“Caroline, do you think ‘six legs’ could mean six toes?”

“No, Miss. I believe Lady Kelly was quite clear: six legs, not six toes.”

“Caroline, look at that chicken. Doesn’t the number of legs seem wrong to you?”

“Indeed, Miss. It seems to have injured one of its legs. I imagine it won’t take long before it ends up on the dinner table.”

“Caroline, I think this chicken looks a bit strange.”

“If you insist on calling it a chicken… yes, it is strange. But I’d suggest considering it a duck.”

Caroline could tell Charlotte was starting to get anxious. Her patience was mostly reserved for alchemy and reading. If it weren’t for that woman’s meddling, they would probably already be in Solvellon by now.

“You’d have to be truly foolish to look for a six-legged chicken in a chicken coop.” Kelly leaned on the coop’s wooden fence, staring at the two with a look of disdain. She was starting to doubt whether this young noblewoman was as clever as she seemed.

“Lady Kelly, do you have anything useful to teach us?” Caroline asked, calmly removing a feather from Charlotte’s hair, not even glancing at Kelly.

Charlotte noticed the gesture, which she found rude, but couldn’t understand why Caroline seemed so hostile toward Kelly. Even so, she realized that continuing to wander aimlessly wouldn’t get them anywhere.

“Well… Lady Kelly, could you tell us where to find a six-legged chicken?”

“I know it’s not in my chicken coop.” The innkeeper, Venym, appeared holding a mug of beer. With no customers around at that time of day, he took the opportunity to relax.

“It seems Mr. Venym is right. Miss, how about we leave the chicken coop for now?”

“Maybe we should… oh, fine.”

Charlotte hesitated. She wanted to suggest waiting until nightfall, when the eclipse’s dim light might reveal a creature with six legs. But Caroline’s gaze left no room for debate.

Without much effort, Charlotte leaped over the wooden fence, which was about as tall as a person. She couldn’t understand why they had built such a tall chicken coop. Kelly, watching her jump so effortlessly, couldn’t help but twitch the corner of her eye slightly.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Caroline, are there more feathers on my clothes?” Charlotte tugged at the back of her dress, trying to see if anything was left. Caroline quickly removed the last few remaining feathers.

Meanwhile, Charlotte decided to try a different approach: “Lady Kelly, may I offer you something to drink?”

If there was one thing Charlotte knew, it was that offering drinks was a good way to extract information. This wasn’t just a trick from novels, nobles did it too, so it had to work.

“Alright.” Kelly replied simply. Her only customer in recent days had been Susan, who hadn’t even paid her.

Venym let out a resigned sigh. Working during the day was something he hated, especially without extra pay.

Kelly stared at the cup of tea Charlotte had prepared, hesitating for a moment. She ended up drinking it like beer, pouring it down her throat without ceremony.

“Could you tell us where we can find a six-legged chicken?” Charlotte asked, full of expectation.

Kelly didn’t answer immediately. She seemed to regret drinking so quickly, as if realizing that tea was meant to be savored.

“It’s an old story from Solvellon,” Kelly began, lighting a cigarette and adopting the tone of an experienced storyteller. “No one knows exactly how long it’s been around. It was before the Empire was founded, back when Solvellon was dealing with a great plague. They say an old rooster laid an egg…”

“I heard it was a hen crossed with a snake.” Venym interrupted. Kelly cursed under her breath, telling him to shut up.

“An old rooster laid an egg,” Kelly repeated firmly. “And it was delivered to Kelvin, the wizard who ruled these lands at the time, along with the rooster.”

“After that, Kelvin died, dried up like a branch. Some say they saw a featherless chick escaping from the egg. A few days later, those who saw it also died.”

“And that’s how the myth of the six-legged chicken began. It went quiet for centuries, but now it seems to have reappeared, and right in this region. Rumor has it that Cork tried to kill it with a spear but ended up poisoned by the creature.”

Kelly nodded toward Venym with her chin. “And this guy was the first to see it.”

Venym nodded, beer spilling from the corner of his mouth. He already seemed a bit drunk. “Yes, yes. That thing had a huge red crest.”

He gestured at the top of his head.

“Its eyes looked like a toad’s.”

He widened his eyes dramatically.

“And a tail like a snake’s.”

Moving his arm like a serpent, he continued: “And its legs… were… ah… like a six-legged chicken’s.” He gestured awkwardly, trying to illustrate.

Charlotte stared in disbelief. “Ah… I see. Thank you for the description. How can we find it?”

“Well, you could use bait, like a snake. Tie it to a branch and wait, as if you were fishing.” Kelly suggested in a tone that didn’t sound like a joke.

“Or you could go into the forest. Wherever the six-legged chicken steps, the vegetation dies.” Kelly finished her cigarette and stood up.

“Thank you for your help, Lady Kelly. And… Mr. Venym, thank you for the performance. Have you considered working in a theater in Sopellen? I think you’d do very well.”

“Or in a circus. Or a zoo.” Caroline added.

Venym snored on the floor, already completely out.

Charlotte and Caroline exchanged glances and, with a slight nod, left.

Charlotte now had her suspicions.