Chapter 524

Parfes Walk Through the City of Vardmoi
“Goo. (So this is Vardmoi.)”

“Googguu. (The clothes here are different from Isles of the Eight Gods.)”

“Gugoogg. (The buildings are kinda different too.)”

After Kou enjoyed her ride on a Parfe, I took her back to the Vardmoi estate and got permission while I was there.
Surprisingly, Marquis Vardmoi gave his approval without much fuss.
There was a condition that only a few monsters could enter at a time, but apparently it wasn’t a big deal.
Kou, for her part, got thoroughly scolded.

“Hey, have you guys ever walked through the city on Isles of the Eight Gods?”

“Googg. (Only seen it from outside.)”

“Guguggoo. (Only saw people walking around, never joined them.)”

Well, since they were kept at the ranch even on the island, it makes sense they wouldn’t know what the city is like.
As we strolled leisurely through town, we attracted quite a bit of attention.
People had gotten used to seeing me walking around with Talat and the Kiblinki Saltas over the past few years, but walking around with cow-like monsters was a first.
Not to mention, even though we’re off the main road, the ranch is close enough to the city that people would recognize these monsters as the ones raised nearby.
So yeah, we stood out.

I didn’t care, and neither did the Parfes.
If anything, they looked more curious about the people than the people were about them.
All was peaceful.

“Hey hey, Spider Lady! What’s that cow?”

A girl, likely on her way home from school, came over.
Since I’m one of the sponsors of the school in Vardmoi, the Kiblinki Saltas help out as guards.
Because of that—and because I occasionally drop by—I’ve become something of a known figure among the children as the “Spider Lady.”

“These are Parfes, a type of monster. They’re my new familiars.”

“That cow is a monster?”

“Yup. Looks just like a cow, but they’re actually monsters.”

“… So you can tame something that’s not a spider.”

Yup. Among the kids, I really am the “Spider Lady.”
Apparently, they think I can only tame spiders—and that I can’t tame anything else.
Honestly, I was surprised too when I managed to tame them.

“Gugoo? (You know that kid?)”

“Not exactly. She’s probably one of the kids from the school I sponsor.”

“You can talk to cows?”

“Not cows—just the Parfes. Since they’re my familiars, I can understand what they’re trying to say.”

“Whoa. Hey, does that one go wild?”

“As long as you don’t hit or kick them, they won’t. Why do you ask?”

“I wanna ride it!”

Ah… another kid wants to ride Parfe.
Well, kids would naturally want to.
So then, by that logic, Kou is… a kid.
Let’s just go with that.

“Sure, but no getting too excited, okay? I’ll have the Kiblinki Saltas secure you with silk just in case.”

“Okay! Hurry, I wanna ride!”

“All right. Parfe, could you help out?”

“Googuu! (Sure thing!)”

Parfe crouched down so the girl could climb on more easily.
After she got on, the Kiblinki Saltas climbed up behind her and used silk to fasten the girl, itself, and Parfe together.
That should prevent her from falling off.

“Okay, let’s go. Parfe, try not to shake too much.”

“Guu! Goo! (Okay! Here we go!)”

Parfe gently stood up and began plodding along.
Looking at how the girl’s body was barely moving, it was obvious how smooth the ride was.
No wonder Kou had so much fun—especially compared to horses, which apparently shake quite a bit.

“Wow! It really doesn’t shake!”

“Gugggoo! (I don’t shake, see!)”

(Don’t get too excited—it’s still dangerous. Even if Parfe doesn’t shake, you could fall off if you’re too rowdy.)

“Okay! But it’s so much fun!”

The girl was clearly having a blast.
Naturally, once one child starts having fun, others are bound to gather.
At first they had just been watching from a distance, but once they saw it was safe, they started crowding around.

There were way more children than there were Parfes, so we had them take turns—just walking a short distance each.
Even that was enough to make them happy, and they all left with big smiles.
It was honestly heartwarming.

Eventually, with so many requests, it felt like Parfes weren’t walking through the city—it was more like they were making their rounds to greet the children.
Parfes seemed satisfied, though, so I guess there’s no problem.

… I really hope I’m not going to be promoted from “Spider Lady” to “Spider-and-Cow-Lady.”
I’ll be fine… right?

What do you think about this chapter?