Chapter 140: So fluffy too!
“““MEEH~”””
“Even the sheep are big…”
“So fluffy too! Which means we can get a lot of wool!”
“““HIHIIINNNN~”””
“The horses too…”
“All of them are so strong! And despite their size, they’re super fast!”
I soon found out that, much like the cows and the chickens, our sheep and horses were also so much bigger than usual.
Obviously, our farm animals were originally normal-sized. However, after living within our animal barns for some time, they grew in size.
“Wait, maybe I can grow taller too if I spend some time here…”
“You’re not livestock though, so I doubt it’ll work. Besides, I think it’s better you’re small and cute like that, village chief!”
“Well, I don’t!”
I was already 13 years old.
This should be when my growth spurt starts, yet…
“More importantly, I’ll greatly appreciate it if you can add another barn!”
How is that ‘more important’ to me…!
“Considering their birthrate, we’d soon have nowhere to put the newborns!”
“Yeah, there were really so many young ones earlier…”
This was likely brought about by the barn’s effect on the animals’ reproductive abilities, but even so, this growth in their numbers was truly tremendous.
Aside from that, their size—especially when they reach adulthood—made space inside the barns even more scarce.
“Ok, I’ll add 10 more barns. I guess I should also expand the pasture, don’t I?”
“Thanks! Ahh, while we’re in the topic of newborns…”
“What is it?”
“It’s Tri-chan. It’s about to give birth.”
“…excuse me?”
By Tri-chan…is she talking about the Tree Dragon?
Together with Neruru, I went to a field where, instead of crops, there was a gigantic tree. From afar, it might look a perfectly normal, albeit gigantic, tree. However, upon a closer look, it would become apparent that a part of the trunk greatly resembled the head of a dragon.
Yes, this field was the one exclusively used by the Tree Dragon. When we drew near, it began to move as though it recognized us.
“~~~~~~~♪”
“Tri-chan! Have you been well?”
As though urging Neruru to hug its snout, the Tree Dragon presented its head to her. Neruru was, of course, happy to indulge. This made the Tree Dragon so happy, it began swinging its tail-like branch left and right.
By the way, the Tree Dragon didn’t have a name before, but after Neruru began calling it “Tri-chan”, it kind of stuck and everyone also began to use the name. The person, or rather, the tree itself seemed to be pleased with it, so I didn’t see any reason to change the way things were.
“Look around, village chief. There are small trees growing here now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
When Neruru said so, I noticed the trees growing here and there.
They varied in size. Some were just sprouting, while some have grown to be as tall as I was.
“Are these ordinary trees?”
Unlike the Tree Dragon, I could not find a dragon-like head anywhere.
“Hmm, look at this.”
Neruru said so and approached one of the larger saplings.
It then began swaying.
“I-it’s moving…”
After a moment, it didn’t just shake its trunk and branches in place, it actually moved forward.
“They’re apparently almost indistinguishable from treants. Until they become adults, that is.”
“Ohh, I see. Woah, wait, why is it wrapping its branches around me?”
The sapling that approached started to wrap their branches around my feet and my torso.
“It’s just playing around~”
“Playing around? …it kinda hurts though.”
Rather than being embraced, it felt more like I was being constricted.
Because of that, I became unable to move.
“Ahm, help…”
“~~~~!”
“Ah, it let go.”
As though it reprimanded the sapling, the Tree Dragon swung one of its branches at the sapling. Soon after, the sapling let me go.
At the very least, it seems to listen to its parent.
“Aww, what a good kid!”
“I don’t know if that’s what I’ll call a good kid…”
At any rate, there were nearly 20 saplings at the moment.
It was possible there would be more soon, and if each one grows to be as big as their parent……
