Friends of Animals

Through experimentation, Ethan learned of the many benefits of the mutated little hen.

For instance, her down was very soft, and the area beneath her wings was warm. No wonder newborn chicks loved curling up beneath their mother's wings.

The only drawback was that the mutated Miss Chloe was very heavy, pressing on his chest until he could barely breathe.

"It's obvious she likes you."

Ivy remained expressionless and showed no intention of helping. Golden Hair atop her head doubled over with laughter.

As she recorded her findings, she offered her commentary. "This matches my hypothesis. The collar is highly likely to cause its wearer to develop unusual feelings toward its holder, perhaps even obey their commands."

"Miss Chloe, get off me first."

Ethan gave the order to the "little" hen, who kept enthusiastically rubbing against his face. She immediately moved off his chest, then stood guard by his feet with the proud, imposing bearing of a wolfhound.

"Anything else?"

"My chest feels tight. Miss Chloe has gotten heavier."

Supporting himself at the waist, Ethan took several deep breaths in succession. A mage's frail body was exposed in all its glory at moments like this. At the same time, he concealed something unusual from Ivy—he had not used magic when Miss Chloe pounced on him because he had formed a strange mental link with the little hen. It let him clearly understand that she had leaped at him out of excitement, not aggression.

But Ivy absolutely could not learn of this, or he would immediately become another research subject.

And now, Ethan had to face another question. "What species is this, exactly?"

Before Ivy could question him, Ethan seized the initiative. The current Miss Chloe belonged to no species he knew. Her feathers had turned a striking fiery red with the mutation, her beak had become long and sharp, and she looked exceptionally wild. The greatest change was in her tail feathers—a small tail had become three beautiful forked tails.

"Wolf Chicken."

This question could not stump a follower of the Enlightenment Society. "The reasoning is simple. When people wear Cursed Objects, they become werewolves. Chickens become Wolf Chickens."

As she spoke, Ivy wrote down the new species she had created on paper.

Ethan fell into thought. Although the current Miss Chloe did not seem related to wolves in the slightest, she had already displayed many wolf... dog-like traits. Ivy then produced a chunk of raw meat from somewhere and tossed it toward Chloe. The palm-sized piece was intercepted in midair and swallowed by Chloe before it had any chance to hit the ground.

If Miss Chloe pecked someone now, it would no longer be a matter of merely hurting a little.

She reminded Ethan, "Don't just stand there. There are still many tests to conduct."

From basic measurements such as height and weight to tests of destructive power, Ethan had to admit that when he saw Miss Chloe crush granite with one claw, he was a little shaken.

Then came the most important test. Ethan and Ivy each spent half an hour alone with Miss Chloe. As expected, once the Cursed Object was activated, its irresistible allure disappeared.

Ivy concluded her series of tests at nightfall. Smoke rose from the distant town as she put away her paper and pen, glanced toward the faint lights at the end of the road, and suddenly said, "If we take the Wolf Chicken back to town, it will inevitably cause gossip and panic. I'll bring you some food. Until the people from the shelter arrive, I'll have to trouble you to stay here. With her by your side, you won't need to worry about wild beasts attacking you."

Ethan naturally could not have asked for more. He had been worrying about finding an excuse to leave town. Living here alone would let him train Ice Arrow as he pleased.

Besides, compared with an Enlightenment Society enthusiast like Ivy, he still preferred being around small animals.

One man and one chicken stood by the roadside, watching Ivy disappear at the end of the road. Miss Chloe walked up to him, rose onto her toes, and rubbed her head against his chest.

"Want to go hunting?"

A sudden idea came to Ethan. Ever since arriving in this world, small animals seemed especially fond of him. Too bad this world had no Beastmaster profession, or he probably would not have needed to hide in town and painstakingly practice Fireball Spell for two years.

Miss Chloe nodded and happily ran toward the forest.

Wolf Chickens could understand human language, and he could even sense the Wolf Chicken's emotions.

Like right now, she was very excited.

She darted into the dense brush, then mischievously poked her head out once he approached, seemingly intending to startle him.

Ethan was affected by her mood and unconsciously quickened his pace.

Elsewhere, in contrast to the cheerful Miss Chloe, someone was in an extremely terrible mood.

A figure completely shrouded in a black cloak stood within a crater atop a mountain, staring with bloodshot eyes at the land that had already been reduced to scorched earth.

The people following her trembled, frozen in place and not daring to make the slightest sound.

Suffocating fear spread through the crowd.

After an unknown amount of time, someone finally gathered the courage to break the deadlock. "High Priest, I think... perhaps we should strategically adjust our target. I think there's something strange about this town."

The others silently stole glances at the figure standing in the crater, inwardly agreeing with the brave man's suggestion.

Although the investigation showed that Brookwood Town's sheriff was merely a second-rank Truth Society bookworm, and the town should have been destroyed by the magical tide triggered by the ritual last night, a meteor falling from the sky had allowed the people of Brookwood Town to survive by sheer luck. Worse still, the High Priest's carefully raised pet had been reduced to nothing but bones in that disaster, and its token had vanished without a trace.

Such strange signs in heaven and earth were certainly no good omen.

"I believe the Mother Goddess will surely understand—"

The man's voice abruptly stopped. His eyes widened, as though something had caught in his throat. Clutching his chest in agony, he fell to his knees as cold sweat soaked through his clothes.

The next moment, he spewed out a mouthful of blood, along with a wriggling object.

It was a still-beating heart, coughed out through his throat and cradled in his own hands.

The man felt his life force gradually slipping away, yet he could not speak. He could only look pleadingly toward his companions behind him.

Everyone lowered their heads in terror. Some even hurried to declare, "Please rest assured, High Priest. Brookwood Town will certainly be destroyed, and then the entire Empire will fear us!"

Thud—

Everyone heard the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The man collapsed while still wearing an expression of disbelief. His still-beating heart fell with him, became stained by black embers, trembled a few times, and then fell utterly still.

"Begin the summoning ritual at the southwest corner."

The figure gave the order in an unquestionable tone. "I want to see this place reduced to ashes with my own eyes."