The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 43

Chapter 43:

Dangerous Monsters

THE ADANDARA LEANED closer to me, so I reached out and stroked its neck. Its fur felt silky under my fingers. Sora had healed it, so I figured it was fine, but I still reached my hand out to check it for injuries. The adandara never got mad, either, no matter where I touched. When I scratched under its chin, it even narrowed its eyes happily.

Is this…not an adandara?

According to my book, they were rare monsters that were so fierce that nobody could approach them. You needed more than five teams of veterans to defeat just one! Was there anything else written about it?

Oh! It said that if you locked eyes with one, it was sure to kill you. But I’d made eye contact with this purring, adandara-like monster a few times now. I looked at the monster, and our eyes met again. Its behavior definitely didn’t match what was in the book. Was it just similar in appearance and not behavior? I decided I should read the book again later and memorize the real adandara’s features.

Still, it was so fluffy and sweet! It had long black fur, with a strangely dignified bearing. I’d have loved to be able to tame it, but that wouldn’t work with my magic. If only I had more mana… What a shame.

I looked to Sora, who was still bobbing up and down happily. Huh? There it goes again. It’s not eating, but there are bubbles forming inside. What does it mean? I was curious, but it wasn’t like I could ask Sora. I could only wait and watch. While I was focused on the slime, I felt a few people coming this way. They were moving fast, like they were in a hurry.

“Someone’s coming. Get out of here!” I pushed on the adandara-like monster’s flank and pointed into the woods. It rubbed its head against me and purred one more time before leaping gallantly into the forest. “It’s so fast! Isn’t that cool, Sora?!”

Wait—Sora! I need to hide Sora! 

I frantically shoved it into a bag and tried to stand up, but…my legs were like jelly. I’d have to rest a while before I could head back to the village.

Three people were running this way. They seemed to be guards on patrol. When they saw me, they looked around warily and approached.

“Are you okay?” one asked.

“Yes. I’m just a little, uh…tired! Yep, I’m taking a break.”

Resting in a random place in the woods…nothing suspicious about that. Aah, I’m so nervous. I waited for them to accuse me of something, but they seemed a little distracted as they investigated the woods around me. Had something happened?

“No problems here,” said another.

“Is something going on?” I asked.

“We heard there was an unidentified monster around here, so we came to check.”

“Have you seen anything?”

An unidentified monster? Was it that adandara-like one?

“Nope! Everything is very normal here,” I lied.

“I see. We were told that it was rampaging around here, but…”

Rampaging? Maybe there’s another monster. The adandara was dying before Sora healed it… Is the monster that hurt it still around here? Panicking now, I looked around.

“Ha ha ha, no worries!” one of them reassured me. “Our info told us it was around here, but it must have moved.”

“Yeah. It’s clearly not here anymore.”

“Wait! Look, bloodstains!” another officer pointed out.

Right, that’s the adandara’s blood. What do I do?

“Did you see any wounded animals or monsters on your way here?”

“No,” I lied yet again. Gulp…sorry! This is bad for my heart.

“Did it take its prey to a safe place?” one suggested.

“Seems likely.”

“But that’s a lot of blood. It must’ve been a large animal or monster. Did it drag something that big away?”

“It has to be a high-level monster.”

“I hope it was only in this area because it was chasing prey…”

I was confused by their conversation. All I had seen was the adandara-like monster. Did it run this way because it thought it would get eaten? Or was it here for revenge? I tried to stand up. My legs were only mostly jelly now. 

“Thank you,” I said, standing and bowing. “I’ll be heading back to the village.”

My heart had started to ache as I listened. The guards on patrol would probably be searching here for a while, but that monster was long gone by now. I started the trek back.

Still, why had Sora saved that monster? Sora had warned me of danger just like it had with the tree monster… Did it save the adandara because he knew it wouldn’t attack? It’s not that…he likes wounds or something, does he? I gazed at Sora’s bag. Even if I didn’t understand it, I figured I should let my friend do as it pleased. Maybe this meant something, or…maybe not.