As we explored the summit of the Table Mountains, we collected enough information to make a field guide.
I steadily grew enthralled, and I assembled plants and animals in my head, feeling the urge to make a large-scale biotope.
Dryas seems to have focused on collecting aquatic plants and endemic species of flowers.
Sylph caught pairs of various types of small birds and placed them in hurriedly-made cages.
Undine placed various types of aquatic bugs and small fish in a prepared fish tank, which was then stored in my Subspace. The Item Box can’t store living things, so I ended up building another subspace separate from the one Kaede and Tsubaki live in.
Laeva foraged for all sorts of medicinal plants. Since these were plants never before seen, she trembled in excitement at the various experiments and verification she’d do.
There was something strange that happened with Kaede.
She’s being followed by small spiders. They’re that highly intelligent? Even if they are monsters, it was still a bit off.
「Master, Kaede made followers!」
「Y-yeah, so it was that. Will you be taking those spiders back home with us?」
「Yup!」
「I see. Ha, haha, I wonder if this’ll be fine.」
「It’s okay! Kaede will train them properly!」
Yep, spiders are said to be useful insects, aren’t they? This will be okay, right?
There were about 10 small fist-sized spiders riding on Kaede’s spider back. And, for some reason, they were waving a foreleg as if they were greeting me.
They’re of the Flower Spider type. They camouflage themselves on flowers to catch their prey. They’re all different colors but were of the same type, and their color changes depending on the flower they mimic.
「……take proper care of them.」
「Leave it to Kaede, Master!」
I can do nothing but entrust it to Kaede. She’s in a good mood so I’ll take it as a good thing.
Undine brought aquatic plants, small fish similar to the Japanese medaka, and shrimp into the fish tank. There’s no worry for parasites, she said.
And what baffled me the most was the diligent person who never left my side as my escort. Yep, a raptor was resting on Sophia’s arm.
She was satisfied with the eagle-like monster with a wingspan over 2m wide perched on her arm.
「……Sophia, that, what’s with that?」
「Yes, I have succeeded in taming it.」
She said so filled with pride and a face full of smiles.
According to Sophia, it was a monster known as a Thunder Eagle. Just as its name entails, it’s a monster said to be able to manipulate lightning.
When asked, Sophia said she was envious of me making Kaede and Tsubaki into familiars.
「Well, if you tamed it, then I have no qualms about it, Sophia.」
「Thank you very much.」
During my discussion with Sophia, I learned that the Thunder Eagle is a C rank monster, but as it was a seldom seen monster, it’s apparently a rarity. Even in this world, the nobles indulge in falconry, so they tame raptor-type monsters. And among the monsters handled in such a manner, the Thunder Eagle is one they would spend a fortune for.
That fact that we now have another thing that would make nobles target us is something I would never say.
「Hey, what do we do about mouse-types?」
「H~mm, mice multiply explosively, so if left as they are, it is likely that they would go out of the forest and damage the orchard and fields. Let’s go with squirrel-types.」
「Well, wouldn’t it be fine even if we do it at another time? We don’t have to do things all at once.」
「That’s true too.」
When I asked about introducing mouse-types to become prey for the raptors, she was worried about something. Then because Sylph gave some rare advice, we decided to do it next time. Should we give the meat of the monsters we hunted to Sophia’s Thunder Eagle? I’d like to prevent the rare small birds from being preyed upon.
We began the our withdrawal operation, foraging plants and catching animals, and checking the monsters’ conditions as we stow them away into the subspace.
「Well then, come closer! We’re going!」
I teleported to the base of Table Mountains.
From here, we’ll leave the monster nest forest, but the reason we purposefully didn’t teleport and are walking out is to catch the animals and forage the plants that we had our eyes on.
Since it would take time to catch, forage, and then return to the Sanctuary, we decided to do these on our way back.
It was at this point that we caught the squirrels. The Great Spirits and I had decided that the deer and wild boar will be for next time.
Thus our first flora and fauna acquisition operation for the Sanctuary’s forest and grasslands has ended. I’m sure the Great Spirits will make me go out again.
Releasing animals and monsters in the forest and grasslands is fine, but I’d like to increase number of people who would manage the forest and grasslands. I strongly do.
***