Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“I know a place where horses gather! I’ll show you the way!”

With that, Oswald-kun twisted his bull face into a smile. It was a friendly grin, like something you’d see on a butcher shop mascot.
Then Oswald-kun held out his big hand to me and said, “Please hop on!” What a gentlemanly gesture.
He might even be more of a gentleman than most men around here. At the very least, he’s more of a gentleman than someone who’d suddenly propose to you.
Taking him up on his offer, I sat down on his palm, and he lifted me right up onto his shoulder, so I settled in there.
Unintentionally, my wish to hitch a ride had come true. It’s kind of fun.

“I’ll walk slowly, so let me know if it gets too bumpy!”
“No, no, it’s comfortable.”
“Thanks a bunch!!”

To an outsider, we probably looked like a monster and tamer combo—or a monster abducting a young girl.
Fortunately, there were no onlookers, and since it was so comfortable, I decided to just go with it. I suppose I could consider this part of my apology.

“Man, I’m glad you weren’t a poacher! If you were serious and came here to poach, I definitely wouldn’t stand a chance!”
“Do poachers come around here often?”
“They do. Since we’re far from human settlements, you know? The kingdom doesn’t come here to develop the area or anything, but this forest has rare medicinal herbs growing in it. Apparently, according to human rules, you’re not allowed to cultivate, harvest, or sell those things without a permit. That’s why poachers come to this forest to break the rules.”
“Huh, I see.”

If it’s a business that requires a permit, depending on where you apply—whether it’s the government, an association, or a union—you’d probably have to pay “brokerage fees” or “membership dues” to operate it.
But with poaching, all the profits go to the poachers. Plus, there’s no hassle of growing the plants.
It’s dangerous and illegal, but if there’s a chance to make a fortune, there are bound to be people who’ll jump at the opportunity.

“And then there’s us.”
“Your herd, Oswald-kun?”
“There are some rich humans who eat…monster meat. Well, not that it’s illegal… But from our perspective, they’re poachers—or rather, enemies.”

…Well, Oswald-kun does look like he’d be tasty and chewy.

I thought about that for a moment, but kept my mouth shut.

“Well, we monsters are basically treated like pests by humans, so we’re in a different category from the Demis!”
“Demis?”
“Demi-humans. You know, those ‘sub-humans’! Elves, dark elves, dwarves, demons, vampires, beastmen… basically, anything somewhat similar to humans! Some demi-humans are hostile toward humans, and some aren’t.”
“Huh… I see.”
“For example, Elves aren’t exactly hostile toward humans, but apparently there are some who live in hidden villages and cut themselves off from other races, and others who come down to human settlements and actively interact with people!”
“Oswald-kun, you’re quite the know-it-all.”
“Hehehe, the migratory birds tell me all about it! But Arje-neesan, you know that much, right?”
“No, I’ve only been alive for about half a month, so I don’t know anything at all.”
“Seriously!? Arje-neesan is seriously badass! Being that strong after only half a month—that’s insane!”

Oswald-kun is quite talkative. He went on to tell me all sorts of things after that. Or rather, since I’m basically a newborn, he was probably just being considerate and teaching me various things.
I also heard stories about how vampires and dwarves are sometimes hostile toward humans, and sometimes not.
I guess that’s probably what Felnoute-san meant when she said, “Keep your true identity a secret because you stand out.” Since I might be antagonised, don’t go blabbing about it. That’s what she meant.

…But honestly, I don’t really want to hear all this stuff about the world.

I feel bad for Oswald-kun, who’s just trying to be helpful, but hearing too much about the state of the world is a bit much for me.
I mean, I’m not interested, and it’s hard to follow when you dump it all on me at once.
Since his story was getting longer and longer, I decided to just give him half-hearted responses halfway through.
I do remember what he said, so I can just recall it and understand it when I need to.

As we made our way through the forest, we passed by several minotaurs like Oswald-kun, in addition to the animals.
Oswald-kun was about a size larger than the rest of his herd—I suppose that’s because he’s the guardian of the forest.
I also spotted some tiny green goblin-like creatures and some similarly small, bipedal dog-like creatures.

“The green ones are goblins, the dog-like ones are kobolds! Hey there, Gobzo! And Kobocchi! How’s it going?”

I was wondering what they were when he explained it to me. Both seem to be monsters you often see in fantasy novels.

…Right, right. That’s exactly how information disclosure should be—just the necessary details when you need them.

Oswald-kun walked along, telling me all sorts of stories while also greeting the monsters and animals we passed.
The way he moved didn’t look much different from a human walking through a town he’d known for ages. Even though he had a cow’s face and was carrying an axe.

“And that’s pretty much it. We’ve been serving as the forest’s guardian since my grandpa’s time.”
“For someone in that role, you sure took a while to notice me.”
“Usually, poachers who come into the forest at night use a light, and even if they don’t, they’d move around… But since you weren’t making any suspicious movements, Arje-neesan, I didn’t spot you until later. I literally leaped out of my bed when I heard the report this morning.”
“Ah… well, I was asleep, after all.”

I had been sleeping in the darkness, wearing my robe, buried in the grass.
In that case, it’s certainly no wonder I wasn’t noticed until morning.
As a result, I slept quite soundly, which was nice, but I sure did something bad to Oswald-kun instead.

“Well, goblins and the others who can’t fight as well have been setting up traps, though. Like clappers.”
“Oh, really?”

A clapper is a device made by tying strings or ropes between trees and threading wooden planks through them, so that it makes a sound when something touches it.
It’s more accurate to call it a simple alarm system using natural materials rather than a trap, but judging by the way he spoke, there must be various other devices set up as well.

“If there are too many traps, it makes it hard for us to live here, so we mostly use them only at night… Anyway, we’re almost there.”

Oswald-kun placed his hand on his shoulder, so I shifted my weight onto it, and he gently set me down.

The first thing I noticed upon touching the ground was a damp smell. With my enhanced vampire sense of smell, I immediately recognized it as the scent of water.
I started walking toward the scent. After passing through a few gaps in the trees, the source of the scent came into view.
A large pool of water—big enough to be called a lake. The lake, glistening as it reflected the sunlight filtering through the trees, felt incredibly magical.
Around the lake were horses, boars, squirrels, birds, and monkeys. Not only were there animals like these, but there were also many monsters, each enjoying the bounty of nature.
Animals and monsters. It was a watering hole for both.

“Water’s been springing up here since about my grandpa’s generation. There are quite a few other animals besides horses, but this is where most of them gather!”
“…If there’s a place like this, you should really wash yourself properly, you know?”
“Sorry about that! I’ll be more careful starting today!”
“Yeah, that’s right. Please do.”

I gave a casual reply to Oswald, who was bowing deeply with his back bent all the way over, and approached the lakeshore.
Neither the animals nor the monsters did anything but glance my way; none of them ran away or tried to intimidate me.

“They don’t seem surprised at all.”
“Since I brought you here, they probably think you’re not a trouble.”

I see. As the Guardian of the Forest, his influence is clearly strong.
Now that I knew they weren’t wary of me, I took my time observing each horse as they drank water and grazed on grass.
My build is practically that of a young girl. Since I can’t ride very large horses, I decided to look for one that seems to match my size. Big ones are a hassle to ride anyway.
There weren’t many, but there were some horses with horns. They were probably unicorns, but they were all quite large and didn’t look like they’d be easy to mount.
I walked along the lakeshore and eventually made eye contact with one horse.

It had jet-black fur and was medium-sized.
Its silhouette was slender, but it didn’t feel frail. If anything, it gave the impression of being “compact and well-toned.”
Its round, horse eyes were clearly darker than those of other horses, and I sensed a somewhat rational gleam in them. They were black eyes that seemed like they might suck me in if I stared at them too long.

…That one might be good.

I especially like the mane. It’s fluffy and has a cute, bedhead-like look.
The language translation has been properly expanded to cover a wider range, so I’ll start with a greeting.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Argento Vampyr.”
“…I have no name. I am just a horse.”

Ah, what a nice voice.
His voice is low-pitched. I can sense a strong will in that decisive tone.
It feels like a mature man. If he were human, it’s the kind of voice that would suit him quietly sipping a drink at a bar. Even though he’s a horse.

“Um… would you mind giving me a ride?”
“Oh? You, young miss?”
“Yes. I’d like you to take me outside this country.”
“Alright. But there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”

Naturally, I didn’t expect him to give me a ride for free. Since he’s a horse, he probably isn’t interested in money… but I was planning to pay him at least a carrot.
If he asks for something in return, I intend to do my best to accommodate him. If he’s not just a host for me to leech off, I have to give something back properly.
After all, I expanded the range of the language translation just to ask about things like that.
The nameless horse stared at me with its small, shiny eyes and spoke.

“I have no intention of listening to anyone slower than me. If you want to ride me, try catching me, young miss.”