Chapter 311 - Second Story: Bandit Extermination
After the inspection was over and we exchanged opinions, we went hunting with the aim of establishing a food self-sufficiency system.
Using the traps Bonnie and Beatrix made as models, we had Saxburg make some traps too. The traps themselves are simple. You make a loop with wire and set it in a rabbit's path. A rope smeared with the dung of the target animal is also fine, but it's not very hygienic.
If you don't know the path, you can just set bait to create a path. If a rabbit enters that loop and moves, it'll tighten with a kyu. It won't be able to escape just like that.
Anyone can do it as long as they have wire, so by just changing the size of the loop and the bait, the target can be anything from pigeons and squirrels to foxes.
Everyone knows this much. Except for a sheltered young lady.
The important thing is for Saxburg to get results.
She's already equipped with leather armor and is wearing green marble over it. At her waist, she's carrying a dagger with a large gem embedded in the hilt.
As a practical part, we went into the forest to look for a place where rabbits are. Magdalena-sama, wearing leather armor and with two silver one-handed swords at her waist; Beowulf, fully armed; Bonnie, with silver-tipped arrows; and Matilda, with a silver mace, are together. In the sky, Beatrix, Will, and I were on the hidden bowl operated by Eleanor-sama, prepared for any eventuality. Aira, Lyudmila, Mary, Fiona, and Flora are looking at the medicinal herb garden and vegetable garden with the Bishop.
Bonnie observed various things and set traps in places she thought were good. That said, it's not something that's caught immediately. We decided to pull Saxburg, who was trying to persistently see the moment they were caught, and move to the next trap.
Actually, this is the main event. We advance deep into the forest in a medium bowl and lure a bear with a pot.
The idea of Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama is to have Saxburg actually see what a battle with a monster is like and have her know the fear of it. They are soldiers through and through in this regard. It's good that she's motivated, but if she doesn't know that it's not the kind of opponent an amateur can defeat out of curiosity, she'll eventually get a major injury.
Waiting for half an hour.
The sound of rustling through the underbrush—gasa-gasa—can be heard. As expected of a bear. It knows no fear.
Below, Bonnie readies an arrow with a silver arrowhead, and Magdalena-sama and Matilda, with two swords in hand, stand as the vanguard. Behind them is Beatrix. Beowulf is guarding everyone's rear as the rearguard. The blades they've drawn are silver, glowing with a faint white light.
The others are watching from the sky on the bowl Eleanor-sama is operating.
"Magdalena was someone Henry and I selected for the light cavalry after seeing her talent when we were active. It's been a while since I've seen her combat techniques."
Originally, she apparently hung out with the King and Roberts-sama since they were children. They walked through the downtown area in a group, but apparently, only Roberts-sama could beat her in sword skills and unarmed combat.
The gasa-gasa sound continues.
The pot is set in a hollow, and Magdalena-sama and the others are crouching in a thicket at a slightly higher position. They're aiming from above.
Suddenly, Bonnie raised her right hand holding an arrow and waved it.
It's an emergency!
"Beowulf!"
Magdalena-sama, who looked back, shouted!
Beowulf stood up and readied her shield. A wolf that had been sneaking up from behind pounced there. The one making the noise was a decoy.
Magdalena-sama thrust out her sword from behind Beowulf, who had been pounced on by the wolf. The wolf, stabbed in the neck, is rolling on the ground, twitching.
Beatrix hides in the shadow of a tree and flies stones around with Hurl Stone as a feint. A wolf's hunt isn't just two. There should be more. If they all pounce at once, we won't get away unscathed.
Matilda stands in front of Beatrix.
A wolf pounced from where the gasa-gasa sound was coming.
When Matilda punched it, it gave a single cry, "Gyain!" and jumped back. It's dragging its left front leg. Bonnie released an arrow from point-blank range and finished it off.
By that time, Magdalena-sama had slashed the neck of another wolf that Beowulf had knocked away with her shield with her two swords and finished it off.
"There are probably still more."
Eleanor-sama signaled with her eyes.
"Light!"
I let eight Fireflies drift above my head and release light with all my might. The gasa-gasa sound became distant. It seems the wolves have scattered and fled.
"Are you alright?"
Eleanor-sama calls out to Saxburg. Although it was expected to some extent, they repelled a wolf surprise attack. It's too stimulating for a first-timer.
"E-Everyone, that was splendid. And, I-I'm disappointed. I didn't have a chance to swing the dagger I've polished my skills with as a requirement for a daughter of the Northern Gram Royal Family."
Her attitude is stout, but she's pale. Her voice and the hand holding the hilt of the dagger are trembling. Her teeth are chattering.
Surely if she had been below, her head would have gone blank.
Fortunately, there were no injuries. Beowulf grappled with a wolf, but she seemed to have held out with the Lindwurm shield and prevented being bitten.
While we were drinking wine for a pick-me-up after landing, the work of skinning the wolves began in the group below. Saxburg was gasping and covering her mouth with her hand, but this is something she must see. This is what it means to hunt a living thing, even if it's a monster.
"If we're doing it anyway, I want to do something about the wolves that fled."
"Shall we hang some chicken carcasses on several trees and come back tomorrow?"
Bears and wolves are our specialty. We did it many times in winter. Especially Bonnie, who participates every year.
"That's right. Let's also scout a bit further in. There might be some strong monsters."
If it's stronger than bears or wolves, it would be Orcs in Nakanohara. It's also fine to confirm where the territory of monsters extends to.
The work of skinning the wolves is finished. Beatrix digs a hole and buries the remains. She makes a mark on a nearby tree. Wolf meat cannot be eaten. Eventually, when they become just bones, we can dig them up and use them as materials for something.
When I offer a prayer toward the wolves' grave, Saxburg also chanted with me.
We return once. When we showed the wolf fur, the Bishop was taken aback.
"As expected of the famous Eleanor-sama."
He's timidly stroking the fur.
"There seem to be prey in this area that can be expected to yield some profit. Since an employed hunter will be coming eventually, I think you can expect to secure some ingredients and profit."
When Saxburg said she would donate the fur, the Bishop thanked her with a smile.
On the second day, when we went to see the traps we set, a rabbit was caught. It seems to be a mother, as her belly is swollen. Eleanor-sama put it in a bag after putting it to sleep with Sleep magic.
When we arrived at the villa, Saxburg was stroking the rabbit sleeping in the bag.
"I've wanted to keep a rabbit for a long time, but..."
Saxburg is looking at me with upturned eyes. In fairy tales, there are descriptions of a girl sitting on a tree root with a rabbit and looking at the moon.
If so, I'll heal the rabbit's injury with Heal. Its leg was caught in the wire loop and it couldn't get out, but the bone seems to be okay. It'll be able to give birth to its babies safely.
"Hmm. It might be good. Since rabbits are not that dangerous, even patients will be able to handle them. The fur and meat will be good profit."
On the other hand, the Bishop is shattering the young girl's maidenly dream with a realistic line, but this can't be helped. Since rabbits are basically for food or fur, almost no one keeps them. Saxburg is glaring, but for the Bishop, the management of the facility is definitely important.
"If it's a rabbit that Saxburg raised, the daughters of Northern Gram might want it. I'm sure they'll cherish it."
Eleanor-sama came up with a compromise. In the end, it was decided that those kept at the villa would be for pets, and those kept at the facility would be for fur and meat.
"Rabbits dig holes, after all. If their numbers increase, there will be holes everywhere. Besides, they'll easily escape from a wooden hut."
Eleanor-sama apparently kept rabbits when she was a young girl.
She says a hut with a stone-paved floor and stone walls high enough that rabbits won't jump over is necessary, or a sturdy cage reinforced with mortar. It seems it'll be a big deal, but Matilda is here. She can find the materials, and she'll likely make the cage. We just need to go shopping in a nearby town.
The shopping group, with the villa's servants as guides, became four: Aira, Beatrix, and Mary, who are looking for bargains, and Matilda, who will make the hut. Lyudmila and Flora remained in the medicinal herb garden and vegetable garden, and the others led by Saxburg went on a reconnaissance deep into the forest on the high-speed bowl operated by Eleanor-sama.
The southwest of the forest is a mountain area with basins here and there. According to the priest, those basins are the territory of monsters and also the border with northern Medioland. To the north and south of that mountain area are plains, and there are highways connecting Medioland to the south and former Septanaquila—now Finis—to the north. The facility is located near the northwestern edge of the forest spreading around the mountain area, and it would take two or three days to walk to the mountain area. With this kind of distance, it's unlikely that those coming down from the mountains would attack human settlements. By the way, the place where the Demon Lord appeared seems to be in the southern part of the mountain area, and high mountains can be seen.
We scout while applying Sight to everyone. Since it was morning, we were flying over the trees without much happening, but we found a lake. It's the source of the river that flows through the capital.
We decided to take a break by the lakeside, and as a result of repeated careful scouting, it was found that there was a hut built as if hidden by the trees of the forest on a corner of the shore.
"Is it a hunter?"
"No, this forest is royal property and should be a no-hunting zone. The employed hunters shouldn't have come this far."
"If so, it might be a scout monitoring the movements of monsters."
"That's also wrong. I can't speak in detail, but it's not here."
Saxburg replies to Eleanor-sama's words. As expected of a princess, she properly grasps the placement of the scout units.
"In the event that something happened to my brother Eowyn, I was scheduled to obtain a royal consort and become Queen. I haven't mastered any combat techniques other than dagger arts, but to prevent the royal consort from usurping the country, I always grasp the placement and movements of the standing army."
I was speechless.
During the war, despite being a minor, she apparently received military reports with the King at the royal palace. Even so, do royalty always have to assume the betrayal of the marriage partner with whom they share love?
"That's splendid."
"Truly."
Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama are smiling without surprise.
"But now, thanks to Jeanne, I'm in a relaxed position. I have to say thank you."
If possible, I want her to marry a partner she desires, like the Sertorian royalty.
Which means, the hut might be a base for criminals, including poachers.
It's not Orcs. I've seen their dwellings several times.
"What shall we do? I'll leave it to Saxburg's judgment. We'll cooperate as much as we can."
When Magdalena-sama said that, Saxburg replied, "Please."
We have military strength. As the vanguard, Beowulf and Will; as scouts and archers, Magdalena-sama and Bonnie; as mages, the ultra-high-level Eleanor-sama and the high-level Beatrix. I can use recovery and support magic. The commander is Saxburg. And above all, Fiona is here. During hunting, I have her refrain because we might fire Holy magic indiscriminately, but as a scout, she's the strongest.
We land by the lakeside, hide in the bushes, and disguise ourselves with Camouflage and Mute. We'll establish a base and have Fiona scout.
When we had her infiltrate immediately, she returned after about an hour. As expected, they seem to be mountain bandits.
"There's a highway to the north of here, right? There seems to be a forward base near the highway too, and this seems to be the headquarters. However, there seems to be another contact point in a different place."
They do things quite elaborately.
"There's a possibility that a noble is behind them."
At these words, Saxburg's face color changed.
When Fiona gave a name, it was a noble from former Septanaquila who had sworn submission after the war.
"It's treason against the royal family. We must subjugate them."
She's standing up.
"Wait a moment. We need to gather more evidence."
Eleanor-sama is soothing her.
"What do you think, Magdalena?"
"It's better to limit it to scouting. Whether the noble from former Septanaquila is really involved, maybe they're just using the name. Even if they were involved, what is the reason for supporting mountain bandits? If we don't respond carefully, in the worst case, a civil war will break out."
"I think so too. Also, it's not appropriate for Magdalena and me, who are royalty of other countries, to be involved in this kind of thing."
At the words of Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama, Saxburg hung her head.
"It's exactly as you two say. I was reckless. I'll report to my father as soon as your stay is over."
At these words, Eleanor-sama and Magdalena-sama looked at each other and tilted their heads. Both of them are smirking.
"Is Saxburg fine with that? Don't you think you want to gather the evidence with your own hands?"
Eleanor-sama. That's a complete devil's whisper.
"But, by myself..."
"Saxburg. The only ones for whom involvement is bad are Magdalena and me."
At Eleanor-sama's words, Magdalena-sama nodded, and Saxburg raised her face.
Um, what does that mean?
"If Fiona is here, you'll be able to gather almost all the evidence. Of course, Fiona alone won't do. You'll need various support, including the owner of the stone she possesses."
The owner of the stone Fiona possesses is me, though...
"Jeanne. I ask this of you from the Sertoria Royal Family. Please stay by Saxburg's side for a while. Don't worry about the rat extermination. I'll send a personal letter to the Marcelo Company after getting His Majesty's permission. I'll also tell Harris."
It's Magdalena-sama.
Why does it turn out like that. There's no way a single company would refuse a request from the royal family.
Saxburg looks at me with a flushed face. I wish she wouldn't expect so much.
"Wilhelmina. I grant you a vacation. Stay by Saxburg-sama's side and be her companion."
"I have received your command."
It's as I thought. However, she cannot go against her master's orders. On the contrary, she's full of motivation.
"If possible, it would be helpful if you also talked to those in Regnentes. It's better to have a bowl, right?"
It's Beatrix. She's become motivated.
"I'll tell my father and brother that I want to try it by myself with the support of Jeanne and the others!"
If I give my name, there's no way that Eowyn-sama would say no.
"Please do your best. Your role is to gather evidence. And it would be better to leave the judgment entirely to the King. Including any interruptions midway. It's better to report as frequently as possible."
"Yes! Thank you very much!"
She's become completely motivated by Eleanor-sama's words. There's no stopping her now.
As a result of consulting with the shopping group, it was decided that the four of us—Beatrix, Will, Bonnie, and I—would scout the mountain bandits. On the surface, it's a rest. Beowulf of the Kingdom's army, Matilda of the guard, Lyudmila and Flora who have to go back and take care of the fields, and Mary who is busy with trade will return home. In short, those whose absence won't be a hindrance will remain.
The two newlywed ghosts also became very enthusiastic, and not only did they extend Fiona's vacation, but they decided to cooperate for free if necessary. They're getting excited, saying let's work hard for the improvement of the status of ghosts.
"Priest Jeanne. Scouting using a ghost is a splendid thing. Saxburg is also motivated. Our country will also support what we can. It'll just be scouting, but we ask for your cooperation."
Since there's a possibility that a noble is involved, it cannot be made public. Fiona can gather evidence, and even if it fails, it won't be the royal family's responsibility. Fiona is a ghost, and I am a stray priest.
At first, the King of Northern Gram, who had a frown on his face, was persuaded by Eowyn-sama and became interested.
The reward was decided to be twenty gold coins per person if sufficient evidence was gathered, with a time limit of one month.
"I'll show you the skills of a Sertorian scout!"
Beatrix, hearing the reward, is getting excited.
That's strange. We're supposed to be monster subjugators.