Chapter 13 of 100

Chapter 13

8 min read1,956 words

The slaying of Despair earns a reward from the lord.

Rather, no one would even think of slaying Despair unless a reward was offered.

Despair’s fur doesn’t sell for a high price like that of a Beast King, nor does it yield any special materials like a Snatch.

In other words, despite being the strongest monster on the plains, it’s simply not worth it.

One could say that there’s no profit to be had for the danger involved.

A monster like that, risking one’s life to slay it would be the act of a whimsical person or just plain foolish.

A regular mercenary would be better off avoiding Despair and hunting other prey, and a novice mercenary would likely be hunted and killed by Despair upon encountering it.

That’s why the lord of the land offers a reward for the slaying of Despair. Otherwise, the number of victims would only increase.

Proof of slaying Despair is its head. If you bring the head to the guard post, you can exchange it for the reward on the spot.

However, even the head alone is undoubtedly quite heavy and large.

Indeed, the four Despairs lying dead before them are quite large.

Of course, for Aldis, such a load is no trouble, but he said he intended to bring the items back to town in several trips because there were other things to carry as well.

That’s where Grishe and the others come in.

Aldis’s proposal, in a nutshell, was to ‘help out.’

While he has the strength to slay multiple Despairs alone, the amount of cargo one person can carry is limited.

He suggested that since they were returning to town anyway, they could carry the cargo and skin the prey for a little extra money.

Grishe and the others didn’t want to fight anymore today, but the offer to earn some extra money on the way back was welcome.

The reward Aldis offered was better than the market rate, and with him accompanying them, their return journey would be safer.

“Alright, then it’s a deal.”

Once they agreed on the reward amount, Aldis began giving instructions.

“First, Grishe and the others, cut off the heads and burn the cut ends. I’ll go get the other two.”

He pointed to the Despair that had been skewered by magic, and then walked toward the remains of the Despairs at a distance.

“Um… Are they really dead?”

Konia approached the Despair’s corpse hesitantly.

“Should we make sure to finish them off?”

Ralph suggested, but Grishe, who wasn’t concerned, approached, saying, “They haven’t moved since then, so they should be fine.”

“First of all, where would you even finish off a creature that’s been skewered all over?”

“Good point,” Ralph agreed with Grishe’s point.

“You can’t be sure until you cut off the head,” Geo said, concerned about the resilience of monsters, but Grishe’s response left no room for argument: “We’re approaching to cut off the head, aren’t we?”

Grishe and the others approached the Despair’s remains cautiously, confirmed their deaths, and began cutting off the heads.

“Can’t these horns be used for something?”

Konia, who had no part in the heavy lifting, mused as she looked at the long horns.

“Used for something, like what?”

“Um, weapons?”

Geo interjected in the conversation between Konia and Grishe.

“If there was a use for them, blacksmiths or weapon makers would have bought them long ago. Either they’re not useful, or the cost-performance ratio is poor.”

“Ah, I see.”

By the time the men had finished cutting off the heads and cauterizing the cuts, Aldis had returned with two more Despair heads.

Including the one that had attacked Grishe and the others initially, there were a total of four Despair heads. They divided the heads among them and, led by Aldis, began their return to town.

“What did you mean by other prey?”

Geo asked Aldis, who was walking in front.

“I was hunting Beast Kings. It’s too much trouble to skin them one by one, so I piled them up in one place.”

At Aldis’s matter-of-fact answer, Konia tilted her head. “Is there even a place to hide them on the plains?”

“Huh? Wouldn’t other mercenaries or monsters raid them?”

“They won’t because they’re hidden.”

After walking for about thirty minutes, Aldis stopped.

“Here.”

“Here, you say… But there’s nothing here, Aldis. Are you sure this is the right place?”

As Grishe said, the place where Aldis stopped was just an ordinary stretch of grassland. There was no sign of any prey.

“I said they’re hidden.”

As Aldis spoke, the bodies of the prey began to rise from the ground, as if groundwater was seeping up from the earth. It was a clearly abnormal scene, given that the objects were not water.

“Eh!?”

Grishe and the others were completely at a loss.

What appeared before them, unexpectedly, were the lifeless bodies of the apex predators, the Beast Kings—more than just one or two.

At a rough count, there were over ten. The sight of numerous Beast Kings lying on the ground stunned Grishe and the others.

The Beast King, as its name suggests, is the king of beasts.

In this world, creatures that oppose humans can be broadly divided into two categories: monsters and beasts.

What distinguishes the two is not entirely clear.

What is clear is that all monsters are ferocious, highly combative, and dangerous creatures.

As evidenced by the name given to Despair, the only monster on the plains, it possesses a power that cannot be resisted by mere skill.

On the other hand, beasts include both dangerous and non-dangerous species.

There are carnivorous beasts that attack humans as prey, but there are also docile herbivorous beasts that can be domesticated by humans.

What is called a beast and what is called a monster, and the criteria or line that distinguishes them, is unknown to anyone.

Perhaps there was a clear boundary in ancient times, but it has been lost.

The Beast King is considered the most powerful of the beasts that inhabit the plains.

An adult can grow up to about two meters in length and, unusually for a feline, hunts in groups.

Its body is adorned with a yellow base and black spots, and its most distinctive feature is its blood-red eyes.

In terms of agility alone, it surpasses even Despair, and for a novice mercenary, it is undoubtedly a creature to be avoided.

Of course, Grishe and the others should also avoid it.

If they encountered a Beast King on the plains, they would not hesitate to flee before entering its hunting area.

To see so many Beast Kings lying in front of them as the results of a hunt was enough to leave Grishe and the others speechless.

“Did… did Aldis hunt all of these!?”

“No, before that, how did they just float up from the ground!? What’s going on!?”

Grishe, wide-eyed at the number of prey, and Geo, more concerned about the floating prey, questioned Aldis.

“Hm? Oh… it’s magic.”

Aldis said, averting his eyes.

“Magic is amazing.”

Ralph, hearing the explanation, let out a pure exclamation of wonder.

Even if magic could be used, what Aldis was doing was extraordinary, but to the eyes of non-mages, ordinary magic and Aldis’s magic were equally mysterious.

Perhaps it was fortunate that there were no mages among Grishe and the others.

“Let’s get started.”

They had to skin over ten Beast Kings, so there was no time to waste.

At Grishe’s signal, everyone began the work.

The target of the Beast Kings’ sharp fangs and fur. The fangs are valued as ornaments and amulets, and the fur is prized as material for winter clothing and carpets.

Each Beast King had been killed with a single thrust to the throat, ensuring that the fur could be taken in perfect condition.

Compared to the fur of Beast Kings hunted by other mercenaries, these would undoubtedly fetch a much higher price.

The skill to finish off a Beast King with the fur in mind is something even a highly experienced mercenary would find difficult.

“I wonder how much this will be worth…”

Konia sighed deeply, and Ralph followed with a face that looked like he had bitten into a bitter bug.

“To have hunted all of these alone… I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen the battle earlier.”

The number of Beast Kings was large, but after about two hours, all the harvesting was complete.

The work of five people had paid off.

However, when Aldis said, “I’ll be right back. Keep working,” and ran off, and returned five minutes later carrying two more Beast Kings, everyone’s mouths dropped open.

To hunt two Beast Kings as if it were a casual trip to the bathroom was beyond belief.

After harvesting the fur and fangs of the additional two Beast Kings, Grishe and the others quickly disposed of the remaining meat.

They immediately bundled the fur and carried it on their backs, hurrying back to Trias.

They arrived in Trias as the sun began to set.

At a merchant’s shop in a corner of the commercial district, where Aldis was a regular, they settled the fur and fangs, and then moved to a nearby tavern.

It was still early for drunkards to start their ramblings, and the tavern was almost exclusively occupied by Grishe and the others.

“The amount seems to be more than what was initially mentioned. Is that okay?”

“No problem. You’ve earned it.”

Sitting at the table, Grishe and the others relaxed as they received their rewards from Aldis.

The harvesting of the Beast King’s fur and fangs, and their transport to Trias, earned each of the four three silver coins.

With the addition of the money from selling the Snatch’s fur and tail stones, it was an excellent half-day’s earnings for novice mercenaries like Grishe and the others.

“Well, I’m off.”

After paying the reward for the help, Aldis was about to leave when Grishe stopped him.

“Wait, why don’t you join us for a drink? We’ll pay for it as a thank you for your help.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I have people waiting at the inn, and I’m already sleepy.”

“I see… Then we’ll thank you next time. We’re staying at the ‘Spring Dawn Inn,’ so let us know if you need anything. We’ll help if we can.”

“Alright, I’ll remember that. The Spring Dawn Inn, right?”

With a light smile, Aldis raised his hand and left the tavern.

Grishe and the others, watching him go, immediately ordered a round of ale and clinked their glasses together.

“To our success on the road!”

“To success!”

Grishe and the others, who had experienced a day that left them in awe in many ways, had earned several times their usual income and had even made the acquaintance of a strong mercenary like Aldis, but they could have easily become Despair’s prey on the plains.

That night, the four of them continued toasting their good fortune and celebrating until they were all, except Geo, passed out from drinking.

2016/12/17 Correction: "All monsters are ferocious" → "Monsters are all ferocious"

2016/12/19 Correction: "Disperia" → "Despair"

*Thank you for pointing out the misuse and misspellings in the comments.

2017/12/02 Correction: "On par with Despair" → "Surpassing Despair"

*Thank you for the correction in the comments.

2018/07/16 Correction: "Grishe and the others quickly" → "Grishe and the others quickly"