Chapter 36

Radley, as usual, was patrolling the surrounding forest of the capital Noeina with Rick and Dant.

If dangerous monsters were approaching human settlements, there would always be signs left in the forest. There might be dead bodies of animals or weak monsters that had been ravaged, traces of a large body passing through the forest, or signs of trees being destroyed to mark territory.

As a member of the mercenary group who had taken on many requests to eliminate monsters, Radley would not miss such obvious anomalies. Fortunately, there had never been such anomalies in the shallow part of the Bazel Great Forest near the capital Noeina.

Until now, that is.

"...It smells."

As they entered the forest and moved a little further, Radley noticed something was wrong.

"Huh, really?"

"Yeah, it's the smell of blood. You two, keep a good watch around. And if I say 'run,' get back to Noeina and call for other vassals immediately."

When Radley said this to Rick and Dant, he could sense their bodies stiffening behind him. It was understandable, as this was the first time Radley had given such instructions.

Radley walked in the direction of the smell of blood, with Rick and Dant following cautiously behind.

Soon, they reached the source of the smell.

There, they found the bodies of several goblins. The bodies were so scattered that it was impossible to tell which parts belonged to which individuals. The ones whose faces were not crushed had died with their eyes wide open in terror.

"Wow..."

Dant's involuntary words could be heard. It was understandable.

While Radley and his team had conducted patrols to eliminate monsters, they had never resorted to such brutal killings. But these goblins were torn apart so badly that their bodies were unrecognizable.

However, what caught Radley's attention was something else.

It was missing, Radley thought.

The number of goblin limbs scattered around and the contents of the torn goblin bodies were clearly insufficient. This meant that something had preyed on the goblins.

A monster that could capture several goblins, who could wield weapons and form groups, and cause them to die in such terror, was not usually found in this area.

Radley surveyed the scene of the massacre. He examined the footprints on the ground, found the bark of a tree that had been rubbed off to mark territory, and confirmed the fur attached to it.

"...This is not good. We need to report this immediately. Let's head back."

Saying this quietly, Radley led the two back to Noeina in a hurry.

...

Upon receiving Radley's report after the patrol, Noeina called for an emergency assembly of the vassals.

Soon, all the vassals gathered at Noeina's mansion and a discussion was held.

"Is it definitely an orc?"

"Yeah, there was fur stuck to the tree trunk. The footprints were definitely those of an orc."

In response to Yurii's question, Radley nodded firmly.

"Orcs are supposed to only be found deep in the Bazel Great Forest, right? For one to appear here, and in the middle of winter...?"

Noeina, who was not accustomed to such emergencies, said this with a somewhat stiff expression.

Noeina had never seen an orc directly but knew from knowledge that they were dangerous monsters.

Orcs, which look like bipedal boars, can be over 2 meters tall and possess immense strength. It is said that to properly combat them, one would need a trained mage, a magic warrior capable of using physical enhancement magic, or more than ten trained soldiers.

The fact that one had appeared so close to the capital Noeina was a cause for concern for the lord.

"...It's probably an individual that failed to hibernate. Most beast-type monsters store food and hibernate during winter, but occasionally some fail and go out searching for food. Such individuals are particularly dangerous due to the cold and hunger."

"While searching for food in a state of agitation, it must have ended up in the shallow part of the great forest."

Yurii explained, and Pense added this information.

"Will it come to Noeina?"

"It will almost certainly come. The orcs in the Bazel Great Forest have never seen humans. They don't know about human civilization or organization. They will likely perceive goblins as weak prey and attack them."

"The goblin bodies still smell of blood. They were killed today. Since it has eaten so much, it should be fine for a day or two, but after that, it could attack here at any time."

"Got it... Can we win?"

When Noeina asked, Yurii's face twisted slightly. Pense, Radley, Bart, and Mai, who were former mercenaries, also had serious expressions.

"...It's dangerous for us former mercenaries alone. We don't have enough manpower. But most of the other residents are just farmers. Even if they have some emergency training, they can't possibly handle an orc."

"I have some knowledge of swordsmanship and spear techniques as a former village leader... but the other farmers will likely be paralyzed by fear."

When Yurii said this, Edgar, who was in charge of the farmers, also agreed. For ordinary people, orcs were a terrifying threat.

"Would my golems be enough to make up for the lack of manpower?"

"Are you willing to go into the forest yourself? Your golems are quite strong, but facing an orc in the winter forest is not absolutely safe. Of course, we will do our best to protect you, but there's always a chance of an ambush."

Noeina, instead of flinching at Yurii's words, smiled. It was a sinister smile that he hadn't shown during the peaceful winter.

"I'm aware of the risks. Rather, it would be unacceptable for a lord to be afraid of just one orc, right? If it ravages my land and tries to eat my precious people, I, the lord, will personally kill it."

The crude words, uncharacteristic of the gentle Noeina in front of his people, made Yurii and the other vassals chuckle. They laughed because they knew this viciousness was not directed at them.

"Understood. If the lord says so, we will base our strategy on the golems."

Thus, the discussion concluded with the lord Noeina himself leading the hunt for the orc. This would be Noeina's first real battle, aside from the previous hunts of weaker monsters.