3
Episode 3
"Yes. I answered you!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second."
Thump. Thunder fell over in surprise at the sound, then quickly stood up again.
"D-d-did I hear you right? Can you hear me? Not just as a neigh?"
"Yes, I can hear you very well."
Because I'm a very cool ex-dog.
At those words, Thunder's eyes, which had been dull as if he were dead, began to shine with life.
"This guy isn't an idiot, he's a genius! Then, p-please. Help me! I'm in pain!"
"Huh?"
I tilted my head.
"Where does it hurt?"
Thunder, whose eyes had become sparkling, stuck out his tongue and said,
"Th-th-there's a th-th-thorn here!"
I can't really see it...
So, this Thoroughbred, who is supposed to be a good horse, is just a crybaby who is in pain because of a tiny thorn stuck in his tongue.
'Ruth must have spoiled him rotten.'
I pulled out the thorn, which was almost invisible to the naked eye.
"So, you wouldn't eat hay or carrots or drink water because of a thorn, and you were mean to people?"
"Yes! This darn thorn was stressing me out! But the vets couldn't even find the thorn. They're utterly incompetent!"
Well, that's because you kicked them whenever they tried to get close...
But that's not the point!
I stroked Thunder's magnificent mane and asked,
"Anyway, is it okay now? Then tell me! What is earning merit?"
"Ahem, ahem. Healing a magnificent Thoroughbred like me is a kind of earning merit!"
"Wow, pulling out a thorn is earning merit!"
"Yes. But listen, didn't you say you were an adopted child? The merit will be taken away. This family isn't so easy on children without connections."
"That won't do. I have to earn merit and meet my sister!"
I squeezed my head with both hands and furrowed my brow.
'What should I do to keep the merit from being taken away?'
My number one priority in life is my sister, and number two is sweet potatoes.
My brain, which only shines for these two things, started spinning rapidly.
* * *
Some time later.
Patricia, Dot's replacement as the vet, casually opened the door to the barn.
And...
Patricia was faced with a seriously shocking situation.
"Hey, are you crazy!"
A child she had never seen before was carelessly stroking Thunder's mane.
'I definitely put up a Barrier to prevent outsiders from entering, so how did she get in?'
Then that means she's an insider of the family.
Patricia was about to scream but stopped herself.
'Besides, the Thoroughbred's condition is too good!'
He's not sensitive, and he's staying still even when his mane is touched.
Confused, she walked closer to the unfamiliar child.
"Y-you... who... are you?"
"Me? I'm Coco!"
"Coco..."
As the baby stuck out her round belly, something suddenly came to mind.
'Ah, isn't that the commoner who's about to be abandoned? Why is she here?'
Patricia, with an annoyed expression, picked Coco up.
"I don't know how you got into the barn, but stay here for now, little one."
The important thing was Thunder's condition.
Patricia looked around.
There was animal testing equipment that the vet had left in the barn for emergencies.
"Oh my god."
The results of checking Thunder's condition were astonishing.
There was nothing wrong with the horse's eyes, front teeth, or legs. Moreover, he was docile instead of kicking.
He even yawned languidly as if he were happy.
Patricia smiled as she brushed Thunder's mane with a comb.
"Not bad, huh?"
"Huh?"
"How did you manage to calm down such a sensitive horse?"
Thunder, the Thoroughbred that Ruth, a direct descendant of the family, cherished the most, had become normal.
A tremendous reward, unimaginable for a child, was sure to be given.
Then...
"Anyway, I should report this right away. I'll say that I healed the Thoroughbred, Thunder?"
"Huh? I fixed him, and you said I was not bad..."
"No. It was a slip of the tongue. Now that I think about it, it seems like I just fixed him with that tool?"
Patricia shrugged her shoulders after stating the situation as if she were driving a stake into the ground.
'Well, she's just a clueless kid anyway, right? Besides, there's no way a kid like that could have really fixed Thunder.'
There are widespread rumors that she's just a normal person without a Stigmata.
'It must have just been good timing.'
Patricia said with a sneer in her heart.
"Little one, you should go back to the detached palace, right?"
"Huh? I, I have something to say for a second..."
"Come on. I'll call a maid for you, so go quickly."
The way she was forcing her was like getting rid of a bothersome child, but so what?
'She's going to be kicked out anyway.'
She hummed and picked Coco up.
"Let's go, little one."
Closing the barn door with her other hand was a bonus.
"Haa, I want to see Ruth soon. I wonder what kind of reward he'll give me."
* * *
"Patricia, are you really the one who healed Thunder?"
"Yes, I did it."
The vet Dot returned after hearing Patricia's report.
He examined Thunder's condition and looked surprised.
"Amazing. How did you do it?"
"Haha. It was nothing."
Just as light congratulations were being exchanged one after another.
The barn door burst open with a loud bang.
"I heard our Thunder is completely healed, where is he?"
"Ah, you've arrived."
The one who opened the barn door carelessly and entered was Ruth Ardos.
A man with short black hair and clear blue eyes.
His appearance alone was enough to overwhelm people, and he was a rare Ability user who controlled the wind.
However, unlike his outstanding appearance that was revealed to the outside world, his evaluation within the family was poor.
He had long been excluded from the position of successor and was known as a prodigal son who was only obsessed with things that interested him.
"I couldn't concentrate on anything else. So, what kind of disease was it?"
Dot, who received Ruth's cold gaze, wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered.
"W-we don't know the name of the disease yet."
"You don't know the name of the disease, so how did you heal our Thunder?"
Patricia blushed and muttered softly.
"Ah, yes! Thunder seemed to have a little indigestion, so I cut the carrots smaller than usual and gave them to him."
"Hmm, was that the only reason? I'm suspicious."
When Ruth's reaction was lukewarm, Patricia reached out and tried to stroke Thunder's mane.
"Look, he follows me so well..."
But that was the moment.
"Neigh!"
Thunder, who had been docile until just now!
Suddenly neighed and kicked wildly.
It was a gesture of fierce rejection.
"...Follows you well?"
"Ah, ha, hahaha, th-that's right. Why is he doing this..."
As Patricia made a flustered expression, Ruth stared at Thunder with narrowed eyes.
Then, Thunder, who had stopped kicking, gracefully walked towards Ruth.
"Huh? Thunder, if you wanted to hug me, you should have said..."
...Thunder passed by Ruth.
And gracefully slipped out through the open crack in the barn door.
"...Thunder?"
With everyone's attention on him, Thunder stood in front of a sign that read 'Barn'.
And in front of that sign...
"Ah, Thunder!"
There was a child with silver hair like a teacher, plump cheeks, and soft wisteria-colored eyes.