"Yup." I replied back as he started to lead us into the forest and show us some of the creatures that live in the forest. Seeing all the creatures in question and in such numbers made me wonder how some of the magus back home would salivate at the thought of attaining one of these creatures.
...
Thankfully they can't do that here. This was a peaceful place and a set ecosystem, I don't want to imagine even one of those crazy people here experimenting on the creatures. Although I would like to see their reactions if they were to meet the Undines of this world. Clearly an example of stereotypes going way off the mark.
"Interesting." I noted with great interest at a creature that reminded me of a white stag. The huge antlers were roughly the size of my torso and it had a huge crest on its chest that it displayed proudly for all to see.
"Like that one?" The guide nodded his head proudly at the deer. "That is one of the most popular ones in the area, especially for those who seek to get its antlers. It has great medicinal value and since it sheds every few months during a new moon, it is often sought after. Of course, that meant a lot of troublemakers come after it." He sighed heavily before muttering. "Damn poachers..."
Ah, looks like he was having the same problem as the ones back home. My sympathies to him.
"Ah that is a very grand looking creature!"
"It is! Mitelt-san, what do you think?"
"... Yes, it is rather majestic in a way."
I turned to find the trio of young girls standing together and having a conversation. It was somewhat unusual seeing Mitlelt with them, but from the looks of it, it seemed that Asia and Ruruko were trying to strike a friendship with her during the tour. It was slow, but at least they were making progress compared to the others, given that the fallen angel was showing a semi-resigned but slightly cheerful disposition when talking with them.
Further thoughts got interrupted when Satooji-san let out a light call and a blue light attracted my attention to a tree where I saw, to my surprise, a small dragon with bright blue scales resting on top of a branch.
"Ah a sprite dragon, and such a beautiful hue!" Rias remarked as she looked at it. I had to admit, the dragon did looked rather glamorous with the blue glow despite its size. It reminded me of a blue gem hit by a soft light.
It seemed to have sensed our presence, as it let out a cute yawn before opening its eyes, blinking sleepily at us. Lightly stretching, it opened its wings and fluttered towards us, lightly tilting its head at each one of the members. As it came towards me, it seemed to pause for a moment while its eyes grew alert. It stopped right in front of me and continued looking at me with a steady gaze, occasionally titling its head to the sides as though it was curious about me. After a while, it flew past me and made straight for the junior girls of the group.
"Erm~ what?" Mitelt blinked as the little dragon paused in front of her and sniffed her lightly in curiosity. Then with a rather cute gesture, it lightly bumped her cheek and lightly rubbed its head on it. It then looked back at her and opened its mouth wide to let out a cute squeak, making her blush in embarrassment. It did the same for both Ruruko and Asia, before settling on top of Asia's head and taking a nap.
"So cute~"
All the girls swooned at the gestures made by the little dragon, and they took turns to lightly pat the head of the dragon, who merely opened an eye each time it happened and just let out another squeak.
I smiled lightly at the interactions before a scent caught my attention to my part of the forest It was at the far end of one of the darker portions of the area, but the scent was quite noticeable. There was also the contradicting presence that seemed malevolent, yet benign in nature. I took a quick glance at the two groups before silently making my way to that spot.
It should be fine, but better safe than sorry.
...
It did not take me that long to find the area where I felt the presence. It was at the foot of a small hill where the trees towered over me and there were a few rock formations around that channeled water to a nearby lake. At the face of the hill, there were several other rock formations that surrounded the entrance of a cave, making it look like the gateway to some boss fight.
But I could tell that something intentionally made it in such a way it would be a death trap if one was not careful; some of the bigger rocks had claw marks that cut deep into the rock, and the cuts were really clean with the occasional cracks along some of the harder materials.
The scent was stronger here, and now I could detect faint scents of ozone, steel and oddly enough, wild canine. I could also feel the Prana around here being extremely thick here, like a blanket that covered the area. Likely the creature in question exuded the Prana to use as a detection system in case there were intruders.
"Oui boy, come back here!" I blinked at the guide who apparently came after me running. He grabbed his knees and hefted hard while wheezing, a clear sign that he was not in good shape.
"Boy, we got to leave now! This side of the forest is not safe for us!" He managed to choke that out while inhaling deeply.
"Why?"
"This is where the Forest Guardian is staying, and he does not like intruders of any sort!" Satooji-san hissed nervously as his eyes darted in all directions. "This guy is very picky about any visitors coming into the forest, so it has taken residence here. We should leave now!"
I was about to say something when a growl broke the silence of the forest and the Prana around us suddenly felt very cold to the point of freezing, I could almost see the breath coming out of our mouths as we exhale. Slowly, I turned my head to the cave entrance where I could see two glowing eyes staring right back at me with killing intent. I could hear slow footsteps echoing from the entrance and oddly enough the sounds of metallic clicks was in time with it.
After a few seconds, the beast came out of the entrance and stopped at the ledge in front of us, watching us both with narrowed eyes. In the darkness, I could only see the golden eyes intensively checking us both with its breath coming out of its mouth in a thick puff. After a while, it seemed to dismiss us and start to groom itself. It was in that moment that the moon peeked out of the clouds and I finally laid eyes on the creature before me.
"Is that... A wolf made out of blades?" I blinked at the unusual sight that was in front of me.
"Close, all my sources indicate that this is a creature that is a distant relative between a Komainu and the Hokkaido Wolf." Satooji-san replied nervously as he tried to edge back to the big tree behind us. "He is one of the rarer creatures around, even rarer given the odd mutation that gave him that type of features."
"Wow..." I let out a sound as I looked at the creature before me. It felt so surreal as I looked at the manner its flesh and black fur seemed to fuse perfectly and naturally with the silvery-black steel plates that made up the back portion and then to the steel spikes that protrude from its shoulders.
The head had some blades coming out of the skull, giving the impression of a small crown of steel on it, and the mouth was evenly and seamlessly fused with the steel, making it look like it has a special armor for the head alone. In the moonlight, the steel shone with a type of radiance that was natural in a manner that could not be replicated even with my swords.
It was without a doubt a beautiful creature.
...
Hey guys If you want an extra chapter, you need to throw some power Stones ;)
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