Not far ahead, I saw Hikari's worried figure at the entrance to the forest. She must have heard the commotion in the forest earlier, but remembered my instructions and just stood there.
After seeing the three pegasus horses that had come out of the forest with me, I could clearly see the little fool's expression quickly change from worry to joy. She first ran a few steps, then, as if afraid of disturbing such beautiful creatures, she quietly slowed down, walked slowly to one of them, looked at it for a while, and when she saw it lower its head slightly, she finally reached out and gently stroked its snow-white mane.
After walking a few more steps, I spotted another figure that surprised me quite a bit behind a tree not far away. Without a doubt, the figure that had been glancing over from time to time was Anne Fines. I hadn't expected her to follow me; I'd thought she wouldn't care at all.
However, after we made eye contact, Annie's reaction seemed to tell me that I was wrong.
Suddenly, she turned her face away, crossed her arms, and stomped her feet, saying, "I, I'm not worried about anything! I'm just curious what important matter could have summoned you here so suddenly!" Then she hurriedly ran away.
When I found her again, she had already returned to the temporary camp with Hikari.
"Mr. Yumi."
Hikari tugged at my sleeve, gesturing for me to look back: "Are those children following behind us? Is that alright?"
Following her directions, I looked back and, apart from the few Pegasus horses I had brought back, I could clearly see the herd of horses trailing behind us at a distance, on the edge of the woods we had left earlier.
My senses had long since detected them trailing behind, and I knew they were worried about their family and companions being harmed, hence their constant following. It was indeed well-intentioned, though perhaps a little heavy-hearted in some ways.
Hikari quickly understood the reason, but after I stopped her, she only thanked them from afar and did not go any closer.
This girl is honest in this respect, but what use is a thank you to a spirit beast that it can neither eat nor drink?
However, since we've already encountered the ideal mount, there's no need to waste any more time on the road; we can hurry on our way.
I selected the strongest of the three and kept it, signaling to Annie to quickly get along with the other wolf. I removed the wolf skin I had previously peeled off and began further processing.
It's not a complicated matter; it's simply a matter of mixing the summoned wind and fire to create slightly warm air, which cleans away the surface dirt and allows the moisture in the stripped wolf skin to evaporate quickly.
This is the simplest method for making a basic fur coat, but it requires a high degree of skill in controlling the heat. The fire and wind must be kept moderate, ensuring the hot air is evenly distributed throughout the surface and lining of the fur coat to achieve the best results. Too much heat will make it brittle and burnt, while too little will prevent it from penetrating the lining. The right balance maintains the overall fluffiness and flexibility while preventing it from slipping due to residual moisture inside, or from rotting and spoiling later.
After this step, the next steps are threading the ropes, binding the saddle, and installing it to make a suitable saddle. Cowhide would be the best choice, but there's no evidence of cattle activity here, so wolf skin will have to do.
Hikari looked somewhat burdened, while Annie protested after noticing the commotion.
"I want one too!"
“But there are no more wolf pelts left.” I simply shrugged and politely informed her that I would not grant her request.
Anne rolled up her sleeves: "Then I'll go and hunt one myself!"
I could only laugh and cry at the same time as I grabbed her by the back of her collar and put her back next to Pegasus. "Putting aside whether you can find a pack of wolves in these mountains, do you really think you can beat a pack of wolves that move in packs?" I paused, then emphasized the last part, "And now that we have Pegasus to get around, and we're leaving soon, do you want to be abandoned here and wander alone in the deep mountains?"
Annie puffed out her cheeks, suddenly raised her hand and grabbed the hem of my clothes, but didn't respond for a long time.
However, her main problem doesn't seem to be that.
For some reason, the Pegasus, which had been extremely docile all along, always showed a hint of fear when Annie approached, repeatedly retreating in a direction that was far away. Not to mention building a relationship, it was extremely difficult to even get close to her. The other two horses also showed the same behavior when Annie approached.
Left with no other choice, I had to take both horses back to the edge of the forest to try and find out if I could replace them with a Pegasus that wouldn't back down in front of Anne. However, the result was almost tragic.
"...You don't happen to have some kind of fear aura around you, do you?"
"How is that possible!"
Anne's bewildered and embarrassed attitude indirectly proves that she was unaware of the situation.
I carefully examined the petite girl standing beside me, but even my senses couldn't warn me of any danger. I had no idea what these spirit beasts, who were closer to nature than humans, had sensed.
In the end, the leader that had negotiated with me earlier stepped forward, stretched out its neck and wings, indicating that it could give me a ride.
It was a huge help; I'm already considering asking that elusive hunting dog for help.
Pegasus was very accepting of Ai-An, showing almost no resistance. However, perhaps another way of putting it might be more intuitive, because in my opinion, if I weren't certain that he was a real being, Ai-An would be like a ghost without any presence, quietly approaching Pegasus while the target remained completely unaware.
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