The realization that the only people in the village who couldn't use magic were me and the beastman boys hit me hard.
"Wait. Are you serious?"
"I am."
In my eyes, the beastman boys were no older than kindergarteners. They were at an age where they hadn't even begun their education, let alone learned magic. Since the other beastman women could use it, the boys would likely gain the ability as they grew older. In effect, that left me as the only one truly lacking.
"Would you like to study?"
"Ugh..."
Lu had already told me flat-out that I had zero talent for magic. She’d said that with about ten years of practice, I might be able to conjure a tiny flame, but...
"Is it really that normal to be able to use magic?" I asked.
"I suppose so. All members of the Angel Race and Vampires can use it," Tia replied.
"High Elves almost all use magic as well," Ria added with a nod. "Life in the forest would be quite difficult without it."
It made sense. Without magic, surviving in this forest would be an uphill battle.
"Among the High Ogre Race, many have a strong affinity for fire and water magic," Ann noted.
"We Lizardmen specialize in water magic," Daga said. "On the other hand, we’re quite poor with fire. I envy the High Ogres for being able to master both."
"Oh, no, we can’t hold a candle to you when it comes to water magic. Sometimes I think it's better to be a master of one craft."
Ann and Daga traded compliments about their respective magical specialties.
Hmm. So being able to use magic really was the baseline here.
"U-Um, I’ve heard that few among the Beastman Race are actually skilled in magic," Sena chimed in.
"Even though all of you can use it?"
"Our previous environment was what it was. If we couldn't use it, we would have been in trouble... or rather, we were trained until we could."
"So, same as the High Elves, then."
They were driven by necessity. ... Well, I still had the Universal Farming Tool. That was basically magic itself. It wasn't good to covet what I didn't have. I just needed to work hard at what I was capable of doing.
A few days later, I saw Kuro and Zabuton using magic. ... The bees were using it, too. ... Slime... you too?
The cows and chickens were my only true friends left. They wouldn't betray me, right? I was counting on them. I was really, really counting on them.
I decided I would study magic little by little whenever I had free time.
Later on, I felt a bit better after hearing that among the Human Race, only about one in ten has the aptitude, and only one in a hundred actually uses it. I felt my own pettiness then, finding relief in looking down at those worse off than me rather than up at those above.
Still, I’d do my best to study magic.
Just before winter, a major disturbance occurred in the forest. A massive roar erupted from a location quite far from the village. It sounded like a gas explosion—or rather, a series of explosions, both large and small, happening in rapid succession. The tremors and noise reached all the way to the village.
Seeing that the others were just as flustered as I was helped me calm down a bit.
"What was that vibration?"
"A Grappler Bear," someone replied.
A Grappler Bear? Since it had "bear" in the name, it was probably a magical beast modeled after one. I’d suspected there were bears around when I first arrived, but I’d completely forgotten about them since I hadn't encountered any. But would a bear really cause that much vibration just by moving?
"It must be fighting."
"Fighting? With what?"
"If a Grappler Bear is fighting seriously enough to cause this much noise, it must be a Bloody Viper. It's almost winter, so they’re likely both trying to secure food before hibernation."
"I see."
A viper—a snake, then. Both bears and snakes had it rough. ... "How big are these Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers?"
"A Grappler Bear is about five to six meters tall," Ria answered. "As for the Bloody Viper, I believe the average is about one meter in diameter and twenty meters in length."
As Ria was speaking, Granmaria returned.
"A Grappler Bear and a Bloody Viper are fighting to the north. What are your orders?"
She was asking me what to do, but...
"Are Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers tasty?"
"Eh? ...I have never eaten them."
After answering, Granmaria looked toward Ria for confirmation.
"I haven't eaten them either, but... considering they’re both trying to eat each other, I imagine they must be edible."
I nodded at Ria's logic.
"I see. They’re edible. In that case, let's hunt them. It would be a problem if they wandered over here and caused damage anyway."
I summoned the Universal Farming Tool and looked toward the commotion. It was far.
"Granmaria. Can you carry me to where they are?"
"It's possible, but... are you going with just me?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"N-No. Understood. I shall serve to the best of my ability."
"Ria, sorry to make you travel on foot, but could you bring a few people along?"
"Understood. We will hurry."
"You don't have to rush. You're just there to help carry the prey back."
"Just to carry the prey?"
"Yeah. We have to bring whatever we hunt back here. I might be able to manage one, but two would be a bit much for me alone."
"...T-That's true."
"Alright then, Granmaria. I’m counting on you."
"Yes!"
Granmaria grabbed me from behind, lifted me into the sky, and we flew toward the site.
The scene looked like a clash between giant monsters, but I ended it quickly by taking both their heads with the Universal Farming Tool. Praise be to the Universal Farming Tool.
"The surrounding forest is a total mess."
"Indeed it is."
"I'll turn it back into forest, then."
Nature was important. Until Ria and the others arrived, I spent my time plowing the scorched ground. I wondered if my plowing speed had increased, too. I finished before the ground team even arrived.
"Alright, I'll haul the bear back first. When Ria and the others get here, please take care of the snake."
"Y-Yes. Understood."
I asked Granmaria to stay behind and keep watch over the snake, then headed back. As for the direction... just as I was starting to get a bit lost, Kudel, Kuro, and the others arrived. I left Kudel with Granmaria and let Kuro’s pack lead the way.
"Kudel," Granmaria asked while watching the village head leave. "Were Grappler Bears and Bloody Vipers supposed to be monsters that could be defeated so easily?"
"In my memory? No."
"I thought so."
"Did he really defeat them that easily?"
"It was over in an instant."
"...As expected of Tia-sama's husband."
"I suppose Lu wouldn't have fallen for someone who wasn't at that level."
Since I hauled the bear by hooking it with the Universal Farming Tool, I didn't feel any physical fatigue, but because of the distance, it took two days to reach the village. I realized I might have asked something unreasonable of Ria and the rest of the group.
After arriving at the village, I turned right around to go help them. Come to think of it, it probably would have been faster to butcher them into smaller pieces and have Granmaria and the other angels fly them back in multiple trips.
Regarding the bear meat: I tried it. It wasn't bad. It wasn't bad, but... it was definitely gamy. It took a lot of seasoning to mask the scent, but it was perfectly edible.
Regarding the snake meat: the first bite took some courage, but once I tried it, it was actually quite good. It was light and lean. If I hadn't known what it was, I might have mistaken it for chicken. Since it was so similar, I tried deep-frying it karaage-style. It sparked a feeding frenzy throughout the village.
"Next time, let's just stick to the snake."
"Now, now. Lady Zabuton was very pleased with the Grappler Bear pelt, so don't be like that," someone chided.
"And the meat was a big hit with Kuro and his pack," another added.
For some reason, everyone around me was very insistent that I keep hunting the bears too. Well, if I run into one, I’ll hunt it.
The Lizardman eggs hatched. The newly hatched young were swimming around energetically. ... Is it biologically normal to hatch right before winter? Come to think of it, do Lizardmen hibernate? Apparently not. They hatch before winter so they can grow while the movements of stronger predators are sluggish. I suppose they are a race that evolved in a harsh environment where they had to choose between fleeing from powerful enemies or starvation.
In any case, now that they were born in this village, I wanted them to grow up healthy and strong.