Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - One Who Understands Three Worlds (2)

Even though she had run quite a distance, Homi's breathing remained steady.

Bow.

She offered a polite, deep bow to Godfrey and Eugene.

"I came here to catch the wild boar threatening the village."

Nod.

She reacted to Godfrey's words as if she already knew.

Living in the cabin at the edge of the forest, she was the first to notice whenever dangerous beasts appeared.

"Could you tell us if there are any clues?"

Homi thumped her chest, gesturing to leave it to her.

She could not speak human language. It wasn't that she was mute; it was an issue stemming from her racial origin.

From the trousers of Homi, who was walking ahead, a thick, long white tail protruded. The way it swayed gently suggested she was in a good mood.

The reason it was exceptionally impressive compared to any other animal's tail was because she was of the Snow Leopard Beastkin tribe. Exactly half-blooded.

Yet, the beast's blood was so thick she couldn't learn human language. No matter how hard she tried, it was not human words that came out of her mouth, but the resonance of a beast.

She could only speak on the few days a year when the wildness in her blood thinned.

"I am curious about the origin of her bloodline. I have seen countless Beastkin, but a case like that child is a first."

When God takes one thing away, He gives another in return.

The dense wild blood robbed Homi of speech, but granted her corresponding physical strength. Though it couldn't compare to Eugene's.

"Even if she is a bold child, wouldn't living alone be lonely?"

"It might be different in another village, but many people feel uncomfortable around her here."

Eugene glanced toward the monastery.

"Indeed."

"Besides, Homi's lifestyle here probably suits her better than a crowded village. She belongs to the type whose feet can't stay still."

Around the time Eugene was adapting to monastery life, a new orphan appeared in the village.

Unable to speak, with an appearance that openly displayed Beastkin characteristics.

It was Eugene who extended a hand to the girl trembling from hunger and cold while sitting slumped in a back alley.

The warm smile and touch of the boy transitioning into a young man. Even now, Homi vividly remembered that first encounter.

The cabin appeared. The place of memories where he spent a happy childhood welcomed its masters with an unchanging appearance.

Step!

Homi bent her waist and extended her arms.

'Welcome! Always welcome!'

Even without conversation, her kindheartedness could be felt.

"Thank you, as always. You've taken great care of it."

Eugene entered after patting Homi's head.

"When you first said you would let Homi live here, I was worried, but this seems far cozier than monastery life."

Godfrey noted with a hint of admiration.

The interior was neatly cleaned, and dried herbs, fruits, and jerky hung everywhere.

It was knowledge that his witch mother taught Eugene, and which Eugene, in turn, passed down to Homi.

On the bed lay a stuffed doll Eugene had made by hand as a gift. He had made it with a teddy bear in mind, but upon completion, it became a bugbear.

Despite frequent washing, it was deeply imbued with Homi's scent because she always hugged it while sleeping.

Perhaps prepared in advance, a teapot was boiling. Homi brewed tea leaves gathered from the wild and served the two guests.

"Thank you."

"I'll enjoy it."

Smile.

"I can never eat this without marveling."

Godfrey popped a dried persimmon Homi offered into his mouth. Though a stern master, he could not resist this deliciously sweet and chewy texture.

"It is a food from my hometown."

"Were you not living a wandering life since you were in your mother's womb?"

"Shall we call it the hometown of my heart? Something like that."

While the two chatted, Homi bustled about preparing for the hunt, acting as the squire's squire.

"No matter how I look at it, it's an ignorant weapon."

At the presence of the massive club placed next to Eugene, Godfrey shook his head side to side.

"That's a weapon fit for a barbarian, untoward for a knight."

"However, all decent weapons are expensive. And they break easily, too."

In this era, proper bladed weapons were costly. Since Godfrey lived a frugal retired life, he only possessed his personal gear.

The monastery an armory, but Eugene couldn't lay a hand on it.

"This one is quite usable too."

An oak club repeatedly coated and dried with a secret witch mixture of sap. The finished ink-black club was incredibly hard.

Once, he even saw a rat break its teeth trying to gnaw on it.

"I feel this all the time, but I doubt whether you are truly human."

A club that suited the description 'hulking' rather than just big. Godfrey was astounded by his disciple's strength as he lifted it lightly with one hand.

After finishing their tea, the party—now grown to three—set off.

The fence surrounding the cabin was smeared with a sap that emitted a distinct odor.

It was highly repulsive to wild beasts and insects, the reason it was safe to live in the mountain despite being at its entrance.

Taking a path they didn't usually follow, a fallen tree blocking the way emerged.

Thump!

Godfrey smiled at Homi's presence as she effortlessly moved it aside.

"Birds of a feather really do flock together."

"Thank you for the compliment."

This was why a girl could live alone in a cabin outside the village without any issues.

Any man who trespassed with ill intentions would have his soul blasted away by a single punch from her. Broken teeth and a fractured nose bone would merely be a bonus.

Homi guided the group to a mountain vegetable patch. It was a place the village herbalist made in secret, apparently planted with expensive commercial crops.

The fence erected to keep wild beasts from eating them was hidden by bushes, but it couldn't fool Homi's nose. Yet, the fence had been smashed to pieces.

"It's the beast's tracks. The old herbalist will wail in grief when he sees this."

Looking at the ruthlessly devoured crops, the face of the old man from the village came to mind.

Suddenly, Godfrey's ears pricked up, and he turned his face toward a rabbit lying slumped among the bushes.

"We came all this way, yet it is calmly sleeping?"

Homi quickly ran over, tied the rabbit's hind legs, and dangling it from her backpack.

"It's a trap mixed with sap that attracts beasts, herbs that dull their wariness, and mushroom powder that induces deep sleep. Rabbits seem to get caught especially well."

That was the reason there was so much jerky in the cabin.

"Hunters would greatly covet that technique."

"It's our family's secret art left by my mother. I absolutely won't teach it to anyone. Right?"

Nod, nod.

Homi enthusiastically agreed.

"Do the hunters not pester you to teach them?"

Nod, nod.

This time, she frowned while agreeing.

Homi possessed the acute sense of smell unique to Half-Beastkin and experience as a mountain keeper acquired from long forest living.

"Homi says she's set traps here and there to lure the wild boar."

She was competent both as a hunter and a scout.

"She's a spitting image of you, even her quick wits. She'll serve you excellently on your future journeys."

Godfrey smiled with satisfaction.

A squire who would loyally assist a knight was like a treasure. Homi was more dedicated and competent than any squire Godfrey had ever seen.

"I have no particular thought of leaving the village. Living off the mountain in the cabin is good too."

"Your talents are too precious to rot in a rural backwater like this."

"Well, I'll think about it slowly."

Walking a good while, checking the bait traps Homi had laid out.

"Got it."

The first to react was Godfrey.

Twitch.

Next was Homi.

Oink!

Eugene only grasped the location after hearing the boar's cry. It was near a cliff-like spot nestled in the mountain.

It resembled the rock where the monkey elder held Simba up and declared, 'The King is born!' in The Lion King.

Below was a dizzying cliff just looking at it, and beyond unfolded a vast forest.

Squeeeaall-!

On a weed-overgrown cliff, a staggering wild boar swayed its massive body.

"Did the drug not work properly because it's so big? It's okay, it's okay. It's not your fault."

Eugene stroked Homi's head as she looked down apologetically.

"It is your turn to step forward."

"Certainly."

Eugene brandished the large club and stepped forward.

Godfrey and Homi waited quietly. They were confident that even a large boar would be no match for Eugene.

Moreover, there was no need to speak of it while it was intoxicated on drugs like now.

Squeeaaaall-!

The wild boar, noticing the presence of the intruder, turned toward Eugene.

It desperately struggled to open its repeatedly drooping eyes and forced its weakening knees to stand up.

"...!"

"What is the matter?"

Godfrey wondered at his disciple's presence freezing in front of the wild boar.

"Something is strange."

Eugene had seen many pigs raised in the village.

As with all livestock, male piglets were castrated when young. If not, the meat would toughen and reek.

The boars kept for breeding boasted magnificent testicles.

Even if not the size of a soccer ball, swaggering around with two pouches about the size of volleyballs was truly an awe-inspiring sight.

Yet the huge wild boar before him had small testicles. Like a piglet that hadn't fully grown.

Besides, there was a chilling sensation creeping up his spine! Eugene trusted his instincts.

"This bastard... it's not an adult!"

"Are you speaking seriously? Where in the world is there a piglet of that siz..."

In that instant, Godfrey stopped speaking and looked back.

Eugene didn't ask an obvious question like 'What's wrong?'. It was certain that his senses had caught something.

Far away, trees shook and mountain birds took off simultaneously.

Like a wave, the shaking of the trees surged toward them. As if some massive entity was charging.

Escaping didn't seem easy. Since this was a long protruding terrain, their only escape route was blocked.

"It's a good place to trap prey, but in reverse, it seems we are the ones trapped."

Godfrey drew his sword. Homi also unslung the large crossbow from her shoulder.

A moment later, an ultra-massive wild boar, about twice the size of a bull, revealed itself.

"My God."

Godfrey groaned.

It was already of a size that would be correct to call it a monster rather than a wild boar. Seeing nothing between its legs, it was a mother.

Godfrey and Homi immediately split to either side, and the monster boar rushed through the middle.

Swish!

Godfrey's sword strike aimed at the ankle, but its hide was so thick it didn't cut deeply.

Godfrey had snapped the limbs of knights swaggering around in full plate armor, and hunted numerous monsters that even experienced mercenary bands struggled with.

However, this prey was too out of proportion. To hunt something like this, one didn't need superior swordsmanship, but siege weaponry.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The ferocious beast's eyes were locked onto Eugene, who threatened its child. It paid no attention to the old knight who scratched its hind leg.

But then, an anomaly occurred.

The intoxicated, staggering piglet lost its balance from the vibrations caused by its mother's charge and tumbled down the cliff.

Rooooooaar-!

Losing its child right before its eyes, the mother roared in fury.

"I didn't kill it! Technically, you killed it!"

"Do you think those words will work? Dodge quickly! No matter how strong you are, this is not an opponent you can handle!"

Godfrey shouted.

Even he had never faced a monster of this level with only three people.

Twang!

Right then, Homi's crossbow fired a bolt.

She aimed for the eye, but it hit nearby by a hair's breadth, causing only a scrape. As expected, it possessed tremendous defense.

The mother boar ignored it as if a buzzing fly had landed on it and charged forward.

Click.

Homi didn't mind and reloaded while running. A large crossbow meant for siege warfare.

It was an ignorant display of strength to do while moving a task that usually required a grown man to step on the bowhead and pull with both arms.

Eugene also moved to the left, setting up an easy firing angle for Homi.

Then, the second shot.

Thwack!

This time, it was a direct hit.

Squeeee-!

The bolt burrowed into the left eye of the mother boar, which had been retaining a linear movement in her maddened rage.

With half its vision gone, an unprecedented agony erased even its maternal love and desire for revenge.

The mother boar turned toward Homi, who was mid-way through her third reload, and glared with its hatred-filled single eye.

"Where are you looking away?"

At that moment, Eugene's voice rang in its ear as he sprinted forward, seemingly flying after stepping on its rump and back.

Squee-.

Smaaash!!!

Before the howl could even finish, the bulky club smashed its crown.

With a thunderous explosion, its head planted into the earth, and the recoil sent its hind legs—each the size of a stout man's torso—soaring upward.

Blood gushed like a waterfall from nostrils big enough to fit a human head.

However, it hadn't stopped breathing yet. Another full swing struck the temple of the beast as it staggered to stand up.

Craaaack!!!

This time, it couldn't even scream.

Its massive body swayed, then tumbled down the cliff, following the path of its child.

Crashing against rocks and bouncing around wildly, it only came to a halt in front of the dark forest.

"Oh, Lord."

In the face of this absurd situation, Godfrey lost his words. He knew of his disciple's divine strength, but he never expected it to be this much.

'The world is vast, and there are no limits to the depths of its hidden mysteries. I too was arrogant.'

Being in a mountain village meant there were no opportunities to meet true formidable foes, so he himself had not accurately recognized his disciple's limits.

Godfrey made the sign of the cross.

"I raised you sharpening your claws, thinking you were a tiger cub, only to find out you were an ogre whelp."

Homi pulled out a towel and ran up to Eugene.

'Did that really work?'

Eugene looked down at the club he was gripping tightly.

He had been so tense in front of a monster he was seeing for the first time in his life that even now, at the moment of victory, his hand wouldn't uncramp.

However, when he met it, for some reason he didn't feel the urge to run away.

'It is prey.'

'Devour it.'

It felt as if he could hear an inner voice from somewhere.

Just in time, Homi's bolt turned it into a one-eyed cyclops and diverted its attention in the opposite direction.

That dispelled the final hesitation lingering within Eugene, allowing him to charge.

With every step forward, he felt a colossal power he had never used before being unleashed.

The true strength lying dormant under the crisis of his life had awakened.

The result was the wild boar carcass planted way down below, kicking up a boisterous cloud of dust.

"I'm alright. Not injured anywhere, didn't even sweat."

Homi, who wiped his forehead with care, offered him a waterskin.

Instead of taking it to drink, Eugene splashed it on his hands.

Pop!

As the cool water seeped in, only then did his tension-stiffened fingers loosen, letting the weapon drop.

He had gripped and swung it so hard that the handle was crumbling, and the body was laced with numerous cracks.

"It can't be used anymore."

Eugene, drinking water with regret, let out a moan. "Ah!"

"What is the matter?"

"If things end up like this, there is no proof I accomplished the mission. How do I prove it to the monastery?"

He had achieved a feat far greater than what he originally aimed for, but the evidence had fallen down the cliff.

Already drawn by the smell of blood, large wolves had appeared and were tearing into the baby boar.

They seemed scared of the massive mother side and hadn't approached it yet.

Tap, tap.

Homi patted Eugene's shoulder.

Thrust.

He didn't know when she had picked it up, but she held one of the mother boar's tusks. It seemed to have come off earlier when he cracked its skull.

"This should be more than enough."

Godfrey, receiving it, nodded.

Even though it was small relative to its weight class because it was female, it was still larger than the tusk of an ordinary male boar.

The resourceful Homi had even wiped away the blood and saliva clinging to the tooth cleanly.

"She truly is a squire you don't deserve. You ignorant club-swinger."

"Forgive me for my insolence, but stabbing that beast with your sword, Master, would only have stoked its anger."

"A mute can't speak."

Godfrey tossed the tusk to Eugene.

"Where on earth did a monster like that suddenly pop out from?"

'I saw it for the first time too.'

Homi said with sign language.

"I do not know either. It's not the sort of creature that should appear in a backwater village like this."

The group looked toward the endless western forest. It wouldn't be strange for anything to emerge from that vast, unknown territory.

"I must warn the villagers climbing the mountain. It would be dangerous even if there were just a few more of its offspring."

"There probably won't be more offspring. Ordinary beasts might give birth to many, but creatures closer to monsters have small litters. One is typical, and two is rare."

Watching the large pack of wolves slowly inching toward the mother, the group turned on their heels.