Chapter 37 - The Northwestern Forest
Nakanohara Town sits on a plateau at the end of a ridge extending from the northern mountains. To the east and west of the ridge, forests spread out from mountain slopes that include steep cliffs. To the north is the Northern Forest, where a mountain path leads to a lake. The townspeople call the eastern side the Northeastern Forest and the western side the Northwestern Forest.
Yesterday, the four of us went to the Northern Forest and exterminated three foxes. According to Paul-san, there are about two more left, so we should be able to finish them all off next time we go. However, it seems that once a territory is cleared of foxes, either foxes from elsewhere move in or ordinary foxes that didn't become monsters end up turning into them, so it's apparently not that easy to wipe them out completely. Of course, there were various other harvests besides foxes, so after selling the medicinal herbs to the apothecary, we toasted our success at the Forest Bounty Tavern.
And today, we head for the Northwestern Forest. The monsters we are to exterminate are apparently boars.
I'm told they are quite formidable opponents. They grow large tusks, and their massive bodies—three times the size of a normal pig—are said to come charging at you.
Beowulf said that in the case of the Town Guard, they use the shields in their hands as decoys to dodge the charge while thrusting with swords or spears. It seems having a mage makes things considerably easier, so I suppose this is our turn to shine.
Despite such poor conditions and low rewards, their popularity within the Guard isn't as bad as rat extermination. It's said that if you can't dodge a boar's charge, you're useless in a fight against enemy cavalry; they are treated as a sort of touchstone, so to speak. I don't really understand the military mindset.
I was told that if I can't dodge, I might die. Moreover, at this time of year, they apparently travel in herds with their young, so if five or six of them, large and small, all charge at once...
"No matter how you look at it, having the same reward amount as rats is just wrong!"
Beatrix snapped at Hans-san. It's hopelessly dangerous. The boars must be angry too.
"Even if you say that... the subjugation rewards were decided by the high-ranking officials in the Royal Capital, and the amounts are standardized across the entire kingdom."
Seeing Hans-san looking troubled was amusing, so I decided to just watch. I'm sure he himself thinks the reward amount is unreasonable.
"Can't you negotiate with the Royal Capital? Are those 'high-ranking officials' in the Capital just stupid?"
Beatrix's biting remarks were getting more intense.
Paul-san told me later that in any other country, that's the kind of statement that would get you punched immediately.
"Hans, could you tell me the subjugation rewards and some of the monster types for E-rank, one level up?"
Paul-san's question effectively served as a lifeline.
"The reward for E-rank is two silver coins per kill. That's four times F-rank. For magic beast types, it's things like wolves and bears."
Bears?
Beatrix and I reflexively looked at each other.
A bear is, you know, that thing? The kind of creature where even if it's just a normal bear, if you encounter it in the forest, you have to offer up all your food and hope they let you go... and this is a monster version of that?
"A bear, huh. Bears are strong. They could probably beat a boar to death with one arm."
Beat a boar—which can kill a human with a charge—to death? Are we going to have to face something that terrifying in the future?
"Wait a minute. Even if you defeat something that amazing, you only get two silver coins?"
"The equivalent of four rats."
I was stunned by Hans-san's words. The high-ranking officials in the Royal Capital must have decided this by rolling dice.
At this rate, we might be exterminating rats for the rest of our lives. The large roses blooming in the background of the shining map of the future I had envisioned withered in an instant. Only the thorny stems remained...
Besides, I wonder what a bear would think if it knew its own value was only worth four rats. It's pitiful.
"On the bright side, you can sell a bear's meat and pelt. If you take one down, it'll bring in about two gold coins."
"Is that how it works?"
Is he saying the reward is low because the actual profit is large?
"That's part of it."
Hmm. But if you can't defeat it, there's no profit. And no reward either.
By the way, boars' tusks fetch a good price, and combined with the meat and pelt, you can apparently earn ten silver coins per animal.
"It'll be fine. I'm going with you, after all. Well, as long as you aren't unlucky, you won't die."
Paul-san said it as if to comfort us, but...
Does that mean if we are unlucky, we die?
I looked at Beatrix; she had her arms crossed with a grim expression on her face.
"Alright, let's head out."
With Paul-san departing high-spiritedly, we set off for the boar extermination as if being dragged by the scruff of our necks.
The Northwestern Forest spreads out to the northwest of the town, on the north side of the Nakanohara River. We left through the main gate and had a ferry take us to the western edge of the town. We got off at a place Paul-san designated as "here." The western side of the town is a cliff, and looking up, I could see the outer walls. That must be the wall of the observation bath in the public bathhouse.
We followed close behind Paul-san, walking along the banks of the Nakanohara River. On the way, there was a stream flowing from the forest into the river. We followed that flow upstream into the forest. We tied grass to our bodies, donned nets intertwined with vines, and camouflaged ourselves so we could turn into a thicket at any moment. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to dye the hemp sacks with green spots, so our clothes and hoods remained black-purple.
On the way, I found a place where many medicinal herbs were growing and marked it on the map. At first, I didn't have the luxury to do such things, but once I realized it was fine to leave the scouting to Paul-san in the lead and the rear guard to Beowulf at the back, I became able to look around.
I had received a mysterious request from Hans-san to check if there were many spiders, but since this was my first time in this forest, I had no point of comparison. I'm sure Paul-san is keeping an eye out.
Paul-san stopped.Following the direction Paul-san was pointing, I saw an area covered in mud. It's called a wallow. I see, it's all muddy and slushy. Apparently, boars take mud baths.
I asked why they do such a thing, but Paul-san didn't know the reason either.I thought they could just take a water bath since the river is nearby, but I suppose boars have their own reasons. In any case, it's certain that boars are in this vicinity.
For now, I marked the location of the wallow on the map.From there, as usual, Paul-san tracked the boars by following their footprints.
He told us to be careful of our surroundings, so I immediately became tense. After all, despite their massive size, they supposedly charge faster than a human can run. I have absolutely no confidence in my ability to dodge. If I'm targeted, my body will be torn to pieces.
There were many footprints, and it seems they are moving in a herd. Paul-san says there are eight of them, including parents and offspring.
This is really something we have to be careful about, or it'll turn into a disaster.
"If it comes down to it, I'll protect you, so just hide behind a tree and crouch down."
The gallant Beowulf looked out for me.
A river flows at the western edge of the forest, and beyond that is pastureland. It's a river flowing from the waterfall basin where the Waterworks Management Office is located, and it joins the Nakanohara River. The Northwestern Forest is essentially an island, surrounded by three rivers.
Apparently, boars don't usually leave this island forest. However, when their numbers grow too large and they run out of food, they must decide to do something about it. At night, they swim across the river and come to the surrounding fields and pastures. Once they come, they get a taste for it and start coming frequently, and if they get in when the wheat or beans are ripening, they cause great damage. Because of that, boar extermination in this forest has become a regular job for the Town Guard.
Just when I was starting to think we were running out of time, Paul-san crouched and raised his right hand. It's the signal to stop.We also crouched down and became black stones covered in vines. Looking at Paul-san's right hand, four fingers were thrust out twice. Eight of them.
The monster hunt begins.Simultaneously, Beowulf drew her sword, raised her shield, and slowly moved forward. She is our defender. She also bears the role of delivering the finishing blow.
Peeking over Paul-san's shoulder, I saw the boars.
They're huge!
I heard that the two tusks extending long from their mouths could gore a hound in a single thrust. Their length is no different from a large knife. If a human took a direct hit from that, they'd die. Apparently, the thick parts of leather armor can barely stop them from penetrating.
The reality of facing a boar suddenly felt very real, and I became frightened. Maybe it would have been better to borrow some chainmail.
I looked at Paul-san and our eyes met. He nodded slightly and gave me a wink. He's probably trying to keep me calm.
I began the incantation for [Holy] as we had initially discussed. Beatrix is using [Energy Bolt].I was told that with the magic Beatrix and I use, we can't defeat them in one hit. Therefore, the two of us release our magic simultaneously to temporarily stop their movement, even if we can't kill them.
Paul-san also began an incantation. It's high-level magic. He's serious. Cold sweat ran down my back.
While chanting, I looked at the boars; one particularly large boar, like a bull, was staring straight at us. The other boars moved away as if ignoring us. There were several small ones. It seems the largest one is acting as the rearguard to let the others escape.
The opponent is ready for a fight too.
I could feel the sweat gushing out of me. The pressure is different from any opponent we've faced before.
When I went for rat extermination for the first time, the moment our eyes met, my mind went blank and my hands wouldn't stop shaking. But now, I'm strangely calm. Do humans actually become calmer when they're on the brink? Or is this what they call experience?
The three of us finished our incantations.Beatrix and I split to the left and right, and Paul-san, in the center, stood up. Diagonally behind him to the left, Beowulf held her shield and sword in a low stance, ready to spring out at any moment.The other boars disappeared into the depths of the forest.The one remaining boar lowered its head while letting out a growl that sounded like a pig's voice turned into a deep bass, all while staring at us. It intends to charge.
Paul-san, thrusting his right hand forward, moved ahead with a slow pace. We stayed low and gradually spread out to the left and right to put distance between ourselves and Paul-san. This was to narrow the boar's target down to Paul-san alone. Just in case, I moved to hide behind a tree.
The boar let out an especially loud growl and began its charge toward Paul-san.
"[Wind Barrier]!"
Thump! A sound that vibrated in my stomach echoed, and the air shook. For a moment, the surrounding leaves rustled loudly.The boar's charge stopped. It was staggering. It had crashed into a barrier of wind.
"Now!"
Paul-san turned his right hand, which had been thrust forward, upward and moved the wind barrier above the boar. This was likely because if he deactivated it suddenly, the compressed air would be released all at once and become a gust of wind.
At the same time, I chanted [Holy].The white light of [Holy] pierced through the body of the staggering boar.Immediately after, the lightning created by Beatrix flew in a zigzag horizontal direction.It hit the boar, making its fur stand on end.
Even as it collapsed onto its front knees, the boar continued to growl. We hit it with [Holy] and [Energy Bolt] two more times each, and finally, the boar fell over on its side.As if he had timed it perfectly, Beowulf ran up and thrust her sword into the boar's throat, delivering the finishing blow.
"Looks like we got it."
Hearing Paul-san's voice, I slumped down right where I was.
It's over...
I can't believe Beowulf is immediately on alert for the surroundings.
"You two did well."
Paul-san, walking over and patting the shoulders of the slumped-over Beatrix and me while grinning with his teeth showing, looked like an incredibly amazing person.