Chapter 26

The next morning. Raphatalia overslept due to staying up late last night, muttering to herself while holding a magic book.

I? I was brewing herbs into medicine.

As I was preparing to go out to make up for the lost time due to oversleeping—

"It seems to be hatching."

She had placed it by the window of the inn room. Raphatalia noticed that the egg she had bought yesterday had cracks in it.

Something like a soft, feathery, or wing-like object was peeking out from the cracks.

It seemed that the birth was imminent.

"I see."

I was curious about what would hatch.

I went to look at the cracked egg.

The cracks in the egg widened with a creak, and with a crack, a baby monster's face appeared from inside.

"Peep!"

The fluffy, pink chick-like monster, with eggshell fragments on its head, met my gaze.

"Peep!"

It leaped energetically and hit my face.

It didn't hurt at all, but it was a lively monster even though it had just been born.

I couldn't tell what species it was, but it seemed to be in good health, so if I took good care of it, it would grow up strong.

"What kind of monster is this? If it's a bird, maybe a Piyupiyu?"

Piyupiyu is a deformed condor-like monster that can't fly very high.

If it were a young Piyupiyu, it would make sense.

When it grows up, compared to a Balloon, it would be more agile and have a beak for attacks, so it's promising.

"Hmm... I'm not an expert on monsters, either."

Raphatalia answered with a troubled expression.

"Well, let's ask the villagers."

Since it's a monster sold by a monster merchant, it shouldn't be too dangerous. They might know what it is.

As I reached out to the baby monster, it climbed onto my hand, jumped up to my shoulder, and perched on my head.

"Peep!"

It was rubbing against my cheek.

It's... kind of cute.

"Hehe, it thinks you're its parent, Naofumi-sama."

"Probably imprinting, right?"

I had registered it beforehand, and it was the first moving thing it saw, so it thinks I'm its parent.

When I tried to clean up the eggshell fragments, my shield reacted.

Thinking about it, if I let the shield absorb the eggshell, it might tell me what kind of monster it is.

So I let the shield absorb the eggshell.

The conditions for the Monster Tamer's Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Monster Egg Shield have been unlocked.

Monster Tamer's Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, Monster growth correction (small)

Monster Egg Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, Cooking skill 2

...A different shield appeared than I expected. But it seems useful, so I changed the previously unlocked Slave Tamer's Shield II to the Monster Tamer's Shield.

"Did you find out anything?"

"No, a different shield appeared, so I couldn't tell."

In the end, what kind of monster this chick is remains a mystery. It would be helpful if the villagers knew.

While walking through the village, which is still under reconstruction, I thought about where to level up today.

The most reasonable place would probably be the swamp to the west of the village. Last time, I explored the mountains to the northwest, so I want to find a place with suitable enemies.

Just then, I met a villager.

"Oh, Shield Hero-sama."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, sir."

I've been here for a little over a week, and since I protected the village from the wave, I'm quite well-known.

"Good morning."

They bowed deeply, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

"Peep!"

The chick on my head chirped energetically.

"Oh?"

The villager looked at the chick on my head.

"What's the matter?"

I pointed to the chick and asked.

"I bought an egg from a monster merchant."

"Oh, I see."

"It was a lottery, and I don't know what's inside. Do you know what kind of monster this is?"

The villager examined the chick closely.

"Hmm... I think it's probably a Filoreal chick."

"Really? The bird that pulls carriages?"

If that's the case, it would be a good deal since it's worth more than the original price... assuming the villager is right.

"Yes, there's a ranch at the edge of the village. You can go there to see one."

"Okay, I'll go."

I went to the house of the person who runs the ranch with Raphatalia.

The ranch had suffered significant damage from the wave, and about half of the monsters they were raising had died.

"So, is this monster a Filoreal?"

The ranch owner nodded.

"Yes, it looks like a female Filoreal."

He held the chick and examined it closely.

"The breed is a common type, Filoreal, which has the habit of pulling carts to feel at ease."

"...Is that normal for a living creature?"

"Is there something wrong with it?"

Ah, if it's something that's normal in this world, it wouldn't seem strange.

Hmm... probably, to protect eggs or nests, they use something like a cart to carry and protect them.

"Well, it's not a bad deal. Considering the adult is worth 200 silver coins, and I got it for 100, it's not bad."

The chick chirped on my head.

"What does it eat?"

"At first, it eats soft things like boiled beans. When it grows up, it becomes omnivorous and eats anything."

"I see, thank you."

I was surprised at how smoothly I could say thank you.

Apparently, boiled beans from the village would be fine for now.

"So, what will you name it?"

Raphatalia asked while petting the chick.

"Are you going to name a pet you might sell?"

I've heard that naming a pet makes it harder to sell because you get attached to it.

"Are you going to call it 'chick' or 'Filoreal' forever?"

"Hmm..."

That would be troublesome.

"Then... how about 'Firo'?"

"...That's a bit too simple."

"Shut up."

"Peep!"

The chick chirped happily, seemingly understanding it had been named.

After saying thank you, we went to get food for Firo and had breakfast before heading out to hunt.

"Where are we going today?"

"Peep?"

"Hmm... I don't know where the best hunting ground is, so we'll have to earn it the old-fashioned way. We'll go to our usual spot."

"Okay."

Raphatalia is a big help. We should be able to fight more easily than before.

Firo chirped on my head.

It was noisy, but in a somewhat pleasant way.

By the time it was evening, even I noticed something was off.

Today, we encountered more monsters than usual, and we were able to defeat them efficiently.

It was probably due to our new weapons and armor. We were able to defeat enemies more quickly than the last time we came.

The results of the day were as follows:

Me: Level 23

Raphatalia: Level 27

Firo: Level 12

Firo, who hadn't really fought, had gained a lot of experience and leveled up quickly.

That's good. I heard that young humanoids grow rapidly as they level up, and the same seems to apply to monsters.

However...

Firo's appearance had visibly changed.

The small chick-like Firo had grown so large that it was heavy to carry in both hands.

It had become round and bun-like in shape, and its feathers had changed from pink to peach.

I tried to absorb some of its feathers with my shield.

The conditions for the Monster Tamer's Shield II have been unlocked.

Monster Tamer's Shield II

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, Monster status correction (small)

The change was noticeable enough that even I, who hadn't noticed Raphatalia's growth, could see it.

"Peep"

Its chirping had changed, and it started walking on its own when I put it down because it was too heavy.

Grrr...

The constant chirping from Firo gave me a bad feeling.

I had bought extra food, but it was already gone, and since it's omnivorous, I had already given it wild grass and hay from the roadside.

No matter how much I fed it, its appetite seemed insatiable... This must be a sign of rapid growth.

"Naofumi-sama..."

"I know. Monsters are amazing."

To grow so much in one day... It won't be long before it can pull a cart.

However, I'm worried it might become a large monster with an immature mind.

So I put some strict restrictions in place.

When we returned to the inn, I showed Firo to the innkeeper and asked where it could sleep. The innkeeper showed us the stable and let Firo sleep on a pile of hay.

"Huh? There's Chimera meat and bones here."

From the lack of decay, it seemed to be well-preserved, or maybe it was a monster from another world that doesn't rot.

"We're hanging it to soften it before processing."

"Wow..."

Even though it's not for food, they're processing it for easier handling.

"Then we'll dry it and look for buyers. We're already selling to those who want it. A few people who deal with magic have come."

"Sounds good."

The Chimera was quite large, so there was still a lot of it left. It was probably as big as two cows.

It's too tough to eat, and there's too much to use for research.

This is probably the best use for it.

"Peep"

Grrr...

It's still hungry.

I had gotten more food from the village, but it was gone in no time.

Where does it all go in that body...

Creak... Creak...

The sound of bones and meat grinding? Is it still growing?

"To grow this much in one day... You must have pushed it quite a bit."

The innkeeper looked at me with concern.

"It's only level 12."

"Huh? Level 12?"

The innkeeper was surprised when I told her.

"I thought it would take 20 days or so to grow this much after hatching. You must be a powerful hero."

Hmm... Well, with the small growth correction, it's possible it's having an effect.

Checking its stats, they keep changing. It must still be growing.

It's not ready for battle yet.

"Peep!"

Seeing the energetic Firo, I thought it would grow up strong.

I petted Firo's head and confirmed it was sleeping soundly before returning to the room with Raphatalia. After that, I studied to learn the language of this world.

I have a lot to do, which is a bit overwhelming.