Chapter 9

When I woke up, it was warm and cozy.

...It seems that after I fainted, I was pulled out of the water and laid on the ground, where I was warmed by a giant bird.

"Thank you. It was warm."

When I thanked the bird, it chirped contentedly and flew away.

...I was lying there naked and wet, but I didn’t catch a cold, which was a blessing. Yeah, it was good that the bird was there.

"You guys were still here, too."

Then, by the spring, Pegasus and the unicorn were wandering around. When I approached, both of them came over calmly. ...The unicorn seemed a bit reluctant, though. Yeah, sorry, I’m a guy.

"How’s your horn?"

When I asked, the unicorn gently nudged me with its horn. Yeah, it seems to be doing well.

"...Is it really true that your real horn has been restored?"

From the look of the unicorn, it seems the horn has returned to its original state. And I probably fainted from materializing the horn, just like I did by the spring.

At the spring, I fainted because I materialized the mechanism for the water to spring out.

And this time, I fainted because I restored the unicorn’s lost horn, right? It’s not just materialization but a kind of healing, so it’s in a different category.

...But, this is a big discovery.

Materializing drawings seems to have a lot of depth.

I wiped my body and put on my clothes.

Then I had a meal, not sure if it was breakfast or lunch... Well.

"Let’s heal you, too."

I’m fine with fainting again. I wanted to draw Pegasus’s wings.

Pegasus was very calm while being drawn. Maybe it could tell I was healing it.

During this time, the unicorn was running around, eating grass, and even nibbling on the mini tomatoes in the garden, but it never strayed too far from Pegasus. ...They really are good friends.

"Alright, it’s done."

By the time I finished drawing Pegasus, its wings on its back were healed.

After seeing the wings heal... I fainted again.

When I woke up, it was night. And it seems I was warmed by both horses.

Thanks to them, I didn’t catch a cold, which was a blessing... Yeah, from now on, when I feel like I might faint, I’ll put a blanket on before drawing.

After that, the two horses went back into the forest. Yeah, it’s good that they seem to have recovered. I’m genuinely happy.

...On the other hand, I fainted twice in one day, so I’m definitely not in good shape. My head hurts, and I’m dizzy. It feels like the ground is swaying, like being on a boat.

...So, I thought it would be best to rest quietly, and decided to go to bed. I won’t do anything else.

I felt like I should eat something, but I thought I might throw it up, so I went straight to bed, wrapped myself in a blanket, and fell asleep quickly.

When I woke up, it was already past noon. I overslept a bit, but my condition had improved, so it’s fine.

The bird that comes to bathe every morning had already finished and gone. But today, there were horses instead.

"Good morning. A bit late, but."

When I greeted the horses, they brayed in a familiar way and continued drinking water. ...This spring has become a place for other creatures besides me.

"How are your horn and wings?"

As I asked and stroked them, the horn was still a horn, and the wings were both fine. Furthermore, Pegasus flapped its wings... and flew.

"...The horse flew."

Horses can fly, I thought, looking at the unrealistic scene... Yeah, well, this is the kind of world it is, so I decided to accept it. Yeah. Horses can fly. In this world, it’s normal. That’s fine.

Since the horses were feeling better, I decided to grow some grass around the spring for them.

I thought it would be good to have some food. ...It seems they liked it quite a bit. Both Pegasus and the unicorn were eating the grass that grew around the spring.

...And they seemed to really like it here, as they brought more friends.

"They increased..."

The next morning, the area around the spring was full of horses. And birds. The size of the birds is impressive. They have more impact than the horses.

...But now, it’s the horses. The horses are in trouble.

The horses that were brought all had injuries somewhere. There was a Pegasus with its wings cut off, and a unicorn with a broken horn.

...So, there was no choice.

I decided to heal the Pegasus and unicorns one by one.

And each time, I fainted and collapsed.

It took several days. Probably about a week.

But thanks to that, many horses were healed, and I had three happy things.

Happy thing 1.

I got better at drawing horses. Horses, after all. Good.

...Well, I think this had a visible effect.

I had been observing horses continuously and drawing them for a whole week, so it’s a satisfying result.

The drawings were clearly better, and the speed of drawing improved significantly.

Happy thing 2.

I became less prone to fainting.

After healing many horses, I got used to it, I guess. Amazingly, I didn’t faint when I healed a horse’s horn or both wings.

...However, even if I didn’t faint, I was extremely tired, and if I tried to heal another one right away, I still fainted.

And, the third happy thing.

...The horses gave me a gift.

One day, after healing horses for about a week, the Pegasus and unicorns came to me with something in their mouths. They placed it in front of me.

...It was a feather from Pegasus and a fragment of the unicorn’s horn. The feather was plucked, I guess. The horn fragment was probably from when it was broken before it was healed.

The feathers and horn fragments were all different colors and very beautiful. Even though they were natural, they looked like works of art just by being placed there.

The Pegasus’s feathers were white with a pearl-like luster, pale gold, and a light rose color. They seemed to be the color of a sunny spot or the color of sunlight.

The unicorn’s horn fragments were a mysterious bluish-white, a dull silver, and a deep blue. ...All of them were very beautiful colors, a bit like the sky.

The horses were looking at me, having placed such wonderful things in front of me.

"...Are you giving them to me?"

When I asked, the horses didn’t answer but just wagged their tails and flapped their wings.

When I took a step back, the horses pushed the feathers and horn fragments with their noses, moving them towards me.

So... yeah.

It seems this was a gift from them.

The gifts continued.

"Wow."

Suddenly, I was scooped up by a unicorn’s horn and thrown.

The feeling of flying through the air made me scared for a moment... but that was it.

I landed on Pegasus’s back in mid-air. It seems Pegasus caught me in mid-air. ...Did they plan it with the unicorn?

Pegasus then carried me on its back, flapping its wings and flying through the sky.

"...It’s beautiful."

On Pegasus’s back, high in the sky, I saw the entire forest for the first time.

The forest continued, but it seemed to end where I could see. It seems that if I kept going, I could escape the forest.

...The view from the sky was fresh. It was grand, beautiful, and enjoyable to look at.

And, knowing the end of the forest... well, it’s a step forward.

I don’t really want to leave this world yet, but it’s good to know the way. So, I still have a lot to learn about this world.

Pegasus circled the forest and returned to the original spot.

"Thank you. It was really fun."

While thanking Pegasus for the ride, I thought, well, maybe I should prepare some carrots as a thank you next time. Or, maybe carrots are too simple for horses.

"Hey, since it’s a special occasion, shall I brush your mane?"

I decided to help them with their grooming, putting the carrots aside for now.

I drew a large comb and used it to brush the horses’ manes.

While combing, the horses seemed to feel good. Horses can’t scratch their backs or the back of their necks, I remember. ...Just thinking about it makes me itchy. Horses have it tough.

"Since it’s a special occasion, shall I wash you?"

I saw some mud stains, so I thought I’d wash the horses today. Touching the horses would help me understand their shape better, and that would make me draw them faster and more accurately.

...So, I ended up helping the horses bathe. They seemed to enjoy it, running around the spring, sitting down and sleeping with their tails swaying, and nudging me with their noses. Yeah, it’s good that they’ve gotten used to me. Now I can observe and draw them thoroughly.

...While I was in the spring with the horses, they suddenly became restless.

"What’s wrong?"

When I asked, the horses just seemed scared, walking around and neighing nervously. They also kept coming closer to me.

I was wondering what was wrong when... the reason became clear.

"What, is this...? Pegasuses and unicorns, so many..."

Behind Pegasus’s wings, I saw a person.

...I met a human for the first time in this world.