"Lord Spirit went off on a quest and left us all behind."
"It’s only so he can raise the Guild Rank of The Second Character and have her catch up to us. It can’t be helped," Alto replied.
"Muu."
Tria understood the reasoning well enough, but she still couldn't help sulking over being left behind.
"Lord Spirit told Tria to help Penpen-sama."
"I wonder if we’re going to do that 'tower defense' thing he mentioned?"
"That should wait until everyone is back together. At the very least, Nika will be a solid addition to our combat strength, and Miti should be fairly useful too."
Nika could be counted on as a physical attacker thanks to her trained Strength, and since Miti could use Split, she would be perfect for things like decoys.
The Gyudon made from the meat of the 1st Cow-kun's remains had been delicious, though. Tria couldn't help but wonder—if they failed the defense, would they get to eat meat like that again?
"...How much does a cow actually cost?"
"They’re expensive. Though, with what we’re earning now, we could probably afford to buy one a day."
"I see. I never even saw one in the Village where I grew up, so I didn't know."
"Cows and horses are in high demand as livestock because humans who aren't Tamers can still manage them."
Even in a world where Tamers existed, cows and horses were incredibly convenient animals that ordinary people could put to work. For those with Tamer skills, the animals became even more obedient, making it easier to manage large herds.
However, they were significant assets and carried a high price tag, often costing several Gold Coins.
"How did Penpen-sama get her hands on them?"
"Through that Merchant's connections, most likely. She’s been talking about starting a ranch from the beginning, so she probably had him prepare them in advance... Do you want one, Tria? A cow?"
"...Because it was delicious."
"Well, it certainly was. But our earnings belong to Lord Spirit, so we can't just spend them however we like, okay?"
"Tria knows. Tria is a woman who can endure. But Tria wants to offer delicious things to Lord Spirit. That is what makes him the happiest."
"That’s true. Lord Spirit does love eating good food."
With their motivation renewed, they set out once again to assist with Penpen's Ranch as Lord Spirit had commanded.
A few days ago, they had unearthed a Fossil. Today, their task was to patrol the surrounding area and hunt monsters. They soon stumbled upon an Orc Squad and moved in to slaughter them. Having hunted them frequently for Guild Quests, they knew exactly how to handle the situation.
Alto used her massive gun to blast an Orc's head off, while Tria simply kicked another one’s head clean away. There was a certain knack to knocking them over backward to avoid getting sprayed by blood, a technique they had long since mastered.
The squad was annihilated in an instant.
"Orcs are also delicious."
"They’ll make a good souvenir. Let’s have Penpen-sama cook them so we can offer them to Lord Spirit."
"Yeah! I hope it makes Lord Spirit happy."
"It would be nice if we got some of the leftovers, too."
"That is entirely up to Lord Spirit’s whim."
Technically, if he possessed Tria's body to eat, she would be able to taste the food through him, which was her secret hope. Naturally, Tria was far too refined to ask for such a thing directly... though she might have done so subconsciously once or twice.
"By the way, something occurred to me," Alto said.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"We dug up that Fossil yesterday, right? I have a feeling that isn't actually the 'thing buried in this land' that the Merchant was talking about. No, I'm almost certain it's something else."
"...Why do you think so?"
Tria tilted her head in confusion, but Alto seemed convinced.
"Think about the Bedrock my Lord Spirit broke."
"...And?"
"If a person had buried it, it should have been on top of the Bedrock."
"Why?"
"Otherwise, it would mean they went through the trouble of placing Bedrock over the treasure and then burying it all over again."
"Isn't that what happened? Is it different?"
"Is it...?" Alto’s confidence wavered. "Actually, you might be right. One could argue they placed the Bedrock there specifically to seal it away..."
"A seal...!"
"Or perhaps they used a skill to sense that there was an incredible treasure even deeper than the Bedrock."
"Wait. If you look at it that way... yeah. Those bones don't look like something worth sealing away, nor do they look like an incredible treasure."
Even if they had some academic value, Tria didn't care, and Alto wasn't particularly interested either. To them, bones were just things found inside every living creature.
"Exactly. A treasure being just... bones? It feels wrong."
"I agree. Bones being a treasure doesn't really click. They don't look like something you'd go to the trouble of sealing, either."
"Penpen-sama seemed happy enough, but at the end of the day, they really are just bones."
They had heard that the remains had mineralized and could be turned into a Golem, but that was about the extent of it. It might be a rare find, but still...
"If you want bones, you could just go to a graveyard and pick some up," Tria remarked.
"Tria? I don't think the Spirits would be happy with human bones... though, on the flip side, there's a strong possibility they were sealing away something troublesome like that."
"...Is a Demon King buried there or something?"
"I don't know. ...Oh, wait! That Bedrock I destroyed. I wonder if there were any records written on it? If someone placed it there intentionally, there might have been a warning. Like 'Do not dig beyond this point' or something."
"That’s possible. Where did the Bedrock go?"
As they recalled... after Alto's gun had smashed it into fragments, they had tossed it into the Inventory along with the rest of the debris, and then Miti had cleaned it all up...
"...The truth is currently in her stomach."
"Mmm. In that case, I suggest we just keep digging. We'll dig up everything we can find."
"If we dig too much, the ranch will be full of holes. We’ll have to consult with Penpen-sama first."
Tria and Alto decided to speak with Penpen as soon as they returned.
After hearing their theory, Penpen reportedly went straight to the Merchant to ask, "We found some bones, ssu, but was that the thing, ssu? Or is there something else, ssu? If so, where should we dig next, ssu?"
The question apparently terrified the Merchant all over again.
However, Tria and the others saw no reason to worry about the Merchant’s blood pressure. That was someone else’s problem entirely.