Chapter 44
Allen stayed overnight at the village chief's house.
He started his day with the six o'clock bell. He had no luggage, so he was all set to leave. They planned to set out shortly after eight. As usual, he wore a wooden sword at his waist.
He left the village chief's house with the lord, the commander of the knights, and the deputy commander. The lord's daughter, Cecil, and the butler stayed behind at the village chief's house. The man who looked like a butler really was one. During dinner, they'd called him Butler or Sebastian.
(The village square has become a campsite.)
The knights had pitched tents in the village square. They planned to hunt boars if they judged the villagers' hunt inadequate. Since there was nowhere else for them to stay, about twenty knights were camping there.
The knights were already prepared, too. They seemed to be leaving their horses behind and following the lord's party on foot.
(Oh, there's Dogora.)
Dogora was watching the knights from a short distance away, his eyes sparkling. This time, twice as many knights had come as when they visited Krena. He watched their formation with an admiring gaze.
They reached the village gate. A group of commoners and serfs was waiting there. Forty of them stood by, waiting for the lord. Every commoner and serf who had become eligible to join the hunt last year was participating.
"Oh! They're wearing armor!"
About half of them were wearing armor. Seeing that, the commander of the knights exclaimed.
"Yes, it's leather armor made from boar hide. We couldn't make enough for everyone, but we've given it first to those carrying the heaviest burden."
Allen, acting as their guide, answered. Asked what he meant by "carrying the heaviest burden," he said he'd explain during the boar hunt.
"So that's why the village chief petitioned me."
The lord murmured as if recalling it. Last year, they'd hunted eighteen Great Boars. They'd turned in everything from ten of them. For the other eight, the village chief had petitioned to hand over only the meat. It had been Allen's idea.
They'd said that if the lord wanted the meat, they would hand it over, but asked to use the hides, bones, and tusks from eight boars as an investment for the future. Naturally, Allen had gone through Rodan and Gerda to get the village chief to petition.
Since they'd successfully hunted eighteen, exceeding the target of fifteen, the lord had granted the petition. The understanding was that it would be fine as long as they could kill twenty this year.
"Yes. We used them to prepare so we could be sure to reach twenty this year."
"I see."
"M-My father, Rodan, told me that."
He added that it had been Rodan's idea.
Allen's goal this time was to make Rodan's achievements look as impressive as possible and get his family promoted to commoner status. Naturally, anything Allen had thought of would be attributed to Rodan. Besides, saying Rodan had come up with it would be more believable than saying Allen had.
Since everyone was there, Rodan told the commander of the knights they would head straight to the boar hunting grounds.
The serfs and commoners started forward, and the knights followed behind them on foot.
At the commander's instruction, Allen rode a horse with him. The lord had come to the village by carriage, but today he would ride to the hunting grounds.
Around noon, after walking for about three hours, they arrived at the hunting grounds. It was the usual spot.
There was an unfamiliar wooden platform built from timber. It stood about two meters tall and was large enough for ten people.
"Hm? What's this?"
"We built this so Your Lordship can see more easily. Please observe the boar hunt from up there."
Everything was ready for the viewing. The lord nodded and climbed the stairs at the rear. They'd placed a chair on top, and the lord sat in it. Allen, as the guide, and the commander of the knights climbed up as well. The deputy commander began positioning knights around the platform to protect the lord.
The lord gazed into the forest beyond the clearing, where only trees were visible. His eyes were as keen as a hawk's.
(Thinking about it, the lord came all this way into a forest full of magical beasts. That's some resolve. Is the royal command really that important?)
Allen thought the boar hunt had become quite a big deal.
"What do we do now?"
The commander of the knights asked him. It was probably better to explain things to the commander rather than the lord directly.
"First, the three of them will lure one Great Boar into this clearing."
"I see."
"Then we'll surround it and take it down. It looks like those three are heading out."
Pekeji led the other two into the forest.
"Are they going to stop the boar's charge with those large shields?"
"Yes."
They'd made the following from the hides, bones, and tusks of eight Great Boars:
・Two large leather shields, two meters tall
・Seventeen sets of leather armor
・Three leather breastplates
Great Boars were as large as hippos. Given the amount of materials, they could have made a few more pieces of equipment, but the rest had gone toward covering the cost of making them.
There were no armorers in the village capable of making this much equipment, so they'd brought one in from a neighboring village. They'd had him make it for free in exchange for the leftover hides and bones, so it hadn't cost them any money.
The commander's eyes were drawn to the two-meter-tall leather shields.
"Yes. They'll stop the boar's charge by trapping it between those two shields."
"I see."
The commander of the knights studied the hunters and the large shields. He seemed to have a general idea of how it worked.
About thirty minutes passed after Pekeji disappeared into the forest. The three members of the bait team, including Pekeji, were wearing leather breastplates. They were lightweight, covering only the chest to protect their vital areas.
About an hour passed. They still hadn't returned.
(Hmm, it's taking longer this time. Is there no boar where they're looking?)
Pekeji had told him there were hundreds of boars in the forest. Apparently, they came in droves from the foot of the White Dragon Mountains.
"By the way, is Sword Saint Krena doing well?"
Since the silence was dragging on, the commander of the knights made conversation.
"Yes, she's doing very well."
(She's a bundle of energy. Pure energy.)
"I see. I'll send an instructor in early spring, three years from now. Let her know."
Allen said he would pass it along.
(So that'd be the year after she turns eleven? The academy entrance exam is the following year, so she'd have a year to study.)
"Hm? Will that be enough? Can't you send someone sooner?"
The lord had been listening and interjected. He said that if she failed the exam, they would be laughed at in the royal capital.
"Then I'll tell the butler to send someone in early spring two years from now."
"Please do. That headmaster might fail even a Sword Saint on the entrance exam."
Apparently, the lord was quite the worrier. Krena's study period had been extended to two years. She would start studying for the exam in a year and a half. As Allen imagined Krena wearing a headband, he heard a noise from deep in the forest.
"It looks like they're coming."
"Indeed."
A rumbling like an earthquake came from beyond the clearing.
'GROOOAR!!!'
As soon as the boar emerged, Rodan shouted encouragement. Everyone answered his call.
Pekeji emerged from the forest. Soon after, a Great Boar burst out of the woods and charged after him. It seemed to have eyes only for Pekeji, following right on his heels. That was Pekeji's skill at baiting it. He kept just barely out of its reach.
Pekeji sprinted between the two large shields.
The four people, including Gerda, weren't carrying spears. They split into two groups and took their positions behind the two leather shields. They braced themselves so they wouldn't be knocked over.
The boar slammed into the shields. Its charge was stopped as it was trapped between them. The tusks on either side of its mouth dented the shields. The hide stretched considerably under the tusks, but didn't tear.
"This is how we stop its charge. Those shields are made by doubling the hide from the Great Boar's back, the toughest part of its hide. Two people hold each shield in place."
"I see."
"Now that we've stopped its charge, we'll surround it further so it can't thrash around."
Allen continued his detailed explanation. They had to remove the shields to target the boar's vital points. As before, they would use two-meter spears to do that.
The men in the encirclement team beside the shields held the boar back with spears, aiming mainly at its face.
At Gerda's shout, the participants waiting behind them advanced with four-meter-long spears. There were more participants this year, so they began attacking not only the boar's face but its back as well with their long spears.
"The long-spear team consists of people who joined last year. We assign it to those with less experience."
"I see. You give the armor first to those carrying the heaviest burden—the ones holding shields or short spears."
The commander of the knights seemed to understand.
"That's right. We've told the long-spear team to be careful not to hit the people in front of them, but just in case, the leather armor also covers the back, neck, and back of the head, all vital areas."
"I see." The commander of the knights continued watching the boar hunt.
The encirclement was complete, so Rodan and the others in the finishing team thrust their spears at the boar's neck with all their strength, aiming for its vital point.
"A Great Boar's hide is extremely tough. Once it's immobilized like that, we aim for its neck. It looks like they've reached a vital point."
"Ohhh!"
Fresh blood poured from the boar's neck. The commander of the knights exclaimed in admiration at the sight.
"My lord."
"What is it, Xenof?"
"They aren't knights. But they are warriors. Warriors who hunt boars."
Knights, too, each fulfill their own roles. Spearmen, archers, scouts—if even one unit were missing, the whole force would be weaker.
He seemed to see a connection between this and the boar hunt. He was moved by how each person understood their role and acted accordingly. He repeatedly murmured that it was magnificent.
The boar, blood gushing from it, slowly toppled over.
"That was certainly a splendid battle. At this rate, there should be no problem reaching twenty kills."
The lord watched to make sure the boar had fallen.
It seemed he was convinced the villagers could complete the boar hunt on their own. The lord nodded repeatedly as he watched.
"Yes, my lord, just as you say. Hm? The two who went into the forest are coming back. Why are they running at full speed like that?"
Only Pekeji had returned of the three, but the other two now burst out of the forest.
The hunt should have been over, but like Pekeji, they came sprinting out of the forest at full speed.
And the answer to the commander's question emerged from the forest, too.
'GROOOAR!!!'
'GROOOAR!!!'
Two Great Boars appeared.
They were hot on the heels of the two bait team members, their eyes bloodshot.