Regarding the village that had been troubled by the cockatrices, I heard that the village head’s son had ousted his prideful father and assumed the position of the new village head himself.
Yoko reported that the young man was displaying an extremely favorable attitude toward Village Five for capturing the monsters, so she suggested it would likely be fine even if we asked for something a bit unreasonable. I didn't actually have any intention of being unreasonable, though.
The Silver Fox Race from the shrine had apparently been the ones to work hard on the capture mission.
"Living peacefully at the shrine is all well and good, but if we don't fight once in a while, our skills will dull. This was a fine opportunity," they had said.
"Besides, it would be problematic if people thought we would jump to help just because they asked. We had to demonstrate our strength."
"Just don't go resorting to violence, though," I cautioned.
"We wouldn't dream of it. Rest easy."
Well, if they said so, I supposed it was fine.
Come to think of it, why did that village turn to Village Five in the first place? We hadn't had much prior contact. Was it just rumors from travelers?
"No," Yoko explained. "It seems the son who became the new chief had visited Village Five once before. He witnessed the strength of our security team firsthand."
So that was the reason.
"Indeed. I've secured the use of village land as compensation. We can even build an airship port there."
Compensation? I thought the son was supposed to be friendly to us now.
"Business is business. If they can't pay in coin, they have to provide something of value."
So we got land for an airship port. I suspected that project was still a long way off, though.
"Perhaps, but it's best to move early. If the location proves unsuitable later, we can simply cancel the plan."
I see. I decided to leave the details regarding that village to Yoko.
How were the cockatrices themselves doing?
"There are no problems. If I had to mention anything, it would be the reports from passersby. Apparently, the cockatrices can be heard crying as if they're begging for help."
Crying for help?
"They seem utterly terrified of that chicken. For now, we're just maintaining the status quo and ignoring it."
Right...
"Also, we've confirmed they've started laying eggs. The next step is seeing if they'll hatch. We can't start processing them for meat until we have a reliable way to increase their numbers."
The original group were contributors... or rather, contributing chickens. I wanted to avoid turning them into meat if possible.
"I understand. I've already told the rearing staff to take it slow and be patient."
Before winter truly set in, I went to check on the bees. They seemed to be doing well. The fat Queen Bee was as healthy as ever, lounging around just as she always did.
I exchanged a bit of information with her. There didn't seem to be any major issues at the moment, which was a relief. If anything did happen, the soldier bees would surely come to report it. I told her not to hesitate if they needed anything.
The honey they provided was a massive help. The children, the Fairy Queen, and the village women were all delighted with it.
By the way, I mentioned the request to relocate some of the bees to Village Four—the village on the floating island. Since it was constantly on the move, there shouldn't be any natural predators there.
I made sure to clarify I wasn't telling her to go personally. I was just asking if there were any suitable candidates among the hive. It wasn't an urgent matter, so I told her spring would be fine. If she had anyone in mind, she could let me know.
Later, a line of goats stood along the ridge of the hill in the ranch area. They were all facing different directions, but they were looking toward the same target: me.
The moment I entered the ranch, they began to form a line. Then, with a single cry from the one who must have been the boss, they charged straight at me. They had impressive coordination. It was actually quite striking.
However... I wondered if they hadn't realized Kuro and Yuki were with me. Judging by their momentum, they definitely hadn't noticed.
Kuro and Yuki were wearing camouflage cloaks made from Meleo's transparent fluid. Their heads were exposed, though. Incidentally, the first time people saw Kuro and Yuki like this, they were horrified. They claimed it looked like "flying severed heads," which gave the look a rather poor reputation.
"Kuro, Yuki," I called out. "That's not malice on the goats' part; it's just their way of communicating. I haven't spent much time with them lately, so they're probably just sulking. Please go easy on them."
I made the request, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The goats finally noticed Kuro and Yuki’s presence. They banked hard, changing direction to flee in an instant.
They hadn't noticed until they were quite close. I wasn't sure if the camouflage was just that effective or if the goats had been too focused on me. Kuro and Yuki looked at me to see if they should pursue, but I asked them to let it go.
I hadn't come to the ranch area just to play with the goats. My goal was the horses. They had been groomed recently, so they looked quite sharp. Except for one.
There was a single horse with two horns that looked incredibly messy—or perhaps "wild" was a better word. I wondered if it was still technically a horse if it had horns. Well, unicorns had horns, so it was probably fine. It was a horse. Its horns looked like a goat's, but its build was entirely equine.
It was a full size larger than the other horses. It reminded me of a draft horse, like a Ban'ei horse. This two-horned horse had appeared in the ranch, and the beastman girls who looked after the animals had consulted me on what to do. That was why I was here.
The two-horned horse looked at me.
"Don't you mind a worthless horse like me, boss," it seemed to say, its attitude incredibly humble. It was a far cry from its intimidating appearance.
I was about to praise it for being so well-behaved when the other horses nearby filled me in. Apparently, the horse had been quite bellicose when it first arrived.
"Bring out your strongest! I'll knock 'em flat!" it had supposedly barked.
Since there were pregnant mares in the herd, the other horses couldn't simply ignore the challenge. They were forced to deal with the newcomer. And this was the result.
"I'll just stay here in the corner... yes, right here in the corner. If you need anything, just call. I'll come running at once."
Had it not won a single time? It had been utterly defeated in both strength and speed.
I see. It wasn't that the horse was naturally gentle; it had simply lost all its confidence.
"So, do you plan to welcome it into the herd?" I asked the other horses.
They seemed to intend to, but they wanted my final judgment. If the rest of the herd didn't have a problem with it, then I didn't mind. They were the ones who would have to keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't cause trouble, after all.
I told the beastman girls my decision. They would need to give the newcomer a good wash, too.
The two-horned horse. When I checked with Lu, she identified it as a magic beast called a Bicorn. They were apparently quite rare. In some regions, they were even considered objects of worship or legendary creatures.
"Yo! As expected of the boss! What a magnificent run!"
Watching it suck up to the other horses in the ranch, I couldn't feel even a hint of that legendary aura... but as long as it was healthy, I didn't mind. I looked forward to seeing how it would settle in.