Chapter 42
As soon as Quintilla finished speaking, Unit 1’s body suddenly began to grow enormous.
—H-Hey, that’s our queen’s ability…!
“…Wow, you get kind of gross when you get bigger. Ahem. Unit 1, you can do it now, right?”
—What, gross?! Ha… Our queen really is too softhearted. Fine, whatever… Hey, just stand back and watch. We Antragon are best at digging.
Unit 1, who had grown to the size of a house in an instant, stared at me in bewilderment for a long moment, then let out a sigh and moved its massive body with swift, heavy motions.
Thud!
Crossing over the collapsed stone wall, Unit 1 tore into the piles of dirt at frightening speed, opening a path forward.
At the same time, the ceiling of the basement sagged even more dangerously than before.
If this kept up, we were going to be crushed to death by falling debris before we even escaped.
“Luan, the basement is about to collapse! We have to get out—now!”
Once Unit 1 dug a hole large enough for us to pass through, I gestured urgently to Luan.
“Go first, Zoey. I’ll follow behind.”
“What are you talking about?! Your head is bleeding like crazy! And even with the Mask of the Fire Demon, Sophie might be in danger if you go last. I’ll follow behind. Go on, hurry!”
“I absolutely cannot do that.”
“Tsk. Don’t make me carry you, Luan.”
“…Haah, fine.”
Not even death could break my stubbornness.
Maybe he sensed that; Luan quickly gave up and started moving, supporting Sophia toward the hole.
“Lunatis, come here too!”
“Mmh… Thanks for saving Sophia.”
I scooped Lunatis into my arms and hurried after Luan.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!
N-Nice timing.
The moment I stepped through the hole, the basement ceiling collapsed behind us with a deafening crash.
There was no choice but to keep going forward.
Just let me get out of here—Gerald, you bastard, I won’t let you off.
“Zoey! Come up through here!”
“Huff, huff, Zoooooey!”
Standing on tiptoe, I peeked through the opening where light streamed down. Ruby peered down at me with big, watery eyes, licking the top of my head repeatedly in worry.
“St-stop, Ruby…”
Hahaha… Why bother washing my hair? Ruby’s basically cleaning it for me.
My bangs stuck to my forehead as I let out a defeated laugh.
“Sophia!!”
Luan stepped over the mounds of dirt and leapt up with light movements, setting Sophia safely on the ground. In that instant, Lunatis wriggled out of my arms, sprang up through the hole, and scurried straight toward her.
Wow, seriously? I’m the one who saved you, kid.
I felt a bit lonely. It’s not like I have a pet beast showering me with affection.
Still… He did that while holding Sophia? No matter how good his physical ability is… if Luan were an athlete, he could dominate every Olympic category.
“Zoey, take my hand.”
Luan reached down to me.
Exhausted from stumbling through the dark tunnel, I immediately took his hand.
In the next moment, his strong grip lifted me straight to the surface in one smooth pull.
Whoa… wow. Human elevator.
Once my upper body was out, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me fully onto solid ground. I couldn’t help but stare in amazement.
“Th-thank you, Luan.”
“I’m glad you actually listened to me for once.”
Haha… Why does it feel like that had a hidden jab in it…?
Avoiding his pointed stare, I hurried to check on Sophia.
“Z-Zoey…”
“Hm… her fever is still high. And her breathing’s rough.”
We were quite far from the village, so for Sophia’s sake we needed to head there as quickly as possible.
After a moment of thought, I looked at Luan and said carefully:
“Um, Luan… how about taking Sophia straight to the healer first?”
“……”
He stared at me, clearly thinking, And what about you?
I pointed toward Gerald’s burning house.
“Hahaha… I still have something to take care of.”
“Zoey. Don’t tell me you’re planning to go to Gerald right now.”
He widened his eyes, instantly sensing my plan.
I rushed into my excuses.
“No! I mean—just handing Gerald over to the security corps feels too generous. I’m not sure he’ll get real punishment, and, and—”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Whether you intervene or not, Gerald will receive the punishment he deserves.”
Luan’s violet eyes sharpened dangerously.
I knew that—coming from a royal bloodline like him—Gerald would be punished properly.
But still… I wanted to deliver justice myself for the countless animals he slaughtered so cruelly.
“Sophia’s condition is really bad. Don’t worry about me and go ahead. I’ll catch up quickly, okay?”
My reassuring tone seemed to sink in; Luan’s violet eyes dimmed with something heavy.
He looked almost exactly like I do when I deal with disobedient animals at work.
“I wish I also had the ability to tame,” he murmured bitterly.
…Why does it feel like he meant, to tame you?
Realizing he couldn’t break my stubbornness, he finally placed his hands firmly on my shoulders.
“I’ll take Sophia safely to the healer. But do not do anything reckless.”
“Ugh, don’t worry! I’m stronger than Gerald anyway.”
He got knocked out by Luan’s kick. If I flicked him with a finger, he’d be bedridden for twelve weeks.
When I replied breezily, Luan suddenly stepped forward angrily and gripped my shoulders tightly.
“Gerald is impulsive and vicious. You don’t know what cowardly, dirty tricks he might use. If something feels off, don’t hesitate—run immediately. Promise me.”
His firm, unyielding gaze pinned me in place.
His lips were pressed in a hard line, expression unusually rigid. Until he got the answer he wanted, he clearly wasn’t going to move.
“…Okay, okay. I promise.”
“Good. You promised.”
Only after extracting a solid answer did he finally release my shoulders and begin walking away.
Jeez. Even after seeing my superhuman strength, he worries that much?
“Ruby, can you take Luan and Sophia back to the village?”
“Uuugh… but I want to stay with Zoey… kyuuu…”
“It’s fine. You stay with Zoey. I’ll go with them.”
POOF!
The tiny, cute kitten Lunatis instantly transformed into a jaguar. His soft fur shifted into sleek, patterned hide, and his tiny paws became huge claws.
“Whoa—Lunatis! That’s your real form?!”
“Yup. What do you think? Falling for me a little?”
I couldn’t stop gawking at the charismatic, majestic beast before me.
Ahh… I should’ve trained Lunatis as my Attica…
“If Zoey were a filly… I’d make her my bride.”
“Yeah… too bad.”
“Kyu! Zoey!! You have ME!!”
Ruby slapped her tail on the ground angrily.
But Ruby… jaguars are my second favorite. And look at that perfect, statue-like face…!
Of course, my ultimate favorite is black panthers.
The dormant animal-lover in me started waking up again.
“Still, Zoey. I want us to be good friends.”
<SYSTEM>Congratulations!Youhavetamedamonster.TamedmonstersareautomaticallyregisteredinthePlayer’sMonsterEncyclopedia.
Aaaaaah!! Never has a system message felt so beautiful!
Lunatis may already have a main caretaker, but I don’t care about being the second. I’m thrilled!
“Zoey, take this.”
After seating Sophia on Lunatis’s back, Luan rummaged in his pouch and pulled out a necklace.
“Whoa… what’s this for?”
“It’s an artifact with a protective enchantment.”
Is this… real gold?
The gold necklace held two small butterflies—one with a blue gem, the other with a violet one.
The mysterious, shimmering butterfly pair captivated me, and I quickly took it from Luan.
“Ugh… I can’t get it fastened…”
“I’ll do it.”
He took the necklace, moved behind me, and gently clasped it around my neck.
The cool touch of his fingers on my skin made me shiver involuntarily.
“There.”
“Th-thank you, Luan. Wow… this necklace is gorgeous.”
The twin butterflies dangling from the chain sparkled with a beautiful sheen.
“Come back quickly. If you don’t… I’ll drag you back myself.”
“Aaaalright, I got it. I’ll be right behind you!”
