Joining In
Looking closely at the Tonitrus cub, I saw it was covered in blood. I told the Tonitrus that I would heal the cub and reached out to touch it. I cast healing magic on the deep wounds, washed the shallow ones with water, and gave it a potion to drink.
Even so, the cub still looked weak, so I asked Grandfather to lend some of his mana. The cub seemed to regain consciousness after that. Resting in Grandfather’s arms, it looked around as if searching for someone, and when it spotted the Tonitrus, it eagerly moved its limbs, trying to get to it.
Grandfather gently placed the cub on the ground, and it whimpered to the Tonitrus. According to Atre's interpretation, the Tonitrus’ pack had been attacked.
As the Tonitrus tried to head toward its companions, I said, “We’ll help you. In your current state, you can’t fight. Lead the way.”
When Brother Chris asked what had happened, I realized I’d gone ahead and decided things without consulting anyone. But I quickly explained that the Tonitrus’ pack had been attacked.
Ciel offered to scout ahead and flew off. We hurried after her.
When Ciel returned, she reported that the attackers was a Zumya.
“What’s a Zumya?”
“A giant serpent. Their scales are as tough as a dragon's, making them troublesome. They use their long tongues to swallow prey whole. Even the smallest are over ten meters long,” Meyer explained.
“How do you defeat them?”
“First, you blind them so they can’t target you. The area around their throats is the softest, so you aim there to weaken them.”
Atre told me we were close to the destination, so I relayed that to everyone. Ciel informed us that the Zumya was at the two o'clock position (according to Atre's translation).
Just as we approached, the Zumya had one of the Tonitrus wrapped with its tongue, about to devour it.
Brother Chris quickly cast Wind Cutter, severing the Zumya's tongue.
The Zumya turned toward us, and the magician immediately targeted its eyes with magic. A Fireball struck its right eye, and the Zumya began thrashing wildly.
“That thing’s over twenty meters long… Quite the beast,” Grandfather remarked.
The magician kept attacking the left eye. This time, a Wind Cutter hit the mark, causing even more violent thrashing, knocking down the surrounding trees.
The enraged Zumya turned toward us.
“Even blind, its hearing must be highly developed,” Brother Gerald commented.
As if reacting to his voice, the Zumya opened its mouth and lunged toward us.
“Grandfather, please fire that massive lightning spell straight into its mouth!” I pleaded.
“Understood.”
Grandfather unleashed the enormous lightning spell he’d used on the Tonitrus earlier, hitting the Zumya squarely in the mouth. It writhed in agony before eventually collapsing, unmoving.
To be safe, we decided to sever its head.
We tried cutting through the neck with a mithril sword, but its scales were too tough. With several people working together to strip the scales first, we finally managed to sever the head.
I asked Atre to tell the Tonitrus to explain to its pack that we wanted to help treat the wounded.
The Tonitrus relayed the message, and the injured ones approached. With two healing magicians assisting me, we began treatment, even giving potions to the five most severely wounded.
While we treated the injured, the knights recovered the Zumya's body and the fallen trees. The large trunks would be useful for building materials.
“What should we do about the Tonitrus pack? With injuries like this, they’re at risk of another attack,” I wondered.
“Brother Chris, why not let them stay at the World Tree until they recover? The World Tree is known for helping beastkin. I’m sure it would allow wounded monsters to stay,” I suggested.
“Monsters come to drink the World Tree’s enchanted water when they’re injured, so I think that’ll be fine,” said Brother Gerald.
“The only question is whether the Tonitrus will agree. Let’s have Atre ask them.”
The Tonitrus seemed uneasy about the current state of its pack and accepted our proposal. So, we would all head to the World Tree together.
As we prepared to leave, Atre asked, “Are you leaving the White Dragon behind?”
Oh, right. I hadn’t seen the White Dragon since we went to the hot springs.
When I returned to the hot springs, the White Dragon immediately flew over, flapping its wings indignantly.
“Where did everyone go without me? It’s unfair to leave me out!” it complained.
I apologized and explained that we had gone to help the Tonitrus’ pack, which had been attacked by a Zumya.
“Well, that can’t be helped. But next time, you must bring me along. Those injured Tonitrus should soak in this hot spring. I was bathing here, so its healing effects should be stronger.”
Apparently, the White Dragon was skilled in healing magic. A dragon's scale color supposedly reflected its elemental affinity.
I’d meant to confirm that earlier but had forgotten.
Since Atre and the others also wanted to bathe, we decided to spend the night at the hot springs.
Two days later, we safely arrived at the World Tree. We explained the situation to Alraune, who agreed to let the Tonitrus stay until they recovered.
The next day, as we prepared to return home, the Tonitrus who had fought Grandfather approached us.
Atre translated, “He says he promised, so he’ll become Grandfather’s familiar.”
“But with the pack heavily injured, wouldn’t it be dangerous for them to rebuild their territory?” Grandfather asked.
According to Atre's interpretation, the Tonitrus didn’t want to stay with the pack anymore.
His mate and child had been the first victims of the Zumya attack, and his absence was blamed for it.
He didn’t want to leave his remaining child behind, so he wanted the cub to come with him — but only he would be the familiar.
This Tonitrus was strong, but apparently, the pack still had a different leader.
Perhaps that leader saw him as a threat and had set him up to be driven out?
“Very well. Come with us. I look forward to working with you,” Grandfather said, patting the Tonitrus’ head.
And so, the Tonitrus and his cub became part of our household.
What do you think about this chapter?
