Chapter 46

Chapter 46 - Monsters and Pirates (3)

The next morning. A guard captain who had scouted the surroundings reported to Eugene, who was in the midst of preparing to depart.

"The main road is fine, but when I went to the fierce battleground with the Gnolls, only bones remained. Even though it's only been one day."

"Village Chief. Tell the residents what was just said. No matter how much we warn them, there will be those who try to enter somehow, so make them change their minds."

"I will crack down so that something like yesterday absolutely does not happen." The Village Chief bowed deeply.

"I also inquired around to the residents who had entered the forest, but there is no one who has seen a medium-sized monster they could point to."

"They wouldn't have. Because if it was to this extent just on the outskirts, they wouldn't have been able to return alive if they had entered the inside."

Although he had ordered the Village Chief to gather information, Eugene also did not have great expectations.

"The pirate fellows will strike again sooner or later. Because they will want to pillage the village as much as possible in the autumn, which is the harvest season."

"On the other hand, the monsters will become hungrier and run more rampant when winter comes. Since we cannot fight in the winter either, the only opportunity is now."

The knights seemed to want to quickly solve the monster problem and then defend against the pirates.

Eugene was of the same thought. If they wandered the forest in the winter, there would be a succession of people cutting off their fingers and toes due to frostbite.

* * *

An expeditionary force including a large number of heavy infantry and a hunter to guide them through the forest departed majestically.

"Even with magic, it will be faster to scatter and search as if spreading a net."

At Valda's request, the troops were divided into three.

Team 1 consisting of Eugene's original party. The two knights of Richwood formed Teams 2 and 3 with the mercenaries supported by the House of Morad.

"Whatever monster you discover, blow the horn immediately. Do not forget that this subjugation is merely a vanguard battle. We must also prepare for the pirates who will come down the river, so we must spare our forces."

"Leave it to us! We shall surely succeed in the subjugation!"

"We will absolutely not disappoint you, Sir!"

At the vigorous replies of the knights, Eugene's insides burned. Because they didn't say anything about blowing the horn and were only saying things like the success of the subjugation or disappointment.

A resolve to absolutely produce results could be glimpsed from their faces blazing with the desire for honor. Since they had lived as knights, this alone was a separate issue from their admiration for Eugene.

"Will it be alright? They might fight reckless battles out of a desire for merit."

Perhaps having seen it numerously already, Valda looked worriedly at the place where the knights had disappeared.

"They will do well on their own. We cannot constrain knights stepping forward honorably to protect their territory any further."

Even though he had received proxy authority over the subjugation, Eugene had not sworn an oath of fealty. Controlling them any more than this is an act that goes against the etiquette between knights.

"What manner of fellow do you expect it to be, Lady Valda?"

"The range is too wide, so it's ambiguous. It could be one powerful monster, or multiple moderate monsters could have formed a pack."

"What do you mean by moderate?"

"Like the wolf pack led by the Warg you experienced."

looking at a single Warg alone, it was not to the extent of threatening the entire forest. However, if a truly strong fellow leads a large wolf pack, it might barely be possible.

"Sometimes, if two or three are born in one litter, siblings may form an alliance and travel together."

"Are you saying Wargs?!"

"I don't even want to imagine it."

The mercenaries shuddered as if they had heard a terrible story.

There are no recorded cases of monsters like Trolls or Ogres being discovered in this forest. What is recorded are monsters between small and medium size, fellows that can be killed if a knight commands a large number of mercenaries.

Eugene's troops chased away a wolf pack they encountered and destroyed a small-scale Orc colony.

"When are we going to search through all of this."

"Still, at least it's not a mountain. Walking in a forest is better than climbing a mountain, right? Because it's autumn, it's neither hot nor cold."

Around that time, Valda's magical skill and luck overlapped appropriately. They had found the tyrant ruining the forest.

Huff-!

Puhuff-!

A medium-sized apricot-colored monster moving while blowing rough snorts was discovered down below.

"A Bugbear..."

Unlike the surprised mercenary captain, Eugene had an interesting face.

"So it was a fellow that looked like that. I had received a letter from a certain noble asking me to catch it, so I was curious."

"If it is you, Sir Knight, it is sufficiently worthy of a request going to you. But did you refuse it?"

"Because a debt-ridden Baron had made the execution request with the thought of bilking me out of the money. I was nearly kicked out after working for free."

"Pfft. Even you, Sir Knight, get taken if you make a wrong move."

Even though it was a situation ahead of a battle, the mercenaries chuckled at the feeling of sharing the same misery.

Huff-!

The Bugbear was two heads taller than an ordinary person in size, and its limbs were thicker than a Wendigo's. However, unlike the Wendigo, which was entirely muscular, it had too much fat and looked sluggish.

"Is it a strong fellow?"

At Eugene's question, Valda shook her head.

"It's a fellow at the bottom rung of medium-sized monsters. Its strength is good but it is sluggish, and because of its fat, swords or arrows do not pierce it well, but it does not have regenerative abilities like a Troll either."

The mercenaries were also tense but showed no signs of being frightened.

"The Magician's words are correct. It is a fellow we can also run away from on our own feet if need be. Still, its strength is good, so there are quite a few cases where knights die while fighting in close combat."

And one more thing. The Bugbear had a characteristic that could not be ignored.

"You must be careful, Sir Knight. Since it possesses a fair amount of intelligence, it has a habit of picking up tree trunks that are usable as shields and holding them."

The Bugbear the party discovered was also holding a shield. The reason knights cannot let their guard down even though its specs are in the lower ranks among medium-sized monsters is because of that shield.

"So it means I just need to control the distance well. I shall process it immediately. I will face it from the front, so all of you step back and only restrict it from a distance."

The back of a knight always taking the lead to reduce the casualties of his subordinates. Even though everyone was older than Eugene, they received a sense of stability from his back as if seeing their fathers in their childhood.

To be precise, the feeling of being protected. Although it was a sensation too heterogeneous for a mercenary.

"Will you be alright?"

The village hunter asked Eugene as he stepped forward alone.

"Bugbears are monsters knights dislike. If you face it alone, all your cherished weapons will become covered in fat."

There is naught to gain from the carcass, and the battle is messy and even dangerous; that is a Bugbear.

"It's fine. Because I intend to beat it to death."

"Pardon?"

The hunter asked back with a face that did not understand. On the contrary, the mercenaries looked at the fellow with pitiful gazes, perhaps predicting the Bugbear's future.

* * *

Poooh!

At the horn echoing from afar, the scattered Richwood knights searching in admiration marveled.

'As expected, she is an amazing magician. To have already found something.'

'The rumor that she sees the vast forest as if looking at her palm wasn't empty talk.'

There were various reasons why nobles sought magicians, but the biggest reason is naturally for war. However, magic of powerful destructive force has a severe reaction and is difficult to control. There are cases where even the army of the relevant lord suffers damage from magic running out of control at the slightest oversight. Thus, the magic of the forest is always highly popular. Because there is no risk of it running out of control, it gives advantages in the operation of an army, and it has many uses even in peacetime.

"Even though we acknowledge Sir Eugene is amazing, we cannot just watch with our hands tied!"

"Everyone, follow me!"

When the two knights arrived from their respective directions, regrettably, the situation was already over.

"A Bugbear!"

"So that fellow was the prime culprit."

The mercenaries shouted at the dead medium-sized monster with its eyes rolled back.

"Sir Eugene has departed in that direction."

The hunter who had tracked the troops' traces pointed to the direction they should follow.

"For a Bugbear, it's the first time I'm seeing one."

"It is the same for me as well."

The two knights were now in their late twenties and had stayed continuously in Richwood, so they lacked experience of the world. Rather, the older mercenaries knew much about monsters.

"Are these fellows' skins originally blue? Rumor had it they were apricot-colored."

A knight asked an old mercenary. The Bugbear before their eyes was bluish all over its body, as if painted with blue paint.

"There are differences depending on the region, but originally, apricot color is correct. In places where the sunlight is strong, their skin burns and becomes brown. This fellow is just..."

The mercenary, who hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth.

"Because it was hit too much... it seems to be bruised all over its body."

"What?"

Both the mercenary who spoke and the knight who heard became dumbfounded.

* * *

The most intense memory for the mercenaries under Eugene was the scene of fighting the Wendigo. Because cutting its thick arm in one strike and turning two robbers into skewers with a javelin would be unforgettable.

However, the more they followed Eugene, the memories given by the sword and spear gradually pushed backward.

"We have found another one. Well done, Homi."

Eugene praised his squire at the sight of the second Bugbear visible across from them. Independent of the magic's guidance, her sense of smell was a great help.

Because Bugbears mark their territory with urine and their body odor is intense. After filtering the area once with magic, Homi's nose activated, and the search scope narrowed in an instant.

If it was up to his heart, he would have liked to stroke the adorable Homi, but she too was now a full-fledged squire. He had to save her face in front of the mercenaries.

Clink.

As Eugene lifted his flail and charged, the mercenaries also followed.

"Only make ranged attacks like before. Those holding close-combat weapons, maintain a wide encirclement and only restrict it. If the fellow charges, you may leave your positions."

"Understood! Sir Knight!"

Despite the sudden ambush, the Bugbear calmly picked up its shield and club. It smiled with the zeal of appetite without any panic.

"Horse meat. Woman meat. Looks delicious..."

Baang!

The clumsy words it spat while swallowing saliva immediately turned into a scream.

Bamm!

Thwack!

The sound of leather bags bursting echoed loudly in the forest.

"Th-th-that!"

Even though it was the second time, the hunter accompanying them, unable to get used to the sight, marveled. A sight of a large apricot-colored monster being dyed blue in real time unfolded.

Guooh-!

In terrible agony, the Bugbear swung its club, but it had no meaning at all. Compared to Eugene's large flail, the difference in range and speed was too great.

Thwip!

Thud!

Guaahk-!

As bolts shot by Homi and the mercenaries stuck in its jiggling chest and belly, yellowish fat flowed.

"Ugh! Disgusting."

"Why isn't blood coming out, and only fat is streaming down."

"Blood is coming out where the Squire shot, though?"

"Compared to her crossbow, ours are toys."

The Bugbear, capable of understanding human language, was enraged. Fellows who originally would have run away crying at its charge were daringly inflicting pain on it while joking around.

However, let alone retaliation, it could not even lower the oak shield from its head.

Whoosh!

Because it knew that if it allowed a vital spot to the weapon swung by the monster-like knight before its eyes, it would die instantly.

From Eugene's perspective, it didn't really matter because it was so fleshy that there were plenty of places to hit anywhere.

Baang!

"Uh-oh! Hurry and lower your arm!"

"Rather than dying while suffering pointlessly, just end it easily in one blow!"

The mercenaries shouted at the Bugbear howling as it turned a deep blue. It was fundamentally a mockery, but a little bit of sympathy was mixed in as well.

Gueegh-!

The Bugbear was about to jump out of its skin, going crazy from the pain in both body and pride.

Boooong!

As the iron club struck its abdomen, its belly fat jiggled in a circle. Like dropping a pebble into a calm lake.

Unable to endure the pain any longer, the moment the shield protecting its head lowered, Eugene immediately reacted.

Craaack!

The flail smashed its forehead and bestowed death upon the Bugbear.

"Perhaps because it has a lot of fat, it withstands shocks better than I thought. The feeling of hitting it is fantastic." Eugene spoke as he spun the iron bar gripped in his hand.

He is not the type to enjoy killing, nor is he interested in hunting. However, beating a Bugbear to death had a strange thrill to it.

"Bugbears are originally classified as dangerous monsters thanks to two things: their shield and their toughness."

At the ignorant yet efficient hunting method, Valda also had an expression of having watched a fascinating spectacle.

"Sir Eugene! We have come to suppor..."

"You are late again."

The knights who ran over upon hearing the horn missed the opportunity to fight this time as well. They only discovered a bluishly discolored Bugbear with a burst head.

"Let alone mercenary corpses, I don't even see any bloodstains."

"Looks like he just unilaterally beat it to death and passed by?"

The mercenaries could not believe the excessively clean battle scene. Even if a Bugbear is easy among medium-sized monsters, it is no different than the Grim Reaper to mercenaries.

If there was only one knight, the mercenaries absolutely had to disrupt it from the sides and rear. In that process, it was impossible for there not to be those killed and injured.

Poooh!

Meanwhile, at the horn sounding for the third time, the knights made determined faces. Saying they would absolutely arrive on time this time!

That wish came true.

"What is th..."

However, even though they joined midway, the knights could not dare to cut in and had to just watch blankly.

Baang!

Thwack!

At the Bugbear whose entire body was being crushed by Eugene's exhilarating whirlwind drumming.

"I am sorry for not being able to share the honor. It's because the fellow rushed at me so aggressively."

"It is fine, Sir."

At Eugene smiling while resting his flail on his shoulder, the knights could not say anything.

"I will leave that to you, Sirs."

"Oh!"

Eugene pointed to the Bugbear's nest.

There was a female Bugbear, whose belly was full, likely pregnant. Skulls of all sorts of beasts and monsters inhabiting the forest were rolling around in the vicinity.

"Looking at the traces, it seems correct that the Bugbears were the ones disturbing the forest. They've hoarded all the skulls of the fellows who had settled and lived in this area." The hunter said with certainty.

For there to be four Bugbears and one of them even pregnant with a child, it was understandable that they would turn the forest completely upside down while foraging for food.

"To command as many as three males. Is the Bugbear society polyandrous?"

"I am not sure of that much. For it is the first time I've also seen such a case. Perhaps that female was that attractive?"

"..."

While Eugene and Valda conversed, the knights charged. Because finishing the subjugation without catching a single fellow was a matter of pride as a knight.

A female with a smaller build. Additionally, because it was an entity at full term, it was attacked from all sides without being able to offer significant resistance and became a lump of meat.

"Nothing is caught in my magic anymore."

At Valda's words, the mercenaries cheered. They had thought it would be a boring and tiring protracted war, but it ended much easier than expected.