Chapter 25

Well, this is a memory from a past life, I suppose.

In my past life, when I was a child, I once found an abandoned puppy in the neighborhood.

It must have been a newborn, really.

I encountered a small, dirty, emaciated puppy, its ribs protruding, shivering violently.

I brought the puppy home, determined to save it.

I had no doubt that it would be fine once we got home.

However, my parents were frighteningly calm.

"Who's going to take care of it? Can you do it? You can't raise it properly, can you?"

When I heard those words, I thought my own parents were heartless devils.

I stubbornly insisted that I would definitely take care of it, and eventually managed to get their permission to raise the puppy.

But looking back now, my parents' words were probably right.

Taking care of a living being is a serious matter.

Back then, I felt like I was taking care of it because I was feeding it and doing other things.

But now, I realize that my parents were the ones paying for the food, the supplies needed to keep the dog, the vaccinations, and the medical expenses.

I am now learning this lesson the hard way.

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"Wow, the amount they eat really increases as their numbers grow..."

After receiving the eggs of the working beasts from the traveling merchant, I started a business to breed them.

The first stage went smoothly.

All five eggs hatched successfully.

Incidentally, Valkyrie and I decided to inject magic power into the eggs separately, but there were no problems at all.

This is because the offspring from the eggs Valkyrie hatched were identical to Valkyrie.

However, they might be slightly smaller in size compared to the ones I raised.

But they share the same characteristics: two reindeer-like horns, a muscular body, and beautiful white fur.

What happened to the characteristic of working beasts that they would develop different traits depending on who raised them?

This is a bit of a headache, but it's fine.

There's a bigger problem at hand.

The problem was the food for the working beasts.

Feeding six of them every day is no small feat.

Even though Hatsuca grows quickly, there is a limit to the number of them.

We still have some in reserve, but at this rate, they will run out.

"Looks like we have no choice but to develop the forest. We need to expand the fields. Let's go, everyone."

"Kyu!"

Seeing the dwindling Hatsuca, I made a decision.

The fields I created around the hideout in the forest, which were meant to serve as emergency rations, are clearly not enough.

If we want to continue the working beast business, expanding the fields is a must.

As I stood up and rallied Valkyrie and the others, they all responded with a chorus of cries.

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"No, no, no, wait a minute. This is strange."

Expanding the fields in the forest.

Normally, this would be a very labor-intensive task, but I have experience with it.

I soften the soil at the base of the trees in the forest and then knock them down, roots and all.

After that, I move the fallen trees and proceed with [Land Clearing] and [Soil Improvement] to create a perfect field.

Of course, I intended to use the same method I used last time.

However, as soon as I started the work, I saw something impossible.

It was magic.

The working beasts were using magic.

"Why can you guys use magic? You don't even have names yet."

Indeed, what surprised me was that it wasn't Valkyrie who used magic.

The Valkyrie Juniors, who have only been alive for a few days, were using magic normally.

Moreover, the spells they used were the same as Valkyrie's: life magic plus my original spells.

What does this mean?

Isn't magic something you learn the moment you are named?

Perhaps working beasts follow a different set of rules from humans?

I have no idea.

But upon observation, it seems that all the individuals can use magic in the same way.

Whether they hatched from eggs I infused with magic or were raised by Valkyrie, there seems to be no difference in their magical abilities.

This means that all the future offspring of the working beasts will likely be able to use magic, right?

What should I do about this?

For now, I might have to hold off on selling them to the traveling merchant and increase their numbers to observe them further.

If it turns out that all future offspring can use magic, I'll think about it then.

Faced with this unexpected situation, I abandoned my thoughts and got to work expanding the fields.

Thank you for reading.

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