novelraw Chapter 421
Chapter 421
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(Ku... Where from...!?)
Even when I tried to sense for any presence, the surrounding noise—rustling, croaking, ringing—was just too much; I couldn't figure anything out.
(Ha, that's it!)
That's when I noticed it—the clever question of why Taro, lying prone on the ground, was so still and watching us intently.
(Muu, it seems like he's concerned about me... but no, that's not it! Is Taro actually worried about the chicken coop!?)
Still on one knee, I turned and carefully shone the flashlight in my right hand under my left arm, illuminating the inside of the chicken coop...
(Na...!?)
And then... there it was! Inside the chicken coop, two presences that were not chickens... something different.
...The chickens that Grandpa raises.
Because they're raised in a wild country style, each one is large and sturdy. Their feathers range from white to brown, and although they're broilers, they're completely different from cage-raised chickens.
Despite that, a monster the size of a forest chicken, large enough to surpass even these big, sturdy chickens, had nonchalantly slipped into the coop.
Its feathers were a glossy, bluish-black, truly beautiful.
But it also had a distinctly savage aura, as if this forest chicken had been regressed back to an archaeopteryx. Yeah, a forest chicken is plenty wild already, but this one had an added archaeopteryx flavor.
Its gaze was sharp, easily surpassing that of a shoebill.
...But it made no sense. Why weren't the other chickens afraid of this archaeopteryx-esque forest chicken? All of them, including the two others, were huddled together with their eyes closed.
(Umu... Mu!)
Just now, I caught a glimpse of a long, snake-like tail. And what that implies is... could it be... could it be...!
"No way, a Cockatrice...! In that case, was that styrofoam-like corpse the result of saponification!?"
The mysterious points connected, spinning out an answer.
Cockatrice. A monster said to have the form of a chicken and the tail of a snake. And with its poison, it can turn living things to stone.
The techniques manipulated by magical power, when compared to modern technology, have an absurdly abnormal conversion efficiency.
Even the Fire Wand I possess has an energy efficiency unthinkable by normal science or chemistry. I have no idea how many kilocalories one unit of magical power equals. But the same goes for the [Strong Acid] skill. When I checked before, the acid produced by the [Strong Acid] skill seemed to demonstrate a dissolving power surpassing any acid found on Earth.
So, that corpse that looked like styrofoam.
Couldn't that be the result of being attacked by a poison we could call [Strong Alkali]? It's possible that once the magical power was consumed and vanished, the pH dropped rapidly, and in the process, the fat contained in the tissues turned into soap.
In other words, the Cockatrice's petrification attack was an attack using a strong alkali.
Umu, indeed, if that's the case, it's no wonder that people without chemical knowledge would mistake saponification—the reaction between alkaline components and oils—for petrification.
(Umu, but why is a Cockatrice in the chicken coop? This situation, what should I do...)
...
A silent standoff continues. But no good ideas come to mind.
This is like the chickens are being held fowl-age. Moreover, if it turns into a fight within Seraku-san's family property, I have to consider the potential damage...
The one silver lining is that the Cockatrice's petrification wasn't like the cursed gaze of that famous petrifier, Medusa. If it were, I might have been turned to stone by now.
But where did it come from? No, looking closely, I can see there's a hole in the chicken coop, so it must have gotten in through there, but why is it with the chickens? Are these survivors from the dungeon the Self-Defense Forces exterminated??
These questions swirl around in my head, and I'm at a loss for how to deal with this. But in the midst of this tense, ticking-clock situation, Grandpa came out to call for me.
"What are you doing there, Coach? Everyone's waiting."
"Ah, No, Grandpa! Please don't come over here right now!"
But Grandpa didn't listen to me and approached the chicken coop defenselessly, wearing his post-bath jinbei and sandals.
(Ah, that's bad...!)
I hurriedly tried to get closer to act as a shield for Grandpa, but before I could, he peered inside the chicken coop.
""""Bok bok bok...!""""
Then, the chickens that should have been sleeping all woke up at once to the sound of Grandpa's approaching footsteps, happily gathering near the wire mesh. The chickens, raised with deep affection, were very attached to Grandpa.
"Ohh, ohh, good. Hm, what's this? A fine forest chicken added since I last looked?"
"Ah, no... That's less of a forest chicken and more..."
Furthermore, upon seeing the Cockatrice sitting perfectly still in the back of the coop, Grandpa mistook it for a large forest chicken.
"Weeell, fine. Don't know where it was bein' kept, but it must've been hungry and escaped. Suppose we can look after it for a while here?"
Grandpa staring at the Cockatrice, and the Cockatrice staring at Grandpa.
(Wait... That's it, this might be the chance!)
"Ah, YES! You're right, that's a great idea!!"
If, if these Cockatrices came here because they envied the treatment of the chickens...
Gambling on that possibility, I placed a hand on Grandpa's back and tried channeling magical power towards the Cockatrices to attempt taming.
(Now choose, Cockatrices! Will you continue living freely, even if it's harsh? Or will you endure a little inconvenience for a life where you're taken care of? Which will you choose!?)
[[Kyuwawa~! Pofu!]]
And then... the Cockatrices turned into cards on a metal plate right before our eyes.
(Th-the Cockatrices are strong! A metal plate? Are they above my 3 familiars!?)
"Hm, what is it, Coach? More magic tricks?"
"Ha, well, yeah, something like that..."
Haa~... But it was good. It worked out.
But Grandpa. First the Vampire Ginsengs, and now you've even tamed Cockatrices... you're really just too amazing.