Chapter 5

"Wow..."

"Indeed, you've become much stronger."

A few minutes later.

I used up the metal I had created to reinforce several houses.

The beastmen pressed against the walls and pillars of the houses I had reinforced, and were convinced of the increased strength.

However, even though I had reinforced them, I didn't think they would become this extremely strong just by attaching "angle brackets." Perhaps there really is some kind of magical blessing added to them...

While watching the beastmen push and tap on the reinforced houses, I thought to myself.

"You've saved us, young human lady. Now we can rest easy when the next storm comes."

"Hehe, I'm glad I could be of help."

The residents of the houses I had reinforced came to me to express their gratitude.

That's good, that's good.

I hope this will improve the impression of humans a bit.

"Hey! Are you serious! Showing gratitude to a human!"

At that moment, a beastman who hadn't raised his hand in response to my reinforcement proposal shouted.

"Of course, we were helped by this person's magic—"

"What I'm saying is, don't trust humans so easily!"

The beastman stepped up to me, pointing at me in a threatening manner.

It seems there are still skeptical beastmen. Or rather, most of them are.

"Listen! You humans have deceived us, taken our land, and driven us to this remote place! We don't receive the blessings that humans take for granted, and we are forced to live in a place where the dangers of nature, like yesterday's storm, constantly threaten us! That's how you've invaded many other races, stripped them of their ability to resist with unfair treatment, and looked down on them! How can we easily accept such people!"

His eyes bloodshot, he barked his grievances. I calmly responded.

"Wow, is that so?"

He seemed taken aback by my calm response, a human girl who didn't flinch or cower in the face of the beastman's ferocity.

"W-What are you... Are you even listening...?"

When I said this, he seemed surprised.

Oops, I should have been more careful.

When the other party is heated, it's important to stay calm.

It's like a professional habit from my customer service job.

"I understand the treatment and past grievances you have received from humans. It's natural that you can't accept or trust me. However, I merely wanted to reinforce Mawr and Meala's house as a token of gratitude for saving me from last night's storm, and to do my best to help your situation. This has nothing to do with the historical background between beastmen and humans. It's purely a personal act on my part."

"Hmm..."

"To be honest, I have nowhere to go. But that doesn't mean I intend to stay in this village for long. I will act according to everyone's wishes. So, please consider this just a whim of mine, nothing more."

I calmly and appropriately arranged my words, as I would when dealing with customers at the home center.

He swallowed and then tried to respond.

—At that moment.

"Something's wrong!"

A loud voice came from the distance.

It seemed something was stirring.

Curious, I decided to go in that direction.

"Hey, wait!"

The beastman who had confronted me followed me.

When we reached the source of the voice, it was the village square centered around the well.

The beastmen had formed a circle.

In the center, a large creature was slowly moving.

"What is that..."

Its beautiful white fur reflected the sunlight.

It was a large wolf.

The wolf was walking unsteadily.

Among the wary beastmen, the wolf eventually sat down slowly.

"Ah, Mako!"

Mawr and Meala ran over when they saw me.

"Mawr, Meala"

"Better to stay back. That's the wolf, the lord of the mountains around here."

"Is it... one of your kind?"

"Wolves and Beowulfs are different."

Meala firmly denied my question.

I see. That's how it is.

"We are beastmen with wolf traits, but we can't match the power of real wolves. And that white-furred wolf is special."

"Special?"

"The guardian of the mountains, a sacred protector. It protects the village's crops from wild animals, and from other aggressive wolves and monsters."

I see, not directly, but it brings benefits to the village.

That's why it's treated specially, and no one tries to harm it.

As Mawr said, the beastmen surrounding the wolf were watching its movements with concern, out of respect.

However...

(That wolf... something seems off...)

It was curled up, but its body was rising and falling heavily.

I could hear its breathing from here. It seemed to be in pain.

It looked unwell.

Upon closer inspection, its eyes were vacant, and its body was trembling slightly.

"Hey, what's going on here? If this wolf is so special, the villagers wouldn't be trying to kill it, right?"

"Of course not. Killing it is out of the question. If we find it in the mountains, we're told to leave it alone. I think it must have come down from the mountains and wandered into the village by chance."

"..."

It didn't seem to have any external injuries.

It hadn't been in a fight or attacked.

If that's the case...

(It reminds me of something...)

Yes, that's it.

An animal that has eaten something it shouldn't.

I thought of a dog that had eaten chocolate.

The way it was carried to the animal hospital in the home center.

Before I knew it, I was approaching the wolf.

"Mako!? It's dangerous!"

Mawr, worried, tried to rush out, but Meala held him back.

"Hey, what's that human doing!"

"She'll be eaten!"

Voices of concern came from the surrounding crowd, but I quietly knelt beside the wolf.

The wolf showed signs of wariness as I approached, but it seemed to have used up a lot of energy and didn't do anything more.

I touched the wolf's body.

"Your belly is swollen... Did you eat something bad?"

I muttered, touching the wolf's abdomen.

Instantly—

――――――――――

【Title】: Based on the title "Pet Master," the skill "Communication" has awakened.

――――――――――

"Huh?"

Suddenly, a status window opened in my head, displaying those words.

'What... are you...'

I realized that words were mixed in with the wolf's breath.

'I am... the descendant of a proud divine wolf... Do you dare to be so disrespectful... Stay away... or I will eat you'

"No, no, if you eat me now, your stomach will get even worse. You should stop."

'...What... Why can I understand your words... No, why can I understand your voice... ...Why can we communicate...'

"Seems like a skill called 'Communication' has awakened. But more importantly, did you eat something strange?"

The descendant of the divine wolf seemed surprised but, after a moment of silence, responded to my question.

"In the mountains... I found some fruit... I had never seen it before... It looked delicious, so I ate it."

"You're so silly, you shouldn't do that. Eating random things is dangerous. Was it not a fig or a grape?"

'Ugh... I don't know... I feel so bad... Am I dying?'

The wolf sounded distressed.

From the feel of it, the food hadn't been fully digested yet.

If we could make it vomit before it digested further and worsened, it might still be saved.

Now, to induce vomiting...

I focused and used my "Alchemy" skill.

A long metal rod was generated with a glow.

"I'm going to make you vomit everything in your stomach."

I inserted the rod into its mouth to stimulate its throat.

'What are you doing... You know I am the descendant of a divine wolf...'

"Okay, okay, just stay still."

The wolf tried to resist by biting the rod with its teeth, but it was sturdy and didn't break easily.

'Ugh, ugh... '

"Sorry, just a little more. Bear with it."

I gently stroked the wolf's head and white fur, whispering in its ear.

Eventually—

'Ah!'

The wolf shook its throat and vomited everything from its stomach.

It was a lot.

Eating so much unsuitable food would naturally lead to this.

"How do you feel now? A bit better?"

'Pant, pant... The heaviness in my body is gone...'

"I'll get some water. Drink it and rest. You'll feel better soon."

'...Thank you... I am in your debt...'

Saying this, the wolf closed its eyes obediently.

I stood up.

I needed to get water and clean up the vomit...

Looking around, I noticed the beastmen were staring at me in astonishment.

"What did you just do?"

"Huh? ...Treatment, I guess? But it's not that big a deal. By the way, can we get water from that well?"

After cleaning up the vomit and fetching water, I managed to get the wolf to rest.

The village beastmen helped me, which might mean I've gained a bit of their trust.

Also, checking my status window, I noticed my HP and MP values had increased.

――――――――――

Name: Honda Mako

Skills: "Alchemy," "Communication"

Attributes: None

HP: 300/300

MP: 460/460

Titles: "DIY Master," "Green Master," "Pet Master"

――――――――――

I must have leveled up without realizing it.