Chapter 189.1

Chapter 189.1. Hornbear Cow’s True Identity

In front of us stood a family. The father stood before the monster. According to Tamamo, that was the Hornbear Cow.

“Now, come at me, monster! Behold the heroic figure of a father who bought a brand-new magic armor just for this day!”

A slightly overweight middle-aged man held a club and spoke to the woman and young girl sitting on a picnic blanket behind him. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Daddy, do your best!”

The young girl clapped her hands and cheered her father, while the man laughed heartily and breathed heavily.

“Hahaha, leave it to me!”

“Dear, please do your best. You borrowed your 3 years’ worth of pocket money for this.”

“What?! We agreed that I would pay you back with the reward money!”

They seemed like a close-knit family. The young girl, presumably their daughter, waved her small hand, her eyes shining excitedly.

Next to a lady wearing an elegant dress with the breastplate of a half-plate makeshift armor on top, covering her chest, was a maid. They seemed to be of noble status.

The man shouted that they should stop deducting the money from his pocket, claiming it was a different agreement, but regained his focus.

“Kuh, we’ll discuss that later. First, it’s time to show the heroic figure of a father! Come at me, Hornbear Cow, the monster known as the worst in history! Hero Sakuma will risk his life to defeat you!”

“Moo~”

The man fought, swinging the rock club in his hand. If he looked familiar, it was because he was the battalion commander of the Iron Spider Tank Unit, whom I had seen during the Coming-of-Age ceremony.

He intended to display a life-or-death battle against the relaxed monster emitting cow-like sounds.

“Hey, Yamiyo-chan. Is that the Hornbear Cow?”

“Yes, that’s Hornbearcow, Mii-sama.”

When Mii-chan pointed at the monster, Yamiyo smiled and nodded. Her face didn’t seem to be teasing. Was that Hornbear Cow?

“It’s a Milk Pudding!”

The man named Sakuma was facing off against a Milk Pudding. It’s about 1 meter tall. It had a trapezoidal shape, a pure white milk-colored body, and a top covered in caramel-like black syrup. It jiggled and wobbled, looking incredibly soft. It seemed delicious.

“There’s no mistake. That’s Hornbear Cow, Em-chan.”

“You’ll understand if you look at it, Mii-chan.”

Tamamo and Sena also agreed, so it seems that it’s indeed not a Milk Pudding.

Since they said I would understand if I watched, I decided to sit cross-legged and watch the battle.

The man, Sakuma, lifted his club and shouted.

“Sakuma-style Swordsmanship, Rock Iron Slash!”

The club, swung with great force, hit Milk Pudding. Milk Pudding’s body sank and bounced back, wobbling.

“Nu! Couldn’t defeat it with a single blow! Truly, it is the worst monster in history!”

He probably wants to show off to his daughter, but calling it the worst in history might be an exaggeration. After all, there are other Milk Puddings about a hundred meters away.

The milk Pudding he sent flying seemed to have recognized it as an enemy. It floated lightly and transformed its body, becoming squishy with a protruding horn.

“It turned into a horn!”

“When the distance is far, it becomes a horn.”

Milk Pudding transformed into a twisted horn and flew towards Sakuma, targeting him.

However, Sakuma remained calm with a confident smile and didn’t move.

“Sakuma-style, Rock Iron Body!”

It seemed he didn’t do anything, but he used some martial arts. With a self-assured expression, he received the charging horn with his body.

And astonishingly, he repelled the giant horn, which was about 1 meter long.

“Hahaha, did you see that? The secret technique of a father who can instantly turn his body invincible!”

Sakuma laughed triumphantly. The repelled horn rolled on the ground, then transformed again. This time into a teddy bear.

However, it was a stuffed teddy bear. Its round eyes and deformed, three-dimensional body were adorable.

“It turned into a bear!”

“Mii-sama, when it comes to close combat, it turns into a bear.”

I see. So it can transform for both long-range and close combat.

“Moo.”

While emitting a cow’s moo, it swung its arms, attempting to slash Sakuma. However, once again, Sakuma intercepted without evading.

“It’s futile! Hornbear Cow, the worst Demon Beast King in history! You shall never break my impenetrable defense!”

As the man laughed triumphantly, Milk Pudding continued swinging its arms undeterred. It slapped and patted, but Sakuma didn’t flinch.

“Hey… Apart from the horns, have you noticed that its body dents upon impact?”

“It’s because of its softness, like pudding.”

I asked with a half-closed eye, and Yamiyo answered.

Indeed, when in horn mode, the tip of the horn dents upon impact. Now, the bear’s arms had several dents.

“Tamamo hunted one last year, and it’s soft. It’s so squishy~.”

“Oh, I see.”

I understand now. The man must be confident. Does it have no attack power? It’s a monster that sat at the very bottom of the food chain in the food web pyramid.

“Garasha, are you watching? Even the last survivor of the Demon Beast King, Hornbear Cow, cannot break my defense. Ah! Hey, don’t tear the cover sheet!”

“Moo~”

The man, who was previously relaxed, panicked as he tried to peel off Milk Pudding, which was in bear mode. However, Milk Pudding in bear mode had started meticulously peeling off the vinyl sheet that covered the magical armor.

“It’s brand new, hey, don’t tear it! It was supposed to stay covered for a year!”

I understand, I understand. It seems it wanted to use it without peeling off the cover sheet since it’s brand new.

I know people who like to peel off the cover of new things and others who keep it covered until it’s worn out. Sakuama seems to belong to the latter group.