Fantasy Lord: I Have a Moving Castle

Chapter 50: Chapter 3: The Peeping Tom in the Bushes

Chapter 50: Chapter 3: The Peeping Tom in the Bushes

Raindrops ticked down along the stems and leaves, and the Rain Sound Kingfisher was sopping wet. Even after receiving treatment for both body and spirit, it still looked somewhat pitiable.

Facing the fat worm that the Clover Mantis brought to its beak, the Rain Sound Kingfisher gulped but did not immediately open its mouth to eat. It sneaked a glance at the Clover Mantis and, feeling the maternal glow emanating from it, hesitated no longer. Opening its mouth wide, it swallowed the worm whole.

Having experienced the welcoming dance of the Star Worm and the goodwill shown by Char, Betty, and the Clover Mantis, the Rain Sound Kingfisher’s inner tension had already dissipated a great deal. It was no longer as panic-stricken and timid as it had been initially, seemingly like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring.

Now, faced with the fat worm offered by the Clover Mantis right to its beak, it could hardly resist.

The juicy big worm was almost half the size of the Rain Sound Kingfisher, but the bird managed to gulp it down in one piece, and by the looks of it, it could have swallowed another one just as easily.

The swallowing ability of this fledgling was indeed an eye-opener.

After this little interlude, Char felt even better.

Given this little fellow’s intelligence and keen sight, the possibility of taming it in the future was quite high. Once it reached adulthood, it would represent a Level 2 battle force.

With such a good prospect, how could Char not be pleased?

However, he did not take this matter too seriously, nor did he shift his focus to collecting Demon Beast cubs, although the forest at present certainly contained many cubs in circumstances similar to the Rain Sound Kingfisher.

Because there was no need.

He had the Prayer Altar, and in the future he would surely not lack Magic Pets. Furthermore, his Magic Pets were capable of evolving, with a high potential for future growth.

It might seem that an adult Rain Sound Kingfisher could make it into his second tier of forces.

But that’s now!

In a year or two, the Rain Sound Kingfisher would not even be able to catch a glimpse of the shadows of creatures like the Star Worms.

So, what would be the point of him keeping a bunch of Demon Beasts with Challenge Levels of 1 or 2?

Besides, even with the Rain Sound Kingfisher, it looked like there was a high chance of taming it, but whether it could truly be tamed was still uncertain.

If even the Rain Sound Kingfisher was such a case, then other Magic Pet cubs were even less promising. It was highly likely that it would all be in vain in the end.

Why would Char be concerned with such a project with high uncertainty and low return on investment?

It was merely a casual move at present.

After placing the Rain Sound Kingfisher into his backpack, Char continued his journey.

Although the number of prey had decreased significantly, with the Clover Mantis, the little tyrant of the forest, by his side, Char still managed to capture a good number of prey that morning, including a Demon Beast.

This contributed quite a bit of Praying Power to him.

After gaining strength, it became much easier for him to obtain Praying Power; he no longer had to huff and puff for half a day just to get a wisp of Praying Power like he did in the beginning.

However, accordingly, upgrading his carriage was no longer as easy as it used to be.

To get a blueprint of a Castle component now, he had to make a wish with an Origin Crystal, and one Origin Crystal was equivalent to a hundred strands of Praying Power!

To recruit Magic Pets, he could still use Prayer Fragments, but as he had analyzed before, using Prayer Fragments to recruit Magic Pets at the current stage was extremely cost-inefficient.

For the next few Magic Pet slots, he planned to use Prayer Crystals for recruitment, as the Magic Pets recruited this way would start with Challenge Levels of 6.

Furthermore, although the Star Worms, Lantern Fireflies, and the others had not reached the limit of their current stage and were some time away from evolving, they would be able to evolve in the near future, and evolution also required Prayer Crystals.

Therefore, although his efficiency in obtaining Praying Power had greatly increased, so had his consumption. He was still spending more than he was earning.

After all, one can never have too much Praying Power.

While Char was slightly lost in thought, he suddenly sensed something and sharply turned his head to stare at a specific spot, the Clover Mantis sensed it at the same time.

Not only did the Clover Mantis sense it, but it also took immediate action.

A green shadow flashed through the forest as the Clover Mantis quickly dashed into the nearby bushes, slicing through branches and leaves, clearing a space in an instant.

But, they found nothing.

‘An illusion?’

Char couldn’t help frowning. For a moment, he had felt a fleeting sense of being watched, but the Clover Mantis apparently hadn’t discovered anything.

“What happened, Mr. Char?”

Betty couldn’t help asking. If it had been when she first joined Char’s side, she would have been nervous by now.

But after witnessing the strength of the Clover Mantis, Betty now felt adequately safe. In her eyes, the power of the Clover Mantis was almost comparable to that of her Tree-man Grandpa.

Therefore, upon noticing the unusual reactions from Char and the Clover Mantis, she was merely curious, not afraid.

“Just now, there seemed to be something nearby.”

Char replied.

“Really?”

Betty looked around curiously, but discovered nothing.

On the other hand, even though the watcher hadn’t been found, the Clover Mantis did not conclude its search hastily.

With the green shadow shaking, the Clover Mantis expanded its search area with consecutive flashes.

But still, they came up empty.

“Come back, Clover Mantis!”

Having looked at the prey in his hand and the area lit up on the map, Char decided to end the day’s pursuit and explore again tomorrow.

However, on the way back, Char and the Clover Mantis once again sensed this surveillance, and Char was now completely sure that it was not his imagination before, but there really was an unknown presence watching them.

This time, he couldn’t just head back.

Knowing for certain that there was an unidentified presence tracking them, going back to the carriage would mean exposing their base, wouldn’t it?

The Clover Mantis struck quickly, but the entity still managed to slip away.

However, this time Char saw a red figure flash through the bushes and then quickly disappear.

None of them, Char, Betty, the Star Worm, nor the Clover Mantis, could make out what it was.

He began circling in the forest, and after a while, Char felt the gaze again.

Clearly, this unknown presence, although very fast and with unknown evasion techniques, and skilled at concealing itself, was not very smart.

It seemed rather clumsy.

Char quietly signaled the Clover Mantis with a look, then pretended to casually move in that direction.

Though the unknown being seemed a bit simple, it still had basic caution. As Char and the others approached, it silently retreated, maintaining a certain distance.

Suddenly, the Clover Mantis moved!