Chapter 26
But even I thought it was strange.
A “Beast Tamer,” huh? Is that some kind of special title?
Like a reward you only get after completing a hidden quest in a game…
Well, considering I pulled an SSS-grade weapon from a gacha in the first place, I must have been ridiculously lucky.
“Are you sure? Really? One hundred percent?”
“Yes. Ordinary humans cannot understand the language of beasts. Of course, it might be possible if you were of the Beastkin race… but Zoe isn’t a Beastkin, and they simply don’t have the ability to tame beasts like Zoe does.”
What the… there are Beastkin in this world too?
It made sense—Beastkin might actually understand beast languages.
Well, since I’m in a fantasy game world, I’d kind of like to meet them at least once…
I pictured cute Beastkin with soft, floppy ears atop their heads and smiled happily.
“Zoe, shall we have a quick meal before continuing? I brought cheese sandwiches and macarons! And I also brought some refreshing herbal tea leaves that I thought would go well with them!”
“Oh, thank you, Golem! Shall we then? Ah, right—I planted some mushrooms in the garden this time. They’re so delicious when grilled, so let’s eat those too!”
“Alright, I’ll brew the tea then.”
Saying that, the Golem spread a large picnic cloth on the ground and took the sandwiches, macarons, and teapot out of the wooden basket one by one, placing them neatly.
“Ah, Zoe. Grilled mushrooms this time, huh? Make sure to sprinkle plenty of sugar while grilling! Understood? Very, very sweet!”
Sompara, who loved sweets more than anyone, flopped down next to the Golem and kept giving instructions.
…Sompara, you’re going to get diabetes if you keep this up.
I reluctantly nodded and turned my gaze to Luan.
“Uh, Luan, could you help with harvesting the mushrooms? Let’s all have lunch together.”
“Yes, since it’s an order from Zero, I must obey.”
Luan nodded and grinned widely.
Ugh, always teasing me like that… I gave Luan a glare and walked toward the garden.
“Ruby, could you shoot some flames at this firewood?”
“Uh-huh! Got it, Zoe! Just trust me!”
Of course, I could shoot flames too, but I let Ruby do it.
For some reason, Ruby always got excited whenever I asked her to do something.
As Ruby’s flames touched the logs, a fire blazed up.
Since the kitchen was unusable due to construction, it was a bit inconvenient—but somehow, it felt like we were camping, which lifted my spirits.
“How’s that, Zoe? It’s just me, right? I’m totally useful, right?”
“Oh, yes, our Ruby is amazing! I don’t know what I’d do without you!”
As I showered Ruby with praise and scratched her neck, she purred happily.
Aww, cute… you can still see the baby version of her at times.
“Zoe, should I skewer the mushrooms like this to grill them?”
“Yes, you’re doing perfectly!”
Zero sat back and told me to relax while Luan concentrated seriously on grilling the mushroom skewers.
…Why does she look so serious just for grilling mushrooms? Well, she never does anything halfheartedly.
From what I’d seen so far, Luan was the model student, the perfect child type.
Even though she couldn’t communicate with the Antracons, she observed their behavior and started helping with building the house on her own, quickly mastering anything she was taught.
I think I even saw her handling a sword pretty well before…
Watching Luan evenly grill the mushrooms, I thought,
‘Luan really has everything except me…’
The savory scent of mushrooms wafted in the wind, and my mouth was already watering.
These macarons are so delicious! Thank you, Golem!
This honey is so sweet and tasty… Zoe, did you gather this yourself?
When the Golem handed out the macarons and honey to the Antracons, they looked very satisfied.
“Yeah, eat up, everyone! Thanks so much for your help. As expected, you’re all masters of construction.”
“Indeed, as a fellow artisan, I acknowledge the Antracon kids’ skills. Of course, they still have a long way to go to reach my level.”
Sompara nodded while biting into a chocolate macaron.
Sompara… don’t just pick all the chocolate ones!
“Zoe, everything seems grilled now. Want to try some?”
“Wow, it smells amazing! Alright, I’ll try first.”
The mushroom aroma was incredible.
I quickly blew on the steaming mushroom skewer to cool it, then carefully took a bite.
“Well grilled?”
Luan waited nervously for my response.
Mmm…!
“What?”
Gulp This is insane!
Absolutely delicious!
The mushrooms were evenly grilled, glossy, and bursting with savory flavor and chewy texture. I couldn’t help but exclaim.
But… that’s strange. Last time I ate these, they were good, but not like this…
Bang!
At that moment, a sudden explosion of smoke filled my vision.
When it cleared, all eyes turned to me.
“Zoe… your appearance…”
“W-what? But Luan, why are you suddenly so big?”
Of course, she was already taller than me, but now she looked like a gigantic giant. My eyes widened in shock.
Zoe, you’ve shrunk!
Yep, and into that form! Hehe.
I had shrunk…?
I quickly looked into the makeshift well to see my reflection.
“What… what is this? Why does my face look like this?”
Snow-white fur, long eyelashes framing sparkling big eyes, and a soft, fluffy pink mane…
This is definitely…
“I-I’m a foal?”
“Oh! Zoe, what a cute form! Now our eyes are perfectly level, haha!”
“What on earth is happening!”
I panicked as I looked at my small hooves and fluffy pink tail.
Why did I suddenly turn into a foal?!
Just then, a thought flashed in my mind.
“Wait a second, Luan… did you take the mushrooms from the fourth row earlier?”
“Yes, I think so… Does that have anything to do with this situation?”
“Oh my god…”
I held my tiny hands—or maybe I should say hooves—and massaged my head.
The fourth row of the garden had some special plants planted.
“No one touch these mushrooms! Ruby, spit it out immediately.”
“Pfft… it smells so delicious though… whine…”
Ruby reluctantly opened her mouth when I spoke sternly.
I had planted several random seeds from gacha in the garden.
And among them… this must be…
[<System> The mushroom you just consumed is an “Animalization Mushroom.” The effect lasts for 3 days.]
Wow, it tells you that quickly, huh?!
I glared at the system notification popping up and buried my head in the ground.
“Zoe, are you alright?”
Luan asked worriedly as she saw me sulking.
Ugh… I have to live like this for three days… And since I didn’t warn anyone beforehand, I can’t even blame Luan.
“This is an ‘Animalization Mushroom,’ which turns the consumer into an animal.”
I peeked my head out and explained in a resigned tone.
“Animalization Mushroom? So that’s why you look like this?”
“Yes… I should have warned you earlier, my mistake. It looks almost identical to ordinary mushrooms, so most people can’t tell the difference.”
Animalization Mushrooms look nearly identical to regular mushrooms, except for a faint bluish tint at the base of the stalk.
It’s subtle enough that you have to look closely, so I’ve always been careful…
But I got too excited and forgot to warn Luan.
“Hahaha! Zoe, what a sight! It really suits you! Hehehe!”
Seriously… I just want to spray insecticide on them.
