Chapter 42

In the evening after the day I fought goblins in the eastern forest, I went to my grandfather to consult about acquiring skills in stealth and detecting presence, and I began to talk about what I felt after today's battle.

"I felt during the goblin battle that it is very important to detect the enemy's presence early. Moreover, it is also important not to be detected by the enemy..."

My grandfather listened to me in silence, and I proceeded to the main topic.

"... I will continue my sword training, but I also want to acquire skills like detecting presence, which are essential for a scout. I feel that the best way to do this is to go into the forest with a hunter. First, I would like to ask for your permission on this matter."

After a moment, my grandfather replied,

"I have thought the same thing. In my case, I realized this just before I became a knight. If I had been able to detect the enemy's presence then, I could have reduced the damage to my allies. I have thought this many times... Fortunately, I had Hector, but even so, I struggled when we fought a specialized assassination unit... Very well. Do as you wish."

Relieved, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't know who is good at this in the village. I would like to hear your opinion, Grandfather."

"It's Guy. However, Guy has to work for the village. The best way is to go with the hunters, but I am hesitant to be a burden to them..."

"Rob says that it would be helpful if a healer accompanied us, but he might be concerned that something might happen to me..."

I wanted to go with the hunters, but I was afraid that they would refuse to take the lord's son into the forest, fearing that he might get hurt.

"Yes. On that point, I and Matt will talk to them. If Matt, as the lord and your father, says that it doesn't matter if you get hurt or are abandoned, they will be more willing to take you along."

The next day, Rob, Joan, and Ted, the three hunters, were called to the manor, and my grandfather and father requested that they train me as a hunter. Of course, this was on the condition that they would not be held responsible for anything that happened to me.

Rob, who had seen my magical skills, agreed to my joining. However, the younger Joan and Ted seemed to doubt that an eight-year-old like me could be of any use and were initially negative about the idea of the lord's son being a burden. In the end, they reluctantly agreed, saying that if Rob took responsibility, it would be fine.

Rob mentioned that his son, Dave, had also started his training. Dave is the same age as me, eight years old, and has been entering the forest since this spring. Recently, he has been able to catch birds and other small game.

I bowed to the three of them and said, "Please take care of me," and on July 9th, I officially entered the forest. However, due to concerns about my abilities, it was decided that I would go into the western forest with Rob's son Dave and the other two.

Rob, the leader, is a tall man with a large build. He is in his late thirties and has a reputation for being as strong with a bow as Hector. I was surprised to learn where he got his strength.

The youngest, Ted, is a handsome man with short brown hair. However, once he starts talking, he can't stop, and he is often called a "chatterbox" by the others. I later came to think of Ted as a "disappointing pretty boy" as we became closer.

Finally, Rob's son, Dave, is a large boy who is over ten centimeters taller than me. At first glance, he looks like he could be ten years old. He seems to harbor a grudge against me for being the lord's son, thinking that I might be a spoiled brat who causes trouble for his father and the others.

By the way, there are other hunters in the village, but these three are the only ones who live almost exclusively as hunters. There used to be more, but now there are only a few who set traps during their spare time from farming. No one else uses a bow for serious hunting besides these three.

The reason for this is that the village has a thriving livestock industry, providing a lot of meat. Additionally, the agricultural reforms I initiated have increased the income from the fields, making people less willing to enter the dangerous forest. Moreover, the self-defense force is responsible for driving away wolves and other harmful animals, reducing the need for professional hunters.

Still, people sometimes want a different taste or fur, so there is a demand for hunters in this small village, and their jobs are not at risk. Since I recovered my memories from my previous life, our household has been buying a lot of wild birds, which has become a significant source of income for them.

These three, while called hunters, are treated more like subordinates of our retainer, Guy, a former adventurer. Only these three, besides Hector, can follow Guy for tasks like tracking and gathering information on monster sightings.

I followed them without a bow. They carried longbows as tall as themselves, short swords on their hips, and wore leather helmets, jackets, pants, and boots, looking every bit the part of hunters.

Dave was dressed similarly but held a short bow about 120 cm long, as he was not yet able to use a longbow. Dave asked me sarcastically how I planned to hunt without a bow, but I ignored him and said nothing.

As we entered the western forest, their demeanor became sharp. They lowered their stances and chose their paths to make as little noise as possible, advancing through the forest. I tried to mimic them, but I stepped on a branch and made a loud "snap" sound. Focusing too much on my feet, I lost sight of my surroundings.

(This is harder than I thought. There must be some trick to it. Whether it's walking, moving, or looking, I will absorb everything...)

By around noon, after about two hours of walking, I finally started to understand how to look ahead and choose my path, avoiding branches and shrubs.

(Which grass is safe to step on, and which areas under trees are likely to have fallen branches. They seem to be carefully choosing their routes, even if it doesn't look like it...)

I was also intrigued by the hand signals they occasionally used. I could understand the "stop" signal with an open palm, but the finger signals were mostly incomprehensible. I had to move with them, but I was always a step behind.

(I should probably ask about this. I'll ask them when we get back.)

The village clock struck two in the afternoon, and I was quite tired from walking without a break since we had only rested during lunch. I understood why Hector and Guy had given me more breaks.

(Still, Dave is amazing. He can keep up with this pace. I've heard he's been in the forest for about three months, only two months longer than me. I guess I was being taken care of...)

After another hour, my fatigue reached its peak.

(This is tough. But if I show any weakness here, it will affect the days to come. I must acquire the hunters' skills...)

By around four in the afternoon, I was no longer sure where I was. We had stopped a few times to shoot arrows, but we hadn't caught any prey yet.

(It's my fault. The prey is escaping because of the noise I make. It's becoming questionable whether they will take me along tomorrow...)

We eventually emerged from the forest onto a road. It seemed we had been wandering along the path in the western forest. Rob suddenly spoke to me.

"I'm sorry for the test."

He bowed deeply, and I was confused until he explained.

"We tested how far you could walk in the forest, Zacharias. Joan and Ted were worried you might get tired halfway through. I said I was fine, but they didn't believe me..."

"Please stand up. It's natural for Joan and Ted to be concerned. At the very least, I need to be able to keep up with Dave, right?"

Joan and Ted looked embarrassed and bowed to me. I waved them off and spoke to Dave.

"Still, Dave, you're amazing. You can keep up with adult hunters. I need to work harder."

I said this and patted Dave on the shoulder. He was surprised by my action,

"It's not that. I'm also exhausted. You're the one who's amazing. I thought you'd complain for sure..."

Dave was indeed very tired, but he didn't show it out of pride.

(He's quite competitive. That's probably necessary to be a hunter...)

"Call me Zack. 'Zacharias' is hard to say, right?"

With that, their faces lit up. They had been quite tense about dealing with the lord's son, and my casual attitude seemed to put them at ease.

Thanks to this, the return trip was much more relaxed. I asked about the hand signals and the tricks of walking, and we returned to the village in a friendly atmosphere.

The next day, after morning training, I headed to Rob's house. Mel and Dan, as usual, shouted that they wanted to come along, but I couldn't allow it. While I might be a burden, I could compensate with my healing abilities.

Rob's house is near the Black Pool in the southern hills, convenient for hunting migratory birds in winter.

I met up with the four of them at his house. Unlike yesterday, Joan and Ted greeted me with smiles. Dave's expression was still stiff, but I wasn't too concerned, given his age.

"Today we're heading to the southern forest. There are fewer monsters, but bears sometimes appear..."

I told Rob that formal language wasn't necessary, as he seemed uncomfortable using it.

"Thanks. Then, Zack, I'll speak normally. Bears do appear in the southern forest. Mostly gray bears, but they're still dangerous with our bows..."

According to Rob, the southern forest has a lot of boars, deer, and rabbits, but bears sometimes wander in, requiring caution. It's very difficult to take down a bear with just a bow, so they avoid getting too close and only report sightings to the self-defense force.

(Gray bears are tough even with a bow. The bullets for bear hunting are quite heavy, so it's probably impossible without traps.)

My uncle was a hunter who specialized in boars and bears. He kept three aggressive Akita dogs and went into the mountains every day from late autumn. I once saw a bear he had caught, which was relatively small at about one meter, but I remember the rough texture of its fur.

The five of us crossed the Black Pool by boat and entered the southern forest. The vegetation was similar to the eastern and western forests, but the trees seemed a bit smaller, and there were many fallen logs and dense undergrowth.

I later learned that a large forest fire had occurred about a hundred years ago when the village was founded, burning most of the trees. As a result, there are no trees over a hundred years old. Fortunately, the Woodford River, Black Pool, and Black River, along with the northward wind, prevented the fire from reaching the village.

We walked slowly through the dense forest. Occasionally, rabbits and pheasants appeared but quickly escaped.

Unlike yesterday, we took a short break after about two hours. We hadn't caught any prey, but we had gathered quite a bit of wild fruit, such as plums and cherries, which they sold to Scott's distillery.

(The raw materials for fruit wine were collected by Rob and the others. Indeed, with such a rich forest, they wouldn't run out of materials... There are many cherry trees. They could be used for smoking...)

We resumed walking and soon stopped at Rob's signal. His hand sign indicated a pheasant or mountain bird ahead.

We quietly crouched and waited, slowly preparing our bows. I stayed still to avoid interfering with them.

Rob silently entered the grass, barely making a sound. He disappeared quickly, and the forest fell silent. The only sounds were the cicadas and the rustling of the grass in the wind. I couldn't sense the four hunters within ten meters.

The rustling of Rob and the others standing up broke the silence. The sound of an arrow being released and a high-pitched cry echoed through the forest, followed by the flapping of a struggling bird. Rob's sharp voice could be heard.

Rob returned with a beautiful pheasant and showed it to me with a smile.

"Nice catch. It's for the manor."

We caught two rabbits and a dove and took a break. During the break, I asked Rob about how to hide one's presence.

"Move slowly without disturbing the grass. And never take your eyes off the prey..."

I didn't understand his explanation, so I asked,

"Can I try with a small animal? I want to learn from my mistakes."

"Sure. Since we're having a good day, you can try as many times as you want."

After the break, we continued deeper into the forest. About twenty minutes later, we spotted a quail searching for food on the ground, and Rob signaled me to go.

I nodded and approached the quail, about thirty meters away. As I parted the grass, a rustling sound echoed in my ear, startling me and making me stop. The quail hadn't noticed me yet, so I lowered my stance and continued. As I got closer, the quail raised its head and became alert.

(Does it sense the vibrations from the ground? Or is the sound of parting the grass the problem? I'll try to get as close as possible...)

I was prepared for the quail to escape, wanting to see how close I could get without attacking.

I cautiously approached within ten meters over about five minutes. The quail hadn't noticed me but seemed to sense something was wrong, stopping its search and looking around.

(It senses my presence. It might be deciding which direction to flee. It's time...)

I quietly cast the "Swallow's Wing Blade" spell and released it the moment the quail turned its head away. The swallow silently cut through the grass.

The quail finally noticed my attack and tried to fly away, but the magic swallow decapitated it mid-flight.

"Zack, well done," Rob's voice came from behind me. I hadn't noticed his approach, having been too focused on the quail.

I was more shocked by Rob's approach than by the successful catch, but I picked up the quail and handed it to Rob.

"Your movement is still a bit off, but it's not bad. You've done a lot in one day."

Later, despite scaring off a rabbit with sensitive hearing, I successfully caught a dove perched high up. Rob and the others also caught a fox.

We heard the four o'clock bell and crossed the Black Pool, ending the day's hunt. I returned to the manor with the quail and dove I had caught.

(Detecting presence and stealth are skills gained through experience. There might be some theory behind it, but unless you're in an assassin training facility, you won't learn such theories.)

From the next day, in addition to sword training and accompanying forest reconnaissance, hunting with Rob and the others became part of my training. Rob taught me useful skills like setting traps, animal behavior, and proper bloodletting, while also training his son, Dave.

My skills in detecting presence, stealth, and trapping improved rapidly.