Kyle (1)
The journey to Fran turned out to be safer than Lawrence had expected.
It was easy to understand why the gypsies had hired mercenaries—and why they had hired only five of them, of all things.
They did not go without encountering monsters. Goblins attacked in packs, and a few Under Wolves, like jaguars waiting for an opening, lunged at the wagon whenever they saw a chance.
“Raul!”
“I see them, Mr. Ulrich!”
The Under Wolves were left to the other mercenaries. Lawrence used magic, but in a supporting role, helping the mercenaries rather than taking the lead.
The most important reason was the aftermath. Shadow Spear went without saying, and Fire Tail was also difficult to control in a fight against multiple enemies, since he had to keep adjusting its power by hand.
By process of elimination, that left him with one spell.
“Bind.”
Vines burst up in front of the charging Under Wolf. The beast tried to change direction the instant it saw the path blocked, but that place had been chosen as a hunting ground for a reason.
The moment the Under Wolf turned, a heavy axe came crashing down on it.
“Another one down!”
Scenes like that played out all around the wagon.
It did not matter that they could not use magic. They drew the monsters in with bows and crossbows, then picked them off one by one, steadily thinning the Under Wolves’ numbers.
They worked together with astonishing smoothness.
That was largely because the mercenaries already knew one another. They had taken on jobs together in Rombamel before, so their timing was seamless.
As long as no more than two or three wolves tangled together at once, the situation never became dangerous. If the front line did break through, Lawrence stepped in.
At that point, the matter of byproducts no longer mattered. Since it directly concerned the client’s safety, he showed no mercy.
“Fire Tail.”
When the serpent of fire bared its fangs, corpses piled up without fail.
If he did not care about byproducts, then a few dozen Under Wolves were no threat at all.
“You have quite the talent. I only now understand why your name is so well known.”
“You flatter me. What could be easier than catching prey that runs straight into a prepared hunting ground?”
The byproducts were divided as fairly as possible.
In a long-term escort job, the most dangerous thing was friction within the group. As long as they did not start fighting one another, the job was already half finished.
But the Orcs they encountered as they were leaving the Rival Plains were a different matter.
“Shouldn’t we go back?”
“No need to take unnecessary risks.”
If they could avoid it, they should.
They had not come out here for a monster-hunting contract. This was an escort job.
That said, detouring around the Orcs would only waste time.
“I’ll handle it.”
He did not need to borrow another mercenary’s hand.
Lawrence cast Shadow Spear at the resting Orc.
“Ooh…”
“What is that, a spear?”
“It’s dangerous, so please step back.”
Shadow Spear did not only threaten its target. He had never tested it, but even in this state it would likely affect anyone nearby.
The mercenaries, who had been watching with curiosity, stepped away at his warning.
There was no need to use a rope or anything of the sort. He hurled Shadow Spear like a javelin at the Orc.
By the time the beast sensed the murderous force closing in and reacted, it was already too late.
The Shadow Spear crushed the Orc’s upper body and silenced it completely.
Back when he had stayed in Rombamel, he had gone out on Orc hunts more than once. A small explosion like that would not have much impact on the surroundings.
“……”
The people around him fell silent before the blast Shadow Spear had created.
Lawrence walked up to the Orc’s corpse and calmly cut off its nose.
“That’s taken care of. Let’s go.”
A beat later, the gasps came.
* * *
A month had passed since they left Rombamel.
The wagon had finally left the Rival Plains and entered the mountain region.
This was nothing like crossing open flatland. Most of the road climbed uphill, so the wagon’s speed slowed considerably.
The mercenaries looked irritated that they had come all this way only to lose speed here, but Lawrence did not think it was all that bad.
The scenery was beautiful enough to make up for it.
Since the wagon moved slowly, it was also easier to read his magic book. And whenever he lifted his head for a change of pace, the mountains opened before him, with unfamiliar birds flying back and forth across the sky.
For some reason, the view reminded him of Dragon Valley, and he found himself feeling oddly nostalgic.
“Horn Boars?”
“That’s right. If it’s hard to picture, just think of armored boars walking around.”
Cedric, resting a hand on his lute, went on.
“They’re considered stronger than goblins and weaker than Orcs. With Mr. Lawrence’s skill, you could take them down without breaking a sweat.”
Walking boars…
He could not really imagine it. Did they feel something like Eligators?
“Pretty close. Eligators are crocodiles, but Horn Boars are boars. Still, unlike Eligators, which travel in small numbers, Horn Boars live in herds. As for equipment, they’re quite well equipped for monsters. That’s why there’s so much left over after you kill them, or so I’ve heard. The other mercenaries probably know more about that than I do.”
“That’s welcome news indeed. If we’re going to kill them anyway, it’s even better if they’re worth money.”
“That’s why blacksmiths like them, I’m told. Horn Boars are obsessed with shiny ore. Because of that, areas where large numbers of them live often end up having mines nearby.”
Mines.
Nobles with any real standing were said to own several mines and hunting grounds. And among them, a gold mine was worth, quite literally, a fortune beyond reckoning.
Money was directly tied to the power of a fief.
He had heard that the territorial war that broke out on the Rival Plains before had been caused by a mine.
“If that’s true, then there must be a lot of mines around Fran.”
“You’ve got it exactly right. Rumor has it the place is a land where honey and milk flow. I’ve also heard that the Sandefjord Kingdom keeps setting its sights on Fran because of those mines.”
Fran, like Rombamel, seemed to be close to the Sandefjord border.
“But you seem to know a great deal about this, Cedric.”
“Do you think I became a bard for no reason? The power to know the world is the power to create new songs.”
That was not wrong, but…
Unfortunately, the songs Cedric came up with on that basis were dreadful.
….
…….
“That’s mostly right. One more useful thing to know is that they’re fearless and reckless. Horn Boars lose their temper easily, so they’re not hard to provoke.”
Raul laughed softly, saying they were boars through and through.
“Then that means they’re easy to lure, too.”
“Exactly. When people hunt Horn Boars, the usual method is to draw them out and trap them.”
Just as they had lured the Forest Spider toward a corpse.
It seemed Horn Boars had their own way of being baited.
“When you get to Fran, ask the guild about it. There’s a world of difference between going in knowing and going in blind. Especially when it comes to contract details, the receptionist will explain everything properly.”
“Instead of that, couldn’t you show me the method? We’re heading for Fran, so we’re bound to run into Horn Boars sooner or later, aren’t we?”
“Hmm… It’s not difficult, but don’t forget that we’re on an escort job right now. Luring Horn Boars closer would be the same as putting the client in danger.”
Lawrence realized his mistake.
Blinded by curiosity, he had said something he should not have.
“I’m sorry. I forgot what mattered most.”
“No need. I can tell you spoke in haste. I’m not such a narrow-minded man that I’d fail to understand that much.”
Raul waved it off as if it did not matter.
“Let’s see. The way to lure a Horn Boar is with red.”
“Thank you for understanding. But red?”
“Ordinarily, boars avoid red, but Horn Boars are different. Maybe it’s because they’re monsters that get excited by the smell of blood. In any case, you can lure them with red clothing or red objects.”
Lawrence rested his chin on his hand.
Red. So anything dyed red could serve as bait for a Horn Boar.
A grim thought crossed his mind.
“Would blood work the same way…? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“It is. That’s exactly why you want to avoid injury as much as possible when you hunt them. There’s a reason people say that once a fight turns into a bloody affair, more and more Horn Boars show up after catching the scent.”
“No, that’s not quite what I meant. I’m talking about the blood after you kill them.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Horn Boar blood isn’t red—it’s green, similar to a goblin’s.”
At the very least, he would not have to worry about things getting tangled up more than necessary.
Not long after that, the time came for him to see Horn Boar blood for himself.
* * *
Cedric had been right.
The Horn Boars visible through the brush were boar-men made flesh and bone, as if a walking boar had learned to stand upright.
The tusks jutting from their lower jaws were imposing.
And with piglike snouts twitching constantly, the Horn Boars wore equipment much like an Orc’s.
There were no daggers or swords in sight.
Instead, they carried tools a miner might use—hammers, picks, and the like. Some even had shovels slung across their backs, which made them look even more like miners.
There were five of them.
Distracted by something, they were staring in the opposite direction.
“They’re heavily armed.”
“That’s why there’s so much left over.”
Following Raul’s instructions, the mercenaries moved into position.
It was the perfect moment for an ambush.
Just in case, two mercenaries stayed behind to guard the wagon, while Raul, Ulrich, and Lawrence moved to strike the Horn Boars from behind.
“Support us with that magic that brings up roots.”
“I’m fine. Help our leader—he’s the one who needs the extra hands.”
“No. I’ll back up both of you. If anything unexpected happens, I’ll use an attack spell, so I’ll raise my voice then.”
If Shadow Spear got involved, neither man could be guaranteed safety.
“Understood. But I doubt we’ll need that terrifying spell.”
“Let’s go.”
They made a wide detour through the undergrowth where they could hide themselves.
Lawrence crouched low in the rear, ready to cast Bind at a moment’s notice.
Ulrich was the first to strike.
He brought his great axe down on the Horn Boars.
Kwiek!
The scream was like a pig having its throat cut.
“Tch!”
Not deep enough.
Whether the beast had moved the instant the axe fell or not, blue blood sprayed from the throat of the Horn Boar that had not been cut cleanly.
The cry of its kin triggered the others.
As they charged forward with their tools raised, Raul’s sword flashed behind them.
He was not aiming for the throat or the heart.
The knees. Caught off guard by the ambush, the Horn Boars lost their legs.
Ulrich, who had pinned one by the neck, called out as he finished it off.
“Mage!”
He did not need to say it twice.
“Bind.”
Tree roots burst upward.
This was not barren terrain like the Rival Plains. Stronger than vines, the roots tied the remaining Horn Boars’ feet in place.
Kwiek?
Holding down the legs of three of them at once consumed mana at a frightening rate.
Still, it was enough to leave them stunned for a moment.
While the Horn Boars were distracted by Bind, Ulrich’s great axe swung again.
One stroke, one kill.
He did not touch the equipment they wore.
Only the pig heads above their shoulders went flying into the sky.
By the time Ulrich had swung his axe three times, it was already over.
Raul finished off the Horn Boar that had been crawling about after losing its legs and said, “Looks like I didn’t need to step in at all. As expected of you, Mr. Ulrich.”
“Aiming for the legs is the proper way to deal with Horn Boars. Before I started using this, I used to go for their legs first too—just like you.”
Seeing that the situation had been settled, Lawrence approached the two men.
“Good work.”
“We had it easy thanks to your magic.”
“Not at all. It was your skill that was impressive, Mr. Ulrich. Taking one down with a single blow—that’s something I could never dream of doing.”
He was swinging a weapon that looked burdensome just to carry around.
Just the terrifying whistle of the blade alone seemed enough to kill a Horn Boar.
“Why bother with this at all? You’ve got magic as a weapon, don’t you?”
“You can’t always rely on magic. That’s why I carry a sword and a spear as well.”
“For a man who says that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use them.”
“You don’t always have to use them. It’s enough to show your opponent that you can.”
It was an excuse, if not quite an excuse.
Of course, being able to use them properly was far better.
Ulrich snorted through his nose, as if he knew that as well.
“But what on earth were these things looking at?”
“That, eh? It seems to have been that person.”
Raul pointed downward, as if to say, Come look.
It was the place the Horn Boars had been staring at just moments ago.
When Lawrence went to check, he found something red lying there all by itself.
“A person?”
A red-haired man was lying there, using a greatsword as a pillow.
“Tsk, what rotten luck. He must have been attacked by Horn Boars just because his hair was red.”
“Dead? To me, he looks like he’s taking a nap.”
“How is that even a thing to say? Sleeping alone in a place this dangerous, where Horn Boars roam? You’re telling me Mr. Ulrich is making jokes now?”
Lawrence sharpened his eyes and looked again.
After a moment, he saw the slow rise and fall of the man’s chest.
Ulrich was right.
The red-haired man was not dead.
He was, quite brazenly, enjoying a nap right there on the spot.