Volume 5 Chapter 24 ACT.155 Beast's Vault (V)
There's a creature called the "Demon Horse."
It's one of the most feared beasts in this world, second only to dragons.
Well, dragons are more like beings that defy the world's order, so the Demon Horse might truly be the *most terrifying creature* in the world.
It has a skeleton similar to a horse but is larger and more muscular.
It has golden, gleaming eyes and a split mouth with sharp teeth.
It's smart enough to understand human speech, but it's too fierce and brutal to coexist with people.
It's nocturnal, lives in the mountains without a territory, and playfully descends into villages to attack livestock and children, a carnivorous horse.
──That Demon Horse was standing quietly in the cage right in front of them.
The beast's gaze pierced the darkness, and for a moment, Alfonso's breath stopped.
He came from a rural mountain village and knew the horror of the Demon Horse monster.
He glared back at the Demon Horse's eyes and then sighed.
"It's okay."
Glancing sideways, Alfonso said, "It's alright."
But he didn't let his guard down, keeping his hidden weapon ready in his left sleeve, and he warned Belta more firmly this time.
"This one's fine. Lower your weapon."
"If you say so."
Finally convinced, Belta quietly dropped her hands and relaxed her stance.
But her gaze never left the Demon Horse.
"If it were fully *healthy*, we'd be dead the moment it spotted us."
"Even with the cage?"
"Even with it. ──Or rather,"
Alfonso's gaze shifted to the hidden body of the Demon Horse in the dark.
"If it were feeling well, it wouldn't be in the cage in the first place."
The Demon Horse in the cage was so thin that its ribs were sticking out.
Alfonso guessed that it wasn't due to the living conditions but some kind of illness.
He thought that this Demon Horse was probably *captured on purpose* to be cured of its disease.
But there were many unknowns about the Demon Horse's ecology, and even the Beast's Lair, which had tamed and raised numerous wild beasts, would be at a loss, he presumed.
"It must be hard to stand up now. So, as long as we don't do anything extra, we're harmless."
After Alfonso confidently reassured them, Belta finally looked away from the Demon Horse.
"Got it. Then let's *ignore that* and go deeper."
Belta turned on his heel and boldly walked into the deeper darkness.
Glancing at his white back, Alfonso paused for a moment before turning back toward the cage.
He stepped closer to the cage, staring straight into the glowing eyes in the darkness, and spoke to him.
"Sorry. We can't help you, being human."
Alfonso spoke in a gentle tone, like he was talking to a long-time friend.
"But maybe there's something we can do. If we get through this safely, let's meet again, okay?"
After saying that, Alfonso walked on to catch up with Belta.
He watched him until he disappeared from view.
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