Cry Peeper
The four Bonefangs were quickly butchered. Davie and the soldiers had dismantled one before, so their experience proved useful.
It would have been simpler to just cut away the valuable tusks and be done with it, but the things were as hard as iron, and that made it no easy task. Left with no other option, they dismantled the entire heads and took the skulls whole. The meat came as a bonus — they were boar-type demonic beasts to begin with.
Everyone looked ready to strip every last scrap of flesh from the bones and haul it all away, but Joseph wouldn't allow it.
"Take only what you'll eat."
The day was sweltering. Hauling raw meat around in this heat would draw not just demonic beasts, but insects besides. And circling back to camp just to smoke it would have been a waste of time.
The mercenaries, reluctant to let it go, hacked off chunks of meat and stuffed them haphazardly into their pouches.
"...Anyone who gets sick from eating that gets pulled from the hunt, and I'll dock your pay accordingly."
"Gah!"
Only then did they hurriedly dump the meat they'd hidden onto the ground.
Looking closer, though, some of those who'd quietly pocketed a share were Joseph's own retainers.
These little shits...
Joseph let out a quiet sigh at the sight. The retainers who'd been with him for some time understood the importance of hygiene, at least to a degree. He was constantly nagging them to wash whenever they had the chance, and to scrub down their armor besides. But even that, apparently, had not been enough.
Education, in the end, was a matter of drilling something in through endless repetition until it was branded into the mind.
I'll have to really put my foot down this time.
Once the Bonefang butchering was finished, they dug a pit beneath a nearby tree and buried what remained. They also scooped up the blood-soaked earth scattered across the ground and hauled that away as well.
The important thing on a hunt like this was not drawing in demonic beasts they hadn't bargained for. Among the animals hidden in the brush, some would have already caught the scent of blood. They weren't showing themselves now — but you never knew. This place wasn't far from camp, so caution was warranted.
The hunt pressed on. Unlike that first encounter, the creatures they met afterward were nothing special. Joseph and Davie didn't even need to step in — the retainers and mercenaries could handle them well enough on their own.
⟨ Fire ⟩
Every so often he would send a light spell into a Burrowing Spider nest in the ground, or at a Vine Snake hanging high from a tree branch. That was all it took.
"There really are a lot of demonic beasts."
"Yes. That's why no one comes here, it seems."
Joseph muttered it while looking down at the pouch stuffed full of demonic beast byproducts. It was barely past noon, and already the thing was running out of room. Giant Moth wings and shells, Burrowing Spider forelegs and fangs, Vine Snake hide, Poison Sting Centipede stingers...
This forest was crawling with demonic beasts to an almost unnatural degree. He had run into them a few times in Valois Territory as well, but this place felt like a garden grown entirely of the things.
"Whoa..."
The mercenaries smacked their lips looking at the pouch, so heavy an ordinary man would struggle just to lift it. They could tell that single bag was worth more than their entire year's earnings. They had no intention of doing anything stupid — but they couldn't help feeling a little envious.
And Joseph was not unaware of their gazes. Even with the rules laid down beforehand, a money pouch sitting right in front of you was bound to tempt people.
Should I bump their pay a bit later?
If it had been just Joseph and his retainers, he might have had to watch them more carefully. But standing here was a knight he had brought along — the territorial lord's third son, no less. Unless they had completely lost their minds, they wouldn't put a hand on a sword hilt over a single pouch.
"We should head back for today."
Joseph had spotted insects gathering on the pouch, and Davie nodded at his words. It seemed better to return to camp and process the byproducts. The party promptly changed direction and started walking.
Then the mercenary at the front suddenly dropped low. Those following behind crouched on reflex. He raised his arm and drew an X in the air — a signal to make no sound.
He looked back at Joseph, then pointed. It was the spot where they had buried the Bonefang corpses that morning.
Cry Peepers!
Whether drawn by the scent of blood, three massive black birds were clawing at the earth with their talons.
They're even bigger than I thought...
Watching them, Joseph felt slightly overwhelmed. He hadn't realized it when they were soaring high overhead, but up close they were the size of rhinoceroses. On top of that, their already enormous pupils were dilated so wide it was impossible to tell where they were looking, and that only made it worse.
The Cry Peepers dug for a while, then found the Bonefang corpses and started tearing into them with their beaks. Fortunately, they seemed too absorbed in the meat to notice this direction.
"...Have you ever faced one of those?"
Joseph quietly slipped back a little and asked Davie. The knight shook his head.
"I've heard the rumors... but this is the first time I've seen one up close myself."
Meaning no one here had ever fought these things.
"Are they more dangerous than something like an ogre or a troll?"
"A troll, you say? You've fought a troll?"
"...I was merely giving an example."
Davie looked slightly surprised, then composed his expression.
"I wouldn't call them that dangerous. But you know as well as I, Mage — fighting things that fly is no easy matter in itself."
Joseph nodded. The terror of a bird of prey was not simply a matter of size. Unlike everything else that kept its feet on the ground, Cry Peepers could move in three dimensions. Being able to freely reposition at altitudes where swords and arrows couldn't reach meant every formation they had used so far was worthless.
"Still... I don't think we can simply let them be."
Davie nodded in agreement. It wasn't merely about the byproducts. The place where they had hunted the Bonefangs was not far from camp. They could not let something like that wander around nearby.
If we get hit from above while we're sleeping, we won't even be able to fight back properly...
Joseph's camp always had a fire going, day and night. They had taken every possible measure to keep the light from carrying far, but from the sky, none of that meant a thing. It would just be handing these creatures the exact location of their target. And they couldn't simply go without a fire either.
Better to deal with them now, while we have the chance.
Having thought that far, Joseph checked the mercenaries' faces. Last time they had encountered Cry Peepers, they had all looked half-dead with fear, so he had wondered if they would freeze.
But fortunately, that prediction was completely off. They were a little tense, waiting quietly for orders — but there was no trace of terror on their faces.
Joseph nodded once and crouched lower. Then he raised his index finger and jabbed it hard in the direction of the Cry Peepers. It was one of the hand signals the mercenaries commonly used.
The mercenaries very slowly drew their weapons from their belts. At the same time, Joseph began circulating the mana within his body.
And in that instant, the three Cry Peepers, frantically tearing into the corpses, all lifted their heads at once. Then they snapped around toward Joseph's party.
"Hhk...!"
Those unfocused pupils locked straight onto them. One of the mercenaries facing that gaze swallowed a small breath.
A brief, absolute silence.
The Cry Peepers shrieked and spread their enormous wings. Nearby trees shook violently from the force.
⟨ Flame Bite ⟩
Flames erupted in midair. Those who had been overwhelmed by the Cry Peepers snapped back to their senses in an instant.
"Hah!"
"Back! Fall back and keep formation!"
Joseph shouted, and the mercenaries raised their shields and got to their feet. Then they started moving backward at a quick pace.
Joseph rapidly scanned the surroundings. These things were birds, fundamentally. They could only show their true worth once they took to the air. But just now, their wings had shaken the trees without breaking them. Meaning they were not monsters that could smash through timber and launch themselves into the sky by force.
Lure them somewhere with lots of trees.
In that brief moment, Joseph made his decision.
As the soldiers moved, the closest of the three suddenly folded its wings. Then it kicked off the ground with its sharp talons and charged toward them at high speed.
"Wh-what?!"
The mercenary at the front recoiled in shock at the unexpected speed and raised his shield. But even with leather layered on, a wooden shield did not look like it could stop this. His face twisted in an instant.
The creature closed the distance to the lead mercenary in a flash, then stretched its long neck all the way back. A moment later, like cracking a whip, its head came crashing down toward him.
⟨ Return ⟩
Just before the creature collided with the mercenary, Joseph fired a Mana Orb and spread a white wall. A sound like shattering glass rang out, and Return burst apart in an instant.
The good news was that unlike with the troll last time, it was not completely ineffective. The creature that hit the barrier was flung backward and tumbled across the ground. It didn't seem able to get up right away — probably from smashing its head.
Holy shit. What was that?
Joseph was stunned watching it. Seeing the Cry Peepers, he had vaguely pictured a bird of prey's hunting method — diving from high in the sky at tremendous speed to snatch up prey. But that had been a clumsy guess.
When one of them tumbled across the ground, the remaining two shrieked as well. Then they likewise folded their wings and streamlined their bodies.
"Here they come again!"
One of the mercenaries shouted, and this time the retainers stepped forward. They seemed to intend to deflect the impact with their metal shields.
"I believe we can handle one of them."
Before Joseph could say anything, Derik spoke up first. They weren't fools — they knew Cry Peepers were in a different league from Bonefangs. So at minimum, one of them. They intended to create an opening for Joseph to land a spell for certain.
"...Alright."
They were biting their lips anxiously, mouths gone dry.
Davie stepped forward as if to shield Joseph, bellowing the order. The mercenaries who had been glancing around turned their eyes to the two of them. Their faces looked somewhat reassured — and yet stirred by a different kind of fear.
At the same time, Davie's soldiers also stepped to the front. Unlike Joseph's retainers, they had no shields. They trained in the swordsmanship of House Fabidea, which primarily used longswords, so they apparently had no need for them.
Joseph's three retainers took the left. Davie's soldiers took the right. The mercenaries hurriedly spread to the sides and threw down their shields. A wooden shield was worthless right now.
And immediately after, the sound of the remaining two kicking off the ground hard rang out as they flew toward Joseph.
"Hold them!"
Derik shouted, and the retainers planted their legs firmly at the same time.