Chapter 3
Dripping Venom from the Lips
(Part 4)
“Whoa, it really is a carriage! How did you get it?”
The day after my conversation with my friend Kizuna, I reported back to my master mainly about the carriage.
My master seemed somewhat skeptical upon hearing the story, but when they actually saw the carriage, they gleefully ran up to it.
The carriage is a used one with some years on it, so it has minor scratches here and there, but its construction is solid and sturdy. As long as we don’t do anything too reckless, it should work just fine.
“While Akatsuki was engaged in short-term part-time work, I was also taking various actions. That carriage was quite old, and furthermore, the shop had no space to display it, so it was scheduled for disposal. I negotiated and managed to purchase it very cheaply.”
“Wow! And this horse…”
My master stared at the horse, which was standing still quietly, tethered by the reins.
In its eyes floated the hypnotic magic circle of Kizuna’s ability. I had commanded the horse to ‘only close its eyes when my master is looking’. Kizuna’s ability is truly excellent; the horse indeed kept its eyes closed right there on the spot.
“…This horse, did you put some kind of spell on it?”
“Oh my, you found me out after all.”
My master was originally born as a human for the purpose of sealing away powerful demons. When it comes to the ability to perceive demonic power, there’s practically no human who surpasses them. I had thought they would notice eventually, but to detect it instantly without even looking into the horse’s eyes is a remarkable sensory ability.
“I have a friend who can manipulate animals, so I asked for their assistance. The horse is genuinely a wild one from outside the territory. It’s also been checked for diseases.”
“Hmm? Well, if it’s from outside the borders of any nation, it’s permitted to either hunt wild animals or keep them as pets, and it’s not an uncommon practice, so I guess it’s okay…?”
I thought it was wiser to be honest about things that would be difficult to explain away, so I told them about my friend.
Apart from this horse, he has only ever hypnotized humans, but looking at it broadly, humans are animals too, so it’s not exactly a lie. Choosing a wild horse was the correct decision.
My master seemed a little concerned about it being controlled by magic, but when I promised to treat the horse with care and release it after six months, they agreed.
The truth is, even Kizuna cannot lift the hypnosis, but I kept quiet about that.
I had also considered the option of buying a horse from somewhere, but I don’t know how to handle horses, and my master probably doesn’t either.
For amateurs without knowledge, both training and taming animals is dangerous. It would also be troublesome if it ran away on its own.
Considering we needed a convenient horse that would obediently follow commands, I concluded that utilizing Kizuna’s ability was the safer option. This way, I could also select a healthy horse with good physique; the benefits were significant.
Kizuna also skillfully arranged for the necessary equipment like feed, reins, and grooming tools.
We shouldn’t have any problems taking care of the horse for the next six months.
“Thank you, Dia! This will make traveling so much easier, and it seems we can go to more places than we originally planned!”
Creating that world took considerable effort, but seeing both my friend and my master happy makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Seeing my master’s smiling face as they thanked me, I couldn’t help but smile too.
