The White Fox's Hunt
I approached Ar, ready to dispel the Berserker magic at any moment. Ar withdrew her blood-soaked hand from the kakaru's head. Anyone who saw her like this would nod without hesitation if you called her a mad beastperson. Yeah. Anyone seeing that would think so. Eyes dyed blood-red, body drenched in gore, the low rumble of a growl. The cry of a beastperson is the same as any animal's. So yes, she was a beastperson, but still.
"Ar."
When I called her name, Ar turned toward me. And I realized my so-called 'preparation to release' had been pure arrogance.
Before I knew it, she was right in front of me, one arm raised. All the while, she bared her teeth and let out a deep, rumbling growl. It was terrifying. If not for the slave restraints, my skull would already be pierced through. The thought sent cold sweat trickling down my spine.
I had underestimated beastpeople far too much. Even after watching her hunt just moments ago.
"Release."
I dispelled the Berserker magic. Ar's face flashed with surprise, and she suddenly clutched her own throat.
"Urgh."
A stifled groan. The pain must have come crashing down on her all at once. The restraints had stopped her from attacking me the entire time, so the agony had to have been unbearable. Standing would already be a struggle.
"Are you okay?"
I caught Ar as she began to collapse. Normally she would have dodged or rejected my hand, but right now she didn't seem to have the strength. Her body felt so light. Her face was tightly scrunched, teeth clenched hard, soft groans slipping out.
In the future, I would have to dispel it the moment the hunt ended. Before she could turn on me. I couldn't keep seeing her like this every time.
Ar stayed in my arms a little longer, then her expression eased as the pain finally faded. She subtly turned her gaze away and slipped free of my arm as if nothing had happened. Was she embarrassed? I'd only been holding her up with one arm.
So, to spare the awkwardly embarrassed Ar any more discomfort, I spoke as if nothing unusual had occurred.
"Does your body hurt anywhere? Doesn't look like it, though."
"...Yes."
Ar answered quietly. Her small voice probably had less to do with Berserker's aftereffects and more to do with the way our bodies had touched moments ago.
"Good. That's a relief. Then let's keep moving. But will a Grade 4 magic beast be difficult without Berserker?"
When I asked, Ar simply stared at me. That look said 'I don't know either.' Well, she probably hadn't faced many Grade 4 magic beasts before.
So Ar and I rose and continued on. The mountain path grew deeper, a place untouched by human trails. Yet Ar moved without the slightest awkwardness, navigating as comfortably as if she walked here every day.
Then she stopped, lowering her stance. She had sensed something. Clearly in full hunting mode. I looked where she was focused and saw a Grade 4 magic beast called a Pachi.
A Pachi. Take a rabbit, enlarge it ten times, then mix in equal parts malice and hatred and clump it together, and you'd get something close to this monster.
"Try fighting it first. If you feel like you're at a disadvantage, I'll cast the magic."
At my words, Ar kicked off the ground and charged straight at the Pachi. Even with the distance between us, she obeyed instantly in situations like this. That was truly fortunate, but...
The Pachi, true to its Grade 4 rank, sensed her immediately and bared its fangs. A Grade 4 was something a veteran mercenary could barely defeat alone. Or it might take two or three decent mercenaries working together.
The fight between Ar and the Pachi was evenly matched. At least, that's how it looked to me. Ar seemed slightly pushed back at first, but that improved as time passed. So this was the power of a beastperson. Going toe-to-toe with a Grade 4. No wonder everyone tried so hard to obtain them. It also explained why beastperson prices were completely insane.
This was enough. No need to watch any longer. Better to finish it quickly than risk Ar getting hurt.
"Strength!"
I cast the magic on Ar. Strength. A spell that increased physical power. But because it was 13th-grade support magic, it operated on an entirely different level from what ordinary mages could produce.
With a loud crunch, Ar's claws tore into the Pachi's flank. Until now she'd only managed scratches against its tough hide. The moment the magic took hold, five deep gashes appeared, deep enough to expose bone and spill intestines.
The Pachi screamed in agony. Ar, too, seemed to fully understand the change that had come over her. Using her signature blinding speed, she launched attacks she couldn't manage before. She darted left and right, slipped behind it in an instant, and raked her claws across its spine.
The Pachi shrieked and collapsed. Ar followed up by smashing its head. With a sickening crack, the skull tore away. Even Ar looked startled. She probably hadn't expected it to rip clean off. She'd likely thought it would only cause a deep wound. But 13th-grade magic was no joke. It wasn't for nothing that Iscar had locked me away in the Magic Tower.
"Huff... huff..."
Ar caught her breath in front of the thoroughly dead Pachi. After checking the surroundings, I walked over to her. She stared at me for a long moment, then muttered softly.
"I could have won without the magic..."
I couldn't help but chuckle. This kid who had barely spoken a word until now was suddenly chatty about something like this? Competitive spirit? Beastperson pride?
"I know. But it's better to finish quickly. Besides, there isn't just one magic beast here."
I wondered if she would say more, but Ar closed her mouth and stayed silent. Hmm. I was starting to see the pattern. So provoking her was the way to get her to talk?
With that thought, I moved to the Pachi's corpse and took out a small saw to begin cutting off its horn.
"Ugh! This isn't cutting at all, it's so damn tough. Ar, you try. With Strength magic on you, it should go quick."
Ar stared at me blankly, then finally came over. She took the saw I offered and made short work of the horn with swift, steady strokes.
"First earnings."
Pachi hide was tough, but the stench was overwhelming. Even if I carried it back to sell, there wouldn't be much profit left. The meat and bones were the same. The bulk and labor weren't worth the return. So the only thing worth taking was the pair of horns on its forehead. Those could be sold anywhere and were easy to carry. Maybe around five hundred marcas? I wasn't sure about current market prices. Still, it was something. Enough for a few days of mercenary living.
But there was no point doing all this for a single horn from a Grade 4 magic beast. My goal was bigger. Far more ambitious. Even someone like me had taken down a Grade 6 magic beast using Berserker. Of course, it had been close to a gamble. So Ar should be more than capable of handling a Grade 6. Especially after fighting evenly with a Grade 4 like this.
"Let's go. Time to earn money. We need to earn a lot. If you earn enough, you'll find your freedom one day."
When I muttered that, Ar stared at me intently.
"Why? Sounds impossible? But I'm serious. I bought a slave to make full use of Berserker magic. I needed the spell engraved in the slave restraints. So once the situation improves, I won't need to keep you as a slave. I'll free you and buy another beastperson. Then I'll free that one too. I'll tell them to go far away so they never get captured as a slave again."
Others would probably call it stupid. Freeing a slave I bought with good money? When the slave isn't dead or crippled and unable to work anymore? They'd definitely say that.
"I don't know how this sounds to you, but I hate the slave system. What is it, really? One person restraining and owning another makes no sense. Especially when that person's own will isn't reflected at all. It's the worst. So even if you don't like it, bear with me a little. Once I can afford the next slave, I'll set you free."
Ar's crimson eyes continued to stare at me. Then she turned her head and murmured softly.
"...Strange person."
"Yeah. It is strange. Pretending to be kind for no reason. Right?"
But there was no answer. Anyway. She really was expensive. Still, I felt it was fortunate we'd reached this level of conversation. At least it meant she didn't find me so repulsive that she refused to speak at all.
With that, we pushed deeper into the mountains. We found several more Grade 4 magic beasts, and Ar, reinforced with Strength magic once again, dispatched them in an instant.
Ah. Maybe I should raise my mana regeneration further? The cooldown was too long. At this rate, just hunting Grade 4 magic beasts meant I probably wouldn't starve anytime soon. But this wouldn't bring in real money. In the end, I needed to hunt at least Grade 5 or, better yet, Grade 6 and above. Plus, since I couldn't carry the entire corpse, the sellable portions would be far fewer.
Really... How convenient it would be to have subspace magic or portal magic. I could learn them, but I couldn't use them, so it was pointless. For now, I'd earn money and buy an artifact at least. Starting with a larger space-expansion bag.
But which should come first, mana regeneration or the space bag? Was it better to increase hunting speed for quicker returns, or expand the bag to hunt longer? Hmm. This needed some thought. Which would be more beneficial.
"The sun's starting to set, so let's camp here. You're not the type who can't sleep outdoors, are you?"
At my words, Ar stared at me blankly again. Her face seemed to say the joke wasn't funny. Her gaze felt sharp.
"With just the two of us, one has to keep watch. Want to sleep first? Or take the first watch?"
Ar frowned and pondered it seriously. Yeah, it was a tough choice. With only two people, alternating watches was quite the dilemma.
"Decided? What'll it be? First watch?"
Ar nodded. Oops. I'd asked in a way that didn't require her to speak. I should have made her answer with her own mouth.
"Got it. Then I'll sleep first. Wake me at dawn. You can wake me when about half the night is left, in good conscience."
With that, I climbed straight up a tree. Ar looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
"What? Did you think we'd light a campfire and sleep on the ground? You'd die doing that. So come up here too."
As I spoke, I chose a suitable branch, sat down, and leaned back. Ar climbed up lightly after me. She perched on a nearby branch and scanned the surroundings.
"I'm going to sleep."
With those words, I rested my head against the trunk. And immediately fell asleep.