Chapter 41

――……And then, in the dead of night.

The grass and trees were asleep, and silence enveloped the surroundings.

The full moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky, illuminating the ground.

In the distance, the capital was still brimming with light and vitality, a scene reminiscent of a modern urban landscape.

Soon, "it" appeared.

On the hill overlooking the pasture, black shadows began to line up, one by one.

At first, they appeared sporadically, like bubbles, but quickly formed a pack of dozens.

They were black-furred wolves.

Drool dripped from their fangs, and their golden eyes gleamed brightly as they gazed down at the pasture below.

A particularly shrill howl echoed.

It was the signal.

The pack of wolves charged down the hill all at once.

Their destination was the pasture.

They would break through the weak fence, race across the empty pasture, and head to the barn where there was plenty of food.

The pack of wolves, rushing forward, resembled a black flood.

If someone were to say to stop them, it would indeed be impossible for a few ordinary adventurers to band together and do so.

Before long, the wolves reached the vicinity of the pasture fence.

In the darkness of night, the fence waiting for them seemed a bit taller than it was a few days ago, but there was no way they would stop at such a minor suspicion.

They charged at the fence, one after another, colliding with it head-on—

—and those that collided were thrown back and hit the ground.

"Yow!"

Like insects flying into an electric bug zapper, the black wolves were thrown to the ground one after another.

They must be thinking, "What the hell—"

They must be wondering, "Why can't we break it—"

"Sorry. The fence tonight is the 'Beast-Repelling Fence' I alchemized."

Watching the wolves milling about on the other side of the fence, I muttered.

At the moment, I was supplying magic power to one of the dozens of fences surrounding the pasture.

The "Beast-Repelling Fences" were all connected by "wire" I had created separately, and my magic power was flowing through all the fences like an electric current.

In other words, my magical device, the "Beast-Repelling Fence," would exert a powerful defensive force when magic power was supplied.

Furthermore—

"Yow!"

Another cry of pain rose from some of the wolves.

They seemed to have stepped on something on the ground and jumped up.

Yes, around the pasture, something I had set up in advance was baring its teeth.

It was a security device made by twisting stainless steel wire and sharpening some parts into spikes.

Those who know it would recognize it from professional wrestling.

It was, in other words, "barbed wire."

"Wow, that's amazing..."

"Totally not a match..."

Watching the wolves being repelled by the fence, Ram and Bagos muttered.

"Amazing! Incredible! Those vicious wolves are being wiped out in one fell swoop!"

The rancher was shouting excitedly.

At that moment, Entia, who had been standing behind me, muttered softly.

"Hmm... something's off about these guys..."

"Off?"

Her comment made me raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they don't feel like ordinary wolves. It's as if—"

At that moment, the rancher shouted loudly.

"Ah, it's him! Mako, it's him!"

He pointed to the hill.

On the hill illuminated by the moonlight, a particularly large shadow could be seen compared to the other wolves.

Its build was about the same as Entia's.

The black fur was sharp at the tips, making it look as if it was carrying a large number of swords.

However, the two golden eyes were clearly directed at us.

"That's the leader!"

At that moment, the large wolf howled to the sky.

The wolves gathered around the pasture began to retreat up the hill one by one.

It was the signal to retreat.

"Entia!"

I jumped onto her back, and Entia leaped over the fence and out of the pasture.

"Ram! Bagos! Uga! There's still a possibility that other wolves will attack, so protect the master and this place!"

"Aye!"

"Leave it to us!"

"Understood!"

The three of them each brandished a farming tool with three claw-like prongs—hooks—and shouted.

"Please, Master Mako!"

The rancher was hiding behind the three.

After confirming the situation with the four of them, I signaled to Entia and started running towards the hill—

—but before that.

I approached a wolf whose legs were tangled in the barbed wire and couldn't escape with its companions, and touched it.

"Damn! You did well, human!"

The skill "Communication" activated, and I could hear the wolf's voice.

"Hey, you. If you stay still, I'll untangle you."

When I spoke to it, the black wolf raised its head in surprise.

"What, who are you? How can you understand me!?"

"Is that large wolf your boss?"

I pointed to the large black figure standing at the center of the gathering wolves on the hill and asked.

The wolf was initially surprised but, upon hearing my question—

"…Heh heh, yes, that's right. If he gets serious, he'll kill you in an instant."

He said it with a haughty tone.

I see, so that's definitely the leader.

"Alright, let's go."

As I said this, touching Entia's body, the wolf's expression turned bewildered again.

For a wolf, you have quite expressive facial features, don't you?

Well, Entia and the boars are the same.

"Huh? Hey, did you hear what I said?"

"Oops, before that—"

I was about to climb onto Entia's back when I remembered and crouched down by the wolf's feet.

"Stay still."

I touched the barbed wire and made it disappear.

The wolf looked stunned.

"If you behave, the 'Beowulfs' inside the pasture will treat your wounds. Got it? Stay still. It's a promise."

"Wh-what—"

Without waiting for his response, we ran up the hill.

The black pack had already disappeared from the top of the hill.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※

"Alright... we caught up!"

The black pack of wolves had veered off the road and was heading towards the rugged mountain range.

Even with Entia's speed, it took quite a while to catch up.

But as the uneven slopes of the mountains came into view, the wolves' movements began to slow down.

Now, we could catch up!

"Entia!"

"Got it!"

Entia skillfully jumped from rock to rock, gradually closing the distance to the leading group.

And then—

"Boss!"

"Yep!"

We approached the leader of the pack—the large black wolf.

"!"

It was about the same size as Entia.

Noticing our approach, the wolf was also surprised.

I instantly reached out and touched its body.

At the same time, the wolf shook its body and charged at us.

"Ugh!"

Losing balance, Entia landed on a relatively flat part of the rocky surface.

At the same time, the boss wolf also leaped forward.

"Who are you?"

The black boss wolf spoke in a low voice.

It was low, but from the tone, it seemed he was deliberately deepening his voice… he might still be a young wolf.

"You're the leader of this pack, right?"

"…Maybe."

He said it with a somewhat nasal tone.

"We are the descendants of the divine wolves. We do not speak casually with humans."

"…Divine wolves?"

"What! Don't joke! We are the descendants of the divine wolves!"

At his statement, Entia shouted in protest—

—but—

"…Hmph, don't call yourselves the descendants of the divine wolves so casually, human lapdogs. I will pass judgment on you all."

…This kid really has a grandiose way of speaking.

However, the next moment, something unexpected happened.

Around the body of the black boss wolf, a faint light began to dance…

The next instant, it turned into blue lines of light, which burst with a high-pitched crackling sound.

"Huh?"

"Boss, this guy—"

At that moment, Entia shouted, sensing something.

I felt the same way.

"This guy can use magic!"

In an instant, a bolt of lightning, filled with tremendous light and heat, was released from his body.

Indeed, the sound was—electricity.

…It was fortunate that I could make that judgment in time.

In a split second, I used "Alchemy" to synthesize "rebar."

Summoned to stand in the ground, it acted as a lightning rod, intercepting the lightning.

"……"

"……What?"

The boss wolf was also perplexed, but I was also surprised.

This kid… might be quite strong.