Bringing along the ticket with all my money on the line, I return to my
seat.
It looks like the race will start soon, as the large monsters are gathered
in front of the starting fence.
And among them, the Behemoth was staring at our direction again.
I'm not entirely sure if it could be understood because of the distance
between us, but I used my Sympathy Magic to send my will to the
Behemoth.
What happens will depend on your hard work…
After a while, the Behemoth gave a small nod and removed its gaze from
us, and after confirming that, I sat down.
[Alice, does the Behemoth have a chance for it to win?]
[Hmmm. This main race is… well, as you can see, there are lots of
belligerent monsters, so it often turns into a brawl. And as expected, it
would be unreasonable to expect the baby Behemoth to mow down all
the other monsters… It would be great if the Red Dragon and the Fenrir
crushed each other and perhaps…]
[I see.]
[…However…]
[Unnn?]
I guess it really looked pretty tough for the Behemoth to win, but
apparently, it's possible if the other strong contenders strike against
each other.
In fact, it wasn't impossible for us to win since the main race is set up so
that unexpected situations may happen.
However, after speaking all that, Alice tilted her head as if there's
something she's curious about.
[Ummm, that Behemoth… looked a little different from what I know.]
[Different in what way?]
[Well, I haven't seen that many Behemoths either… but I think the horns
of the Behemoth were "red".]
[Red horns? No, but that Behemoth's horns are black though?]
[That's right~~ That's why, if it's really what I think…]
"Now, the main race has finally started!"
Just as Alice was about to say something, the live commentary of the
main race resounded, and hearing that, she stopped talking and shifted
her gaze to the course.
The moment the fence in front of the monsters disappeared and the race
started… It happened.
The Behemoth that had been walking on four legs suddenly raised its
paws and roared.
Jet-black lightning shot out from its black horns and pierced the red
dragon that was flying in the sky.
"W- What a surprise!? The Red Dragon was shot down in a single
striiiiiiiiike! Could this be the power of a legendary magical beast!?"
[As I thought, that Behemoth… is a Special Individual.]
[A Special Individual?]
Talking about Special Individuals, as I recall, it was also the case with the
blue ogre Acht, beings that are different from the norm.
[Kaito-san! With this, the possibility of its victory really increased! I only
know about it from books, but it is said that the Special Individuals of
the Behemoths are clad in jet-black lightning, and have several times the
power of a normal Behemoth.]
[Several times… That is…]
"Whoa! The Behemoth's fast! It's already catching up with the Fenrir,
who's currently in the lead!"
As if to affirm Alice's excitement-filled words, the Behemoth, which shot
down the Red Dragon, ran down the course at a terrific speed and began
closing in the distance between the giant wolf in front of him… the
Fenrir.
The Fenrir also sensed the Behemoth's approach, and after stopping in
its tracks, it let out a howl.
"The Fenrir is about to intercept the Behemoth!!!"
Huge icicles appeared around Fenrir, heading towards the Behemoth
with the speed of a bullet.
It seems that if a monster's as powerful as a Fenrir, they can also use
magic, while the Behemoth evades them with his quick steps, but some
of the icicles still managed to graze it.
The Behemoth, who reached Fenrir even as wounds were inflicted on its
body in multiple places, waved its horns at the Fenrir… but just as the
Fenrir looks like a wolf, it also had the evasiveness of one, quickly and
easily evading the Behemoth's strike.
[As expected of a Fenrir, it's really light on its feet. However, if that
Behemoth is a Special Individual… even a baby should be able to use
that.]
[That?]
[Yes, watch closely. Its victory would probably be settled in an instant…
It's coming, the Behemoth's "breath".]
When I followed Alice's words and looked at the Behemoth, the
Behemoth stood up on its hind legs again, and let out an earth-shaking
roar.
In response to its roar, the lightning that had been gushing out of its
horns converges on its mouth.
[This is what is said in legends. The breath of the Níðhöggr of the Skies
burns the land in hellfire, while the breath of the Behemoth of the
Earth… would pierce the skies with a flash…]
[ ! ? ]
A black flash gushed forth from the Behemoth's mouth… A flash that
didn't even take more than a blink of an eye before it pierced the Fenrir.
It seems that the breath that was released with the speed of literally
lightning couldn't be dodged, no matter how fast the Fenrir was, and
thus, the Fenrir fell down on the ground.
"The Fenrir has fallen! The race has been settled! The other monsters
are even terrified of that previous battle! This is unexpected, truly
unexpected… and now, the Behemoth reaches that goal in first place!
The first place is the Behemoth! It's the Behemoth!"
[Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyy! Kaito-san! We won!]
[Yeah, that was really amazing!]
[Yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy!!! I made lots of mon—– Ouch!?]
[You, can't you read the mood at all…]
Has the seventh race started in the venue already? Alice and I didn't join
in after the fifth race, and now, we had come to the large building behind
the monster racetrack.
[Miyama Kaito-sama, thank you for your purchase today. My name is
Chapel, the manager of the Monster Race. Pleased to be your
acquaintance…]
[Ah, yes. I'm Miyama Kaito. It's nice to meet you.]
The manager in charge of the monster racetrack, dressed in glittering
clothes… Chapel-san speaks to me with a bright smile.
Well, I did just buy the Behemoth… so if I had to describe it with
something, it would be like I'm a good customer who made a big
purchase, so I can understand why they're being courteous to me.
Well, I could somehow understand but… being bowed to by someone
obviously older than you is something that… I just can't get used to.
[Rumors of Miyama-sama have reached me as well.]
[Rumors?]
[Yes, I heard you are a close friend of the Six Kings and how you
admirably won in the recent Sacred Tree Festival.]
[Y- Yeah… Well…]
[I guess it's to be expected from a first-rate gentleman to have an eye for
good things. Please continue to patronize our establishment in the
future.]
[Ah, yes.]
It seems that my victory in the harvest festival has already spread to the
other countries, and how should I say this… I'm kinda getting
embarrassed now.
No, it may just be that Chapel-san's information network is wide… or
rather, I hope that's really the case.
By the way, the behemoth's multiplier is a considerable 205 times, and I
have more than 100 white gold coins left in my hand after paying for the
Behemoth.
(T/N: He's not the only one who bet on behemoth, so the winnings will be
shared among those who bet on it, is what I think.)
I kinda feel sorry that I won an outrageous amount of money, but
Chapel-san still has a smile on his face.
Come to think of it, I've heard that horse races and the like are
structured to make the bookmaker profitable no matter what, so I
wonder, was it the same case for the monster race too?
[Excuse me~~. More sweets please—– Gyaaahhh!?]
[Can't you just be reserved for even a bit…]
[No, no, go ahead, be my guest… Ahh, please excuse me. It looks like the
hand over is ready, so please come this way.]
[Yes.]
Hitting the head of the idiot who even asked for a refill after eating up all
the sweets served to us, it seems that the hand over of the Behemoth is
now ready, so Chapel-san began leading us.
And then, as we walked, Alice walked next to me, speaking in a soft voice
that only I can hear.
[…It's quite clear that he's trying to butter up to you. This person's quite
skilled in his work.]
[…What do you mean?]
[That Behemoth is a Special Individual. It would normally have double
the value of a normal one… And perhaps, there were probably many
other great nobles who wanted to buy it.]
[Really?]
[It's just my conjecture… but he's probably thinking that it would be
better to have a good impression on Kaito-san by selling it to you
instead… That's also the reason why he gave you that discount, I guess?]
[Indeed…]
Just as Alice said, when I bought the Behemoth… It had gone from 300
platinum coins to 280, as this was apparently "my first purchase".
A 200-million yen discount… That's how much he wants to show me his
sincerity.
In fact, Alice's prediction doesn't seem to be wrong, as Chapel-san would
sometimes glance at me while speaking with a smile on his face.
[Miyama-sama, please do come again. If it's alright with you, you may
come with Underworld King-sama and World King-sama… Ahh, in that
case, of course, please do let me know and I'll do my best to
accommodate you.]
[Ah, yes. I understand. I'll tell Kuro… Underworld-sama and the others
about how Chapel-san has been good to me.]
[Ohh, I'm grateful for those words… It's quite an honor.]
It seems that Chapel-san knows from the beginning that we know how
he's calculating, and since he came to me in a roundabout way to express
his wish, I also expressed my thanks, though it might be in the form of
formality.
Apparently, just as Alice-san said, he's really good at what he does… Why
is it that you have a keen eye for others, but have no business acumen at
all?
In the meantime, we arrived in front of a very large cage, and as I moved
my gaze, I could see inside the Behemoth from earlier.
When the Behemoth noticed me, it slowly got up and approached me in
the cage, before staring at me again.
[It's very ferocious, so let's register you first as its lord—– wait, Miyamasama!?]
[Eh?]
When I casually approached the cage, the Behemoth looked at me and
lightly lowered its head.
I didn't feel any hostility, but rather gratitude and goodwill, so I reached
out my hand and patted its head. The Behemoth comfortably rubbed its
head against my hand, which made Chapel-san quite surprised.
[…How… could that Behemoth be this docile… Good gracious, I guess I
should just say that it's to be expected from Miyama-sama.]
It seems that the Behemoth already acknowledges me as its lord, as it
stayed docile without any resistance to the collar-type magic tool that
would register me as its lord.
And after the lord registration has been peacefully completed, the cage
is opened and the Behemoth slowly rubs its face against my body.
[Gaoooo…]
I knew that it was still a baby, and seeing it behaving like a spoiled child
looked pleasant… but the two horns on its head were very frightening.
Please make sure you don't pierce me, okay?
Dear Mom, Dad—— I honestly don't know how it happened, but in a
strange turn of events, I decided to buy a Behemoth. Well, I'm a little
nervous about the future but—— I got a pet.