"Okay, final confirmation. If the opponent is a female, she will avoid the assault once and Toya will chase after the passing Strike Ox. When the Strike Ox changes direction, Toya will grab the corner to stop it, and Yuki and Nao will lift it up with the Earth Wall.

After that, Haruka and I will hang the rope. It's dangerous to tie his legs, so we'll tie his torso so he can't move.

　Initially, we were talking about tying both legs, but it would be dangerous to catch the legs that would be flailing around, and if we wanted to let them go, we would have to untie them, which would also be dangerous.

　On the other hand, tying the body to the mud wall is less dangerous and easier to release.

If you think it is impossible, speak up immediately. I or Natsuki will take care of it. Safety first.

"Got it!

　That's how we started looking for the Strike Ox, but we were in a territory, or should I say a territory.

　While there were dozens of glass coyotes living in the same area, our search confirmed that there was only one strike ox every 500 meters square, and there were never more than one in the same area.

　If the size of this hierarchy is 100 square kilometers (10 kilometers per side), then the maximum number of animals is 400.

　However, as in the previous levels, there will probably be other monsters in the forest, and no strike oxen.

　If the forest area occupies about a quarter of the level, then there would be about 300 Strike Ox. If half of them are females, there would be 150.

　It seems that female strike-oxes can be milked at any time of the year, so we should be able to get enough milk for our consumption.

　Ordinary cows would not be able to produce milk if they did not have children, but I suppose that is the nature of demons.

　However, even a demon can't produce an inexhaustible supply of milk, so even if you try your best to catch a cow, you may find that you can't get any because other adventurers have already milked it.

　Of course, we don't have to worry about that.

　There are no adventurers entering this dungeon at the moment.

"Found it. We'll go around gently.
Copy that.

　Based on the spotters' responses, we can see Strike Ox in the distance.

　In order to observe it from the side, I ducked down and moved to the side to avoid being noticed,......, but it was quite a hassle because the other side was not sitting still either.

　The other side can change the angle of its body even by a slight movement, but we have to move more than 100 meters to go around the side.

　In fact, it would be better to wait without moving.

"Shit. It's attached.
"Yeah. Then let's deal with it.

　Haruka didn't ask "what" back, but simply said and stood up normally, approaching Strike Ox.

　And then, when Strike Ox noticed us, he came straight at us - "bogey, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! .

　It was easily killed by Yuki's magic.

　It's a bit of a misnomer to call this situation "magical," but there's no doubt that it's very smooth, there are no holes in the skin, and the resulting material is very beautiful, so there's no reason to object.

　Another one was processed in the same way, making it the fourth one.

None. Let's do it.
"Okay. It's my turn!

　We approached the target we had finally found, with Toya in the lead.

　As soon as we reached a certain distance, the Strike Ox reacted as it had in the past, and rushed towards us.

　It seemed that this did not matter whether the animal was male or female.

　When Toya made a slight lunge forward to provoke it, it focused on him.

　After confirming this, we split up a little behind Toya and waited for him.

I'd like some red cloth.

　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.

　Toya immediately chases after it.

　The Strike Ox gradually slows down and changes direction, but he doesn't realize that Toya is chasing him, and when he turns around, he is surprised to see Toya right in front of him and stops moving for a moment.

　Toya didn't miss it.

　She quickly grabbed the corner and stepped on it.

"Yes!　Do it!
Yes!
Got it!

　Yuki and I immediately activate the Earth Wall and lift Strike Ox's body up.

"Wow, it's so high!　I can't reach it!

　It's only natural, when you think about it.

　The wall that lifted Strike Ox was two meters high. The head of Strike Ox on top of it would be over three meters high.

　Naturally, it would not be high enough for Toya to reach, and she would be forced to let go.

　At the same time, Strike Ox would start to flail his head around, but his body would fit tightly between the two walls, and it would not be easy to escape from the top of the wall, which was also very wide.

Toya, help me.
I got it!

　Haruka and Toya tied up the upper half of the body with ropes, while Natsuki, me, and Yuki took care of the lower half.

　We tied him up so tightly that Strike Ox could barely move his torso, and all he could do was slam.

　He was already a carp on the chopping block. Just like Toya did back then.

"Huh~. We made it.

"Yeah. It went pretty much the way I expected - I made a mistake when I lost reach, but there's nothing I can do about it, right?

　In the middle of lifting it up by the earthen wall, Toya had to let go of her hand, which caused a bit of a fuss, but it wasn't a big problem because Strike Ox's legs were in the air at that point.

　He's still banging his foot against the wall, but that's not going to break our wall.

Our feet aren't that long, and the wall is high enough, even at a meter or so. I just don't know if Toya can hold on to it even at that height. ......

You can reach it at that height, but you won't be able to power it with your body fully extended.

　It's a good idea to keep your head down when Strike-Ox is rushing at you, so the height from the ground is around one meter.



　In that condition, Toya can sit back and take it with gusto.

　From there, the head of the heaving Strike Ox, lifted up by a two-meter-high wall of earth, would be at a height of 2.5 to 3 meters.

　If it were 1.5 meters taller, even Toya's height would be able to hold onto the corner, but keeping the head still would be a bit ...... difficult.

Well, it won't be a problem. It was a bit of a struggle to get the rope around it because it was so violent, but since Toya helped me, we were able to handle it.

"Right. It was easy for the three of us, too.

How did it feel to keep your head down?

As long as you're not building up momentum in the run-up to the ...... section, you should be fine. If more than one of them come at you at the same time, you're in trouble, but as long as they come at you one at a time, they're not that scary.

They're easy to avoid.

　It's fast, but it's not hard to avoid it if you keep it at a reasonable distance.

　If they appear in a corridor where there is no space to avoid them, they may be a threat, but fortunately this is a grassland.

　If it has a territory and acts alone, it is unlikely that it will be swarmed. ...... It may be a reasonable strength for the level of the dungeon, but it is a bit of a disappointment.

I'm not sure what to make of it.　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

I know. --It's expensive, though.

We need a foundation. Nao, please.

Okay. "Ground Control.

　Two meters - a little lower than that because it's hanging down a bit, so I can reach it, but there's no way I can milk it like that.

　I used my magic to create a simple stair base, and also a jar to hold the milk.

Thank you very much. Can you get me a cup as well?
"Sure.

　As I made the mugs and handed them to her, Natsuki purified all of them and Strike Ox's udders, then expertly squeezed the milk into the mugs.

　The milk looks thick and slurpy, and I'd like to describe it as that.

　You can find a lot of things that you can do to make your life easier.

I'm sorry.　It's even better than I imagined!　You should try it too, Nao-kun!

　Natsuki waved her hands in the air and held out the cup to me.

　I'm not sure what to make of this, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

"Wow, it's good!　What's that?　Cow's milk?

　As I handed the cup to Haruka, who silently held out her hand, I was surprised to find that the Strike Ox milk tasted even better than I had imagined.

　I'm not used to warm milk, but it's so good that it doesn't matter. I've heard that freshly milked milk tastes better, but this is probably not at that level.

"We need to make a milking machine for this. We should collect them.

It's like whipped cream: ....... If you're going to drink it often, you might want to water it down.

It's not like milk. ....... Here's a phrase. "Thinking of Tara-chine's haha, I drink her chichi.

　The cups were passed around in turn, and everyone rolled their eyes in surprise, but then Toya said something strange.

"......, what's going on all of a sudden?　Gag?
No, I just saw it and thought something.

　He was pointing to Strike-Ox's sagging breasts.

　It's definitely a 'droopy tush'.

"I thought about it when I took Mary and the kids in. I felt bad for my moms. That's usually the crime of stoning a man.

".........

　I thought it was a silly joke, but it was serious.

　Of course, I'm not saying that I haven't thought about it.

　In the beginning, I tried my best to survive, but when I had some time to spare, there was no way I wouldn't remember my parents.

　I'm sure it was the same for Toya and the others, but they didn't dare to say anything about it.

　There is nothing that can be done about it.

"'Already a bone, never to return'. Well, you know. I guess you could say it's good to be dead. Not half-lost.

　Of course we can't go back, we're dead and of different species.

　But since we know for sure that we are dead, it's better than being summoned, transferred, or something like that.

　If there is no way to return home, a "missing person" that creates unnecessary expectations is quite cruel to the parents who have lost their children, and it can also be an obstacle to finding closure.

　In our case, we're dead, so in a way, this is the afterlife.

　I'm sure my parents will be sad, but a car accident is an understandable event, and I'm sure they'll get over it someday.

Besides, the car accident wasn't our fault.

　The percentage of fault is zero because I was just riding the bus. It's not like I jumped into a truck.

It's not like I ran into a truck. You'll just have to live with it. We died in an unfortunate car accident. But fortunately, we were given a second life in this world. That's all.

"Oh, I'm going to write something too?　Let's see, ...... "All I want now is a new brother or sister"?　We were all only children. ....... We were all only children.　I'm sure we'll get some insurance money, and I'm sure we'll be able to manage financially to raise our kids.



　Seemingly having heard our conversation, Haruka and Yuki join in the conversation. Haruka's words sounded a little dry, but I didn't know what to do after she died.

　Haruka's words sound a bit dry, but it's true that there's nothing we can do after we're dead.

　It's just that we have memories, but there is no doubt that we are dead.

"Becoming and floating is a memory of gratitude. As for me, I regret that I could not say thank you and goodbye. Nao, can I have another jar, please?

"Yes. --I wish I could have said thank you.

　I made up a jar of the same size as before and handed it to Natsuki.

　The reason why Natsuki is milking the cow alone is because she is the only one who has milked a cow before. She fills up the whole jar while we are talking for a while, so I would say she is quite skillful.

In everyday life, we don't have the opportunity to say thank you. Even though I'm grateful.

You're right. I wish I could send at least one letter, but even if I could, the recipient would be in trouble.

　Yuki smiles as she says this, as if she is troubled.

I'm sure they'll just think it's some kind of malicious prank. Well, I'm done, milking. It's less than ten liters.

Good work. I'll chill it and put it away.

Why don't you disinfect it while you're at it?

Oh, yeah. It's safer that way.

　Haruka took the jar offered by Natsuki, sterilized it with magic, cooled it, and put it in the magic bag.

　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

So let's untie her and let her go. We need them to produce milk again.

Before we do that, I'd like to mark her so she's recognizable from a distance. ......

They're all black, so painting them would be difficult. That's an issue for next time.

　In Japan, ranches have nose rings and ear tags, but do they have such things in this world?

　I'm not sure what to make of this.

If I had some white paint, I'd make a cow print.

Holstein-esque?　It's true that it looks like a dairy cow, but that's a waste of paint.

　Yuki chuckled as she untied the rope and we moved away.

　It's a bit pitiful, but the walls are still there.

　It's a demon, and it will probably attack us if we disarm it, and we can't disarm it until we're far enough away that it won't attack us.

　Even if the earthen wall is not destroyed, it will be deactivated automatically in about 30 minutes, so there should be no problem.

　Then, stay far enough away from the strike ox for a while to observe it.

　When the wall collapsed and the strike ox landed on the ground, it was somewhat irritated and took it out on the ground, but after a while it stopped and started to roam around as before.

...... doesn't seem to be a problem.

Good!　Now we can get milk on a continuous basis.

But there are limits to milking by hand, you know?　It's quite tiring.

We can't just leave Natsuki to her own devices, so we'll have to split up.

Or we could just go home. Is there a milking machine in the book?

　What should we do now, ......?