Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: #5 Magic Beast Hunt (2)
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Elric left the mansion straight away with Tiria and headed toward the village.
The sight of the village they arrived at was enough to make him frown.
“Umm… This is serious.”
Several houses had collapsed.
The churned-up earth and the fence that had crumbled far away in the distance indicated that something had forced its way in and turned the village upside down.
That magic beast, no doubt.
“I’ll go speak with the village chief for a moment.”
“Go ahead. I’ll wait here.”
He could have gone with her, but Elric chose not to.
It was simply faster to investigate personally.
Ten years ago, maybe not, but during his years rolling as a mercenary, he had encountered magic beasts countless times. Wars often made strategic use of their habitats.
Now he had reached the point where he could identify the species from traces alone, so using the most reliable method was the right call.
First, Elric headed to the outskirts of the village to examine the debris from the fence.
‘It was sliced.’
That’s what it looked like.
If it had rammed, it wouldn’t have snapped so cleanly in a straight line.
They’d said it was a wolf-type magic beast, so the possibilities that came to mind were a Blade Wolf or a Caliso Wolf.
Magic beasts distinguished by their long claws or horns.
And one more clue…
‘Fewer casualties than expected.’
For a magic beast that had invaded the village, there were no dead bodies or funeral processions in sight.
At most a few injured—that detail made the beast’s identity even clearer.
‘A Blade Wolf.’
An upper-tier magic beast among its kind.
It used mana to coat its claws with sword ki, and as a species, it hunted not just for survival but for sport as well.
For it to sow only fear and leave meant this was a prelude to its next hunt.
A little later, and disaster would have struck the village.
‘Drawn the short straw with a nasty one.’
What to do about it.
That was when Elric was pondering.
“Family Head.”
Tiria had returned.
“I’ve heard the rough details. Let’s head back to the mansion for now.”
“Ah, yes.”
Had she already finished investigating?
No—given her personality, she’d skipped the pleasantries and gotten straight to the point, which was hardly surprising.
Elric boarded the carriage following her, and only then did she relay what she had learned.
The more he heard, the more his conviction solidified.
It was a Blade Wolf.
Now the question was whether she knew that.
“We’ll need to head out for the hunt right away. We don’t know when it might come down to the village again, so I plan to prepare as quickly as possible.”
“Did you pinpoint the magic beast’s species?”
“The villagers couldn’t make out its exact shape. However, they recall seeing something like a huge blade, so we’re presuming a Caliso Wolf.”
Elric’s expression hardened.
‘No good.’
There was an indescribable gulf between a Caliso Wolf and a Blade Wolf.
How could a magic beast that wielded mana as a weapon be the same as one relying solely on its body?
If they went out assuming it was a Caliso Wolf, the hunters would end up returning as corpses.
‘Hunting a Blade Wolf requires a knight.’
And not just any knight—one who could handle mana.
They would need to coat their sword with mana to boost its cutting power and slash the wolf’s claws head-on; otherwise, sacrifices during the hunt were inevitable.
Unable to find a way to explain it, Elric groaned to himself until he suddenly remembered something he’d overlooked.
“…Ah, then we can mobilize a knight!”
Knights in a territory were mana users by default.
Even one who could use mana would do—put him up front.
With that in mind, he asked,
“Hm?”
But the answer came in a form Elric hadn’t anticipated.
“What do you mean? Our territory has no knights.”
Elric’s jaw dropped.
*
He wanted to snap that it was nonsense, but there was a reason he couldn’t.
It was due to Tiria’s immediate follow-up explanation.
“The territory’s last knight was Sir Zig of the Weibin Family. He retired eight years ago due to old age.”
“No others appointed since?”
“Yes, partly because there was no suitable talent, but… more than that, knights just don’t offer good value for money.”
It was a change of eras.
The name dominating the continent’s battlefields now was ‘gunpowder’.
“…Well, fair enough.”
From recruitment to training, upkeep, and management, knights were money pits that devoured astronomical sums.
By contrast, look at the matchlock musket: just one could turn a farmer into an armed soldier—a simple, vicious weapon. And its power was enough to threaten even a well-trained knight.
Of course, a matchlock’s price was astronomical too, but still less than raising a knight.
In large-scale operations like the western battlefields, maybe, but there was no need to raise knights in a humble rural territory like this.
Just hand a musket to decently trained soldiers and call it a day.
A sudden bitterness and regret soaked Elric’s insides.
He still admired knights and respected their immense power.
Why wouldn’t he? He himself had risen to the pinnacle with a sword while living as a war mercenary, so he couldn’t help but view their role favorably.
‘The fall of the knights…’
A phrase he’d once heard on the battlefield now struck home.
“…Did I upset you?”
Tiria asked cautiously.
Elric quickly composed his expression and shook his head.
“No. Just… regretting it a bit. You might not know, but my childhood dream was to be a knight. Hearing they’re vanishing just… stings.”
He gave a small smile in reply and added a word close to advice.
“…Still, knights have power that guns can’t match, don’t they? I’d appreciate if you reconsider recruiting one.”
How could mere lead shot completely shatter a knight’s sword?
The peaks of gun and sword were worlds apart.
Elric himself was confident he could sweep hundreds of matchlock troops alone with just a single sword—and he’d actually done it before.
For the territory’s future, keeping at least one knight was wise.
Right after he voiced that conviction.
“We’ll think it over again. …No, if the Family Head believes so, then that’s what we’ll do. This territory is one you’ll have to run in the end.”
Elric flinched in surprise.
It was because she’d brought up the part he’d been trying to ignore.
“Family Head?”
“…Nothing. Just the wind’s cold.”
No need to complicate things further right now.
Elric replied like an excuse and turned his gaze to the passing scenery.
That was the moment.
Swish—
Her fur cloak unfurled, draping over Elric’s shoulders as well.
Elric’s body went rigid.
His eyes rolled toward her.
“This…”
“You said you were cold. The cloak’s big enough for two, no issue.”
Her gaze remained fixed ahead.
Their bodies drew a little closer.
Arms touched, fingertips brushed with the chill passing between.
The bridge of her nose was slightly flushed.
Elric mumbled blankly.
“…You look cold yourself—no need to.”
“It’s not unbearable. Your well-being matters more.”
“That…”
“I’m fine.”
Her tone was firm, for some reason.
Elric couldn’t bring himself to refuse further.
His gaze turned forward.
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage shook along, their fingertips bumping repeatedly until, at some point, their hands touched—and their pinkies intertwined.
Neither knew who had initiated it.
*
It was the next morning.
After several rounds of discussion, Tiria had decided to mobilize a knight for this hunt and put in a request to the neighboring Gideon territory.
Elric had expected the process to be quite arduous, but Gideon provided one more easily than anticipated.
The two of them now stood at the mansion’s front gate to greet the knight.
“The Weibin and Gideon Families have exchanged for over five generations, so there were no issues. And besides…”
“Besides?”
“…Never mind. You’ll see for yourself.”
Tiria shook her head.
Elric tilted his head in suspicion, but she seemed unwilling to say more.
He’d just have to confirm it with his own eyes.
He’d only just thought that when—
“There they come.”
Elric’s head snapped up to look ahead.
A man was riding a sturdy brown horse toward the mansion.
The winter sun’s glare reflected off his full plate armor, visible only as a silhouette.
He was large-built, and his gallop was bold.
‘Well-disciplined.’
Around the level of a fresh mana user, perhaps.
As Elric observed him intently and made his judgment, he finally caught sight of the knight’s face.
That was the moment.
“…!”
Elric’s eyes flew wide.
“Whoa, whoa~.”
An exaggerated voice rang out.
As the distance closed, the horse slowed.
The man astride it had a square jaw.
Yet there was a roguish air about him somewhere.
Elric knew him.
Ten years had passed since they’d last met, but the man was familiar enough to recognize at a glance.
Elric’s face lit up.
“Luton!”
He was Elric’s closest childhood friend, the one he’d caused endless mischief with—the eldest son of the butcher shop, Luton.
Luton flashed a bright grin and shouted,
“Captain! Long time no see!”
It was a truly unexpected reunion.