"Ugh, my back hurts, my legs hurt... Feels like my whole body is broken…."

"..."

"Kana. What was that laugh just now? Surely, you weren’t laughing at me, right? No way, sweet Kana wouldn’t do that."

"Actually, I was."

"Isn’t that a bit too brazen?!"

Is there any reason I shouldn't be?

They say revenge is best served cold, but I’m no saint, so my revenge comes a lot quicker. Not that I’m completely satisfied yet, but seeing Journey’s miserable face does improve my mood a bit.

She didn't look like this when we first set out. After several days of cloudy weather, the day we left was miraculously sunny, and her face was bright and cheerful. But as time passed, her face clouded over until she ended up like this.

"I never knew riding a horse would be this hard..."

Journey dismounted with as much difficulty as when she got on, grumbling all the while.

"If I become as strong as you, Kana, will I be able to ride without a problem?"

If horseback riding required mastery-level skills, then the horse would have to be some dragon or unicorn in disguise. Even kids much younger than her can handle it, so clearly, it’s not a matter of skill level.

"Like Kana, huh?"

"...No, never mind."

Besides, Apostles have physical abilities that are absurdly high compared to their skill level. I could probably take a few hits from an orc’s club and still be fine, so no amount of horseback riding would be enough to break me.

In conclusion, the reason Journey’s struggling so much is simply because she’s weak.

"...Doesn't that conclusion feel a bit off?"

"Weak is weak."

"Kana’s suddenly acting like a bratty kid…"

I ignored Journey mumbling in Arkish under her breath.

"You were so tense on that horse; of course, you’re sore."

Tension means she was holding her muscles tight. She’d been like that for hours, so it’s no wonder her muscles are protesting now.

"...Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

"Journey."

"Yeah?"

"Some things you only understand by experiencing them yourself."

One experience can be more effective than a hundred pieces of advice. I've turned plenty of recruits into functional people, so you can trust me on that.

And just as expected—

"...I would’ve listened if you’d told me!"

"Yeah, I don’t believe that."

It’s a line I’ve heard more times than I can count, so it doesn’t even surprise me anymore. I tried giving advice once, but that only convinced me my original approach was right.

"So, it’s all about tension, huh? Ow, ow! Can we rest a bit? I can’t do anything right now…"

Journey, who had been about to mount her horse with a serious expression, gave up and started complaining about her muscle aches. I watched her, shaking my head as I chewed on some jerky.

She really is trying.

 

While we were taking a break after dismounting from our horses:

"Huh?"

Journey’s eyes widened as she noticed something.

"A herd of water buffalo?"

"They’re called ‘Rain Buffalo.’ They’re monsters."

"Monsters? They look just like cows."

"Not much difference, really."

In the direction she was looking, there was a herd of what looked to be about a few dozen Rain Buffalo.

"Rain Buffalo are tasty."

"...Do you categorize monsters as either tasty or not tasty, Kana?"

"...?"

"Sorry, that might have been a bit rude?"

"What else is there besides taste?"

"Oh, so that was the problem."

Journey nodded, seeming to understand.

"Well, I suppose if you’re as strong as Kana, there’s no danger with any monster."

"Not necessarily."

She was overestimating me. Not even I can slice through every monster like steak. There are leviathans, krakens, perydis, and so on. There are quite a few.

Dragons, for example, are considered monsters.

"Wait, dragons are monsters? And… what did you say? Leviathans and krakens and… peri-something?"

"Perydis."

"Right, perydis. I don’t know how strong they are, but it sounds like those are the ones you’d need to worry about. Just from the names, they don’t sound like the usual monsters."

"Yeah, that’s true."

If creatures like that roamed around as casually as cattle, Ardina would already be a monster-infested wasteland. I’ve only read about them in stories, but just from the descriptions, they don’t sound like pushovers.

"But Rain Buffalo are genuinely delicious."

Rain Buffalo, unlike orcs, are gourmet ingredients that almost everyone enjoys. There’s a saying: people might try it once, but they’ll never get enough.

"...Wait, isn’t it usually ‘People who try it once always want more?’"

"Rain Buffalo meat is expensive."

You might get to try it once, but buying it a second time? Forget it. It’s too expensive. Most people can only dream about that taste and lick their fingers.

To make it clearer, it’s the kind of meat that would end up on a royal’s dinner table.

"And the milk is good too."

"Yeah, milk is important."

"..."

"...I didn’t mean anything by it?"

"Sure, you didn’t."

Anyway, besides meat and milk, their hides and horns are useful too. Nothing goes to waste on a Rain Buffalo. It’s a shame they can’t be domesticated, but what can you do?

"Huh? Why not? They don’t look that wild."

"They’re monsters."

People who tried to domesticate them usually met one of two fates: they either got skewered by a Rain Buffalo’s horn and sent to Edel, or they went broke trying and ended up in Edel’s company anyway.

There’s a reason they’re classified as monsters. They might look docile now, but once it rains, they grow much stronger and more aggressive, smashing everything in sight. Too strong to contain, and too fierce to stop.

"So why not just raise them in a place where it doesn’t rain?"

"Less rain doesn’t mean no rain at all."

And even then, there’s another issue.

"If they don’t get rained on, they die."

They go berserk when it rains but die without it. Talk about flawed creatures.

"Wouldn’t regular water work?"

"Nope."

They only react to rain from the sky. I don’t know why, but since when did monsters need reasons?

"Sigh… The more you talk about it, the more curious I get. I wonder what they taste like."

"Curious? Go try one."

"...What?"

"What are you waiting for?"

Journey glanced at me, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

"...You’re not actually asking me to hunt one, are you?"

"You said you were curious."

"Curiosity doesn’t mean I have to satisfy it—ahhhh!"

"Too much talking."

Without further ado, I gave her a nudge, sending her rolling down the plain.

The peaceful Rain Buffalo herd, which had been grazing quietly, perked up and turned their ears toward her.

"...If I attack one, will the others charge?"

"Of course."

"So, they’d all come at me at once?"

"Yes."

"...Are you kidding?! What did I ever do to you?!"

I shrugged. No idea what she was on about.

"They’re really tasty."

"I don’t care! I mean, I can’t eat them!"

Journey let out a shriek and scrambled backward. The Rain Buffalo lost interest and returned to their grazing.

"Hmm."

Is this really so hard?

I walked forward, leaving Journey behind. The buffalo noticed me as I approached where Journey had rolled, but they quickly went back to grazing.

...That’s irritating.

People say animals and monsters have good instincts, but was that just a rumor, or are these creatures especially clueless? Seeing them react differently to Journey and me was annoying.

As I got closer, they finally fixed their eyes on me with a wary look. Even if they ran, I would’ve chased them down, but they stayed put, apparently thinking they could handle me.

"How cocky."

Crack!

I raised my hand and brought it down on the head of the buffalo in front. My light gesture had a heavy impact: with a dull thud, the buffalo’s skull caved in, and it collapsed.

"Mooaargh!"

The other buffalo, seeing what happened to their friend, changed their stance entirely. Gone was their leisurely grazing, replaced by aggressive snorts and scraping hooves, ready to charge.

"You want to fight?"

I grabbed the fallen buffalo by the horn and lifted it. Its limp body dangled in the air.

"Mooo…."

Their initial roar was now tinged with hesitation. Even a monster with low intelligence can sense when things aren’t right. They lost one already, but better that than the whole herd.

They exchanged glances, probably thinking something along the lines of, "You go first," "No, you’re closer."

After a tense moment, they reached a decision.

"Moooo."

They resumed grazing, ignoring their fallen companion as if nothing had happened. I nodded in satisfaction and started dragging my prize back to Journey.

"Mooo… Moo!"

The mournful wails of the herd filled the plain, echoing across the field. Perhaps they regretted not avenging their friend. Their cries sounded almost mournful.

"Be quiet."

I’m not interested in their sorrow, just the noise.

"Or come at me now."

"..."

The plain fell silent as if on cue. They had no courage to act but were making a racket anyway.

"Kana..."

When I reached Journey with the buffalo carcass, she looked down at me with a complicated expression.

"Should I say this?"

"...?"

"...No, never mind."

Journey stopped herself, leaving me hanging. Seriously, leaving me curious like that?

"What?"

"I might hurt your feelings, Kana."

"I don’t care."

"Really?"

I nodded. I’ve heard worse from others, so there’s not much that fazes me now.

Besides—

"If I get hurt, I’ll just hurt you back."

I might not be good with words, but I always repay injuries in kind—physically, of course. I’m sure they don’t mind competing in areas where they’re strong.

Journey started shaking and then let out a squeal.

"...You’re terrifying!"

In the end, she never did tell me what she was going to say.

...What was she planning to say, anyway?