Cat and Dog ⑥
I decided to talk, and I started getting a little nervous.
“Um, um, uh, what should we do about the method?”
“Let’s see. Separating it from the herd is essential, so we’ll need a decoy. Of course. We mustn’t kill the other Monokeros either… Wof. What is it?”
“Wafu, um, um, Lord Wof.”
Ms. Pachira and Juicy-san noticed my state right away.
I took a breath and then quietly opened my mouth.
“…Actually, there’s something I need to tell you both.”
“What’s this, so formal?”
“Um, um, Lord Wof. What is it?”
“Well, um, I actually possess a Relic that’s a higher-tier version of the [Eye of Fortune].”
“What did you say?”
“Wan. Um, um, a Relic!?”
“Yes. That Relic is called the [Wheel of Fortune].”
“Hoh. The Wheel of Fortune, you say.”
“Wafu. Um, um, a wheel?”
“Yes. The [Wheel of Fortune] has almost the same effect as the Eye, but while the Eye can only see one color of light, the [Wheel of Fortune] can see three colors of light.”
“Three, you say? That many?”
“Um, wan. What, um, what colors do they appear as?”
“First is green, the same as the Eye. I call this ‘Rare’.”
“Hmm. Rare means scarcity, does it not.”
“Next is yellow. I call this ‘Super Rare’.”
“Wan. Super Rare. Um, um, that sounds nice!”
“Hmm. Super Rare, eh. That means it’s scarcer than green, then.”
“Yes. And finally, there’s a blue light. This is called ‘Super Ultra Rare’.”
“…So it’s far above Super Rare, is it.”
“This one truly seldom appears.”
And there’s one more. An unidentified purple light.
I still don’t understand this one myself, so I’ll keep quiet about it.
“Um, um, uh, wan. Wawan. Lord Wof, that’s amazing! Um, could it be that you found Dagaa-chan at the Junkyard using that Relic?!”
“Yes. I found him with this Relic.”
“I see.”
“Um, um, wawan. In that case, wan. Were you able to find lots of treasures at the Junkyard?!”
“Well… there were a fair number.”
“Um, um, uh, Lord Wof. That’s amazing! Wan. Amazing!”
Juicy-san is delighted, as if it were her own accomplishment.
Ms. Pachira remains silent, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“Hmm. Wof. Could it be that you found that with the [Wheel of Fortune]?”
“…That?”
“The thing that saved us.”
“…Y-yes. That’s right.”
“I see.”
“I’m sorry for keeping quiet about the Relic for so long.”
“That’s fine. There’s no obligation to reveal your Relics, no matter how close you are. Keeping quiet isn’t particularly wrong. Especially since there’s a lower-tier version right here. Emotionally speaking, keeping silent was probably the right choice. But why confess at this particular time?”
“Um, um, Lord Wof. I was wondering that too. Is there something?”
I nodded at their questions. This is the main point.
“Yes. Near the green-glowing Monokeros, there’s a yellow-glowing Monokeros.”
“Yellow was higher than the green Rare, wasn’t it. Super Rare, that was.”
“Yes. Its rarity is higher.”
“Um, um, that’s, wan. Exciting! My heart’s pounding!”
“More than Magic Silver… Alright. Wof. Juicy. We’ll aim for both.”
“Yes.”
“Wan wan. Um, understood! Um, um, I’ll do my best!”
“Then we must decide who will act as the decoy for the herd.”
“Um, um, uh, I’ll be the decoy! I’m good at chasing things around!”
The term “sheepdog” suddenly popped into my head.
Putting that aside, Juicy-san is indeed the most suitable for chasing them.
It seems Ms. Pachira thought so too.
“Hmm. That’s right. You are the most suitable.”
“Um, um, wan. Leave it to me! I’ll chase and herd and chase and drive them all around!”
That feels like overkill.
Her eyes sparkled like stars, glittering brightly, and she swayed her body as if keeping rhythm.
Furthermore, she wagged her tail furiously, frifrifrifri, as if it might fly off.
Juicy-san. She looks like she’s about to dash off any second. Not yet. Not yet. Stay.
“Well then, I shall take the green-glowing Monokeros. Wof, I leave the yellow-glowing one to you. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes.”
Only I can tell which one is yellow.
There are differences in build, but they have bodies like faded blue horses. Thick, long, gray horns.
Like this, all Monokeros are Monsters with similar shapes.
“Juicy. Do not kill them under any circumstances. If you kill one, there’s a fine.”
“Wan! Um, um, understood! I’ll chase them around like crazy!”
“The fine, how much is it per head?”
“500,000.”
“That high?!”
“Also, it’s set up so we’ll know if one is killed. So cheating is impossible.”
“They’re thorough about it.”
“Because they’re scarce.”
“Um, um, uh, not yet?! Is it still not time? Is it time now?!”
Juicy-san looks like she can’t hold back any longer.
Ms. Pachira sighed.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
“Wan! Wan wan! Wan wan! Wawan! Wa-oooooooohn!”
“That one…”
Juicy the dog charged into the Monokeros herd at an incredible speed.
For a moment, I was on edge.
With that momentum, it wouldn’t have been strange if she’d turned into 【Fenrir】.
Juicy-san might just do it.
No, even for Juicy-san, surely she wouldn’t go that far.
Juicy-san chased the Monokeros around. Monokeros are Monsters.
Even if they’re Copper Rank, they are Monsters. A herd of several dozen was being chased around by a single dog.
Our targets, mine and Ms. Pachira’s, were mixed in with them… Well, I expected as much.
“What should we do?”
“It can’t be helped.”
Ms. Pachira swung her staff while looking through her [Eye of Fortune].
Swirling wind formed around the jewel at its tip.
“Hah!”
“It’s difficult to aim, you know. Wind Edge!”
A blade of wind headed towards the green-glowing Monokeros being chased.
It traced a predicted trajectory, splendid! It was the moment it was about to hit the green-glowing Monokeros’s horn.
The yellow-glowing Monokeros moved quickly and cut the Wind Edge with its own horn.
“Mmph?!”
It stood in the way as if protecting it. A Dungeon Monster?
Then, the green-glowing Monokeros nestled close to the yellow-glowing Monokeros.
“…”
The yellow-glowing Monokeros lightly licked the green-glowing Monokeros’s horn.
Then, putting the green-glowing Monokeros behind it, it glared at us.
Ms. Pachira also found this strange and spoke up.
“What is it with those two?”
“What could it be?”
The two Monokeros completely separated from the herd being chased by Juicy-san.
The green-glowing Monokeros stuck close to the yellow-glowing one.
That… aren’t they just like a couple?
Ms. Pachira also doubted her eyes.
“…In love?”
“Even for Dungeon Monsters?”
“Impossible. Dungeon Monsters falling in love… More concerning is that bigger Monokeros. That’s the one you called yellow-glowing, right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“Don’t you feel something? There’s a faint Cold Air drifting from it.”
“Cold Air? It’s Copper Rank.”
“…But it’s possible. I’ll risk the fine and test something.”
Countless small fireballs appeared around Ms. Pachira’s staff.
She spun her staff forcefully and unleashed them.
“Fire Strike!”
The countless small fireballs forcefully flew towards the two Monokeros.
However, just before reaching the two, all the fireballs were instantly evaporated by Cold Air.
“A Relic!?”
“Just as I thought. This is a bit troublesome.”
Ms. Pachira gave a wry smile.
A special individual, the kind sometimes called a subspecies.
The moment it could use a Relic, this Monokeros became low-tier Silver Rank.
Then it occurred to me. Is that why it glows yellow?
“Fuooooooooooooooooooooooh!”
Stepping forward protectively in front of the green one, the yellow-glowing Monokeros roared.
Its thick horn turned pure white, and a cold wind blew.
I instantly readied my knife. Not the Dagaa Knife, of course.
The second knife I bought for 50,000. A strange knife with a single, upward-curving blade.
I can’t use 【Vanish】 because I can’t kill it.
The yellow-glowing Monokeros charged.
Cold Air spilled from its pure white horn, dancing as particles of ice.
The Monokeros coming straight towards me lowered its head, thrusting its horn forward.
Just like a spear.
I somehow understood why it was coming towards me and not Ms. Pachira.
This Monokeros is male. I know because I’m a man too.
“Wof!”
“As originally planned, Ms. Pachira, please handle the green one!”
“Mm. Understood.”
But the problem is… the knife.
If I block the frozen horn with the knife as is, it seems likely to freeze and shatter.
I have to avoid that. Absolutely avoid that.
“Fuooooooooooooooooooooooh!”
I dodged the horn right in front of me, and the yellow-glowing Monokeros passed by.
Good. But what now? I can’t use the knife. Is 【Vanish】 the only option?
But if I make one mistake with 【Vanish】… Huh? I can’t feel my hand.
“Hm? Uwaaah!?”
Only the hand holding the knife had been encased in ice.
Wh-why?!
“Damn it, why just this hand?!”
Feeling irritated, I use 【Vanish】. I need to hurry or I’ll get frostbite.
The ice on my hand and the knife’s handle vanished.
The blade falls.
Huh?
Huh?
Huh?