bit first. I’m too sore to do anything right now….”

Joanie tried to mount her horse again, but ended up giving up due to muscle pain.

Munching on some jerky, I shook my head as I watched her struggle.

She’s really trying her best.

***

After dismounting and taking a short break—

“Huh?”

Joanie widened her eyes as if she’d discovered something.

“A herd of water buffalo?”

“They’re ‘Rain Buffaloes,’ a type of monster.”

“Monster? They look just like regular cows.”

“There’s not much difference.”

A herd of what looked like dozens of Rain Buffaloes passed in the direction Joanie was looking.

“Rain Buffaloes taste good.”

“…Do you judge monsters based on how they taste, Kana?”

“?”

“…Sorry. That was a bit harsh, wasn’t it?”

“Then what else is there to judge them on besides taste?”

“Ah, so that’s where the problem is.”

Joanie nodded as if she’d come to a realization.

“I guess for someone as skilled as you, no monster would really pose a threat, huh?”

“That’s not true.”

She’s overestimating me.

No matter how skilled I am, there’s no way I could slice through every monster like they’re steaks.

There are countless formidable creatures—Leviathan, Kraken, Peridis, and so on. And even dragons are technically classified as monsters.

“Wait, a dragon is considered a monster? Never mind that. Leviathan, Kraken, Peri… what was it?”

“Peridis.”

“Right, Peridis. I don’t know how strong those creatures are, but they must be pretty tough for you to mention them. Just from their names, they don’t sound like your average monsters.”

“True.”

If those kinds of creatures roamed around casually, Ardina Continent would have turned into a monster paradise by now.

I’ve only ever read about them in stories or books, so I don’t know their exact strength, but from the descriptions alone, they didn’t sound weak at all.

“But they’re seriously delicious.”

Unlike orc meat, Rain Buffalo is a premium ingredient that almost everyone enjoys.

It’s so good that there’s a saying: “You might have it once, but you’ll never have it twice.”

“…Huh? Isn’t it ‘You might not have it once, but if you do, you’ll never have it just once’?”

“Rain Buffalo meat is expensive.”

You might get a chance to taste it once, but buying it a second time? It’s too expensive.

Most people just reminisce about the taste while sucking on their fingers.

Well, considering most people have never even had it once, it’s more like an expression to emphasize how delicious it is.

If that doesn’t give you a clear idea, just think of it as the kind of meat served on the tables of royalty.

M “And their milk is really good, too.”

“Uh-huh. Milk’s important.”

“….”

“…I didn’t say anything!”

“Yes, you did.”

“I wasn’t teasing you, Kana! I was just saying it’s important!”

Yeah, right.

Anyway, the meat, milk, leather, and horns—all parts of the Rain Buffalo are used without waste.

If it were possible to domesticate them, that would’ve been great, but unfortunately, it’s not, which is a real shame.

“Huh? Why not? They don’t look that aggressive…”

“They’re monsters.”

Most people who thought like Joanie and tried either ended up with one of two outcomes:

They either got skewered by a Rain Buffalo’s horns and went to Edel’s side, or they failed spectacularly and lost everything and… went to Edel’s side.

There’s a reason why Rain Buffaloes are classified as monsters. Normally, they look docile like this, but when it rains, they get much stronger and turn extremely violent.

They go on a rampage and try to destroy everything they see, so you can’t keep them confined, and they’re too strong to control.

“Then why not raise them in a region where it doesn’t rain much?”

“Just because it doesn’t rain often doesn’t mean it’ll never rain.”

And trying to raise them in those areas brings about another problem.

“Rain Buffaloes die if they don’t get rained on.”

So they become violent when it rains, but die if it doesn’t? What a contradictory creature.

“Can’t you just spray them with water?”

“Doesn’t work.”

These guys only respond to water that falls from the sky as rain.

I don’t know the exact reason, but since when did monsters have logical reasons for their behavior?

“…Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m kind of curious. What do they taste like?”

“If you’re curious, why don’t you try it?”

“…What?”

“What are you doing?”

Why isn’t she moving?

I stared at her, and Joanie broke into a nervous sweat.

“…You’re not saying I should go catch one of those, are you?”

“You said you were curious.”

“Just because I’m curious doesn’t mean I have to satisfy that curiosity, right?! Eek!”

“Stop talking.”

Mid-sentence, I gave Joanie a push, and she tumbled down the field. The peaceful herd of Rain Buffaloes perked up their ears, noticing her presence.

“U-Um… If I attack one, will the others charge at me?”

“Of course.”

“So you’re saying dozens of them will come at me all at once?”

“Yup.”

“…Why are you doing this to me?! What did I do?!”

I shrugged.

No idea what she’s talking about.

“They’re seriously delicious.”

“I’m not eating them! I mean, I can’t eat them!”

Joanie shrieked and backed away hurriedly.

Seeing her retreat, the Rain Buffaloes lost interest and went back to grazing.

“Hmph.”

Is it really that hard?

I walked forward, leaving Joanie behind.

The Rain Buffaloes lifted their heads as I approached the spot where Joanie had rolled, but upon seeing me, they immediately returned to grazing.

…That’s a little annoying.

The monsters and beasts are said to be sensitive to their surroundings, but was that just a rumor, or are these creatures particularly insensitive? Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Their indifferent reaction to me compared to how they responded to Joanie was quite irritating.

As I approached a little closer, the buffalo finally turned to look at me warily.

Even if they had tried to run, I would have chased them, but to stand their ground even when I’m this close?

They’re clearly thinking that they can handle any threat I might pose.

“Arrogant, aren’t you?”

Crack!

With a light swing of my hand, I brought it down on the head of the one standing at the front.

The motion itself was effortless, but the result was anything but—

With a dull thud, the skull of the buffalo caved in, and it collapsed to the ground.

“Mooaaaahhh—!”

The other buffaloes’ demeanor changed instantly upon witnessing their comrade’s misfortune.

Gone was their leisurely grazing. Now, they pawed at the ground and snorted angrily, looking as if they might charge at any moment.

“Planning to fight?”

I grabbed the horn of the buffalo lying on the ground and lifted it.

Its limp body rose into the air, following the motion of my hand.

“Mooaahhh—!”

“Really?”

“…Moooaah…”

Their cries suddenly weakened, and the herd faltered.

Even a low-intelligence monster could sense when something was off.

It took them losing one member to realize it, but isn’t that better than the whole herd being annihilated?

The buffaloes started looking around nervously at each other.

If they were human, they’d probably be saying, “You go first,” or “You’re closer.”

Their eyes darted around in a frantic exchange until they finally reached a consensus.

Their gazes, which had been shaky and uncertain, solidified.

Having made up their minds—

“Moooo.”

They began to ignore the limp body of their fallen comrade, going back to munching on the grass as if nothing had happened.

Satisfied, I nodded and started dragging the carcass back to where Joanie was.

“Moooorrr—”

“Moooorrr—!”

One buffalo’s cry started a chain reaction, and soon, the chorus of the Rain Buffaloes’ cries echoed throughout the plains.

They sounded like they were lamenting the fact that they couldn’t avenge their comrade.

Their cries seemed full of sorrow and regret.

“Be quiet.”

I don’t care if they’re sad or not—it’s noisy.

“Or come at me now if you’re that upset.”

“….”

The cacophony of cries vanished from the plains as if it had never been there.

For creatures without the courage to retaliate, they sure were noisy.

“Kana…”

When I arrived, dragging the Rain Buffalo carcass behind me, Joanie looked down at me with a complicated expression.

“I don’t know if I should say this…”

“…?”

“Uh… No, never mind.”

She hesitated, then swallowed her words, leaving me hanging.

“What?”

“You might get hurt if I say it.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Really?”

I nodded.

I’ve heard all kinds of insults before. I’m used to it, so it doesn’t bother me at all.

Besides—

“If I get hurt, I’ll just hurt them back.”

My eloquence isn’t great, so I usually respond to verbal wounds with physical ones.

I’ve always matched them in the field I’m confident in, so they wouldn’t have had any complaints.

Joanie shivered and let out a shriek after hearing what I said.

“…That’s terrifying!”

In the end, Joanie never told me what she was originally going to say.

…So what was it she wanted to say?