How to live as a wanderer

“How much farther? It'll take all day. ”

“We need to get a little deeper into where he can get out. ”

Joseph said calmly. Luckily, it was John who was behind him. If only the mercenaries had come, they would have fallen facedown.

“How do you know that? ”

“Monsters hold the realm wide. He showed up and there was no damage to the village, so he must have taken deep cover in the woods. Maybe they've settled in wolf territory inside the forest. ”

Monsters behaved differently from other animals. I didn't hesitate to attack my own people and eat. If the Black Wolf hadn't come down to the village, all that was left was inside.

“That's disgusting. Do you have a deer?”

“I wish I had a deer. ”

The deer was a prey favored by nobles. We can never touch them at the nobles' hunting grounds, so we couldn't easily catch mercenaries without this opportunity.

“Hey, hunting ground. Are you sure you're doing the right thing? Well, take the bait. ”

The nobles' hunting grounds were often scattered by hunting grounds. If we scatter food, it becomes a habit for the animals at the hunting ground to come and eat.

If I let in this habit, I could easily find it when the nobles came to hunt later, without doing anything else.

But that was a relaxing story, and the Aces didn't do that. Since Lord Gessen has been running around with little hunting, why would he do such a thing? Joseph's hunting is close to finding traces and waiting patiently.

“Monsters don't have to. They'll come at us with just a look. ”

“Tsk.”

The mercenary bludgeoned his blade as if Joseph's reply were dissatisfying. It was like I would have punched him if it weren't for John.

I couldn't expect a knight from mercenaries to travel with Lord Karamaf. Most mercenaries were violent and barbaric. There was no reason to say, 'Mercenaries without work are like thieves.'

When Lord Karamaf was around, there was nothing strange about him being angry without him.

“Joseph, is that true? ”

“Monsters? Maybe…”

Monsters were fierce and ferocious several times more than ordinary beasts. Even wolf-like predators could have fled or spread the streets once armed knights arrived, but monsters wouldn't.

Auw

“! ”

“It's a wolf! Is it him? ”

The mercenaries who complained about the wailing of distant wolves rush to their senses. The horses tremble, blushing.

“Stay still. You idiot! ”

One of the mercenaries snarls his saddle and pulls out a combo crossbow. It's small and weak because it's used for shooting on horses, but it's good for hunting wolves.

“Hunting grounds! You asked me if it was him! ”

“Ah... I don't think so! ”

“Why not?”

“There's no one crying! ”

“What? It's a cry from one of them! Are your ears rotting? Is this guy reliable? ”

“What does a huntsman in the countryside know...”

The mercenaries swearing all the time. Joseph cursed at them from the inside.

Those bastards who don't know shit about hunting...

It seems that the mercenaries have never hunted before. I've killed men on the battlefield, but I'm pretty sure they've never been out chasing animals in the woods or mountains before. Everything I do comes from nothing.

They heard the rumors of monsters and came all this way because they were attracted to leather, so there's no way it could be a proper hunt.

Go to the wolves! ’

And God answered Joseph's prayer.

I started hearing wolves crying everywhere.

“??! ”

“What is it, Joseph? You're not supposed to do this. ”

John was embarrassed and asked, looking at Joseph. The wolves of this forest were cunning predators, not bloodthirsty predators. Armed men knew the danger.

When people originally came to the realm, they had to retreat or avoid, but instead, they started approaching with a ferocious cry.

“Monster!”

“! ”

“It must be the monsters. He controls the wolf pack! ”

Occasionally, monsters ruled over animals without fighting them. Joseph used to only hear stories from old hunters...!

Wolves are predators that move in packs. It would have been easier to be controlled by monsters than by them.

“Oh, here it comes! ”

One of the mercenaries yells out in excitement. Boring to wait and finally be able to fight. Joseph exclaims nervously.

“Don't shoot! ”

“What? Hunting grounds. Don't bullshit me. You're not the only one who knows how to hunt. A wolf cub was chased when he was working as a mercenary. ”

The mercenary said, annoyed. I've never hunted forests and mountains like a hunter, but I've had quite an experience of defeating attacking wolves while escorting merchants along the road.

“This isn't a normal situation...”

Heave!

The mercenary fires his bolt without waiting for an answer. A bolt flew away with the sound of the wind. A bolt that looks like a short arrow plunges into the tree with a 'flutter’ sound.

“Son of a bitch. Can't you match that? Where are your skills? ”

“Shut up. They're swarming. ”

“John, let them listen! ”

Joseph asked John. But John shakes his head.

“Uh, why? ”

“Did they hear me say that? Let's just take our lives. Whether they're searching or not. ”

“...!! ”

“How dangerous is this situation? ”

“If the monster is waving a wolf, there is only one target. They will attack us! ”

The wolves appear and disappear through the thick trees. You hear the sound of the brush brushing. Joseph mutters in a desperate voice.

“I'm surrounding you...! ”

“I don't think so. Joseph, get on the horse. ”

“Yes?”

“We'll have to make a run for it under the circumstances. ”

Joseph felt relieved for a moment because of John's cold attitude. And I was baffled by that.

I can't believe I'm relieved in this situation. Am I crazy?

After the siege, the wolves begin to approach, revealing themselves a little more. The mercenaries' eyes are clearly moving in. The mercenaries shoot bolts with swearing speech.

“Why are you guys hiding like this? Come out!”

“What's all the fuss about? ”

The mercenaries were irritated. The wolves who usually attack the waves were impatient. They rushed towards the cart or wagon, and the mercenaries had to be cleared out one by one.

But the wolves here were cunning and clever. You move around wasting your arrows.

Moreover, the crossbow is difficult to load. It was slow on the ground, but there was nothing more to say on the horse. The tools to help load were expensive, and the mercenaries carrying them were rare.

Puck!

After the final bolt sounds, the wolves begin to roar ferociously. It was a sign of the beginning of the fight.

“I'm out, you bastard! ”

The mercenary turns to scoff at the wolf in front of him. The mercenary raises his axe and tries to hit the running wolf with skill.

“Watch your flank! ”

The running wolf stops breathing, but not just one. A wolf leaps up from the left bush and aims for the mercenary's exposed leg.

It was a colleague who saved the life of a mercenary. A colleague swiftly grabs the sword and stabs the wolf in the neck.

“Khhh!”

However, the wolf bites the mercenary's leg as if he were on the verge of death. Whether the chain mail is old or unlucky, the wolf's teeth are torn from the leg. Blood splatters and the flesh becomes flabby.

“These wolves are crazy! ”

“Gather round! Gather round! ”

They are experienced mercenaries, so they did not die instantly, but there was nothing to say. It was a strange fight for them in the first place.

The wolves moved differently from humans. It was a resilient and irregular movement. When you confront the man in front of you, he flies in behind you and over you.

There, the wolves aim at the target, regardless of how many die. You strike the mercenary and drop him to the ground, or bite the horse's leg off. Even if you are armed, if you fall, you will be choked to death by wolves.

More than a dozen wolves have fallen, but the mercenaries have fallen one by one.

“Son of a bitch! ”

The man in charge of the Dozens screams ferociously and smashes the wolf's head with a round shield. After making a gap like that, the man shouted.

“Shit! Let's get out of here! I can't save my own ass! ”

“Hey, hey! Give me a ride!”

The fallen mercenary exclaims urgently. However, his colleagues did not look back and fill their horses. The horse starts running, crying.

“Let's bounce, too. ”

John, who was staring at me, drove a horse. Johanna and Joseph are comfortable because the wolves only target mercenaries.

The wolf's cry echoes behind the retreating mercenaries. Unlike before, the mercenaries tremble at the eerie horrors. I never thought I'd be so humiliated by a pack of wolves.

*

*

*

“They're after us!”

“Cursed forest path. The road sucks!"

It is narrow and has a lot of obstacles, so you have to be slow even when riding a horse. Moreover, unlike when we were marching together earlier, the mercenaries were now running in a line.

very vulnerable to attack.

The mercenaries knew that, but they had no choice. It was stupid to stop here. And, uh...

If it wasn't for me, it'd be me! ’

It didn't matter if someone else was bitten.

“Slow.”

“Yo, John. ”

“I won't throw it away, so don't say it in such a pathetic voice. That's a little creepy coming from a black guy. ”

Joseph was relieved to hear John's joke. Now John was following behind the very end. It was slow because two people were riding.

I was anxious to get attacked, but the wolves have never attacked yet. Seeing the sound of crying next to him, it was clear that he was following me.

“John!"

“? ”

The last mercenary in the group is close enough to reach John. I was running in blood to see if the horse had been injured. The mercenary's face is overwhelmed with nervousness and anxiety, knowing that he was falling behind as well.

“Get rid of him! ”

“What?"

“Get rid of him! Son of a bitch! I'll explain later! ”

The mercenary grabs Joseph by the throat with his horse. Joseph was stunned by the sudden attack. The mercenary glances at Joseph and tries to drop him.

“Y-yo... John...”

“Ah. Right. To feed the wolves? ”

“Yes! You know what I mean! ”

“There's a better opponent here. ”

John's fist, along with the horse, crushes the mercenary's head.

< 09 End of childhood (9) > end

writing Machine