The Extermination
“Baron! The beast has been exterminated!”
“What?! Is that true?”
While handling affairs as usual in his office, Viscount Folmers received a hurried report from a servant.
Upon hearing that the beast had been exterminated, Folmers shot to his feet.
“Yes! Baron Auger and the mage are currently returning to the castle!”
“Oh… Both of them are safe. That is truly fortunate.”
Folmers sat back down at once and exhaled a sigh of relief.
He had been fretting over Zalier’s stubborn insistence on sending them to confront the dangerous beast, and he had even been agonizing over the possibility of losing the valuable mage.
Yet the extermination had succeeded.
At the same time, he could not help but admire Joseph’s ability to resolve matters so swiftly and purely.
Even Zalier, who had taken soldiers with him, could not accomplish this in such a short time…
It was no ordinary beast.
Its massive frame and tough hide meant that even a sword thrust left only bruises.
To defeat it, one required at least a knight who knew how to wield magic or mana.
How many problems had a single beast occupying the vital supply route caused?
Supplies from the north had to take a long detour, and soldiers and travelers alike were attacked indiscriminately, resulting in casualties beyond count.
Yet a young mage he had never seen before had single-handedly slain the problematic beast.
Time, resources, and even human lives had been resolved in one stroke.
Indeed, a proper mage is on another level.
Folmers nodded once and instructed the servant.
“It must have been no ordinary beast; it must have been difficult. Send someone ahead to assess the damage and prepare so that they can rest immediately upon returning to the castle.”
“Um, that is…”
But the servant appeared hesitant about the instruction.
Folmers raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
“What is it? Is it difficult to send someone?”
In response, the servant shook his head and spoke in an uncertain voice.
“No casualties in this extermination, it is said.”
“…What?”
Folmers’ eyes widened.
Could he have misheard?
“I… I checked multiple times… No casualties occurred in the extermination.”
“…”
Hearing the servant’s words, Folmers stood there in stunned silence.
No injured people, yet they had processed the beast.
If that were as easy as it sounded, Folmers would not be troubled like this.
With mercenaries and castle soldiers provided, and cooperation from the Church’s priest, it was understandable if there were few casualties.
But not even one casualty.
“Unbelievable…”
Folmers realized that he and Zalier had underestimated the young mage’s level far too much.
It was, after all, unavoidable.
Even Folmers, who had interacted with many as a noble, had never heard of Joseph’s name.
Just what has he been doing all this time that no one has heard of such a mage?
At the same time, he thought this was a divine opportunity bestowed upon him.
Absolutely cannot let it slip away.
It was already rare to see a mage.
Even rarer among them was a normal mage.
Even rarer still was a normal and capable mage.
No, this is beyond capable…
It was an absolute force that could not be missed.
It was a pity that the count was not here.
He needed to find a way to prevent him from leaving this castle.
“I’ll have to prepare the reward in advance. I’ll inform Lord Zalier as well.”
“Understood.”
After the servant left the reception room, Folmers sat in his seat and gazed out the window.
The sky was still clear, and distant voices of people could be heard from outside.
“What conditions should I offer to such a mage…?”
Folmers muttered while staring blankly out the window.
***
Several days later, a procession of carriages flying two flags passed through the outer gate.
Since the news of the beast extermination had already spread within the castle, residents inside the inner castle gathered near the gate to watch the beast’s corpse.
The crowd had gathered so quickly that the guards had to clear the way for the carriages to move.
“Wow. Is that the beast?”
“Ugh… It looks disgusting.”
“But why is it carved like that?”
“Didn’t you hear that the beast’s meat is delicious? It’s been smoked. The mage must be a connoisseur.”
They were all in awe of the carved and smoked beast meat.
And Joseph, who was riding in the carriage, was also surprised by the crowd that had gathered far more than he imagined.
“More people than I thought…?”
“The rumor of the northern beast was famous even in the castle. Since it was exterminated, they must be curious and can’t help but come.”
Rekor, who had been riding with Joseph in the carriage to accompany him when his condition wasn’t good, spoke.
The residents of the castle, who lived the same daily routine, could not ignore such a big issue.
Still, though… There are too many people.
And not only the residents were surprised by the beast’s corpse carried in the carriage.
“W-what is this!”
Folmers, who had rushed to the entrance of the inner castle upon hearing the return of the extermination team, could not close his mouth at the sight of the beast’s head.
“S-so, is that the beast’s…?”
From his reaction, it seemed he had never seen the beast’s corpse in person before.
His hands trembled as he stared at the half-crushed and fire-burned beast head.
Auger quickly stepped forward and shouted proudly.
“Y-yes! This is the beast that was blocking the way north!”
“Amazing… It looks like it would charge at you the moment it opens its eyes.”
Folmers, forgetting even his noble dignity, placed his trembling hand on the beast’s head and stared blankly.
“B-but, where is he?”
After staring at the beast’s head for a long time, Folmers finally asked for someone.
Joseph realized that he was being asked and stepped down from the carriage.
At that moment, the gazes of the people turned to Joseph.
Joseph, wearing a worn robe and carrying a staff wrapped in cloth on his back, appeared, and the murmuring about the beast’s corpse suddenly died down.
“Oh, here he was!”
Folmers approached with a smile and patted Joseph’s shoulder.
Then, belatedly realizing the surroundings’ gazes, he coughed a few times awkwardly and nodded.
“Truly, you have worked hard. This one is truly beyond imagination.”
“Thank you.”
“You have accomplished a great deed. How exactly…?”
Joseph simply lowered his head slightly.
Watching Joseph’s calm demeanor, Folmers admired inwardly.
Even after slaying the beast, he is this humble!
He suited a knight more than a mage!
Folmers nodded repeatedly in admiration, but in fact, Joseph wanted to cover his ears and run from the spot.
My head hurts and I’m dizzy, and it’s too noisy.
At that moment, Auger stepped forward one step and cleared his throat.
“Hrm, Baron…”
“Oh, yes. Right, this isn’t the place.”
Folmers clapped his hands and said while looking around.
“Well, stop doing this and come inside. The others who participated in the extermination are the same. Today, I have prepared good seats for all of you.”
Folmers said that and led the extermination team inside.
As he went inside, he began to think of various ways to capture Joseph.
And because of that, Folmers did not notice that Zalier was glaring at Joseph with a red face and furrowed brows.
***
“Does that mean you will give double the reward?”
In Folmers’ reception room.
Upon Joseph’s question, Folmers nodded.
He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly once and said.
“To be honest, the beast you exterminated… was much more dangerous than reported. I only realized after checking it myself just now. Since I put you in danger due to my mistake, the compensation is only natural.”
As he said that, Folmers apologized.
Joseph looked at Folmers bowing his head and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
Offering more reward, what can I say.
Of course, this reward included Folmers’ calculation to gain Joseph’s favor, but in any case, Joseph did not refuse the proposal to give a large sum of money.
In fact, until just now, Joseph’s mood had not been good.
On the way back from the extermination.
Thinking quietly, he felt like he had done something that did not match the settlement.
Even considering the condition of giving the fire magic book, the beast was too strong.
Of course, he had heard that it was a strong one that sword did not penetrate well and magic did not work properly.
So, he had planned to use soldiers to pour out firepower.
He thought to finish it off with the remaining soldiers when it fell.
Like when hunting the ogre.
But the level was too different.
However, the beast’s durability far exceeded what Joseph had expected.
Joseph’s magic was infused with divinity.
Even after receiving Joseph’s magic dozens of times, the beast did not fall.
It was bloody but still standing there, with its focus wavering but consciousness alive.
Intuitively, he felt.
If there was even a small gap, and the beast regained its senses, it would die.
So, before that, he poured out all the mana orbs.
So that the battle would end and he would lose consciousness.
If it had stopped even a little there, it would have rushed at me immediately.
Thanks to having an artifact that recovers mana for Joseph, it was fortunate, but if Joseph had fallen first, the group would have been torn apart.
Asking to catch such a thing with just one magic book?
Of course, Joseph needed the magic book desperately now, so this extermination was an offer he could not refuse from the start.
But that made it even more vexing.
Whether it’s a village chief or a noble, it’s the same.
So, Joseph had planned to quickly finish researching the fire magic book and leave the city immediately.
To such Joseph, Folmers had apologized first and bowed his head.
And that too, promising double the reward he had originally promised.
Folmers immediately handed something to Joseph.
Upon seeing it, Joseph instinctively knew what it was.
“The fire magic book…”
“Yes. The magic book is ultimately Zalier the mage’s possession, so I cannot just give more of it freely. Please understand.”
He had almost shouted in surprise but barely swallowed it.
With trembling eyes, Joseph slowly extended his hand to receive it.
Perhaps because it was something kept by the count’s mage, its form was different from the magic books he had seen so far.
It was covered in unknown red leather of some beast, and when he brushed it with his hand, the surface was very smooth.
When unfolded, the inside was also made of thin, soft parchment.
Moreover, there was a strange floral scent from the book, which felt like it was not something made by investing just a few coins.
He wanted to lock himself in an inn and check the contents immediately.
No, calm down. Do not show how much you like it.
As Joseph looked at the magic book with a strange expression that seemed like he might smile or not, Folmers, watching it, said casually.
“…I heard you are going to learn a new magic.”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to research it here for a while? If it is okay, I will provide a place to stay and a research room in the castle. Please stay there and study.”