Hell Mode: Volume 1, page 25
When you think about it, the feudal lord coming in person to a forest filled with monsters is pretty incredible, isn’t it? That must take a lot of guts. Is the royal decree that huge of a deal? What used to be just “hunt so we can eat” now has so much more hanging on the line.
“What happens now?” Zenof asked. Allen caught on that he was supposed to explain to the knight captain and not the feudal lord directly, who was currently staring into the depths of the forest with his hawk-like eyes.
“First, three people will go and lure a great boar toward this location.”
“Then?”
“Simply put, the rest then surround it— Ah, the three fishers are heading out now.” They watched Pekej and his two companions vanish into the forest.
“And those down there holding large shields will be using them to stop the great boar’s charge?” the knight captain asked, looking impressed at their design.
The hide, bones, tusks, and horns from eight great boars had gone toward making a pair of two-meter-high leather shields, seventeen pieces of leather armor, and three chest protectors. Krena Village did not have an armor craftsman capable of creating everything listed above, so they had called upon one from a neighboring village. All of the leftover materials—and there was quite a bit, considering the size of the great boars—had gone to the craftsman in exchange for him not charging any money.
“Yes, sir. With two of them, we are able to pin a charging boar from both sides.”
“I see.”
The knight captain observed the serfs and commoners in their positions as well as the two impressive shields. He already had a general idea of what was to come.
An hour passed, but Pekej and his men had yet to return. They were the team equipped with the three chest protectors. These were defensive items designed to protect only the vital chest area while still being as lightweight as possible.
Hm? It’s taking kinda long. Are they having trouble finding the right target? Pekej once told me that there’re several hundred great boars in this forest and that they migrate en masse from the foot of the White Dragon Mountains.
“By the way, is Sword Lord Krena doing well?” Zenof asked, as if being considerate by breaking the awkward silence.
“Absolutely, sir.” More like, too well. She’s practically a bottomless fountain of energy.
“I see. We will be sending her a tutor three springs from now. Let her know when you can.”
“Of course, sir.” So, it’d be when she’s eleven, and she’d have one year to study.
“Hm? Will that be sufficient? Can we not send the tutor earlier?” the feudal lord interjected. After all, if Krena failed the entrance exam, he would be made a laughingstock in the capital.
“Then I shall instruct Sebas to send the tutor the year after next instead.”
“Mm, do that. If she fails, that headmaster will reject her, Sword Lord or no.”
Looks like Lord Granvelle is quite the worrywart. All right, so it’ll be a year and a half before Krena starts studying. When I imagine her wearing a headband with the word “Success!” on it—
The thunderous sound approaching the hunting grounds dragged Allen back from his thoughts. “Here it comes, sir.”
“Mm.”
A cry of “GUMOOOOOHHHHHH!!!” shook the very air in the clearing. At the same time, Rodin roared a word of encouragement that all the other men immediately returned in kind. Pekej burst from the treeline, soon followed by the massive body of a great boar. It was hot on his heels, as if it was blind to everything but Pekej. This was thanks to Pekej’s masterful pulling technique. He intentionally kept himself just out of the boar’s reach.
Pekej dashed between the large shields. Standing behind the shields was the four-man team led by Gerda. Instead of holding spears like before, they were doubled up and braced for impact.
Sure enough, the boar charged straight into the large shields. Both groups worked together to stop it in its tracks. The huge tusks on the beast’s snout dented the shields, but they otherwise held fast.
“This is how we stop the monster’s charge. That shield is made with two layers of leather taken from the back of a great boar, the toughest part of its hide. We also have two men handling one shield together.”
“I see.”
“And now, after stopping the beast, we encircle it to stop it from struggling.”
As Allen continued with the detailed commentary, the shield bearers backed off. A group carrying the same two-meter-long spears from the previous hunts took their place to pin the monster down, with special focus on its head. Then, at Gerda’s order, another group wielding four-meter-long spears stepped forward from behind. There were now so many hunters that their attacks rained down on the beast from all directions, not just its front.
“The long spear group is something we added last year. It is perfect for incorporating newcomers lacking experience.”
“You have also distributed the defensive equipment prioritizing the shield bearers and those wielding the short spears.”
“That is correct, sir. The long spear group has trained to avoid accidentally stabbing the front line from the back, but just in case, the front line is wearing armor that protects their backs, necks, and heads.”
The knight captain nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes still fixed on the action. With the monster properly locked down, it was time for Rodin’s team of spearmen to shine. They stabbed with all their weight behind their thrusts, aiming for the beast’s vital areas.
“The hide of a great boar is extremely tough. We aim for its neck after robbing it of its freedom of movement. Ah, someone has punctured its jugular.”
“Well done!” the knight captain exclaimed inadvertently upon seeing the fountain of blood suddenly gush out.
“My lord.”
“Yes, Zenof?”
“These people may not be knights. However, they are warriors. Boar-hunting warriors.”
Just like knights, members of this hunting party each had their own clear-cut role. Knights had spearmen, bowmen, and scouts, and the absence of any one group could greatly affect the performance of the remaining groups. Zenof had seen a similar framework in how this great boar hunt was being carried out. He was impressed with how all members of the hunting party performed their respective duties with full understanding of the role they played. He repeated “Wonderful!” several more times before the great boar finally collapsed onto its side.
“That was indeed a spectacular battle. I am now reassured that this group does indeed have the ability to hunt twenty great boars within the year,” Lord Granvelle declared. He had been nodding multiple times while the hunt was going on.
“That certainly does seem to be the case,” Zenof agreed before jerking with a start. “Hm? The other two scouts appear to have returned. Why are they running at full speed?”
The hunt was supposedly over, and yet the two men burst from the trees just as Pekej had done. Before Allen had time to reply, however, the captain’s answer itself came barreling into view.
“GUMOOHHHHHH!”
Two great boars came charging in, their eyes bloodshot. With their pursuers gaining on them, the two fishers dashed straight toward the rest of the hunting party.
“What?! Leibrand! There are two boars!” Zenof shouted from the top of the viewing stand, ordering the troops below to ready themselves for battle. They had to protect both the feudal lord and the members of the hunting party.
However, just as Leibrand began commanding his men to get into formation, Allen said in a calm voice, “Apologies, Sir Zenof.”
“What is it at this time?!”
“The hunt is still in progress. Please have your men stand down.”
“What?!” exclaimed both Zenof and Lord Granvelle, the latter of whom had also been listening.
Allen continued, “As I mentioned yesterday, we are here today to demonstrate, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that we hunters of Krena Village can definitely meet your quota. The hunt continues.”
Even as Allen was speaking, the two great boars had almost closed in on the hunters. The knights would not make it in time even if they were to charge forward now.
“THERE’RE TWO OF THEM THIS TIME! GET FIRED UP, MEN!!!”
“YESSIR!!!”
The forty-or-so men suddenly psyched themselves up, responding to Rodin’s encouragement with an even louder roar than before. There was no fear or hesitation in their manner as they surged forward and assumed formation in front of the carcass of the great boar they had already killed.
The fishers dashed past the two large shields. Seconds later, the shields slammed against the charging great boars. Unlike before, there were now only two people holding back each beast. The vicious horns on the monsters’ snouts gouged the shields’ surfaces. The shield-bearers retreated one step, then another. Their shields were caved in, but were still holding fast. Before long, they forced the great boars to a halt.
“They’ve stopped! Split up and surround them!”
Following Gerda’s command, both his team and the group wielding long spears divided and swiftly assumed positions, their steps sure and practiced. Half of a party of forty was still more than enough to deal with a single great boar. Without ado, Rodin and his team also broke up into four smaller groups to stab at the beasts from both sides, aiming for their vital areas just as before.
All right, the timing for bringing two great boars right after killing one was perfect! All that practice paid off.
Before, Allen had always wondered why the hunting party only ever killed one great boar per hunt. The idea behind the pulling strategy—at least, in the games that he used to play—was to kill every monster that aggroed. Losing mobs on purpose was an unthinkable waste. When he heard the details, however, he learned that the hunting party was intentionally splitting up great boar groups because, quite simply, they were only capable of handling a single boar.
So then, the question became, “Why is it that they can only hunt one?” After really mulling it over, Allen concluded that the fault in their strategy lay not in the hunters’ levels, weapons, or numbers. No, it was their armor. The serfs were not equipped with proper armor able to withstand attacks from great boars. Hemp provided practically zero protection. Even Rodin, who had been participating in these hunts for over a decade, was left at death’s door after taking a single attack.
However, procuring armor was not easy. The reward for participating in the hunts was meat, which would be used up to sustain each hunter and their family’s livelihood. No one had the financial leeway to buy themselves armor. Compared to the cost of the short sword Allen had inquired about back in the village weapons shop, the price of a large steel shield was astronomical.
The only thing that the villagers could afford to upgrade was their spears. The two-meter-long ones were especially short for weapons classified as polearms. This length was a compromise—if the spear was too long, it would snap when under stress; if it was too short, the wielders were susceptible to attacks from the great boar’s tusks and horns. And this group of hunters had been hunting for ten years using these same fittings.
The way Allen saw it, continuously upgrading one’s equipment was a basic of hunting. By upgrading, one improves their ability to hunt more efficiently and chase bigger prey. True to that theory, Allen acquired shields and armor for the party, and they were now powerful enough to hunt two boars at the same time.
Allen heaved a small sigh of relief seeing the strategy go off without a hitch. The group had only attempted it twice before; today’s hunt was their third time.
If Lord Granvelle had come a bit later, we would have been able to get more practice in, but I suppose this is fine.
Soon enough, blood spurted from the neck of the second great boar thanks to someone piercing its jugular. Then the third monster also succumbed in short order.
“Ohhhh!” Zenof exclaimed. “The killing blow has been dealt!”
“And that is all three great boars. I am glad it went well,” Allen replied.
“A job well done indeed. And since the party killed three today, there are only seventeen left to go.”
“A correction if I may, sir. Including these three from today, we have now killed ten this year.”
Both the feudal lord and knight captain exclaimed, “What?!”
The hunting party had already gone out several times after receiving word of the feudal lord’s visit. More specifically, today marked their fourth hunt of the year.
“As I said, we will be able to meet the quota without issue. With this, we’ve made our case.”
The feudal lord’s sharp and somewhat slanted eyes stared at the hunters happily patting each other’s backs for a hunt well done. There were traces of a warm smile on his face.
“That is a relief. You have convinced me that I can trust this village to bring down twenty great boars this year.” In other words, he was indirectly acknowledging that he would not be deploying his knights nor relocating serfs from other villages.
Allen bowed. “Your words give us reassurance, my lord. However, there are two requests I have that would affect the future of these hunts.”
“What manner of requests?” the knight captain asked, looking mystified. “What is there to improve upon after today’s results?”
“There are members of the hunting party who are still underequipped. And if possible, we would want at least two more large shields.”
“Hm...”
Allen proceeded to elaborate. The armor was self-evident, but if the party had three large shields, they could eventually hunt three great boars at the same time. The fourth one would be a spare. There was no telling how long a shield would last, as they had only been used four times as of today. It would be wise to have an extra on hand.
“I see. So you want to improve the party’s equipment in preparation for next year’s hunts and beyond.”
“Yes, sir. What’s more, there is something else I am worried about. As long as this issue is not addressed, I fear it might become difficult to continue these hunts.”
The matter that concerned Allen was something that would grow larger along with the expanding scale of the hunts. He very much wanted to make the powers that be understand the problem right here and now, especially because it would affect his own family.
The feudal lord nodded. “Speak.”
“Yes, my lord. At this rate, the hunters will eventually lose interest in joining the hunts, and the size of the hunting party will begin to shrink.”
“How do you figure?”
“And my proposed solution for this problem is wine.”
“Wine...?”
Both the feudal lord and knight captain looked baffled. Allen continued, explaining that if nothing was done, the value of boar meat would plummet in Krena Village. Previously, only ten great boars were hunted each year. If this was to suddenly become twenty boars, or even more, the local market would become saturated with meat. With excessive supply, demand—and therefore value—would decrease. Consequently, hunters would need more meat than before to trade for the same amount of firewood, salt, and other necessities.
The knight captain nodded in understanding. “I see. So the wine is to raise morale.”
“Of course, that is one aspect of it. At the same time, the possibility of bartering meat for wine stabilizes its value.”
Wine was a consumable—it would disappear when drunk. Therefore, if it could be obtained with meat, it would functionally help to drain the supply of meat from the market. It would not make sense for the wine merchants to use the meat here in this market overflowing with meat, so they would likely trade it in other places that still had a strong demand for it, such as surrounding villages or the capital of the fiefdom.
“So the system would help stabilize the value of meat and serve as a motivator for the hunters,” the knight captain murmured, looking very impressed.
“Yes, sir. It doesn’t have to be wine, of course. Anything else that is a consumable—fruit being another example—would do.”
Part of what prompted Allen to bring this up was to prevent the value of albaheron meat from plummeting as well, as he planned on continuing to hunt them in large numbers should the feudal lord end up not giving his family commoner status. He was aiming for multiple birds with one stone, to borrow the saying.
“This is a very well-thought-out proposition. I cannot give you a definitive answer right now, but know that I will bring it back for consideration.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
“And this was Rodin’s idea, yes?” Lord Granvelle asked, beating Allen to the line.
The boy nodded. “Yes, my lord. My father Rodin devised the whole thing.”
The feudal lord then closed his eyes as if retreating into his thoughts. Silence fell over the top of the viewing platform.
After a short while, the knight captain asked, “What should we do, my lord? Should we return to the village?”
“We might as well. Allen, you have done a fine job today. Zenof, when we return, tell Deboji to summon both Rodin and Gerda.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Oh? Is he going to reward them? Please give them commoner status!
With that, the great boar hunt under the feudal lord’s observation ended as a resounding success.
Chapter 13: Setting Off
The twenty knights who accompanied the feudal lord helped the hunters carry the three great boars back to the village. The rest of the villagers buzzed in excitement, murmurs of “They killed three again today” spreading like wildfire. Everyone surged out to take part in the butchering. Even though the hunting party returned before 3 p.m., it was still likely to last until after sunset.
In the meantime, Rodin, Gerda, and Allen all found themselves summoned to the village chief’s house.
Rodin and Gerda were feeling greatly relieved from having successfully demonstrated to the feudal lord what their hunting party was capable of. Now there was no need to worry about the current villagers losing portions of their land to newcomers transplanted from other settlements. Rodin was not worried about himself—he had made significant contributions and commanded enough influence that he knew his land would not be repossessed. Instead, he had been worried for the families who could not afford to send any of their members to participate in the hunts.
