Chapter 806 - Chapter 4: Countermeasures in the North (3)
The next day, we departed for the boars' sanctuary. The Henry Party with Gwyn-sama added to the formation, and myself. Of course, Poppy is with us. And Poppy's guardian, the old lady, also participated.
We flew at ultra-high speed, and when we confirmed one of the feeding grounds, a large number of boars were gathered. It's the place where we made the first contact with the Behemoth.
The time to jump the leftovers is apparently always fixed, and the normal investigation is also apparently timed to that. Shortly after arrival, just as I thought the boars had started squealing, leftovers fell in pieces from the magic circle carved into the cliff. Even if I say leftovers, in short, it's food left over from dining halls and taverns, mixed with a large amount of barley dregs produced when making Finis's specialty strong alcohol, so it's not like something where garbage has rotted. It doesn't have a bad smell either. I'm sure they also mix in old beans, grains, and hay where insects have sprouted. I don't know how nutritious it is, but the boars seem to be eating it happily. As proof of that, they swarmed the falling leftovers all at once while squealing "Buhi-buhi" and started eating.
"It's about the same as usual. The current pace will be fine until the snow melts."
Gwyn-sama said with satisfaction. If it's as usual, the hunting after summer will be substantial. Even so, the sight of boars, easily exceeding three digits, gathered under the cliff where leftovers are falling while squealing "Buhi-buhi" is a sight to behold. As expected, Finis is large-scale. I'm sure there were six feeding grounds. In total, there must be over a thousand. It's truly a sanctuary.
"How is it? Poppy, is he there?"
The humans are all looking with [Sight] applied, but we can't tell. The boars are all eating the leftovers that fell on the ground. Naturally, their faces are facing down, so we can't see the characteristic Mukou-kizu.
We're relying on Poppy this time too, as Germana is not here because it's troublesome to introduce her to other countries.
"It's too far. Isn't it okay to get a little closer?"
Even with a demon's eyes, it's impossible. Wilson-san slowly lowers the bowl. Since Poppy is on board, we haven't hidden our forms. If we're found, they might make a fuss.
"It's better if I'm found. So, get closer."
I see. That's true too.
At Poppy's words, a hole opened in the bottom of the bowl.
"Thank you. I'll look down from here and find him."
Poppy, on all fours, peered at the ground. I peered with her.
We descended slowly, and it was around the time I thought it would be okay to deactivate [Sight].
"That's him. No mistake!"
Poppy pointed to one boar.
Which one, which one, I looked, and among the boars eating food with all their might, there was only one looking up at us.
It's Mukou-kizu!
"He's there!"
I pointed with her.
No, it's rude to point at someone.
I gave a thumbs up as a greeting, just like before.
"That scar, I certainly remember it. It's that fellow from back then."
Gwyn-sama came next to me and started waving his hand.
While the three of us were waving our hands together, the boar thought to be Mukou-kizu stood up on his hind legs and neighed like a horse, "Buhihin."
"Gwyn-sama!"
"Yeah, no mistake. It's him. He remembered us."
"It's him. There's no boar like that. He's definitely possessed by a demon."
It's just as Poppy says. I was surprised when I first saw him, but looking at him again, it's funny. It's not normal.
"Let's call him out. Let's go toward that forest."
When the bowl moved in the direction she pointed, Mukou-kizu followed.
"He's coming, he's coming. He's definitely a demon. No mistake."
The other boars are eating food with all their might. He follows while weaving between them.
We went over the forest as we were, and after confirming nothing was there with [Sense Living], we landed.
"Yo! Comrade-in-arms! It's been a while. It's good to see you're doing well."
When Gwyn-sama spoke, Mukou-kizu came over with a "Buhi-buhi." He's stroking the snout that's being thrust out.
"Gwyn-sama, you're really close, aren't you?"
"That's right. I fought the Behemoth with this fellow. Thanks to him being there, we were able to find the place where the Behemoth was born."
Gwyn-sama took out a light brown lump from a leather pouch attached to his waist. When he thrust it out to Mukou-kizu's snout, he started eating it with a crunch.
"Gwyn-sama, what is that?"
"It's the barley dregs produced when making wine, solidified and dried. Boars apparently like this, and I mix a lot of it into the food just now."
"Heh. Can I eat it too?"
"You'd better not right now. When you possess a field mouse or a field rabbit, you eat grass and such, don't you? Do it then."
"It's that kind of thing."
"That's right. We give it to goats and sheep in winter too. It's that kind of thing."
There's that kind of thing. I didn't know because I've never made anything like Finis's wine.
"Can I do it too?"
If he says he'll eat it, I definitely want to try.
"I don't mind," Gwyn-sama gave me a piece, so I crouched down and offered it to Mukou-kizu's mouth.
He ate it!
"Jeanne, I'm next."
It's Eleanor-sama. Not just Eleanor-sama. Before I knew it, there was a line of the Henry Party.
"How should I put it? It was the same with me, but you guys are really amazing."
"That's right. Everything is about coexistence and co-prosperity. If you think that way, it'll somehow get through."
"Truly."
Gwyn-sama raised his voice and laughed pleasantly.
Just as Poppy predicted, Mukou-kizu was a demon.
Poppy asked him to become humanoid. The women moved... and I pulled Poppy's hand, as she was trying to peek, and hid behind a tree.
"It's okay now."
At Gwyn-sama's words, Poppy ran out. Could it be she's already entered the mating season?
"Oh, isn't he a good man?"
It's definitely the mating season. She's already acting coquettish.
Looking at him, he really does have a cool vibe. In terms of apparent age, he's in his late thirties. He's wearing the green marble we use in Roland because it's winter, but he looks like a warrior, tanned and lean, with his hair cut short and a mustache. He also has a scar. The boar he was presumably possessing is lying on its side snoring, but it doesn't have a scar. In other words, if he possesses it, the boar also gets a scar.
"I was indebted to you back then. No, I am indebted to you even now. Thanks to you, I am not having trouble with food."
He gave only a glance to Poppy, who was doing her best, and thanked Gwyn-sama.
Poppy looked miffed for a moment, but perhaps she regained her composure, as she made a smile.
"Don't worry about it. Aren't we comrades-in-arms who fought the Behemoth together?"
"Heh heh heh, you call me a comrade-in-arms? I am a demon."
"I am a human. So what? We fought that monster together and defeated it. That's enough, isn't it?"
He's slapping him on the shoulder.
This area would be the reason he's a man of Finis. The philosophy of the former lords is being properly passed down to the current Crown Prince.
"I didn't think you'd bring a demon."
"I have a bit of a talk. She was necessary to find you from up there."
Gwyn-sama jerked his chin toward the herd of boars eating leftovers.
"A talk? Did something appear again?"
"Well, sit down. I brought wine. Let's talk slowly while we're at it."
Saying that, Will lowered the wine barrel he was carrying on his back to the ground, Bonnie took out a bowl from her bag, and the Priestess took out dried trout. The trout was what was stored in the Water Dragon's shrine, and the Priestess brought it specially because she couldn't feed boar to a boar.
Poppy, who received the bowl from Bonnie... Bonnie, nice!... poured the wine and sat next to Mukou-kizu and handed it to him.
"Thanks."
"It's fine. It's wine the humans brought. Say thanks to the humans."
After sniffing it, he took a sip.
"Delicious. It's been a long time since I've had wine."
The one he drank before was surely stolen, but I shouldn't ask.
We introduce ourselves. On this side, except for the old lady and Poppy, everyone participated in the Behemoth battle. Mukou-kizu seems to have a good memory; names aside, he remembered everyone's faces.
"It's you. The one who used light magic."
"Yes. Please call me Jeanne. I mean, you knew about light magic."
"Yeah. I met a user of light magic in this mountain before."
Meeting in the mountain...
"Could it be a story from about four hundred years ago?"
"That's right. You know well."
It must be the person who was made into a Revenant on the mountain. I heard he was climbing a high mountain. Since he's from Finis, he must have climbed this mountain too.
"Yes, a little. Right? Gwyn-sama."
"Eh? Ah, come to think of it, I've heard of that."
I fought a funeral battle with Gwyn-sama.
"Are you acquaintances?"
"Not so much acquaintances as we met by chance on the mountain. I was still a youngster. It was back when I could only possess pigs that weren't monsters."
He was apparently surrounded and attacked by wolves, and the user who was in a tree drove them away with [Light].
"They bit both my legs. I couldn't run even if I wanted to. The opponents were three wolves. I'm sure they attacked knowing I was possessing it. I thought I was going to be killed."
The man in the tree apparently joined the pig's side for some reason. He jumped down from a tree branch while illuminating with a full-power [Light]. The wolves, caught off guard and blinded, apparently fled.
"I don't know why he helped me. But he helped me and treated my wounds."
Since he was possessing a pig, it was fine even if he used [Heal]. Since he should have been able to use [Purification], he must have been a recovery type.
"Monsters are the enemies of the Church. We are educated that way. That man must have been in a holy office."
So he helped a pig being attacked by monsters. He says that's natural for a man of Finis.
At Gwyn-sama's words, Mukou-kizu made a puzzled face.
"Why are you drinking wine with that enemy? And this woman too. She's a demon, isn't she?"
"That's right. However, we do not fight monsters with whom coexistence and co-prosperity are possible. Because there is no need to."
The fact that this is thorough is the difference from other countries. In other countries, with a few exceptions, monsters are all enemies. Demons are naturally the same. But actually, coexistence and co-prosperity take priority. That's why we were able to have a banquet with Violet during the Demon Lord subjugation battle.
In any case, the light magic user from four hundred years ago drove away the wolves. So, he apparently thought that if it was a light magic user like me, I might be able to do something about the cave that creates Behemoths. And he talked with Difodor. At that time, he apparently told Difodor to keep it a secret that a demon was possessing it. If Mukou-kizu had known the way of thinking Gwyn-sama just said...
"It's good I didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone to ask you... Jeanne-san."
That would be true. It was a wild boar, not a pig.