NOVEL NEXT Chapter 51 - Chapter 51: Village Situation
Chapter 51: Village Situation
For a while afterward, we listened to the village chief’s story…
As expected, the situation was much worse than we had anticipated.
It all began two weeks ago.
On the outskirts of a village near the Tamir Mountains, there was an incident where a herd of goats being grazed was attacked by black wolves. It seems that black wolves had periodically descended from the Tamil Mountains before. So, just like before, the men of the village cooperated and managed to drive them away to the mountains.
Initially, the villagers thought that this would bring back safety to their lives.
However, their expectations were soon betrayed.
On the night after the black wolves were driven away, howls could be heard endlessly around the village. Then, the next day, when a villager went towards the mountain to consider resuming grazing, they encountered black wolves watching from afar and hurried back to the village. As the days passed, the frequency of sightings of black wolves around the village increased, and their behavior became bolder.
Even so, at that time, the villagers still optimistically thought that this was just a coincidence and that things would calm down over time.
But exactly one week after the goat was attacked, a child from the village became a victim. While playing on the outskirts of the village with other children, a pack of wolves descended from the mountain, and the slowest child was killed by a bite. Immediately, enraged parents gathered many villagers, and a large-scale hunt for the wolves was planned. Although there were tragic casualties, it was expected that this would finally put an end to the problem.
Initially, all the villagers thought so.
However, the wolf hunt was ultimately canceled immediately.
On the night the plan was made, an unexpected incident occurred where a bold pack of black wolves infiltrated the village and killed livestock. The villagers were thrown into chaos and fell into a state of panic. Although black wolves were terrifying, they had never come into the village before. The influential figures in the village, now seriously concerned, gathered wood from throughout the village and built barricades, setting up lookouts.
Daily life in the village changed completely. Old houses were dismantled to become wood, and the harvesting of vegetables and fruits grown at the foot of the mountain was all suspended. Most of the livestock were also killed and became temporary food. Furthermore, those with strength or mercenary experience in the village were gathered, armed with as many weapons as possible, and a full-scale plan was made to hunt down the black wolves.
Every day thereafter, when night fell in Vaintz, ominous howls echoed around. The howls of the black wolves could be heard from far away, sometimes even nearby. Due to their overwhelming fear, the villagers could hardly sleep properly, and the entire village was dominated by a heavy atmosphere of anxiety. During the day, the village hunting party patrolled around the village, successfully killing several wolves. However, as the days passed, the number of wolves visible from the lookout tower increased, and after several days, more than 100 wolves could be confirmed just by sight.
Realizing that this was a problem far beyond what the village could handle, they decided to plead with the lord.
And now, during the day, several black wolves constantly patrol around the east side of the fence, and the village hunting party seems to be unable to intervene rashly. Furthermore, at night, more than 300 black wolves can be seen. They can no longer go outside the fence to harvest food, and all the villagers are sharing the limited food they have, somehow managing to survive.
Well, that would make anyone’s face dark…
“For now, we’ll finish cleaning up around the fence tonight,” Marie declared to dispel the villagers’ anxiety, addressing the village chief.
With the explanation over and our own difficult situation confirmed once again, the village chief, who had been looking down with a face that seemed close to death, raised his head as if clinging to that declaration.
“Oh! That would be a great help… We’ve been worried as our food supplies have gradually been diminishing.”
“However… even if we sweep away the black wolves tonight, we should watch the situation for a while longer.”
“Then, should we refrain from leaving the fence for a while longer?”
“Yes. It’s impossible for black wolves to gather in such numbers naturally. There’s no doubt that some kind of manipulation is at play…”
“That must be the doing of the Tamir Empire…”
“That’s not certain. We can’t speculate,” the village chief, Mars, replied.
“I-I apologize… Then, let me bring you some food,” Mars withdrew with a dejected expression, and instead, a woman who appeared to be his daughter brought some simple food.
Unexpectedly, dried fish appeared. Personally, I was very happy about it, but everyone else’s reaction wasn’t that great. Only Kuro was happily crunching away at the bones.
“Bonus, you’re good at eating fish. Are you from a coastal area?”
“Not exactly, but I’m quite used to eating fish,” Bonus replied.
Everyone seemed to find it difficult to eat, poking and prodding at the flesh. It’s troublesome if you’re not used to it. I feel like I was like that when I was a child. Surprisingly, only Shiro was carefully separating the bones and flesh.
Black wolves, huh? Will we see them tonight? I should ask to be allowed to climb the lookout tower later.
“It’s fine if only Azir and I go out at night… but should Kuro come with us too?”
“Kuro?”
“Gyaaa?”
“I can’t gauge Kuro’s strength even though I’m me.”
“Hmm… sending her alone is a bit worrying. There are about 300 of them, right? Hmm…”
“Kuro will be fine,” Shiro said as if it were obvious.
Well, if Shiro, who knows both Kuro’s abilities and the black wolves, says so, then it should be fine. Gisella doesn’t seem worried at all, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“I understand. Then, Kuro, be careful not to get injured.”
“Gyaaah!”
“I’ll go too.”
“Then, shall the four of us go? It would be great if we could settle everything now, but that probably won’t be the case.”
“Even if there are 300 of them, we probably won’t be able to defeat them all. The black wolves will probably retreat once they’re at a disadvantage.”
Seeing Azir’s rather nonchalant demeanor, it doesn’t seem too dangerous. He looked much more desperate when gathering the team. Well, judging from what I’ve seen of the fight with Elizabeth, I can’t imagine Kuro being defeated. But I have no idea what it’s like to actually fight 300 wolves, so I’m feeling uneasy.
“For now, let’s quickly check around the fence, then get some sleep early to rest our bodies.”
The village is less than 200 meters in diameter, so it’s quickly done checking. Looking closely at the fence, there are quite a few structurally weak spots, probably due to being hastily put together. It’s just poles and scraps of wood tied together with hemp rope, so it can’t be helped. It’s full of gaps and feels unreliable. Seeing it rattling in the wind makes me anxious. Shiro could probably smash it all with one blow. But for now, this is probably the limit of what can be done.
Returning to the inn, I collapse on the worn-out boards of the shack and doze off. The sun is still up, but I quickly feel sleepy, probably because of the long walk. If something happens, Kuro will wake me up.
I wake up in the middle of the night, sweating profusely. Unlike Savoia, this village is humid and somewhat muggy, making it difficult to sleep. It feels uncomfortable. It’s already dark outside. However, it’s not yet time to get up. Faint howls can be heard from afar. It’s a rather eerie sound… Trying not to wake anyone up, I quietly sit up and wipe the sweat off with a hand towel. As I do, I suddenly feel something wriggling in the dark room, silently approaching. I’m momentarily startled and tense, but I quickly realize it’s Kuro and relax. It seems Kuro brought some water. How thoughtful. But since everyone is asleep, I can’t speak, so I express my gratitude with my eyes. Even though Kuro is usually lively, right now she sits quietly, smiling softly without making a sound. Somehow, the uneasy feeling from earlier seems to melt away as we sit close together. For the first time, Kuro gently grabs my head and slowly puts it on her lap. It might be the first time Kuro has ever given me a lap pillow. Her body is small. Because she’s so good at everything, I tend to forget that. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I can see Kuro’s face peering at mine from this distance. Even from this distance, I can see her beautiful eyes clearly. She’s been like this since she was a scary imp, but just by staring at each other silently, we somehow understand each other’s feelings, creating a strange sensation. As I gaze into Kuro’s beautiful eyes for a while, my mind calms down, and before I know it, I fall asleep again.