Chapter 13 - Fox Hunting
Three days later, the time finally came to head to the water source in the Northern Forest.
Dressed in my Black-Purple gear, I equipped my necklace... rather, my neck guard, and fitted the shield onto my left arm. I felt like I had finally entered a combat-ready state.
Before departing, I went to greet Hans-san with high spirits, and he handed me a hood stuffed with thick cotton, telling me to wear it. Apparently, it was to protect my head if I fell.
"Not bad, is it!"
Beatrix was also in a good mood.
It seemed to be in quite good condition, so I made sure to thank him properly.
I'll dye it Black-Purple and add some embroidery later. It seems he had looked for it as soon as the permission to go to the Northern Forest was granted.
Oh, how kind. I wonder what brought this on?
"It's something I stripped off a corpse in the graveyard."
My mind went blank.
Of all things, he wants me, a priestess, to equip something as blasphemous as gear stripped from a corpse in a graveyard? Y-you apostate!
Beatrix started chanting something, but since he said it was a joke, she seemed to stop herself from releasing it.
I learned later from Beowulf that it's a classic joke told to rookie soldiers. I wonder why the old men in this town are like this.
I was already feeling gloomy, but we set out anyway.
Following the narrow path with the Town Guard training grounds to the east, we reached the north gate where the path hit the city wall. It was locked, but they let through those with business in the Northern Forest.
When we went to the sentry hut standing beside the gate, an elderly guard was there and opened it easily.
"The Class of 175, right? Be careful of the foxes."
He called out to us with a friendly smile, but as soon as we stepped outside the gate, the bolt was slammed shut with a thud.
Inevitably, the tension rose. I lowered my posture and readied my shield. I surveyed the surroundings with a piercing gaze.
"It's fine near the town."
Oh, honestly, Beowulf, it's practice, practice. I was just getting into the mood.
The town's water supply pipes extend to the northern mountains via a brick aqueduct from three tower-like reservoirs located in the west of the town. We moved west along the city wall and reached that aqueduct. From there, we walked along a small cobblestone path under the bridge. The area around the path was wasteland. A forest was visible ahead.
For a while, we walked through an area where only grass and shrubs grew, but it became a gentle climb around the point where the trees increased. The aqueduct was still running above our heads. Apparently, we had to be on guard for foxes from around here.
Just as I thought we had ventured quite deep into the forest, Beowulf pointed ahead while looking at the map.
"It's right there. That rock."
In the direction Beowulf was pointing, there was a large rock. It was the first landmark.
We immediately set about our preparations. Beatrix, who usually talks about one thing or another, had been silent since we entered the forest.
We secured our safety by putting our backs to the rock. Dropping to one knee, Beowulf was in the middle, while Beatrix and I faced opposite directions on either side.
The three of us simply kept watch like that.
Then, while we were waiting, a hemp sack emitting a savory smell approached to within a distance of about ten paces.
"It didn't take the bait."
Beowulf, who had been hauling in the rope tied to the hemp sack, let out a sigh.
From the entrance of the forest, we had been pulling a hemp sack with roasted chicken carcasses tied to the end of a long rope. We used the savory-smelling chicken carcasses as a decoy to avoid being ambushed, but it wasn't that easy.
Suddenly, something dropped from atop the rock. The thing that pounced on the chicken carcasses was... a fox!
It was twice the size of a normal fox.
The fox tried to carry the chicken carcasses away as it bit down on them. Since the chicken carcasses were tied to the hemp sack we used as a sled, they didn't come off easily. A tug-of-war began with Beowulf, who held the rope attached to the end of the hemp sack.
Beatrix and I began chanting magic. The fox biting the chicken carcasses, perhaps unable to give up its prey, pulled while growling. Beowulf gradually let out the rope so the fox wouldn't give up and flee.
"[Hurl Stone]!"
Beatrix's magic was completed. Fist-sized stones struck the fox's head one after another... and finally, the fox collapsed.
"[Holy]!"
The fox, hit by the follow-up attack, stopped moving entirely. Furthermore, Beowulf charged and delivered the finishing blow by piercing its throat with a sword.
We successfully exterminated one!
I high-fived Beatrix and ran toward Beowulf, who was examining the prize.
While Beowulf hung the fox from a tree and skinned it, we poured oil on the firewood we had carried and started a bonfire. This was to avoid being attacked by other foxes and to re-roast the chicken carcasses.
"I never thought it would come from above."
Beatrix reflecting on the battle with excitement was something I hadn't seen since the first time we did rat extermination.
"Maybe it was lying in ambush?"
That's bad. It makes me feel uneasy about the road ahead.
"I got the pelt. It should fetch two silver coins if we sell it."
Beowulf brought the pelt over.
The reason we didn't use [Fire Ball] this time was to obtain the pelt. It was also to prevent forest fires. According to Beowulf, a good quality pelt sells for two silver coins, and apparently, even in the Town Guard, you're allowed to keep the money you earn. No wonder rat extermination, which yields no profit, is unpopular.
We buried the corpse in a hole dug on the slope.
"Off to a good start. I wonder if we can get one more?"
"Let's not stop at one; let's catch many and earn some money!"
Beowulf laughed at the high-spirited words from Beatrix and me.
From there, the gradient gradually became steeper. The water pipes also went underground halfway through. The path was no longer a straight line.
The path was wide enough, but if we had to haul the bait in every time we turned, we would have to stop each time. Out of necessity, we dragged the chicken carcasses rustling right nearby. Naturally, the danger of being suddenly attacked increased, so we proceeded while being more alert to our surroundings than ever before.
Anyway, if we felt a suspicious presence, we lowered our posture. My lower back started to ache from repeatedly crouching whenever a bird chirped or the wind rustled the leaves. My thighs were also throbbing. Beowulf, who was used to it, said we didn't need to be that alert, but it wasn't like that for Beatrix and me.
As the two of us were panting heavily, a clearing opened up before us, and a brick hut came into view.
We finally reached the resting place. Rat extermination is definitely easier. We had few battles, but physically, I can't keep this up.
Inside the hut, there were a table and two benches. There was also a fireplace, but it didn't look like it had been used, perhaps because it was early summer. There was also firewood and a jar filled with water.
"We have to do something about this."
Beatrix said while rubbing her left arm, slumped over the table after sitting on the bench.
That's exactly right.
Looking at the map, we had only come halfway in terms of linear distance. Moreover, about two-thirds of the path we had taken so far was gentle. Apparently, it would get even steeper after this.
Doing this once a week... Honestly, it's impossible.
"You two need to train more."
"Impossible!"
Beatrix, who had been slumped over the table, snapped her head up and replied instantly.
"Don't lump me in with the Town Guard who train their bodies daily. I'm just a lowly magic tool shop clerk!"
"If you say that, you won't be able to earn anything from now on. Do you intend to only do rat extermination?"
"That's not it. You guys in the Town Guard are fine, so you don't need to think of an easy way, right? But for us, it's incredibly tough. So, we just need to come up with a way that even we can do easily!"
I see, that's true. Innovations to make something easy are what people who can't do it easily need.
"There is one way, though."
"[Teleport], right? Rejected because it costs money."
Beatrix flatly refused and slumped over the table again.
The destination, the Water Supply Management Office, and the town are connected by a [Teleportation Circle]. However, there's a fee. Only the staff of the Water Supply Management Office and the Mayor can use it for free.
[Teleport] magic can move you with just magic if it's within a clearly visible range, but for distances that aren't visible, you have to use a magic circle. Since there are very few people who can use [Teleport] magic, the magic circles themselves are expensive. If we used it for fox hunting, we would have to pay one silver coin per person. Even if we only used [Teleport] for the climb, assuming the descent is easy, we would have to defeat at least two foxes without using decoys.
This is bad. We'll end up as rat extermination specialists.
Suddenly looking out the window, something hanging from a tree caught my eye.
"Hey, Beowulf. What's that hanging from the tree over there?"
"It's a fox repellent. It contains wolf urine. This hut is also used by people who come to pick medicinal herbs. It's to prevent the hut from being ransacked by foxes or the people being attacked while they're picking herbs."
"Is the Town Guard doing that?"
"No, it's the people who come to pick medicinal herbs."
Beatrix, who had been slumped over the table, raised her head.
"Does that mean, by any chance, we're actually quite safe?"
People who come to harvest medicinal herbs can easily come this far without Town Guard protection. When Beatrix asked, Beowulf nodded simply.
"Up to around here, I don't think they'll suddenly pounce on you as long as you don't stray from the path. However, it just means don't let your guard down."
In the end, were the two of us just being more tense than necessary? Good grief. I'm suddenly exhausted.