Episode 312: Interlude (Berelforeste Country)
“…Dad!”
“Papa! Papa!”
“Ah… Fint, Yulan! You’re both well!”
A young man and a boy of about ten years old came running.
The father, returning from the battlefield, lifted his younger brother into his arms and embraced his older brother as well.
“Welcome home…!”
“…I’m home, Filia…! I’m so glad, so glad you’re safe…!”
The mother, who had been chasing after her two sons, joined them, and the four embraced tightly.
And such scenes were unfolding everywhere.
This was a regional city in the Berelforeste Country.
The hunter men who had been conscripted into the war with the Prava Theocracy were finally discharged and returned to their hometowns.
However, the hole left by these hunters was very large.
With no one to hunt the monsters living in the Forest of Demise, they eventually realized that their natural enemies were gone.
And before a year had passed, many of the villages and towns that had served as bases for the hunters were attacked by monsters one after another and fell.
Of course, they had not developed without any defenses.
They had prepared some defensive equipment and had procedures in place for emergencies.
But they were critically short of manpower.
The outer walls were destroyed, and the invading monsters rampaged. No one ever knew how many villages were attacked, how many towns fell, and how many people died.
The retired hunters who remained in the villages and towns, or the inexperienced apprentices, did their best to repel the monsters, but all that remained were walls and houses that had been destroyed to the point where they could not withstand the next attack.
The surviving residents abandoned their hometowns and fled to base cities in the rear.
“So… where are you living now?”
“Don’t worry, dear. The lord has provided us with a room. It’s a bit small, but it’s big enough for the four of us.”
“The lord… I see…”
In any case, the family took the father to their room to celebrate his safe return.
It was a simple housing area prepared for evacuees. Houses that looked like large boxes were lined up at equal intervals.
Half a year had already passed since they had evacuated. The houses, all the same shape, were decorated individually by the people who lived there.
The house they were led to was decorated with well-used bows, wooden dolls, and cut flowers.
Since they had been notified of the father’s return, the three of them had been decorating it so that he could come home at any time.
The bow was for practice, made for the older brother who would succeed him as a hunter.
Decorating the house with this was proof that he had been recognized as a full-fledged hunter and had obtained a proper bow for hunting.
“When the village was attacked by monsters, it happened to be my night watch. I went up to the watchtower and drew my bow like a madman. In the end, I aimed at the monsters that had entered the village…”
His efforts minimized the damage to the residents.
The village chief, hearing this, directly recognized him as a formal hunter.
Of course, there was also the aspect of comforting the residents who had lost their village and putting on a performance, but there was no doubt that he had achieved sufficient results as a hunter.
And so, the family rejoiced at their reunion, and they drank, ate, and talked late into the night.
◇◇◇◇
The evacuees lived in simple prefabricated houses provided by the southern great power, the Republic of Lepui.
Although made of wood, they were thoroughly waterproofed and had no gaps.
In terms of construction alone, they were much better made than their original houses.
“This is quite a fine house…”
“We even get food rations. Look, we even got this nice pot…”
What they showed him was a very large, thick-bottomed pot. In addition, there were shiny ceramic plates, metal knives, forks, and spoons.
The clothes the family was wearing now were also made using the supplied fabric. Not only that, but the tablecloth and bed sheets were also made from the same fabric. Looking at this alone, they were living much better than when they lived in the village.
“And now, Fint is earning money as a hunter. He’s making things a lot easier for us.”
“I see… You’ve become quite accomplished in just one year…”
The older brother, who was working as a hunter, was using a well-made bow and a hunting knife. These also seemed to be supplies from the Republic of Lepui.
And when he looked closely, he saw that the supplies were engraved with a symbol of a person’s profile.
It seemed that they were all made in the same workshop.
“…Speaking of which.”
The father took out a weapon that he had brought back from the battlefield as a good-luck charm.
It was the Goddess of the Battlefield.
A weapon called a ＜Revolver＞ that had protected the lives of soldiers from the attacks of monk soldiers.
It was one of the supplied weapons given to him on the battlefield where he was dispatched. Since the Republic of Lepui did not ask for its return, he brought it back with him.
In addition to the five bullets already loaded, there were dozens more in the ammunition box.
Since a considerable number of bullets had been supplied, many soldiers had taken them home without permission, and they were able to procure them somewhere for the time being.
The upper echelons also knew the amount of guns and bullets piled up in the warehouse, so they did not actively try to recover those that were circulating in the field.
The father had experienced a close call when he used the revolver, which had been supplied as a last resort, against the monk soldiers who deflected arrows.
The bullet fired at close range pierced the monk soldier in front of him in one shot.
Of course, he also knew that there were monk soldiers who could not be shot down even with larger rifles. But even so, he had been saved by this goddess called the revolver.
“Look. This is the goddess that saved my life on the battlefield.”
And on the grip of the revolver, the same symbol as the supplied goods was engraved.
“It seems our family was saved by this goddess.”
“That’s great, Dad. I wonder where this workshop is. It must be in the Republic of Lepui, but…”
◇◇◇◇
“They haven’t noticed. Once it’s like that, it won’t move from that spot for a while. Aim carefully.”
“Okay.”
A large bear stood up on its hind legs and surveyed its surroundings.
The great bear, which was nearly twice the height of a person, was a type of monster called a Forest Bear.
They, father and son, had been called out because of a report that it had appeared in the forest near the highway.
Forest Bears were extremely ferocious monsters.
Their strong muscles, which covered their entire bodies, could deflect ordinary swords without a scratch.
Also, even if one were to challenge them with masterfully crafted spears or swords, the thick fur, fat, and muscle layers would prevent the blade from penetrating.
Therefore, the key to safely defeating this monster was to pierce its vulnerable vital points with arrows from a distance.
Of course, this was a double-edged sword, as missing the target would be a life-or-death situation.
The novice hunter took careful aim, put his magic power into the arrow, and released his finger.
With a whoosh, the released arrow was sucked into the Forest Bear’s throat.
The arrow, which had increased penetrating power, pierced the hardened fur and inflicted fatal damage.
But.
“＜Last Attack＞!”
The Forest Bear, whose carotid artery and spine had been pierced and was clearly dead,
charged at them with all its might.
“Bad luck! Dodge it, Fint!”
“O-okay!”
If this had been a close-quarters battle, it would undoubtedly have been a fatal blow. It had such a fast reaction speed and tremendous rushing power.
But in reality, there was a considerable distance between them, and there was enough time to dodge the Forest Bear’s charge.
If they moved out of its path, they would not be hit.
“In these situations, you can wait for it to stop moving, but…”
The father, who had experienced the same situation many times in past hunts, responded calmly, unlike his anxious son.
He drew the Goddess of the Battlefield (Revolver) from his waist, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
Normally, they would use additional arrows or catapults to pursue and finish it off, but with the powerful weapon called the revolver, they could do it all in one breath.
The bullet, fired with a deafening roar, pierced the Forest Bear’s temple.
The head, subjected to a tremendous impact, turned in the wrong direction, and the neck bent.
And that was the final blow, and the Forest Bear’s body lost all its strength. Its huge body slid across the ground with the momentum of its charge.
“Alright. As expected of the goddess.”
“Amazing…”
Even after losing its life, a monster would sometimes unleash one last attack like this.
Experiencing that in a relatively safe situation was a good experience for a novice hunter.
Everyone loves revolvers.
Revolvers are cool, after all. I want to see them play a more active role.