Episode 31
“A few skilled hunters will suffice. A search party will be supported from Hebron.”
Count Jailson seemed relieved, but at the same time he seemed to have no confidence in Hebron’s military power.
‘This is good, since we needed a training ground anyway. I need to improve my slave soldier’s skills while hunting monsters.’
It was common to pay a fee to enter the hunting grounds of the nobles. Even if a fee was paid, it was customary to hunt within the agreed upon range.
“I should take this opportunity to raise my mercenary rank and collect rewards for subduing monsters. Of course, you will have to pay the cost of sending troops separately.”
Not only did they openly hunt in the hunting grounds, they also claimed ownership of the by-products. On top of that, they even demanded the cost of sending troops, making it seem as if Hebron was sacrificing itself for Zyleson.
It was a negotiation that was advantageous to Hebron in many ways.
Yet, Count Jailson was worried about me.
“Is that okay?”
This was the job of a mercenary. The reason Zylson hesitated when asking me to do it was because it might have been embarrassing for me.
“The costs of researching monster subjugation and branding are separate.”
It meant that he didn’t care about anything like saving face, so he just wanted me to pay properly.
Hebron was a baron. If you held that little power and tried to argue with the nobles, you would most likely starve to death.
Rather, it was more beneficial to pursue practicality.
Even if you roughly calculate it, the profit to be gained from this incident amounts to several thousand gold.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry about it.”
Count Zielson took the ring off his finger and handed it to me. It was a simple design, but the gem set into the ring was important.
‘It’s a magic stone!’
Indeed, the wealthy Viscount Jayleston seemed different.
On the one hand, I understood the position of the author, Jayson.
Zylson was on the verge of a civil war with Srein. If their relationship with Hebron, located in the rear, were to deteriorate, it would not be good for them. If a large number of branded monsters appeared, Zylson would be attacked from the front and rear and would be defeated.
“Let’s get started right away.”
“as soon as?”
“The Hebron troops have already arrived. There is no point in delaying this matter.”
On the way to the Jayson Estates, I contacted Hebron through the upper reaches of the Serpens. I had planned to advance the slave force beyond the cloud bridge to prevent any possible invasion by monsters.
I had to send troops to the search party for defense, but I didn’t bother to tell Zylson about it. In some cases, it would be better to let misunderstandings pile up. If the opponent was a potential ally, I had to raise my value by fabricating rumors.
“you…….”
Zylson’s eyes wavered. He was rather dull, so he had to be prodded on this side to understand what was being said.
“It’s for Jailson and Hebron.”
* * *
Sardia swordsmanship was specialized for the rugged terrain of the former Sardia Duchy. Although training was mainly focused on the lower body, that did not mean that the upper body was not trained.
All I did was train my lower body terribly.
Running fast on rough terrain was a given.
“Gasp! Gasp! Gasp! Gasp!”
One of the slave soldiers fell. The slave soldiers following him lifted him up.
There were no soldiers joking around. They just collapsed after reaching their limit. They will resume training as soon as they come to their senses.
The slave soldiers split into two groups and marched through the Forest of Change. The rough terrain of the forest was perfect for training Sardia’s methods.
I was with them too.
It was a bit dangerous to train to the limit in a hunting ground inhabited by dangerous monsters. So half of the time I was on guard, and the other half I ran and ran until my stamina was depleted.
“I’ve found a bunch of rattles over there, Baron. I’d say there are over twenty of them.”
The hunter introduced by Count Zielson had excellent tracking skills. Through him, I was able to confirm the tracking skills I only knew in theory, and learn practical skills that can only be acquired in the field.
“You’ve worked hard. Leave those guys to us and you can rest here.”
“Yes, Baron.”
“Group B, follow me.”
I led half of the slave soldiers and circled in the direction the hunter had told me. Animals and monsters, including rattles, generally have a keen sense of smell, so I had to run against the wind.
Ratrolls were the most common monsters inhabiting the Forest of Change. They were difficult to hunt and had a high reproductive rate, so it was difficult to hunt them without regular hunting.
Even in the mercenary group, they didn’t give Ratrolls any special requests, and they just exchanged Ratrolls’ ears for cash as soon as they were brought back.
If I had summoned Inferno, I could have easily hunted them, but I instructed my slave soldiers.
“Hunt without missing.”
The slave soldiers scattered in all directions.
They had trained in the Forest of Change for nearly ten days, and were used to hunting rattles.
The group of rattrolls, surprised by the sudden appearance of the crowd, tried to disperse. However, the slave soldiers were one step ahead of them. They quickly struck out using Sardia’s maneuvers, while swinging their swords to block their retreat.
“one!”
Choot! Choot! Choot! Chook!
The slave soldiers tried their best, but they failed to achieve the best results. They failed to cut off Ratroll’s head in one breath.
The slave soldiers also knew their own strengths well. So they hunted the rattrolls in pairs.
“two!”
The slave soldier who had been waiting at the command charged forward. He slit the throat of his comrade, the Veda Man Ratroll.
It was a pretty good move, even though I missed a few.
Whoosh whoosh!
Flames shot out from the heads of those who tried to run away. As the spirit fire burned their eyes, the Ratrolls, who had lost their bearings, ran aimlessly and fell down.
A few slave soldiers chased Ratroll and killed him.
“You worked hard. This isn’t bad.”
It could be said that the level of the Baron’s soldiers was far beyond that of the knights. Although their individual abilities were inferior to those of a knight, if they attacked as a group of five, there was no way they could not win.
‘If we increase the number of slaves to 200, it will be possible to destroy the Knights of the Baron.’
The Knights of Zylson alone consisted of 30 knights. Until recently, there were 34, but the number of knights decreased after being defeated by the Branded Orcs.
This was also why Count Jailson was worried about the battle with Count Slane. Not only was the number of knights reduced, but Jailson’s strength was inferior due to the loss of the knight commander.
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“I’m back.”
I stepped back for a moment and took a break.
While the slave soldiers were replenishing their stamina, I searched the area with the hunter.
Even though I had been wandering through the forest for nine days already, finding specific prey in a situation where all kinds of traces were mixed together was not as easy as I thought.
“Look at this mark here. Judging by the depth and height of the claw marks, I would guess it belongs to a bear about 4 meters tall.”
I furrowed my brows as I listened to the hunter’s cautious guesses.
I looked through the list of plants, animals, and monsters that live in this area, but there was no giant bear among them.
The last recorded hunt was for a family of 3-meter-long brown bears 50 years ago.
“A bear lives in the forest of change?”
“No one has directly witnessed it, but traces have been found for several years.”
The records were not always correct. It was often the workers on the ground who had the most vivid information.
There were five hunters assigned to me by Zyleson. Two of them were sent to Hebron to inspect the hunting grounds, and the other three were sent to search the Forest of Change.
The hunters brought along a hunting dog called Black, who had a good sense of smell and was fearless, so he could track monsters.
Black and the young blood wolf ran ahead and behind, and where they arrived there was something like a trail.
“It looks like it moved over there.”
“I thought so too, but something seems strange.”
The hunter pointed to the claw marks on the birch tree, and I ran my hand over the area. I could feel the unique heat of the birch tree.
“What do you find strange?”
“Here, this trace. Doesn’t it seem like there’s something else besides a bear?”
There was also a dent at the bottom of the opposite birch tree. It was the mark of having been struck by something hard.
“Could it be that the bear is chasing its prey?”
“This tree has been petrified.”
No heat was felt from the fir tree with its base cut off.
“If it’s petrification… … ?”
“It was exposed to mana and hardened like a stone. It’s not a common occurrence, but the bissana tree petrifies relatively easily. Judging from the marks, it seems to have broken after it petrified.”
I tried hitting the birch tree with my fist.
Thud! Thud!
It felt like striking steel. I put an aura on my sword and struck it, and sparks flew out with a “Kaang!” sound.
“So, are you saying that someone broke this by force?”
“Doesn’t that seem like the bear’s doing anything? And a bear would chase after someone who uses this much strength? There’s nothing they wouldn’t do to die.”
The hunter’s tracking was accurate, but the prey and predator had switched places.
It was not a monster that could make even a 4-meter-tall bear run away, so it was not something to be taken lightly.
“I need to reinforce my troops. Go to Zielson and bring as many troops and knights as possible. I will also contact Hebron… … .”
I stopped talking and lowered my posture.
It was because the blood wolf bit and pulled my collar.
Squeak, squeak.
I raised my hand and asked the hunters to be silent.
Hyulrang also understood the meaning of my gesture.
We crouched down and entered the forest. As we went a little further, we heard a dull sound.
Not far away, a fight between beasts was taking place.
‘The tracking was successful.’
I searched the vast forest like a swarm of lice to find the culprit.
I couldn’t relax until I figured out who the bastard was.
I went ahead, and the hunters followed me. At some point, the pursuit became meaningless. A roar erupted that shook the forest.
Kuwaaa!
The bear’s raised forelegs soared five meters into the trees.
‘Mutant bear… …!’
It was a deformed large one. Even if it was not a monster, a mutant that was just as threatening as a monster was often born among animals. They often became the leaders of their kind, and that bear seemed to reign as the master of this forest.
That is, until a new variant appears.
A red light appeared between the bushes. A red glow rose up, leaving an afterimage, like a will-o’-the-wisp.
That alone was not enough to determine the bastard’s identity.
It was a mottled monster, its gray and white fur covered in leaves and dirt that acted like camouflage.
‘That guy is the monster who broke the birch tree.’
It was about a meter tall and about two meters long. It wasn’t that big for a monster.
His movements were faster than those of a goblin assassin, and his strength was stronger than that of a branded orc.
Meeeeeee!
It was a cry that sent goosebumps all over my body.
Gulp.
I swallowed without realizing it.
Since there are mutant bears, there is no reason why mutants wouldn’t appear in other species as well… … .
‘A mutant sheep?’
Wizards believed that when animal fetuses were exposed to mana, mutations would appear. Based on this, there were also attempts to continuously inject mana into human fetuses to create geniuses.
The experiment was banned because all of the children born that way suffered from autism, but the wizards thought it was a meaningful experiment because all of the autistic children were born with an affinity for mana.
However, unlike humans, mutant animals had enhanced physical abilities. However, it was difficult for them to survive.
Because they emit a scent that attracts predators from birth, they are usually eaten before reaching adulthood.
